Moondrop Quarks Earphone Closed Anterior Cavity Micro Dynamic Driver IEM Earphone with mic

These are fantastic earphones. I got them because of their small profile so that I can wear them to bed and lay on my side without giving myself horrible ear pain. The sound quality is honestly great for the price. I’m no audiophile but so would say they have just as good of sound as wireless earbuds that are easily 3x the price. I find myself reaching for these more often than my iPods now. I don’t generally enjoy earbuds as my ears get itchy with them vs over-ear headphones, but these are very comfortable and I can easily wear them for several hours. I have taken a couple phone calls with these and the sound is good and the person on the other end of the line said I sounded great so long as I held the mic up near my mouth. With the trends going back towards older technology that doesn’t listen in on your conversations or use AI, I would highly recommend these. I have dongles that convert the AUX to USB-C and to Lightning and I keep them in the little bag these earphones come with. I don’t have to worry about battery life or that one of my ear pieces might fall out of my ear and I lose it. There’s no connectivity issues as it’s a direct line to your device. I love these and would recommend them. Read more

Pleasantly surprised by these little guys. None of IEMs would fit under my Shoei X-15 lid without tearing off my ears and straining cables. I was thinking of trying Chu IIs--but for motorcycling, glad I went with these instead since they're considerably smaller. A guy on Reddit recommended Quarks for motorcyclists, and the IEMs are so tiny that don't come into contact with the tight padding. My second concern after size was that these tiny drivers would sound anemic, but that's not the case. They're surprisingly full-sounding with punchy mid-bass and just enough sub-bass to warm up the tuning. I give them a little bass boost on my Apple Music app, or with my Qudelix EQ, and EDM/hip hop sounds fine. No sibilance or shoutiness. Quarks aren't going to be bass cannons, obviously, but they're punchy and deceptively outperform for their size. Good headroom, too. Also ideal for listening in bed. You decide on insertion depth and can control this with tip choice, but Qarks can be inserted very deep if you wear a helmet. With Comply foam tips, these things have THE best isolation of all my IEMs. Almost too good. My bike is loud, and I can barely hear anything. Nitpicks: I'd prefer a no-mic version, as well as a straight plug over a right-angle. Not a big deal. Bottom line, they offer surprisingly good sound quality, isolation, and convenience, and when you factor in the price, they're an easy 5 stars. Would recommend. Read more

3 MONTH UPDATE: After about 2.5 months of daily usage, the cable has gotten really tough and stiff. After keeping it in my pocket all day, the cable reaches around my ears (how I've always worn it), and touches my nose. It's really annoying. It also tangles easily. It went from one of the best cables I've used to the worst. It still sounds great, but I haven't quite gotten used to the slight lacking of bass. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I damaged the MMCX connector in my $130 FiiO FH3, so I wanted some cheap IEMs while I looked for a real replacement. Well, I'm not looking for a replacement anymore because I think these sound better than even the FH3 at 1/10 the price. SOUND: Other than a lack of bass texture, they sound incredible. I'd say they have the right amount of bass and sound very natural. They are incredibly spacious and immersive. They would be great for gaming. FIT: The isolation is pretty good. It might be just me, but it wasn't super intuitive to get them in properly. I recommend watching a YouTube video called "Etymotic Research - Earphone Insertion Video Guide". CABLE: Some people might see the non-replacable cable as a deal-breaker, but the cable is surprisingly high-quality. I put my IEMs in my pocket, and I haven't had bad tangles yet. The cable is also very "limp" which I see as a good thing. It doesn't kink or have a memory. CONCLUSION: I'm surprised that I've never heard of these before, especially at $13. I am curious about Moondrop's other IEMs, but I don't think I have any reason to upgrade. Even if you have a higher budget than $13, I'd recommend at least trying these out. Read more