Moondrop Sparks Review

July 1, 2021 4:22 pm

There’s a lot to choose from in the realm of true wireless earphones. The popularity of these items has never been stronger, as more listeners start commuting again after being inside for far too long. This is a great opportunity for some to possibly experiment with brands that aren’t as widely known. I’ve now come across the Moondrop Sparks, a true wireless earphone that has definitely piqued my interest with its advertised features and $89 price tag. For a Bluetooth earbud such as the Sparks, there’s a whole lot to talk about. Although this is a more economical option, it presents itself as competition to the more popular true wireless models.

What You Get

Aside from the standard true wireless fare, such as the charging case and USB-C cable, the Sparks includes a wealth of ear tips to choose from. There are four different ziplock bags that all supply three sets of tips. You get three styles of silicone and a single set of foam tips. Normally you don’t receive many tip selections with true wireless earphones so it’s nice to see so many here.

Look and Feel

When I first opened up the Sparks, I didn’t expect to be in for a surprise. The Sparks has one of the most interesting aesthetic designs for a true wireless earphone. Starting off with the charging case, Moondrop presents a slightly transparent shell that when charging, lights up revealing the earphones within it. It’s a unique design that I’ve never seen before and helps it stand out from the competition immediately. There are three different cosmetic options to choose from with the Sparks, black, blue, and pink. I received the blue variation, which I found to be particularly eye-catching. The earbuds themselves are also very nice, featuring a smooth surface, and a suitable ergonomic design. Here, the shaping more resembles an IEM than a true wireless earphone. Due to the nature of the long nozzle, I was even able to use Final Audio ear tips with the Sparks. This made for a great fit with a wild amount of variety for different ear sizes. The housing of the Sparks holds a firm grip in your ear while sporting a natural level of comfortability.

Design and Functionality

My next surprise came in the form of the Sparks’ many features and interior components. Inside of the Sparks is a 6mm dynamic driver with a beryllium coated dome diaphragm. It uses a neodymium magnet and a high flux density magnetic circuit. This makes the Sparks sound like a high-end IEM, but this wireless earphone doesn’t stop there. You get your usual touch-sensitive surface that commands playback actions, phone calls, and voice assistant. The controls here are fairly responsive, with short delays and feedback responses. In addition, there’s also a supplemental app that houses an EQ for more customization options.

Bluetooth

The Sparks supports Bluetooth 5.2, as well as a variety of CODECS. It uses formats such as aptX, aptX adaptive, AAC, and SBC.

Battery Life

As one of the most important aspects to wireless earphones that’s not sound, the Sparks offers a good amount of charge for uninterrupted playback. You get eight hours of playtime from a single charge and a total of 48 hours if you include the charging case. For the price, this is impressive and sets a high bar for its competition.

Soundstage

True wireless soundstages aren’t exactly notable, especially for models in this price range. While the Sparks has spurts of spacious expression, the imaging never expands as far as it seems like it should. There’s some surprising height to the Sparks, but the panning never provides the air necessary to expand outward. In terms of the general positioning, the soundstage is actually very solid. The sound elements appear full and complete in their delivery of instrumentation and panning in the left/right stereo field. For this price range, I find the soundstage here to be above average, which is admirable for true wireless earphones. It puts them at a step above its competition almost immediately.

Low End

One of the Sparks’ best attributes is the depth of its bass. The resonance here portrays a great sense of space without bleeding into the mids. It emits a guttural tonality at certain points, producing a smooth rumble that rolls off subtly in the sub-bass. While some of the bass frequencies appear softer in its body, the low mids help bring some considerable impact to the timbre. Big sounds have a great punch to them, and all while still feeling natural to the sound signature. There’s no artificial bloat or muddiness to the tonality. Instead, you get a punchy response that doesn’t lack clarity.

Mids

Some portions of the midrange have trouble sticking out, but what’s there features just enough detail to sound clear. The upper-mids receive the most texture and character compared to the other ranges of frequency. Vocal performances shine, as crisp textures start making themselves known, and more solidity starts to take place. Otherwise, the mids seem a little too recessed and don’t cut through the mid-bass quite enough.

Highs

The treble on the Sparks is easily digestible in their tone and strictly inoffensive to the sound signature. You aren’t given much character here, but if you’re worried about brightness, then this will be the right sound for you. The Sparks gives you a bit of clarity and detail in the highs, but it never feels as accentuated as it should, relying on a more relaxed response. There’s some nice presence here, but the lack of texture makes it a little flat.

Summary

Overall, I found the Sparks to be a very enjoyable true wireless earphone. It’s got a design like no other Bluetooth product has on the market, and it supplies a great number of customization options with its app. This can help solve some of the sound signatures shortcomings too, but as it is, there are enough satisfying details and textures to soak yourself in. There are a few notable flaws here, but not enough to take me out of the Sparks engaging level of fidelity for this price range.