Moondrop KATO, KXXS successor IEMs

From what i know deep in 10k and peak at 13k 15k to 17k = 3d effet great imaging and wide sound stage . Its u12t style

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You’re right that they are similar in that regard.

Although the 13-17kHz peaks are far more pronounced in U12T.

U know we are talking about the u12t :zipper_mouth_face: so getting abit of it in a 170$ iem is a big thing . And u know that single dd iem have a lot of limitations . I think that kato will be a benchmark . Upgraded starfild what can we ask more then that

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Wish it was that easy, after buying the Teas. XD

So many good IEMs out there.

Looking forward to my Matte’ KATO :muscle:

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Not the best review but surprisingly pretty good for an amateur review.

Basically what I’ve gathered from this and the other impressions so far, still very similar to starfield/kxxs, but with better treble and bass. I think by this point we can all make a pretty accurate guess as to what we are getting from the KATO if the review and impressions we have so far are anything to go by. Just an improved kxxs/starfield, which is great news for those of us who really like that sound (me haha) bad news for everyone else who is tired of moondrop reusing similar tuning. At least this time they haven’t outright used almost the same tuning again like they have been for their past couple $80-$200 DD iems. It seems they’ve perfected it a bit more and changed it a bit. I really like the steel and brass nozzle idea since I see a lot of people complain about the treble being too tame (then there’s me who absolutely loves it tame).

My KATO hopefully ships soon so I can compare to the FDX1, and Ety ER2XR.

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Not trusting Timmy on this one yet cuz he’s a shiller :neutral_face:

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Well he hasn’t really hyped them up or anything. He just called it a kxxs with slightly more treble energy. In fact he said it was like 90-95% the same. He did also say the brass nozzle made it almost the same as the kxxs but slightly worse (less fast and controlled).

Idk about him being a shill, but everyone has their biases, bggr, crinacle, etc. I don’t know of any audio reviewer that hasn’t “shilled” for a specific product they liked more than others. That’s why I feel you can’t really trust them unless they have very similar taste as you, but then… that still involves you needing to buy iems to audition yourself.

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I’d trust Timmy on this one 'cos even when he’s a Moondrop shill, he’s already become so invested in Moondrop he can tell minute differences, and in that video, he kept saying that KATO is only a slight improvement over KXXS.

Very different from his normal “shillness,” so you get the idea. Seems like if you have the KXXS, you’re not missing out not buying KATO. Save money, preserve wallet for better stuff!

Go to 12:14 for the short summary on how he compares all the Moondrop IEMs in their respective focuses. He even said at the end that if you own the Aria or Starfield, you don’t need to upgrade to KATO.

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Timmy did another all-around comparison

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This makes me wonder if there’s any point in getting the KATO when I already love the starfields a lot for not having a harsh sound. The KATO sound like they will be a bit better but sacrifice a bit of the tameness the starfields have. Moondrop on aliexpress says they will ship my kato within 7 days so i still have a bit of time to cancel.

On another note I did get my FDX1 set, been listening to them for hours yesterday and today. Really good set, they blow everything I’ve owned out of the water technical ability wise, aside from the Dusk. Dusk has better soundstage, extension, a more fun tuning and separation but the timbre, tonality, balance (for critical/accurate listening) is way better on the FDX1. They’re surprisingly very resolving. I consider these the benchmark for critical/accurate listening, especially with how they’re able to do it without much coloration (mids are a bit too forward, sound is a bit too bright as well) or any of the weird BA timbre/harmonic distortion you’d have to deal with in a hybrid/ba iem (if you’re sensitive to it like me). These are now my second favorite set behind the starfields and the only reason i like the starfields more because I enjoy the easier to listen to tuning it has. I still think the B2D will be preferred over the FDX1 by most people simply cause the B2D has a more fun tuning. The regular B2 is probably a better comparison but I’ve never tried it before. I wish there was a “dusk” or “moondrop” tuned FDX1 cause I would easily take that over anything.

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I’m a bit worried that Timmy said the Oxygen just straight up beats the Kato. I had hoped they would at least be on par considering the age of Oxygen.

The oxygen sounds like pure ass in this demo though

So I’m not sure what to think at the moment.

I think it’s about personal preferences. I think harman curve sounds thin and shouty so I try to avoid iems like Oxygen.

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Picked Oxygen I saw it.He did put KATO 2 nd then Hana 2021.He still not saying get KATO if you have former Moondrop. It’s an ok vid. He definitely loves Oxygen.

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The Man himself has spoken. 5/5 on initial impressions from him.

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This guy is very good at describing sound, I was very pleasantly surprised.

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As I said this to myself, I will GET the KATO, when my Starfields broke or something. For now, Mangird Teas are my main objective.

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@Rcayn …Fuck, after watching that video on how he was able to describe the sounds of it in an elaborate and concise manner, not going to lie the temptation of me buying the KATOs first along with the sentimentality that I have attained from the Starfields I own is at HIGH now.

Also not to mention the KATOs are so fucking pretty to look at, though I am bit worried of upcoming QC issues on it, let’s hope it’s at a reduced level.

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