In today’s feature, Lynn reviews the MOONDROP Edge, a set of Bluetooth 5.4 wireless headphones equipped with ANC and 40mm dynamic drivers. They are currently priced at $89.99.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank MOONDROP and Shenzhen Audio for their support.
Click here to read more about MOONDROP products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read here in more detail.
The wireless headphone market is chock-full of brands and numerous price points, from the affordable, such as the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wireless, to the high-end Mark Levinson No. 5909.
MOONDROP tends towards the more affordable end, and the Edge is no exception at $89.99, but it does present itself with new technology based upon tried and true methods.
I have reviewed many MOONDROP products over the years. I appreciate their modest prices compared to the excellent sonic characteristics wrought from their wares.
The Edge is competitive, equipped with MOONDROP’s advanced ANC technology, excellent build, and a fit that looks seemingly made for the masses, while staying comfortable to wear.
But how does it compete with the likes of the ACCENTUM and ACCENTUM Plus? I found out in my full review below.
Features
The Edge comes with a 40mm low-distortion dynamic driver, high-resolution beryllium-plated dome, and flexible surround composite diaphragm that gives the sound capabilities.
Paired with hybrid ANC, the Edge does not lead in any categories but tends towards MOONDROP’s propensity for tailoring units for their own merits.
The onboard long antenna provides for long-distance separation up to a purported 50+ meters, when called upon, and the long 48-hour battery life (ANC off) gives good listening for a long period.
A five-minute charge will give up to 4 hours for that commute home when you forget to charge the Edge completely.
Dual microphones handle call duties, but I will note they are near the controls, and I did bump them until I acclimated myself to the controls.
Capable of handling SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs, the Edge also promotes several of the latest sound capabilities. Dual device connectivity, which is now commonplace, of course, comes along for the ride, too.
Design
The medium gray color is accented by silver stanchions and swivels, with the same gray color highlighted on the headband and pad. The top of the headband carries a grippy fabric cover, enhancing the user’s ability to hang onto the Edge.
The ear cups only swivel 90 degrees, but do fold into the headband for a smaller, more portable stature. Those rectangular ear pads are soft and pliable as well as deep enough to provide a good listening cavity.
All controls are on the right ear cup, with lighter gray lettering denoting each control. The lettering is hard to read, and the buttons are nearly flush with the side, making them hard to not only decipher, but also use.
The fit is good, with only minimal pressure on my head below my ears. Adjusting the straps is straightforward but requires effort.
There are minimal detents for three spots, so getting the legs even with each other is an exercise in eyeballing. The angle of the cups’ slight forward bend makes for a good fit without too much pressure on my ears.
I never felt pressure on the top of my head from the band, which meant I could wear the Edge for long sessions. The matte gray finish of the cups does collect fingerprints, though, so keeping the Edge clean is a must.
Controls
As mentioned, all controls are on the right ear cup, on the side of the circular frame, which surrounds the driver.
The on/off button is tucked between the volume down and volume up buttons. The ANC control button is placed separately, with an LED battery light and a connectivity LED between it and the other three buttons. The on/off button is set a bit below the volume buttons, which makes for slightly easier operation.
The odd feature, besides the buttons being nearly flush, is that the volume buttons are switched. That is, the volume UP is placed BELOW the volume down button, which seems antithetical to normal operations.
The ANC has three levels denoted by an Anime girl’s voice for on, off, and transparent. It took a couple of times through for me to make sure I had each saying right, but focus on the result, and the voice doesn’t matter.
Once acclimated to the controls, functionality was competent, but the Edge does fall behind its rivals.
App
The MOONDROP Link app is much more inclusive for Android than the iOS version I used, as expected.
The order of ANC incorporation can be customized from the app, as well as having three gain settings. You can also specify five EQ settings, which seem to be based on previous classic headphone iterations.
These range from Standard, to Legendary R10, Inspiring D8000 Pro, Admired T301, and Classic HD 580P.
The Legendary R10 (based upon Sony’s classic headphone) adds a more robust low-end, while the Inspiring D8000 Pro (Final Audio) enhances the midrange, pushing those frequencies forward.
The Admired T301 (which could be the Tago Studio T3-01) added an up-top extension, focusing on the treble region and higher percussive instruments, with enriched midrange, too.
The Classic HD 580P hearkens back to the Sennheiser headphone by pushing all phases forward with a more vibrant tonality and distinct clarity.
Wireless Performance
The MOONDROP Edge’s BT 5.4 is capable of connecting to dual devices, as most are in this category. Latency while watching videos or movies on my iPhone 16 Pro Max is non-existent.
A purported 50 meters of connectivity is well above the normal 10-meter average. I was able to go well beyond 35-40 meters before connectivity became an issue, but did reach the approximate distance of 50 meters on several occasions.
The dual connectivity allowed for quick switching between my phone and computer when called upon. Once a call was completed, the music started again without issue.
Battery Life
The reported 48 hours of run time is with ANC off. With ANC on you can go close to 30 hours. A five-minute charge will yield an additional four hours of use.
I verified both the ANC off and ANC on battery times twice each during my testing, coming just short the first time for each, and just past on the second occasion of each trial.
Packaging & Accessories
MOONDROP has always done well with the presentation aspect, and the Edge carries this forward. Using the same gray finish as the Edge, the box comes replete with Anime drawings on the front and specs and frequency graph on the back.
Sliding the paperboard sleeve, which uses a thicker top surface to provide support, you are presented with a folding quick-start instruction manual on top of the Edge, which is set in hard foam.
Above that, in the same gray color, is a rectangular box containing the USB-A to USB-C charging cable, a QR code for the app, a QC passed card, the warranty pamphlet, and a more involved owner’s manual, and the soft, supple pleather carrying bag that has soft fake suede in the inside.
The carrying bag is a nice inclusion since it can form-fit into your backpack or briefcase and carry the cable besides the headphones.
Sound Impressions
Summary
All critical listening was done using the “Standard” EQ, and after 75 hours of burn-in. That burn-in time was also used to evaluate battery longevity for both ANC on and off testing, hooked to the HiBy R4.
Listening was done using my iPhone 16 Pro Max and MacBook Pro exclusively. Comparisons were made to the Sennheiser ACCENTUM and ACCENTUM Plus.
The MOONDROP Edge presents a fairly vibrant signature across the board. With decent reach down low (more so with the R10 EQ) and a more neutral than not signature, the Edge carries a tune across many genres.
Treble reach does not become strident or stretched due to the neutrality, but neither does it carry much verve and energy without EQ’ing.
Bass
When not utilizing any EQ setting, bass is there, but in a polite manner that sets a more subdued floor for the signature. Control is good as a result, complementing the rest of the signature.
This tonal showing allows the midrange to strut forward a bit, without any bleed. Attack and decay are short, adding to the lack of low-end response, but keeping it taut and in control.
This can also be a panacea when more low-end grunt is desired. Luckily, that can be taken care of with the EQ settings.
Mids
Vocals tend towards a more forward nature with some peakiness in the upper midrange region. On vocal-heavy tracks, there can be a bit of stridency to the midrange, but it can be mostly tamed with the EQ settings.
The midrange comes across as bulbous as well as forward, promoting a full nature to the signature. This can result in less than accurate detail retrieval, but still remain neutral in overall quality.
The mids come across as clean and nearly crisp, which helps balance out the seemingly opposite responses noted above.
Treble
The treble can be enhanced when using the EQ setting, but I found using the Standard mode to be fairly smooth and somewhat laid-back. Top-end reach does not become strident, but this can lead to an overall lack of detail retrieval and energy.
The smooth character makes for a pleasant listen, especially for those who might have treble intolerance (or upper midrange intolerance, too). The lack of overall clarity probably shows itself the most here and may not work the best for detail-oriented genres.
Staging & Dynamics
The soundstage is fairly average, with no single dimension dominating. This would be the Goldilocks “just right” expansion, but without being extraordinary.
The listener can pick out the placement of instruments fairly easily, but when complicated music plays, the impending differentiation can become muddied.
Even with this, I enjoyed the sound across all three dimensions, which presented a fairly intimate setting as opposed to those false, cavernous settings.
The placement of instrumentation is fairly accurate, even with the faults listed, which gives a good representation of the stage. This presents a sound signature on the more intimate side than expansive, but with good presence.
While the Edge is not the most expansive, it isn’t overly compact and confining. This represents a solid cubic sound effect, which carries good sound across all three dimensions, with the ability to provide a fairly accurate map of instrument placement and imaging.
Click on page 2 below for my pairing performance impressions and selected comparisons.
