I’ve been a huge fan of Moondrop for many years I own quite a few of their cheaper models as well as the Blessing 2: Dusk and S8. The S8 is my go-to daily driver and sleep IEM. In both sound profile and comfort it is very satisfying.

If I wanted to improve it, I’d smooth the treble and extend it, and take a little off the midbass. So when I saw the Dark Saber FR I thought those might be a good upgrade. Or side-grade.

When they arrived, my first disappointment was that they were not solid resin like the S8. Instead, they are a resin shell so thin it almost rings when you touch it.

My second disappointment was that the IEM bodies were not the semi-custom shape of the S8 but fatter and bigger like the B2:D. Along with this, the carbon fiber faceplates have extremely sharp edges. They won’t cut your skin but the lower point of the plate does feel uncomfortably sharp to an accidental touch.

The size is not a total deal breaker for me but combined with the sharp edges I almost decided to return them right away. But I gave them a listen.

After about 50hrs the sound was quite nice. Very refined treble with huge extension giving it lots of detail and a big sound stage. Midrange is somewhat reduced that makes vocals a little distant. Similar to the B2:D. But the bass… Two dynamic drivers and a good FR should give great bass, but mine was anemic. It has detail and extension but it just lacks overall thump and impact. The single BA bass driver in the S8 is superior IMO.

Now for the objective flaws: the 2-pin connection on the right IEM is so tight I thought it would break inserting it. I did manage to attach and then remove the cable that came with it, and then the same for a DUNU cable. I’ve seen other comments about this issue and would say it seems to be widespread.

But at the same time I noticed a fracture along the back of the right hand unit. I have a DUNU SA6 with a hollow shell body that doesn’t crack under normal use. I managed to remove the cable without breaking it further and last week sent Apos an email to request a return and refund. Today I got my return label and it looks like they are taking care of it.

Maybe steer clear of this one for a while.