AirPods 4vs.x Crinacle DUSK
Sound & Specs Comparison
Information
Both IEMs are widely regarded in the audiophile community. See how they differ in terms of sub-bass response, upper mids, clarity, and overall tonality. Spider charts and rating breakdowns included.
Objective Comparison
Facts, details, stuff.
| General Info | AirPods 4 | x Crinacle DUSK |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Apple | Moondrop |
| Country | USA | China |
| IEM Description | – | MoonDrop × Crinacle DUSK is a highly acclaimed hybrid in-ear monitor co-developed with tuning expert Crinacle. It features a precise, neutral-bright tuning with a slight sub-bass lift, offering exceptional clarity, detail retrieval, and tonal balance. Known for its reference-grade performance, the DUSK is often considered one of the best IEMs under $1,000 and a benchmark in the audiophile community. |
| Price Level | n/a | 100 – 500 |
| Housing & Driver | ||
|---|---|---|
| Driver Config | – | Tribrid |
| Driver Types | – | Planar Magnetic Driver + Dynamic Driver + Balanced Armature |
| Shell Material | – | Resin |
| Cable | – | – |
| Technical | ||
|---|---|---|
| Freq Range | – | 10Hz- 24kHz |
| Impedance (Ω) | – | 14.5 |
| Sensitivity (dB) | – | 119 |
| Crossover | – | – |
| Platform Info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comments | 0 | 1 |
| Visit Count | 20 | 103 |
| External Reviews | 0 | 1 |
Meta Ratings
In terms of overall sound impression, x Crinacle DUSK clearly outperforms AirPods 4. It presents music with materially greater accuracy, air, and stereo separation (7.5 vs 5). For comfort fit, It performs notably better (8 vs 5). While AirPods 4 is passable in its design, It stands slightly above, particularly in terms of assembly quality, material choice, and finish. It's accessories are immensely better curated, reflecting greater attention to usability, presentation, and value-added content compared to AirPods 4.
| AirPods 4 | x Crinacle DUSK | |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | 5.0 | 7.5 |
| Comfort Fit | 5.0 | 8.0 |
| Build Quality | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| Stock Cable | – | 8.0 |
| Accessories | 1.5 | 8.0 |
Sound Characteristics
x Crinacle DUSK delivers a deeper and more extended sub-bass, reaching lower frequencies with greater authority than AirPods 4 (5.3 vs 4.5). AirPods 4 enhances basslines with a more energy and grip, giving them a livelier feel compared to x Crinacle DUSK (5.5 vs 5). x Crinacle DUSK reproduces female vocals and strings with b more air and forwardness, while AirPods 4 remains recessed (6.5 vs 6). It provides a more refined lower treble, resolving fine detail and air with greater finesse than AirPods 4 (7.3 vs 6.5). The upper treble of It extends m further, offering more sparkle and openness than AirPods 4 (8.8 vs 6.5). Listeners may notice that It presents sounds with s more lateral space, giving recordings more openness than AirPods 4 (6.8 vs 6). It extracts low-level details m more effectively, helping subtle nuances emerge clearer than on AirPods 4 (7 vs 5). In complex arrangements, It separates layers m more distinctly, preventing overlap that AirPods 4 occasionally suffers (7.3 vs 5). It avoids frequency masking a more successfully, preserving clarity across the spectrum better than AirPods 4 (6.3 vs 5). Notes played through It feel m weightier and fuller, giving a more satisfying impact than those from AirPods 4 (6.5 vs 5). It hits with m more authority during transients, creating a more explosive effect than AirPods 4 (6.8 vs 5). The upper range of vocals is s cleaner and more forgiving on It, helping it avoid sibilant harshness that AirPods 4 shows (8.3 vs 6.5). It renders timbres with n better harmonic balance, preserving the character of instruments more accurately than AirPods 4 (8.5 vs 5.5). The overall tonality of It is a more balanced and cohesive, offering a sound signature that feels better tuned than AirPods 4 (8.5 vs 5). The grain and surface of instruments are rendered c more vividly by It, while AirPods 4 feels flatter (8.3 vs 4.5).
| AirPods 4 | x Crinacle DUSK | |
|---|---|---|
| Sub Bass | 4.5 | 5.3 |
| Bass | 5.5 | 5.0 |
| Bass Feel | 5.0 | 5.3 |
| Lower Mids | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Upper Mids | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| Lower Treble | 6.5 | 7.3 |
| Upper Treble | 6.5 | 8.8 |
| Sound Stage Width | 6.0 | 6.8 |
| Detail | 5.0 | 7.0 |
| Layering | 5.0 | 7.3 |
| Masking | 5.0 | 6.3 |
| Note Weight | 5.0 | 6.5 |
| Slam | 5.0 | 6.8 |
| Sibilance | 6.5 | 8.3 |
| Timbre Color | 5.5 | 8.5 |
| Tonality | 5.0 | 8.5 |
| Texture | 4.5 | 8.3 |
Tonal Signature
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