Project Metavs.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 | Project Meta | x Crinacle DUSK |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | CrinEar | Moondrop |
| Country | – | China |
| IEM Description | A debut IEM by Crinacle's CrinEar: a compact, full-aluminum flagship tuned to a “tilted Diffuse Field + bass boost” curve. Delivers vibrant mids, warm sub-bass, and clear treble—crafted for musical accuracy and comfort. | 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 | 100 – 500 | 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 | 0 |
| Visit Count | 96 | 99 |
| External Reviews | 1 | 1 |
Meta Ratings
x Crinacle DUSK delivers subtly better sound reproduction, offering a more immersive and engaging experience overall. Its tonal balance, clarity, and spatial imaging stand out clearly compared to Project Meta (7.5 vs 7). For comfort fit, It performs measurably better (8 vs 6.5). While Project Meta is passable in its design, It stands clearly above, particularly in terms of assembly quality, material choice, and finish. Users may find the It cable distinctly more confidence-inspiring for both daily use and long-term durability. It’s bundled components feel distinctly more premium, suggesting a stronger focus on user satisfaction and long-term value.
| Project Meta | x Crinacle DUSK | |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| Comfort Fit | 6.5 | 8.0 |
| Build Quality | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| Stock Cable | 6.5 | 8.0 |
| Accessories | 6.0 | 8.0 |
Sound Characteristics
Project Meta delivers a tighter sub-bass response, controlling low-end rumble with more precision than x Crinacle DUSK (6 vs 5.3). The low-end on It is n more controlled and rhythmic, offering better definition than x Crinacle DUSK (6 vs 5). The bass in It feels a more physical and textured, with improved rumble and body compared to x Crinacle DUSK (6.5 vs 5.3). It achieves a better warmth and coherence in the lower mids, bringing more realism to guitars and cellos (6.5 vs 5.8). x Crinacle DUSK reproduces female vocals and strings with a more air and forwardness, while Project Meta remains recessed (6.5 vs 5.5). The highest frequencies on It feel a more natural and less rolled-off compared to Project Meta (8.8 vs 6.5). Listeners may notice that It presents sounds with a more lateral space, giving recordings more openness than Project Meta (6.8 vs 6). With a higher resolution, It allows finer textures and room ambiance to shine more than Project Meta (7 vs 6). Track elements feel b more isolated and clean on It, offering clearer focus than Project Meta (7.3 vs 6.5). It keeps competing frequencies under control a more effectively, reducing sonic congestion compared to Project Meta (6.3 vs 5.5). Notes played through It feel b weightier and fuller, giving a more satisfying impact than those from Project Meta (6.5 vs 6). It delivers dynamic shifts with a greater impact, making Project Meta sound comparatively tame (6.8 vs 6). Listeners may experience a fewer sharp edges in 'S' and 'T' sounds with It, whereas Project Meta can get fatiguing (8.3 vs 6.5). Timbre on It sounds a more realistic and natural, whereas Project Meta feels slightly more artificial or colored (8.5 vs 6). Across the frequency range, It stays s more consistent in tonal balance, resulting in a smoother listen than Project Meta (8.5 vs 6). It renders texture c more precisely, making instrument surfaces and vocal grain more palpable than Project Meta (8.3 vs 5.5).
| Project Meta | x Crinacle DUSK | |
|---|---|---|
| Sub Bass | 6.0 | 5.3 |
| Bass | 6.0 | 5.0 |
| Bass Feel | 6.5 | 5.3 |
| Lower Mids | 6.5 | 5.8 |
| Upper Mids | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| Lower Treble | 7.5 | 7.3 |
| Upper Treble | 6.5 | 8.8 |
| Sound Stage Width | 6.0 | 6.8 |
| Detail | 6.0 | 7.0 |
| Layering | 6.5 | 7.3 |
| Masking | 5.5 | 6.3 |
| Note Weight | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| Slam | 6.0 | 6.8 |
| Sibilance | 6.5 | 8.3 |
| Timbre Color | 6.0 | 8.5 |
| Tonality | 6.0 | 8.5 |
| Texture | 5.5 | 8.3 |
Tonal Signature
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