MOONDROP on Why It Cuts Profit to Build Collab Earphones
The interview explains how a niche audio brand built a reputation for elaborate IP collaborations by prioritizing product quality over profit margins.
Reporting from 1 source: 4Gamer.net.
MOONDROP co-founder Shuiyue and VP Xu Dali spoke at ChinaJoy 2026 about the brand's origins and its approach to collaboration products. The company says it prioritizes research and development, customizes designs and sound for each IP, and often turns down offers when staff lack familiarity with the property.
The company was founded in 2015 after Shuiyue, then an audio reviewer on bilibili, found no in-ear headphones that satisfied him and decided to make his own. He chose the flat inner-ear style because he disliked inserting canal-type earphones. The first product sold well.
MOONDROP's mascot, Shuiyue Youki, began as a character Shuiyue drew for himself because he liked manga, and it ended up on the packaging. The brand name itself comes from his name and his wife's name containing the characters for water, moon, and rain.
Collaborations started with small IPs and grew as rights holders approached the company. The team now exceeds 300 people, with over 100 dedicated to R&D. Shuiyue said the company turns down offers when employees do not understand the IP well enough to make a good product.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.