Moondrop Blessing 2

Overview:

Bless you. That was quite the sneeze. Oh, bless you two. Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 3 years, you’ve probably heard of the Moondrop Blessing 2 (B2.) This is the IEM that broke the IEM market by offering kilobuck IEM performance for only $320. The B2 has 1DD for bass & 4 BAs for mids and highs on each side so it’s a hybrid IEM. But, time marches on and a lot of really talented new IEMs have come out since the Blessing 2 broke the IEM market. So, can the Blessing 2 still hack it?

Accessories/Earpads/Eartips (10/10):

Since my B2 was used it didn’t come with the typical Moondrop Waifu sleeve. I’m cool with that since the box it came in is much classier in nature. The leather-ish case inside is really nice and holds the B2 and ear tips and cable and is really good quality. The B2 comes with a headphone splitter (which I’ve never understood the point of) and two sets of ear tips. Overall, these are all of the accessories an IEM should come with as a baseline. Good job Moondrop – no complaints. That said, I’ll still be using my Spinfit W1 because used ear tips gross me out and the W1 has an excellent fit with good bass response, etc. (available Here).



Cable (1/10):

Oh, there are the complaints. Good, I was worried for a second. This is hands-down the shittiest cable I’ve ever seen with an IEM (and I try not to cuss on reviews.) I’m trying to think of a worse one, and I cannot. It’s like Moondrop took two pieces of copper and coated them in something plastic, then attached connectors to it. It’s extremely tangly and it has nothing but memory retention. It’s thin and doesn’t sound good either. For the sound portion of the review, I’m going to use my Kinera Leyding (Here) modular cable because the stock cable doesn’t do these IEMs justice - a literal disservice to the Blessing 2. If you get a B2 and you hate the cable also, you don’t have to spend $70 on the Leyding, you can grab a much better cable for only $18 from Linsoul (Here)

Build Quality/Comfort (10/10):

Cable aside, the build quality on the B2 is really phenomenal, especially with the green faceplates on mine. The blue and red also look good and the stainless steel options are also really nice, though easier to scratch than the resin on the wood versions. I have nothing to complain about on the build quality of the B2, they’re solid and don’t feel cheap – the Moondrop Chu they are not.

I also have no issues with the comfort. They fit pretty well in my ears, they’re not gigantic like the Thieaudio Monarch Mk2 and they’re not tiny like the Final A5000 or Chu. These are a comfortable IEM and they should fit just about everyone’s ears easily.



Sound:

I’ve already compared these to the Final A5000 in my review for that, so feel free to check out that review if you want to know how these faired against those brand-new IEMs. I still have a set of SA6 on my desk, so I’ll be comparing the B2 to them. Looking at the squig.link, the SA6 with the bass switch on (the only way they should make these) has quite a bit more bass and sub-bass than the B2. Their mids are pretty similar and the B2 has far more neutral highs than the SA6 with a peak at 8k followed by a pretty massive dip after (which is fine, most music is under 8k anyway.) I am powering both of these through my Shanling M6 Ultra on balanced 4.4mm output through Tidal HiFi. The B2 are the hardest IEMs to drive that I’ve ever seen, I have them at 43/100, which is even higher than the Monarch, so battery life will suffer a bit.


Lows (15/20):

Starting off with the Mid-bass/Sub-bass test I’m using David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue).” Wow, the B2 must respond well to a balanced, high-quality cable because they sound much bassier today than a couple of days ago when I tested them against the A5000. It’s still not UM MEST Mk2 level or Symphonium Meteor level, but the bass drums are surprisingly impactful and the sub-bass can be heard quite clearly. Is the stock cable really the biggest B2 weakness? The sub-bass, while having a nice rumble, won’t take your breath away, but it is present and it sounds good without any bass bloat or extra reverb – really nice. These are definitely not basshead IEMs, but they are still good.

Up next is Demon Hunter’s “I Am A Stone,” which I use to test whether the bass is too strong and overwhelms the mids. It’s a good thing I’m not testing mids here because they sound pretty flat and distant. The bass instruments come in quite strongly and don’t quite overwhelm the mids, but since the mids sound so far away, likely in the name of soundstage, the bass can be heard at about the same volume as the mids.

Mids (13/20):

Weaving The Fate’s “The Fall” is a test song for guitars and vocals. As with “I Am A Stone,” the mids sound pretty distant, and they are a bit crashy and unclean. The clean guitars sound good though and the vocals can be heard clearly if a tad overwhelmed at times. Overall, you’re unlikely to be mad at the B2 on songs like this – though it is a tad tinny.

Staind’s “Something to Remind You” has clean electric guitars and wonderful vocals. The B2 does a decent job with this song – the bass doesn’t overwhelm the mids, and the vocals and guitars sound accurate if a little metallic. There’s a bit of extra reverb in the lower registers of the vocals. Overall, for the price, these still do a really good job here.

To test classical mids, I’m using The Piano Guys' “Code Name Vivaldi.” Classical instruments sound really good on the B2 (at least with this cable) – they have a warm, wonderful presentation and I’m really impressed here. The piano sounds full-bodied and forward, the strings come in clearly and with good separation. The B2 excels with classical in the mids – very surprised (much better than the HD 600 I reviewed earlier.) Definitely one of its best songs so far.

Highs (8/20):

To test sibilance on headphones I use Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes. AHHHHH, that’s rough. There’s so much sibilance! Painful - can’t finish the song painful. That bump in the 3-4k region is brutal on this song. Hard pass – if you hate sibilance, PASS.

The first highs test song I’ll be using is Dream Theater’s “The Alien,” which I use to test and see if the cymbals/high-hats/snare can be clearly heard and distinguished from the rest of the music. Somewhat surprisingly, I can clearly hear the cymbals in the intro. This is the elevated highs in the 4-6k range allowing decent highs presentation – on par with the SA6, but not quite as clean. The B2 is $200 less than the SA6, so that’s saying something.

Michelle McLaughlin’s “Across The Burren” is another of my favorite highs/sharpness test songs as it can easily sound painful on some headphones. Sharpness. Definitely some sharpness, this is one of the reasons I preferred the A5000 over this. It’s not the worst I’ve ever heard, but it’s somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Soundstage/ Instrument Separation (4/10):

The soundstage on these is pretty decent, somewhere around a small, intimate room’s worth of soundstage, but not massive like you can find on some headphones (if that’s something you’re looking for.) They do come across a little flat on songs like NF’s “The Search,” which should be large and boomy, but feels like Mario 3 on the B2. Instrument separation is about middle ground, the A5000 is better somehow, despite only having one driver.

Comparisons:

The bass between these two is pretty similar quality-wise, but the SA6 has slightly more sub-bass, just not a lot. The B2 has a slightly bigger soundstage than the SA6, but the instrument separation is better on the SA6. The SA6 has slightly less sibilance than the B2 - the SA6 also has slightly better quality highs with more distinct cymbals, but it’s pretty close. Overall, these two are pretty close, though the SA6 has the advantage in quite a few areas. Unfortunately, that means that the TRUTHEAR HEXA and Final A5000 are probably going to be better than either for less $$$. Giants rise and then fall to the new giant. I hear the Aful Performer 5 is also better, but there are mixed thoughts on that.



Conclusion:

The King is Dead, Long Live the King! The B2 has a massive reputation to live up to, and it just can’t quite hack it anymore. Some young whippersnappers have come along and taken its throne. The young have replaced the old – the circle of life continues. Insert whatever idiom you want here, but the fact is that while still quite good for the price, the Blessing 2 has been defeated by newer, cheaper IEMs. And yet, it’s still better looking than the HEXA and the A5000, so it still deserves a place in your rotation, just get a new cable.

Specs:

Impedance: 22Ω @ 1KHZ (± 15%)
Unit configuration: 1DD + 4BA
Frequency response range: 9-37khz
Treble unit: Knowles SWFK
Midrange unit: Softears D-MID-A
Woofer: 10mm paper cone diaphragm
Effective frequency response: 20-20KHZ
Quality control range: ± 1dB @ 1KHZ
Sensitivity: 117dB / Vrms @ 1KHZ
connector: 0.78-2Pin
THD: ＜ 1% @ 1KHZ



Nice packaging with typical MoonDrop artwork, inside one finds the Blessig2, some tips for the unusually wide nozzle and a decent carrying case and cable. The accessories are decent but minimal for something in this price range $300+

The earphones themselves are made well from medical grade resin with only the faceplate being metal. I found them very comfortable and above average in isolation. The cable looks great but a little thin for my taste still it's not prone to tangling. Case is big enough for a small Bluetooth DAC or dongle.

Sound impressions

Bass: The Bass presents with a decent lower end rumble it has a good deep Sub-Bass but is well controlled and sits in the background never overcoming the other frequencies. Mid- Bass has a nice speedy punch and lends the B2 a nice but slight warmth overall.

Mids: While not Mid centered entirely Mids do have a nice focus here. They are forward-Centered and in front of instruments giving them a natural positioning and excellent clarity. Vocals both male and female are well represented here and sound rich and detailed. The Mids are detailed with decent weight, a natural warmish tone and good timbre.

Treble: Presents open and airy with excellent details and clarity, while there is good extension with sparkle it never got harsh and has a lot of control here. In my opinion one of the best treble tunings, I've heard in some time.

Soundstage: Imaging and staging are excellent and at this price range they are super accurate open, and layering is above average too. .

Conclusion: The Blessing2 is about one of the most pleasant IEM in the under $400 class I've used. It offers a safe and well-tuned Hybrid driver system with excellent technicalities that can be used as an all-arounder.

Hi Friend ! this is my take on the Moondrop Blessing 2 IEM, first of all sorry for my broken english,
this review is non-sponsored, i paid full price for the IEM also this review is 100% my personal opinion.

i previously have tried the blessing 2, i got a loaner unit from my friend, and now i decided to purchase one for myself
*i have OCD and this might affect my rating on the build quality of the Blessing 2.

Packaging and Unboxing

first of all lets begin with the Packaging and Unboxing, as usuall Moondrop with their waifu artworks.

Unboxing experience is just OK, nothing luxurious feeling is presented or trying to be represented here.

inside the box you're greeted with some kind of Vinyl? material Pouch, my pouch also have strange marks that looks like "Dead by Daylight"game logo,
inside this dbd limited edition pouch, you can find the Blessing 2 resting safely between thick foam
Packaging seems to be decent also the iem is well protected between the foam, but sadly the faceplate quality come with scuff marks from factory.
more about this "marks" on the build quality.

inside the rectangular box, you can find :
4 Core Moondrop "Lace" Cable
6 pieces of silicone eartips S,M,L size small bore 2pairs for each size
and an airplane adaptor ,weird my unit didn't come with any spare mesh filter.

and there's some card writen on Mandarin that i cant read without Google Translate.

Build Quality
first of all lets enjoy the beauty of the Blessing 2


The Blessing 2 is built mainly from 3D printed resin from HeyGears and Stainless Steel faceplate with the so called "Precision CNC" that are not so precise and brushing process so you can "sharpen your nail on it" <---this is what they claim on the marketing material.

the stainless steel have some imperfection / scuff marks from the factory, as someone who suffers from OCD and perfectionism, the CNC process on Blessing 2 faceplate is killing me
i guess its only my unit that have imperfections... but actually NO, my friend unit also have imperfection on his faceplate

okay enough ramble with my obsession with perfection, i know nothing is perfect on this world (like my broken english) , but hey if the build can be improved, everyone would be happier right?

with the imperfection on the faceplate out of the way, lets get into the "HeyGears" 3D Printing part, the shell is 100% transparent with almost 0 air bubble on the resin ! now this is what im talking about, the resin quality is absolutely great, almost as good as the Moondrop S8 build quality ! but hey i guess if i expect the Blessing 2 to be built like the S8, the price tag probably would jump to something around 400$ or more.

on the Stainless Steel version, you can order custom engraving so you can wear your Blessing 2 with your waifu picture on it,
also for 30$ extra, you can have the Blessing 2 with wooden faceplate. Why didnt i order the wood version? because one of my viewers on YouTube said he bought the wood version of Blessing 2 and he said the faceplate of the wood version is more easier to scratch that he cant even stand it he sold his wood version and purchase the regular stainless steel version.

Cable
actually i really like the cable, the provided Lace cable is really soft with almost 0 microphonics and it just works,
*probably gonna add the cable picture later since im currently using the Blessing 2 as i write this broken english review.

Pouch
my pouch come with some weird marks and creases also the zipper is a bit misaligned and when i open the pouch the left side is crooked a bit (my ocd bias hit again)

Eartips
the stock silicone eartips is comfortable for my ears and super easy to fit to the iem since it has the proper nozzle size (duh!)

Fitting
the Blessing 2 size is a bit on the larger side, if you have small ears you probably will feel some discomfort while placing or removing the IEM from your ears. Also the Blessing 2 kinda sticks out from your ears 100% cannot be used for side sleeping.

Sound Quality
the Moondrop Blessing 2 is a 5-Driver Hybrid IEM, single PAPER Dynamic Driver, dual "SoftEars" balanced armature for mids, and dual knowles armature for the treble.

i use Hiby R5 Saber, Redmi Note 9 Pro, AK PEE51, FiiO K5 Pro, stock cable and stock eartips for the setup.
my playlist is J-Pop, J-Rock, Jazz and Anisong, also some RAP (Eminem, Dr. DRE, Snoop Dogg) also some metal (Trivium)

Tonality : diffuse field neutral with a touch of boosted bass from "real diffuse field"

BASS : Bass is handled by "PAPER DYNAMIC DRIVER" <--- they write this on the Blessing 2 product Page.
i really like the bass of the Blessing 2. To my ears, the Blessing 2 reach deep with controlled quantity, snappy punchy bass without covering the mids at all. This set is clearly not made for basshead, probably even casual listener will also crave for more bass quantity.

the dynamic driver is speedy enough to handle double pedal on Trivium songs also reach deep with nice controlled rumble for "Cafe Ghibli" Jazzy music.
what about RAP or RnB song on this set? since im not a basshead i can see myself enjoying REOL, snoop dogg, Eminem songs with the Blessing 2.

i heard that there is some inconsistency between Blessing 2 for the Bass, but from my memory my friends Blessing 2 bass also sounds exactly like mine.

MIDS : Mids is handled by proprietary dual balanced armature from "SoftEars"
the mids sounds a bit on the leaner side like reaaaally just a bit (compared to the HD600) vocal is not shouty at all, also free from sibilance,
for music like "Cafe Ghibli" and Violet Evergarden, Nier Automata sound track, this set is killing it, i like it A LOT.
but vocal on some singers like songs titled "Yoru Ga Akeruyo" from supercell, also "Sayuri" songs, the vocal somehow felt like 2D to my ears, im guessing because my ears is used to have more weighty presentation from the HD600 vs leaner mids on the Blessing 2.

TREBLE : Treble is handled by dual knowles armature, the treble is smooth without sounding dull with a lot of micro details and proper treble layering.
The Blessing 2 really blow my mind, how can a set cost around 300$ present this level of detail retrieval, the treble decay is just a bit short from what i personally like, but i prefer the treble on Blessing 2 compared to the Moondrop S8.
I previously have tried the S8 and the treble is sounding super "wet" the decay is somehow too long for rock and metal songs, the cymball and hi-hat notes on the S8 is somehow mixed while the Blessing 2 i can easily count how many times the sticks hit the cymbal and hi-hat. Granted, while the S8 have superior detail retrieval compared to the Blessing 2, i just dont really like how S8 handled rock and metal music.

songs i used for the test : i-mage - SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:Aimer, narrative - SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:LiSA, Roselia, Polaris - Fujifabric, Trivium


Technicality

Soundstage : Wide and large, if i have to describe it, the Blessing 2 soundstage sounds like orchestra room to my ears.

Imaging and Separation : as a multi driver IEM, this set can provide you sharp sound separation not the sharpest set in the world, but you can easily identify what instruments are playing in the background, also the imaging is "holographic" enough for my ears except the vocal on some singers as i mentioned earlier above.

Detail Retrieval : LOTS of micro details especially for the under 500$ marks, one IEM that i can name having better detail retrieval on this price bracket is the Campfire IO, but the IO have some weirdness on the tonality and sounds super dry compared to the Blessing 2.

Pairings
anything that have warmer tonality DAC / DAP work best ! why warmer? to compensate the leaner note weight presentation of the Blessing 2.
i mainly prefer the Tonality of AK PEE51 + Blessing 2 vs the Hiby R5 Saber and the FiiO K5 Pro.

also for anyone asking, YES if your smartphone still have 3.5mm jacks you can absolutely use the Blessing 2 with it.

Comparison
Just ask if you need some comparison, i can help you if i have tried the IEM / Headphones you mentioned.

Conclusion
do i recommend the Moondrop Blessing 2 ? ABSOLUTELY this set is super easy to listen, minimal wearing fatigue (atleast for my ears), reasonable price, you dont need to sell your kidney to have great listening experience, great technicalities also great tonality, you can also use this for mixing / editing audio related works.
but please note that if you have OCD and obsessed with perfection, this set might not be for you.

thanks for reading and sorry if i sounds like whining a lot on the build quality since i cant help my OCD from getting triggered.

you can also find the video review (Indonesian) of the Blessing 2 on my YT Channel, just search for littlenezt .

have a great day and stay healthy !

-littlenezt