[adamt]

For those that have heard all three , which do you prefer?

For listening to bassy hiphop and rnb music, watching YouTube and making/receiving calls

Prices all from Ali Express:

Moondrop Aria - £75 (including cable with mic)
Blon BL-03 - £18
CCCA CRA -- £11

Does the Aria have significantly better SQ/bass to warrant the extra cost?

Ideally I want to spend as little as possible but not if it significantly affects the SQ/bass

 

[blorg]

I have all three. Just got the CRA. It's more V-shaped, more bass and treble than either Blon BL-03 or Aria. They'd go in that order, from most V-shaped to most neutral.

Just got it, but it's remarkable for the price. Excellent treble extension but so far it's not giving me that usual KZ treble wonkiness or shoutiness, I'm not finding it fatiguing like most KZ.

For bassy hip hop / RNB I think it's a good choice, possibly even better than the Aria if you want bass emphasis. I think I'd take it over the Blon, more detail, better build quality, better stock cable, much better fit.

Certainly the best value of the three.

 

[adamt]

Ok thanks for sharing

I've read some people recommend changing the cable from the stock one for better SQ

Do you have any recommendations for a cable with mic that's under £15, that would fit all three IEMs?
on AliExpress

 

[blorg]

I don't believe cables have any effect on SQ whatsoever, so I can't advise one that would improve it.

The three IEMs have slightly different interfaces,

• CRA - QDC/KZ "C-Pin" sticking out from the IEM
• Blon - its own thing, it's also protruding from the IEM but the protrusion has squared off corners, not rounded, so KZ/CCA cables won't fit. There are specific Blon cables that will fit, TFZ cable sorta-fit but not great, the pins are longer on a TFZ cable so it doesn't seat as neatly, but it works.
• Aria - recessed 0.78mm 2 pin connection. Recessed, so really needs a 0.78mm 2 pin with a little plastic bit that comes out from the connector, flush won't fit

You could probably use a cable designed for the Aria on the other two, but it wouldn't have the hood that goes over the connector. It would probably work OK though, might be a bit less secure. I generally have a preference to get the right cable, so I will get the right hooded cable for the CRA/Blon and the right 0.78mm protruding for the Aria.

Stock cable is very decent on the CRA. It's OK on Aria, can kink a bit. It's only bad on the Blon, but it still works fine from a SQ perspective. Just a bit thin and tangly.

Cables you can get for comfort, less tangling, because they look better.

 

[adamt]

Thank you for the great insight