Illbetheone
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2012
- Posts
- 224
- Likes
- 31
Cool - thanks! Is there any specific cable I should be looking at for them? I have not been in the IEM game since 2013.
Moondrop in-ear monitors Impressions Thread
- Thread starter FastAndClean
- Start date
whirlwind
Headphoneus Supremus
Got to love the Aria for the price.
They scale up nicely too. What you get for $80 is pretty amazing these days.
They scale up nicely too. What you get for $80 is pretty amazing these days.
visor
Head-Fier
How does Kato compared to Starfield?
jsmiller58
Headphoneus Supremus
surfgeorge
Member of the Trade: 3D Printed Accessory Designer
I just received the new Moondrop "Spring" tips a few days ago and am testing them with the Sony IER-M9.
These tips are very interesting. They have a slightly narrower stem, which sits very securely on the 4.8mm M9 nozzle which has a rim of 5.4mm. I did not manage to fit them onto the Moondrop Variations.
From the narrow stem, the tip opens to a wide bore with a quite narrow edge and a very soft, slightly sticky, "umbrella" that is ribbed on the inside. I have rather small and somewhat oval ear canals and the small Spring tip gives me a deeper fit than I have managed with any other tip so far. The soft umbrella seals well and sits comfortably, but allows for good control of vacuum pressure. The M size tips also fit well but the M9's shell sits a little further out with this tip, which changes the sound characteristics a little.
As always I need more time to form a final opinion but I think these are very good, and different to any tip I have tried so far (and I have lots of tips...)
First impression is a clean, open and energetic sound with wide and deep stage with good separation and positioning. Bass is really good too, punchy, clear and extended. My previous favorite tip for the M9, the JVC Spiral Dot++ sound a bit smoother, with a more compact stage and less clear separation and a more mid centric sound. This might at least be partly due to insertion depth and seal, but I have to say the result with the Spring Tips is great for me and my ears. Highly defined, clear, extended, punchy, and comfortable. Well done!
They get a "highly recommended" from me
Moodrop Spring tips are available from the Moondrop store on Aliexpress
Source: Chord Hugo 2, tested with various music styles, Classic, K-Pop, Sound Tracks, Acoustic, Jazz, Pop a.o.
Photo is showing the 3 sizes, they came in individual packs of 3 pair per size, I just mixed them to have a complete set in the picture
These tips are very interesting. They have a slightly narrower stem, which sits very securely on the 4.8mm M9 nozzle which has a rim of 5.4mm. I did not manage to fit them onto the Moondrop Variations.
From the narrow stem, the tip opens to a wide bore with a quite narrow edge and a very soft, slightly sticky, "umbrella" that is ribbed on the inside. I have rather small and somewhat oval ear canals and the small Spring tip gives me a deeper fit than I have managed with any other tip so far. The soft umbrella seals well and sits comfortably, but allows for good control of vacuum pressure. The M size tips also fit well but the M9's shell sits a little further out with this tip, which changes the sound characteristics a little.
As always I need more time to form a final opinion but I think these are very good, and different to any tip I have tried so far (and I have lots of tips...)
First impression is a clean, open and energetic sound with wide and deep stage with good separation and positioning. Bass is really good too, punchy, clear and extended. My previous favorite tip for the M9, the JVC Spiral Dot++ sound a bit smoother, with a more compact stage and less clear separation and a more mid centric sound. This might at least be partly due to insertion depth and seal, but I have to say the result with the Spring Tips is great for me and my ears. Highly defined, clear, extended, punchy, and comfortable. Well done!
They get a "highly recommended" from me
Moodrop Spring tips are available from the Moondrop store on Aliexpress
Source: Chord Hugo 2, tested with various music styles, Classic, K-Pop, Sound Tracks, Acoustic, Jazz, Pop a.o.
Photo is showing the 3 sizes, they came in individual packs of 3 pair per size, I just mixed them to have a complete set in the picture
Last edited:
redrol
Headphoneus Supremus
I reviewed the Variations a month or 2 ago. Loved em. Ended up buying the review set. Truely this IEM pulls more detail than a ton of stuff and remain musical and enjoyable. Love it!
Attachments
blacksesame
100+ Head-Fier
I just received the new Moondrop "Spring" tips a few days ago and am testing them with the Sony IER-M9.
These tips are very interesting. They have a slightly narrower stem, which sits very securely on the 4.8mm M9 nozzle which has a rim of 5.4mm. I did not manage to fit them onto the Moondrop Variations.
From the narrow stem, the tip opens to a wide bore with a quite narrow edge and a very soft, slightly sticky, "umbrella" that is ribbed on the inside. I have rather small and somewhat oval ear canals and the small Spring tip gives me a deeper fit than I have managed with any other tip so far. The soft umbrella seals well and sits comfortably, but allows for good control of vacuum pressure. The M size tips also fit well but the M9's shell sits a little further out with this tip, which changes the sound characteristics a little.
As always I need more time to form a final opinion but I think these are very good, and different to any tip I have tried so far (and I have lots of tips...)
First impression is a clean, open and energetic sound with wide and deep stage with good separation and positioning. Bass is really good too, punchy, clear and extended. My previous favorite tip for the M9, the JVC Spiral Dot++ sound a bit smoother, with a more compact stage and less clear separation and a more mid centric sound. This might at least be partly due to insertion depth and seal, but I have to say the result with the Spring Tips is great for me and my ears. Highly defined, clear, extended, punchy, and comfortable. Well done!
They get a "highly recommended" from me
Moodrop Spring tips are available from the Moondrop store on Aliexpress
Source: Chord Hugo 2, tested with various music styles, Classic, K-Pop, Sound Tracks, Acoustic, Jazz, Pop a.o.
Photo is showing the 3 sizes, they came in individual packs of 3 pair per size, I just mixed them to have a complete set in the picture
hey surfgeorge, would you use this over the spiral dots ++?
how are the mids on the Spring tips?
surfgeorge
Member of the Trade: 3D Printed Accessory Designer
Since this is more related to the pairing of the tips with the Sony M9 I‘ll PM you
seanwee
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2015
- Posts
- 4,820
- Likes
- 3,401
I'm interested in this as well so I'd appreciate if you could include me in the PM as well
venky
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2012
- Posts
- 65
- Likes
- 7
I have been using the Kato for two weeks now. I am blown away by the natural timbre and the overall quality of the sound. Now when I go back to my Sony's triple BA it sounds narrow and more electronic.
The only downside to Kato is the weight of the shell and cables. Hard to use it continuously. I have replaced the cables. I do not know the science behind making an iem. And I don't know if it is absolutely necessary to have a material as heavy as stainless-steel as the shell instead of maybe aluminium. But I can say for sure they could have used a lighter material atleast for the y splitter in the cables.
The only downside to Kato is the weight of the shell and cables. Hard to use it continuously. I have replaced the cables. I do not know the science behind making an iem. And I don't know if it is absolutely necessary to have a material as heavy as stainless-steel as the shell instead of maybe aluminium. But I can say for sure they could have used a lighter material atleast for the y splitter in the cables.
jwilliamhurst
Headphoneus Supremus
Moondrop Aria (2021) Review posted, short and sweet. Part of the Apos Audio Review Kit. 
Read if you like.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-aria-2021.25077/reviews#review-27591
Read if you like. https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/moondrop-aria-2021.25077/reviews#review-27591
plmon
100+ Head-Fier
Another recommendation for the Moondrop Spring Tips from me. I initially got them for the Moondrop Starfield, but thought about trying them on Blessing 2 as well. They needed a bit of fiddling, but managed to get it on there since the stem can stretch more than I expected and the Blessing 2 nozzle doesn't have a lip.
I'd been having a hard time finding comfortable tips with the Blessing 2, but these really hit the mark. They're a little bit tacky, so they seal up well in my ears and don't slip out, which was an issue I had with tips like the Spinfits. But they're not as tacky as the AZLA SednaEarFit Crystal. Those sealed very well too, but the tackiness would irritate my ears over time and were wax magnets. The shape of the tips on the AZLA's were also a bit too wide, so they made my ears sore over long periods. I haven't had any discomfort with the Spring Tips, which is truly a "blessing".
I can't say if the sound has changed due to the tips or just a better fit, but female vocals on these sound even more natural and detailed than before. I had a slight issue previously with the Blessing 2's treble seeming a little too energetic at times, but that's been smoothed out. Imaging also felt a little more "out-of-head" and spacious.
I'd been having a hard time finding comfortable tips with the Blessing 2, but these really hit the mark. They're a little bit tacky, so they seal up well in my ears and don't slip out, which was an issue I had with tips like the Spinfits. But they're not as tacky as the AZLA SednaEarFit Crystal. Those sealed very well too, but the tackiness would irritate my ears over time and were wax magnets. The shape of the tips on the AZLA's were also a bit too wide, so they made my ears sore over long periods. I haven't had any discomfort with the Spring Tips, which is truly a "blessing".
I can't say if the sound has changed due to the tips or just a better fit, but female vocals on these sound even more natural and detailed than before. I had a slight issue previously with the Blessing 2's treble seeming a little too energetic at times, but that's been smoothed out. Imaging also felt a little more "out-of-head" and spacious.
goodvibes
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
- Posts
- 9,538
- Likes
- 1,880
Seems like an exaggeration in the opposite way the goodness of $3k IEMs are described. Seems the sweet spot for cost vs performance is somewhere between $150 and $250 though I would personably miss the benefits I get from a well chosen IEM that costs in the $700 to $1000 range. Obviously, it's diminishing returns but it's difficult to put a price on goosebumps.
goodvibes
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2009
- Posts
- 9,538
- Likes
- 1,880
On another note, I've got a set of Katos and the optional cable with little time on them when purchased. They have more now and I've swapped my DAP to an DX240. I'm liking the bonus cable with the new spring tips and brass barrel which is different than my take when I just received them and with a different DAP. With the barrel, it's more about how the upper mids are a little drier/damped and makes the transition from lower mids up through the highs more even with the brass. It's not really a more or less frequency amplitude thing as has been described.
I still clearly prefer my S8s with comply tips and a pure silver cable though the tonality is not that different. The s8 is just as coherent yet more delineated without getting analytical. I also currently have some EE Spartan Adel which I like and feel are better than the Kato (as they should be) though I gravitate to the S8 as currently configured. Once you solve the pina gain for your preferences, the S8 combo of coherence/information/timing/PRAT is difficult to top. Preference notwithstanding, aspects can be improved upon by other top IEMs but generally, only to diminish another aspect in the process.
I still clearly prefer my S8s with comply tips and a pure silver cable though the tonality is not that different. The s8 is just as coherent yet more delineated without getting analytical. I also currently have some EE Spartan Adel which I like and feel are better than the Kato (as they should be) though I gravitate to the S8 as currently configured.
Once you solve the pina gain for your preferences, the S8 combo of coherence/information/timing/PRAT is difficult to top. Preference notwithstanding, aspects can be improved upon by other top IEMs but generally, only to diminish another aspect in the process.
Last edited:
Users who are viewing this thread
