Moondrop in-ear monitors Impressions Thread
Jul 29, 2021 at 2:53 AM Post #9,241 of 11,918
So I just ordered a whole lot of tips and cables to try on my Aria :sweat_smile:

Decided to get CP155 and 500 tips to give Spinfits another chance, along with FA instrument, Acoustune AET07a and 08a, and Azla Sedna Light Short tips. For cables the following have yet to arrive:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...exp_id=1f1077e6-9319-4c1b-809f-b326929e2679-2
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...exp_id=6952b543-afe1-4f9c-9dc8-6987644e3814-0

The others are here and I have tested them on my Arias (with clear adhesive behind metal wax guards removed and with BGVP A07 tips).
This cable https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100...exp_id=76ecbb24-017e-4686-98d3-d6cc6d76ee55-0 offers nice value for its price and pairs well with the Aria in this configuration. The only complaint I have about it is the slightly smaller soundstage it portrays compared with the rest of the cables I have now.
This cable is surprisingly bright sounding https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...exp_id=04599161-4dd8-4cb3-a8a3-81d9b061e001-1 The mids are brighter than that of my Tri SPC cable, though not as recessed. Bass is less thick but still hits hard, and treble is very detailed but more natural than the Tri's. It's too bright for my Arias in this configuration though. I'm unsure if the cable is identical to this one from the official KBear store https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...exp_id=04599161-4dd8-4cb3-a8a3-81d9b061e001-6 as it costs much less, and the security seal on one side of the little box had been slit before, with another seal pasted over it. The build quality does seem legit though
 
Jul 29, 2021 at 5:20 AM Post #9,243 of 11,918
@MOONDROP can we please have more details on Quarks? Saw your post on Twitter. And they look exciting. Thanks.
 
Jul 29, 2021 at 9:09 AM Post #9,244 of 11,918
@MOONDROP can we please have more details on Quarks? Saw your post on Twitter. And they look exciting. Thanks.
Good to know the new product name, quantum physics😃
@MOONDROP also details about Kato too!
And let your president know I like your vtuber modeling Mitsuki Yuki (Yuki “Moondrop”), have a CA in Yuki😂
 
Jul 29, 2021 at 11:27 AM Post #9,245 of 11,918
Moondrop Variations arrived yesterday, just 5 day after ordering through Amazon.de. That was fast!

I have maybe 2 hours of listening on them now, comparing them with different sources to my Blessing 2 and IER-M9.
As sources I used an iPhone SE 2016, Chord Mojo and Chord Hugo 2.

Started with the Hugo 2, my best source and maybe as good as it gets for portable use.
The tuning has been described consistently, so I pretty much knew what to expect. The big question was the technicalities, and I am really impressed. Definition, cleanliness, detail, imaging and soundstage are a big step up from the B2. Very defined and precise, very good timbre. Very coherent too, tight and controlled notes from bass to treble. Imaging is really good and the stage is wider but not as deep as the M9's stage.
The Variations are doing a very good job at revealing the definition, control and detail the Hugo 2 delivers. Yes, the Sony IER-M9 is still doing a slightly better job as it should at twice the price, but the Variations is not that far off and presents the music with a different tuning and flavor. Id' call the M9 warm-balanced and detailed with very precise, round soundstage. The Variations has a wider, but shallower stage, with slightly less detail but high degree of definition and clarity. That definition and clarity is supported by the tuning, but the technicalities really deliver here as well. I hear tight and punchy bass (and quite a lot of it), mids that sound very clean and natural, without grain, delivering very good yet smooth detail, and well defined and extended treble that has good presence without ever sounding harsh.

On the Hugo 2 the Blessing 2 in comparison to the Variations sounds muffled and compressed , the soundstage collapses.
The B2 comes across as mid-focused, lacking both in bass and treble definition. On the positive side, it delivers a very agreeable, mid-forward presentation, although sometimes a little bit of grain shows up.

Comparing the B2 and the Variations on an iPhone SE (old version) the difference in technical performance shrinks quite a lot.
The Variations is still better but honestly I'd have a much harder time justifying the price difference.

On the Chord Mojo things are somwhere in between. The Mojo has excellent mids, very smooth treble (which some perceive as rolled off) and a warm bass that comes across as softer and less defined than on the Hugo 2.
These characteristics work a little against the strengths of the Variations IMO, because the excellent bass punch and definition potential of the Variations gets a little softened, and the treble, which is really well defined on the Hugo 2 also sounds a little rounded off. The Variations still sounds cleaner, livlier and has better extension top and bottom compared to the B2, but the technical difference is markedly smaller on the Mojo compared to the Hugo 2.
If the SQ difference between B2 and Variations is 100% on the Hugo, I'd put the Mojo at 40% and the iPhone SE at 15-20%

The conclusion for me is that the Variations fulfills my expectations of getting a technically very good IEM with the now so popular Monarch-like tuning, to add to my rotation.
As such it's well worth the price for me, considering the performance with the Chord Hugo 2.
With the Mojo I'd say the B2 Dusk is still a good option and excellent value, the almost 60% markup for the Variations becomes harder to justify.
If it were only for use with my iPhone SE I'd not spend the money on the Variations.

Final word: KUDOS to Moondrop for delivering an IEM with such a performance potential at $520!

Excellent take!
Thanks for leaving this impression :)
 
Jul 29, 2021 at 2:20 PM Post #9,247 of 11,918
Good to know the new product name, quantum physics😃
@MOONDROP also details about Kato too!
And let your president know I like your vtuber modeling Mitsuki Yuki (Yuki “Moondrop”), have a CA in Yuki😂
Yuki-chan's music can only be enjoyed via Moondrop IEMs and buds. Else you can't hear them! 😂
 
Jul 30, 2021 at 12:11 AM Post #9,248 of 11,918
Anyone can recommend a good micro SD card?
 
Jul 30, 2021 at 12:11 AM Post #9,249 of 11,918
PXL_20210729_235824306.PORTRAIT.jpg

My graphene cable from XINHS came in today. :)
 

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