[Lindholdt]

Thanks to both of you, @KinGensai and @helloh3adfi I appreciate your answers

I'm leaning a lot about IEM's, and I need to actually listen to more sets at this point, to figure out if they could be worth the investment to me. And now I have some great pointers for brands and models I could take a look at.

 

[KinGensai]

Thanks to both of you, @KinGensai and @helloh3adfi I appreciate your answers

I'm leaning a lot about IEM's, and I need to actually listen to more sets at this point, to figure out if they could be worth the investment to me. And now I have some great pointers for brands and models I could take a look at.

Moondrop is a great starting point, the IEMs are popular and often reviewed, so you have a good point of reference when looking for another IEM. I started my journey to where I'm at with the Aria.

If you haven't already, check out squig.link and get familiar with it. It is an invaluable tool for understanding what you are listening to, figuring out your preferences, and demoing sets you are interested in without spending any money. My experience would have been a lot more frustrating without it.

 

[tassardar]

Recently on a trip to Shanghai I went to try moondrop variation. I find way too bassy for my liking hmmm. Else everything is pretty good. The bass probably reduced some of that clarity I like so didn’t got it in the end.

I tried some others like S8 and Blessing at my local store. Still thinking which in moondrop should be my first haha.

 

[KinGensai]

Recently on a trip to Shanghai I went to try moondrop variation. I find way too bassy for my liking hmmm. Else everything is pretty good. The bass probably reduced some of that clarity I like so didn’t got it in the end.

I tried some others like S8 and Blessing at my local store. Still thinking which in moondrop should be my first haha.

For what it's worth, it does sound too bassy at first. Once I got used to it though, I became unable to go without sub bass elevation, feels like something is missing. I think the DD is a bit sloppy and that makes the sound a bit sloppy overall (when I checked, the THD was around 1%). Good luck with your search.

 

[Buchi]

Who knows if the Moondrop May cable is the same as the Free DSP cable?

 

[DiMenezes]

Who knows if the Moondrop May cable is the same as the Free DSP cable?

I wonder this myself.
I ordered the Free DSP alongside a Chu 2 just a few weeks before the Moondrop May was announced. I wanted a cheap IEM to take on travels and to be able to mess around with EQ to learn a bit more. Change from neutral to bright to harman-ish and see which would suit me and some of my music better.
The problem is that they have not yet arrived, even after more than a month.

About the May, I will only get it depending on reviews and on a sale but I do admit that I like the shell form factor, the material that is used is one of my favorites for my skin (if it's the same material used on the Truthear Hexa and the Moondrop Variations). So, if the material is good, and so the compliance of the shell to fit my ears, I may get it and just EQ to something else if it's not to my taste.

 

[Marrogwar]

Today i got my Variations. I was very excited to try them and... its not impressive at all. Stock tips are horrible for me, so i used springtips. And... i dont know, its just okay. Sometimes there are too much energy in cymbals. But i just feel like its not worth the money they asked for it. Thieaudio Hype 2 or Truthear Nova in my opinion are more exciting to listen (which i dont get honestly, graphs are very similar, but Hype 2 have much more bass than Variations). I enjoy listening to them, but dissapointed because i was expecting something special, considering how praised it is.

 

[helloh3adfi]

Maybe you should burn them in? It's weird, because Novas go for the classic Moondrop target.

 

[Danx3k]

Today i got my Variations. I was very excited to try them and... its not impressive at all. Stock tips are horrible for me, so i used springtips. And... i dont know, its just okay. Sometimes there are too much energy in cymbals. But i just feel like its not worth the money they asked for it. Thieaudio Hype 2 or Truthear Nova in my opinion are more exciting to listen (which i dont get honestly, graphs are very similar, but Hype 2 have much more bass than Variations). I enjoy listening to them, but dissapointed because i was expecting something special, considering how praised it is.

I have the variations. I only received them a week or two ago. I have more expensive iem’s but was always curious about the variations, so decided to order them during the November sales on AE.

When I first received them, I liked them but I didn’t love them. I felt they could be a little shouty in the upper mids and sounded a little unrefined.

However, whether it’s just brain burn in or whatever, I’m starting to like them a lot more. They seem to sound more refined now, and more cohesive.

I’m not going to say it’s due to driver burn in, as I’m not too convinced it’s real, and is likely due to my hearing acclimating to the tuning.

Personally, I think for the price I paid for them, they’re an absolute steal.

Whilst they not technically as good as my HSE and MMK3, the variations cost me 1/3 of the price of the MMK3 and even less than for the HSE.

Harman tuning seems to be a bit marmite - you either love it or you hate it. It also depends on what music you listen to as well.

I prefer a bass tuck around 200hz with clean mids, but that really down to my preference. The treble extension is also the best I’ve heard at this price range too.

I didn’t even open the tips. Almost all stock tips are trash for me. I had to tip roll quite a bit as I found a lot of tips I usually like, are uncomfortable on the variations for some reason. I finally settled on the spinfit Cp155’s. They work and fit perfectly with good comfort and seal for me.

 

[KinGensai]

Today i got my Variations. I was very excited to try them and... its not impressive at all. Stock tips are horrible for me, so i used springtips. And... i dont know, its just okay. Sometimes there are too much energy in cymbals. But i just feel like its not worth the money they asked for it. Thieaudio Hype 2 or Truthear Nova in my opinion are more exciting to listen (which i dont get honestly, graphs are very similar, but Hype 2 have much more bass than Variations). I enjoy listening to them, but dissapointed because i was expecting something special, considering how praised it is.

VDSF is closer to diffuse field target than Harman target, so it is going to be sharp in the gain region.

It was good when it released, but IMO you are paying a bit too much for the ESTs, and the DD is a bit weak, noticable distortion on bass peaks. The market has moved on from that IMO.

 

[Marrogwar]

When I first received them, I liked them but I didn’t love them. I felt they could be a little shouty in the upper mids and sounded a little unrefined.

Yes, thats exactly what i felt.

However, whether it’s just brain burn in or whatever, I’m starting to like them a lot more. They seem to sound more refined now, and more cohesive.

I’m not going to say it’s due to driver burn in, as I’m not too convinced it’s real, and is likely due to my hearing acclimating to the tuning.

I noticed earlier that you can get used to any kind of tuning, except really horrible. So yeah, i think i will get used to how this sounds.

 

[jmwant]

May is on gizaudio's list of 2023.

 

[Knale]

My set of Mays should arrive in the mail tomorrow morning. Happy to throw up quick impressions with the DSP cable and a regular cable once I get it.

 

[jmwant]

I mean but how do the May's sound without DSP? I know they're somewhat budget but if you're at that price range you can think about a dedicated dongle dac to go with it.

Hope it helps.

 

[Knale]

The packaging is nice, the anime girl relatively inoffensive, and the case is quite nice for the money. I think the DSP cable looks and feels terrific. The IEMs themselves are lovely. I'm pleased to see the faceplate pattern looks laser etched and not painted which makes me more optimistic about longevity. Comfort is good. The shells are on the smaller side.

Talking about sound is difficult with 5 EQ profiles preloaded, but I'll focus on the Harman one here with a brief mention of the others at the end. There is a slight buzz from the DSP cable when switching songs, but it disappears when the song starts.

Bass is good with nice extension and solid thump and not much bleed into the mids.

Mids are clear, full and beautiful. I'm really enjoying male and female vocalists on these from Aurora to Linkin Park, it all sounds really nice.

Treble is...pretty good? I'm catching a little zing from the planar here and there, but it's not fatiguing, just noticeable every so often. Terrific details.

Resolution is good, imaging is quite good, soundstage has good width but so-so depth.

You can find graphs of the other EQ settings online, and I'm sure someone will release better ones than I can describe, but the Standard tuning is most similar to what they sound like with a standard cable.