[Precogvision]

More thoughts on the Moondrop Variations...​

Benchmarks are important to have handy for A/B comparisons, but I've been missing an IEM in the ~$500 bracket. It basically came down to the Moondrop Variations or the DUNU SA6 - but Mark already has an SA6, so I can usually borrow it when needed. Back to the Variations, I originally only had the Variations for a week to write my review, so I thought I could talk some more about why it appeals to me. You know - just the usual shill post whenever I buy something new for myself.

In essence, the Variations is likely the best interpretation of the Harman 2019 in-ear target I've heard to date. Sure, there's a lot of IEMs that might fancy themselves shooting for the Harman target, but none of them capture it as faithfully - and with as few tonal flaws - as the Variations. While I do find the midrange a hair shouty, particularly with ambient noise in the background, I find it's mitigated nicely by the magnitude of the bass shelf on most tracks and in normal listening. The slope off of 3kHz into the lower-treble is also one of the smoothest I've heard, and the upper treble has enough SPL at 15kHz to keep even a certified enthusiast for air like myself satisfied. Did I mention that the Variations also happens to fit me like a glove? I remember being able to wear the Blessing 2 for only a couple of hours when I first purchased it, but my ears seem to grown accustomed with time.

I suppose I could go more in-depth with some critiques. Expectedly, the Variations is not as refined when it comes to the nitty-gritty intangibles. Don't get me wrong: the bass response is really satisfying and it's got that "thump" a good sub-bass shelf delivers. But it's still not necessarily best-in-class. The Shuoer EJ07M's bass is more dynamic and a couple more decibels elevated in the 20-30Hz frequencies, thus really delivering that "brrr" feeling in A/B comparison. The Variation's midrange is also sort of dry; it's not as sandpapery as the Blessing 2 IEMs, but you can tell the same midrange driver is being used. It's seemingly more parts of the frequency response being filled in, or perhaps slightly better components, that are responsible for the minor improvement in cleanliness of midrange decay. In any case, the Variations still has the same issue to midrange transient attack where it's lacking a sense of vibrancy and micro-contrast. Finally, I get the impression that the treble on the Variations is a compromise. It neither sounds as "sweet" in tactility as some IEMs with treble responses this smooth do, nor does it have the sense of attack immediacy that I associate with airy IEMs like the Symphonium Helios and Moondrop S8.

You guys know these are all just nitpicks, though. The Variations is a really good IEM - enough that I'd place it up there with Moondrop's best stuff like the S8 - and it'll no doubt prove to be a good baseline for some time.

 

[Precogvision]

Hey everyone, quick update on what I have coming for review:

• Shuoer S12
• Campfire Audio Saber
• BQEYZ Autumn
• ThieAudio V16 Divinity and MiM Dark Magician courtesy of a generous reader.
• The new Crinacle collaboration IEMs, the SeeAudio Midnight and Fiio FHE, once Resolve does an impressions video on them. I'll be doing a roundup of all of them - including the Blessing 2 Dusk and KZ CRN - and weighing how they perform in their respective categories.
• Hopefully some Elysian Acoustic Labs IEMs if they ever get sent out.

As some might've already noticed though, I'm slowing down again because I'm back at school. I'm also going to be very busy with searching for a full-time job in the next few months; reviewing for headphones.com will continue as a side-job of course.

 

[kadinh]

Hey everyone, quick update on what I have coming for review:

• Shuoer S12

looking to hear your thoughts vs the Timeless. I almost bought the S12 yesterday, but held off.

 

[frix]

yes my finger is trigger happy for that one too

 

[kadinh]

yes my finger is trigger happy for that one too

i read a Chinese review yesterday and they preferred the Timeless

 

[PopinTeddy]

i read a Chinese review yesterday and they preferred the Timeless

The review from the vendor?
Some HK members said that vendor is pretty much Wish.com in physical form that sells bootleg wired Airpods. If anything, the post was meant to offload Timeless & S12 stock.

 

[Precogvision]

I'll post the CFA Saber's frequency response now because I don't think I've seen a measurement of it in the wild yet. If anyone really wants impressions, let me know, but suffice it to say CFA's whiffed again in my opinion. It's back to working on the Shuoer S12 impressions for me.

 

[Damz87]

I'll post the CFA Saber's frequency response now because I don't think I've seen a measurement of it in the wild yet. If anyone really wants impressions, let me know, but suffice it to say CFA's whiffed again in my opinion. It's back to working on the Shuoer S12 impressions for me.

 

[tgx78]

For the first time, I had to return something back for a refund.

 

[aaf evo]

Hmmmm, is that some crazy unit variance going on?

 

[Fargeg]

I'll post the CFA Saber's frequency response now because I don't think I've seen a measurement of it in the wild yet. If anyone really wants impressions, let me know, but suffice it to say CFA's whiffed again in my opinion. It's back to working on the Shuoer S12 impressions for me.

I'm definitely curious to know what you think of CA's courageous artistic choice to center their pinna compensation at 10 kHz.

 

[mashuto]

I'll post the CFA Saber's frequency response now because I don't think I've seen a measurement of it in the wild yet. If anyone really wants impressions, let me know, but suffice it to say CFA's whiffed again in my opinion. It's back to working on the Shuoer S12 impressions for me.

I'm still a fan of campfire in general, and I know I know, graphs don't tell the full story... But that honestly just looks unpleasant to listen to.

I'm all for trying new and interesting tunings, but maybe there's a reason a lot of other manufacturers try and stay relatively near to the various target curves.

 

[Precogvision]

LETSHUOER S12 Impressions

Thanks to Joseph from Shuoer for providing this unit for review.

https://letshuoer.net/product/iem/s12-hi-fi-earphones-in-ear-monitors/

Planar IEMs...I'm sure most readers are already familiar with the 7Hz Timeless, the $220 planar IEM that took the market by a storm. Of course, I didn't like it very much because it was chock full of tonality issues, sounded soft, and came across more like a fluke to me than anything. But the market spoke, so we're back for planar IEM round two, this time featuring the Shuoer S12. Right out the gate, most would probably observe that the S12 and the Timeless share a similar tonal profile; however, I do feel there are differences that need addressing.

First, the bass on the S12 is better than the Timeless in terms of tactility. In fact, I remember hearing the S12's proto unit at MRS's house (with no knowledge of what it was at the time) and commenting that it sounded almost DD-like, something I don't think I'd mistake the Timeless for sporting. Yes, the S12's bass is a little more textured and more "punchy" rather than "pillowy" akin to what the Timeless exhibits. Extension is excellent, digging into the 30Hz frequencies on Lightsum's "You, jam" despite some graphs and comments I've seen noting a slight roll-off. The S12's bass control is also better thanks to a slight droop from 200Hz to 1kHz by comparison. I don't think this is class-leading bass, but it does make me consider dropping the Timeless' score in this department.

I guess the midrange of the S12 is alright. In my Timeless review, I stated that "If 7Hz had chosen to either 1) focus more energy away from the lower-midrange, or 2) mitigate the degree of pinna compensation, then I think this would have resulted in either a cleaner or a more natural sound respectively". The S12 falls more toward the former which benefits technical performance, but I do find the S12's midrange to be a hair more strident, more shrill than I'd like. It follows that it's noticeably thinner than the Timeless which might be a turn-off to some listeners.

Here comes the major caveat with the S12, and its largest distinction relative to the Timeless. But first, I should lend context: some will recall that I lambasted the treble response of the Timeless for being unbalanced. It had an absence of lower-treble, too much mid-treble, and just about the right amount of air. The S12's definitely more linear; I hear a lot more of the stick impact and aggressiveness that I felt the Timeless was lacking. However, it's genuinely too bright at times due to an even stronger peak at 8kHz, and a general elevation after that until ~12kHz, that comes off more abrasive than sparkly. The way I see it? The S12 is one step forwards and one step backwards in the treble. At least treble extension on the S12 remains superb with plenty of energy in the air frequencies.

Transient-wise, I do find the S12 to sound less "soft" than the Timeless, which can be partly attributed to the S12's brighter tonality. Likewise, the S12 actually edges out the Timeless for resolution; impressive given that I'd already consider the Timeless to be the pack leader for $220. The planar advantage undoubtedly rings true here. The usual intangible limitations begin cropping up as we explore further, particularly in terms of imaging. The S12 might be a hint more open for soundstage and for image sharpness than the Timeless, but you'd be splitting hairs and that's a very low bar altogether. C'est la vie. Dynamics-wise, the S12 is more incisive in the macro-dynamics department; it hits harder and sounds less compressed. Yet again, I'm thinking the Timeless is in due of reassessment on the ranking list.

Now all that said...is the S12 better than the Timeless? I'd argue no: it's more along the lines of just different. To a certain degree, I feel like you have a KZ ZEX Pro vs. CCA CRA situation here. Like the ZEX Pro, the Timeless is debatably tuned better for listeners who want a smoother listen, but ultimately, I find myself more impressed with the S12 because of its stronger technical showing. And of course, due to the generous price differential. The S12 saves you more than fifty bucks compared to the Timeless; I'd say the S12 is an IEM worth giving a listen. Just stay away if you don't enjoy brighter sets.

Score: 6/10

All critical listening was done off of my iBasso DX300 with the stock silicone tips and direct A/B.

 

[aaf evo]

Hmmmm, is that some crazy unit variance going on?

Just realized I'm an idiot, I thought those were both campfire audio saber graphs whereas one is the Onyx. Whoopsies.

 

[sxcjack]

I'll post the CFA Saber's frequency response now because I don't think I've seen a measurement of it in the wild yet. If anyone really wants impressions, let me know, but suffice it to say CFA's whiffed again in my opinion. It's back to working on the Shuoer S12 impressions for me.

It literally looks like a “V”.