o0genesis0o
Headphoneus Supremus
Uh oh...
Maybe that's why we don't see a universal Supermoon. Imaging reviewers getting their hands on the expensive IEM and writing "just another planar in a different shell" Not good for business
The custom idea is interesting, though.If anything, the praise that Supermoon has received lately from folks with super high-end IEMs shows the the great value of the current crop of planar IEMs, at least from technical performance point of view.
Moondrop Stellaris FR via IEC711 coupler:
The Stellaris is quite hard to drive, amplification is recommended.
The shells are a bit heavy and huge, with a long nozzle, but I found the comfort to be quite good actually.
On to sound, impressions using stock silicone tips and stock cable. The tuning is bright neutral. Note weight is thin and sterile. If you have heard the Moondrop SSR, the Stellaris is a SSR on steroids. The Stellaris hence pairs better with warm/analoguish sources, rather than something bright or analytical.
The Stellaris is very good in technicalities - clarity, instrument separation, micro-details, imaging, transients are great. If one wants a set for critical listening and to analyze every fine nuance of music, the Stellaris is one to consider. Will do some A/B comparisons with the S12 Pro and report back.
Bass is fast and tight but lacks sub-bass extension/movement of air. The upper mids region is actually not as scary as the graphs, but it can veer to shoutiness, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher munson curve). Treble is extended and airy, though sibilance and splashiness of highhats/cymbals is on display. The treble can be fatiguing with longer sessions, and perhaps treble sensitive folk may find the tuning polarizing; trebleheads will like it though.
Unfortunately, the boosted upper mids/treble and thin note weight give an unnatural timbre for vocals and acoustic instruments. Vocals sound nasal and notes just lack weight and density. This may not be an issue if you are not sensitive to timbre, or perhaps listen to music genres that are not acoustic/vocal focused.
TLDR: The Stellaris is unique compared to the usual V-shaped/harman tuned gear, it brings great technicalities to the table. Unfortunately, the tonality and timbre may be polarizing. It isn't as scary as the graphs would suggest, but the Stellaris is not recommended for treble sensitive folk, but treble heads may have a field day.
Those who enjoyed the SSR previously will probably like this too. The Stellaris hence is a very niche planar.
If I squint hard, the graph looks kind of like unmodded S12, with more stabby ear-gain. The stock S12 already has the characteristics of Final A4000: strident and tiring. Can't imagine the listening fatigue. I guess the centre image is very upfront, in-your-face with this IEM?
I have never been fortunate enough to hear the difference between different core materials in my cables either. As long as the cable is of good quality then it will sound the same as every other good quality cable to me regardless of what it's made out of. When someone is pretty insistent that they're hearing a difference on a particular IEM because of a cable and I am bored and happen to have multiple cables available, as @Redcarmoose was, I figured why not test them? It didn't cost me anything to do it so I did.
For me personally, I only "upgrade" cables for aesthetics or quality reasons and not for differences in sound signature or tuning. That said, I trust other people's ears to tell them what they're hearing. Regardless of if the differences Red is hearing are based in psychoacoustics or are caused by an actual phenomenon, when he says that he hears a difference between cables I believe that he does. I'm actually kinda jealous that I don't hear cool sonic changes with cable rolling, but my wallet thanks me for having avoided one rabbit hole anyways.
I just mentioned the cable rolling experiements because it was a topic brought up in previous comments so I wanted it to be clear that I took those comments into account when I listened to the Stellaris. That's all. It take all different kinds of folks to make this hobby and community as unique as they are and there's plenty of room for all of us regardless of whether or not we agree on the sonic properties of different cables.
Thanks for the detailed reply! Your English was very good and I can almost guarantee that your English was MUCH better than if I had attempted to communicate in your first language lol!
Even if cable can change the sound a bit, I wouldn't risk the fragile MMCX or 2pin connector. I don't even want to remove the cable for taking photos for review, worrying that they would start failing.
Poor cable does have an impact on super sensitive IEMs like Andromeda, though. I couldn't believe how bad my Andromeda sounds when I swap the stock cable to a $5 MMCX cable from NSC store. And that's a pickle. The stock cable of Andromeda sucks in terms of handling and look, but due to the sensitivity of that IEM, getting any other cable is a lottery game.
