[burialcloud]

Just wanted to ask a question I’m sure has been brought up here before but I searched a bit and wasn’t having luck.

What tips do you guys love with your moonlights? I know everyone says the stock ones are crap but so far the small stock tips are what I’m rolling with and they sound and feel great. I’ve tried Spinfit 100+ (s) and the Dekoni mercury bullets foam (s)

Spinfits look the same size but felt like I got less of a seal and they felt slightly smaller. (Mediums were way too big). Less bass and overall Just lessened my technicalities and enjoyment. Surprised with that. The dekoni sound ok. Still not as good overall as the stock, but even the small hurt my ears after a bit and are less comfy.

I think I have pretty small ear canals and an in between size.

Is there anything out there that is close to the exact size of the stock tips but better material? I think I also like the wider bore size and stronger material compared to the spinfit.

Thinking about trying the azla crystal or xelastec next but I don’t wanna keep blowing money on tips. Their s and ms size are both in between spinfit small and medium. So I’m guessing either would be a better fit for my weird ears.

 

[burialcloud]

Also… I have a strong desire to try out the mest mkii. But it seems like a lot of people sell theirs due to the tips being too large and fitment issues in general.

Anyone with small ear canals tried them and moonlights that could give me a rundown on how they compare fit wise? The moonlight nozzle is 4.5 mm diameter and the mest is 5.5 mm. I would assume since my ideal tip seems to be around 11.2-11.8 mm the actual nozzle size wouldn’t make a difference but maybe I’m missing something. I know the mest mkii is significantly smaller in overall size than the mki and closer to the moonlight.

In general am I missing anything the mest mkii could offer or am I gonna end up disappointed? Anyone here tried both?

I absolutely adore my moonlights. They made the 8ba 64audio customs I had forever sound like utter garbage. But I’ve been watching Dan’s audio reviews, and it’s really making me wanna try the mests.

 

[BrokenHill]

Just wanted to ask a question I’m sure has been brought up here before but I searched a bit and wasn’t having luck.

What tips do you guys love with your moonlights? I know everyone says the stock ones are crap but so far the small stock tips are what I’m rolling with and they sound and feel great. I’ve tried Spinfit 100+ (s) and the Dekoni mercury bullets foam (s)

Spinfits look the same size but felt like I got less of a seal and they felt slightly smaller. (Mediums were way too big). Less bass and overall Just lessened my technicalities and enjoyment. Surprised with that. The dekoni sound ok. Still not as good overall as the stock, but even the small hurt my ears after a bit and are less comfy.

I think I have pretty small ear canals and an in between size.

Is there anything out there that is close to the exact size of the stock tips but better material? I think I also like the wider bore size and stronger material compared to the spinfit.

Thinking about trying the azla crystal or xelastec next but I don’t wanna keep blowing money on tips. Their s and ms size are both in between spinfit small and medium. So I’m guessing either would be a better fit for my weird ears.

Hi. I can tell you that my favorites for the Moonlights were the Xelastec, then the Crystal as soon as I discovered them, and now I recommend the Dunu S&S to everyone. In Azla I used an M/L and now I am very happy with the M size of the Dunu in IEMs that have a deep insert, like the Moonlight, and the L in some that have a short bore. I think that in your case the S&S in size S can serve you well. Some providers, like Penon, allow you to choose different sizes in the 3-pack, in case you want to try other sizes.

https://penonaudio.com/dunu-ss-silicone-eartips.html

 

[burialcloud]

Hi. I can tell you that my favorites for the Moonlights were the Xelastec, then the Crystal as soon as I discovered them, and now I recommend the Dunu S&S to everyone. In Azla I used an M/L and now I am very happy with the M size of the Dunu in IEMs that have a deep insert, like the Moonlight, and the L in some that have a short bore. I think that in your case the S&S in size S can serve you well. Some providers, like Penon, allow you to choose different sizes in the 3-pack, in case you want to try other sizes.

https://penonaudio.com/dunu-ss-silicone-eartips.html

Interesting. Those have wildly different measurements than everything else I’ve looked at. Everywhere else small is around 11mm but with the Dunu s&s it says small is 9mm, medium is 10, and large is 11.5. I’d probably really need the multipack cause I’m confused with what that means. They are a different shape. Just not sure how it would translate. I do love the shape though. Definitely would like to try them.

 

[Leonarfd]

Interesting. Those have wildly different measurements than everything else I’ve looked at. Everywhere else small is around 11mm but with the Dunu s&s it says small is 9mm, medium is 10, and large is 11.5. I’d probably really need the multipack cause I’m confused with what that means. They are a different shape. Just not sure how it would translate. I do love the shape though. Definitely would like to try them.

Dunu S&S in large is close to medium in xelastec or kbear 07. They run small. But at the same time they sit different in the ear, when it sits perfect you get good sound

 

[Dimitry188]

What tips do you guys love with your moonlights?

My top five ear pads for the effect on sound:
1. Spiral Dots:
https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005004567786477.html
2. Moondrop SpringTips:
https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005003642495461.htm
3. Tri Clarion
https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005004717541092.html
4. Tanchjim
https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005002310232113.html
5. Tennmak
https://aliexpress.ru/item/32808506339.html

 

[Dimitry188]

my favorites for the Moonlights were the Xelastec, then the Crystal

To my ears, Azla tips cut high frequencies too much.
For Moonlight, it's like death.

SpiralDots fit much better. Keep the high frequencies clean and crystal clear.

 

[BenF]

Just wanted to ask a question I’m sure has been brought up here before but I searched a bit and wasn’t having luck.

What tips do you guys love with your moonlights? I know everyone says the stock ones are crap but so far the small stock tips are what I’m rolling with and they sound and feel great. I’ve tried Spinfit 100+ (s) and the Dekoni mercury bullets foam (s)

Spinfits look the same size but felt like I got less of a seal and they felt slightly smaller. (Mediums were way too big). Less bass and overall Just lessened my technicalities and enjoyment. Surprised with that. The dekoni sound ok. Still not as good overall as the stock, but even the small hurt my ears after a bit and are less comfy.

I think I have pretty small ear canals and an in between size.

Is there anything out there that is close to the exact size of the stock tips but better material? I think I also like the wider bore size and stronger material compared to the spinfit.

Thinking about trying the azla crystal or xelastec next but I don’t wanna keep blowing money on tips. Their s and ms size are both in between spinfit small and medium. So I’m guessing either would be a better fit for my weird ears.

Tips are very personal, there is no one size/shape fits all.
If the stock tips feel and sound great for you, there is no need to look any further.

Also… I have a strong desire to try out the mest mkii. But it seems like a lot of people sell theirs due to the tips being too large and fitment issues in general.

Anyone with small ear canals tried them and moonlights that could give me a rundown on how they compare fit wise? The moonlight nozzle is 4.5 mm diameter and the mest is 5.5 mm. I would assume since my ideal tip seems to be around 11.2-11.8 mm the actual nozzle size wouldn’t make a difference but maybe I’m missing something. I know the mest mkii is significantly smaller in overall size than the mki and closer to the moonlight.

In general am I missing anything the mest mkii could offer or am I gonna end up disappointed? Anyone here tried both?

I absolutely adore my moonlights. They made the 8ba 64audio customs I had forever sound like utter garbage. But I’ve been watching Dan’s audio reviews, and it’s really making me wanna try the mests.

MEST is quite analytical is extremely fit-dependent.
Probably not worth it for you, unless you are looking for a more analytical sound.

 

[kmhaynes]

If anyone is looking for a nearly new Canon, mine is in classifieds.

 

[BrokenHill]

To my ears, Azla tips cut high frequencies too much.
For Moonlight, it's like death.

SpiralDots fit much better. Keep the high frequencies clean and crystal clear.

The tips are very personal. Azla even has many variants. What I try is that they interfere as little as possible with the original sound of the IEM. For this, those with a more open bore interfere as little as possible. It is often said that a narrow bore improves the bass, when the truth is that what happens is that it cuts the treble and midrange. In my case, I considered the Azla Xelastec very good for my tastes, but the Azla Crystal was an improvement, since it gave me the same as the Xelastec, but better. Almost the same grip, the same wide mouth without affecting treble, and they corrected the only thing I didn't like about the Xelastec, which, being such a particular material, tended to deform over time.

The Dunu S&S are different from the rest, and a great success. They look like other tips turned upside down. I had invested in Azla Crystal for all my IEMs, and have switched all of them to Dunu S&S.

These are the Moonlight with the S&S size M

 

[kmhaynes]

Still waiting to receive the replacement Norn from Kinera -- 3 weeks for returned units to get there, 3 more for new ones, I assume, for new ones to arrive.

Still planning to give a brief comparison of the 2 when the Norn arrives. I'm enjoying the Canon, but I still remember the Norn as being a step above what I'm hearing from the Canon now. But the Canon is no slouch.

OK, so Kinera Norn returned to me and I was able to listen to the Norn vs the Yanyin Canon. They sound so much alike, it was really hard to keep them separated in my mind!

Here are some differences:

Body shape size: Norn is smaller, more rounded / Canon is a tad larger, more angular but not uncomfortable
Tips: Norn nozzle is shorter but very little lip, tips must be tight to stay on / Canon nozzle is deeper and side sleepers will struggle to find tips that don't cut off sound
Stage: Norn is a tad more spacious, open / Canon is more a tad more intimate, up-close
Tuning: Norn has a slight edge in (native) bass & treble extension / Canon has the on-board 3-band EQ switches that are subtle but do lift the 3 regions when employed (switches are tiny!)
Technicals: both are very detailed - Norn is a tad smoother / Canon is a tad more aggressive
Stock cable: both are very nice - Norn cable is a bit thicker / Canon cable is a bit softer, and 2-pin receptacles are very tight -- swapping cables took some careful effort
Packaging: Norn comes with 2.5mm jack and 3.5mm and 4mm adaptors, slightly larger selection of tips, much bigger box / Canon only has 3.5mm (or whatever you order it with), fewer tips, smaller box

Again, so many of these areas (sound related) required constant switching between IEMs to pick up these small differences. I really like both, and if the Norn doesn't sell, I would be willing to keep it. BUT, both are for sale in classifieds now -- thinking I might go back to a DD-only IEM (3DT, Serial, etc).

 

[DenverW]

I jumped on the chu hype train and grabbed a pair. For $20 they come with a set of spring tips which I’ve been using on the moonlight and have had decent success with fit, although I haven’t tip rolled enough for a sonic comparison.

I’ll have to grab some spiral dots for comparison.

 

[The-One]

I brought these up to someone else on the thread that was looking for more isolation/bass. These are my preferred tips for this reason AND they remove any driver squelch when adjusting fitting (there is another term for that, but whatever). Notice they have their own filter...

I don't find that they diminish anything, but they do perhaps smooth out the top if you are going for high volume. And the filter isn't just for ear junk - its for anything that could make it in there like dust etc. I have been wearing them for over a decade FWIW.

https://www.complyfoam.com/products/comply-500-series

That is what I would do.

You recommended them to me. And I'm very happily using them on my Mahina.

Only thing I'd say against it slightly is that it takes a bit more time to insert vs silicone tips and some other foam tips which are much more "springier", eg the foam ones with filters that come with Sennheiser iems, where you can bluntly shove them in one go. I insert the comply Tx500 slower and in several goes.

 

[The-One]

Having had my Mahinas for a while and still very happy with them, I am wondering if I am hearing one of its limitations. If anyone knows what it might be that I'm hearing, whether it's that 'ba timbre" people go on about (I don't have another set to compare) or whether it's the tuning, or it's the imaging.

So, most of the music I listen to sound just as good on the Mahina as my 2.1 set up. However, there is one artist that I think sounds better on my speakers. And that's Karen Carpenter, while she sounds perfectly competent on the Mahinas, if a little "smooth", on the speakers it's like there's a slight aura around her voice that can at times be either husky or sharp. If I had to give a visual example, it would be like on my speakers, the graphics setting has shadows & reflections set to high, where as on the Mahinas, its like they're set to low or even off. It's not as noticeable on every singer, for a singer like Lana Del Rey for example, there is no difference to me.

Oh, also by now, I also found a good demonstration of the limitations of the bass performance. Play Lana Del Rey - High by the Beach, and the Mahina will sound fantastic in the bass, its full, floaty, immersive, as good as my subwoofer. But play Lana Del Rey - White Mustang, and there is a subtle difference in the timbre of the bass, it should "hit harder", sound like a heavy metal object being dropped, and have a "tangy" or "stringy" quality to the bass, like if guitar strings could produce 30hz. Now that's on my subwoofer, the Mahinas are more muted on that particular bass details. It's still quite enjoyable nonetheless as the bass level is set well and bass in general has a slightly "bouncy" quality to it.

 

[rattlingblanketwoman]

My beloved Serials have developed a channel imbalance (a friend has confirmed this and reckons one side to be about 6dB off from the other). So I was considering Canons as a replacement if they came up for the right price - they were never too far behind my favorite back when I compared them.

Thankfully they showed up at a great price! Excited to try them with different tips and switches again. I use my wife’s old iPhone SE 2016 as a DAP for most listening now, which should be a good match of SE output and low output impedance.