Moondrop - Variations

The more important question is: IEMs with anime boys when? OK but serious answer time: my favourite IEM anime girls have to be Moondrop Variations, followed closely by Moondrop Psyche. Variations girlie has a very pleasing striking colour palette and the outfit is very tasteful. I mean you can’t go wrong with berets! Psyche girl has more lethal face card and better hairdo but I need to see the rest of her outfit. She kinda gives me Otome Isekai girls vibe.  (Yeah both of them have pastel pink hair, I have a taste you can tell). Sharing 3rd place is Tangzu Wan’er Blue and Tangzu Wu Zetian Legend.

$300? Hardly. It was $520 for years and the price recently got bumped up to $599.

It's hard to explain. When I tried the Moondrop Variations in Japan it was MAGICAL. Music sounded sooo immersive and the highs were airy and sparkly... It's hard to explain. You have to experience it to understand.

Started with the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk as a blind buy, found it a bit sharp in the trebles at first. Took my ears months to actually get used to the sound and really hear the details coming from the vocals and some instrumental separations. At first, I didn't really enjoy it, tbh. I was craving for more bass so I bought the Moondrop Variations, and that was what I was looking for but at that time I found the sub bass a bit lacking. Why? Cause I came from the Sony XM3 headphones, that's why. It also took me months to years to actually appreciate the sounds coming from both the Dusk and Variations. To my ears, the Variations sounded like a subwoofer whereas the Dusk sounded like someone was singing right in front of me where the instruments are slightly further away. My ears actually started to ring after the listening sessions so I went and got myself a portable DAC(Qudelix 5k), and the listening sessions were more pleasurable with the right volumes. The Qudelix 5k does make them trebles a bit zingly as well. Overall, it took me months to years for my ears to actually discern the details and appreciate what sounds l actually find fun or analytical to listen. I found out that I did not like the Harman tuning as much as the others when it was well known and loved few years back. I ended up with the Thieaudio Monarch Mk4s now after taking a break at the Variations and the Timeless few years back.

You already have a better set than Tea Pros. I'd suggest saving & getting a $500 set; the two I recommend are the Moondrop Variations (technically better, still fun - overall better for me & excellent build quality) & the Hype 4 (more fun technically not as good, build nowhere near as good - I love Thieaudio, but their shells are really not good, with the exception of the Valhallla - the Thieaudio Prestige Ltd I had to CIEM/resell after 10 months of daily use as they were getting worse for wear despite me looking after them well). The jump between 300-350 sets & the right 500 sets is massive. Kids here genuinely hate the fact that diminishing returns after $300 is bollocks.

To be honest I wouldn't recommend any of those except for the Hype 4, but I think Moondrop Variations is much better at, that price point (obviously they are quite different, but I would definitely give a better overall score to the Variations). Build quality was a BIG priority when I put this list together before buying all of them. This is my artillery. Source is ideally a Mojo 2, but I'll use a FiiO BTR17 on the go & I only take my Variations outside with me as I live in Bangkok & it's very humid. IEMS - QDC Emperor/CA Astrolith/Fatfreq Maestro SE CIEM/Thieaudio Prestige Ltd CIEM/Final A8000/Sony IER-Z1R/Moondrop Variations

But very few that will be genuinely fantastic will. If any at that sort of price point... there might be a a few that are as good & similar to existing sets, but better? Hmm. If I can't listen to something myself (firstly, I usually don't buy it), I'll tend to wait 6-9 months to see if people are still going nuts about them & they were not just some flash in the pan - exactly as I did the Canpur 622B - that's a big spend & I couldn't test them, I waited nine months & the only feedback was still that for what they do, nothing comes close & they're absolutely one of the best audio products ever made & worth every penny. Turns out they were. Certainly for me, there is nothing that has beaten the Moondrop Variations at the $500 mark since they came out & that sentiment was echoed on a poll on here a few months ago... but I don't think they'll be for this chap.

I'd look on the second hand market & get a set of UM Mext. There is a set on Head-Fi classifieds for $440 now (theyre about $1100 new). They have absolutely incredible build quality - a super strong resin that really looks & feels ultra premium, even with a few scratches. They were released a couple of years ago, but they truth is there isnt anything new under $700 that competes for the kind of sound you seem to be talking about. The Thieaudio Hype 4 are really decent & on a similar path, but not a patch on the Mext in either sound or build... and having been into audio gear since the 90s, I've really learnt how important build quality is. My personal favourites new at $500 (if you're lucky - most places are selling for $700 now a they're so difficult to find & I believe they're out of production) are the Moondrop Variations & they won a poll here a few months ago as the best in that price bracket - but I don't think they'll be your thing. Good luck! Always remember: music >>>>>>> gear.

Dita Prelude are absolutely incredible for $159. For me, they're better than Aful 5+2, Tea Pro, Dunu Davinci. The best deal I got for $300 was open box Moondrop Variations, IEMs that I believe can absolutely compete with well regarded $2000+ sets... and most of my sets are $2000-$4000 (I'm older than most of you here at 45, pretty much disabled after a serious illness in 2020 after a lengthy career in music & spend most of my life lying down on my bed working, gaming, music & films... I still make decent money so I will absolutely buy silly money gear). The Variations genuinely do compete with $2000 sets & for me they're the only set that do in the $500 and below category... even going up to $1000, I'm struggling to think of a set I prefer. I think the Prestige Ltd at $1400 are the 'cheapest' set that beats them. If you can find that sort of deal, absolutely worth checking. That said, the Moondrop Dusk (which are around 350) are perhaps better for your musical preference... according to someone I trust. Otherwise the $159 Prelude are unbelievable for the money.

All but one of my sets is less than $1k retail - and that set can trade blow for blow with many well regarded $2000 sets... and out of the hundreds I've heard, it is the only one that I can say that for. It is of course the Moondrop Variations, and they easily sound like a decent $1200 - $1300 set. The only $1k set I own that does not sound like a. $1k set is the Campfire Alien Brain. I'd say 600-700 would be a fair price for these. Fortunately I got them for $500 open box & /they are my out & about set & have the right characteristics for that. My list of others, their retail price & my thoughts as to whether they represent good value. Canpur 622b - $5500 I think this is an INSANE amount of money for a set. I lucked out & bought (technically) secondhand as an unwanted gift & unused. These are so far from my favourite typical kind of set as they have very little sub bass (not that I need to have every set be a basshead set) - BUT - that does not stop them from easily being the most impressive pair I've ever put in my ears. I savour them. I used them twice a week & really make sure I have no distractions & no one is home. For funk/rare groove/soul etc, they are unbelievable. For excellent pop/rock in eg Prince, Queen & MJ, same thing. For the Blade Runner 1982 Vangelis soundtrack - best I've ever heard it & I've heard it a lot. It's really difficult to qualify $5500 as a price for ANY IEM - but if one set does - it's these. Others - Final A8000 - $2000 - absolutely. Most clear & natural anything I've ever heard. For well recorded jazz, absolutely unbeatable. Good with lots of other stuff, too. Empire Ears Raven - $3750 - the best sub bass heavy 'basshead' set that have ever existed IMO. This is basically the dream sound I had in my head as a 'basshead' set & I've been through them all. Absolutely yes - absolutely worth it, but the build quality could certainly be better for that price. Campfire Astrolith - $2200 - the best planar set that exist IMO. Decent value. Incredible proprietary tech. Thieaudio Prestige Ltd CIEM - $1800 - my most used set of all time. All day every day for two years solid. Fatfreq Maestro SE CIEM fully custom - $3500- technically sound, bass is decent but nowhere near the Raven. Still, it's great to have a bottom heavy set that are so comfy, look stunning (my choice of around 200 aesthetic designs + additional options). FiR RN6 - $3000 - the ultimate one & done! Thieaudo Valhalla - $2000 - no idea, haven't arrived yet 😅 I have more but I gotta Run.

I was in exactly the same e-earphones about a month ago, ready to buy something nice. I sat down with fiio fh9, moondrop variations, letshuoer ej07m, final something or other, and something else I can’t remember the name of now, along with my trusty fiio fh5 as reference. As you get more expensive they all get very specific. They all sounded pretty different to each other, all good but different. Before trying them and just from reading reviews I was convinced I was going to be walking out with the fh9. I really didn’t like them in the end. Came home with the ej07m instead. They’re definitely a set up over my fh5. Are they twice as good? Nope. Find a sound you like, try and find what you like that matches that in your price range. And all the better if you go somewhere like e-earphones and try them out. It’s hard!

Should I return my Moondrop Variations for these?

Does good audio get dated though? Lots of other threads recommending to keep the Variations, so maybe I’ll just stick with what works for me

About 60% of the most-recommended IEMs in this thread didn't exist 6 months ago. I think the oldest one mentioned is 18 months. None of those IEMs will suddenly become bad, but what you can get for the same amount of money, or less, will be completely different 6 months from now. The Variations is a massive outlier as far as chi-fi goes. I don't think anything else has outlived it. It's the pinnacle of Harman-tuned IEMs, but you've got to like that (and the bass tuck that comes with it). New releases nowadays in that price range are all anti-Harman, so it's unlikely the Variations will be unseated in its particular niche any time soon either.

This will be a very quick review. About me: I am coming from the Moondrop Variations as my daily driver. I just wanted something non-harman/meta-tuned which does not break the bank. I tested many IEMs in different price ranges. After I daily used the Odyssey now for a few weeks, I feel confident enough to write a short review. The best thing about the Odyssey is no doubt the tuning. It's rooted on the new meta with adding a bit more excitement in the bass and treble, but really just a bit. It sounds very different as my last daily driver, which have a much more colorised tuning (harman IE 2019) - which can sound great, but they are really hit and miss depending on the song. That's the reason why I decided I need something more versatile which works with all sorts of content (basically all music genres, movies, gaming). I consider this a "common sense endgame", because if someone wants to enter the expensive world of IEMs, the Odyssey can be reasonable advised as an one-and-only purchase because of it's sound signature. This can be of course also said about other meta-tuned IEMs in that price range. They don't really differ a lot in how they sound. If you looking at higher price ranges, there is the Monarch MK2 with a similar tuning but much better technicalities. I A/B tested both while testing and can say with confidence that the difference here is not worth the decreased comfort and increased price for the MK2. Maybe I am not "audiophile" enough to hear a big difference or I had not enough time to test the Monarchs. Another thing is how easy the Odyssey can be driven. Connected to the 3.5 Audiojack of a Macbook 16% of audio volume is a sweet spot. You basically have no volume problems on any source. Connected to a Qudelix 5K DAC/AMP they sound the same. Using a DSP/EQ to normalise the sound to JM-1 - I like the native sound signature more than the original new meta (JM-1) - it just adds some excitement without being too much. It can be still considered as neutral with bass boost. One drawback is how sensitive they seem to be. Connected to a "poor DAC" (e.g. Playstation Portal 3.5 Audiojack or DualSense Controller 3.5 Audiojack), there is a noticeable background hiss and noise floor when a sound is played. This is not so noticeable when gaming, but I would definitely not advise the Odyssey if this is a use-case for you. Compared to that, the Variations do sound absolutely clean connected to the DualSense or PS Portal. In it's price range, I would easily give the Odyssey a 10/10 Score with the Label "Endgame for most". If price doesn't matter, maybe a 8/10.

The Variations still sounds a bit airier with a bit better resolution EQ’d to the odyssey (airier because of treble isn’t easy to EQ and resolution because of better technicalities - I mean, the variations are still much more expensive and you hear that a little bit and only when A/B testing). But roughly they sound almost the same tonality wise when EQ’d. (which is expected). The question arises why I even bought the Odyssey when I’m already into EQ’ing - I have reasons for it. The variations are not as comfortable over time as the odyssey, which are really lite-weight and I don’t have the option to EQ on all sources.

I have the Variations and the Glacier. They don’t sound identical at all. Variations sound thin compared to the Glacier. Maybe it’s my unit of the Variations. They sound very clean and detailed, but thin. Glacier on the other hand sounds natural with lots of bass