Has anyone tried the Moondrop Aria?

[phoenixsong]

My Kato has similar issue on the distortion measurement. The right driver has awkward distortion peak at 550Hz. But it is still quite low, so kind of acceptable. but that gives me a little doubt on the Moondrop quality control.

Left Driver:
View attachment 189794

Right driver:
View attachment 189792

Hello Earfonia! Great to see you and your measurements here as well

This is what held me back from getting a KATO myself, along with the the reported frequency response deviations. There have been many reviews mentioning a slight harshness to the upper mids too. Do you hear this in your set, and *if you do, do you think it can be attributed to the relatively high third harmonic distortion between 2-5kHz where our hearing is reported to be most sensitive?

 

[Earfonia]

Hello Earfonia! Great to see you and your measurements here as well

This is what held me back from getting a KATO myself, along with the the reported frequency response deviations. There have been many reviews mentioning a slight harshness to the upper mids too. Do you hear this in your set, and *if you do, do you think it can be attributed to the relatively high third harmonic distortion between 2-5kHz where our hearing is reported to be most sensitive?

My Moondrop Kato L-R Mismatch is ok, less than 1 dB mismatch from 20Hz - 7kHz (before the IEC coupler resonance).

We can see the shallow dip around 550-600Hz on the Right channel that causes the awkward distortion peak.

The upper mids initially was a bit annoying. Yes, I hear it too, mild but a bit annoying. It is more kind of resonance around that area. But after I replaced the nozzle from Stainless Steel to the Brass nozzle, that annoying resonance cleared. I haven't done measurement comparisons between Stainless Steel and Brass nozzle, haven't got the time. I will do the measurement and post in my review for Kato. So at the moment I'm not sure what happened. I need to compare the distortion measurement of the SS vs. Brass as well. Anyone has any info besides the material what is the difference between the Stainless Steel nozzle and the Brass nozzle?

 

[Jimbob54]

My Moondrop Kato L-R Mismatch is ok, less than 1 dB mismatch from 20Hz - 7kHz (before the IEC coupler resonance).

View attachment 189853

We can see the shallow dip around 550-600Hz on the Right channel that causes the awkward distortion peak.

The upper mids initially was a bit annoying. Yes, I hear it too, mild but a bit annoying. It is more kind of resonance around that area. But after I replaced the nozzle from Stainless Steel to the Brass nozzle, that annoying resonance cleared. I haven't done measurement comparisons between Stainless Steel and Brass nozzle, haven't got the time. I will do the measurement and post in my review for Kato. So at the moment I'm not sure what happened. I need to compare the distortion measurement of the SS vs. Brass as well. Anyone has any info besides the material what is the difference between the Stainless Steel nozzle and the Brass nozzle?

Crinacle measured both nozzles. Can't link as on mobile but his graphing tool will compare

 

[phoenixsong]

Crinacle measured both nozzles. Can't link as on mobile but his graphing tool will compare

Not for distortion though- I haven't seen any nozzle distortion comparisons posted by anyone yet

 

[Earfonia]

Thanks for the info! I'm a bit particular with measurement and how it was done (the methodology), so I prefer to do my own measurement. Measurement methodology is crucial in my opinion. I plan to review Kato, and I will measure both Stainless Steel and Brass nozzle, FR and distortion.

 

[Jimbob54]

Not for distortion though- I haven't seen any nozzle distortion comparisons posted by anyone yet

My bad.

 

[half_dog]

My Moondrop Kato L-R Mismatch is ok, less than 1 dB mismatch from 20Hz - 7kHz (before the IEC coupler resonance).

My first unit had a mismatch that's perceptive in some situations, but the second pair (I haven't posted its measurements) came fine although the bulge in distortion. But come on, that's really low; if I can enjoy my ER2SE which has much higher distortion, why I wouldn't have problems with Kato's distortion - disregard FR.
About the nozzles... Someone in somewhere talked to Moondrop and they said both nozzles have the same dimensions and the only difference is their material. What I can tell is (related to the first unit), distortion wise the bulge (and the mismatch) seemed to be related to the driver. The FR differences were too small to tell if were nozzle related. Maybe my method is not all that trustful and precise.

 

[phoenixsong]

My first unit had a mismatch that's perceptive in some situations, but the second pair (I haven't posted its measurements) came fine although the bulge in distortion. But come on, that's really low; if I can enjoy my ER2SE which has much higher distortion, why I wouldn't have problems with Kato's distortion - disregard FR.
About the nozzles... Someone in somewhere talked to Moondrop and they said both nozzles have the same dimensions and the only difference is their material. What I can tell is (related to the first unit), distortion wise the bulge (and the mismatch) seemed to be related to the driver. The FR differences were too small to tell if were nozzle related. Maybe my method is not all that trustful and precise.

Is the dominant distortion on the ER2SE higher order/odd or even order/low harmonics?

 

[half_dog]

Is the dominant distortion on the ER2SE higher order/odd or even order/low harmonics?

In my measurement rig most of it is dominated by the second harmonic with a hump of third around 2 to 4kHz.

 

[Acerun]

There's a new special edition Aria called Elven Maiden on pre-order. I'm not sure if there is any difference other than color/styling.

MOONDROP ARIA Special Edition Limited In-ear Headphone

Limited to 1000 pieces. Feature: Aria adopts a10mm diameter dual cavity magnetic dynamic driver, and the whole LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) liquid crystal diaphragm to bring excellent transient response and high-resolution sound details. The special edition here comes with a differe...

shenzhenaudio.com

 

[phoenixsong]

There's a new special edition Aria called Elven Maiden on pre-order. I'm not sure if there is any difference other than color/styling.

MOONDROP ARIA Special Edition Limited In-ear Headphone

Limited to 1000 pieces. Feature: Aria adopts a10mm diameter dual cavity magnetic dynamic driver, and the whole LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) liquid crystal diaphragm to bring excellent transient response and high-resolution sound details. The special edition here comes with a differe...

shenzhenaudio.com

I was just about to make a post on this- as an owner of the regular Aria, I advise potential owners of this version to refrain from making a rash purchase. With this kind of Fan/Collector's IEM, the last thing you'd want is for the beautiful coating to peel off right before your eyes and being unable to do anything about it. This happens frequently amongst owners of the regular Aria (myself included), and I can take + upload some photos if anybody so desires them.

I have posted a public question about the coating on that page itself for the sake of interested buyers. Hopefully they will allow said question to be published and answer honestly

*From what I've gathered since months before, it's just the cosmetic appearance (of the IEM coating and Case) that is different on these

 

[half_dog]

Correting... 800 to 3500Hz ish

In my measurement rig most of it is dominated by the second harmonic with a hump of third around 2 to 4kHz.

 

[sepuyan]

I got the Aria cheap used and its now my EDC playing through my DAP. Its really fine for me as I use it when I'm working so I'm not that critical of its performance but its definitely wayyy better than the cans that comes with my mobile phone. I just enjoy it, I mean I can't really close my eyes and analyze the music while I'm scooping rice (I work at a sushi place) At home, I have other iems and headphones. The Aria is really a good, enjoyable, well priced iem that works well as a daily driver, well for me at least.

 

[Vict0r]

Got my Aria's in. Paid about €55 in total for them. I'm used to my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and iLoud MTM monitors, and the only IEMs I've used for years are the Blon BL03, Hifiman RE0, Tin T2 and Vsonic GR07. I listen mostly to extreme metal, but to medieval folk, classical piano and ambient/soundtrack/sound design music too.

I was always fine with the way the GR07 sounded with metal, as that one has a bit of a V-shaped signature that makes most metal productions punchy and exciting to listen to. The Aria sounds less "enhanced" and reminds me more of the way my calibrated MTM's sound; just more honest and less dramatic. The GR07 (and T2 and RE0 in particular) could get a little peaky/sibilant, especially with splashy cymbals and high pitched, distorted vocals. The Aria's are easier on the ears. The detail is there, though. Bass is there as well, but it's not very fun. It's just there.

Can't say much about the soundstage. It's very much an in-your-head experience, but I think that of all IEMs I've owned and tried. The sound is small, forward and "zoomed in". It really lets you focus on all the different instruments, but it can get a bit fatigueing as well. It's as if everyone's fighting for your attention in a very tiny space. The HD600 is much better in that regard, and my speakers even more so (duh). It doesn't get muddy or messy, though. All the layers in the recording are distinguishable from eachother.

Anyway, the Aria's are nice. I don't regret my purchase and will daily drive them from now on. They're quite comfortable for me and, after some fiddling, I get a decent but delicate seal with the largest silicone tips Moondrop included. The cable's alright. It wants to tangle itself into Gordian spaghetti all the time, and the chin slider is a bit loose. I've seen worse, though.

In the greater scheme of things: It's ridiculous that we're getting this level of fidelity today at the price of a decent meal. I can't even fill up my car with gasoline for €55 nowadays!

 

[phoenixsong]

Got my Aria's in. Paid about €55 in total for them. I'm used to my Sennheiser HD600 headphones and iLoud MTM monitors, and the only IEMs I've used for years are the Blon BL03, Hifiman RE0, Tin T2 and Vsonic GR07. I listen mostly to extreme metal, but to medieval folk, classical piano and ambient/soundtrack/sound design music too.

I was always fine with the way the GR07 sounded with metal, as that one has a bit of a V-shaped signature that makes most metal productions punchy and exciting to listen to. The Aria sounds less "enhanced" and reminds me more of the way my calibrated MTM's sound; just more honest and less dramatic. The GR07 (and T2 and RE0 in particular) could get a little peaky/sibilant, especially with splashy cymbals and high pitched, distorted vocals. The Aria's are easier on the ears. The detail is there, though. Bass is there as well, but it's not very fun. It's just there.

Can't say much about the soundstage. It's very much an in-your-head experience, but I think that of all IEMs I've owned and tried. The sound is small, forward and "zoomed in". It really lets you focus on all the different instruments, but it can get a bit fatigueing as well. It's as if everyone's fighting for your attention in a very tiny space. The HD600 is much better in that regard, and my speakers even more so (duh). It doesn't get muddy or messy, though. All the layers in the recording are distinguishable from eachother.

Anyway, the Aria's are nice. I don't regret my purchase and will daily drive them from now on. They're quite comfortable for me and, after some fiddling, I get a decent but delicate seal with the largest silicone tips Moondrop included. The cable's alright. It wants to tangle itself into Gordian spaghetti all the time, and the chin slider is a bit loose. I've seen worse, though.

In the greater scheme of things: It's ridiculous that we're getting this level of fidelity today at the price of a decent meal. I can't even fill up my car with gasoline for €55 nowadays!

Agree with you on the peaky GR07 tuning- I have both the GR07X and Aria, and they sound quite different. If you're going to continue using the Aria as your daily driver and want more soundstage, the Spinfit CP100+ tips might interest you. I'm using them in S size and listen to music at low levels though, so frequency curve perception and resonance might differ

 

[Matias]

Agree with you on the peaky GR07 tuning- I have both the GR07X and Aria, and they sound quite different. If you're going to continue using the Aria as your daily driver and want more soundstage, the Spinfit CP100+ tips might interest you. I'm using them in S size and listen to music at low levels though, so frequency curve perception and resonance might differ

Spinfit CP145 M on my Aria here. These are great too.

 

[FTB]

"Follow the engineers !"

I was still struggling a bit about auditive fatigue on Moondrop Aria.
I put them aside a bit then I decided to do tips tests again thinking I was missing something as they pretty much follow the Harman curve I love for headphones.

I use only originals silicone and foams provided by Moondrop as who is better placed to provide the best tips for an IEM than their maker ?

With silicone best size for me is still M but the sound is still a bit harsh, transients are rigid, thick, "square".
Previously I stayed a bit with M foams, thinking it's equivalent size to M silicone...
Wrong I was.
The sound is softer on attack but a bit muddy, too much attenuation on high-mids and voices harmonics plus the foams are too large for my ear canal, I feel pressure after a bit. But yeah big bass so we can be impressed at first.

When I contacted Moondrop team about foams, they adviced to choose S foams if M silicone was right for me.

I did some new long listening tests with S foams, softer sound than M silicone, not muddy and no pressure in the canal as M foams.
No big impressive bass as I noted the first time I tried but best all-round performers in my ears.

I wanted to be clever and choose on my own.

Moondrop engineers was right from the start, better listen to them

I can now enjoy fully these Aria.
Killer sound. In 2 or 3 years I'm gonna be professional musician, for sure I'm gonna use its on stage ! And get some pairs as spares (at this price point....)

 

[FTB]

Plus I think S foams reduce a bit the elevated upper-bass region...

I was considering changing IEMs, no need for any upgrade now...
It's so pleasant to have such audio quality at low price these days ! (as akg k371)

 

[asrUser]

Trying both Aria (2021) and Aria Snow Edition. With and without Eq I enjoy the Aria 2021 more than the newer edition. Technically the Snow Edition should be the better one, but I have yet to find a perfect sounding eq profile. Does anyone own the Snow Edition?

 

[Matias]

I liked the original Aria and wanted to upgrade, the closest was the Dusk. So I sold the Aria and now waiting for the Dusk to arrive.