As with anything, in the end, you have to decide for yourself if something suits you.Fiio FD5: Crinacle: C+ vs Amir: "great"
Moondrop Blessing 2: Crinacle: A+ vs Amir: "fine"
So a logical follow-up now shall be - what Moondrop itself calls - "tribrid IEM" - Variations in-ears with dynamic/BA/electrostatic drivers comboAlso, the first hybrid IEM reviewed at ASR, here are crinacle's measurements for reference:
Been considering getting an S8 CIEM, so that'll be interesting!I don't have it. But do have the S8 which I will review next.
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Moondrop Blessing 2 IEM. It was sent to me by Shenzhenaudio and costs US $320.
I have yet to hear an IEM with good sub-bass. Response of the Blessing 2 was better than average (with EQ) but still very far from any over the ear headphone.
Going by Crinacle’s graphs, my cheaper Moondrop Starfields ($100-$110) have more deep bass than the Blessing 2, but the upper bass is more pronounced (less than the Fiio FD5 though).I have yet to hear an IEM with good sub-bass.
This is a review and detailed measurements of the Moondrop Blessing 2 IEM. It was sent to me by Shenzhenaudio and costs US $320.
View attachment 198183
Blessing 2 feels substantial in hand without being overly large. The tips included are silicone and rather thin. This made it harder to mount on my headphone fixture but worked very well for my ears.
Note: The measurements you are about to see are made using a standardized Gras 45C. Headphone/IEM measurements by definition are approximate and variable so don't be surprised if other measurements even if performed with the same fixtures as mine, differ in end results. Protocols vary such as headband pressure and averaging (which I don't do). As you will see, I confirm the approximate accuracy of the measurements using Equalization and listening tests. Ultimately headphone measurements are less exact than speakers mostly in bass and above a few kilohertz so keep that in mind as you read these tests. If you think you have an exact idea of a headphone/IEM performance, you are likely wrong!
Moondrop Blessing 2 Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard and special target for IEMs:
View attachment 198184
When I first measured these, I thought they had target Harman curve but my fitment was wrong given the small differences. Then I read up and it seems they have their own tweaked target they call VDSF (diffused target of sorts). Variations from Harman target were small so I was very curious as to its audibility (see listening test section). Relative response shows how small the variations are:
View attachment 198185
I was dismayed to see the same distortion which we saw in another BA driver IEM:
View attachment 198186
I worked on qualifying this in listening tests.
View attachment 198187
Impedance is low and a bit variable:
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Sensitivity is on the low side meaning you need more power to drive it:
View attachment 198189
Group delay is clean and uneventful:
View attachment 198190
Moondrop Blessing 2 Listening Tests
First impression was, "hey this is quite good and doesn't need changing." Experience shows however that absolute evaluation is not truthful. So I developed an EQ based on differences with our target curve:
View attachment 198191
AB testing quickly showed that the sound without EQ was thinner and a bit harsh. It would be fascinating to have a formal study of this to see where preference lands in blind test as the difference is small and is two flavors of good sound.
With EQ in place, the fidelity was startling good at times. The level of detail was amazing during some periods. I then cranked up the volume some and noticed distortion in upper bass with some subtle ticking. Push it harder and it compresses, refusing to get louder and and become more congested. Mind you, this is at totally unhealthy listing levels but shows you that the distortion measurements are accurate and predictive.
I have yet to hear an IEM with good sub-bass. Response of the Blessing 2 was better than average (with EQ) but still very far from any over the ear headphone.
Conclusions
Without EQ, the response of Blessing 2 is close enough to our target to beat out performance of vast number of speakers on tonality! With EQ, it becomes even better, with warmer, and less harsh sound. It can't handle ear bleeding levels but maybe that encourages you to not go there. We are talking about last bit of refinement and performance not being there.
I am going to recommend the Moondrop Blessing 2 especially if you use it with Equalization.
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Moondrop Blessing 2 Full APO EQ Flat@HF 96000Hz
April072022-170340
Preamp: -0.0 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 33.61 Hz Gain 2.32 dB Q 0.83
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 223.72 Hz Gain -2.75 dB Q 1.08
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 564.29 Hz Gain 0.96 dB Q 1.33
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 1369.27 Hz Gain -2.47 dB Q 1.19
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2964.03 Hz Gain -1.07 dB Q 4.22
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 6133.86 Hz Gain -2.97 dB Q 1.80
Very happy to see you reviewing IEMs - I think Rference Audio is the only other site doing comprehensive distortion, group delay, etc. so just about every other review is FR + a high school creative writing essay.
I really liked the Blessing 2, but as you say the sub-bass just wasn't there. I haven't tried nearly as many IEMs as I have headphones, but the only ones I've found that can really deliver sub-bass are Sony's IER-Z1R. The M7 and M9 were also good, but my subjective impression is: unless you're a bass fanatic Moondrop or Thieeaudio are a better value.
If anyone knows of some more cost-conscious options that can convince you there's subwoofers in your ear like the Z1R can, I'd be interested to know?
I don't think that shows the channel matching. I hope, at least!That's some truly awful channel matching if it's really L/R that the graph is showing.
Very happy to see you reviewing IEMs - I think Rference Audio is the only other site doing comprehensive distortion, group delay, etc. so just about every other review is FR + a high school creative writing essay.
I really liked the Blessing 2, but as you say the sub-bass just wasn't there. I haven't tried nearly as many IEMs as I have headphones, but the only ones I've found that can really deliver sub-bass are Sony's IER-Z1R. The M7 and M9 were also good, but my subjective impression is: unless you're a bass fanatic Moondrop or Thieeaudio are a better value.
If anyone knows of some more cost-conscious options that can convince you there's subwoofers in your ear like the Z1R can, I'd be interested to know?
The deep insertion needed for Etys would be just about the worst choce or IEM type based on your concerns. Ones more like this pair (where the shell sits in the cup of your ear and the silicone tip blocks your ear canal more than intruding a cm or so into it might be far better. The Starfield would be a sensibly priced intro into the Moondrop harman compliant line for you.I nearly bought an Ety ER2SE as an import from the USA as super good deals over there, and I don't own any IEM's....interest sparked by the reviews here, but I really don't want to keep pushing wax further into my ear (working against the human bodies natural conveyor belt from eardrum to earlobe - skin growth). Fears of lack of soundstage and higher distortion are also factors for me not pulling the trigger yet, I suppose it would be interesting to try a good value but good measuring pair.
Hopefully to see how good are 10 to 100$ IEM.
Are you using the IEM target when tuning them? When the IEMs can take the required boost I don't think they lack sub-bass, compared to my adjusted HD650s.I have yet to hear an IEM with good sub-bass. Response of the Blessing 2 was better than average (with EQ) but still very far from any over the ear headphone.