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Moondrop Variations

edahl

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Am I missing something or are these simply the best tuned IEM to date? The lower midrange "dip" makes this the cleanest sound I've heard of any headphone or in-ear.
Screenshot_20220527-190517_Chrome.jpg
 

Matias

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Depends if one likes the Harman tuning or not. It does follow it really closely indeed.
 
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edahl

edahl

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Depends if one likes the Harman tuning or not. It does follow it really closely indeed.
In this context that's a given, though it does invite alternative tunings as long as they're done well
 

datle171095

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Agreed. It sounds really good to me, can't wait to see amir's review on this. Hope that moondroop can do a similar tuning with dynamic driver so we can debunk the "myth" about hybrid and electrostatic timber.
 

carlcamper

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It's excellent, though I occasionally fill in that lower midrange with a minor EQ to taste:

Preamp: -2.1 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 260 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 0.91
 
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edahl

edahl

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It's excellent, though I occasionally fill in that lower midrange with a minor EQ to taste:

Preamp: -2.1 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 260 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 0.91
That just sounds muddy to me, there's a good reason the recession is there -- ear gain! I might tame the treble a smidge though, since Harman 2019 is pretty bright.
 

carlcamper

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That just sounds muddy to me, there's a good reason the recession is there -- ear gain! I might tame the treble a smidge though, since Harman 2019 is pretty bright.
Agreed, I just find that on some poorly recorded tracks, it can sound overly thin, so I turn on the PEQ filter to fill it in. Most of the time, I run it without EQ.
 

carlcamper

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They look good but are they really worth $500+?

They're well built with the most impressive tuning I've seen bar none. Whether or not it's worth it for you I can't say, but it seems uniquely well-tuned out of the box.

Not to mention they can be had for around $460 USD in Asian markets.
 
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edahl

edahl

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In the headphone space the closest thing we have to something like this is the DCA Stealth at $4K.
 
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edahl

edahl

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I'm not sure if the Variations have such low THD. I think the Kato are better in this regard because it's a single dynamic driver.
Yeah if the Blessing 2 is anything to go by, this will distort at unhealthy levels so they're nothing super remarkable in that respect. The tuning however :)
 

Jimbob54

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I have been considering these. I know the fit will suit as I have the B2 Dusk. But that's also a reason for not getting as (after EQ) how different can they be?

For another £100 I could get the S8, but I am waiting for Amir's review of those. For £200 more I could get the Monarch 1 but again, how much better than the B2D can they be?
 
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edahl

edahl

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I have been considering these. I know the fit will suit as I have the B2 Dusk. But that's also a reason for not getting as (after EQ) how different can they be?

For another £100 I could get the S8, but I am waiting for Amir's review of those. For £200 more I could get the Monarch 1 but again, how much better than the B2D can they be?
The S8 you can get custom made, but otherwise the Variations should in theory be tuned "Harman better" than both of those.

I'm considering just getting custom tips for the Variations instead.

The B2 Dusk is probably very similar post EQ, though Variations is perhaps more extended in the treble?
 

Fregly

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Is this one of the sets where Moondrop has dealt with the 6k ear resonance peak? I assume now after a certain model it has been flattened out. I am sensitive to it. The peak is in the range of 6 and 7k depending on your ears; perhaps they dealt with it right across there to cover properly.
 

GrM

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2C736BF2-8B03-4065-BE0F-F7163051CA11.jpeg


There’s the graph with frequencies visible. Doesn’t look like any 6/7khz peaks. Not sure if the 8khz peak is resonance or not (I haven’t read up on what he’s using to measure, I just use them for comparisons).
 

Georgrig

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Sound good, sure. But the quality and fit leave a lot to be desired. Sold them as they got my ears hurting half hour in.
 
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