Upgrade for Moondrop Variations

[pedro_henrique]

Hi folks, I am new here, my actual setup is Dragonfly with a Moondrop Variations with phone or directly in an iPod, but now I am looking for upgrading the Variations and I would love some recomendations of IEMs. I use mainly for Jazz, Rock, Classical and Rap.

 

[markanini]

Variations is already an endgame IEM for some. Maybe you are looking for something different?

 

[Dunring]

I've had them and they're ok but there's even better choices for a lot less money. The good news is they hold their value and you can do well on eBay if they're in good shape. The Seeaudio Yume II has a deep and wide soundstage for classical, but slightly recessed mids that need a 2db bump at 600hz in any music player. Well rounded ones even less expensive are the Moondrop Chu 2 (which I use as daily drivers along with my Hifiman Deva Pro wired) and the 7hz Salnotes Zero:2 is excellent as well. Don't equate expensive with better sound, when you hit $80 with IEMs the return on investment goes from brutal to non existent. Harman curve is best for all of those genres since they vary so much.
The most memorable for an all around IEM for music is the Sennheiser IE600. It's a miracle they made them so small and comfy, sounding as great as they do. Imaging is the standout, by design soundstage is realistic and not large. If you buy used beware of counterfeits (there's ways to tell, can explain if you are going to shop used for a pair).

 

[Grobbelboy]

Truthear Nova adheres to Harman slightly better than the Variations (in the treble region mainly) and costs a lot less, but everything depends on what your idea of an upgrade is.

 

[markanini]

Truthear Nova adheres to Harman slightly better than the Variations (in the treble region mainly) and costs a lot less, but everything depends on what your idea of an upgrade is.

OP didn't provide enough info to know that a Harman IE tuning is what he wants. Given that a target with 4dB less at 3kHz got tied with Harman IE in a test by Sean Olive himself: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-sean-olive-talk-at-canjam.52953/post-1915470

 

[Somafunk]

I’d ask, why do feel the need to upgrade?, the Moondrop variations is an excellent sounding iem, albeit rather chunky.

 

[pedro_henrique]

Thanks for all the suggestions, my main concern on the MV is it keeps falling, so I was thinking in buying on emore stable and leave it to use in my desk.