Moondrop Aria High Performance LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Driver IEMs in-Ear Earphone

I would like to say that at this point I have had several budget oriented and a few pro-ish level in-ear monitors and normally use a Fiio Q3 (portable dac amp) to plug into.The packaging is shockingly good for an iem of this price. The cable is rather nice, however the material that they used to sheath the cable in is a LITTLE rough, so you will get just a bit of cable noise when it rubs against your clothes. It comes with several ear tips as well as a case, which I will say is just a bit too thick for my liking. Normally I store my wired earbuds in a cargo pocket but there is a rather unsightly lump that comes with the thickness of this zipper case. I will continue to use it, but I am more likely to store it in a backpack.The fit is rather nice and the cables have a sheath over the hook parts so they will hold their shape, but are rather flexible. Even though the monitors are made of metal, they don't feel all too heavy since they insert nicely into the ear canal and can sit nearly flush with your ears. Like I said before, the cable can be bothersome with its cable noise, but when the music is blasting it's barely noticeable.The sound. Oh boy the sound. This is definitely a v-shaped signature that leans on the warmer end of the spectrum. Don't worry, you're not losing any of the music, but keep in mind the tracks you listen to can really affect your experience. For example, because the mids are less pronounced than the highs and lows, if a track is mixed with recessed mids, you will notice it for sure. For example, if a song has a lot of bass with a high-pitched vocalist along with other instruments, you will certainly hear the vocalist and bass far more than the rest of the song. Now this isn't a bad thing, in fact many headphones lean into this and is in fact in-line with the "Harmon Curve" but I just wish the mids were pushed forward a bit more since a lot of instruments live in that second of frequencies.In the end, I would say that these are amazing bang for the buck iems that anyone would be happy with. The monitors are comfortable, the sound signature is pleasing and fun, and it's hard to beat when these could easily smoke other iems at twice to 3 times the price.

Very Clean with a real nice clarity to them. It’s definitely balanced over all, nothing is trying to out do the other frequencies, though there is a little lift in the bass and in the treble region, the mid range seems pretty level and maybe a pinch upper mid lift as well, as the vocals come in nicely as well with no recess.For me, this isn’t my favorite tuning, but I will say the tuning is done pretty excellent for what they went after, and add the price in, these are a bargain without a doubt, though I do like the Starfields a touch better, though they’re almost identical, I like the color and shape of the Starfield, and I think the Soundstage is just a smudge larger and more precise, which with them I can really get lost with my eyes close pinpointing where the sounds are, not that these can’t, they can, just slightly less, but factor in the cost, you can’t go wrong with these.I do get a craving for more bass with these, as it just seems not enough, though I do get a natural feel to the sounds with them, in though when I listen to Classical Rock, such as AC/DC “Thunderstruck”, the guitar comes in nicely with the vocals, and then the drums kick in, all is clear and clean, I just feel like I want more Mmmmph! to it, some more meat, as it sounds a little lean, even though everything comes in nicely. I guess it’s a more of a personal preference thing.Also when I listened to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, “Cantarella Kaito & Hatsune Miku”, I was amazed at how the single dynamic driver picked up the different instruments nicely, very enjoyable, though I found the French Horn to again be kind of lean, and when the organ started at the beginning, I could feel the sub-bass rumble kick in, but it wasn’t as impactful as I would like, though it did dive there, it just didn’t have the power behind it. But again, this isn’t what they were aiming for and I have to keep that in mind.I gave them a 5 star, because of how balanced they are, how clean they are, the clarity, everything is done just right to bring out all the instruments with nice detail, a balanced & natural sound, build is also wonderful and then factor in the cost, you won’t find anything better with this particular sound signature at this price.I should note, I tried on a few different amps and dacs, and found that I liked this setup the best, LOXJIE D30 DAC tied to the iFi Zen Can with the XBass on. It gave it a touch more life/musicality and the Zen can simply refined it all. Also used SpinFits CP100 eartips, stock cable.

The audio quality is very good, but you'll likely only care if you're an audiophile who can actually tell the difference. To untrained ears, they sound the same as far less expensive IEMs, especially considering that Moondrop sells the Chu II, which cost a quarter of the price and are in direct competition for sound quality. The quality is incredible, and they look elegant, but the left wire has ceased to work after a couple years of usage. I didn't treat my earbuds particularly well, so I can't say that it's a fault with the cable itself, but I have similar earbuds that have lasted far-far longer under similarly accident-prone care.TLDR: Just get the Moondrop Chu II.