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

Product Information

The lower midrange is just a tinge depressed but is quite transparent without a big mid-bass encroaching into this area. The upper midrange is boosted but not too shouty or fatiguing. I’m pretty underwhelmed with mine. They have neither strong bass slam or good detail retrieval and they aren’t sensitive enough to be driven to desired levels on a Pixel 3A. I’m very much not an IEM guy, so people gushing about how great these are tends to reinforce my belief that IEMs can’t really hold a candle to proper headphones.

As for the sensitivity, these are extremely sensitive at 122 dB/mW and I have to use an attenuator on my Honor 9 phone, so I wonder whether your Pixel 3A has too low an output (though that would be quite weird, given how people report driving Sennheiser HD579 without a problem with it) or if you just listen to music at incredibly high volume. I prefer the ear-hook design as it is easier to get the right seal when placing the IEM in my ears. I struggled to get a proper seal with the Mia while I did not have this problem with the Aria. Detail-retrieval: The tuning of the upper midrange to treble-proper allows the Aria to render as much detail as it can (especially macrodetail) without sounding overly analytical. Microdetail is not as present as macrodetail (though still perceivable) due to the neutral tuning and the non-emphasis in the necessary frequency regions. One of the biggest highlights to come out of both of these IEMs is their soundstages that appear far more advanced than they should. Although some models like these have impressed me in the past with their level of clarity, the Aria and Starfield operate on a whole other level. Their spatial imaging is some of the best you can get in its generous price range, fulfilling articulate spatial imaging that surrounds your headspace in intricate ways. But which one is better? It’s difficult to choose a clear winner here because of how dramatic these IEMs sound compared to IEMs around the same price, but when compared to each other, they show many similarities.The T3 Plus have a deeper and taller soundstage, and width is similar. In terms of imaging, layering, and micro-details, the T3 Plus win slightly. The midrange is less lush on the T3 Plus and markedly more recessed. In consideration of OLA, Tanya, Olina, Dunu Titan S (let’s just abbreviate it as DTS lol) and the Starsea (assuming neutral setting), from least to most : The first comparison involves sibling rivalry, pitting the Snow Edition against their older sister, the Aria 2021. Graph of the Snow Edition versus Aria 2021 via IEC711 compliant coupler. Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary. Please allow 3-5 business days for mail-in exchanges to be processed.

Well, it’s not really about IEMs not holding a candle to full-size expectations, but about how headphones are tuned. The Aria are not meant to give you strong bass slam, they’re meant to be neutral. Detail retrieval is quite good for the price range and absolutely comparable to, if not better than, full-size headphones of the same price. For the treble, each of their timbres is a compliment to their sound signatures as a whole. The Starfield’s highs are a lot more realistic compared to the Aria, displaying a more accurate and smooth timbre, while also sporadically introducing other details like sparkle in sparse areas of the frequency response. With the Aria, the treble is far more textured, presenting you with a sweeter, more wispy resonance. Some of its fidelity is crisper than the Starfield, but still just as smooth and easy to perceive. SummaryAs already mentioned, Moondrop definitely knows how to make a sleek and beautiful set of IEMs. The look is classy, yet understated. They don’t shout ‘look at me’ but if anyone does notice them they’ll appreciate the aesthetic. For me, they strike the perfect balance, and I’d be happy wearing these anywhere without feeling self-conscious. Disclaimer : I am reviewing the Moondrop Aria as part of the Hifigo review tour. The opinions are purely mine and dont involve any cash or kind compensation Personally I think this is a very easy pair of IEMs to live with, and I didn’t miss the more tiring top end I’ve heard on some other models. Midrange has quite good tonality, with the additional touch of presence in the upper area that is typical of the Harman curve. It sounds quite balanced overall, with a good body that counterbalances the upper emphasis. This means that most instruments, from pianos and male vocals to trumpets and violins, have a correct tonal representation and have the same space in the mix. There’s a great amount of detail and there’s quite good speed as well, so transients are convincingly fast.