Moondrop Variations

disclaimer:   The Moondrop Variations were sent as part of a Moondrop review tour.  I have no financial interest in Moondrop, nor did I receive any remuneration for this review.   If you have an interest in Moondrop products, see their website, Facebook page, or to purchase  Moondrop products, see HiFiGo.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The Variations comes packed in a grey cube style box with a white slipcover with the trademark Anime girl on one side and the specs on the reverse.  The box itself is an interesting departure from standard as it is a modified bookfold design with the earpieces in the top, the case (with some accessories hiding inside) nestled in cardboard supports in the bottom and a 2nd level beneath the case with a box of tips resting in supports that hold everything in place.   The kit contains the earpieces, 3 sets of silicone tips (SML), three sets of foam tips (SML), spare filters for the nozzles and tweezers to apply them, the cable and 3 modular jacks (2.5, 3.5, and 4.4mm) and assorted paperwork including another couple anime characters.

 

Build/Fit:

Those familiar with the Blessing family of in-ears will recognize the Variations as the latest take on the series and it fits somewhere between the Blessing Dusk and the S8 in their line-up.     The Variations uses a resin body and nozzle with a brushed stainless faceplate with a repeating cube/hexagon pattern and the Variations name displayed prominently.   The inner shell is translucent and while it appears solid black in some photos, in others the sound bores and some internals are clearly visible inside.   There is a single vent in the faceplate directly behind the nozzle and no vents on inner shell.  The upside to this is that the likelihood of obstructing a vent accidentally is considerably lower than with models with vents on the under-side of the shells.    The nozzles are cast as part of the body and forward rake when seated.    Three sound bores are on full display in the photos as the screens over them can be easily removed and several sets of replacements are provided.  I don’t recommend listening without the screens in place, but it does make for a better photo.   Size is medium and shape is the now standard semi-custom and fit is comfortable for me so those with medium to large ears should have no issues but those with small ears may wish to audition the Variations before purchase to ensure fitment.   I found the Variations were comfortable for long wear and introduced no physical fatigue during the process.

 

Internals:

The Variations is a tribred model using a combination of Moondrops in-house developed 10mm liquid crystal diaphragm dynamic driver for low end, a pair of Softears D-Mid-B balanced armature for mids, and dual Sonion Electret drivers for highs.   The Softears balanced armatures are customized for Moondrop and have been used in the S8 and A8 previously.  I wasn’t able to find whether this is the same exact driver or a slight modification of that used in the S8 but based on sound it is one and the same as both share a similar tonality to the mids.     Nominal impedance is listed as 15.2Ω with a sensitivity of 118 dB/mW making the Variations extremely easy to drive but somewhat source dependent as they need a low output impedance source and can be prone to hiss with sources with a higher noise floor.  I found the Variations at its best with low gain settings on most DAPs and with solid state amplification.  The N3Pro and N8 for example both sounded cleaner with the solid-state option than when using tube modes.   Many of the phone dongles that have limited output power (Questyle M12, Ikko Zerda) did very well with the Variations as they simply don’t need a lot of power to do their best.   The variations do scale well qualitatively with better detailed outputs, but simply don’t need the additional power a lot of those same higher end devices are capable of supplying.

 

Cable:

The provided cable is the new modular design and very much appreciated.   Starting at the southern end, three jacks are provided including 3.5mm single ended, 4.4mm balanced and 2.5mm balanced.  These jacks snap into a housing on the cable that is keyed for alignment and has a bar that locks into a matching slot in the jack when fully seated.  Its a very positive system and lends a lot of flexibility.   I also appreciate the 90º jacks as these put less pressure on the port on the dap than a long straight lever does.    Exiting the jack the cable is 6N OCC single crystal oxygen free copper in clear casings in a twist pattern up to the splitter and a single strand per ear above the splitter.   The splitter is the a new style and is a high polished stainless barrel style rather than the familiar black coin used on previous models.    There is no chin slider although you’d be forgiven for thinking the top of the splitter did have one as it has a ring roughly 2mm from the top end that at first glance appears to be a slider.   The northern ends terminate in pre-formed earhooks and .78mm bi-pin connectors of the standard non-hooded variety.  The bi-pin connectors are in clear housings which adds a third color to the mix with black jack housings, polished stainless splitter and clear bi-pin housings so there is a bit of a personality conflict on its way from north to south, but it works quite well despite any odd aesthetics.   R/L indicators on the bi-pin connectors can be hard to see as the letters are molded into the clear housings and a drop of red paint would go a long way to making easier to decipher.

 

 

Sound:

Right off the bat, I’d say the FR plot does the Variations an injustice as it does not sound nearly as bass heavy as the plot suggests.   I rechecked all my settings, connections etc and re-ran a couple other iems in comparison and my test rig is technically correct, but the bass does not overshadow the rest of the signature as this would suggest.  Since completing my listening notes I have looked at a couple other’s FR plots of the Variations (Crinacle and Precogvision at Headphones.com) and both show a similar curve.   This just is one of those in-ears where judging based on the graph will take you down the wrong road.

 

Bass:

Sub-bass has good rumble all the way into the low 20Hz range but does a good job of not dominating the presentation.  Mid-bass was the surprise to me as to me the Blessing line has generally opted for a smooth response with some loss of texture in the process and the Variations is definitely not in that class.   Mid-bass is clean, fast, and well detailed with no smoothing to be found.   Again there is good slam when expected and again the mid-bass blends well into the mix with other voices when it is not the star of the show.    There is no mid-bass bleed to speak of and transition between mid-bass and lower-mids is very linear with no attendant loss of detail.   Decay is slow enough to avoid feeling artificial but still fast enough to keep from losing details in the process.   To my ear, this is the best bass in the Blessing line and I prefer it to that of the S8 as well.   Moondrop got the low end right on this one.

 

Mids:

With the exact same mid drivers as seen on the blessing 2 dusk and the s8 you’d expect a very similar tonality and you’d be correct in doing so.  male vocals cut through the mix well but don’t have as lush a sound as some instead opting for more clarity and detail if a bit thinner presentation.  Guitar growl has good crispness and good body so any thinning seen in male vocals does not translate into the guitars.   Strings are well defined and near natural but lack just a touch of energy needed to be spot on.    There is an upper mid lift that gives violins upper range a bit more energy and a more natural timbre than lower strings.   Female vocals do stand slightly in front of their lower counterparts but again walk a line between too forward and falling back into the mix quite well as they don’t get shouty or harsh.   Overall mids are well rendered but the presentation is on the the thinner side and won’t please those looking for a warmer richer tone.

 

Treble:

The blessing series has used the Knowles BAs to date for treble which unfortunately have a tendency to have a bit of plasticity or as some have called it “that balanced armature sound”.  While I feel that Moondrop had done a better job of toning that down on the Dusk than many, there was still a small amount that could be heard as a slightly grainy treble.   If I am being honest, I didn’t expect swapping in the Sonion Electret driver to improve that situation as I have heard one too many bad implementations of the now over-hyped “Electrostatic Driver”.   The first thing is that the treble steps back from the upper-mid push and doesn’t try to take over the presentation.   Snare rattle a nice sharp edge and cymbals have good energy if just slightly less than perfect (I much prefer too little to too much in this regard).   At the top end, extension is quite good but again not overly forward which gives the Variations more air and sparkle than even the s8/a8 can muster by comparison.    This is easily the best implementation of the Electret driver I have heard at anywhere near its price-point.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

I was impressed with the Variations as the stage while wider than deep does have good dimensions and the imaging is above average as is the instrument separation.  This makes seating the orchestra straight forward with no gaps or overlaps.   Imaging as mentioned is quite good with locations tightly defined and movements easily tracked in space.    Layering is impressive as well with complex passages show little or no bleed or compression.  I expected a little compression out the dynamic on the low end but it takes a really overly complex piece to even be detectable.   This is likely the most impressive showing for the variations and is one point where I think it comes closer to the A8/S8 than the other Blessing family members.

 

Comparisons:

Moondrop Blessing / Blessing Dusk –  These are the older siblings of the Variations and we’d expect a good bit of similarity.  In the shells we get just that as all are roughly the same in dimensions, although materials vary and the weight of the Variations is less than that of the other two.  Fit is roughly equal for all of siblings to my ear.  Sound wise, there is an evolution from the original Blessing to the Blessing 2, and then to the dusk with each bringing a little different tuning to the party.   The Blessing Dusk is the most analytical of the siblings and probably the best of the group at the time of its release, but can get a little harsh on the top end and the treble shy may find it hard to listen to for long sessions as a result.    The Variations is oddly both a bit more V tuned than the Dusk, and a bit less bright at the same time.   Bass slams harder on the variations and those looking for a near-reference will prefer the Dusk.   Treble extension is better on the Variations and with the exception of a couple of poor recordings the Variations was more polite and less likely to offend the treble shy than its siblings.

Moondrop S8/A8 –   These two fraternal twins are the next step up the Moondrop ladder and are basically the same in-ear with a  Knowles CI (A8) substituted for the Sonion 37 (S8) bass armature driver.    They share very similar shells and very similar tunings.    The Variations has a more impactful bass than either of the twins, but loses a little bit of bass texture and speed comparatively and the mids are definitely more of the star of the show on the A8/s8 while the Variations is a bit more V shaped with more emphasis on upper-mid/lower treble.   The Variations treble is not quite as detailed as the 8s but does have at least as good extension if not a bit better and more sparkle and air at the top.  Stage wise the Variations is almost dead even with the S8 in my comparisons.

 Dunu Sa6  –  My other favorites at this price point are both Dunu models.  The Sa6 is an all BA design with similar inner-shell shape and materials but a different outer shell. The Sa6 is prettier with its wood face for those interested in the aesthetic as the metal face on the variations looks more industrial.   These two are tuned as near polar opposites with the Variations having more slam and rumble and the Sa6 having mids to die for.    For Stings I still love the Sa6, for rock though the variations is more fun.

 Dunu EST112  –  This model is a direct competitor to the Variations and an easy compare.  Both are tribred models using the same electret driver in the top end with at least 1 ba and a dynamic in the mix as well.   The EST is slightly lower priced than the Variations which wins it some points and it does a pretty good job of taming the Electret driver which has been a problem  for many of the lesser expensive models.   That having been said the Variations does a better job yet with using the electret only for air and sparkle at the top and not being as forward or splashy in the treble.   Both are good examples of what can be done with careful tuning and I expect great things from the 2nd generation of both of these models.   For now, the Variations has the upper hand.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

I was a big fan of the Blessing 2 and dusk models and will admit that when they announced the Variations with its electret top end instead of the balanced armatures of the earlier models my first thoughts were not particularly good.   Hate is perhaps too strong a word but I have developed a distinct dislike for the electret driver as it is difficult to tune well and best used sparingly.  Too many cost conscious models have tried to use the electret to replace all the top end (starting from upper-mids northward) with disastrous effect.    The Variations though doesn’t try to force the electret into that mold though and does a much better job of controlling it and limiting its intrusion into the lower range.  As a result,  all of the drivers used in the Variations work well together and although transitions from one to the next are not all that hard to identify, they are smoother than many and result in a much more cohesive sound than those same competitors.   I’ve been a fan of the s8 and blessing 2 that the Variations draws a lot of influence from both so it probably is no surprise that I think the Variations is the best yet in the Blessing Series.  It is proof that the Sonion electrostatic driver can be put to good use in reasonably priced in-ears and gives me hope for future versions getting even better.