Moondrop Variations Earphone 1DD+2BA+2EST Tribrid Technology in-Ear Monitor with Interchangeable Cable

I'm using spinfit CP240s and tripowin grace instead of stock tips and cable. Source is a LG V50. These are IMO the sweet spot for price to performance. Great all-around, especially for acoustic music and live performances. The frequency response follows the 2019 Harman IE target with some moondrop flavoring, which means the sub-bass (20hz to 100hz) is pretty heavily boosted and the upper mids are slightly boosted (around 2khz). This took some adjusting to on my end after being used to the Diffuse Field target, but after trying some EQ, I understand why the changes are made. These make the Variations produce a more natural sound vs the clinical DF target, and the result is very engaging. Acoustic instruments sound right for the most part. A very slight dip in the lower mids makes them sound a bit cleaner than they usually are, but the sub bass rumbling and the super clean treble from the electrostatic drivers reproduces the natural resonances I hear from live instruments quite well. The only problem with tonality I can detect is a slight recession of male vocals and parts of drum kits. Baritone and tenor singers lack some resonance due to recessed mid-bass, and the kick drums hit a bit less than they do live. This is a necessary consequence of cleaning up the sound IMO because the sound gets a bit muddier when i tried changing this, and I prefer this cleaner tone overall. The soundstage and imaging is quite great. I imagine this is due to the excellent impulse response of the BA and EST drivers + excellently applied psychoacoustics. Instruments on center stage are properly outside my head and placed in front of me, which is the main failing I have found in some other IEMs I have used. One hope I have for any future improvements to this tribrid formula is a replacement of the dynamic driver with a planar magnetic driver. At times, I can hear the harmonic distortion in the low end, and it's especially distracting after listening to my planar over ears for a while. It's the only weakness to the technicalities of the Variations I can detect, and it's quite a minor one. The most iffy part of the Variations is the ergos of the design IMO. This shape works out for me, so the comfort is very good. I'd imagine these would cause problems if my ears were smaller or shaped differently. One last thing to note is the power required to run these. I have to push my V50 up to around 80% to get listenable volumes, so some stock amps may struggle to feed the variations properly.

Dithering around for a tri-brid, I settled on the Moondrop Variations. VERY happy. separation between instruments and vocals is exceptional (note: I primarily listen to classical, so separation in symphonic/orchestral pieces is very important.) With the Variations there is distinct positioning and surprising lack of muddiness. This also lends itself to a pretty decent soundstage for an IEM (in ear monitor). The detail is great, and the timbre (the grit and sound of a violin as opposed to the splash of a piano key or the moan of an oboe) is lovely. These buds may not be on a par with the UM MEST 2K (which costs 3 x as much), but ARE on a par with another $1400 dollar IEM which I own and enjoy (and shall remain nameless), but it doesn't have the simple purity of sound that these do. For you bass-heads. I was at first put-off by a perceived lack of bass and sibilance in the treble - then I put on a pair of the included foam tips (medium). OMG...deep, rich bass and a tame but lively treble. Mids are fine, with good presence. These babies are sweet. I realize that $520 is a lot of cash, but I also own 2 other pairs at same price point (by FiiO) which I love ( a single DD, and a hybrid), and the Variations is almost of perfect blend of the two with its own special magic. Cable is okay. Doesn't have a chin stop, but I don't mind. Conclusion: BUY THESE, and good listening.

meh, i feel like the highs aren't extended enough. definitely not what i expected. large tips have even weaker highs than medium ones. maybe i got a unit with bad EST drivers, or maybe they dont play well with my ear. overall good tonality, but the dip in the midbass makes the treble sound a little shouty for most modern music. i'd stick with my eq'd blessing 2, though i think i decided i like non-hybrids more. the mixture of drivers doesn't make the notes sound coherent.

These are my everyday go everywhere iem the low ends are super clean and crisp and the vocals are detailed and smooth and focused towards female vocals. The build and fit is perfect with minimal fatigue and are well made for everyday use I'm not afraid to toss them in a pocket. I wish the connectors were more recessed and the cable was better quality after 3 months the cable is exposing copper.

The Moondrop Variations were released ~3 years ago and are still being raved about by online reviewers and others. This is almost unheard of in the rocket-paced IEM market. I think they have a chance to become an all-time classic, like the HD600. I bought mine over 2 years ago and still use them all the time. For reference, I've owned the Sennheiser IE600, Moondrop Blessing 2, 7Hz Timeless, and other well-regarded IEMs. The Variations are my favorite IEM and match my superb Hifiman HE1000 Stealth for enjoyment, although they're different listening experiences. My simple advice is: Try them! They've stood the test of time for a reason.

Make sure to put the filters on right after opening, it doesn't come with any on. Flip the 4-pin plug on the 3.5mm end, polarity is incorrect out of the box.

Do not buy these. I purchased these back in June it’s now November and the outer shell of this IEM has com off. I am not rough on these IEM, they’re a good chunk of money so I have to get my moneys worth. Disappointed in their quality and hate the fact these have to be sent to China in order to get these serviced, no USA support. I’m out $520, not sure if mine is a one off defect but if not I can’t believe this product has such high reviews

Definitely a step up from my blessing3 in clarity and sound, they arrived ahead of schedule and the seller has excellent customer service.

I am using these iems with my BTR7 wired dac. Cons first (theres not much) Wires included with the product were off balanced, causing the left to be quieter than the other. Given that I have bought these used, I wont penalize the rating too badly because of it. Switching them out with other wires fixed the problem. Another problem was the size of these buds. Though these were comfortable to wear for a little while, the inside of your ears get hot and humid because of their size. However, their size is also a pro, since it keeps them inside the ears no matter how hard you move your head. It may be different for you, so take this with a grain of salt. The vocals were not as clear as my other iems. Notably, they sounded more in front of you and a little distant, rather than if you were positioned right in front of them. This may be due to the soundstage, but I find it off putting. Lastly, the subbass is rolled off, resulting in male vocals seeming less impactful and textured. This can somewhat be fixed with eq. Now onto the pros. The bass response of these were great, and the texture they give off is smooth and satisfactory. Though I am more of a treble head, these iems were good at not being too bassy unlike jbl or skull candy iems. The mids are clear and also smooth, and are detailed with enough clarity that one can listen on to the micro details within the music. Female vocals pop and so does the instruments. These iems are great for kpop and similar genres, while also being good at metal and rock. Eqing these make the music pop even more, and nullifies the con of vocals sounding distant. Treble is perfect. Its not silibant at all and a bit airy. They sound very good to my ears, and theres not much else to say here. I have increased them to my liking, but without equing these, the trebles sound good. Now the soundstage. These sound like I'm wearing over ear headphones. It is wide and expansive to the left right, and anywhere inbetween. Top and bottom however, there is a little more to be desired. Not to say they are bad as you can clearly hear the music from the top and the bottom, but I would like to hear the distinction between the midrange of middle-up and middle-down. <--though i dont think that is possible without wearing open back headphones. Seperation of instruments and imaging is fairly accurate. Gaming wise, I play R6 and I can comfortably hear enemy footsteps using these. All in all, these are great buds for the price. Theyre expansive in soundstage and have good, clear sound. It would have been a 5/5 if not for the wacky wires.

Este IEM es algo especial, he escuchado diferentes audífonos y IEMs, como los HD 800S, Focal Clear, FiiO FH9, Shure SE846, HiFiman Ananda, entre muchos otros, y de todos, el que tiene la tonalidad más natural y completa, desde el subgrave hasta la extensión de agudos, es este, el Moondrop Variations. Lo recomiendo ampliamente si lo que te interesa es tener una representación de la música lo más natural posible. Existe un contra por el cual le doy 4 estrellas en lugar de 5, y es el quality control, por el momento el mío está intacto, sin embargo, hay muchísimas publicaciones que muestran que el pegamentos de las láminas laterales se despega, o que el cuerpo de los IEMs se quiebra con el tiempo sin explicación alguna.

I chose to get the Variations and not the Blessing2/S8 because of 3 reasons: - the outer shell of the Variations interested me more than the other two - the dynamic driver and the emphasised bass frequency response in the Variations were more to my liking - I was curious about Moondrop's first tribrid implementation The sounds from this are technically precise, beautiful clarity in female vocals, lovely booms from bass frequencies but also the clarity from an extended treble response. Great work Moondrop! Not much to add above professional reviewers like Z's Reviews, Crinacle, Super* Reviews etc. I'm extremely happy with the Variations and if ever I decide to upgrade, it will have to be an extremely compelling package - eg spatial audio, widened sound stage.

I like them very much, the cable that comes packaged with the IEMs has a neat concept. Having 1 cable where you can switch between 3.5mm, 2.4mm and 4.4mm headphone jack? Great! Sadly after trying to change the tips for the first time it broke and now the interior of the headphone jack sticks to my cable. But I bought very good IEMs and not a cable for 400 bucks so my main complaint is somewhat minor though for a perfect recommendation everything has to be perfect in the box.

Very good sound, extremely airy and smooth. I highly suggest replacing the stock cable and stock tips though as the default options don't bring out the variation's full potential. The tangzu sancai wide bores are a good match for the variations, it'll really make them sound like open-back headphones.