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

Product Information

The E3000 are an L-shaped warm and very bassy set of IEMs. These have a more flabby and nebulous bass, with much more bass quantity and note weight than the Snow Edition. The E3000 are darker in the treble too, with way less air and extension. Comfort is exceptionally good, thanks to both the small size of the shells and the presence of the aforementioned curves that make the earphones fit in my ears effortlessly. They don’t apply pressure on any part of the pinna, so they should provide comfort even to those who have smaller ears (though, as always, comfort is deeply personal and your experience may be different from mine). Moondrop is popular among CHI-FI enthusiasts, and they have released several crowd-favorite IEMs, such as the CHU, Blessing 2, Dusk, Aria 2021, KATO, and Starfield (just to name a few). Moondrop has even ventured into earbuds, some considered best-in-class (eg Chaconne and Liebesleid). Moondrop recently entered the TWS game with the Sparks and Nekocake. Technical Specifications Disclaimer A huge thanks to Moondrop for providing a sample of the Aria for the purposes of review. The thoughts within this review are my own subjective opinions and do not represent Moondrop or any other entity. At the time of writing the Aria was retailing for 79.00 USD: https://www.moondroplab.com/aria / www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002368718730.html

Clean and crisp mids are present. Tone is more neutral in character and may be described as slightly warmer. But Mids from the Starfield position could have made this an excellent IEM. Most of the male voices that we hear are quite impressive; the heaviness is there, and that provides clarity to the listener's understanding of the singer's weight. However, the females' vocals were superior. The treble has moderate brightness and it is presented in a fatiguing free manner. The lower treble has good amount of energy presented in the smooth manner. The upper treble are slightly roll off, but still remains fairly amount of crispness and airiness on the top end. The detail retrieval and clarity are slightly above average.

MID SECTION:​

Thank you to Audiotiers, Apos Audio and Moondrop for the chance to review these game changers. These are gonna shake up the competition. The Aria has better soundstage than the ER2XR (Wider rather than deeper), just like how the Starfield is. Both Male and female vocals come with ample texture. I felt there might've been slight sacrifices made in terms of details retrieval and clarity but that is expected given the price range.

Technicalities are slightly improved on the Snow Edition. The Aria 2021 have a hair better imaging, but the Snow Edition have better micro-details, clarity and a slightly better soundstage in all three dimensions. Timbre sounds more natural on the Snow Edition, with less aforementioned grain, though they have a bit less note weight than the Aria 2021. Tripowin Olina – very good technically, great soundstage, imaging, micro-details and instrument separation. However, it can be a bit fatiguing for those who are treble sensitive due to a boost at the lower treble region.Treble is very much to my liking. It's rounded and soothing as opposed to being sharp/ spiky and doesn’t sound dark/dull which I’ve occasionally faced in Final e3000. Not much extension, sparkle and air up top but I’ll rather go for good tonality than aggressive treble details. Moondrop has done an excellent job with the low end on the Aria. They reach down easily into the sub-bass, and have a full, colorful, and rhythmic bass response. What impressed me was how well these Arias captured the intimate powerful bass typical with IEMs, without becoming overbearing. Instead of blowing me away and tiring my ears, the Arias delivered their bass at just the right intensity to keep me listening for longer. The Heart Mirror are colder and more sterile. In fact, they are more befitting of a winter theme than the Snow Edition! Horses for courses, some folk prioritize technicalities, while some pursue timbre and tonality in a pair of IEMs. The Snow Edition nicely fall like snowflakes for those searching for something in the latter category. Where to Buy

Nozzle is of average width and above average length without a lip. I didn’t encounter any issues with this design and the tips I rolled with. YMMV. SOUND​It's not a cut down version of starfield, period. In fact, Starfield and Aria should not belong in the same convo to begin with. Aria is a massive improvement in all fronts except midrange (esp. vocals). 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 treble has brighter presentation on the ME80, where the Aria sound softer with a smoother presentation. The lower treble sound sharper with more energy on the ME80, whereas the Aria has a fatiguing free presentation. The upper treble has slightly better sense of crisp and air on the ME80, while the Aria is tuned darker and more relax. The detail retrieval and clarity are on par. Though just to be more specific: Aria < Starfield < KXXS in terms of texture and details. Though honestly, all three aren't that far off with each other to justify them being in their own "league" respectively.