MOONDROP Aria IEM

The spinfit w1 is a cool eartip , fits in well , as the eartip is translucent the bass is less , but the clarity is good

When you talk about audio, I feel like you always have to define your baseline because the experience is so subjective. In that sense, before I bought these IEMs, my daily listening device was Sennheiser HD 598S, so thats what I'm going to largely compare it to. Also I've now been using the earphones for more than a year, so this will be like a long term review.

My main reason for purchasing IEMs was that good headphones are simply not portable. I wanted something that I could take anywhere, and would sound good on mobile hardware as well. It was bit of a weird thing to go for a portable device that would be more than twice as expensive as my daily driver, but after doing a lot of research on audiophile websites, I realised that this thing here was in somewhat of a unique space in what it offered for the price range.

Sound:
The first thing I noticed after getting these IEMs, even before the burning in period, was the sheer clarity of sound, specifically till the high mids. The vocals sounded crystal clear compared to my 598S, and although Sennheisers are generally considered strong in their mid range, and that is true when it comes to the power, they didn't hold a candle to the Blessing 2s when it comes to precision. It shouldn't have been that much of a surprise really, considering the Blessing 2s are couple of price brackets above, but having never had a proper IEM before, I was truly surprised something with such a small form factor could sound so good. Needless to say that my old daily driver was summarily drawered (binned is too harsh), and has been sat there collecting dust.

Even though this has a dedicated dynamic driver for bass frequencies, bass is not that powerful on this device. I'm not a basshead by any margin, but I would have like just a bit more punch. That said though, the clarity here also is very good compared to my old sennheisers, and I've grown to enjoy the subtle bass now. Its a bit like when you move from putting sachets of sugar in your tea to just one. Feels not enough in the beginning, but soon enough your taste buds get used to it. Our ear's sensitivity is not static, so don't worry too much about this.

What can definitely be seen as bit of a con though is that the highs are not that great. There is a shrillness and edginess to them that could use more work. If you listen to stuff that has a lot of high frequencies, this might not be for you.

Build:
That's it about the tonal quality. Since this is a long term review, I'll talk a bit about more practical things also, like the build and ergonomics.

First off, the modules themselves are quite large. I don't have small ears, but they do stick out a little and look like hearing aid devices which people with hearing deficiencies use. And all that largeness is not just for show, they are also slightly weighty compared to a lot of other IEMs I've held.

The cord that these things come with is gorgeous. It looks good, feels good, and holds good. I think even in 5 years time, the cord will still be pristine.

The earbuds that come with this are of three different sizes, and you get 2 pairs of each size. Unfortunately, there is no notch or lip on the tapered end of the module to hold the earbuds in place. Fairly soon, you'll find the earbuds slipping out and falling down, or remaining stuck in your ear while you pull the earphone out, which can be a bit annoying. To fix this I purchased some buds of one size smaller, so that they'd fit tightly and hopefully hold, but that also did not work for long. Finally, I've simply resorted to gluing the earbuds with fevikwick. Not the best experience here.

Another thing that I wish I'd known earlier is that the resin body, which is transparent and looks lovely, is extremely brittle, although it feels very smooth and you'd think that it might have some pliability. Resting your IEMs on a hard surface like a desk, will produce a sharp "clack" sound and after a while you may start noticing that the resin is cracking. I'd suggest to always place them in the case they come with, or on some soft padded object. Even when you've plugged them in, rest the actual modules in the case when not using.

Thats it for the review. Props to you if you read all that.
TL;DR knowing how they are now, would I make the same purchase again if I could go back in time? Abso-damn-lutely.

Quality and works as it is described

I didn't realize how good these sounded until I plugged them into Tempotec V6 using the balanced connection. Technically sound and quite musical. Performs excellent with more power. Truly a champ..bye bye Monk plus...

Very good

It was problematic from day 2 it was always stopping in the midde and its kinda irritating

Fiio cable refined music and better sound generated

The cable has stood the test of time well so far. Can't complain!

A must have dongle DacAmp for anyone who wants to drive their IEM's to the limit.

Very comfortable

This IEM will stay with me for a very long time. Superb for daily listening and also an excellent refrence point for premium IEM's.

Superb player at the price point

Excellent cables. Using it with Monarch MK2 which has decent stock cables, but Dromi definitely takes it to the next level.

Amazed by the sound output and the clarity that it produces, You can really feel the difference in the sound when you use your earphones without this DAC, and even better is the price that you get it for and would definitely recommend for someone who is looking for a DAC in a budget.

The sound quality is fantastic, with the right amount of bass and treble. Adds more punch and juice when used with a DAC and the sound will blow you.