Review after using Moondrop Aria for almost 2 months:
After almost a month of research, I zeroed down to Aria as my first IEM, and I must say, I don't regret it at all. I am sensitive to sharp trebles and not a big bass-head, however I do enjoy raspiness and rumble in vocals. Aria perfectly fits the sound profile I was looking for.
BUILD:
The shells are made of metal, which is pretty solid. I accidentally dropped mine a few times from the height of a table, but it's still fine. Due to metal shell, these have a little weight, but with the cable, they don't feel heavy on the ears. I wore them almost everyday for continuous 6-7 hours without any fatigue. The stock cable is braided woven fabric all the way, with a chin slider to help with the cable control.
PACKAGING:
Inside the box you will get a carry-case, extra set of filters, tweezers (to replace the filters), and standard silicone ear tips.
SOUND:
Aria meets the hype. Harman tuned, clean sound, tight and yet not too boomy bass, midrange with good tonality, airy and not too sharp trebles, and pretty easy to drive (works like a charm with my OnePlus 7T and a normal OnePlus USB C-to-3.5 dongle). Coming from typical consumer oriented in-ears (Sennheiser 275s, Sony MDR series), I could never have imagined that an in-ear could sound this good on busy tracks. The details and sound separation is phenomenal for the price. Soundstage is decent, but one can't expect a wide soundstage from an IEM.
There are times when I am astonished by the details I am able to hear on these, and I immediately go back to hear it once again. (Listen to Baba O'Riley - The Who @2:01 to understand what I am saying)
PS - Audio file format matter a lot too. Initially I was using YouTube music, Spotify and my local FLAC library. After a while, I also subscribed to Tidal, and the difference between Tidal and Spotify/YouTube Music was quite significant (specially the detail and instrument separation).
CONS:
1) The stock cable although braided, tangle very easily.
2) After using it as my daily driver for 2 months, I can see paint chipping away at the edges of the shell. The chips are not too big and are only visible when you are close, but still the edges aren't smooth anymore.
3) Soundstage is just about decent.