Moondrop Aria Review – Reimagined

Comparisons –

iBasso IT01 ($99): The IT01 offers a more engaging V-shaped sound but with a trick driver that keeps things in control. It has better bass extension and more quantity, mid-bass especially, providing a punchier, fuller and warmer bass expression. Yet, it also has noticeably higher driver control so separation and definition are much better despite the increased quantity. The IT01 has similar midrange tuning but a noticeably more laid-back vocal range. It sounds more contrasty with a bit more warmth, a more articulate top-end and less body.

The Aria is more even and accurate. Its tone is more transparent and both body and positioning are more faithful. It has higher separation and definition too. The IT01 has a crisper, more energetic lower-treble. The Aria is more even whilst retaining similar definition, offering more body and texture, it has a bit more fine detail retrieval to my ears too. Neither offer outstanding top-end extension, the Aria has a bit more air and a blacker background, in addition, it offers a wider soundstage and sharper imaging.

Moondrop Starfield ($109): The Starfield offers a very slightly more robust and smooth sound than the Aria due to its greater sub-bass presence and less prominent lower-treble. Otherwise, both are nigh identical. The bass is slower on the Starfield with noticeably lower definition and separation. However, it also has appreciably more slam and a bolder rumble. The Starfield’s midrange is just a hint more coherent due to its smoother treble while the Aria offers a slightly sweeter sound, being a bit more articulate.

The Starfield has a smoother, more linear treble offering a bit more body and texture. The Aria has a slightly more energetic tuning in addition to a sharper transient response, with better detail retrieval and slightly stronger extension. The Aria has a wider stage and better separation overall, the Starfield is deeper but otherwise, not as organized.

Moondrop Blessing 2 ($319): The Aria’s tuning and technical performance both move it closer to the presentation of the Blessing 2 though not to the same extent. The Blessing 2 remains a slightly more mid-focused and sharper earphone in general. The Blessing 2 has similar bass presence and tuning but better quality. It is faster and more defined in the mid-bass especially. The midrange is slightly more intense on the Blessing 2 and more articulate. Subjectively, this makes it a bit more polarizing than the Aria which is more coherent and slightly more natural in voicing and vocal positioning.

The Blessing 2 has slightly higher definition and a more neutral tone in return. The top-end is slightly crisper on the Blessing 2 at the cost of body, but it is noticeably more detailed with the BA driver setup. The Aria isn’t too far behind but cannot compete above where the Blessing 2 offers much higher resolution of background and micro details. The Blessing 2 is more spacious and has sharper imaging, it also has better separation while the Aria tends to perform better from a tonality and timbre POV.  

Verdict –

Having been invested in this hobby for close to a decade, it’s been a real treat to see the portable audio market evolve. We truly are privileged to be able to scrutinise entry-level IEMs with the same judiciousness as we used to evaluate kilo buck flagships – at least, from a tonality point of view. Of course, with improvements at the tail end, so too have there been innovations in high-end audio – this is a debate for another time. What I we can ascertain is that budget audio is becoming very difficult not to justify and the Aria is a champion of this ethos. For though it doesn’t match high-end models in all regards, its minimal-compromise package doesn’t necessitate an upgrade either. Thankfully, Moondrop also demonstrate that Chi-Fi isn’t ever inflating as can be observed in the high-end. Moondrop’s latest earphone appends complaints with their former design whilst retaining benchmark level tonal refinement at a substantial price cut.

The Aria is available from HiFiGO and Apos Audio (International) for $79 USD at the time of writing. I am not affiliated with Master & Dynamic and receive no earnings from purchases made through these links.

Track List – 

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

Archive – Controlling Crows (Parts I – III)

AKMU – SAILING

Bob Segar – Night Moves

Courtney Barnett – Tell Me How Your Really Feel

Eric Clapton – Unplugged

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

Fleetwood Mac – Greatest Hits

John Legend – Once Again

MAMAMOO – reality in BLACK

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Modest House – Good News For People Who Love Bad News

NIKI – lowkey

Nirvana – Nervermind

Radiohead – OK Computer

Social House – Haunt You

suggi – cheer up!

TOTO – Toto IV

Vampire Weekend – Father of the Bride

Vaundy – strobo