The Moondrop Variations is the Best IEM in the World.

After spending years searching for perfect sound reproduction, I have found it at last with the Moondrop Variations. This video explains just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Perceptual Assessment of Headphone Distortion:

History of Harman Headphone Target Curve:

[fofopho]

VARIATIONS STORY TIME:
I went to go for my morning music-listening session a minute ago (pre-coffee mind you). I grab my Moondrop Variations, plug them in to my DAP of choice, and hit "shuffle". Instantly, I notice something is horrendously wrong. The treble sounds slightly off, the bass sounds a bit sloppy and imprecise, and the immersive feeling is just missing entirely. WTF!? Did I break my Variations?! Then I pull them out of my ear and realize I accidentally grabbed my Blessing 2:DUSK. I then laughed out loud and instantly came here to tell you this story.

Anyways, I thought someone might get a kick out of this. The Blessing 2:DUSK is cool and whatever, but it is a joke when people seriously compare it to the Variations like they are on remotely the same level.

[johnnybravo]

Sharur 1 year later: The Moondrop Variations is Garbage 🤮

[zacaviad]

Perhaps now that you can actually take notes we could engage in a conversation (I'm an Audio Engineer and a Producer): The Variations Bass perhaps simulates a subwoofer - but you shouldn't assume subwoofers are ideal. They actually create (in most cases) a very unnatural sound that doesn't exist in the natural world, and they're only used as a necessity, as it's extremely hard to move so much air with a single built speaker unit to play 20-20000Hz effectively. Therefore while you enjoy it and I'm glad you do, I'm curious to see if perhaps you could understand that it's definitely not an objective superiority; but simply your preference.
Also masking occurs as a matter of quantity in frequency areas, which means if you boost X amount of dB ANYWHERE, it would shift the previous balance, therefore mask in some way and distract from other areas in the FR. The freaking 10+dB bass boost masks other areas. Just try to mix a song with the variations, ain't happening mate...

[qchtxwg]

before you said that listening to music with etymotic was great, now you call them junk. this makes me understand that you don't listen to music with your ears, but you only rely on graphs. your brain liked music with etymotic because for you the graph was correct, now that for you the graph is no longer correct they have become garbage.

[shrekstraightouttaswampton]

I give sharur a week to call the moondrop variations mid or garbage

[EivindDahl]

A constructive Sharur with humility and social skills could make a pretty OK YouTube channel.

[johnshepard]

I am a longtimes sharur fan. i was earlier tempted by your etymotic worship and bought the blessing 2, for its "less colored" bass response. Then i read the harman research and opened my eyes. i returned them for the variations earlier this month. I am so happy to see you have agreed and now rec the variations. praise sharur

[Luca-xrbs]

"moondrop variations is garbage for people with terrible taste" - Sharur of the (near) future

[ChristosKyranas]

the most accurate video on this channel

[georgei]

Oh, let me tell you about the Moondrop Variations. It's like finding a hidden treasure in the world of IEMs. The sound quality is like diving into a pool of rich, delicious audio. It's like someone took all the best parts of a concert and packed it right into your ears. The clarity? Oh boy, it's like wiping away a foggy window and seeing the music in all its crystal-clear glory.

And the fit? Don't even get me started. It's like those IEMs were custom-made for your ears. No uncomfortable pressure points, just a cozy, snug fit that lets you forget you're even wearing them. And let's not forget the value. You're getting top-notch sound quality without selling a kidney. So, yeah, the Moondrop Variations? They're not just good, they're a freaking masterpiece in your ears.

[HienRau]

Bro! i tested IEM with Bang!! by Egoist too.... That song is awesome and the complexity is good to test IEM with.
Currently rocking my Blue Kato, still looking for something with more Sub-bass that Rumble, then i found your video, directly comparing Kato with Variation's Graph. Man! You did rock my world with so many details.
Thank you, Variation gonna be my endgame!

[carminedesanto]

August 2022…I just dropped the hammer on the Variations…as my end game for me IEM’s.
Take care are and I’ll keep watching 😋

[christianoberreiter]

so nouvraught was right afterall with his 10db bass boost

[LucaAaronFrank]

Looks like someone just discovered that bass is fun

[vv]

I impulse bought mine after visiting e earphone in japan, where I was originally going to try and hopefully purchase the sony ier z1r, but instead I found this and bought it instead, coming from an audeze lcdi4 I wanted something with comparable bass without the open back so I can use it at work and boy this blew me away, the bass response is just perfect for my taste, the rest of the target curve was great without any real flaws, I ended up only paying ~380 usd for a brand new pair due to exchange rate and no tax for foreigners, really happy

[neandrewthal]

There's supposed to be an 8k peak wha? I thought all IEMs just had a resonant peak and people insert it deep enough in their rigs to put it at 8k for consistency.

[thecheeseman]

I still use my er2xr's frequently because the isolation with the triple flange tips is perfect for use as a monitor when playing bass live.

[marcolaporta]

I also have the Variations and agree with most points. But it still has three minor problems imo. It dips by like 4 dB at 15kHz (depending on insertion depth), which can be EQed easily. A/Bing this to non EQ quite makes the Variations sound a bit more resolving. I don't think the resonant peak in IEMs is something that someone should be okay with. I get a 6-7dB peak at 10.5kHz, which is not as bad as the 12dB peak at 9kHz I get from the 7Hz Timless, but it still makes the sound sound harsh and unnatural. Maybe it would sound okay IF the resonant peak was at 8kHz, but then they dont seal, so idk. EQing this is also easy with instant improvement in naturalness/timbre. A good track to test this out is "Stay with me" by Miki Matsubara. Another problem is the lack of energy at 8kHz, if you get a late resonance peak. The bass is great though.

[shadow_warlockgr]

Apocalypse: Save Us, Bloom, Reminiscence
Bro. Fuck yes.

[scxrb]

Just got mine, man these sound incredible. Thank you so much for your true, straight forward and component reviews.