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

Product Information

If you’re the kind of person with widely varying tastes in music, then this just might be your ideal set of IEMs. The Aria are well balanced across the frequency range, with rich bass, neutral mids, and a smooth treble response that rolls off at the top end. Listening to these for hours at a time is no problem at all, and I experienced no fatigue from the sound. Like the other Moondrop earphones, the Aria target the Harman curve. This makes them sound neutral to most people as it is in fact a great compromise between the various components of the sound. The Aria use a 10 mm dynamic driver using the “liquid crystal polymer diaphragm” technology. Its low impedance and very high sensitivity mean that any source is virtually able to drive them to their fullest potential, including most smartphones and laptops.

The insides of the IEMs feature a 10mm dual cavity dynamic driver, with a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) diaphragm. There’s also a strong neodymium magnet, brass inner cavities, and a copper-clad aluminum wire voice coil. Moondrop also references a high-frequency phase waveguide system that effectively reduces high-frequency phase interference and distortion, leading to a smooth treble response. Moondrop Aria Sound Tests were done with a Khadas Toneboard DAC -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp, E1DA 9038, Questyle M15, Colorfly CDA M1, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro (BHD firmware mod), smartphone, and Sony NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One mod) using FLAC and WAV files. These two sets are sidegrades in my book – the Titan S are a bit more analytical. Vs. Tin HIFI T3 PlusOverall, the Aria is an unabashed winner of a product. You get Starfield levels of performance at a lower price. This is to my ears the best single dynamic product in this price range thanks to it's technical competence, tuning versatility, and non-fatiguing nature. It has got clarity, a good sound stage, tight bass, and no glaring flaws. The Starfield is a bit smoother and somehow even less fatiguing, but it's hard to argue that such minor differences are worth an extra 30 USD. To my dismay, because I adore it, the Aria makes the Starfield kinda obsolete. The OLA have a thinner note weight, less bass, and are more shouty than the Snow Edition. OLA’s timbre is also noticeably less natural, and isolation is poor. While physically identical, the Aria 2021 have a very tangly and microphonic cable compared to the one included with the Snow Edition.

The fit is average in my opinion even though they are pretty much light weight. The shells are not that ergonomically shaped to cover all the parts of your ear thus the isolation is pretty average to me. They still were able to absorb a big amount of external noises in your ears even with very tight seals. The shell of the Aria doesn’t settle in my concha instead they just slightly dangle and hey everyone’s ears are different hence this might vary for you. I decided to go with Titan S in the end. Reason is that, based on the comparison you gave I have divided it into 2 categories with OLA/Tanya as benchmarks on which IEM falls in-between the two because I’m trying to find a middle point here but not an upgrade/substitute to what I own. The Snow Edition are unsurprisingly tuned close to Moondrop’s virtual diffuse sound field (VDSF) philosophy (their in-house variant of the Harman curve). The sound signature is close to neutral and very balanced, with no frequency impinging on the others.

Sound Impressions

Moondrop is a chinese earphone manufacturer with a wide variety of earphones retailing in the market. They are one of the richest chinese audio manufacturers and have produced some acclaimed earphones like the KXXS, Starfield, Blessing 2 etc. To acquire the sub 100 usd market they released the Aria with the price tag of 79 USD. Let’s see whether the aria stands up to the sound of the highly praised Starfield in this review. Vocals are quite nicely done, and mid-lovers will have a field day, especially with genres such as acoustic, classical, and jazz. Treble The KZ Zas is at the same pricepoint as the Aria. While the fit is quite similar, the KZ differs by using hybrid multi-driver approach against the single DD of the Aria. The bass slam on the KZ is stronger, with excellent treble energy. The Vocals on the Aria are slightly forward than the KZ. It is a matter of preference between the two and you will not be wrong for choosing either.