Im soooooo excited as I just placed an order for the Variations! Iām currently coming from Ikko OH10ās so I do hope this will be a good upgrade and I got a 11.11 discount early so got them for an amazing price!
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Which discount did you get? -15% from hifigo and therefore having them for 441 USD or what exactly?
I actually got them from Headphones.com and they gave me the discount from what Hifigo was going to do tomorrow. The best part is Iāll get em in 2 days.
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First IEM I will stay away from subbass tuned iems unless I am sure I like this tuning. Go for a simple old Harman dynamic driver like Tanchjim Hana or KATO first
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Is the dusk not a good option for the tunning?
My review of Variations is (finally) posted on my thread. Sorry for the long overdue. Hope you enjoy it.
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That is a beautiful cable. Where did you buy it?
Xinhs 4 core graphene with grey hardware 
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Hey all, wondering about a little comparison/recommendation here. I got the itch to look into IEMs recently and nabbed a pair of Arias to test fit. Lo and behold, although I couldnāt get much volume out of apple dongle, they sounded super sweet and fit fine. Unfortunately the right side 2pin port was very loose, so theyāre eventually going back.
My question is, how do the Arias compare to Variations?
Knowing fit is likely not an issue, Iām more than willing to jump up. Iām mainly concerned about the mid bass/mid region and whether the leanness will leave something to be desired. Iāve thought about Oracle too, but those are more expensive and MUCH longer lead time.
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I own the Aria and Variations as well as the Oracle, so I hope I can help you with your question
First off, my preferred sound signatures are neutral with bass boost and harman-like ones, just so you know where Iām coming from.
The Variations has less mid-bass compared to the Aria, but more sub-bass and much better treble extension. To my ears, the Variations is a significant step up from the Aria. The Variations comes off as a very clean and lean monitor that does not loose itās fun, at least to me, thanks to the subbass boost. Itās a very detailed IEM as well. The Aria is comparably warmer and a bit thicker in the vocals. It does however bleed a little bit of its bass into the Midrange, whereas the Variations does not have that problem at all. Male vocals sound good to me, but female vocals are a bliss. They sound gorgeous to my ears and are some of the best female vocals Iāve heard from any IEM, period. Treble is well extended and sparkly while avoiding sibilance (to my ears).
The Oracle is a bit more balanced compared to the Variations. It has less sub-bass, but more mid-bass. Itās a bit more of an Allrounder, but not as resolving as the Variations to my ears. It has a very smooth sound signature. Honestly, both the Variations and Oracle are tonal benchmarks.
As always, your mileage may vary etc.
I can listen to them all tomorrow and A-B-C compare. If you want, I can also try to compare specific songs and try to describe the differences I hear 
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Also, what genres does your library consist of?
You said that Variations has a better treble extension, but from 12-15khz Aria seems to provide more than +5db and more than -5db from around 10khz to 11khz:
Would you consider Variations clearly better extended or just different in terms of treble?
Have you had the chance to compare the Blessing 2 with the Variations? The graphs look very similiar, but Iād say the Blessing 2 has a pretty bad treble extension. Worse than the Aria, but I never got the chance to compare to the Variations
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DAC question: would Variations benefit noticably from something like a Hidizs S9 Pro or Qudelix 5K (what Iām tempted to buy) vs Apple dongle( which I own right now)?
Yes. Tribids like more power than regular iems. Both options are great.
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Guess Iāll bite the bullet. Might as well upgrade my DAC when Iām already spending USD450 for an IEMš
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Finally got my Variations and stumbled upon my first issue.
The stock silicon tips even using the largest pair donāt provide a great seal.
Any recommendations for aftermarket eartips (L/XL)?
Hereās my rundown of what tips are good for Variations. Take note that Azla tips are already one size larger than other brands:
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Thanks ser. Iāll order one tomorrow
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The SpinFit CP155 are great, as if they are made for the Variations. Might wanna try those :3
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Yeah, I owned the B2:Dusk, Variations and Aria together at one point (I do not have the Dusk anymore since I decided to sell them), and I really like them all.
In terms of Treble extension, Iād consider the B2 better compared to the Aria, but not by much. The Treble on the Aria is smoother (which I consider good), but also less detailed. Thereās a certain sparkle that I got on the B2 that the Aria missed, but then again, made up for in smoothness.
Yeah, I really think the Treble response is better, both compared to the Aria and the B2. The Variations is actually better in all points compared to the B2 imo. Treble just sounds more spacious, detailed and sparkly. Not to say about female vocals; the Variations has one of the best representation of those of any IEM Iāve heard.
The Aria also came across as much more coherent. The B2 has great separation and detail retrieval, but Coherency has always been its weakest point in my opinion. The Variations is also very coherent to my ears.
Those are also the reasons why I sold my B2: I kept the Aria for itās smooth, relaxing and coherent sound, all while performing excellent at itās price point. And I kept the Variations since itās a significant upgrade over the B2 in all points to me. I never really got back to the B2, even though itās a great IEM, especially for its price, and the first truly good IEM I ever got myself. So instead of it lying around all the time, I decided to sell it,
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