It is 6.45. This is from the internet, I donāt have it myself yet.
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I am confusedā¦ I am just watching Michael Bruceās review and he says that the Variations is not vented, even if it clearly looks like it. Whats going on?
Link with timestamp:
In the comments he says
The Variations is NOT vented and has a huge bore tip
Can someone confirm/deny?
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It is vented. At least it feels to me like it is when I insert the Variations into my Ears.
Maybe Michael confused it with another IEM in that regard?
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The Variations is still on my shopping list, buy a non-vented design would immediately make it uninteresting. I assume Michael must have mixed something up. Thanks for your response 
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My king under 50 is the Revonext QT2s. Itās basically the KZ DQ6 without the treble harshness and more midbass impact. But itās still a bright and energetic IEM, just the way I enjoy. Of course, the only downside are the details - donāt get me wrong, Itās still very good for the price though, but if you are used to higher end IEMs, you will miss them.
The Endgame IEM For K-POP Listeners
Hi guys! Happy New Year! Iāve actually been holding off from writing up my final impressions/review for this IEM but since itās still the weekend and Iām in the mood to finally share my final thoughts on the Variations. The tracks that Iām going to share are mostly the ones that I have not shared before and they tend to be unforgiving sound-wise. If you wanna join along for the ride, I have the links available for you guys to try it out with your own IEMs!
Gears Used
- Fiio Q3 (2.5mm Balanced) at 2 - 3 oāclock Volume Knob.
- Music Library from either Apple Music (M1 Macbook Air) or Sony NW-A55
- Spinfit CP145 (M)
There is something I would like to note here, fitting issue can be a thing. While it has been highly comfortable for me to wear, I have given some of my friends to try it out who had smaller ears, and they donāt seem to like it very much but ended up loving to wear the Mele, FH3, and FD5. So just a heads up fitting wise!
Kpop tracks tends to focus on sub-bass, treble, and vocals. Their tracks also needs decent imaging and soundstage to make their instrumentals to breathe a lil bit more. They are also different than english songs due to Kpop tracks tend to be more on the busy side and having multiple vocals in a song.
My tracks mainly consists female vocals as well. I may be comparing a lil bit from my other IEMs (Mele, FD5, Starfield, and FH3). I recently had the time to demo the Blessing 2 as well and will mention a lil bit of it when I start sharing the tracks below. Letās get started!
EVERGLOW - FIRST - Starting with the show stopper. I did not enjoyed listening to this track while I was demo-ing the B2, but Variations just fixed everything. At the 0:34 - 0:58 mark shows how the vocal stays clear and detailed while the instrumentals in the soundstage and imaging just helps to spaced them out to a comfortable degree. Vocal placement throughout the entire song is wonderful and thatās one of the Variationsās strong suit. With having multiple vocals in a song, the Variations is able to showcase them all.
Red Velvet - RBB - Speaking of Vocals, this is the PERFECT Kpop track to test your IEMs just for the vocals in general. Itās a vocal, sub-bass, and treble focus track. The memberās vocals throughout the entire song is just so detailed. At the 0:42 - 0:55 mark, I did not realized how pronounced their āHeās a really bad boy~ā whispers in both channels to be so realistic like they can be whispering to your ear in person. There are just so many things to highlight in this song so if there is one song I would high recommend to listen in this list, this track would be the one.
LOONAās āSo Whatā. Just right off the bat in the pre-track at the 0:05 - 0:44 mark, shows not only how amazing the imaging can be in the instrumentals and the details of the clangs in both channels, but also the bass rumble really gives a taste of what the variations can do in the sub-bass region and this is only the pre-track.
At the 0:57 - 1:13 mark shows a repeating brass instrumental in the background and will be through out the entire song. What I have noticed was how much more pronounced the brass was with the variations compared to my FD5. Previously I felt the brass was a little bit too messy but the imaging in this really helps put the brass slightly well placed towards behind your head which gives space for the vocals in the mids to breathe.
At the 1:27 - 1:51 mark showcases the background vocals throughout the chorus. The āBa ba ba badā, āIām so badā, and āSo whatā in the background vocals just filled around your head and doesnāt sound grainy at all and continues to be crystal clear despite the instrumentals being busy.
GFRIEND - MAGO is a synthwave-like 80s song. I have said previously that one of the Variationās strong suit is the vocal placement right? At the 0:51 - 1:25 mark, the main vocals will be around you in both audio channels instead of your usual forward vocals.
The variations excels greatly in that department which made most kpop songs that much more enjoyable to listen. The vocal space before the final chorus at the 2:28 - 2:44 is a good example to not only have details of the vocals in the mids but also the details of the supporting background vocals in both audio channels.
So does The Variations have weaknesses? Yeah, they definitely do. While the vocals and the rest are great and all, the sound of the guitar riffs and details from actual drum kit sounds tend to not be great. Dreamcatcher is there to help me show some of the details that the variations was lacking.
Dreamcatcher - You and I - The Vocals are understandably amazing here but so does the FD5 surprisingly. Mid-bass, guitar, and the drums are the focus in this song. At the 1:49 - 1:58 mark, while the drum kick detail is present in the variations, I find the FD5 to have more āKickā to it which has more impact in it leading up to the chorus.
Speaking of chorus, at the 1:58 - 2:27 mark, you could barely hear the bass guitar in it but it was more pronounced and in there with the rest of the instrumentals when I listened back with the FD5. The guitar, while is there, it kinda overlaps with the drums and the bass in some parts in a āmehā which I suppose the tuning in the variations did not want to focus on.
The earlier Dreamcatcher tracks are a good set of examples for me to test out the rock side of kpop with female vocals. Dreamcatcher - PIRI is also a good example if you wanna listen more of a guitar focused song. So yeah, The Variations totally lose some points there if Guitar, mid-bass, and drums are the focus in your music library in general. The FD5 continues to be my companion when listening to Dreamcatcherās discography.
We have now come to the final 3 tracks which brings out the best of The Variations.
f(x) - 4 Walls - is just an amazing track in general. Itās a sub-bass, treble, and vocal focus song. There is something ethereal in their vocals, especially during the chorus at the 0:44 - 1:00 mark. A song recommended to try it out with your own IEMs.
MAMAMOO - Taller Than You A diss track about each otherās height? Yes please. Their vocals are just so fun to listen to in general, especially āMA MA MOO~ā. At the 0:37 - 0:46 mark, it was really playful of them to use the left and right channel for the vocals. I personally did not noticed that with my other IEMs and itās probably more detailed here in the variations. The instrumentals are pretty simple so thereās nothing to shout about, but the vocals are just so fun here with the sub-bass rumble throughout.
Red Velvet āDumb Dumbā is one of my favourite kpop songs of all time and I have yet to find another song that says the word āDumbā through out an entire song. The vocals in this track has a much higher tone and itās fairly sub-bass and treble focus as well. The āDumb dumb dumb dumb~ā vocals the entire is such a delight to have in both audio channels. The sub-bass seems to be more focued on the mids while the vocals are more focused around your ears instead which feels like youāre in their world.
The one thing I can highlight is the homage to Michael Jacksonās title tracks at the 1:57 - 2:24 mark during the bridge prior to the pre-chorus. I just love that moment so much and I want to share that to you guys.
In Conclusion:
I hope you have an understanding why I think The Variations can be Endgame for a kpop listener. While kpop group songs tend to have forward vocals in some tracks, but when there are 4 or more members in a group, the composer tends to put vocals of other members around your ears instead of putting them in the mids, which is why I feel that soundstage and imaging can be quite important when listening to Kpop. They can sound very messy if the IEMs soundstage and imaging are lacking. The detail resolution certainly helps as well.
That concludes this post and my final impressions of the variations! This post ended up being quite a lengthy one so I have to apologize on that 
If youāre mainly a kpop listener, The Variations is truly endgame. It certainly did for me! I know there are a hell lot more kpop songs that I can share and give my impressions on with the variations, but I can only do so much.
Iām not sure if my impressions helps decide your purchase but I hope it also helps you to understand what kind of IEMs tuning you need for Kpop. Last of all, thank you so much for reading, take care, stay healthy, and may you guys have a wonderful new year!
We need our own IEMs Forum member crew wearing black suits.
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Which cable is this?
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Senlee 8-Core Cable
Unfortunently I skipped Variations on Black Friday. When can I expect the next price drop, does anyone know?
Donāt know, but chinese new year is around the cornerā¦ letās hopeā¦ I am in the same boat 
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Just going to second this. 
LOONA - Stylish is my go-to sub-bass + female vocal test track for both headphones and IEMs.
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Great to see such a vocal advocate of Kpop. As a fan since early-2nd gen, I salute you.
Moondrop Variations + IZ*ONE discography is sublime. Thank you for your reviews.
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Listening to both ITNW and Complete with the variations brought a tear to my eyes. So good.
Oh yeah! When the instrumental stops and it was just their vocals was just ethereal.
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I only have one moondrop. The moondrop aria and i loved it.
Moondrop variations is better than shuoer s12 or timeless?
itās always a matter of taste, I guess. Also I havenāt heared the Variations yet, only the Aria and Blessing 2, but as a timeless owner, I look to get the Variations eventually nonetheless. From my point of view, I think the Variations has:
Pros:
- more subbass, with more impact
- more detail
- less warm midbass/lower mids (this is a con for most though)
Cons:
- coherency (supposedly good for a hybrid and I didnāt even care about coherency with the Blessing 2)
- not a planar (if that is your thing)
The knock out criteria for the Variations is the size if you have small ears and the lacking midbass/lower mids, if you are looking for a warmer set. Male vocals arenāt the best with the Variations for most.
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Canāt you EQ midbass/lower midrange on Variations though?
I myself am torn between Variations and Oracle, canāt decide which one to purchase.
By the way, good isolation is a must have for me. Variations or Oracle for better noise isolation?
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Iām not entirely sure it is to be honest. Itās certainly marginal gains. I would recommend the Blessing 2 Dusk over the Variations, I think the tuning is more of an all rounder. For certain genres like electronic music or anything that really benefits from the subbass boost the Variations is special. But as an all rounder the caveat is the big dip in the mid-bass and lower mids, and while it doesnāt sound totally wrong on anything there are genres it is less adept at. The Dusk just works and sounds right with everything.
I got the S12 recently, itās amazing for the price. I think itās a better pick than the Timeless. It competes with the Dusk and Variations, itās on that level technically. The tuning is good but maybe not quite as good as the Dusk. Itās brighter, for me I think itās still not too bright, but this could be personal. For $149, wow, even more wow if you get the early bird discount at $129, which is still available.
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Except the OG B2 barely sounded right with anything at all for me. It did sound amazing though after I EQued it to match the Variations frequency responseā¦ tastes are different.
Fc-Construct has an EQ to convert an OG Blessing 2 into a Dusk, he says this sounds identical to the actual physical unit, if you havenāt tried. The Dusk sounds significantly different from the OG B2, Iād guess the Dusk and Variations are closer than the OG B2 and the Dusk.
Donāt get me wrong, the Variations is a fantastic IEM. It sounds great. But I find the Dusk sounds just a bit more natural across more music, particularly non-electronic music. The dip from the sub-bass down is just very extreme, and then it slopes UP to 1kHz, which is very unusual, almost all IEMs are flat or down-sloping through the mid-bass and lower mids. Itās still a great IEM, and the stuff it does well it does very well. Iām just not sure itās really worth the extra $ over the Dusk.