Nope, no sound alteration. Just for wax protection. Mine came already off and I kept it that way.
2 Likes
Hi, I’m considering buy this IEM, it will be my first pair so I have doubts about the quality
Anyone had an issue with the materials of these? I’ve read this thread and I saw a guy saying have issues with the frontal shell and the connector
I will buy on AliExpress in the Shenzhenaudio store so I’m afraid having a problem with this kind of issues and not have a good warranty
It will be in 442 USD, if anyone wanna buy it
I’ve had them. I think apart from some shells falling apart, only bad thing was some 2pin connectors cracking, but I havent seen such since the release. Just dont cable roll much and you should be more than fine.
Filters usually come off but they dont change sound.
For that price, it’s an hard rec for resolution and techs, but keep in mind the tuning as well as it won’t fit all libraries. Good luck 
1 Like
I read a couple of complaints, that the adapter on the cable plug has a loose connection… good thing that you can swap the cable if that happens, I guess
The 3.5mm adapter for my set (2nd hand from @nymz but he never used the stock cable) was already broken out of the box, the left side cutting out. No problem with the 2.5 and 4.4.
To quote HBB, “Moondrop cables are ghetto.”
3 Likes
Im soooooo excited as I just placed an order for the Variations! I’m currently coming from Ikko OH10’s 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!
1 Like
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 I’ll get em in 2 days.
3 Likes
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
3 Likes
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.
2 Likes
That is a beautiful cable. Where did you buy it?
Xinhs 4 core graphene with grey hardware 
1 Like
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 couldn’t get much volume out of apple dongle, they sounded super sweet and fit fine. Unfortunately the right side 2pin port was very loose, so they’re eventually going back.
My question is, how do the Arias compare to Variations?
Knowing fit is likely not an issue, I’m more than willing to jump up. I’m mainly concerned about the mid bass/mid region and whether the leanness will leave something to be desired. I’ve thought about Oracle too, but those are more expensive and MUCH longer lead time.
1 Like
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 I‘m 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 it‘s fun, at least to me, thanks to the subbass boost. It‘s 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 I‘ve 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. It‘s 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 
3 Likes
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 I’d 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
1 Like
DAC question: would Variations benefit noticably from something like a Hidizs S9 Pro or Qudelix 5K (what I’m tempted to buy) vs Apple dongle( which I own right now)?
Yes. Tribids like more power than regular iems. Both options are great.
1 Like
Guess I’ll bite the bullet. Might as well upgrade my DAC when I’m already spending USD450 for an IEM😂
1 Like