I am looking to get my first IEM, and now my budget has slightly strechted due to winning money on betting on sports haha.
Originally I was thinking about getting something in the price range of Blessing 2, BGVP DM8, FIIO FD5 etc but now I can afford a Moondrop Variations. Should I go straight to this tier of IEMs or should I start from the bottom?
Do you know if you enjoy the fit/feel of IEM?
I know I would be really mad at myself if I committed $500 to my first (any) IEM.
At some point I’m going to splurge for Blon BL03. 
If money was not an object, sure, what the heck. $500 to some is like a nickel to me.
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IMO, its better to try a few budget iems (say, sub 50 usd) to get a feel on what you prefer. Then you can jump up to where you are comfortable (economically).
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Also keep in mind that the sub $100 range is actually really competitive and time is on your side. The tech in the Variations used to be in the $1,000+ range only. The $80 Moondrop Aria compares favorably to the $120 Starfield which also compares nicely to the KXXS which is $180.
Basically take some time find they type of sound(s) you like for your music and ears. Then you can spend more to get a more refined version (if you still feel you need more). Odds are very likely it won’t be more expensive to get something similar to the variations in the future, it might even be less.
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Take time to explore tips as well. I’m waiting on some of those Tin blue foam tips to see if they’ll give me a bit of comfort. Silicon tips are excruciating for me.
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I too can only recommend to try some cheaper iem for sound and also for fitment
F.e. i like the sound of the bl 03 but can’t let them longer then 15 min in my ear cause they have one pressure point or the kz sn 10 have such a big bissle that I can barley get them in my ear
Where I don’t have those problems with the ta l2 & l3 or my lovely teas 
Oh yeah and finding the right tips for a good seal for you too is a little adventure in it self, i for myself can recommend some variants of spinfit
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Also, if you already have a sound preference for other things other than iems (headphones for example), try to get some iems that match it and see if they fit you.
I wouldnt spend much on it and save the money. Then go all in on 500 range. Its a very good price to performance bracket (300-600 usd).
If you have any preferenced sound signatures, let as know so we can try to point you.
Oh and welcome to the IEM world. Once you go in ear, theres no way back 
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If I had to do it all over again, with everything I know now, my first IEM would have been the LZ A7.
I wish I had that IEM when I started this hobby. I would have played with it non-stop till I learned how I wanted my IEM to sound.
Unfortunately, I already knew my preferences once I received it and had already heard IEMs I preferred.
If it’s your first IEM, I can’t rec it more… It’s more than an IEM, it’s a tool that will allow you to understand and enjoy your own tuning preferences and it is a great sounding set to boot.
I’d get the LZ A7 and put some money into some good aftermarket tips. Final E tips and Spinfit CP 100/145 would be my suggestions.
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Thank you everyone for your replies
What’s your upgrade path like so far?
RIP my wallet
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On the cheaper side of things, are you guys familiar with the 2021 Tanchjim Hana? It seems pretty good from reviews
In terms of headphones, I’m about to get the Hifiman Ananda, so I just don’t know if I should start from the ground up in iems or just go straight to a comparable level with headphones
I actually ordered the Fiio FD5, but it was a defective unit so I returned it. I know its shape isn’t like a typical iem, but I had no problems with the comfort of that
It is one of the single DD IEMs I am look at picking up. I have worked out my tribrid IEM pair. ThieAudio Oracle (@Resolution pair I bought from him) and the Moondrop Variations. Now I am looking to see where I stop my search for a Single DD IEM (BAs and me are not friends in the treble region)
From reviews, Moondrop Illumination and Dunu Zen seem to be quite good as well. Fiio FD5 seems to be pretty good, and if you’ve go the budget sennheiser ie 900 is the single dd endgame
The 900 is probably not for me with how it is tuned. The Illumination or Zen might be where I stop eventually , but I want to try out some of the intermediate ones before just getting those to see if there is something like the Oracle moment where for most things I just say this is it, this is enough.
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… Pro!
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And then there is also this mad man saying zen pro, and the other mad man saying Oxygen to me all the time.
Edit:
And he wasn’t wrong about the Oracle so unfortunately his mad ravings and memes do hold a not insignificant amount of sway now.
These are my suggestions. And all of this is from personal experience with a lot of IEMs. Actually, many more than are actually on this list… Learn from my mistakes. 
The IEM everyone should have - Blon BL03
Best Starter IEM - LZ A7. Find your preferred tuning.
TIER1 Best IEMs around $300 - Mangird Tea, Moondrop Blessing 2, TANCHJIM Oxygen
TIER2 Best IEMs around $500 - $700 - Safe tuned - Thieaudio Clairvoyance/Oracle, Xenns Up - Subbass tuned - Moondrop Variations, Thieaudio Monarch
TIER3 Endgame - Mest MKII
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Though there is nothing wrong with stopping at any of those tiers if it is good enough for you.
@Resolution the Oracle is either the bottom right or the middle one in that picture. The top left is the wrong design and the middle left is too dark a shade. Correct? Probably the middle one looking at the shade of blue and green. But darn they are close.
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