Final Audio Make series 847 configs… much more of a pain in the rear then either of the other 2 and I am still not sure how much they charge for that whole thing, but I would be a liar if I said I hadn’t considered wanting to try it.
Before I get anyone’s hopes up like mine, the reason I said considered it and the reason I don’t know the price is that the Make series is Japan exclusive from a kickstarter like thing over there. There is a limited supply of the only one I cared about the make 3 which is a single DD version.
To me it is noticeable and the difference is not that much, as I said if you want more bass and have that touch of a warm sound, go get the Aria. If you want a neutral sound and more mids therefore good for vocal tracks, Starfield is your IEMs.
I’m sorry to say this,
but for you to enjoy some of the more expensive iems,
you have to have some experience first,
depends on where you come from, an expensive iem could sounds like a hot garbage,
What is your current earphone/headphone/speaker ?
What is your music playlist ?
Are you using any equalizer/bass boost ?
I don’t want you to assume that more expensive iem will always sounds better.
I am using a pair of Sennheiser HD560S right now out of iFi zen dac. The 560s is a bit brighter than Harman target so I would consider it slightly bright with no bass shelf. I can deal with brighter treble as long as it’s not Beyer level. I listen to instrumental jazz, male and female vocals, classical, soul and occasionally hip hop and electronic.
I am not using bass boost or eq. Not a fan of that.
No, of course not. I know the Kinera iems are hot garbage. However detail retrieval is objective, and I am just wondering if I know that the tuning if similar to my preferences, whether I should go straight for the mid fi tier.
Aria should be a better starter iem than the blon 03. The blon 03 has an infamously bad fit, which might require a lot of 3rd party tips to actually make it fit your ears.
Although I must say that getting a solid (silicone) tip collection is essential for iems. So maybe you should pick up the Final Audio E500/1000 so you can have another taste of a different tonality as well as get those Type E tips (my favorite tips).
Minor thread hijack, but speaking of the Variations, does it have the same shell as the Blessing 2 / Dusk and have you ever compared that to the fit of the FD5? Would be interesting to know since I’m most likely going down that route if I ever delve deeper into the IEM rabbit hole.
I would say you can’t go wrong with both, seeing as you’d run around the price of a Moondrop Starfield for both of them combined. The Aria / Starfield has a great fit and it’s a very balanced tuning in my book. Just about everything sounds great on it.
BL03 is always fun though and it really surprises me every time I listen to it, it’s amazing for what it can do at such a low price level. Granted I’ve splurged like double the cost of it on aftermarket cable and tips
Speaking of tips, I ended up with the SpinFit CP360 mediums for the best fit on the BL03, haven’t looked back or wondered about other tips since. The shape of the BL03 hasn’t bothered me either, it was just that the stock tips were uncomfortable as hell and I don’t like running foams as they start irritating my ears too much and they’re a hassle to clean / break easily.
When it comes to comfort, I really can’t give too much advise since it’s so personal to the individual. Personally, the Moondrop hybrids all fit me perfectly. I love their fit a lot. But some have reported issues with the nozzle diameter which is large vs most other IEMs. Spinfit CP145 fit the nozzles perfectly. Spinfit CP100 tips have to be stretched over the nozzle and are quite challenging to apply.
The FD5 is not a great fit for me. It’s a shallow nozzle and I require the largest tips I have to attain a seal which is fine, but even with the short nozzle, a portion of the metal can pushes into my ears and is uncomfortable.
Yeah I know it’s personal, but overall impressions and personal feedback are always handy to have. The fit of the Moondrop hybrids was always a bit of a questionmark for me and so was the FD5 until I got it. I’d still say the housing of the FD5 is a bit on the large side, because on some days I just feel a slight pressure buildup in my ear.
It’s only a mild discomfort though, never enough to make me want to throw them out or regret my purchase. Never thought of the FD5 nozzle as shallow though, I always thought they dug rather deep, not triple-flange deep mind you (I can’t stand those at all).
The BL03 are so far the only ones I need to go up in tip-size to make them fit well (CP360 M), whereas on the Starfield and FD5 I can get away with CP360 S or FiiO Balanced/Bass S/M tips.
Still, thanks for the feedback. If the Moondrop hybrids fit better than the FD5 then I don’t think I have to worry about getting the Variations or something similar down the line.
I should emphasize (no pun intended) that it’s not their sheer size that is the issue, more like the shape of it. It’s a round plug that doesn’t really conform to the shape of the ear itself in the same way that these custom-like molds do.
The FD5, to be a bit brutal, is more or less saying “I shall make it fit” to your ear and forces it to shape itself around it. Whereas something like the Starfield kind of just slots in naturally.
I want to give either of them a try, but I don’t think I’ll splurge $320 / $520 for something I might have to return. I wanted to buy one so badly when I saw one was more or less given away in the sales thread. But then I didn’t have money on hand and it was already gone the next day I looked
