Merry Christmas to everyone.
May you all have nice holidays and a great time leading up to the new year.
This marks my first year into the hobby, especially IEMs, and it feels like I‘m both at the end of my journey, and yet at the start in searching for the best of the best out there for my tastes.
May music be with all of you and its joys make you smile wherever you are. 
Thanks, you too 
After your post, I just checked… I joined this forums on mid June. Insane journey.
Merry Christmas from me too! I wish you health and healthy ears so that you can listen more but buy less —> everyone to find what they are looking for. Special thanks to FiiO, Moondrop, NF Audio ( and Shuoer ) for making my life a little happier! And drink less 
I’d pretty much say your post belies that.
Merry Christmas.
Traded my Variations for an Oxygen (I know I know).
First thing I realized is how well done the treble/upper midrange of Variations (just tribrid things?); Oxygen’s “messy” I’d say. I bumped down 3kHz at random and that seem to improve things.
I’d say I’ve traded some level of “resolution” with the energy that I yearned for. Bass is a bit too “slammy/thumpy”.
Still searching for a set that can deliver very delicious low piano notes (the rumble/ringing/vibration?), which should be my personal endgame.
That is an interesting trade! I spent a lot of time A/Bing the Oxygen with my hybrid, Yinyan Aladdin: IEM discussion thread - #2192 by ttorbic.
I think we’re both experiencing the DD driver experience of note-weight or heaviness of the bass. It almost feels like I can feel the air thumping my eardrums. Personally I’m a fan! I enjoy listening to jazz with either the Oxygen or the Aladdin.
Will you go back to a hybrid you think? Issue with BA timbre is the upper octaves of the piano don’t sound natural…which is why I like the Oxygen for piano.
Ah that’s probably it! It feels like someone is carving something from inside my skull 
. Personally although it’s an electric experience, I feel like my head is gonna break. It’s bit too much so I’m trying to eq it down to an acceptable level.
Tbh I have nothing negative to say about Variation’s treble which I think is attributed to the fact that it’s a tribrid and the excellent tuning by Moondrop for the higher end of the spectrum.
Now that I think about it the female vocals on Variations really is something else.
Seems like it’s the same reason a few folks around here decided to offload the Variations, me included. It’s not the problem of flaws but rather the issue of the long duration listening experience due to its high technicality. The brain fatigues very quick.
For me Variations just doesn’t captivate me enough to justify the amount of money I spent. But I came to understand and appreciate what bass texture means from my time with the set. The buyer on the other hand said that it gave him the best auditory experience he ever had😂.
On the flip side, I got the Oxygen for essentially 145USD (600MYR) which I think is a damn good value purchase
Dang that is a very good deal indeed.
Have you tried tiprolling? Sounds a bit like pressure build up as well…strange. I don’t have discomfort with mine, and the bass is certainly not that elevated.
I’m using KZ Starline tips that the seller gave me. I’ll try the stock tips after I clean them just to be sure.
There’s always two kinds of people on this hobby…
Congratz on your set 
To those asking, I’ll post impressions on ej and sources either today or tomorrow. Spending time with family. Both Hiby R5 saber and NX7 are legit
A comparison between Hiby R5 and Xduoo 05 in terms of sound would be vey nice, also between Ej07 and EJ07M. Merry christmas everyone.
I‘m one of those people. The Bass the Variations reproduces is one of the best out there. It comes very close to what the Sony IER-Z1R can do. Probably the only Set out there that I would give a 10/10 to just on Bass, with the Variations being at least a 9, if not 9.5/10. The 64 Audio U12t is up there as well, 9 or 9.5/10 which is impressive given that it‘s all BA. It does reproduce qualities only a DD is usually able to achieve with the benefit of being fast and snappy. Very slight things in its timbre/tonality that throw me off, which is why I‘d probably tend to a 9/10.
Either way, it is incredibly impressive what qualities the Variations has in its Bass, given that the other two sets I mentioned cost at least thrice as much.
The Treble is something else. Female Vocals are just pure bliss for me on these. Probably hits my HRTF perfectly for that frequency region.
The Variations is polarizing in that pretty much everyone I read has/had it agreed that it‘s an incredible set, but does not work for everyone due to the tuning decision. The tuning is impeccable, but may be too clean for some, and may not work for everyones Library. I love it.
There are very few sets that offer such clarity without being boring. The only other that comes to mind immediately is the UM Mest MK1/2.
Anyways, excuse my ramblings. Congrats on your new set, glad you enjoy it 
That’s some big boots to fill…not heard variations and probably won’t but Z1R is still one of the most ‘authentic’ bass IEM responses money can buy when it comes to impact, texture and decay…Timeless on Hybrid tubes are also very good 
Oh definitely. That‘s the reasons why the Z1R is the only one I‘ve ever heard that I‘d give a 10/10 on Bass. Treble is also exceptional.
Mids are its weakest point and the only reason that prevents me from just getting a pair, but man, it sure does make up for it on both ends of the extreme.
Sadly I’ve never got a chance to test Z1R, but I can attest to the beauty of Variations’ bass which I think manages to bring out the “character” very well.
I got it for around 430USD (1800MYR) during the 11.11, another great value purchase, but again the tuning just doesn’t work for me😭
The more I think about it I don’t think I can stick with a DD only set after experiencing a tribrid. The treble of Variations can be a bit shouty once in while but it’s very “clean”/clear and well presented to me. I haven’t tried a hybrid/BA only set yet though.
Since you’re in the Tea thread…
Get Mangird Tea. 
