The Moondrop Aria is probably the most popular pair of IEMs on sale today. Known for its exceptional tuning and affordable price, this pair has basically ruled all audiophile recommendation lists since it launched early last year.
This year, Moondrop launched a differently tuned version of the Aria, called the Snow Edition. Apparently, some audiophiles took offense at the Aria’s rather populist tuning and wanted more precision and neutrality in the sound. So that’s exactly what Moondrop did and placed giant snowflakes on the sides of the earbuds so everyone knows who they are for.
Subtly veiled insults aside, we now have two quite different variations of the same IEM, designed to appeal to the two main fields of the audio world. One fighting for neutrality and the other for fun. Let’s see how they behave.
Drawing
Both Aria variations have the same basic design which is made from a solid block of aluminum and makes a loud thud when it hits your desk. The difference is mainly in color and finish, with the standard Aria only available in black with a gold pattern and the Snow edition in silver with an intricate snowflake design. The Aria also has a rougher texture while the SE has a smoother finish.
Having owned Moondrop IEM and seen other people’s arias as well, I can say the milestone on these won’t last. Standard airs eventually lose a lot of their luster as they rub against your ears and the paint begins to chip and peel off. Not sure if the same will happen with the SE but it is possible.
Aside from the paint, the main visual difference between the two is the cable. Both IEMs use standard 2-pin flush-mounted connectors, but the Aria comes with a black nylon braided cable while the SE comes with a silver-coated plastic cable.
The SE cable is fine. It is thin and light and generally not noticeable once worn. It gets tangled easily and tends to keep its shape a bit.
The Aria cable is thicker and heavier. It also has greater microphony and is easier to hear rustling against your clothes in your ear. However, it looks much nicer and rarely gets tangled. The LR cable splitter has a nice metal termination point and another metal tip to hold the two cables together. The jack at the end also has a sturdier rubber coating. It’s definitely a nicer cable and looks more expensive than the one that came with the SE.
Both IEMs come with a compact carrying case. It’s a bit small, so you have to aggressively wrap both cables to fit inside, which also encourages tangling and kinking on the SE cable. Thicker Aria barely fits inside its case and definitely required a larger housing. The cases have a pocket to place the earphones and perhaps an optional tip cleaner.
Overall, both Arias are generally well-made IEMs despite their sub $ 80 price point, but unless Moondrop has made some improvements, expect the paint to peel off after about a year.
Comfort
The central design of the Aria is extremely comfortable. Both IEMs fit very well inside the ear and seem tailor-made for it. The weight is manageable and they don’t stick out too much. The standard silicone earbuds they come with are pretty good too.
The differences come from the cables, with the SE having a stickier cable that’s harder to bend around the ears and isn’t as nice as the rubber ear hooks on the standard Aria cable. But as previously mentioned, the SE cable is lighter while you definitely feel the presence of the heavier Aria cable on your chest constantly. Also, due to its thickness, it becomes more of a hindrance.
Fortunately, you can always replace the cable with your own if you want a different design, texture or length, or if you want to use a balanced connection.
Performance
After spending the first few minutes with the standard Aria, it’s easy to see why they’re so popular. It is as if the frequency response has been tuned by the hand of God himself and there is practically nothing to complain about.
The Moondrop Aria’s have a slightly V-shaped audio signature. Both low and high frequencies have been boosted over the reference frequencies, but meticulously, “we’ve been doing this shit for years” in a way that few companies can. . Sure, Moondrop essentially reused his Starfield tuning, which was in turn tuned after the KXXS, so they’ve really been making the exact same sound with little refinements for several years.
The end result is a tuning that is on the verge of perfection. The bass has a nice weight and rumble, but never once does it get overbearing or bloated. The highs have a good dose of sparkle and airiness without ever being sibilant or harsh. The mid-range is set back a little, just enough to shift the focus slightly towards the low and high frequencies, but without being smothered or creating a hole in the middle.
As a result, the sound is very dynamic and lively while having a reasonably faithful representation of the source audio. And that’s the beauty of Aria’s sound, where you don’t feel like you’re compromising the integrity of the original recording to have a fun sound. It is essentially the best of both worlds.
Switching from Standard Air to Snow Edition initially feels like someone has drained all the colors from the world. It always reminds me to change a phone’s display from the standard vivid profile to a more accurate sRGB mode. At first it is almost insulting.
But you spend more than a few minutes listening to it and your brain gets acclimated and you realize that the SE sound is a revelation in its own right. The drivers use a higher stiffness DLC composite diaphragm and are tuned to Moondrop’s VDSF target designed to reproduce a more accurate and neutral sound.
The result is sound that is a breath of fresh air, especially in the budget audio segment. The SE has exceptional tonal characteristics, with most of the voices and instruments sounding perfectly and perfectly natural. The highs have a more natural flow without adding extra sparkle or energy to the top. And while the bass has far less thrust, it’s remarkably clean and exceptionally well controlled.
Mid-range performance is fantastic. Since the SE doesn’t have as much punch in the bass and treble, the sound initially comes across as more mid-forward, but you soon realize it’s not as emphasized as it is “correct”. There are really no noticeable points of emphasis or depression in the audible frequency range, leading to a very, if somewhat boring, presentation.
The overall sound is really transparent, to the extent that it doesn’t even sound like you’re listening through something but rather simply directly to the source audio itself. The drivers dissolve in your ears and get out of the way, allowing you to focus on the original sound. It’s extraordinarily meaningless in the best possible way, as the earbuds minimize the addition of personality to the sound in the pursuit of precision.
If the Aria is like a shuriken, the Snow Edition is like a scalpel. I wouldn’t even mind recommending them for occasional mastering or monitoring purposes, as they really are that good.
Going back to standard Air is like increasing the color saturation again. It sounds a little flamboyant at first compared to the SE, but Moondrop’s masterful tuning wins you over quickly and it’s easy to get lost in the music.
In terms of technical performance, there isn’t much difference between the two. Both are reasonably solvable with good imaging performance. The soundstage is bland, as expected of an IEM design, but both still sound spacious enough not to be claustrophobic. In reality, the main difference will depend on the tuning.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in the IEM world, there’s a good chance you already own the standard Moondrop Aria. If not, it should be at the top of your shopping list as they are a truly fantastic pair of earbuds and a must have for anyone with $ 80 to spare.
As for the Snow Edition, this is really for the purists. I can’t imagine many people having a problem with standard Aria tuning, but for those who do I imagine the Snow Edition would do a huge favor. It’s unrepentant precision with just the right amount of fun mixed in. Coming for the same $ 80 price as the standard model, the SE is proof that you can have audiophile quality sound without breaking the bank.
Regardless of which one you choose, the two Arias are exceptional products and worth their asking price.
Thanks to Headphone Zone for providing the review units.
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