Thanks for all the replies and insults on the first post. I don’t really use IEMS. I have old pairs of Shure 846, Sony Z5 and the Audeze isine20. Recently got back into the hobby again after a long break. Bought the Audeze i3 (which will melt your brain good) and it’s my main driver. I started looking for a closed IEM to use on occasion. I am not that big of a gearhead. I just enjoy nice music for the most part.
The Variations was pretty talked up in r/headphones like it’s the bull’s bollocks. I saw fellow countryman Crinacle rated it very highly. The guy really knows his stuff right? Beating about the bush is not a common trait here. How badly can this turn out? Well. It’s boring. It does sound 500 dollarsish and nah it’s not great. It’s okay, passable. It’s all my fault though. I bought it online without testing it first. I am used to Sennheisers and Audezes. That pretty much usually is a question of did it meet your expectations or exceed them? SQ is not the issue. It’s $500 built like a $100 one.
Anyway back to the story.
I passed by the shop I bought it from and went to check with them.
Me: Hi, I bought a set of Variations about a month ago. The damn faceplate dropped off while the IEM stayed in my ear.
Shop Guy: Yep. (Not a hint of surprise) It’s just a little glue holding it.
Me: So what do people do in such cases? Do they bring it back, you send it moondrop for RMA? I’ll receive one equally bad? Should I just superglue it?
Shop Guy: Superglue it. Save the trouble.
Me: What would you recommend over the Variations? I want something with body to it.
Shop Guy goes on to recommend a couple of Chinese IEMs. Explaining what to expect. I lost interest really fast but noticed that everything recommended was half the price of the Variations or less. There you go, boys and girls. Don’t buy the higher-priced Chinese stuff. Apparently, the recommended ones are somewhere in the $250 range. They seem determined to have a race to the bottom. By this time next year. You’ll get the same quality for half of that. After that, it’ll melt in the rain and most of the companies will be bankrupt.
I did test the Truthear Nova. Which appears to be talked up here like it’s a pair of bear’s bollocks. LOL. I get it, different yardstick. I wanted to try the Arya Organics, which wasn’t available to test. I did try the Edition XS. It sounded great. The build quality however was hilarious. I am going to stick to something more familiar like Audeze or Sennheiser.
I’ll like to thank everybody for allowing me to vent. Really appreciate. What do you think about Chi-fi? Love it? Hate it? Good for the hobby? Just a money grab? The guy (or gal) who called me a sucker for buying anything other than an APPLE airpod might be right. The Nova sounds like …, I will pick the airpods non pro over it. I am very confused.
You must log in or register to comment.
another case of Open-back Variation, Sorry that you have to go through this
Imo, Chifi is good at 300-400$ but after that i would stop paying.
LOL. I saw most of the recommended stuff is about $200 to $300 tops.
I honestly think you caught a case of bad luck. If I’m going to spend more than $350 on something as mobile as an IEM, I’m going in with the expectation that they may break. If I’m spending more than $350, I’m going to ensure I buy my product from a reputable supplier like Amazon, as they err on the side of the consumer (but still maintain an expected integrity) in regard to warranty issues. If their ad says “One year warranty” and you hit up the seller and they push back, Amazon will typically refund you. Yeah, it may cost a small upcharge from Amazon but you have that buyer protection.
So long story longer, once you start spending outside of your comfort “gamble” level of money, stick to a reputable shop and be picky.
In hindsight, it’s easy to say “Well you should have done your research, yadda yadda yadda” so I understand your confusion but at the moment of purchase you would have not even thought about if the product breaks or something. This is a very common mistake people make and luckily only costed you a few hundred bucks. My lesson costed me about $2,500 on a gaming laptop. I eventually got some of my money back but it was a HASSLE and a half. You may still be able to preserve some of your investment, but it’s a lesson learned.
I agree. I am gentle with audio equipment. I understand they’re precision instruments, drop and knock them, and eventually, something bad will happen. However, this is not the case here. I would tickly my wife with more force.
You’re right about Amazon. I am in the far east, so while I have Amazon. I don’t get the entire Amazon catalog. From here on. I’ll take your advice and use it as much as possible.
I can’t believe that Moondrop applies a bit of glue for holding on the shell to the one spot which can move very slightly (the connector) such that the glue can break and the shell can drop off. You did take a really nice photo of the interior of the Variations. I haven’t had any issues with the chi-fi IEMs which I have purchased. Presently my favorite is the Aful Performer 5. There is nothing that can fall off the Performer 5.
Did you try the truthear nova with foam tips? Even in measurements a significant difference can be seen. I really wonder how they compare to variations.
I didn’t have the foams. The pair I tried only had the normal tips. It sounded really recessed in the mids and the bass was just sad. I am not sure changing the foam tips will make that much of a difference. I suspect the cable needs to be changed as well.
Interesting, I’ve been listening to the Novas for a week or so. The bass on my pair is really strong; tones under 50 Hz basically shake my head even at lower listening levels. Mids wise, female & upper register male vocals are very forward. The foam tips do make a difference, but mainly in the very lowest freqs and above 6k (see my measurements here).
I don’t get what people are hearing with the Variations. The little fucker is not what it is. We fell for the hype train, i was not hearing what the reviewers were saying. It sounded like a cheap iem, got mine, listened to it for an hour, packed it all and returned the f*cker all in the same day. I felt let down by an overhype train. Never again Moondrop. Moondrop is overhyped and not even close to good products. Fight me. Lol.