Another great review @SenyorC. On the Aesthetic side of things my first thought was that they had that CA look about them. Again thanks for a great read.
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Thanks for checking it out!
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Blessing 2 Dusk First Impressions
Note: This is copy/pasted from my own posting on a facebook community. I decided I really like the headphones community forum and would contribute. I am not a professional reviewer, and donāt even fully understand all the terminology. Take everything here with a truck load of salt. I will also put my first impressions of the DUNU Zen in that thread.
These arrived a day early in the afternoon. So I get to spend the afternoon and much of the evening listening to them.
Feel free to skip this journey non-sense and skip to ABOUT THE BLESSING 2 DUSK below.
Let me first talk about why I picked these IEMs for my journey. After being mostly disappointed by headphone failures (literally), I was ready to hold off for a bit. I love the technicality and resolution of planar, it just sounds complete. Yet, I couldnāt find a planar solution that really gave me the bass I craved. And by bass, I likely mean sub-bass. Bass should feel like itās coming for you. Like zombies from 28 days later.
So here is a snapshot of what I thought about headphones and amps that lead me to this IEM.
Headphones:
Quad ERA-1: Bass invades everything.
LCD-X: most unnatural technical superiority I have heard so far.
ATH-r70x: Probably what I wanted tonally, but didnāt compare technically to sundara.
Arya: Gorgeous across the board, except similar light bass as the Sundara.
He6se: Amping sucks. Died. Was on track to be the headphone at the time.
Airpods Max: Itās real strength is bass and movies. Not worth it on its own.
Sundara: A step below the arya in every way, but absolutely wonderful.
Amps:
DX3 Pro: Great, not enough power for some of the above.
SP200/M200: Better, but kept dropping audio intermittently.
xduoo ta-30: Too similar to sp200 (was expecting something different when it has tubes). I would consider this again as it did take the edge off the arya.
A90/D90: Itās great. But, like the arya, not worth the money over cheaper options. (also, only heard it with he6se and sundara)
Yamaha s-a801: Shaping up to be great for the he6se. Only heard for 15 minutes before the zombies got the he6se. Would consider for stereo speakers.
iDSD Signature: Awesome when working. But played static and distortion sometimes.
Assorted portable: All under powered for good planars.
On christmas eve, the he6se died (a gruesome zombie death). And I setup a return for just about everything I had left. I started eyeing ZMF Eikon/Verite Closed as an expensive āone headphoneā solution. I even returned the sundara, which I love, because 1) I had no amp. 2) make budget space for expensive solution. I spent a few weeks listening to nothing at all as I had no headphones. Out of desperation I tried using my airpods (original). And I just couldnāt do it. Everything sounds terrible.
In this journey it became clear how important ābeing mobileā is right now. Being tied to a desktop stack just wasnāt going to work. And I knew from experience that the Airpods Max audio quality didnāt make me want to listen to it (it went back as well). And since I rarely watch movies/tv by myself, the airpods max one giant advantage was stupid.
I stewed over it and then finally decided to learn about IEMs. I hadnāt looked at them seriously because I have never really liked crap shoved in my ears. Like what? people do that? really?
So, what did I know? I knew I didnāt like the bass response of anything I tried. I knew I did like detail and natural balance (sundara, arya, he6se). As I learned about FR response graphs the bass invasion and unnatural sound seemed to stem from either non-existent pinna gain or bass going above 200-300 mhz (or both!). This seemed to lead to ābalanceā. Well, as I looked into IEMs, the Blessing 2 Dusk leapt out as the most naturally balanced bass boosted IEM at almost any price. (I have possibly further refined my desires to open up this statement to more IEMs)
Now, enough context, on to the real thing.
ABOUT THE BLESSING 2 DUSK:
Everyone else has covered practicalities about build quality and unboxing. Itās good, move on. Cause, I need to write more words. Right? RIGHT?
Where to begin? Comfort. So far, itās ok. One ear is getting a bit annoyed at having something poking into it constantly. I have xelastec tips coming to see if they are better. I find these over ear cables pretty annoying. Especially with masks and jackets. Fiio needs to make a BTR5 that just links the two IEMs behind your head like those sports IEMs. Done. (update: they kinda do make this)
I also want to say that moving anything generates noise. If I move my head, the wires rub which generates noise. Chewing is really weird. Donāt even think about talking. All the things I donāt like about IEMs. (update: it was the crappy moondrop bort cable. Donāt buy. Stock cable and dunu duw-02 are light years better)
I have not had anything IEM related since the Airpods Pro and Power beats, both which failed utterly to entice me and were sent home. The initial feeling of IEMs is pretty awkward. And the way the music presents is definitely much more āin your headā than headphones. The arya are like polar opposites in this regard. But, thus far, that has not mattered in the least to me. Itās more like a tiny perfectly shaped bubble that barely encases my head. A little personal audiophile bubble that is just cozily wrapped around my brain. I bet it makes me taste better to zombies. And, right now, I feel like I am sitting on stage between the musicians. That isnāt a bad thing. Itās cohesive, not weird at all.
I would not say the sound is like these other headphones I tried. I think it definitely trends more musical than say sundara. More like a Quad ERA-1 with tonal balance. I am assuming some of this is warmth, but if it is, I have zero problem with it. There is something more to it, while still maintaining a great balance. It is tonally very very good to my ears. Itās detailed, yet powerful. Itās neither too airy or too congested. Literally, balanced.
For the first time in this journey, I turned down the volume because the bass was too much. Yeah, that happened. And I am very happy about that! I donāt even remember what song, but it wasnāt one of my bass crazy ones like massive attack angel (which is playing right now). This song is absolutely delicious on these IEMs. While, the bass is there, and you certainly donāt feel it the way you do on the airpods max, or with speakers + subwoofer, it is undeniably present and accounted for. I suspect, there is no replacement to a subwoofer for feeling bass. But this comes as close as I have heard for personal audio.
I like to listen to a few key parts of Fellowship of the ring. Galadrielās voice was filled with power. It was riveting. While the shear bass response of the ring dropping on the floor or sauronās eye blinking on the screen when Gandalf touches it does not match the airpods max for visceral feeling, it was very very good. The overall movie watching experience was better than any of those headphones because the bass was present. To some extent it was better than the Airpods Max because it was cleaner.
Mids and trebble. I honestly donāt have a lot to say about these directly. I donāt think my audio knowledge is good enough to write a really good coherent description of sound around mids and trebble yet. What I can say, is it sounds rich where it should and clean where it should.
So, I may be a bass head. I could see myself liking even crazier bass. But, that said, I do think going too much further would effect the tonal balance. It makes me want to take a serious look at Monarch and Clairvoyance just to see where this could go. And, I could see myself liking the tuning of both those headphones. Clairvoyance being the more similar to dusk of the two. I think, I would probably like the detail and more linear mids on the monarch with the supposedly greater detail.
One bad thing I did notice on one song so far: There is almost some āstaticā on some tones on āPeel me a grapeā and I havenāt figured out if itās source or headphones. I canāt describe it, but it didnāt sound right to me. Itās always on the same notes. I donāt recall hearing it before.
For better or worse, I do not have anything to a/b compare to. And I suspect if there were things to directly compare to, differences would absolutely come out. I suspect the sundara would still feel a bit like a breath of fresh air, but not as extreme as with quads or lcd-x. However, the end result right now, is I am enjoying them! And maybe, I shouldnāt a/b and should just listen to things one at a time and truly judge by that. The bass certainly helps.
In the end, I really donāt know what I would improve on these. I assume one day I will hear it and know. (update: see the dunu zen!) But, at this moment, I have nothing to suggest to make me want them more. They may very well be the best I have heard yet for my tastes. Comparing to the Sundara, I think maybe I wouldnāt mind some boost in the 2-5k range? Maybe? but maybe not.
I am sitting with my laptop next to my wife and a fire writing the end of this review. Being able to do this with superb music without disturbing my wife at all, is wonderful. Right now, the blessing dusk 2 is a keeper.
Equipment:
Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk (DUH!)
Fiio BTR5 (probably worth a different post)
Moondrop Bort cable (stupid expensive, probably not worth it)
Stock medium tips (xelastec on the way)
Music:
Wide selection of popular to classical. Metallica to show tunes. Massive attack to Ani DiFranco.
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Since the larger nozzle size on the Blessing 2 (Dusk) is mentioned quite frequently, I was wondering of most tips would fit on those? SpinFit CP100, CP240? Which Comply tips would fit?
I enjoy reading "adventure / journey " reviews like @Dynamic wrote. There is something about being able to get a peak into what the reviewer is thinking as they experience it. Good review, keep them coming.
Mark Gosdin
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I got spinfit tips to fit on the regular blessing 2. it takes some patience. i ended up going with stock.
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I finally received the Xelastec tips and tried them out on the Starfield.
It does give them a little extra clarity and the bass is more to my liking. I loved them before and now I love them just a little bit more 
I tried the 11.5kHz boost that @pwjazz mentioned and I found that (for my tastes) it works well on some music but is too much on on others. I find that it irritates me slightly more when it doesnāt work than me missing it when I donāt EQ the tracks that do benefit from it (if that makes any sense).
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Is that the CP100 you tried or the ones with bigger inner diameter (CP145, CP155)?
the cp100. if thereās a larger inner diameter one (still learning about tip differences), itās a good idea to try them instead
I prefer the cp100. The cp155 has a different shape and material. The seal is not as good in my ears.
Moondrop Starfield: Shoot For The Moon; If You Miss, Youāll Still Be Among The Stars
Introduction
Moondrop. Progenitor of the perplexing dynamic that is waifu and high-fidelity audio; one of the most distinguished Chi-Fi brands in the IEM world thanks to their calculated approach to tuning. Iāve owned the KXXS (the Starfieldās more premium brother) for more than a year at this point. In this time, Iāve been lucky enough to try and review dozens of IEMs, some very expensive ones, and yet, the KXXS remains a staple of my small collection. That alone should probably be a testament to how much I like the KXXS, and I have well over a couple hundred hours on my unit. Of course, this review isnāt about the KXXS; itās about the Starfield, which promises comparable sonic performance at close to half the price. Letās take a quick look at how it stacks up.
This unit was loaned by Super*Review. As usual, what follows are my honest thoughts and opinions to the best of my ability. I wonāt be covering the build, accessories, etc. here too closely, so Iād recommend looking elsewhere if thatās what youāre interested in!
Sound Analysis
Frequency response measured off of an IEC-711 coupler. There is a resonance peak at 8kHz; as such, measurements after this point should not be considered entirely accurate.
Thereās no shortage of listeners who will attest to the Starfield being Harman-tuned, and eh, sure, I can see the resemblance. The main deviation would be in the bass which slopes out further, lending some extra note-weight to male vocals (not at all a bad thing); the Harman target is a good deal more incisive at around 200hZ by comparison.
The bass on the Starfield is about equal parts sub-bass and mid-bass ā considerably above neutral ā and honestly, itās not very good. At least not according to the metrics with which Iād normally qualify good bass. Transient attack is fairly soft ā thereās no way around it ā and dynamic slam is pretty lackluster with an oft-cited āpillowy-nessā to the way hits are articulated. The midrange of the Starfield is Harman-inspired, peaking at around 3kHz with a tad too much emphasis at around 4kHz which some might find bright initially; I know I certainly did on the KXXS. Interestingly, the KXXS actually has slightly more energy around this region, lending to a slightly brighter, āedgierā presentation. Treble is about equal parts milquetoast, rolling off fairly linearly post-5kHz with a tad bump in the mid-treble at around 8kHz and in the bottom air frequencies. Somewhat rolled-treble and extended bass shelf in-hand, the Starfield is, accordingly, a considerably warm IEM with a tendency to delve into congestion on more complex tracks.
For an IEM I like so much, Iāve already cited quite a few issues, right? But surely, you say, thereās a catch. And indeed there is: You can take all those criticisms and flip them on their head. Not unlike the 64 Audio U12t, the Starfield toes the line between being intangibly pleasing and slightly neutering resolution with its soft, blunted transient attack; decay is equally oh-so-natural. Stack on the pillowy-ness in the bass, and a minor peak at around 12kHz that lends treble to a pleasant haziness in the decay, and you have a recipe for terrific timbre and ā argh, I hate to use this word ā a highly musical presentation.
Of course, letās not pretend that the Starfield is some technical savant or anything of the sort. Itās not. Itās a respectable technical performer for its price, sure, but itās light years away from touching a lot of flagship stuff, much less top-tier stuff. Dynamics are generally compressed, imaging is only slightly above average, and layering is pretty āmehā hence the aforementioned congestion issues. Heck, Moondropās own SSR gives the Starfield a run for its money in the technical department! Still, you know, I donāt really mind. Thereās something highly alluring about the way the Starfield shifts its perceived weaknesses into strengths, the way it straddles that line so neatly for my preferences, and itās something I canāt get enough of each time I listen to it. Frankly, Iād take the Starfield or KXXS over pretty much anything else under $200 on the basis of preference.
vs. KXXS
Speaking of which, youāll probably want me to compare it more closely with the KXXS. For most intents and purposes ā at least tonally ā theyāre close to identical sans that upper-midrange bump on the KXXS. For whatever reason, I find myself preferring the slight edginess to female vocals on the KXXS; the Starfield sounds plateaued in this range, a hair more fatiguing like so. Again, donāt ask me why. Some friends have also noted that the macrodynamic performance of the KXXS is better; likewise, I would agree that the Starfield sounds a tad overly loud in the way it scales dynamic swings and not quite as pleasing in its transient attack by comparison. Needless to say I doubt I could pass an A/B test between the two of them, so perhaps it would be more apt to say I find the Starfield lacks some of that je ne sais quoi relative to my KXXS. Maybe itās just the placebo and nostalgia getting to me (to be fair, you do get slighted with the waifu packaging on the Starfield too).
The Verdict
In conclusion? Personally, Iād still swing those extra bucks for the KXXS as crazy as it sounds. But thereās no question in my mind that the Starfield is a terrific IEM. Itās an excellent value proposition all-round; that is, an IEM that comfortably trades blows with the best in its price bracket. So shoot for the moon because even if you miss, youāll still be among the stars: the Moondrop Starfield.
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Great analysis! Not precisely in tuning, but in terms of how people relate to it, the Starfield strikes me as the IEM equivalent of the Sennheiser HD6X0. Some people are absolutely content with it, other people find it terribly boring, many think that thereās better options in terms of ātechnicalitiesā and most agree that the timbre is great. Just as I envy those who can stop their search at the HD6X0 and just enjoy the music, so do I envy those who find similar contentment with the Starfield.
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You raise a really good point about enjoying something like the starfield. I have very recently learned to judge all audiophile purchases based on how much I enjoy it. I am still working on it.
An example right now: I just bought and reviewed the iBasso dx160. Itās fine. I could be using it right now but instead, I have the apple dongle on my phone. Why? Because itās easier and there is no increased joy from the dx160.
I am probably returning the dx160. What it taught me is few if any daps can fit my listening needs on a practical level. Nothing else about it increased enjoyment.
By contrast, the dunu zen basically completely replaced the blessing 2 dusk. They are just more enjoyable for me. I canāt even fully define why. I just have no desire to pickup the dusk when the zen is right there.
Starfield or odin, let that be your guide (within your budget of course!)
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Tips keep getting stuck in my ears when I pull the Blessing 2 out. Specifically the medium which fit my ears best. Anyone got advice on keeping them in? Finding other tips that sound as good as stock has been fruitless.
Great review as always Precogvision.
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Xelastec tips wonāt do that if they work for you.
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If youāre trying to keep them (I assume you mean the tips) in your ears, smearing them with Elmerās glue and letting them set in your ears for 2 to 4 hours should work.
Oh wait - you probably mean on the IEM. I would try a bit of rubber or contact cement - just a little bit. Not hard to clean off if it doesnāt work.
Elmerās glue skins are for school children!
Moondrop IEMs are covered with Chinese domestic market āmoon drops.ā This is known as SuperGlue(R) to the rest of us. This product makes them so secure that one must remove a layer of skin to get them out.
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I think the problem was that his favorite tips were coming off the Moondrop IEMs. Unless he can order the tips with a narrower bore, that will remain a problem. Hence the idea of rubber cement, which may effectively narrow the bore, will not hurt foam, and can clean up.
As for my smart aleck reply about Elmers, I was going to say super glue, then considered the possible liability issues. In my family āSueā is usually a verb. (Not really, but itās a good line).
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