Mine came with extras. But I left them off. Also, they may have been interfering with the sound on one side. So, I just don’t replace them.
Moondrop Blessing 2 Review
Written by Chrono
Introduction
The Blessing 2, which retails for $319.99 is one of Moondrop’s midrange IEM offerings, and it is sporting a five driver hybrid setup on each ear piece; using one dynamic, and four balanced armature drivers per side. I don’t want to give too much away in this introduction, but I must say that, so far, the Blessing 2 is the IEM that has impressed me the most, and it’s the headphone which I would singlehandedly attribute my taking interest in the IEM market to.
Sources and Music Used in Listening Tests
All the listening for this review was done on the Astell & Kern SR25. For the listening tests I used music from a wide variety of genres including Rock, Jazz, Classical, Acoustic, Hip-Hop, and latin. I played tracks from my own FLAC library as well as from Tidal Streaming Service (Master Quality).
Packaging and Accessories
Over the past year, Moondrop has garnered quite a buzz around its brand, and has undoubtedly become one of the largest players in the IEM market. So for those familiar with Moondrop, they’ll know that one of the most prominent and recognizable features of their products is their packaging art.
The Blessing 2’s box features a manga style character. The art on the box changes fairly often, but as can be seen here on this late 2020 Blessing 2 box, the art here is inspired by the Christmas holiday:
As for accessories, the Blessing 2 includes six different sets of rubber tips in a variety of sizes, a 3.5mm to 0.78mm two-pin connector cable, and a gray, “Moondrop Co.” branded carrying case. The case is unfortunately a little large, and can’t really be pocketed but it’s still a nice addition, and overall, I feel as though this is a well rounded kit of accessories.
Build and Comfort
The Blessing 2’s build is sincerely outstanding, and feels significantly more premium than what I would expect to find in this price range. The 3D-printed, see through resin shells that house the drivers feel rugged, and they beautifully showcase the precise assembly and drivers implemented in the Blessing 2. Additionally, each ear piece has a CNC’d stainless steel cover, with one of them featuring a laser engraved Blessing 2 Logo.
Comfort, I found, was excellent on the Blesing 2. Admittedly they did feel a little on the heavier side, but I was never afraid that they would suddenly fall off when wearing, and the mold of the chassis seems to very closely follow the natural shape of the ear, so for me it never applied any unnecessary pressure. Important to mention is that the included ear tips made for a good seal, and with so many different sized tips being included, I believe users won’t have a hard time getting a good fit for these. I will warn, though, that these are fairly large IEMs, so for listeners with smaller ears they might cause some mild discomfort.
Sound
As I mentioned earlier, the Blessing 2 is the most impressive IEMs I have listened to thus far, and whilst its technical performance doesn’t really “wow” me, its tuning certainly does.
For my tastes and preferences, the Blessing 2 has one of the most well-balanced, “neutral” tonalities I’ve heard, not just from an IEM, but from all headphones that I’ve listened to. For me, its sound signature is a very natural one, with a present bass response, lush mids, and pretty smooth treble.
Bass
The bass on the Blessing 2 to me sounded as though it had maybe just the slightest boost to it, particularly under 120hz as it heads towards the subbass region. I found this slight bump to be a very nice addition, as it’s a very modest one that helps in rounding out the Blessing 2’s bass response, adding just a little warmth, and keeping the sound from feeling lean in the lows. Overall, I personally found the bass here to be adequately textured, with a very accurate reproduction of lower registers.
Mids
The midrange on the Blessing 2 is truly spectacular. The mids here are even, and linear with a very natural tonality to them. The midrange presentation here is one I’d say a realistic one, with delightful voicing that makes for organic vocals and instruments.
The midrange is where I tend to have the most nitpicks, but honestly there isn’t much for me to comment on when it comes to the Blessing 2’s mids; they are very well tuned, with proper body and presence.
Highs
The treble region on the blessing 2 I personally find to be quite warm, and somewhat reminiscent of that of the HD650. There is one slight deviation present in this part of the frequency response, though, and to me and sounds as though it’s around 5K.
Whilst the treble is for the most part very smooth and relaxed, it does have a bit of peak at 5K. It’s not particularly noticeable, but I did hear some minor glare, and just the slightest bit of low treble sibilance as a result. Aside from that one rise in the treble, though, I found the highs on the Blessing 2 to be pretty good. I think that it could have benefitted from a slightly more present air region above 10K, but the Blessing 2 was still capable of conveying the tonal nuances in the highs.
Resolution
For detail retrieval, the Blessing 2 delivers very good performance. It makes for a listening experience that is nuanced and textured, as it reproduces musical passages with a well-defined structure, and properly reproduces vocal and instrument tones across all registers. Compared to some of the higher-end IEMs I’ve tried, like the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020, the Blessing 2 did slightly lag behind for internal resolution, but to me it seemed to get really close, which is remarkable for its roughly $300 price point.
Soundstage, Imaging and Layering
For IEMs, I think that the Blessing 2’s spatial qualities are pretty average. Compared to the IE300, I found the Blessing 2 have a significantly more intimate soundstage. I wouldn’t go as far as say that its presentation was claustrophobic, but it wasn’t particularly spacious either.
Its imaging, I found, was pretty lackluster. Image distribution across the stage was fairly even, though to me it felt as though it was oddly shifted a bit forward; so what I expected to be Left or Right, was more like Front Left and Front Right. Additionally, I wasn’t getting as much image depth on the blessing 2 as I got on the IE300, so instrument lines didn’t feel quite as distinct as I would have liked to hear.
Dynamics
Dynamics is a category where I think the Blessing 2 performs really well. The bass tones here actually carry a fair bit of weight behind them, with a good sense of punch and slam that made for satisfying low tones. Despite not having nearly as much bass as the IE300, the Blessing 2 seems to have a bit more impact whilst still retaining all the snap and bite in the top-end; making for an enjoyable and engaging listening experience.
Conclusion
The Blessing 2 has been a lot of audio enthusiasts’ top in-ear recommendations, and even in the everchanging IEM market, it’s remained incredibly popular. After having the opportunity to finally listen to them myself, I think I can kind of begin to understand why this set in particular has garnered so much hype and praise over the past year, since its release.
It’s a truly delightful IEM to listen to, with an outstanding tonal balance that I think most listeners will enjoy, and solid all-around technical performance at a great price. From here onwards, I’ll personally be using the Blessing 2 as a tonal benchmark for IEMs in the same way the HD600 has been my benchmark for over ear headphones. I think that at this point it goes without saying, but the Moondrop Blessing 2 gets a very strong recommendation from me, and if like me, you’re fairly new or just entering the IEM market, this is the perfect place to start.
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Great review @Chrono. Soon you’ll be buying lots of iem’s and come completely over to the Dark Side. Mwuhahaha…
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Awesome review! Now do the same with the dusk! 
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Hahaha it seems as though I’m heading down that route, for sure 
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Hi, I am new here. I have a few question to those who had the chance to test the Blessing 2 , B2 Dusk and the Tin P1.
I currently own the Tin P1 and the Fiio BTR5. I recently found a very good deal for the Blessing 2 and was wondering whether it is worth to upgrade or not. Even tough I really like the combo with the P1 and the BTR5 I wish it had a tiny bit more Bass and also a little bit more Soundstage. So I have a few question:
- Will the Blessing 2 sound it more like the Dusk if we EQ it? Will there be some noticable difference?
- Is there some major difference between an Tin P1 + a very good DAC/Amp and an Blessing 2?
- Is it worth it to upgrade to a Blessing 2 from Tin P1 or should I just buy a really powerful AMP and EQ it?
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For those wanting to order their Moondrop Blessing 2 (Dusk) at Shenzhenaudio, don’t forget to add the TRN T2 upgrade cable. That thing is cheap, but a serieus upgrade from the stock cable on the B2/B2D.
So for those on a budget I can highly recommend it. (I’m not affiliated with ShenzenAudio at all)
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Seems quite nice and reminds me of the Tripowin Zonie. I wonder how they compare…
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Yes, very similar, but still some differences. The tripowin looks like a good option too.
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I would get the dusk (because I own it). I never heard the original, but if you want a bass elevated amazing IEM in that price range, it’s hard to go wrong with it.
I am not a fan of EQ. But if you want to do that get the qudelix 5k instead of the btr5. It has PEQ and is an overall better experience than the btr5.
I have comments on the dusk and qudelix vs btr5 (own both) on this forum.
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I initialy wanted to get the Dusk but I have found a very good used Deal for the B2. I have already decided to buy it and test it out for myself.
I already have the BTR5 and I wish I had bought the Qudelix. The BTR5 have a big connection issue with my iPhone. Sometimes they connect sometimes they dont. I will be selling the BTR5 as I am looking forwards to get an Desktop DAC to drive my power hungry Tin P1. I have shortlisted the 1. E1DA Powerdac 2. E1DA 9038S and 3. the ifi hip DAC.
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I didn’t have any issues with connectivity with the BTR5 on iphone. But other things were better about qudelix. Haven’t tried the others you mentioned. So I can’t comment. B2 is a good choice though.
Just over a year ago, I bought and reviewed the Moondrop Blessing 2 in-ear monitor and found it to be an outstanding value at $320 with a few small quirks: it was a tad large with an angled nozzle that did not fit with my ear shape well, and it was just slightly bright-tilting that can be fatiguing with some music. Now, a year later, I am getting an opportunity to listen to and review a new variant of the Blessing 2, called the “Dusk.”
The Blessing 2 Dusk is a collaborative effort from Moondrop and community-reviewer Crinacle from In-Ear Fidelity fame. The new set features the same basic shell design and accessory package, but with a re-tuned internal to produce a sound more closely resembling Crinacle’s preference target.
This set is on-loan to me from Crinacle himself as part of a North American review tour. I do converse with Crinacle online often, however his presence did not influence my review at all, and I did not discuss the contents of the review or the experience for that matter with him prior to this article release.
I won’t dive too much into the unboxing and package suite as it is pretty much the same as the original Blessing 2 set except with a few graphical changes. First off, the box features a new animated female mascot featuring a similar designed character but with a face resembling Crinacle’s face logo. The shell branding now also features the words “Dusk” on it, just below the Blessing 2 standard print.
As a quick refresher, the Dusk and Blessing 2 are multi-driver hybrids. They both feature a single dynamic driver to carry the low-end, and 4 balanced armature drivers to provide the mid-range and treble. As far as I know, the driver configurations are identical, however the tuning has changed.
Sound Impressions
My initial day of listening to these was a very pleasant one. As some may know already, I do a bit of listening just prior to measuring if at all possible. For the case of the Dusk, I already had seen many graphs of it in the past, but withheld measuring this particular set until I spent a bit of time on it first.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the original Blessing 2, but I have listened to it enough to, as well as taken a lot of notes on it, that I have a pretty good understanding of how it sounds and behaves. My primary listening device with the Dusk has been the Lotoo PAW 6000 digital audio player, and I’ve been limited to that as my main desktop amplifier is out of commission for repairs at the moment.
The Dusk, right off the bat, sounds very well-tuned and engaging. The bass shelf sounds more elevated and bolder with more lingering decay and a punchier attack. The mid-range sounds more filled-in and the lower treble area is no longer bright, but now falls more in-line with how I want a treble response to sound like, with a good balance of clarity, but without over-exaggeration that could lead to tizzies.
I spent several hours listening to an eclectic mix of music, but was very impressed with how non-fatiguing Nickel Creek sounded, despite their forward mix of mandolins, guitars and fiddle. I was also impressed with the low end kick and smoothness of the presentation when I listened to Triosence, a modern jazz-trio band.
The bass hits well with good definition and the additional lift in the bass shelf that Crinacle added seems to really improve the overall lushness of the Blessing 2, which originally felt a tad lean and more in-line with a reference tuning than one that is musical in nature. This addition is welcome for most genres, and the added elevation doesn’t seem to bring into effect any lingering issues with distortion or loss of detail. It’s good, because I was a little worried if it would cause smearing of details or added bloat.
Luckily, this isn’t the case, and this little bump has an additional bonus of adding a little more meat on the bones of the mid-range, and in particular the lower-mids, which seemed a tad lean in the previous offering.
The real benefit for me personally, however, is the tamed-down presentation of the upper-midrange and low-treble. In the previous effort, Moondrop’s tuning choice was just over the line for my personal preferences in this area, with some of the high notes having a little too much focus and making certain instruments like strings and cymbals a bit too splashy.
The Dusk’s tuning reduces this and puts it more in-line with my preferences, and it seems to go very well with my musical preferences currently, showing off my jazz tracks with great depth and clarity.
If there was one knock I have on this new tuning, it is that I feel the Blessing 2 Dusk is a little more closed-in than the original. It isn’t a big surprise I guess, as bumping up the bass and reducing the treble can make my perceived level of width and openness feel more intimate, which it does. That said, instrument separation and detail don’t seem to be hindered by it all, which is good news.
Another small knock on this model is that when I took the Blessing 2 Dusk out of my ears and then slipped in my custom Hidition Viento-B unit, I immediately noticed a bit more openness and a cleaner and more detailed low-end. The bass region’s extra boost along with its average dynamic driver are probably at fault here, as it does make it sound just a tad more blunted and less defined. That said, the Viento-B is a 4-driver balanced armature only IEM and doesn’t necessarily suffer from resolution and attack, but some may find it lacking a totally organic experience. The Viento also cost nearly three-times more than the Dusk.
Wrap-Up
While the Blessing 2 was one of my solid picks for an under $500, and perhaps even more, IEM, I did always preface it with a couple caveats: the larger shell design, and the slightly bright treble. The Dusk reduces the treble to a much more enjoyable level, while also boosting the low-end which should appeal to many. I think this unit will be very well-enjoyed for both its tuning and its technical capabilities at the asking price. There’s very few others in this price category that pack this dual punch, and I say that despite preferring the lower bass quantities of the original Blessing 2 more.
Ideally for me, it’d be a mix of the two sets – Blessing 2 from 0 to 1000Hz, and Dusk from 1000Hz onward. But, beggars can’t be choosers, and I’d be happy with either one of these, with perhaps a slight nod to the Dusk because it’s easier on the ears and more fun.
This is a really nice package if you can wear it comfortably and if you want a slightly more fun than reference sound signature. It gets an easy recommendation from me!
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Spot on as usual! You ever review the sony z1r?
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I don’t think I’ll give it a full review though I’ve had people offer to send me their units several times in the past. I’ve had a few sessions with it at meets and one-on-one demo sessions with community members and unfortunately the fit really affects the listening experience of the IER-Z1R, and so I don’t think I can give it a proper review because of that. For me, it was overly bright and the dynamic driver felt totally disconnected from the rest of the unit, as well as being overdone, and this has a lot to do with the ability to get a proper insertion of the IEM.
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Thanks! There has always been something about it that keeps me away. Gonna start looking for something to compliment the Zen instead of best it.
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Here’s my quick review of the Blessing 2.
After crashing and burning with my first attempt at purchasing a “real” IEM earphone (I had fit issues with it), I decided to make another attempt and settled on the Moondrop Blessing 2. The reviews online put my mind at ease, but seeing as nobody has the exact same ear shape and we have different preferences, I was still a bit nervous. Fortunately, my mind was put at ease during my very first listening session with the Blessing 2.
The Blessing 2 has what I’d describe as a “neutral” sound, with no one frequency range overpowering the other. It images quite well - much better than it should in this price bracket. The soundstage is about average in size and depth for an IEM in my opinion, and therefore I have zero complaints.
Moving on to the tonality and technical performance, the bass has enough depth and impact to satisfy, but true bass heads will find it lacking. It’s also lacking a bit of texture and resolution when compared to earphones in the kilobuck price range; it’s not one-note bass by any means, but the dynamic driver used on the Blessing 2 is simply average compared to some of the others out there.
The midrange is where the Blessing 2 excels, offering loads of detail and clarity. If you like female vocals, this earphone should be quite pleasing to you. Male vocals are clean but sometimes can sound a tad lean; I only occasionally hear this and so it’s a very minor grievance. Electric guitars have plenty of bite and are brought to the forefront of the experience, but they aren’t overly in-your-face or aggressive, especially if the recording is decent. Finally, the treble walks a fine line of being extremely resolving (at this price range) and a little peaky, but it never crosses the line for me. The detail retrieval here is only rivaled by earphones costing many times the price of the Blessing 2, so I am quite happy with its performance here.
Overall I’d rate the Blessing 2 a solid 5 out of 5 stars, as it’s truly exceptional for the $320.00 asking price. My only gripes are that the bass could have better resolution and the treble could extend higher in order to provide more air; a little more bass quantity would be pleasing to my ears as well. I will most definitely be keeping this IEM in my collection - it’s simply magical for the price I paid!
My next quest is to find a “true upgrade” to the Blessing 2, improving on bass resolution/quantity and treble extension. Perhaps the S8 is that IEM, but I have a lot more research to do before pulling the trigger on something. Until then, I’ll definitely be enjoying the Moondrop Blessing 2!
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So I got the Blessing 2 and tested it for a few days. I am a total noob when it comes to describing sound but I am gonna try: I gotta say I am really disappointed with the overall sound. It sounds really odd to me with ear-piercing highs. The Bass is neutral a very deep silent thump. The Highs and Mids are detailed but it lacks the something which the Tin P1 offers I can’t describe what it really is. But the real dealbraker was the very harsh Highs which makes my ears bleed when I try to listen with some higher Volume. I just don’t understand why many people praise the Blessing 2 into the skies.
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Have you tried a variety of tips? The right fit can and does transform IEMs. You are describing a tone profile that I hear with undersized tips on most every IEM. In my experience foam is more forgiving to fit than silicone.
I experienced this TODAY with another product. Small tips = thin and bright. Large tips = full sound and deep bass.
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Listen to @generic. I had this problem with one of the tips that came with the Dunu Zen. I thought they were broken. On my Blessing 2 Dusk, I really liked xelastec tips. The included ones are a bit meh for me. Large thick tips are the way to go.