Etymotic ER4SR vs MoonDrop Aria

It's one of those IEMs that 'wow' that sounds like actual clean water. Something difficult to find in most price ranges today < $1000. Of course, I'm biased as a happy Etymotic ER4SR user. The journey to ER4SR included so many IEM testing including models like Shure SE846 that I'm a full Etymotic believer

This time the right channel made a soft pop. Now the earphone that I do have barely gets to a listenable level at full volume on my phone and has the same tinny-ness as the left. The quality control of these units is awful and the process of getting anything about it fixed at all is more of a hastle and wait than I am willing to go through again (keep in mind it's been three months since I've recieved the headphones and not only are neither working properly anymore, but half of that time was spent with only one earphone anyway). Update: The company happily and swiftly issued a refund at request after a breif explanation, so it is at least easy to get refunds/replacements, and for that I give them credit

5mm connection, but ship with a sturdy 0.25-inch headphone jack adapter for use with studio and stereo gear.

It's not all positive however, the Moondrop Aria's can cause some ear tenderness after hours of wearing. Changing the eartips out to custom ones doesn't really help much, but it can if you find an eartip that really works well for you. I think this tenderness is due to the metal casing that is used, but I can't complain too much about them being metal because it'll add durability and make them last longer. If you're looking for a great pair of earbuds under $100 for the gamer or audiophile in your life, this is an excellent pair of earbuds for them

Went with the studio reference version because I don't care for too much bass, and I can safely say there is a good amount here. The bass is present, clean, well-defined, and it's not so much that the sound is muddy. The isolation is fantastic of course, provided you can find the right fit for your ears. I use the standard tri-flange tips myself

Basically, when I'm wearing them, only the tips are in and not the body, so I'll be sending them back. Before I purchased the T3 Plus, by the bunch of reviews and comments I've heard and read about the Moondrop Aria's, they seem like a good upgrade from the Blon's because of the similar warm balanced tuning. However, I'm still concerned about the fit since their size looks similar to the T3 Plus' and definitely those paint chipping issues.

This is for discerning listeners. It's sound as real as it was recorded. If you like the thump and the hiss, these are not for you.

If you are going to find any decent in-ear/earbuds, it's worth to give this a try blindly if you don't know anything at all, I bet you won't regret about it. The only one small thing that maybe different from one to another, is that the comfortabilty. I'm not sure what causes it, but this can't stay in my ear at a long time, compared to the Moondrop Quarks, which is one of the smallest and cheapest In ear, but it has a muddy mid which I don't really like. But since it's has a really good price, I can't complain about this at all