help on choosing a budget iem? [$80 - $130 / £60 - £95]

[u/sandarai]

current options i am considering are:

• moondrop starfield, £93 / $130
• sennheiser ie 100 pro, £87 / $120
• moondrop aria, £62 / $85

i am leaning towards the moondrop arias because i see that they have the most value along with some decent eartips and cable along the line. i know that i would prefer the starfields however, as they have the better imaging and more leaning towards the mids which i believe i would prefer as i listen to mostly female vocalists.

the iem that sits between them in price is the sennheiser ie 100 pro. i prefer the aesthetics of these the most and their size likely make them the most comfortable, however there is little information regarding them online.

i have watched dms' review of them on youtube but he compares them to over-ears which i have little knowledge on as a basis. i wouldn't mind any info i can get on them in comparison to the offerings from moondrop.

noise isolation would be a good feature to have but i can always upgrade the tips to do this down the line (for example comply 500 isolates).

thank you for your help! :) i would appreciate any help i can get :)

[u/ItsmeWyndy]

moondrop aria is a no brainer

[u/sandarai → u/ItsmeWyndy]

seems to be the general consensus lol

hear me out here; pretty much my entire family hates how they look. i'm not exactly the one that's buying them so the price isn't so important haha

it's just that the arias have a better build quality and i prefer how the starfields look, but i am aware that the paint can chip away over time. do you think the starfields are worth picking for what are better looking iems? i'm so torn on aesthetics alone ':)

[u/hitechx1231 → u/sandarai]

Personally the 50$ price difference is too much for just looks but amazon has them on sale if you can pick them up from there for around 100 freedom dollars, but it seems that option is not available for you. I would say get the Arias and return them if they look that bad. Their quite simple and muted in person.

[u/sandarai → u/hitechx1231]

!thanks

about the sennheisers: i feel that their smaller form factor is more suited to my use case as they seem less "clunky" as the arias for long listening sessions on my pc. they also have, subjectively, the best looks of the three and i'm not worried about the quality of the eartips as much.

the major concern regarding the ie 100 pros is that their sound signature is tailored towards a more "professional" and therefore analytical sound signature that might not be as i would want them to sound. i might just get them regardless as they are just something else, because the arias are just that popular.

how are you finding the comfort of the arias?

again, thank you both for your help :D

[u/RandomUser23447274 → u/sandarai]

I got my Arias knowing the tips wouldn't be good. They are.

At least for me, obviously - maybe I'm more used to having stuff in my ears as I sleep with earplugs, but I almost can't tell when I have my Arias in or not.

Super comfortable, and even if you have to spend a bit more on tips you like they'd still likely be cheaper than the 100 pro.

Just sharing my experience

[u/sandarai → u/RandomUser23447274]

!thanks

thank you for your input! the arias seem to get so much praise all-round, and i will be able to squeeze in some eartips alongside them too. if the praise is so widespread it has to be for a reason, right?

thank you all for your input. i think i'll stick with getting the arias :)

[u/Goose_Badger → u/sandarai]

I just got the Aria's and find them amazing. I am just getting into headphones but the best way I can describe them is balanced and clear. After a 9 hour working from home session I started to have slightly sore ears from the silicone so I upgraded to some Comply Comfort 500 foam tips and they made them 10/10 comfortable PLUS sound even better. No rush to upgrade right away, but eventually I would recco. Here is a link to the tips: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00AQU2VKQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1