Headphones — Moondrop ARIA

The Moondrop ARIA, a corded in-ear monitor, relies on one dynamic driver housed in a metal shell with a detachable cable. It sold for USD 79.99, the same price later carried over to the Snow Edition variant, and it became the starting point for a family of ARIA models that followed. The first of these, the ARIA Snow Edition, kept the driver size but swapped the LCP diaphragm for a DLC composite one and moved to a CNC milled casing. Moondrop describes the earpiece shape as following ergonomic principles.

Key specs that matter

Moondrop fits a 10 mm dynamic driver with a dual-cavity internal magnet layout and a diaphragm made of LCP, a liquid crystal polymer. Sensitivity is rated at 122 dB per Vrms at 1 kHz, a figure measured against voltage rather than power. Impedance is 32 ohm plus or minus 15 percent at 1 kHz. The quoted frequency range runs from 5 Hz to 36 kHz, while the effective range, measured on an IEC 60318-4 ear simulator at the minus 3 dB points, is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The cable attaches to the shells with standard 0.78 mm two-pin connectors, so it can be replaced.

Engineering and use context

Details published at launch list a voice coil wound from CCAW wire, a brass-plated inner cavity and a magnetic circuit built with N52 neodymium magnets. The housing is a metal cavity produced through several machining steps. Inside it Moondrop combines a composite cavity with multiple tuning holes and several acoustic dampers, which together shape the air flow behind and in front of the diaphragm. The nozzle takes replaceable filters, and the box contains six of them plus a pair of tweezers for swapping them out. The supplied cable has a nylon woven outer layer over silver-plated conductors. Also in the package are a soft storage bag for carrying, silicone tips offered in S, M and L fittings, a QC card and a manual.

Pairing

Such an easy electrical load means the ARIA runs from a smartphone jack, a small dongle converter or a pocket player, with no separate amplifier needed. Because the cable is detachable at the two-pin sockets, owners can fit a lead terminated in a balanced plug if their source provides a balanced output.

Alternatives

The Moondrop ARIA2 is the later single-dynamic model of the line, specified at 33 ohm with a zinc alloy cavity and brass nozzle.