In-Ear Fidelity

Moondrop Blessing 2 Review: Kilobuck Threat

Table of Contents

Introduction

You guys have been begging for this for months, and now it’s finally here.

At this point, I’ve touched on Moondrop IEMs so many times that doing an introduction on the company would just be another copy-paste job. So let’s just skip that and focus on the Blessing: past and present.

The original Blessing (which I shall now shorten to simply “B1”) was the first Moondrop IEM I ever listened to and one of the very few to truly impress me. That said, it was not a perfect IEM and there were a lot that Moondrop could improve on, looks and build included.

The Blessing 2 (B2) is the update to the iconic-yet-forgotten original, sporting a whole new build courtesy of Heygears. Heygears is a 3D-printing specialist based in China, most known for their 3BA Anora model before they’ve (presumably) dedicated themselves to the OEM business. The precise nature of the acoustic tubes within the B2 are a testament to the new manufacturing process, and overall the B2 looks far cleaner than the porcelain-esque design of the original.

With a shiny new suit and a new coat of paint, the B2 looks ready to take on their newly-acquired fanbase. Does its sound match up to the improved aesthetics?

Product page: https://hifigo.com/products/moondrop-blessing-2-1dd-4ba-hybrid-hifi-in-ear-earphones-iem

MSRP: $320

Driver configuration: 4BA + 1DD hybrid

This Blessing 2 was kindly provided by HiFiGo.

Signature & Tonality

The B2’s sound signature can be described as simply… neutral. One may also refer to it as slightly bright-neutral, perhaps mildly V-shaped if one were sensitive to bass, but for the most part the B2 fits under the neutrality umbrella rather well.

Here’s where I’ll do something a little different and drop the tone grade right now.

Tone grade: S

For more information on the new grading system, click here

Now that I have your attention, let me remind everyone that “S-tier tone” is not perfect tonality. It simply means that it outclasses the majority of the competition in this aspect. So please disregard any notion that the B2 may be some sort of tonality panacea that would preferred by every single audiophile on the planet, because such a product does not exist given the subjectivity of the hobby.

To prove my point, I’ll put forth some theoreticals on why you may not like B2 despite the high tonal score:

  • It may sound a little too shouty, or a little too intense in the upper midrange.
  • You may take issue at its treble presentation, which some may consider a little rolled off.
  • A few people (not the majority) have reported a slight 6kHz resonance or peak going on, which may make the B2 a little sharp.
  • It may be a little too thin in the notes.
  • The bass response may not satisfy those who are looking for a large bass emphasis.

Note the abundant usage of the word “a little” here; a little here, a little there, all could contribute to one’s ultimate dislike of the B2’s tonal profile. But from an abstract viewpoint and looking through a more objective lens… there’s nothing wrong with the B2’s tuning. Without going into real pedantic nitpick territory, at least.

The bass response is what I’d consider as “perceived DD neutral”, so for those who are used to “flat BA bass”, the B2 would ultimately sound very bassy. However to me, the B2’s bass is very much in line with the rest of the frequencies, being neither overshadowed nor overpowering any other instruments. Despite the neutrality, the B2 is able to dig deep into the lowest octaves of bass with zero effort and present rumble with authority, yet remaining controlled and “dignified” befitting of its reference monitor status.

(That said I’d love more sub-bass and rumble, but the B2 already has more than adequate slam and texturing to the bass notes so this is more a preferential complaint than a critique.)

The midrange is almost where I’d be perfectly content with it. If I had the choice I’d probably kill the 3kHz response by just 2, maybe 3dB (that whole “a little too shouty” thing that I’ve mentioned before), but I would also be happy to settle with the current tuning.

I don’t know what else to say. If you brush aside the nitpicks, Moondrop have nailed it with the B2. I’ve personally used it for an entire day without swapping it out for another set, and that never happens with the other review units I have. The B2 is just that tonally pleasant.

Technicalities

Tonality and tuning is definitely the B2’s strength, but at least its technical performance is no slouch either.

The B2 isn’t going to compete with the top-tier monsters out there in terms of resolving ability, so tamper your expectations. Instead, the B2 performs more like a standard technical monitor, outpacing the legendary ER4 just slightly.

The interesting thing about the B2 is its imaging. I know many are tired of my talking about the whole “80% of IEMs have average imaging” shtick, but the B2 actually manages to distinguish itself from that blob of mediocrity pretty well, landing it in the coveted realm of above average. The stage manages to diffuse itself beyond the head, so the in-your-head effect comes in very rarely, if at all. Positional accuracy is very good, particularly percussions, where each rhythmic hit is neither overly forward (a weakness of super bassy IEMs) nor sunk into the background (a common attribute of “reference-tuned” BA IEMs).

I don’t think you’d offend anyone by describing the B2 as a “technical IEM” despite its tonal specialty. This is about as all-rounder as an IEM can get.

Technical grade: A

For more information on the new grading system, click here

Valuation

I think one could already infer my thoughts of the B2’s value proposition based on my previous analyses. So to keep things interesting, let’s use Moondrop’s other IEMs as comparison points given that they are value freaks in their own right (for the most part, at least).

Against the Solis ($1,100): I’ve never really liked the Sonion EST drivers, and Moondrop does little to change that. Even though the Solis may be Moondrop biggest “flop” (that seems more like an experiment rather than any serious development), the Solis is still a very competent warm-neutral monitor that could still compete with the general kilobuck market. That is, if you eliminated the top-performing stuff.

Unfortunately, the B2 is a far better tuned IEM, with technicalities equalling the kilobuck monitor depending on your perspective. The Solis serves as a value demonstrator for the B2 rather than a serious competitor, but I doubt anyone is complaining about that.

Against the Starfield/KXXS ($110/$190): The “faceted Moondrop twins” are half to a third of the B2’s retail price so it’s not quite a fair comparison here. But they are one of the most ubiquitous recommendations for the sub-$200 budget, so they are at least relevant when the conversation revolves around value and price-to-performance.

The B2 and the Starfield/KXXS basically exist in two different target markets given their performance; while the Starfield/KXXS aims high and plays with the sub-$500 crowd (with really only one IEM threatening its value proposition), the B2 goes even higher and plays with the sub-$1,000 big boys. Sure, the B2 may be the better IEM, but that doesn’t really matter if you can’t afford it and have to go with the cheaper buy.

Against the S8 ($700): I’m not going to go too deep into comparing the S8 and the B2, so I’ll summarise. Despite being half the price, the B2 more or less trade blows with the S8. And the S8 is already the cheapest IEM in its performance ranking!

I’d still maintain that the S8 remains one of the best sub-$1,000 value kings out there. But you cannot deny that when Moondrop one-ups themselves, we as the consumers only stand to benefit. Every single time.

Value Rating: ★★

“Redefines the price bracket”
For more information on the new grading system,
 click here

Blessing 1 versus Blessing 2

Again, let me get it straight, the Blessing 1 (B1) is a great, competent IEM that holds up surprisingly well today. Refer to my review if you want more details, though do note that this was originally published in September 2018 so it’s very different from my language and styling today.

No doubt, the B2 is a improvement over the B1. But more than that: it’s so much of an improvement that the B2 outclasses the B1 in every single way. This is probably the shining example on how a brand could refresh and update an old model, refining strengths and eliminating old flaws.

The two biggest flaws of the B1 was easily the limp bass and a very shouty upper midrange which was further exacerbated by the former. This made the B1 a very thin and intense sounding monitor, and while it was very competent from a tuning and technical standpoint I haven’t touched it for a while since it doesn’t play well with my preferences.

The B2 kills the upper midrange, which is simple enough, but then they also managed to vastly improve the impact and texturing of the bass response, despite the B1 measuring with higher levels of bass than the B2:

Comparison courtesy of the Graph Comparison Tool

I don’t know how Moondrop did it, but it was done. The B2 the ultimate refinement of an already-great IEM, and my only fear is that Moondrop might’ve just hit their ceiling.

Conclusion

Moondrop needs to make some garbage so I don’t come off as some unabashed shill. The insane consistency of Moondrop’s IEM range continues to boggle my mind, and the Blessing 2 shows that Moondrop is willing to compete with themselves to push forward a better product.

I refuse to utter the cliched phrase of the initials “G. K.”. But if you’re going to have a spending budget of $500, $1,000 or even $1,500, the $320 Blessing 2 should go onto your list of considerations. Bravo, Moondrop.

Grade: A+ ★★

Awarded grades and ranks are in reference to the IEM ranking list.

Support me on Patreon to get access to tentative ranks, the exclusive “Clubhouse” Discord server and/or access to the Premium Graph Comparison Tool! My usual thanks to all my current supporters and shoutouts to my big money boys:

“McMadface”
“Desertscrub”
“Galactus”
Will
“ForeFourFor4”
Man Ho
Denis
Nicholas
Alexander
Andrew
Ted
“chisquare”
Olindrax

48 thoughts on “Moondrop Blessing 2 Review: Kilobuck Threat”

  1. Bought the Blessing version 1 after reading your review over a year ago. However the hype train for B1 never really gained steam, most likely due to its lacking bass. Now I’m just so jealous of Blessing 2 🙁

  2. Comparisons against the Fearless S8Pro? From what I understand it sounds something like between the S6Pro and the S8Pro?

    1. My B2 is coming today, and I’ve owned S8 Pro before. I don’t think they’d sound similar just from the graph, but I’ll let ya know!

    2. Hey, so I’ve listened for almost ten hours at this point. They’re very different beasts.

      Bass-wise, the Blessing 2 has a more natural response while the S8 Pro has more boost and that plasticky BA feel. Midrange, the S8 Pro pushes vocals forward even more than on the Blessing 2. The S8 Pro leans toward texture on vocals while the Blessing 2 is smoothed. Highs, the S8 Pro has more detail – probably even too much for some people. Both of them suffer from BA timbre to some degree.

      They’re comparable technicality wise IMHO. But Blessing 2 has a more agreeable tone – the S8 Pro is very engaging and aggressive to the point of which it can be fatiguing. Blessing 2 isn’t quite a natural sound, but it’s more so natural than the S8 Pro. So if I had to pick between the two, I’d definitely go with the Blessing 2.

      1. Thanks a lot for your insight Precog, I’m particularly interested in the B2 midrange having vocals a little bit more towards the back than the S8Pro, I’m a sucker for vocals. But the more controlled bass is also something I’m really attracted to. I feel the bass on the S8Pro is too heavy sometimes. Also details on the highs is something I like of the S8Pro.

  3. Though. The question would still be,
    Would you buy ble 2 if it is the same price as s8 but buy 1 get 1 free. (So price is not a factor)

    Also faceplate coming off issue… wonder if they fixed that.

    So far this looks promising.

    Just wondering when circuit breaker would end and oardio reopens.

        1. I think I’ve replied to you LZ A6 review on HF, I believe that set is very underrated and nearly no converage.

          1. yeah saw your comment. Agree the A6 is so amazing and underrated. Looking forward to the LZ A7 though, hype is real for it.

  4. Hi Crinacle,

    Thank you for the review. Would the B2 be a significant upgrade coming from the ER4XR?

    Boris

  5. Just got my B2 Yesterday and can’t take them out of my ear,I never buy an iem that higher than $150 my collection so far was Ikko oh1 , bqeyz spring 1 , and blon bl03.

    This is my first time buying iem that range around $320 , Before i was skeptical if there will be huge different or not in the SQ , but oh boy how wrong am i , This set is Ear-opener for me…. and it handle my playlist just great….

  6. just went and bought this after reading this. Looks like it fits my ideal curve with my ideal setup, BAs + DD woofer .

  7. Hi Crinacle and everyone who possible owns it. Did your pair come with a black mesh-like filter to cover the nozzle? I see reviews that don’t have them while some do so I’m confused

    1. Seems like the ones without filters are from early batches since I’m seeing those who bought recently, including myself, have the filters.

    2. I think you can remove the filters. So its the users choice to remove it or not. Me did not remove it in fear of some earwax.

  8. Great review. The word is temper though, not tamper. Used as a verb: act as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force to (something).
    “their idealism is tempered with realism”

    (Sorry, it’s a pet-peave word and I’m bored)

      1. Lol. Hilarious. I agree. It’s “pet peeve”, not “pet-peeve”.

        Also, it’s “It’s”, not “Its”. Lol

  9. Gracias Crinacle, estas cantidades que en el mundo “audiofilo” pueden parecer pequeñas para mí representan una inversión importante. Sin tus artículos me resultaría imposible saber qué es lo que realmente merece la pena. Ya tengo los Blessing2….

    GRACIAS de nuevo.

  10. Hi, thanks for your great review, I was considering to buy blessing 2, but the bass section still makes me wondering, how it’s sound compared to flat bass of IT01s? Because right now IT01s is my daily used iem. Thanks 🙂

  11. I bought them. First highend IEM. They are good but the splash of the percussion has a peak I can not stand. I think I will sell them. I would like to get a Hifiman Sundara equivalent in IEM. ANY ideas? Thanks.

    1. Try tin p1, it might not have the speed of the sundara bass but with a bit of eq, it can sound scarily similar. You’ll need some juice to drive it though so that is a consideration.

  12. Hey all, i’m looking to geta new iem and the b2 is very tempting..

    Anyone knows a good value dap that will go well with it? Given that review i read usually mentioned that bass are little lacking and treble are little forward/sharp, is it better that I go for something that enhances the lows and tames the highs?

    Prefer to keep the budget within a price of 200 to 300.

  13. I just bought the Fiio FH5 looking for something bassier and uhhh, the B2 is better.

    The sub-bass presence is nice, but not at the expense of the B2’s excellent vocals. RIP $300CAD

  14. Hi there I read this site regularly because will its literally a well presented site with good information regarding iems and headphones but I am bit confused on some your ratings crinacle gives out a being example how you critic the moondrop blessing 2 tonality wise and say you may not like it and then go ahead and give it a S- rating even though there are clearly tonality issues so confused . I had the blessing 2 bought on your recommendation and it was a decent iem good technical ability but three major issues the fit, ba timbre and the coherency. So back to my main point lets take another iem such as the meze rai penta which you highly breakdown and provide good reasons as why you dont like the rai penta and I agree with you that the technical ability is not upto par with the most high end and even mid end iems but the tone, timbre and coherency is better than moondrop blessing 2 so does that not mean that meze rai penta should be atleast A- or B+ in tone but somehow blessing 2 is a S- and has much worse tone and timbre just a little confused mate. If anyone can clarify his reasoning as to why he has done this I would appreciate because I cannot figure it. Ps this is not meant to attack crinacle I just would like some clarity and what he has done for the audio community at large is fantastic so thanks mate.

  15. i had the meze rai penta the technicalities bugged me so I sold it, i am still so confused with some of his ratings I understand its personal and others may be up in arms but I am only here to understand a certain key issue tonality. Out of all the reviewers I still thing crinacle is the most objective and is why I follow and respect his work but I still dont understand the rating for the blessing 2 is a S and B for meze rai penta. The moondrop blessing 2 has clear timbre issues less so than meze rai penta so then why such a big difference in tonality ranking. My statement are in no way attacking his ranking I would respect it if I got a little clarificaiton thats all I guess. Anyway thanks for your hardwork crin pretty sure you have helped a lot of people for their first purchase. Over and out

    1. Timbre is not the only factor or the major factor that determines the tonality of an IEM.

      Plus, I don’t see how the Rai Penta’s tone is “better” than the Blessing 2. It has less midrange presence from 500Hz to 1k, a weird hump between 1.5k and 2k, lacks treble and upward extension.

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