I’m Fahad. This is a In-Depth Review of the Moondrop Blessing 3. This is the follow-up to one of my absolute favorite IEMs of all time. It’s actually been 3 years since I reviewed the Moondrop Blessing 2. And it quickly became my favorite iems just because it was an excellent mid-range performer, really outstanding mid-range resolution like vocal content.
But if I had one complaint about Blessing 2, it would have been its treble performance, which was just a bit so-so. It lacked that really high-frequency extension that contributes to the timbral qualities of things like cymbals and high hats, and stuff like that. Very nitpicky, but it was there. But I will spoil right now that the Blessing 3 solves that problem.
But is the Blessing 3 strictly an update or an upgrade from the Blessing 2? Well, that’s what I wanted to spend more time figuring out. So, for the past week or so, I’ve been listening to the Blessing 3 very closely, comparing it with the Blessing 2 and a handful of other iems that have come out more recently, and I’m ready to share what I think.
In this review, we’re going to talk about the Blessing 3 and what’s included in the box. We’ll talk about the sound quality I like and don’t, then we’ll get into some precise head-to-head comparisons to hopefully answer all your questions about which iem you might buy if you’re in this price range.
What’s in the Box 📦
Let’s dive into the table and discuss the physical aspects of Blessing 3. We’ll talk about the build quality, the fit, and comfort before we get into the sound.
And here you go. Here is your packaging. There’s your requisite waifu box art. Honestly, it’s a pretty nice-looking box art. I’m into this. They’ve gone for a more futuristic aesthetic, as you can see here with the font. That will also be reflected on the iem itself. But then on the back, you’ve got the frequency response and a diagram of the iem itself. However, we’re not going to spend too much time looking at that because, well, what’s more important is what’s inside the box.
Case, Tips, and Extras
And what’s inside the box is exactly what you see here. Nothing more, nothing less. You get this fairly chunky carrying case. It’s the same carrying case that came with the Blessing 2, with a slightly different aesthetic. I’ve got to be honest, I don’t love this carrying case. It’s very nicely built, don’t get me wrong, but it’s pretty significant. This is not going to be a pocketable case. This is something you’ll probably put away in a cabinet or leave on your desk. But it’s nicely built. It’s got a zip all the way around, and on the inside, it’s lined with felt and includes a little pouch for your accessories.
And there aren’t many accessories, to be honest. There are just a bunch of ear tips, which I’ll pull into view here. In fact, you can see over there that there are more ear tips than you expect. They’ve included two copies of every size. So, you’ve got small, mediums, and large, and then you’ve got two different sets of each of those.
I hypothesize that my experience with these tips in the past, specifically with the Blessing 2, is that the bore can stretch out over time, causing the fit to become a little loose on the nozzle. We’ll talk about that nozzle in a bit, but that’s my guess as to why they include a couple of sets so you have a backup.
A Note on the Missing Tips
That said, what’s missing here, as you might have noticed, is the spring tips. Moondrop’s spring tips are my favorite ear tips for the Blessing 2.
They also included an airline adapter, which is interesting. I was on an airplane not too long ago, and I don’t even think they still use this connector. There may still be some planes that use it, but I don’t know. Some sellers are still including this with their iems. But that’s all we have in terms of accessories, apart from the iem itself.
Build Quality 💪
So, let’s dive into the specifics of this iem build quality, starting with the cable. This is one of my favorite Moondrop cables, but not my absolute favorite. It’s a lovely, slight improvement over what we got with the original Blessing 2. The cable’s softer, it drapes a little bit better, and aesthetically it looks nicer than the copper or almost pink-colored cable that we had on the original Blessing 2.
Generally, the cable behaves well, but it can be memory-prone, as you can see a bit here. There’s a bit of kinking, and it’s slightly stiffer than my absolute favorite Moondrop cable, the SSR cable. So, this is not quite as nice as the SSR cable, but there are some things I do like better about it.
Starting with the minimal metal hardware that’s part of the design, this hardware even has a matte finish, which is a nice touch. It’s got a nice, small Y-split with a very functional chin slider. Yes, Moondrop can do chin sliders, and this one is ideal for me. You can see it doesn’t move around; it stays in place. And if you didn’t want to use a chin slider, you could pull it up to the Y-split, and it looks like there’s nothing there to begin with.
Another thing I really like about this cable, as with the SSR cable, is that the hardware at the top is minimal. It’s just a plastic piece that connects the two-pin connector, and it is a standard two-pin connector, so you can swap cables if you want. But I really like the small plastic hardware. Some people prefer the larger metal hardware, which looks a bit fancier on some other iem, but I’m just a sucker for the smallness of that plastic solution.
Aside from that, there’s not too much to say about the cable, other than, again, it’s slightly more memory-prone and stiffer than the SSR cable. For that reason, it’s not actually better than the SSR cable, but the hardware is definitely better. So, if they could combine this hardware with the Moondrop SSR cable, we’d be in endgame cable territory, and I would have basically zero complaints.
Shell Design and Aesthetics
Now, let’s talk about the iem itself. As you can see, I’m polishing it off because it has a very chromy polished-steel finish. It’s quite prone to fingerprints and maybe even scratches. I don’t know if that’s coming across, but it’s definitely showing minor wear. Just a little demonstration, and I’ve showered recently, too, by the way.
They’ve gone with this chrome-plated design instead of the brushed steel or brushed aluminum on the Blessing 2. Overall, this is a better-looking iem, but I wish it had a matte finish. That would solve, or at least reduce, some of the problems with fingerprints and with showing scratches more easily. But what I like about the aesthetic of the Blessing 3 is a lot.
What I really like about the shell or outer plate is the dimension it adds by subtly angling it. It catches the light in a really cool way, and I don’t know, I think it’s pretty fun to look at, if I’m honest.
What I’m maybe not such a big fan of (and this is a minor point) is the lettering they used for “Blessing 3” on one side and “Moondrop” on the other. It’s not the worst lettering, but it would look better without it. That said, this is an improvement over the aesthetic of Blessing 2, which had much larger lettering. I’m not a massive fan of lettering on the sides of my iem, but on the bright side, this one’s actually hard to even see, given how shiny the outer panel is.
The rest of the iem is the same as the Blessing 2 build. It’s a reasonably large 3D-printed acrylic shell that’s solid all the way through. You can see the drivers near the nozzle. It’s got four balanced-armature drivers, and they’re piped into the nozzle through visible tubes. I really like that. I’m a big fan of explicit iems that let you see inside, especially when they’re solid and transparent, because they give them a glass-like quality that bends light. I don’t know, I guess I’m a sucker for it, though it’s pretty superficial, but I dig it.
Internal Architecture & Drivers
The other difference here, in the driver configuration, is that they’re using a dual dynamic driver setup rather than a single dynamic driver. This is interesting because dynamic drivers are usually associated with bass, and you might think they’re using dual dynamic drivers to get more bass, but that’s not the case. We’ll talk more about the sound in a bit.
As for how this impacts build quality, it just changes the aesthetic, giving it a unique blue touch, which I’m a fan of.
Fit & Comfort ✨
Apart from that, the shape of this shell is almost identical to the original Blessing 2. If you recall, that’s been a point of contention for many people, the size of the shell. This is a medium to large fit. Okay, if you’ve got small ears, fair warning, this might not fit you very well. It actually fits pretty well.
We’ll talk about the fit more in a second, but I wanted to highlight one thing Moondrop has done to address fit concerns for some people: the nozzle diameter. The nozzle diameter on the original Blessing 2 is about 6.3 mm, which is significant. This one is down about 10%, reducing it to about 5.7 mm. It might not sound like a lot, but I believe it is considerably smaller than the nozzle on the Blessing 2. Or at least, it is noticeable. 5.7 mm is pretty in line with your typical iem nozzle size.
So, the nozzle will not be a concern for most people. However, what might still be a concern for some is the bulk around the entrance to the ear canal, which is where I still feel the bottleneck. Again, it fits me very well and comfortably, but I do feel the bulk in that area.
In-Ear Fit and Security
Let me give you a quick fit demonstration here. I’ll plug this into my ear, and you can see how the Moondrop Blessing 3 fits. Again, this is a medium to large fit. It’s a semi-custom molded design, so it fits in well and holds onto my antitragus. It tucks into the fold of my ear up top, and it has a little wing. Mostly, the bulk is down near the ear canal entrance. For me, it fits quite securely. I was able to sleep through multiple nights without any issues.
This has been my favorite iem for a long time. Since the Blessing 2 launch, I’ve been very comfortable with its fit and have worn it for long periods. But I know some people have had issues with the fit, and it comes down to your personal ear shape. Unfortunately, you’ll probably have to try it out and see how well it works for you. If it’s not super comfortable initially, you can get used to it, as long as it fits in there without stretching anything beyond comfort levels.
The fit Security is outstanding for me. This thing never comes loose, no matter what I’m doing. Again, I sleep through the night, and it stays in my ear.
As for sound isolation, it’s on the high end. It’s not the absolute best, but it’s definitely better than your average iem. Part of this is because it’s so large and takes up so much space in the ear; part is the semi-custom design, which fits into the ear’s folds; and part is the solid acrylic shell, which contributes to sound isolation.
But yeah, generally, I’m pretty happy with the fit on the Blessing 3.
Sound Signature 🎶
So, we’re ready to talk about the sound after I give this thing a quick wipe to make it a little more presentable for you all. Let’s do that. Get it there. Catch the light just so. Use your imagination. Pretend I just wiped it off, and there aren’t fingerprints there. Now, let’s talk about the sound of the Moondrop Blessing 3.
Like I typically do, I’ll start by describing the sound signature before I get into what I like and don’t like about it. The sound signature here is what you should expect from a Moondrop Blessing. From the original Blessing to Blessing 2, they have consistently gone for a very neutral sound signature. Some even call it a clinical sound signature or target for the Blessing 2, and that holds here with the Blessing 3.
This is a neutral iem. But within the realm of neutral, there are different flavors of neutral. What I describe as Blessing 3 is a vocal-forward, somewhat lean neutral. There is a sub-bass bump to it. I don’t know if I’d call it a sub-bass boost, as it’s pretty modest.
This is far from a bassy iem. It’s got a nice little pitter-patter to its bass emphasis, but primarily this is a mid-range-focused sound signature with, as I mentioned earlier, good treble extension. And so that is the general tonality here.
Sound: What I Like (Pros)👍
What do I like about the sound of the Moondrop Blessing 3? Where to start? I like this iem a lot. I’ll say that up front. My tonal preferences, if you’ve watched this channel before, are generally neutral. That means that I don’t want my sound dominated by bass. I don’t need much contrast between bass and treble to add flavor or spice to my music. The music I listen to already has that spice, so I don’t need an iem to add contrast. I want a clean mid-range and good execution. And that’s precisely what the Blessing 3 does. It gives me a clean mid-range with good execution. Combine that with good music, and that’s all the Audio joy I would like.
A Masterclass in Midrange and Vocal Clarity
The Blessing 3 delivers exquisite vocal reproduction with intense clarity. The word that came to mind when I was listening to Blessing 2 as well is a sense of resolution, this transparency into the vocal reproduction. I really, really dig that. The Blessing 3 adds a bit better performance in micro-contrast and texturing in vocal content. The Blessing 2 was already no slouch in that department. A lot of that comes from the better treble extension on this set.
And so, yeah, not only am I describing this as excellent vocal reproduction, but at the $330 price point, this is some of the best vocal reproduction I’ve heard in Audio. I’ve listened to a lot more expensive IEMs, and that should give you a clue into how much I enjoy this iem.
Technical Brilliance: The Solved Treble
On top of that excellent vocal reproduction, it is just a superb technical performer. The treble on this is a significant step forward compared to the Blessing 2. Again, Blessing 2 had two issues in the treble. One, the extension was weak, which means the timbre of high-frequency percussions like hi-hats, cymbals, and drum brushes could sound plasticky rather than give you that solid metallic ping. The extension here on the Blessing 3 solves that.
The other issue I had with the treble on the Blessing 2 was that it occasionally became a little sharp, and I think the Blessing 3 avoids that. Maybe that’s just me coping, but this thing is doing a better job of preventing sibilance and general sharpness without really sacrificing treble incisiveness and delineation. It leads to a distinct sense of separation between sounds. Again, it also delivers above-average imaging thanks to that extended treble performance.
Tight, Controlled, and Textured Bass
The bass on this set is quite good as well. That’s another thing that is very, very good. Again, a reminder that this is not a bassy iem. It was an interesting choice to go with the dual dynamic driver setup for an iem that is definitely not bassy. Whether it’s because of that dual dynamic setup, the specific frequency response implementation, or something else, I’ll leave up to sound engineers to debug and decide. But the listening impression is just excellent. It’s very tight and controlled, rumbly when it’s called for, versus the bass on the Blessing 2. Honestly, I didn’t have many complaints about the bass on the Blessing 2, but compared to that, the bass here is a little tighter and springier. It just punches a little faster.
It also does a good job of communicating sub-bass tonality, which is hard to do. A lot of iems that emphasize sub-bass can get this droning effect if it’s not done well. If that sub-bass isn’t really well controlled, you can end up with something that’s just rumble. I think Blessing 2 wasn’t a super bass-emphasized iem, so just set your expectations. But where the sub-bass is emphasized here, it does an excellent job of transmitting that tonal content, not just the rumble.
Sound: What I Don’t Like (Cons)👎
Are there any things I can complain about with this iem? Is there anything I don’t like? And yes, unfortunately, there is one thing that I will nitpick about this iem. It’s not a trivial thing. The Blessing 3 is too lean.
The Lower Midrange Scoop: Too Lean?
What I’m specifically talking about is the transition from mid-range to bass, in terms of frequency response. The transition from mid-range to bass on this iem is heavily weighted toward adding clarity to the mid-range, which is not a bad thing per se. In fact, it’s a popular bass curve across many high-end IEMs. It’s not my favorite bass curve, personally, because it comes at the expense of a sense of body and heft behind the music, which makes the sound a little more on the sterile side.
Now, you might be thinking, “This guy just described this thing as neutral. He likes neutral. Sterile is assumed.” But again, there are ranges of neutral, and this one is on the side of being a little too sterile and too lean for my absolute preferences.
Inconsistent Body on Certain Genres
Typically, this kind of curve will make an iem less consistent from song to song. The bass content of this iem will be more dependent on your music’s bass, rather than something with less of that lower mid-range scoop and a little more mid-bass body. Suppose you’re listening to electronic music that has gobs of sub-bass frequency, or even just most modern productions, which already have a fair amount of sub-bass baked in. In that case, you’ll get a fairly consistent sub-bass experience here, and that’s going to give you a good sense of depth.
The bass contributes to the depth of the stereo image in my head, while the mid-range and treble contribute to the width. So, if you’ve got that sub-bass content in your music, the Blessing 3 will give you a really good sense of that depth.
It is when listening to music that doesn’t have a lot of sub-bass content, like some older recordings (classic rock, for example), or generally acoustic recordings, or even more modern recordings that are more vocal-based and less electronic-based or digital in their production, that this can be a little less consistent. It doesn’t have quite the mid-bass punch that some other iems do.
The Blessing 2 vs. Dusk Dilemma
That’s the reason why, when it came to the Blessing 2 versus the Blessing 2 Dusk, I actually preferred the original Blessing 2. The original Blessing 2 didn’t have that lower bass or upper-bass, lower mid-range scoop that this one has. The Blessing 2 Dusk had a similar scoop to this, and that’s why I preferred the original Blessing 2.
This is a nitpick, considering how good this iem is at this price. But it is hard for me to ignore, especially given that this is the base Blessing 3, and Moondrop has teased that they’re going to be doing a Dusk version of this. They’re probably not adding more mid-bass. This is perhaps as much mid-bass as we will get out of the Blessing 3, unless Moondrop releases a “Husk Edition,” which I think we should start campaigning for.
But yeah, those are my thoughts on the Blessing 3. It’s really not a minor complaint for me that the lower mid-range and upper bass have that scoop, but I also want to be careful not to overstate it. This is still one of the absolute best IEMs at this price range. We’ll give it a score.
Moondrop Blessing 3 vs. Blessing 2, Dusk, Studio4, & Orchestra Lite 🆚
Let’s talk specifically about how the Moondrop Blessing 3 compares with several other iems across tonal balance, technical performance, and physical form factor. Although these three are basically identical in terms of form factor.
The iem we have on the table is the Moondrop Blessing 3, which costs $320. This is a hybrid iem with two dynamic drivers and four balanced armatures. Here’s Blessing 2, its predecessor, also priced at $320, and a hybrid featuring one dynamic driver and four balanced armatures. This is the same setup used in the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk Edition, which is priced at $330.
Next, we have the Soft Ears Studio 4, an all-balanced armature set with four balanced armatures. This one comes in at $450, a bit more expensive. And lastly, we have the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, an all-balanced-armature set with eight balanced armatures, priced at just $250, the cheapest on the table.
| Feature | Moondrop Blessing 3 | Blessing 2 | Blessing 2 Dusk | Soft Ears Studio 4 | Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite |
| Price | $320 | $320 | $330 | $450 | $250 |
| Driver Config. | 2DD + 4BA (Hybrid) | 1DD + 4BA (Hybrid) | 1DD + 4BA (Hybrid) | 4BA (All-BA) | 8BA (All-BA) |
| Tonal Balance | Vocal-forward, Lean Neutral. Crystalline vocals; slight sub-bass bump. | Fuller, Warmer Neutral. More mid-bass body; less contrasty sound. | Bassy Neutral. Similar lean mid-range to B3, but with more sub-bass emphasis. | Lean Neutral. Slightly more bass emphasis; less forward vocals than B3. | Warmer, Laid-Back. Mid-range focus; more mid-bass punch; relaxed treble. |
| Technical Edge | Superior Treble & Imaging. Tighter, springier bass; better control and resolution. | Great mid-range resolution; Lacks the treble extension/tightness of B3. | Almost identical to B2; slightly more impactful sub-bass. | Biggest Headstage/3D Imaging. Less tactile bass; smoothed-over treble texture. | More Cohesive Sound. Weaker separation and sound delineation than others. |
| Aesthetics/Fit | Chrome Finish (Fingerprint Prone). Larger shell size; secure fit; improved nozzle size. | Original design; larger fit. | Matte Shell (Scratch Prone). Similar large fit. | Black Plastic Shell. Unvented (High Isolation/Potential Pressure); Small form factor. | Clear Shell. Unvented (High Isolation/Pressure); easy to see drivers. |
These are all neutral iems, and while they’re not in the same price range, they’re all solid contenders if you’re looking for a neutral set at this price point. Let’s now dive into how they differ.
Tonal Balance Overview
- Moondrop Blessing 3: A neutral, lean sound signature with a focus on crystalline vocal reproduction, a slight sub-bass bump, and excellent treble extension, especially in high-frequency percussion.
- Moondrop Blessing 2: A fuller, warmer sound compared to the Blessing 3. While still neutral, it has more bass and a less contrasty overall sound.
- Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk: Similar to the Blessing 3 in terms of mid-range and lack of warmth, but with more sub-bass emphasis, making it a bassier iem.
- Soft Ears Studio 4: Similar to the Blessing 3 with a lean neutral sound signature, but slightly more bass emphasis and less forward vocals, resulting in a less contrasty sound.
- Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: The most different in tonal balance, with a mid-range focus and more mid-bass punch. The treble is more relaxed, giving a warmer, more laid-back sound compared to the others.
Technical Performance
- The Moondrop Blessing 3 offers a significant step up in technical performance compared to the Blessing 2 and Blessing 2 Dusk. The bass is tighter, punchier, and springier, providing better control and tonal character, especially in the sub-bass frequencies.
- The most significant improvement is in treble performance, which offers better imaging, greater dimensional information, and a more realistic timbre for high-frequency percussion such as cymbals and hi-hats.
- The Blessing 2 is an excellent performer for its price, with great mid-range resolution and vocal texturing, but it lacks the tightness and springiness found in the Blessing 3.
- The Blessing 2 Dusk is almost identical to the Blessing 2, though with a slightly more pronounced sub-bass, making the bass feel more impactful.
- The Soft Ears Studio 4 stands out with its headstage and 3D imaging. It has the biggest headstage of all the iems on the table, though its bass is less tactile, likely due to its all-balanced armature design. The treble is less textured, which may result in a smoothed-over sound, especially for vocals.
- Finally, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite also uses an all-balanced armature setup, offering a more cohesive sound. Still, it’s weaker in separation and sound delineation, making it less technically impressive than the others.
Form Factor and Build Quality
All of these items are well-built, with some differences in aesthetics and fit:
- Moondrop Blessing 3: Beautiful design with transparent shells, but fingerprints can be easily picked up. The fit is on the larger side, so it may not be ideal for everyone, but it fits securely for most.
- Blessing 2 and Dusk share similar designs, with the Dusk having a matte shell that, while preventing fingerprints, shows scratches more easily.
- Soft Ears Studio 4: The only iem with a black plastic shell. It’s unvented, offering excellent sound isolation but potentially causing pressure buildup for some users. Its smaller form factor makes it easier to fit for most people.
- Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite: Clear shell design, making it easy to see the drivers. It’s also unvented, providing good sound isolation but potentially causing pressure buildup, similar to the Studio 4. It is the clearest shell among the models on the table.
Overall Thoughts 🏆
That will lead us into our conclusion here on the Moondrop Blessing 3. Let me organize it beautifully. I like this iem a lot. In many ways, it’s better than the iem that’s been my favorite for the last 3 years.
But I would also be lying if I didn’t admit I’m disappointed with the transition between the lower midrange and the upper bass. It could be improved here. And again, we’ll start a campaign for the Moondrop Blessing 3 Husk Edition, which restores mid-bass and gives us a little more body.
But honestly, this is still an upgrade over Blessing 2. So, it’s an easy five stars out of five for me. If you want to check it out, of course, I’ve got it linked in the description down below.