With the new generation of Moondrop’s famous Blessing line, they have put a huge emphasis on clarity of sound. But at what cost was it implemented?
Coming in at the mid-range price of $320, the Moondrop Blessing 3 is a high-performance IEM that released in Spring of 2024. These IEMs boast Moondrop’s new hybrid driver configuration, and attempt to upgrade on the well-loved design and tonality of the Blessing 2. This time around, Moondrop took a focus on clarity, refined treble response, and an increase in soundscape and depth.
Though the clarity and soundscaping of these IEMs is very competitive, even ignoring price, I am hesitant to recommend these without some consideration first. I overall offer a strong recommendation, and will say that these are the IEMs I use the most of any that I currently own. However, they have some things that are a hard turn-off to some buyers. In this Moondrop Blessing 3 Review we will go over experience, an objective opinion, and then an objective review of performance. But as a summary: I highly recommend the Moondrop Blessing 3s for clarity and sound staging, but cannot recommend a blind buy as they do not fit everyone’s preferences.
| Pros | Cons |
| -Amazing sound reproduction, market competitive clarity at a reasonable price -Quality construction -Clear resin shell provides a neat view of the internals -Immersive soundscape -Very comfortable form factor | -Drying Midrange -Fatiguing without EQ -Nozzle may be a bit large for some -Metal face plate picks up scratches and fingerprints -Cable could be a higher quality for price -Lacking in ear tip choice and quality -H.O.D.D.D.U.S is a dumb acronym |
Fit, Build, & Accessories
The Moondrop Blessing 3 comes with the following items in the package:
- Box
- IEM
- Solid body case
- Bag of silicone ear tips 2x (S/M/L)
- Removable 2 pin cable (3.5mm)
- Airplane 2 pin adapter
As for accessories, I think that this is fine. The case feels rigid, the cable is fine but could be a bit improved, there are other IEMs in this price range that are using higher quality construction cables and it would be nice to see a slightly improved version on the next release. I found in my testing that after a few listens the cable started to develop some memory on me, but nothing major.
I find that the ear tips perform fine, although many other IEMs even in the much cheaper categories include a vast amount of ear tip options, I found that the small medium and large options are all fine for this pair. Although I would have preferred to see the spring tips come back again, I don’t really have a desire to use third party tips with these. In my opinion, this means they pass the test. On the cable though, there isn’t any unnecessary rubbing. It is a bit on the thinner side, but I don’t mind that because it keeps it light and stops it from pulling on my ears. And though I would much rather have a proper braided cable instead of a twisted cable, I think that this cable is perfectly serviceable. In total, would it have been nice to see more options for the ear tips, seeing the spring tips again would have been nice (especially since they just dropped the DUSK, which comes with spring tips. . .) Same as the cable, it could certainly be improved, but is perfectly within the realm of acceptable quality.
When it comes to build and design, Moondrop really went all in with an almost cyberpunk look to their headphones. The polished metal is very noticeable in the ears, which I personally don’t mind but some users may prefer not to have a reflective piece of metal on the sides of their head, which I totally understand. For me, I really like the design. The polished plating of the headphones paired with the silver cable looks good, although I wish that they would make a polished end cable if they were going to make a polished face IEM.
When it comes to the actual shape and sizing of the headphones, I find the nozzle a bit large for my ears. I do notably have small ears, so for those of you who do not struggle with larger nozzles these will be no trouble. But for those with small ears, they are tolerable, but not the most comfortable I have worn. When it comes to the weight and design for the actual exterior ear fitment, I find that these are incredibly comfortable. The only other headphones that I have work that I think fit better are the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite. Overall I am very happy with the exterior fit, and the larger nozzle is tolerable and worth it to enjoy these headphones.
Subjective Listening & Experience
When it comes to packaging, design, and initial user experience I find that it’s a really fun box to open. It has a hinge on the back that allows the box to stay open while you explore its contents, which is a nice touch. In typical moondrop fashion, we get a new waifu with the new edition of the blessing. I personally find it very endearing that they make a new mascot for each product they produce, so I am always happy to see another fun character on the box. The case has a polarizing color scheme on it. I really enjoy how bright and colorful it is, it feels like a standout item on my desk when I have the case sitting around while I am using them. But for some users, especially if you are using these at work, it may feel slightly in the way. I understand why many brands decide to use a very dark color scheme on the case, but I personally find it enjoyable. The overall user experience from the start is very nice, and I really appreciate the thought and effort that went into this packaging.
When it comes to the listening experience, these headphones really did surprise me on my first listen. Although the bass is not really boosted on these, the bass separation and response is some of the best I have ever heard. In fact, the first note I made during the initial stage of my review was: “The bass feels accurate, punchy, and clear”. The mids are also fairly clear, but quite recessed. Many reviewers have described similar thoughts, with some going so far as to call them starved or lonely. But to be honest, where this pair really shines though, is in the treble frequencies and staging. I found myself closing my eyes and feeling as if I was in the room with the sounds around me while I was listening. Everything in the treble is highly responsive, clear, and amazingly reproduced. I really believe these to be a reference quality IEM for these reasons, they are just clear (especially with some EQ)!
Something I did want to mention is the new driver configuration, the H.O.D.D.D.U.S. This bulky large and quite ridiculous acronym stands for Horizontally Opposed Dual dynamic Drivers Unit System. That is a mouthful of words with an equally silly acronym that just means “we pointed two drivers at each other for enhanced bass response”. And frankly, it works great. The bass resolution and separation on these really is amazing. But really Moondrop, maybe pick a cooler sounding acrynym, I am getting flashbacks to O.W.A.C.A from Phineas and Ferb. Maybe call it the D. BASS (Dedicated Balanced Acoustics Symmetry System), or P.R.I.S.M (Parallel Resonance in Sound Module).
A note from the author: during the edition of this I actually was watching some other reviews to see if anyone mentioned this. I came across Golden Sounds review with The Headphones Show where he recommends S.L.A.M (Symmetrical Layout Acoustic Module), which I think is an amazing acronym to use.
Overall my subjective experience with these has been really pleasing, these for me have become a frequent daily driver, and one that I am very happy with.
Objective Scoring
*As a reminder and disclaimer, just like all reviews and measurements there are bounds to what I can and cannot test. As well as limitations to measurements. You can find more information about my setup and review limitations here or in the link above.
Frequency Response
These headphones appear to be tuned to the Harman 2019 in-ear target. As for compliance with that target, it looks pretty great. On first glance, it appears that there is a spike at 8-9k that may be harsh to some users. Personally, I think that this is part of the reason why these can be slightly tiring, but I would not describe it as “harsh”, even my brother who is very 8k sensitive has found these fairly comfortable sounding.
Overall, the Blessing 3 has good compliance with the target. Although it does notably have a bass-light and airy response.
Distortion Testing
To put a disclaimer on the below graph before we even discuss it, this distortion measurement is as usual, my “worst case scenario” graph. I take distortion measurements, along with frequency response measurements at 75, 90, and 105db on each headphone, and always use the 110db for distortion measurements. If a pair of headphones was going to show distortion readings for the average listening experience, then it would show up clearly in the 110 even more than at the lower sound levels.
Honestly, I am a bit amused by Moondrop when it comes to distortion testing for this. I just got done reviewing the Moondrop Chu II, which even at 105db measured equally competitive levels of any distortion. I am always happy to see a company taking the measurements of a $17 IEM just as seriously as a $320 IEM.
For the Blessing 3, I am seeing no signs of audible distortion, it is all comfortably fits below the audible range even at my 105db testing. The closest to the audible range the distortion gets on these is 0.710% total distortion, which falls well below the 1% distortion threshold that many people use.
For this review, when it comes to the distortion measurements the Moondrop Blessing 3 pass very comfortably even at high-stress levels on the equipment
EQ
For the Blessing 3 I am using an ever so slightly altered version of the EQ posted by U/TomsExcavation on r/iems.
| Type | Hz | Gain | Q |
| Low-Shelf | 80 | -0.3 | 0.7 |
| Peak | 40 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Peak | 95 | 1.8 | .7 |
| Peak | 1389 | -0.5 | 1.2 |
| Peak | 3118 | -2.2 | 3.7 |
| Peak | 4353 | -3.1 | 6 |
| Peak | 5278 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Peak | 6054 | -1.4 | 6 |
| Peak | 7544 | 2.8 | 2 |
| High-Shelf | 10000 | -6 | .6 |
Conclusion
Overall I am very happy with the Moondrop Blessing 3, although I cannot recommend a blind buy. This is simply because of the price point combined with the specific tuning of these IEMs. If you are looking for clarity maximization, I can recommend these with an absolutely glowing recommendation.
If you are a bass-head or don’t really like airy sounding IEMs, these are not for you. But especially if you are using some EQ, I think that you will find some form of enjoyment from them either way.
Due to their well performing measurements, and overall quality experience, I recommend the Moondrop Blessing 3. This recommendation does however come with a few notes.
If you previously owned a Blessing 2 or Blessing 2: Dusk model, I don’t think that you will find yourself completely wowed, and likely will not desire too heavily to upgrade. If you are seeking clarity, sound stage, and treble focused musical genres, these are for you. But again, those who may enjoy music with a more hardcore mid focus may want to look elsewhere.
Image Gallery
