MOONDROP Blessing 3  Headphones Review

The MOONDROP Blessing 3 have a sound profile that falls somewhere between our target curve and the Harman IEM target, which means they have an overall balanced sound.

If you'd like to match one of the target curves we show on our Graph Tool more closely, download this folder of EQ profiles.

These buds have excellent frequency response consistency. Once you get a good fit, you'll receive consistent bass and treble delivery across reseats.

These buds have outstanding bass compliance. The response is almost flat throughout the entire range, with a little extra low bass to add thump to kick drums. If you're looking for a pair of IEMs with a less balanced, overemphasized bass response, it's worth checking out the TRUTHEAR x Crinacle ZERO.

These buds have fantastic mid-range target compliance. The response is also pretty flat here, although there's a small dip across the low- and mid-mid that can thin out instruments a little and a small peak in the high-mid that adds clarity to vocals. In songs like Exit Music (For A Film) by Radiohead, the vocals sound present, clear, and natural.

The treble compliance is remarkable. The low treble is flat and accurate, ensuring that vocals and instruments sound clear and detailed. A small dip in the mid-treble slightly dulls sibilants like cymbals, but it's quite minor. In songs like The Girl From Ipanema by Astrud Gilberto, the female voice is well-articulated, but the hi-hat throughout the song feels a bit weak in comparison. If you're interested in premium IEMs with a warmer, smoother top-end, check out the THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII.

The peaks and dips performance is excellent. For the most part, there aren't a lot of peaks and dips, which means that the headphones can control their sound profile well. A slightly uneven treble range makes sibilants like S and T sounds or piercing, depending on their pitch.

The Stereo Mismatch performance is excellent. These in-ears exhibit amazing matching between the L/R drivers, with only very small mismatches at the top of the frequency range that are unlikely to be audible in most content. They're similarly well-matched when it comes to phase, which falls below the audibility threshold across the entire range. 

The group delay performance is okay. Group delay mostly falls under the audibility threshold across the entire range, though there's a notable spike between the low and mid-bass that can cause kick drums to sound a little loose at certain frequencies. Treble range reproduction is transparent and focused though, with well-defined transients. 

The harmonic distortion performance is satisfactory. These buds exhibit minimal unintended audio coloration, both at 94 and 104dB/SPL so you won't notice any audible distortion with everyday content. 

You won't need an external amp or DAC to drive these in-ears and they're capable of producing plenty of volume with mobile end devices. 

These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The MOONDROP Blessing 3 have a sleek teardrop design with a multi-faceted stainless steel faceplate. That said, you can't engrave the buds with an image like their predecessor, the MOONDROP Blessing 2, and they only come in silver. The audio cables are detachable; you can swap them out if you prefer a different design.

These buds have hybrid drivers: two 10mm dynamic and four balanced armature. Two balanced armature drivers are designed for the mid range, while the other two are for the treble range, which helps ensure that mixes have high detail and sound natural.

These buds have a comfortable fit. Although they look a bit bulky, they're lighter than the MOONDROP Aria and don't put much pressure on your inner ear, even though they have a deep fit. They come with six pairs of silicone ear tips to help you get the best fit. Once you connect them to a device, the weight can pull the cable downward since it loops around your ear. This is common for wired in-ears, but it can still be an annoying sensation. If you're looking for IEMs with slightly better comfort and a wider variety of ear tips, consider the Razer Moray. They're lighter than the MOONDROP and come with three foam ear tips, which some users find more comfortable than silicone. With that said, some owners report that the Blessing 3's ear tips can slip off the nozzles and stay in your ears, which seems like a design oversight. These owners have described some solutions (1, 2), which we haven't tried, but they're worth mentioning.

Like most in-ears, they're very portable. You can easily put them into most bags or pockets without an issue.

The carrying case is great; much better than the pouch you often find accompanying cheaper IEMS like the TRUTHEAR HEXA. It's mostly made from high-quality leather and is bigger than the MOONDROP Aria and MOONDROP KATO. It feels solid and holds its shape, even when you put it into a bag. It doesn't bend when you push on it, either. There's a zipper to keep the case closed. On the inside is a soft material with a small space to store extras like filters and tips.

The build quality is great. They're made of a combination of stainless steel and plastic, which makes them feel well-built. The audio cable has two pins that have slightly different sizes, so you'll need to be careful to insert the pins properly into the buds.

Like the Sennheiser IE 200, these buds have a pretty stable fit, thanks to their audio cable design, which wraps around your ear. Once you find the right size of tips for your needs, they won't move around during moderate movement. However, the buds can start to feel loose over longer periods, especially if you're chewing gum or talking, so you'll need to adjust their fit.

• MOONDROP Blessing 3 headphones
• Detachable cable
• 6x sets of silicone tips
• Airplane adapter
• Hard carrying case
• Manuals

The MOONDROP Blessing 3's noise isolation performance is okay. They're IEMs, so they don't have noise cancelling and rely on their passive capabilities to help cut down background noise. They barely reduce low-frequency noise like the rumbles of bus and plane engines, which can be frustrating if you want to block out noise during your commute. On the upside, the buds can isolate you from ambient sound like voices and the high-pitched hum of AC units very well.

There's a peak in the response above zero in the high-bass range. When isolated, these frequencies sound subjectively louder within our test box than when the headphones are off. We're currently investigating this issue and will update this review when possible.

The headphones do an alright job blocking out everyday sounds. They don't do a good job blocking out deeper sounds like the rumble of a plane engine, but they do a better job attenuating mid-range noise like office and pedestrian chatter.

The leakage performance is incredible. While leakage is mostly concentrated in the bass range and sounds full-bodied, the overall amount of escaping audio is low. Even if you're listening to audio at high volumes, others around you won't be bothered by it.

These IEMs do not come with a companion app. If you'd like to customize the sound of your IEMs, consider the MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK.

These buds come with a 1.19 m (3.90 ft) detachable audio cable with a 3.5mm jack. While it doesn't come with a mic, you can purchase a cable with a mic separately.

If you'd like to use a USB-C audio source and want an all-in-one solution, the Meze ALBA come with an analog to USB-C/A adapter so you can use the earbuds with mobile phones without an additional purchase.

These buds don't have a mic by default, so if you connect them to your PC, you'll only receive audio.

If you use the default audio cable, these buds only support audio when plugged into your PlayStation controller's AUX port.

You can plug these headphones into your Xbox console's AUX port. However, you can only receive audio. If you want mic support, use a standalone mic or replace the default cable with an in-line mic.