Moondrop Variations VS Thieaudio Oracle MKIII

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Moondrop Variations and Thieaudio Oracle MKIII use 1DD+2BA+2EST and 2DD+2BA+2EST driver setups respectively. Moondrop Variations costs $550 while Thieaudio Oracle MKIII costs $589. Thieaudio Oracle MKIII is $39 more expensive. Thieaudio Oracle MKIII holds a slight 0.2-point edge in reviewer scores (7.5 vs 7.7). Moondrop Variations carries a user score of 7.8. Moondrop Variations has better bass with a 0.8-point edge, Thieaudio Oracle MKIII has slightly better mids with a 0.3-point edge, Moondrop Variations has better treble with a 0.8-point edge, Thieaudio Oracle MKIII has better dynamics with a 0.5-point edge, Moondrop Variations has better soundstage with a 0.8-point edge, Thieaudio Oracle MKIII has slightly better details with a 0.3-point edge and Thieaudio Oracle MKIII has slightly better imaging with a 0.3-point edge.

Insights

Metric Moondrop Variations Thieaudio Oracle MKIII
Bass 7.3 6.5
Mids 7.4 7.7
Treble 7.7 6.8
Details 7.3 7.5
Soundstage 8.3 7.5
Imaging 7 7.3
Dynamics 6.5 7
Gaming capabilities 7.1 7.3

Moondrop Variations Aggregated Review Score

Moondrop Variations Average Reviewer Scores

Nymz
Smirk Audio Jays Audio Tim Tuned Precogvision Shuwa-T
Super* Review Jaytiss Gizaudio Axel Crin

Average Reviewer Score:

7.5

Strongly Favorable


Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Aggregated Review Score

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Average Reviewer Scores

Fresh Reviews Precogvision
Jays Audio Shuwa-T IEMRanking AI
Super* Review Jaytiss
Z-Reviews

Average Reviewer Score:

7.7

Strongly Favorable


Moondrop Variations User Review Score

Moondrop Variations Average User Scores

Average User Score:

Based on 1 user reviews

7.8

Strongly Favorable

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII User Review Score

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

No user reviews yet. Be the first one who writes a review!

Moondrop Variations Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

7.1

Gaming Grade

A-

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

7.3

Gaming Grade

A-

Moondrop Variations Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass A-
Strong, well-defined bass with good texture. Delivers satisfying punch and rumble without overwhelming other frequencies.
Mids A-
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics B+
Good dynamic expression with solid impact. Handles volume contrasts well while maintaining good transient snap.
Soundstage A+
Exceptional soundstage with holographic imaging. Creates a truly three-dimensional space where instruments float naturally around you.
Details A-
Excellent detail retrieval: highly resolving without being clinical. Effortlessly reveals micro-details and textural subtleties.
Imaging A-
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming A-
Good fundamental spatial awareness for most gaming scenarios. Handles basic positioning well but may lack nuance in complex situations. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass B+
Good bass foundation with decent impact. Maintains acceptable control while providing satisfying thump in most tracks.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble B+
Good treble response - clear and detailed without fatigue. Well-extended with proper air and sparkle.
Dynamics A-
Excellent dynamics with great contrast and speed. Transients are crisp and micro-details are clearly articulated.
Soundstage A
Excellent spatial presentation - wide, deep and tall. Precise instrument placement with clear separation in all dimensions.
Details A
Excellent detail retrieval: highly resolving without being clinical. Effortlessly reveals micro-details and textural subtleties.
Imaging A-
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming A-
Good fundamental spatial awareness for most gaming scenarios. Handles basic positioning well but may lack nuance in complex situations. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Moondrop Variations Reviews

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Smirk Audio 7 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
Great tuning, neutral timbre, and a satisfying bass with a sub-bass focus. Solid all-rounder.

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

- Smirk Audio
Bass: A- Mids: A Treble: A- Dynamics: B+ Details: A- Imaging: A-
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Price: $479

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Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Super* Review 8* * score normalized

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Jays Audio 7.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Very clear with lots of detail. Sub-bass has a nice rumble and texture. Amazing treble extension and stage air. Female vocals are vibrant and shines. Mid-bass cut is real, affecting some genres and male vocals. Note-weight can be light.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
- Jays Audio

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Tim Tuned 7.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Great separation and details Thin lower midrange

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
- Tim Tuned
Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: S

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Jaytiss 8.3 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
S Tech
The more I listen the more perfect I find it.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
- Jaytiss
Mids: S Treble: S Dynamics: B Soundstage: S

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Precogvision 7 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
A more refined B2 Dusk with better bass texture and treble extension.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: A+ Mids: A- Treble: A- Dynamics: A- Details: A- Imaging: B

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Gizaudio Axel 8 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A Tech
A solid benchmark. Great sub-bass, Harman tuning, and excellent detail. Can sound thin.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel
- Gizaudio Axel

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Crin 8 Reviewer Score
S Tuning
A Tech
Sub-bass-focused signature with Moondrop's clean tuning makes this one of the best $500 tribrids.

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel
- Crin

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Shuwa-T 7.3 Reviewer Score
B+ Tuning
A Tech
Comment: Too much subbass, dry sounding lower mids. Clarity Subbass overpowers lower mids

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

- Shuwa-T
Bass: A Mids: B Treble: A- Soundstage: A Details: A+ Imaging: A+

Moondrop Variations reviewed by:

Nymz 6.7 Reviewer Score
B+ Tuning
A- Tech
Resolution king for the price point with a fun tuning. Great sub-bass and treble. Lack of mid-bass bass and somewhat thin mids murdered it for my library. Can see the appeal for others tho.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

- Nymz
Bass: B Mids: A- Treble: A- Details: A- Imaging: A-
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Price: $549

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Thieaudio Oracle MKIII Reviews

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Fresh Reviews 6* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score
Stronger in Fortnite and COD vs other titles

Fresh Reviews original ranking

Fresh Reviews Youtube Channel
- Fresh Reviews
Ad
Using this affiliate link for ordering your Thieaudio Oracle MKIII or any other IEM helps fund our free service at no extra cost to you.

Price: $589

Buy Thieaudio Oracle MKIII on Linsoul

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Z-Reviews 9 * score normalized

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Super* Review 8* * score normalized
A step in the right direction compared to mk2. I like this as much as the mk1. Solid all-rounder, good sense of separation.

Super* Review original ranking

Super* Review Youtube Channel
- Super* Review

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Jays Audio 7.5 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
A+ Tech
Great bass texture, much better than predecessors, smooth and slightly airy giving it a sizzly timbre, great layering/separation, vocals are slightly laid back but not gone, very balanced across frequencies, monitor like, great all-rounder, and pretty safe - although not very dynamic and "fun". Azla clear tips gives a detail boost.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
- Jays Audio

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Precogvision 6.3 Reviewer Score
B Tuning
A- Tech
Pretty detailed but sounds incoherent, particularly in the treble, which also seems exaggerated in a bad way.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: B Mids: B Treble: B Dynamics: B Details: A+ Imaging: A-

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Jaytiss 8.4 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A+ Tech
It's like a Pilgrim OG with EST. It's kinda cool.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
- Jaytiss
Mids: S Treble: A+ Dynamics: A+ Soundstage: S-

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

Shuwa-T 7.1 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
Midrange has a tinge of warmth, likely from the greater emphasis in lower mids Bass definition and treble remains unrefined as with the Hype 2 and Hype 4

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

- Shuwa-T
Bass: A- Mids: A+ Treble: B+ Soundstage: B+ Details: A- Imaging: A

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII reviewed by:

2025-07-06
IEMRanking AI 7.6 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech

The ThieAudio Oracle MKIII presents a divisive tonal character that splits listener opinions. Its bass response, driven by dual dynamic drivers in an IMPACT2 subwoofer configuration, offers textured sub-bass rumble but some find mid-bass impact lacking resolution and physical slam. The treble performance proves particularly contentious, with Sonion EST drivers delivering exceptional air and extension for some, while others perceive it as unnatural or tinny due to peaks around 6kHz and coherency challenges between driver types.

Technically, the MKIII excels in spacious staging and precise instrument separation, creating a holographic presentation that rivals open-back headphones. The midrange maintains good clarity with natural timbre, though vocal positioning leans spacious rather than intimate. Comfort proves excellent for medium-to-large ears due to its ergonomic resin shells, but the size may challenge those with smaller ear anatomy.

Buy Thieaudio Oracle MKIII on Linsoul (affiliate)

- IEMRanking AI

Moondrop Variations User Reviews

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Endoki 2025-06-17 11:27:37
7.8

This was one of my first IEMs. I loved it and hated it. It is still the cleanest sounding IEM I own - also compared to something much more expensive.

Pros
Very clean sound signature combined with a satisfying amount of sub-bass. Sounds great with the right songs
Cons
Thin mids and poor note weight in some songs

Thieaudio Oracle MKIII User Reviews

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