This special combination of delicacy and lightness means the Starfield is better able to just disappear within the music. The midrange is great in terms of tonality and the vocal performance is mostly excellent (unless you are fan of growling metal vocals).

If you want something more pure and clean feeling, but with excellent density factor in tonality and presentation, then this is for you. The Shure are tighter and faster in the lows while the Starfield are generally just slightly more resolving.Speaking of which, the bass on the Starfield is about equal parts sub-bass and mid-bass - considerably above neutral - and honestly, it’s not very good. The upper midrange around 2-3khz sounds like it has a bit of an emphasis relative to the frequency ranges above this area, and so it can occasionally sound a bit shouty and throw off guitar tones a bit.

Thankfully, I am able to retain good quality even upward of +8dB of bass and with some serious low-end alteration via Hiby’s MSEB system, which is a system of DSP that really is quite detailed in what type of presentation you’d like to alter your headphones in an attempt to morph into. But compared to KPE (Haven't tried KXXS yet), the bass on Starfield has a smoother presentation than KPE. It's my first time owning a entry-level IEM and I'm really amazed of the performance it delivers as a single DD IEM. Since the release of the popular Kannas Pro in 2017, Moondrop has become one of the fastest-growing “Chi-Fi” IEMs makers. An example of this is each instrument has its own space, allowing them to feel as the mastered track it is, making it clear that each instrument is in different places.Needless to say I doubt I could pass an A/B test between the two of them, so perhaps it would be more apt to say I find the Starfield lacks some of that je ne sais quoi relative to my KXXS. Resolution is sufficient, for me I find the mid-range to be the most detailed area here, sub bass is fairly textured as well but the treble which is usually the highlight of highly resolving IEMs isn't that detailed nonetheless I find both layering and imaging to be superb despite the lack of sound stage magnitude. Additionally, the Starfield has much better slam and dynamic impact in the bass, as well a better sense of speed and control - especially for the lower midrange.

The Fiio FH1s would be the opposite, warmer end with a wider sound imaging setup, but less focus on midrange.I like theorizing about this sort of thing: the motives of the artist, what they were thinking at the time, and if there are any hidden meanings or easter eggs in their works. Different from KXXS’s sharp, wide, accurate sound field and super clear analysis, Starfield focus on delicate, soft, stretched sound and excellent quality bringing a delicate balance between balance and musicality.