Short answer: the Aurorus Audio Borealis. It ranks #186 of 481 over-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.7/5, at $899.99; the Moondrop Cosmo ranks #214, rated 3.6/5, and costs $999, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
Why pick the Aurorus Audio Borealis: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 76 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: About 7 dB less bass than the Harman target below 150 Hz, which can sound thin on pop, hip hop and electronic music.
What the Moondrop Cosmo does well: An open back planar magnetic headphone with a large 100mm driver and a midrange that sits on target from 200 Hz to 1 kHz, so voices and instruments keep a natural body. Watch for: Sub-bass falls 6 dB below target by 53 Hz and is 7.3 dB down at 30 Hz, so kick drums and synth bass lack rumble, and the bass region overall runs 3.2 dB thin.
Buy the Aurorus Audio Borealis. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Moondrop Cosmo and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 76 against the Harman target.
Aurorus Audio $899.99 eBay
An open back planar magnetic headphone with a large 100mm driver and a midrange that sits on target from 200 Hz to 1 kHz, so voices and instruments keep a natural body.
Amazon $999.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Aurorus Audio Borealis | Moondrop Cosmo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $899.99 | $999.00 |
| Ranked | #186 of 481 in Over-Ear Headphones | #214 of 481 in Over-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | Over-ear | Over-ear |
| Harman Preference Score | 76 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 74 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.73 dB standard deviation | 2.69 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | +0.21 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.38 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Falls 6 dB below target at 47 Hz (-9.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Falls 6 dB below target at 53 Hz (-7.3 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Back | Open | Open |
| Connection | Wired (3.5mm detachable) | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Planar magnetic |
| Drivers | 1 Dynamic (50mm) | 1 x 100mm planar magnetic |
| Impedance | - | 15 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 100 dB/Vrms |
| Frequency Response | - | 13Hz - 58kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Aurorus Audio Borealis from capraaudio, hadoe, listener and ragnarok; the Moondrop Cosmo from boizoff, listener, superreview and vsg, all via squig.link.
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