I like your range of test music. I’m going to have to listen to some of the renditions.
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Hi, glad you liked the selection. I try to include as many different genres as possible and choose pieces that are not too well-known so as to make it interesting! My focus when reviewing is on how the music sounds, which, after all, is why we are discussing these things!
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Here’s my review and impressions of the KB EAR F1 earphones.
These earphones were provided for an honest review graciously by the seller who wishes to stay anonymous.
KB EAR is as far as i can tell a newcommer to the CHIFI scene.
The F1’s have one balanced armature driver per side. A claimed 20HZ-20KHZ frequency range ( more on this later) @22ohms with a max input power of 10mw seems that they will be driven well from portable sources.
Packaging
The F1’s come in the standard slip cover box that seems to dominate the CHIFI market at the moment, its minimalist but functional.
Ripping the sleeve off reveals a user guide, below this is where the magic happens.
The F1’s are sitting pretty in foam to protect during transit, beneath the earphones in the foam are 4 more eartips besides the 2 that come pre-installed.
Beneath the foam is the “goodie box” that houses the cable, and more eartips.
Units Themselves/Build Quality
KB EAR has decided to go for an all resin build on the F1’s, mine are in the “honey” color and allow me to see whats going on inside. In the bottom of the unit they have decided to go with an MMCX connector allowing for using replacement/different cables. Following the wires up from the connector you see the single balanced armature leading into the metal sound tube with a metal screen. The included cable is silver and well made/braided, with only one caveat (more on this later). The eartips included are s,m,l dual density red core silicone tips and s,m,l KZ starline tips.
Build quality seems very high for the price point as there really isn’t anything that could go wrong with them, being solid resin I see no reason why these shouldn’t be durable.
Sound Impressions
Audio equipment used for listening is as follows: Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Topping NX4 DSD, Hidizs Sonata II, Khadas tone board running into a JDS Labs atom amplifier. Audio files ranged from MP3 V0 to 24 bit flac.
Overall the F1’s are relatively pleasing to listen to on the appropriate types of music (bassheads run away) I really enjoyed live music as well as vocal/jazz, they also did rock/metal justice. I tried the included dual density silicone red core tips, memory foam tips, big bore, and starlines. The starlines gave me the best overall sound but YMMV.
Bass 6/10
The bass is clean tight and articulate, but its heavily rolled off below 80hz. The F1’s are not going to be for any basshead whatsoever. I played with the tone controls and could regain some of the depth but the balanced armatures were easily over driven.
Midrange 8.5/10
This is where the F1’s really shine. The mids are front and center detailed and in your face.
I didn’t notice and midbass bleed (what little there is) pretty much smooth sailing from from male vocals up into the upper female range.
Treble 7/10
Treble extends well into the upper registers, although it heavily rolls off above from around 13khz. The treble sensitive will love these. The highs are well detailed thanks to the balanced armature but subdued way to much and does hurt the soundstage and airiness above vocal ranges.
Comfort/Isolation
The F1’s are relatively small and extremely comfortable considering their square shape. The shape bodes well to a deep insertion if desired which helps provide really good isolation. The cable loops over the ear well staying out of the way for the most part. KB EAR decided to go with the crazy long leads from the Y to the earphones allowing them to kinda do whatever they want, getting hung up at their will (looking at you KZ). The sound leakage is excellent if your worried about bothering those around you.
Overall/ Conclusion
I feel that the KB EAR F1’s are a great entry into the market, and an extremely good earphone for those looking for a “mid centric” sound signature. The soundstage and separation are about average for an IEM, but having a more focused sound is good for some music.
For the low entry fee of ~$35 (I remember spending dramatically more for Etymotic with a like sound signature back in the day) I can see most people being able to enjoy these ENTRY level IEM’s.
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I have recently purchased the KZ ZS10 Pro after hearing lots of good things about it. I have been testing it for about a week and here is my review of it:
The ZS10 Pro is one of the latest models in a new series of IEMs from KZ (Knowledge Zenith) featuring metal faceplates, revised drive units and a new type of connector. It is an update to the original ZS10 and like the earlier model, is a five-driver hybrid (1DD + 4BA). The dynamic driver is a new 10mm dual magnet design which is claimed to be equivalent to a 14-15mm unit. It is the same as that used in the new KZ ZSN Pro and the CCA CA4 and has a field strength of 1 Tesla. Two 50060 balanced armatures cover the midrange frequencies and two of the familiar 30095 units are employed for the treble region. The BAs are revised versions of the originals. This configuration is similar to that in the original ZS10 and the CCA C10, but with updated drivers.
The packaging is the usual KZ small white box with an outline drawing of the IEMs on the front and some specifications printed on the back. Inside, the earphones are presented in a cut-out with the words “10 Units Hybrid Technology Earphone” printed below. Under this cut-out you will find the detachable cable, a set of three Starline-type tips and documentation. A further set of soft silicone tips is pre-fitted on the IEMs.
The ZS10 Pro has a polished stainless steel faceplate which has three screws and three indented chevrons on its surface and is very well made. The shape is similar to that of the CCA C10 and ZSN Pro and the body of the earphone is made of a clear acrylic through which the components can be seen. The words “10 Hybrid Technology” appear on the edge of the earpieces. My particular example came in the purple option which contrasted well with the polished metal faceplates. The words “stunning hifi configuration” are printed on the side of the shells. The overall apperance is really cool.
The detachable cable is the new design, initially adopted on the above-mentioned ZSN. It has a clear plastic connector (known as “Type C”) with the pins covered in a plastic shield. It is still possible to use other cables, which just plug into the protruding sockets on the IEMs. The cable itself is the usual KZ type of braided copper and has a very long section between the chunky Y-split and the earpieces and as a result is somewhat prone to tangling. It would be nice to see an improvement in this area. The plug is a right-angled plastic 3.5mm TRS type.
The earphones were left burning in for over 50 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. After this I used a Hifi Walker H2 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier for evaluation.
The ZS10 Pro was tested using the pre-fitted tips and a 16 core silver plated cable which provided improved comfort. Used like this, the seal and isolation were above average. The fit was very comfortable, allowing me to forget that I had earphones in my ears! I experienced a good volume level on various devices, including a Sony NWZ-A15, the above-menioned Hifi Walker H2 and a Moto G3 smartphone. However, I found the sound balance preferable when run through the DAP via line out with a headphone amplifier.
The ZSN10 Pro displayed a V-shaped response, in traditional KZ style. In this respect the sound resembled that of the earlier ZS7 model with strong but not too dominant bass. The lower mids were slightly recessed but remained articulate, and the treble was bright and largely free of peaks or other artefacts. The sub-bass showed good extension and texture and the mid bass had plenty of impact but did bleed a little into the mids. The midrange itself was clean, clear and well-detailed with a wide but not so deep soundstage. The treble was brighter that of the ZS7 with good extension and plenty of detail and sparkle. The 50060 and 30095 BAs have been tuned with a bright tonality and certainly produce a more preferable sound to the original ZS10 and the CCA C10, which use the same drivers. The overall effect was dynamic and lively and quite forward. To be more specific:
Bass
The bass resembled that of the KZS7 but had more of a mid-bass, rather than a sub-bass emphasis. It sounded tight and immediate. The new double magnetic driver seems to be particularly well implemented here and improves upon the CCA CA4 and KZ ZSN Pro, which use the same unit. The bass drum and timpani in “Castilla”, the first movement of the “Suite Espanola” by Albeniz, had superb impact and life, with a very natural timbre. This created a perfect foundation for the fast-paced rhythm of the piece. The deep bass accompaniment in Jonn Serrie’s “Flow of Time’s Arrow” from his album “Thousand Star” took the same role, creating a solid foundation for the synth patches and sparkly electronic effects floating over the top in impressive fashion. The bass section in “The Cello’s Song” by Kostia and David Arkenstone had good timbre and presence. The natural tone of the cello and the string accompaniment completed a very satisfying performance.
Mids
There was some bass bleed from the strong mid-bass which tended to make the lower mids somewhat recessed and gave a little extra warmth, but due to the gradual rise into the treble region, a fairly balanced picture emerged. There was plenty of detail on offer here and the clean nature of the presentation allowed all the different layers to be heard clearly. The spacious soundstage was another notable feature, which came to the fore in Vangelis’s “Celestial Whispers” from his “Rosetta” album. The stately melody progressed attractively, accompanied by clear percussive elements, all set within an attractive acoustic. The wide soundstage also showed its merits in the first movement of Roy Harris’s Symphony No.6, performed by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra conducted by Keith Clark. The orchestra was spread beautifully across the stereo image and the tonality of the various instruments was depicted very well. However, in more energetic pieces, the perspective tended to flatten and the higher frequencies tended to dominate. Very occasionally there were some more strident elements.
Treble
The treble continued where the mids left off with a bright, energetic presentation. The sharp and immediate nature of the upper frequencies was very effective in Mark Dwane’s “Planetary Rulers” from his album “Astrology”. Mark is a master of the MIDI guitar and his recordings are of audiophile quality. Percussion strikes were fast and incisive with good detail and guitars displayed impressive attack. This kind of material was perfect for the ZS10 Pro, which revelled in the complex arrangement. The bright string sonorities of Rossini’s “String Sonata No.1” performed by the Orchestra of the Enlightenment were clean and crisp and possessed an attractive timbre with the rhythmic qualities of the piece being preserved very well. As with the midrange, sometimes a harsher tonality emerged but this only occurred infrequently.
Soundstage
As mentioned above, the soundstage displayed good width and height, but a less well-delineated depth. The stereo presentation was very good, especially the left to right spread which helped with effects which moved around the image. A good example of this was in “Time” from Pink Floyd’s seminal “Dark Side of the Moon”. The tuned tom-toms danced around the image very effectively. All the elements of Alan Parsons’s excellent production could be heard clearly with good separation. It was only in more complex and energetic passages that the image condensed a little and there was a flattening of perspective. In general though, the ZS10 put in a good performance here.
Conclusion
The ZS10 Pro is the third IEM from KZ and CCA featuring a dynamic driver coupled with two 50060 BAs and two 30095 BAs. The CCA C10 has a more balanced, safe tuning with a gently rolled-off treble, a warm but well-textured bass and a clear more neutral midrange. The original ZS10 was a true V-shaped IEM with powerful bass which occasionally became dominant, a recessed midrange which sometimes displayed an odd tonality, and a bright treble in traditional KZ style with the tendency to display peaks. The ZS10 Pro addresses these issues and has a punchy mid-bass, and a clean upper register with few artefacts, resulting in a more balanced sound which is entertaining as well. It is quite full-on, however, grabbing you by the lapels, and sometimes forgetting to let go! This “full throttle” approach was occasionally fatiguing on more lively material.
It is tempting to compare the ZS10 Pro with KZ’s earlier ZS7 model. It has a different driver configuration, employing a 10mm DD coupled with a 29689 mid range BA, a 31005 mid/high BA and two 30095 treble units. The ZS7 has a superb sub-bass region and a flatter mid-bass with no bleed. The midrange is more subdued but still displays great detail. The treble is gentler but still shows sparkle and life. It also has a more three-dimensional soundstage, due to the vented earpieces. The two earphones offer a real alternative in the “fun” tuning category. Both have their merits and advocates. For a lively brighter sound with a mid-bass emphasis, the ZS10 Pro is for you. If you prefer a sub-bass presentation and an overall “darker” sound, then choose the ZS7.
I would like to thank Sherry of Yinyoo Audio for supplying this review sample at no cost to me.
Product link:
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Below is my review of the new BLON BL-03 earphone, the second of three new IEMs I have recently purchased.
The BLON BL-03 is a new design single-driver IEM. The earpieces are teardrop-shaped and finished in a highly-polished alloy in a gunmetal colour. The build quality is impressive with a high-quality smooth finish. It comes in a long white box with the IEMs displayed above a plain white box bearing the BLON logo and the acronym, BELIEF – LETMUSICBURN - OPPOTY - NEVERGIVEUP. This box contains a linen-finish pouch with a blue BLON logo and the spare eartips plus some documentation.
The BL-03 features detachable 2-pin cables and a 10mm diameter dynamic driver with a carbon nanotube diaphragm. The supplied cable has tightly curved ear guides and shielded connecting pins. I found this to be uncomfortable to wear and it tended to make the earpieces fall out of my ears. The smooth metal earpieces added to this problem as they failed to supply any grip. In addition, the unusual cone-shaped tips failed to provide a secure fit. I have large ear canals so therefore changed the cable for an 8-core hybrid braided type and installed large Spinfit tips.
The earphones were left burning in for over 50 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. After this I used a Hifi Walker H2 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier via line out, for evaluation. Initially the presentation was somewhat unbalanced. The bass seemed detached from the rest of the frequency range and mids and treble were very bright with a shrill tonality. I therefore followed the advice of “Let music burn” and “Never give up” and continued with a total of 100 hours burn-in. After this the sound was transformed. I experienced the same thing with the recent CCA A10.
The overall effect was now much more balanced with the midrange somewhat forward and a slightly brighter than neutral treble with good extension. The immediate impression was “fast” and “clean”. The detail retrieval and transient response were very good and the texture was well-rendered. Layering in electronic music was especially good. The balanced nature of this presentation suited most types of music.
Bass
After addressing the fit issues mentioned above, the bass had a very clean tonality with the excellent texture referred to earlier being a prominent quality in this frequency range. Sub-bass was deep and displayed excellent texture and resolution, with this being maintained into the mid-bass. There was little or no bleed into the midrange. “Missing” from the album “Themes” by Vangelis, was a good example. The characteristic synth patches possessed a clean edge and powerful impact. Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” is a perfect test track for evaluating bass performance. In the version by the Eos Orchestra, the bass drum strikes had clean and crisp attack with the rebound of the skin being easy to discern. Timpani had excellent timbre and superb clarity resulting in an exhilarating performance.
Mids
The midrange also displayed good detail and clarity, which allowed spatial cues to be heard clearly. Soundstage was very impressive with stereo imagery also of high quality. As mentioned above, layering was very good. This showed up well in Ray Lynch’s “Tiny Geometries” from his “Deep Breakfast” album. The complex percussive elements danced across the soundstage with the synth layering and accompaniment all combining to provide a perfect backdrop for the lead melody. The whole piece displayed great coherence, no doubt a result of a good single-driver implementation. Vocal performance was impressive, too. Al Stewart’s delicate vocal style came across faithfully in “Time Passages”. Lyrics were clear and well-enunciated and the acoustic guitar and sax solos provided a perfect foil for the vocal line. Holst’s “Moorside Suite”, in a string arrangement conducted by David Lloyd-Jones, was very impressive. The principal melody line and lively counterpoint were clear and crisp and layering was beautifully portrayed. Climaxes had great immediacy with the timbre of the various string sections reproduced accurately.
Treble
The clean, fast response of the BL-03 produced an excellent treble performance. Extension was very good and there were no harsh peaks. Clarity was first-class giving a crystalline quality to the upper register. The dense electronic percussion in Isao Tomita’s “Daphnis and Chloe”, from “The Ravel Album” was a good example of this with each element separate yet well-integrated. At no time did the treble become too dominant, though it has to be said that the overall tonality was brighter than neutral. The delicate fingering of Lavinia Meijer in her harp arrangement of Ludovico Einaudi’s “Le Onde” had a feather-light touch where the finest detail contrasted well with the fast transient attack in the more dynamic passages. The timbre of the harp was very realistic.
Conclusion
The BLON BL-03 is a very impressive single dynamic IEM. If a secure and comfortable fit can be obtained, it is capable of excellent performance. It is well-made and has a notable fast response and clean tonality and an expansive, three-dimensional soundstage. The adoption of a carbon nanotube diaphragm certainly pays dividends with an attractive immediacy and exciting sound, which although not neutral, never gives the impression of anything missing. The general profile is somewhat V-shaped but the lively midrange and bright treble balance out the solid bass resulting in a pleasing balanced effect.
Note: I would like to thank Sunny from Better Audio US for her friendly service and communication and for providing this review sample at a substantial discount.
Product link:
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Wow! Other people’s sound descriptions don’t usually line up perfectly with my own, but your review sounds like it describes my impressions exactly, although you say it much better than I do.
When comparing to Harman, the stock ZS10 Pro frequency response has a few areas where it can be improved (measurements courtesy of crinacle).
- There are peaks at around 2 and 4 KHz that give it that aggressive energy you mentioned.
- There’s a peak around 8 KHz that can occasionally expose sibilants.
- Mid-bass is a bit much (just like you said)
- EDIT - There’s also an audible dip around 6500 KHz that I see in a lot of IEMs. I have a hard time describing the impact of it other than to say that it makes some string instruments seem a little muted and pushes background vocals even further into the background.
What’s great about the ZS10 Pro is that it has good extension at both ends. I’ve found that especially in the treble region, if an IEM is missing extension there, you usually can’t just EQ it in.
When I do eq the ZS10 Pro, I end up with something like this:
Basically it’s a warm version of Harman (I think the mid-bass suckout in Harman sounds unnatural) and retaining the natural extension of the ZS10 Pro, just with a peak at 11.5 KHz ironed out. Sounding pretty amazing so far!
EDIT - Here are the EQ settings
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Hi
I’m pleased my impressions align with yours. The ZS10 Pro has had some very positive comments but few criticisms. I don’t use EQ as that function causes the sound to become muddy on my DAP. I agree also about the Harman curve, it is too warm for me with an unnatural tonality in the midrange.
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Really nice and detailed review. I enjoyed reading it.
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Thanks! It’s always nice to get positive feedback!
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I am not sure but I think the peak around 2.5k is what makes me feel a little tired when listening to these for extended periods. My graphs don’t match the ones from Crinacle (which is not surprising) but they do show that peak in the same place.
I’ll have to try your EQ (at least in the upper mids) to see if I can use them for longer (for general music listening I mean, for editing I do find them great and also for monitoring).
2 Likes
Same here. I measure with a Dayton IMM-6 and some vinyl tubing. The general shape of my graph is quite similar to crinacle’s but the location and amplitude of my peaks is a little off, and my bass shows roll-off that’s not in Crinacle’s measurements (nor do I hear it as rolled off). Ultimately the proof is in the pudding. If I EQ using my measurements I get OK results, EQ’ing with crinacle’s sounds fantastic.
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Here is my review of the TRI i4, the third of three recent acquisitions:
The TRI i4 is a new dual-driver IEM from a new company, featuring an innovative composite diaphragm bass driver paired with a high-quality Knowles balanced armature.
The i4 comes attractively presented in a dark grey box with the TRI logo. Inside the IEMs are displayed with the cable attached and below, a suede (or faux suede) buttoned pouch. Lifting up the inner card reveals the spare eartips which include two foam tips, two further black silicone tips in S and L size (the medium size being pre-installed on the IEMs) and set of three Spinfit-like tips with a yellow medium bore.
The bass driver is a dynamic type featuring a composite bio-cellulose diaphragm coupled with an aluminium-magnesium gold-plated dome. This should ensure a wider frequency range, enabling the crossover frequency to the Knowles armature to be shifted out of the most sensitive area. The earpieces themselves are beautifully constructed from CNC machined aluminium and are finished in an attractive metallic blue colour with a laser-etched TRI logo. The earpieces have channel idenification (hooray!) and a small vent below this marking. There is a further vent for the dynamic driver on the other side of the earpiece. The inner surface of the earpieces is subtly contoured which results in a very comfortable fit. The cable interface is of the MMCX type. Full marks for fit and finish.
I replaced the supplied cable with the one supplied with a silver-plated 8-core cable from KZ due to the fact that the angled connectors tended to force the earpieces out of my ears. The MMCX connectors fitted very securely resulting in a firm connection. I also replaced the pre-fitted tips with my go-to JVC Spiral Dots. Their wide bore and domed profile ensured a good seal in my larger-than-average ear canals!
The earphones were left burning in for 72 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. The principal equipment used was a Hifi Walker H2 DAP and Fiio A5 amplifier, via line-out.
The immediate impression was of a beautifully-balanced sound with a sense of refinement. I had experienced this before with the Tin Hifi T3, which also uses a Knowles armature. The overall profile was balanced or neutral, with a solid but reserved bass foundation and clear, detailed treble. The soundstage was very spacious with a pronounced three-dimensional quality. Layering was exceptionally good with densely-scored pieces revealing all their separate elements.
Bass
Though largely flat, the bass reproduction possessed good tonality, with texture particularly well-rendered. In this respect the bass resembled that of the Tin Hifi T3 which was voiced very similarly. The presentation was on the cool side of neutral which emphasised the excellent resolution, but the output did begin to decrease below the 50Hz region. The distinctive sound of the Buchla synthesisers in Suzanne Ciani’s “Birth of Venus” from her album “Seven Waves” was a perfect illustration of this. The texture and impact were impressive, creating a perfect backdrop for the lead melody and the swirling electronic effects, but a little more depth and warmth would have been welcome. There was an attractive natural and unforced quality to the presentation which resulted in a very relaxing listen. However, in more demanding material, the roll-off was more noticeable, for example in Boellmann’s “Suite Gothique” a brutal test of bass. This large-scale French organ piece benefits from a powerful bass and the TRI i4 just fell short. Engaging the bass boost on my Fiio A5 certainly helped to bolster the lowest frequencies and produce a more dynamic sound and that much-needed touch of warmth. The mid-bass had a similar coolness to the lower frequencies, and did not bleed into the mids.
Mids
The absence of bass bleed and the excellent transparency combined to produce an excellently-voiced midrange. With a more tempered treble than the Tin T3, this resulted in a “mid-centric” character. This enabled layering and detail to come to the forefront, and the midrange performance of these i4s was the highlight of their presentation. Clarity was also above average, allowing vocals to really shine. Eva Cassidy’s wonderful “Songbird” was a good example with breath sounds and other subtle cues adding to the realism, enabling all the emotion of the song to come through. The accompaniment was perfectly balanced with the vocals and the whole effect was very enjoyable. The tolling of the bell in Arvo Part’s “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten” cut through the dense string scoring beautifully with its initial strike particularly well-rendered with a cold metallic timbre. The individual tones of the various string sections were beautifully layered and displayed excellent texture. Camel’s “Selva” from their album “The Single Factor” is an instrumental piece with many layers. The concentrated Prophet 5 synth strings showed good variation with the layering once again beautifully reproduced. Andy Latimer’s superb guitar solo floated over the top impressively with a perfect blend of aggression and subtlety.
Treble
As mentioned above, the treble was voiced more conservatively than in the Tin T3 which displayed a bright tonality. However, this did not detract from the i4’s ability to show detail, clarity and separation, all of which were excellent. Toru Takemitsu’s “Twill by Twilight” is a modern orchestral piece with influences of Debussy, Stravinsky and Ives. In the version by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the bright string sonorities and the clean and incisive woodwind tone clusters were superbly clean and clear and added to the atmosphere of the piece. Set against the orchestral accompaniment, this was very impressive and the character of the arrangement was preserved well. “Bhakti Point”, the second album from the late, great Richard Burmer, is an imaginative electronic album featuring his trademark attractive melodies. The title track begins with bright and crystalline percussive elements set against lush synth melodies and powerful drums. The excellent treble performance of the i4s depicted these beautifully while at the same time preserving a perfectly balanced sound picture.
Soundstage
The excellent transparency and clarity of the midrange and treble combined to produce a well-rendered three-dimensional soundstage with spatial and positional information clearly and precisely defined. It was easy to follow an individual instrumental strand even in a complex arrangement. The first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.4 was a perfect example. As the lead melody passed between the various woodwind instruments in a flowing fashion, each displayed excellent timbre and was accurately placed within the overall acoustic. Details of production is good recordings were reproduced accurately and added to the enjoyment.
Conclusion
Beautifully crafted and attractively presented with a good range of accessories, the TRI i4 also impressed with its sound quality. The dynamic driver and Knowles BA were very well-integrated. Occasionally a mild peak showed up in the lower treble which, I suspect, may be a crossover artefact, but apart from this, the voicing of the two drivers was very well matched, with the dynamic driver’s cool tonality and slightly reserved response making it sound more like a BA unit. This led to a very well-balanced, neutral presentation across the frequency range and reminded me of a full-range BA drive IEM. This coherence helped the music sound very natural. Unlike some other neutrally-tuned IEMs, the i4 possessed plenty of life and verve in its delivery with an entertaining, dynamic quality which kept me wanting to continue listening. This earphone produced a sound amenable to most genres, except possibly bass-oriented material, but I did find a bass boost on my headphone amplifier very effective in these cases. The i4 is an excellent maiden product from a new company and I look forward to their next release with enthusiasm. I would like to thank Sunny of Better Audio US for supplying this item at a substantial discount. Product Link: https://www.amazon.com/earphones-High-Performance-Isolating-Audiophile-Detachable/dp/B07TZ5115Z/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=TRI+I4+earphone&qid=1565794317&s=gateway&sr=8-5
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I got an i4 a few weeks ago from Kinboofi for review and havent cut through my backlog yet. I do like what I’ve heard so far and think its a great budget IEM.
1 Like
Another great review. Very detailed.
Gave away a box of KZ ZSN’s to an 11 year old girl for school supplies today. She is required to have headphones/earbuds for some work.
They were the Purple/Silver set. Good Unicorn colors.
Follow this thread back far enough to when everybody was raving about KZ ZSNs for $17 from Ali Baba, and I bought 3 pair. One for me, and two for giveaways. The black pair will probably be a stocking stuffer for a great grandnewphew.
4 Likes
I gave a bunch of my random cheap IEM purchases to my nephew and niece, brother and sister ‘n’ law =) really do make great quick gifts…
I should buy more for friends bday gifts and just to have on hand for last minute gifts…thank you for the reminder!
4 Likes
ZSN is the most easy to give of the IEM, after the good reviews and with that price I bought 4 of them, my wife took the purple and mine is the blue, the other two where for gifts.
My wife ended up not liking the shape and when back to her 1 More triple D.
2 Likes
I was recently sent the KBEAR KB06 for review by Wendy Li. I was very impressed with it, and here is my review:
The KB06 is the fourth branded release from KB-EAR, a relatively new company. It is a triple-driver hybrid, (1DD+2BA) and shares many features of IEMs from the aforementioned companies.
It features a 10mm DD with a double magnet design, as seen in the KZ ZS10 Pro, ZSN Pro and CCA CA4. This boasts a field strength of 1 Tesla. Coupled with this are the familiar 50060 BA midrange unit and the ubiquitous 30095 treble balanced armature driver. In this sense, the KB06 is a simplified version of the ZS10 Pro which featured the same bass driver and two of each of the BA units.
In a move away from the green and black colouring used on the Opal and F1 IEMs, the packaging is now similar to that used by KZ and CCA, a small white box with a picture of the IEMs on the front and some specifications printed on the back. Inside, the earphones are presented in a cut-out with the words “6 Units Hybrid Technology Earphone” printed below. Under this cut-out you will find the detachable cable, a set of three Starline-type tips and documentation. The medium size Starline tips are pre-fitted on the IEMs.
The KB06 has a matt silver alloy faceplate which is softly curved and quite small. The body of the earphone is made of a clear acrylic in a cyan colour through which the components can be seen. There is a small vent on the rear of the earpiece above which is written “1 dynamic and 2 Balanced Armature”, in a circle around the L and R channel identification. There is a pinhole vent on the inner surface of the earpieces.
The detachable cable is identical to that supplied with the KZ ZS10 Pro. It has a clear plastic connector (known as “Type C”) with the pins covered in a plastic shield. It is still possible to use other cables, which can be plugged into the protruding sockets on the IEMs. The cable itself is composed of braided copper and has a very long section between the chunky Y-split and the earpieces and as a result is somewhat prone to tangling. The plug is the usual right-angled plastic 3.5mm TRS type.
The earphones were left burning in for over 72 hours before testing and included tracks of white and pink noise, glide tones and other audio conditioning tracks. After this I used a Hifi Walker H2 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier and a Sony NWZ-A15 for evaluation.
I was unable to obtain a good fit with the supplied Starline tips so used the medium size grey and yellow tips supplied with the TRI i4 which fitted perfectly. Due to my particular ear configuration, I find angled connectors fail to provide a secure fit so also changed the cable to an 8 core hybrid cable from Hifi Hear. This provided improved comfort. Used like this, the seal and isolation were above average. The fit was very comfortable, allowing me to forget that I had earphones in my ears! I experienced a good volume level via the headphone output but I found the sound balance preferable when run through the DAP via line out with a headphone amplifier.
The KB06 surprised me on first listening with a well-balanced and dynamic presentation full of detail and life. Sub-bass was very impressive, mid bass was controlled well and did not bleed into the mids. Midrange was clean and open with an excellent soundstage and treble was bright and clear with no noticeable peaks or artefacts. This was a great performance, unexpected at this price level. The implementation of the 50060 midrange BA was particularly impressive and the 30095 treble BA showed good control and timbre.
Bass
Sub-bass dug deep and possessed good definition and texture. There was no boominess and decay was natural and well-controlled. Transient attack was fast and incisive, imparting an attractive vitality to the sound. The deep organ pedal notes in Elgar’s “Sursum Corda”, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Richard Hickox were powerful and weighty, providing a wonderful foundation for the noble melody. Timpani and bass drum also featured well in this piece and benefited from the KB06’s excellent tonality. “Above the Stars” is an electronic piece by Alexei Zakharov. It features a deep bass drone and synthesised bass drum. The depth and impact were impressive and complemented the delicate high percussion elements beautifully. Mid-bass was nicely voiced with no undue emphasis, therefore allowing a smooth transition into the midrange with no noticeable bleed.
Midrange
The midrange was not noticeably recessed. It showed good definition and detail and had excellent clarity. It was a little forward than neutral and this balanced out the overall presentation very well. Soundstage was very well-defined with a notably three-dimensional effect which came to the fore in well-recorded pieces. A perfect example of this was “Music for Orchestra (1967)” by Geoffrey Bush. In a beautiful Lyrita recording with the LPO conducted by Vernon Handley, the orchestral colour and dynamics were wonderfully handled. The solo trumpet and piano parts and the syncopated percussion were remarkably lifelike with a superb dynamic range. This piece is a perfect demonstration track and the KB06 revelled in it, delivering a superbly exciting and entertaining performance. This quality continued into the upper mids where the energetic and clean delivery impressed again. Vangelis’s ”Intermezzo” from his “Nocturne” album showed this with massed string synths soaring and singing against a deep bass backdrop with the excellent separation allowing the smallest details of texture and ambience to be heard clearly.
Treble
The quality of the treble was testament to the progress made in tuning of the familiar 30095 BA unit. Gone are the days of harsh peaks and edgy tonality as in the ZST, ES3 and original ZS10, to be replaced by an extended, clean and open delivery full of detail… The high synth leads and percussion in Richard Burmer’s “Reunion” from his “Bhakti Point” album illustrated this perfectly. The superb clarity enabled all the subtle elements in the production to be heard clearly and the smoothness of the reproduction made for a relaxing yet animated experience. “Quotation of Dream” is a modern orchestral work by Toru Takemitsu scored for two pianos and orchestra. As its title suggests, it has an impressionistic dream-like quality with subtle piano figurings set against an imaginative orchestral accompaniment reminiscent of Debussy’s “La Mer”. In the version by the London Sinfonietta under Oliver Knussen, the delicacy of the pianos were very well reproduced by the KB06 and created a perfect balance with the orchestra. Detail was handled very well and added to the overall impression.
Soundstage
The KB06 performed very well here, with an impressively wide and deep soundstage and also possessing a good depiction of height. As a result solo instruments and lead vocals stood out very well from their accompaniment. Stereo imagery impressed with positioning of instruments in the orchestra precisely placed and with a pleasing ambience. Vaughan William’s “Serenade to Music” demonstrated this perfectly. In Richard Hickox’s recording with the LSO the orchestra was laid out wonderfully with a natural spread and the individual timbres of the instruments easy to discern. In “Roxanne’s Veil” by Vangelis and Vanessa Mae, the violin was placed high in the centre of the image which gave good separation from the powerful synthesiser accompaniment and resulted in an exciting presentation. Similarly, vocals stood out well from their backgrounds, Chris Izaak in “Wicked Game” and Richard Marx in “Hazard” being good examples of this with lyrics being clearly enunciated.
Conclusion
The KB06 certainly punches above its weight and I consider it to be the most successful model so far from KB Ear. With its simpler three-driver configuration I found it preferable to the KZ ZS10 and CCA C10 which use the same drivers but double up on the BA complement. It became a case of “less is more” with the simpler crossover network and driver count delivering a lively, exciting sound while at the same time remaining even-handed across the frequency spectrum. The KB06 embodies some of the qualities of the ZS7 (in the bass) the CCA C10 (in its balanced presentation) and the KZ ZS10 (in its dynamics) and treads a perfectly balanced path between these extremes. With a comfortable fit and seal, at its current price of around $25 it represents superb value and cannot be recommended too highly.
5 Likes
Super review. I don’t know how you manage to do so many. So much detail. Great stuff.