So interesting you mention those particular Paul Simon and Alison Krause songs - I added the same ones to my “Testing” playlist just the other day!
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As far as sound, my favourites under $50 are the T2 Plus but they are the typical shiny metal. The KZ ZAX are also decent if you can find them on sale under $50.
If you are looking at something more colourful, the these (BL05s) aren’t a bad option, there are also the Moondrop SSR that are more on the neutral side (and the SSP but I haven’t received that one yet so I can’t comment on sound).
The QCY T5 are a set of cheap wireless IEMs that don’t sound bad (if aiming for a pretty neutral sound) but they look pretty cheap though.
Graceland must easily be my most listened to album over the years, ever since my father bought the CD back in the mid eighties and I recorded it on cassette (and later just stole the CD 
).
I never get tired of Bakithi Kumalo (bassist).
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It was listening to Graceland that I found King Sunny Ade, and the Nigerian synthepop scene. I’ve added many of his albums to my listening collection.
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I just picked up a pair of the Blon BL-01 (the BL-03’s successor). Color me impressed! Fit is improved vs when I tried the BL-03 (at least for my ears) – with the right size tips, they actually stay in my ears. The cable ear loops are pretty stiff and feel a bit like they want to pull the IEMs out, but so far so good.
The BL-01s respond to tip rolling a bit, and so far I like them best with some Acoustune AET07 tips.
The sound is warm (no surprise there) but surprisingly quite clear and not really muddy. I’ve been listening to some Tool (Lateralus) and some Lauren Desberg (Sideways), and the sound is natural and engaging.
More listening impressions later, but here are some measurements on an IEC coupler in comparison to the Moondrop Starfield (taken with KZ Starline tips which seem to work well with my coupler and psychoacoustically smoothed).
Channel matching seems okay-ish.
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BTW, I found it fascinating to compare the quality of the BL-01 to my first Chifi IEM, the KZ ZST. The tonality is much more balanced and mature, the metal build is in a whole different league than the KZ’s cheap two-part plastic shell and yet the Blon only cost $7 more ($26.99 vs $19.99 on Amazon).
The funny thing is that the general shape of the frequency response is basically the same (V-shaped), just that the BL-01 has a much less extreme, flatter V.
4 Likes
Another day, another Oppoty!
I was offered the BL-T3 for review by Sunny at Better Audio US via Amazon.com. Here is the product link: https://www.amazon.com/Earphone-Composite-Diaphragm-Dynamic-Detachable/dp/B08L33KY4T
Here is my opinion of it:
BLON BL-T3
Following on from the recent release of the BL-05s and the purple BL-03, BLON now offers the BL-T3. Sporting a new 11mm dynamic driver and a “Diamond mirror” finish, it is priced in the more affordable end of the price range. It has non-detachable cables which are worn cable down and comes in a choice of silver or gunmetal colours.
The earpieces are teardrop-shaped and have a long “stalk” out of which the cable emerges. There is channel identification on the inner surface and four small vents along the top of the earpiece. There is a straight metal 3.5mm plug marked with a BLON logo and an in-line microphone and there is no chin slider.
The new 11mm dynamic driver has a composite diaphragm and a CCAW coil. The quoted impedance is 16 ohms with a sensitivity of 108dB.
The earphones come presented in a small rectangular box similar to that supplied by KZ, CCA, etc., but it has a clear lid bearing the now famous BLON acronym, BELIEF, LET MUSIC BURN, OPPOTY, NEVERGIVEUP, and below, “Annotation and Driams”. The box contains:
- BL-T3 earphones with fixed cable
- Three pairs grey silicone tips, medium bore
- Two pairs conical silicone tips (S, M)
- Velcro cable tie
- Documentation
It is a fairly basic presentation but acceptable at the price.
The BL-T3’s fit was similar to the BL-03 in that the short nozzles, smooth and shiny finish and weight distribution resulted in some insecurity. The pre-fitted conical tips afforded little grip and it was necessary to fit the largest of the wide bore tips to ensure the IEMs remained in place. However, the cable down wearing style did help here. Isolation was not perfect but it was adequate.
The BL-T3 was tested using an Xduoo X20 DAP. A burn in time of 100 hours was carried out. Initially the sound was heavily biased towards the low frequencies with powerful sub bass, a lift in the mid bass and a significant roll-off in the treble. After burn in and having changed the tips to Spiral Dots, the upper frequencies improved. The profile was now V shaped with recessed mids. There was still limited treble extension, a slightly thin quality to the upper mids and lower treble and also occasional sibilance. The detail retrieval was modest with a somewhat distant feel to the presentation and soft transients.
Bass
The bass was probably the best feature of the T3. Sub bass was fairly elevated with a gentle attack. Mid bass was more prominent and did bleed a little into the mids.
Alexei Zakharov’s “Above the Stars” has a deep bass foundation and this did dominate the track with the details in the upper frequencies overpowered. There was good texture and the ambience of the piece was well-rendered with the reverb possessing plenty of space.
“Castilla” from “Suite Espanola” by Albeniz, conducted by Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos is a lively transcription with brilliant orchestration. The orchestral bass drum showed nice timbre and good impact but perhaps with a softened initial strike. There was a warmth to the overall presentation which, although attractive, was perhaps not totally natural.
In “Cluster One” from Pink Floyd’s “Division Bell” the atmosphere of the introduction was well-handled. Rick Wright’s keyboard drone was nicely textured but Nick Mason’s impressive bass drum did lose a little impact with the transients being soft.
Mids
As befits a V shaped profile, the mids were recessed. The lower mids suffered from a little bass bleed but timbre was good and not dissimilar to the BL-03. The upper mids were less impressive, lacking detail and impact, and the presence region was subdued. There was occasional sharpness in the upper mids/lower treble.
Reinhold Lakomy’s “Capoliveri” from the album “Aer” lost some of its appeal with the strong melody softened by the bass bleed and recessed mids. There was a distant feel to the production which could have benefited from being pushed forward a little.
“Morning” from “Four Sea Interludes” by Britten also would have improved with a bit more bite. The syncopated introduction with strings, brass and woodwind was softened and although the timbre was generally authentic, Andre Previn’s wonderful performance lost a little of its excitement.
The vocal projection in Al Stewart’s “On the Border” from “Year of the Cat” was somewhat set back and did display some sibilance. The string and guitar accompaniment was pleasantly depicted but the castanet details were not as crisp as they could have been and the soft nature of the presentation robbed the track of some life.
Treble
The treble was quite reserved and “polite” with a reduced amount of detail. There was a lift in the mid-treble after which it rolled off quite rapidly resulting in a lack of “air”. Surprisingly, taking this into account, the soundstage was quite spacious.
“World of Colours” is an inventive and melodic album of electronic music by Alexey Sobol. The title track contrasts a solid bass foundation with colourful flourishes in the treble. The bass dominated once more affecting the balance of the piece. Timbre was once more very good but the detail in the treble was not as prominent as it could have been.
The fine details of the drums and percussion in Jacques Loussier’s version of Bach’s “Air on a G String” were more difficult to discern with the delicate brush work largely missing in action. The upper notes of the piano were more forward with occasional harshness on climaxes. The piece did lose a little of its coherence as a result.
Dave Brubeck’s “Unsquare Dance” fared better with the handclaps and rim work on the drums more forward than expected. The infectious rhythm was nicely presented and this was a very enjoyable track. The balance here was much better with perhaps only a small reduction in transient attack which slightly blunted the urgency of the performance.
Soundstage
Considering the recessed mids and polite treble, I was expecting a poor soundstage but was pleasantly surprised. There was plenty of space with a spherical staging and a good reproduction of hall ambience.
Frank Bridge’s beautiful “There is a Willow grows aslant a Brook” received a wonderful reading in the recording by the Bournemouth Sinfonietta. The atmosphere of the recording venue is particularly well captured in this version and the BL-T3 reproduced this authentically. The orchestral placing and Norman del Mar’s subtle direction were realistically conveyed.
“Antarctic Echoes” by Vangelis is an electronic soundscape with a particularly open staging. The BL-T3 did well here, with good height and depth and perhaps just a little less width. The reverberating electronic effects decayed nicely and the atmosphere of the piece was nicely preserved. There was some harshness in the upper mids which cut through.
“Riu Riu” is a 1978 single by Chorale. It begins with a drum and gentle female vocals. Gradually the production builds with male vocals, percussion and deep synthesised bass. The spatial qualities of the recording came over nicely on the T3 with climaxes well portrayed and the voices fading into silence at the conclusion.
Comparisons
The BL-T3 finds itself in a crowded marketplace. Below I list some excellent performers in this price range which offer a more accurate and lively sound. There is also the new BL-01 which I have not heard yet.
CVJ’s CSA is a dual hybrid which bucks the trend of affordable V-shaped models, instead presenting an accurate, well-balanced neutralish profile. Detail retrieval far exceeds that of the T3, with a faster more detailed bass, forward mids and a more extended top end. It has a detachable cable.
The TRN M10 is another dual hybrid to consider. Worn cable down like the T3, it is very compact and comfortable. Its sound is well balanced with a gentle U or V shaping, good mids and once more, improved detail capability. Its detachable cable is a proprietary design.
The KZ ED9 has to be a contender in this price range. A single DD, worn with its fixed cable down, it has a choice of tunings with its two tuning nozzles, the gold nozzle giving a bass-focused V shaping and the brass one producing a well balanced nicely detailed response. It is more dynamic than the T3 and is more fun in both its configurations.
BLON’s own legendary BL-03 at around twice the price is famous for its natural timbre and easy musicality. Like the T3 it does have a mid bass boost but is much better with detail and the treble is not as rolled off. It does have issues with fit, however, and many consider that the cable and tips need replacing.
Conclusion
The BL-T3 does some things well, and offers a relaxing, inoffensive sound. V-shaped with a bass emphasis, it does lack excitement due to its recessed mids, rolled off treble and soft transients but does have a good soundstage and a natural timbre not dissimilar to its big brother, the BL-03. Worn cable down, it does still have minor fit issues but a change of tips will solve this.
The BL-T3 does struggle a little in comparison to its rivals in this price range which are more accomplished, but if you are looking for a relaxing, undemanding and affordable “plug and play” IEM, then this might just fill the bill.
8 Likes
Great review.
I just finished testing them out myself a couple of days ago and pretty much agree with everything you wrote (although maybe less polite )
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I’m not an IEM guy, but this was a brilliant title.
Cheers.
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I look forward to reading your review. It’s nice to hear that you have had a similar experience to myself.
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Thanks! The QCY-T5 in white was down to $19.95 on sale on Amazon, and the Moondrop SSR in Pink was $33. I ordered two pair of the T5’s and one of the SSR. Need those stocking stuffers to be on hand.
1 Like
I hope they like them!
BLON BL01 Listening Impressions and Mini Review
Summary
At under $30, the BLON BL01 offers a premium build, good comfort and a sound that delivers wonderfully natural timbre, great soundstage and decent detail. The tonal balance features a mid-bass elevation and some extra high treble energy that conspire to push vocals a bit too far back for my taste, bass lacking a little depth and percussion coming across as a little soft.
I find the BL01 it suitable for casual listening at lower volumes where decreased bass and treble hearing sensitivity flattens out the tonality, very enjoyable for more critical listening with purely instrumental acoustic jazz and classical recordings, as well as older recordings in general, but slightly disappointing with vocal centric music or anything that depends on impactful sub-bass.
Note - The BL01 requires more tip rolling than usual to find an agreeable signature. I usually wear large tips to ensure a perfect seal, but due to the BLON’s elevated bass I settled on some medium tips from the Sony MH755, which seal well enough to maintain bass but keep it under check.
Recommendation
The BL01 is far better executed than something like my old KZ ZST, its timbre and soundstage actually top my Moondrop Starfield, on the right material it can sound excellent and with EQ it can sound generally excellent. So for IEM enthusiasts, I’d say it’s definitely worth a try. However, for anyone looking for a single all-rounder IEM on a budget and who doesn’t want to EQ, I’d steer people more in the direction of the QKZ VK4, which while less detailed and not staging quite as well as the BL01, has a more agreeable tuning that works with anything you throw at it.
Music Impressions
The BL01 really shines on something like the Mono version of Miles Davis’ “All Blues” from Kind of Blue. This is the kind of music I listen to just to relax and let my thoughts melt away. The BLON delivers a warm and enveloping performance, with the horns and piano sounding as correct as I’ve heard them, the double bass providing a nice foundation to the song, and the the ride cymbal sparkling just enough. Although very smooth, it’s not smoothed over and I’m not left wanting for detail. I’d go so far as to say that the stock tuning works better on this than any of my attempts at EQ, perhaps because these older recordings tend to be a bit light on both bass and treble.
Staying on old material, Ella Fitzgeral and Louis Armstrong sound wonderful on “Stars Fell on Alabama”. The vocals on these older recordings can sometimes become shouty, but the BL01 keeps them in check and adds a nice bass foundation, and the soundstage really sucks me in.
The BL01 does similarly well with classical music, especially simpler stuff like Bach’s Cello Suites as played by Yo Yo Ma. Again timbre is spot on, there’s no harshness in the treble and it lets me just relax and enjoy.
Switching to something like Sonia Dada’s “Lester’s Methadone Clinic” from A Day at the Beach, we get to hear a largish modern ensemble with multiple vocalists, piano, amplified bass, electric guitars, and diverse percussion. Again timbre is great. The BL01 projects a pleasing soundstage with pretty precise imaging, the various vocalists and instruments occupying clearly defined positions in a cohesive and contiguous sound field that’s not particularly wide but actually provides some sense of depth, and that projects the center image a bit towards the front rather than right between my ears.
At the same time, this song starts to expose some of the BLON’s weaknesses. The bass vocalist in the left channel dominates the tenor in the center, which also falls noticeably behind the instrumentation. The vocals don’t get buried in the mix, but they don’t pop out as they should and vocal lovers may be disappointed. I also noticed the song feeling less energetic than I expected, and the percussion sounds a bit splashy and soft.
“Caravan” from the Whiplash soundtrack reveals the BLON’s flaws in representing percussion. Everything sounds a bit soft and a little too even keeled, with kick drum lacking some punch and cymbals sounding too splashy and lacking sharpness. The horn section and piano sound great, but this song is all about the drums and rhythm, and I’m left feeling kinda flat.
“Bardo” by Go Go Penguin reveals the sub-bass shortcomings. The double bass is heard but not felt, missing rumble and impact. When I saw them live, the sub-bass pressure made my chest feel like it was going to implode and knock me over. IEMs can’t reproduce this physical sensation, but good ones give a hint of that sub bass pressure… the BL01 does not. There is an upside though. The pressure from more sub-bass focused IEMs can become uncomfortable over time, which is not a problem here.
Movies and TV
Recently, I’ve found that TV and movies make for great test material, as they’re usually very carefully mixed and combine a wide range of sounds from vocals to environmental sounds and sound effects. The show Supernatural is very much a dialog driven show punctuated by periods of intense action and mixing in a generous amount of environmental sounds. It really exposes the flaws in the BL01’s tuning. Environmental sounds are not just clearly audible, but almost distracting, and if I turn up the volume enough to clearly hear all of the dialog, when the action picks up it becomes too loud.
Performance Categories
Bass
Mid-bass focused and quite elevated, but without sounding bloated or muddy. This bass is more heard than felt and doesn’t reach particularly deep. It’s well suited to acoustic music that’s not bass oriented, contributing to the BLON’s great timbre, but on genres like metal or electronic music it’s insufficiently visceral to convey the power of the music.
Mids
Slightly warm, extremely natural timbre and well detailed, but tending to emphasize instruments over vocals. Individual instruments sound right, and individual low and high vocal parts sound right, it’s just that their balance relative to each other isn’t true to the mix. Can be distracting.
Treble
Well extended and airy, very detailed for this price point, a little bright but not sibilant. My ears detect a peak at around 11KHz that mars an otherwise good treble, making cymbals sound overly splashy and pianos a touch too bright.
Soundstage and Imaging
Really good! Not very wide, but deeper than I’m used to with center image that actually projects a little in front, and no noticeable gaps in the stage.
Comparisons
QKZ VK4
The VK4 costs about half as much as the BL01 and features a cheap plastic build quality that’s commensurate with the price. Still, it’s comfortable and I don’t expect it to fall apart or anything. The VK4 loses to the BL01 on timbre and treble extension, has a less impressive (though decent) soundstage, and it suffers from a treble peak around 8KHz that flirts with becoming sibilant. The VK4 wins on sub-bass extension and more balanced tonality that lets vocals take their proper place. Whereas the BL01 sounds great on some songs and mediocre on others, the VK4 never sounds as as great but always sounds pretty good. Supernatural sounds well balanced and correct, and very enjoyable.
Moondrop Starfield
The Starfield costs four times as much as the BL01. Its build quality is basically equivalent, though it sports a paint job that’s been known to chip. It’s also comfortable. The Starfield has a very well rounded tonal balance that’s as versatile as the VK4 and even less offensive thanks to its rolled off treble. It’s also got very well tuned bass that’s never intrusive but there when the material calls for it. Unfortunately the Starfield’s timbre doesn’t do it for me, with a somewhat oversharpened/digital edge that comes from an upper mids emphasis which pushes it in the direction of bandwidth-limited telephone sound. The Starfield’s soundstage also doesn’t do much for me, perhaps because of what I perceive as missing treble air. Though I don’t have the best ear for detail, I honestly find the BL01 more detailed than the Starfield too.
EQ
I haven’t spent a ton of time EQ’ing the BL01, but I find that the below settings fix the tonal balance, sub-bass and treble issues for me. The BLON still sounds like a BLON, but with better energy and crispness, and better vocal balance. The cool thing about this is that I haven’t felt the need to mess around with upper mids/lower treble, which can be the hardest area to get right.
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As is the usual case, this review is also available in Spanish (and English) on my blog (link in my profile) and in Spanish on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WdznU0EGWOw
The iBasso IT00 has been sent to me for this review by Headphoniaks, a Spanish web store specialized in headphones and portable sound. In exchange for this, the only requests have been that I mention their store in my YouTube review and that I include a link to the product in both the YouTube and Blog review.
If you are reading this review on a forum or external site, ¡you can visit the blog to see the product link here: https://english.achoreviews.com/2020/11/review-ibasso-it00.html
I have not received any other requests and, as always, I will be honest about sharing my own opinions, however, it has not cost me anything to test these IEMs.
Presentation…
This is the first set of iBasso IEMs that I have tried and as they are a loaner item, the packaging was already open. However, the packaging did contain all the extras included when purchased new.
The IEMs come in a blue box, with a lid that flaps open, that is finished with a pattern that I believe is to resemble leather (only to the eye, not to the touch). This box is placed inside a white cardboard sleeve that shows an image of the IEMs on the front, along with the make and model, and specifications in various languages on the back.
Opening the blue box, there are two cut outs at the top for the IEMs and a large circular cutout where a large black carrying case is located, branded with “iBasso Audio” on the front. As I said, these are a loaner unit, so in my case, all of the contents came inside the carrying case, which goes to show that it is large enough to store the IEMs, cable and selection of tips that are included.
As far as the tips included, there are three bags, each containing different silicone tips, along with the two tips already installed on the IEMs. Due to the fact that I already own many many sets of tips, along with the fact that this is a unit on loan during these current pandemic times, I did not open the sets of tips included as I did not feel it was necessary. I did, however, check online as to what kinds of tips are included and made sure I tried the IEMs with tips of the same style from my collection, along with others.
Build and aesthetics…
The IT00 IEMs are all white and made of plastic, meaning they are very lightweight. However, they have managed to make them look elegant and also do not feel cheap to the touch. These are obviously not expensive IEMs but they certainly don’t look and feel tacky. I can say that I like the look of them, which is obviously a personal thing.
The included cable is not going to win any awards for being the best but is also not terrible. It works and is far better than cables included with many other IEMs at similar prices.
Comfort is again a personal thing but I find the IT00 comfortable and have no issues with its shape. They do stick out from the ears slightly, which will not make them a great option for laying on your side, but the extreme lightness makes wearing them for hours not an issue.
Sound…
As I mentioned previously, I have tried all kinds of tips with the IT00, coming to the conclusion that wider bore tips work better than thinner bores. However, my preferred foam tips work really well with them and are what I have opted to use in the end. One thing I didn’t mention in the build part is that the end of the nozzles have filters that screw on/off and a set of extra filters are included in the packaging. The reason I mention this now is that the ring around the nozzle is not smooth, it has a textured finish to it to allow grip when unscrewing, this same finish means that the foam tips I use grip on that area and allow you to choose how far onto the nozzle you want to seat the tips. This allows you to play with the length of the tube inside the tips, which at the same time has an effect on bass response. It is not a huge difference but is enough to be noticeable. I found that I preferred to not push the tips all the way to the end, leaving a small length of open space between the end of the tip and the location of the nozzle, basically keeping the driver slightly further away from the ear drum.
Moving through the sound frequency groups in my usual way, I have been pleasantly surprised by this budget offering from iBasso. It does follow the usual V shape found in many earphones in it’s category, although it does so without being overly done, maintaining a sound throughout that I would probably describe as smooth and refined.
There is a very good extension into the sub-bass category, with a rise that seems to be constant the lower it goes. I am not sure at what frequency the response actually drops off but it is below my hearing level. This smooth but constant rise compensates for the natural drop off of human hearing the lower we go, making the whole of the lower end seem well balanced. There is plenty in the sub bass to make you appreciate the rumble of the lowest notes in songs that stretch down that far.
The remaining bass frequencies are really well balanced between themselves, following that smooth descending line, avoiding the impression of any specific bass frequency being boosted. They also keep the bass frequencies well separated and defined, presenting a bass range that is present but without giving you the feeling of it being overdone at any time.
Moving into the mid range, the frequencies continue that smooth fall all the way up to around 1kHz. There is no sense of bass bleed, nor is there any feeling of missing warmth. Acoustic instruments, such as guitars and basses, have the warmth and body needed but again avoid the sensation of it being artificial.
The lowest part of the mid range (as far as dB) seems to be around 1kHz, the point at which it starts to climb again as it heads towards the higher mids and treble areas. There is a decent amount of presence in voices but the peak around 3kHz is again not over exaggerated, meaning that voices are present but there is not a feeling of a recess in the lower parts of voices. This is something that I mentioned previously with other IEMs (the BL05s as a recent example), where voices are present but feel like they are missing something in their lower root notes, especially noticeable on female vocals. That is not the case with the IT00, songs like “Way Down Deep” by Jennifer Warnes, “Little Sadie” by Crooked Still or “Down To The River To Pray” by Alison Krauss, all sound lifelike and are presented in a nice way with a richness to their full range. Even voices that can sometimes be overly present and nasal, such as Don’t You Worry Child” by Beth, are nicely tamed.
I believe that part of this response is achieved by not having a dip directly after the 3kHz mark. In fact, as we move into the higher frequencies, there is another small rise reaching from there up to around 5kHz. This extra rise does present a little more sibilance than on other IEMs that do not have this extra boost. However, the sibilance is not to the point of being irritating. I found tracks like “Code Cool” and “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing” to both be quite listenable, although you can notice just that little hint of sibilance.
If I have any kind of complaint about the frequency response of the IT00 it would have to be in the highest frequencies, something that I find regularly with single dynamic driver IEMs. Once past the 10kHz mark, there is a roll off in treble that I would prefer to be a little more present. This doesn’t make the IT00 seem dull in the top end but it is something that I would prefer to be a little less rolled off, offering a little more shine and air up there. Again, this is something I find with the majority of single DD IEMs so I can’t really pick this as a fault with the IT00, more of the nature of this kind of earphone.
Before moving on to other things such as detail and speed etc. I want to point out that the IT00 responds very well to EQ, and some slight adjustments could make this go from very good to almost perfect for some people. However, note that I said “slight”, being heavy handed on the EQ with these IEMs will quickly turn into a negative experience.
As far as speed, definition and detail, these IEMs do well in all three categories. I wouldn’t say that they are the best in any of the three but are certainly very capable. Even when listeninig to complex and busy tracks, they maintain composure and present a nice separation of all the instruments, allowing you to focus on any of the instruments or passages.
In the soundstage and image placement category, I actually find these to be decent and have a good width to them. Inside that width, they also do a very good job of placing images and making the most of the whole area. They do a very impressive job of “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa.
Comparisons…
Usually I don’t do a comparisons section as I test all of the IEMs in the same way, so it is pretty easy to go to any of my other reviews and compare my comments. However, as I have been so impressed by these IEMs, I feel that I should leave some direct comparisons to a few other IEMs that I would place these in competition with.
The first is with the Tin T2 Plus, a set of IEMs that is cheaper than the IT00 and is very impressive in my opinion, especially in its price range. I feel that the IT00 is a more polite version of the T2 Plus, still being able to present the qualities that the T2 Plus does, but in a more refined and laid back fashion. The T2+ can become a beast of an IEM, depending what tips and music you choose and I have never had that sensation with the IT00 and feel that it is smoother in its presentation.
Another comparison is with my favourite IEM under 100€, the Moondrop Starfield. I think that the IT00 could actually be classed as a mid way point between the brute that the T2 Plus can be and the refinement of the Starfield. I do still prefer the Starfield but I think that the IT00 has much more in common with the overall sound and performance than I expected, at a price that is quite a bit more economical.
One last comparison I would make would be with the KZ ZAX. The main reason for this particular comparison is both the price point (very similar) along with the width and imaging of both these IEMs. I found the KZ to be the best IEM that I have tried from them to this date, with one of its strong points being that it is one of the widest sound stages I have heard so far, with great placement of images. I feel that the iBasso IT00 is very close to the ZAX in this regard but is again, as with the T2 Plus, a little more refined and polite in the way it does things. In the highest of frequencies, the ZAX does offer a better sensation of air and openness, but it uses 8 drivers to do so.
Conclusion…
I have been very impressed with my first iBasso IEM experience. For an IEM that only just falls outside the ultra-budget 50€ category, the performance of this IEM is very pleasing.
I would say that the iBasso is not really the best in anything specific in comparison to other options, but as a whole package is not something to be ignored. If I had to briefly describe the IT00, I would say that it is a polite and smooth IEM which covers all of the bases with a sound that is both pleasing and well balanced.
Yes, I do have the typical comment regarding the highest frequencies, but again, this is a single dynamic driver so it does have its limitations. I really can’t complain about what it does with this driver at the price point it sits. One of my most important requests from IEMs is timbre, and the IT00 also does this very well, sounding very natural to my ears, at least with the majority of music I listen to.
In general, I have no complaints. I am happy to sit and listen to music through the IT00 and enjoy almost everything I press play on.
7 Likes
Hers is my review of the Blon T3. As always, this can be found in Spanish on my blog (link in profile) and also on YouTube here: Ep.31 - Blon T3 - Merece la pena ahorrar?
Let me start out by saying that the Blon T3 were sent to me by AK Audio, a seller on Aliexpress, who requested that I post a link to the product on their store in both the review published on the Acho Reviews blog and also YouTube.
If you are reading this review on a forum or another external website, you can see the link to the product by clicking here: Review - Blon T3
No other requests have been made and I will be as open and sincere as always but it is worth noting that these IEMs were sent to me as a gift by the seller.
Intro…
I recently reviewed the Blon BL05s, in which I made a reference to Blon and how they became popular with the BL03, so I am not going to go into all of that again, if you would like to read the BL05s review, you can see it here: Review - Blon BL05
The Blon T3 are an even more economical option from Blon, not that the BL03 are expensive by any means, and can be purchased for around 12€. That certainly places them in the ultra-budget category and while the KZ EDX that I reviewed recently were an amazing 5€, these are not much more expensive (ok, yes, they are double the price, but you get what I mean).
Presentation…
The box in which the T3 are presented is a smaller version of the same box the BL03 and BL05s etc. The front has the same message that is well known by now, with its “oppoty”, “music and driams”.
The packaging is obviously very basic, more than the EDZ, but the contents are actually a little more complete than the KZ option, containing 5 sets of tips in total and a velcro cable tie which always comes in handy.
Build and aesthetics…
The shape of the T3 is a little different to what I am used to, however, it does sort of rmind me of the BL03. The shape sort of resembles the shape of the QCY T5 bluetooth earphones I reviewed, with cables sticking out of the bottom.
The IEMs are made completely from metal, which is a nice touch at the price, with ventilation ports both on the back of the shell and on the interior side, just above the nozzle.
The cable is permanently attached and while it is not the best cable in the world, it doesn’t tangle much and seems adequate enough to do its job. To be honest, as I can’t swap the cable, I can’t comment whether it has any negative effect on the sound or not.
The T3 I received have an inline microphone which works adequately for calls and talking to the assistant. The microphone also has a button that works to answer calls and summon the assistant, along with volume +/- buttons. The presence of the volume buttons is something that I like, seeing that we already have an inline mic, they are pretty useful.
As far as aesthetics, the version I received is in gun metal, there is also a version in silver, and is exactly the same colour as the BL03. They are not going to win any beauty awards but I don’t find them too ugly, in my opinion of course.
Sound…
The first thing that struck me about the sound was the bass. I started off by using my usual foam tips and found an excessive amount of bass that seemed to drown out the remaining frequencies and make everything sound loose and undefined. After trying a few tracks, I decided to try out some different tips and in the end settled on a set of silicon tips with a pretty rigid and wide core. With these tips there is still a clear presence of bass but it doesn’t seem quite as uncontrolled as with the foam (or smaller core) tips. My impressions are based on using these tips.
The extension down into the sub bass range is fairly extended, with what seems to be a slight boost as it gets lower. This gives plenty of rumble on songs that take advantage of these frequencies. However, it does give the impression of being uncontrolled rumble, on occasions overpowering other bass frequencies and making them sound undefined.
The whole of the bass spectrum is elevated, giving songs with lots of bass more that I would actually prefer in this range. In fact, the quantity of bass should be enough for any bass head, however, quantity does not equal quality. In the case of tracks like “I Fink U Freeky” by Die Antwoord, there is a lot of bass, as is the case with almost all EDM tracks I have tried. But… the bass is very bloomy and loose, making all bass hits last longer than they should. It leaves me with the impression of listening in a club without many people. Listening to “Royals” by Lorde reminded me of certain car setups that I have experienced in parking lots.
Moving on to the lower mids, there is bass bleed, as is to be expected. WIth the quantity of bass that these IEMs have, added to their looseness, it would be impossible for them not to invade the lower mids. If listening to music that doesn’t really have much in the bass department, such as tracks that are simply an acoustic guitar and drums, it still seems like there is bass present. This obviously makes all instruments seem warm but they are too warm for the timbre to be considered natural in any way.
Through the center of the mids, there is a reduction in their presence but they don’t really seem to come back even when reaching the higher end of the mids. Voices always seem to be hidden behind instruments that, at the same time, seem to be hidden behind bass and kick drums that just sound wrong. Only certain notes of pianos seem to be able to break through a little.
I tried out acapella songs, such as “Down to the River to Pray” by Alison Kraus, and even though there are only voices, even then they seem to lack presences. There is a blanket of darkness laid over the whole choir of voices.
Even when moving up into the highs, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of a climb, or at least not enough of one. There is no real air or brightness to these IEMs, making everything seem dark, as I said, covered by a blanket. I am not really sure how far these extend in the treble as I just can’t hear the treble clearly.
Speed, detail and definition is something that I don’t think I even really need to get in to, as the description of sound should be enough to guess that these are not detailed IEMs. Syaing that, I will say that they do not “fall apart” on complex songs, they maintain the same overall sound and presentation, without getting any worse.
As far as sound stage and image placement, they are pretty narrow with not much off to the sides. Using “Letter”, the pencil sits at the left for a while, without really moving, then there is a narrow space in the center where the image placement seems to be fairly decent, until it moves slightly to the right and sits there again for a while. Listening to “La Luna” by Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, there is really not much space for the instruments to spread out and “Bubbles”… no, just no.
Conclusion…
I am afraid that I did not enjoy my time with the Blon T3. Yes, it is true that these IEMs only cost 12€ but I feel that the KZ EDX did a much better job for even less.
The main issue is the bass, which is overpowering and undefined, resulting in it drowning out the rest of the frequencies and any chance they had of doing a good job. I really struggled to give any opinion at all on the remaining frequencies because they just weren’t clear enough to know what they were doing.
To be clear, just because I do not like the sound of these IEMs, doesn’t mean that it is the same for everybody. There are people that I know who would love this amount of bass and wouldn’t even worry about the rest, if you are one of those people, then give them a try, they are only 12€.
I am sorry that I can’t give these a better review, as I really enjoy finding decent options at ridiculously cheap prices, but even considering the price, these are not one of them.
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As usual, this review is available for those who “hablan español” on my blog (link in my profile) and also on YouTube here: Ep.32 - Tin T1 Plus - Ni muy buenos ni muy malos…
I must first say that the Tin T1 Plus have been sent to me by LuckLZ Audio, who is a seller on Aliexpress. Absolutely no requests have been made by them in exchange for this review, however, I will share a link to their store and this product in both my YouTube review and the version posted on the Acho Reviews blog.
Intro…
The T1 Plus are the latest release from Tin Hifi, a brand that has made some great IEMs, such as the T2 and the T2 Plus that both made it on to the “Best Headphone Related Purchases under 50€” (you can see the video in Spanish here: Auriculares & Más - Las mejores compras por menos de 50€ or read the article in English here: The best purchases under 50€ (sub 50€ shootout))
But Tin Hifi do not only make ultra economical IEMs, they have a few models in their line up that, while still not exactly expensive, are heading up towards the 300€ mark, such as the P2 (a planar magnetic set of IEMs).
However, the T1 Plus is a bit of a break from their usual offerings, especially in the build and aesthetics category but also in sound.
Presentation…
The T1 Plus are presented in a small white box with minimal markings on the exterior, limited to just the logo, the model name and not much more.
Inside the box we find the IEMs in the usual shaped cutout, although in this case it has been covered with a white velvet type material. This is nothing special but it is a little different from the usual foam cut outs.
In the box we also find another smaller box containing the cable, the usual user manual and a plastic bag with a selection of different sized silicone tips, 6 sets in total.
So, not a huge amount of contents but enough for a set of IEMs that come in at under 30€ (putting them clearly in the “Sub 50€” ultra-budget category that I like to mention on the blog).
Build and aesthetics…
I would say that here is where the IEMs differ the most from other offerings from Tin Hifi. Although they have used different shapes on different models, almost all of their models (at least the ones I have seen) are all made from metal. In the case of the T1 Plus, the shells are completely made of plastic, with a clear inside shell and (in my case) a white front plate.
This build decision has resulted in what I think are one of the lightest sets of IEMs I own, they are ridiculously light, they feel as though they weigh the same as one of the foam tips I am using on them (3.2g according to specs).
The clear body of the shell allows us to see a very empty interior, with a lot of free space, and a single dynamic driver that is beryllium coated according to Tin Hifi.
The IEMs don’t feel like they would take a lot of abuse but that could be just the sensation I get because they are so lightweight. Maybe if they are dropped they just float?
The included cable is not bad, it is very similar tho cables included with the majority of IEMs in this price range and is far better than cables included by certain manufacturers (ahem…Blon…ahem).
Another difference from other Tin Hifi models is that they have (finally?) decided to go with 2 pin 0.78mm instead of MMCX. This could save a lot of issues I experienced with the T2 in the past, where the MMCX connectors failed on 3 out of 4 IEMs in a very short period of time.
Sound…
In the sound department, Tin Hifi seem to have decided to go for a “V” shaped signature with this set, that is also a bit of a move away from a more balanced nature I have found in other “T” offerings, such as the T2 or the T2 Plus. This actually puts them even more in competition with many other IEMs of a similar price and a similar tuning.
In the sub-bass there is a roll off under around 50Hz that means that these won’t provide the rumble that some others will. There is enough sub-bass for the majority of dance music but in the case of “No Mercy” by Gustavo Santaolalla (I like using the hits of the intro to test), there is noticeable less than on other options.
The main area of the bass that is boosted is around the 70 to 100Hz mark, giving plenty of bass presence in songs like “Sun Is Shining” by Bob Marley and Robin Schultz or “Shot Me Down” by David Guetta. The quality of the bass is acceptable for the price bracket that the T1 Plus sits in, although it is not the best I have heard, some songs can come over as bloated and a little loose. As an example, the song “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk is missing some articulation to appreciate the bass lines of the track, as is “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes” by Paul Simon.
The transition into the mids is not the smoothest but is not terrible either. There is a clear fall in levels as the sound moves further into the mids, however, a steep climb between 2kHz and 3kHz does a good job of making voices appear present and don’t seem to be hidden behind instruments. In fact, even though there is a clear dip, the root notes of voices do not seem to be missing, even with higher female voices.
Heading up into the higher ranges, a quick test with the usual “Code Cool” by Patricia Barber reveals that the T1 Plus deals pretty well with sibilance. Even the intro of “Hope is a Dangerous Thing” is not uncomfortable at all, just a slight hint of sibilance which is just about at the right level for the song and my tastes.
After the sibilance range, the typical single dynamic driver fall begins, however, in the case of the T1 Plus, the fall is noticeable but is not too bad on most music. There are a few songs that leave me wanting more treble and as with most single dd options, I would like a bit more in the higher areas but these do not leave me wanting as much as others.
In the speed and definition category, these are not amazing but are again good enough for the price bracket in which they sit. They don’t fall apart on busier tracks but the definition is something that is lacking, especially in the lower regions, meaning that fast passages do become a bit of a blur but this is due to the lack of definition and not necessarily the actual speed.
As far as sound stage and width, they are another set of IEMs that are in the average class as far as width is concerned and the placement of images is also acceptable, giving a an average position but without pinpointing a location exactly.
Conclusion…
I would say that they Tin T1 Plus is aimed at the general casual listener, as are so many other IEMs in this low end of the price brackets. They are not IEMs that will impress those who are specifically listening to details in music but will please the majority of those who are listening while doing other things.
If I was to pick what I liked the most about these IEMs, it would probably be the mid-range which, although recessed, does have a nice tonality to it and can make a lot of voices sound pleasurable.
The extreme lightness of these IEMs is impressive and I don’t really have any specific issues with them but I don’t have any specific praise for them either. They do a job that is adequate for their price range and present a sound signature that will please the majority of those wanting something simple to plug into their phones and listen while on the go.
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Another great review @SenyorC. You have a gift for being able to explain things clear and concise way.
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