Yes, both look like something that could fit my ears nicely.
These are almost ā¬80. Thatās almost 200% over budget. 
I just found out the BLON BL-03 does not have the same shape as the BL-01. So maybe the BL-03 can go on the shortlist too. The BL-01 has a shape that most probably does not agree with the shape of my ears.
What IEMs have you found comfortable in the past?
Iāve not been in the hobby for long. So actually just the B2D. Iāve tried a few and never liked IEMs, until I tried the T2+ and found that the sound was actually much much better than what I had experienced before. But the comfort stayed a problem. (there were good days with the T2+ but most stayed problematic) This is not me, but the red part of the IEM pushes hard against the green area on my ear, in my case.
Then I jumped straight to the B2Ds and experienced not only great sound quality but equal comfort. 2 things I hadnāt experienced yet.
Now I know what went wrong all those times before I got the T2+: no seal, shrill sounding IEMs (even with a seal), discomfort/bad fit
So, now I know that I can get decent sound from cheap IEMs and when the shape is good for my ears they can be comfortable. I just need to find the ones that combine both.
Iām not expecting something that competes with the B2Ds. I just need an enjoyable tuning and a fit that donāt hurt my ears within the first hour Iām wearing them.
Well, if you try the Resin or the TD02 and they are comfortable, thereās a bunch of IEMs with the same shape.
Same goes for the DQ6 and pretty much any of the normal KZ shape (ZST X, ZSN range, ZS10 Pro, ZAX etc.).
Interesting, I found the T2+ to be one of the most comfortable IEMs for me.
You have it pointing up at a pretty steep angle. From my experience, typically the jack should protrude straight horizontally or slightly angled upwards, but certainly not as high as in your picture. That might help with the comfort as it would point the bottom part away from the green part of your ear.
To be honest, it sounds like because of that fit, you werenāt able to get a seal because the T2+ has a pretty substantial bass hump. Shrill isnāt something I would normally correlate it with.
All that said, you have the B2Ds now so congrats! Hope you continue to enjoy them.
Thinking about the KBEar KS1 or the KZ DQ6.
I read/hear about the Resin and TD02 that they just have too much bass.
Itās not the T2+ that is shrill. Itās everything I tried before the T2plus that sounded shrill to me.
Itās not me in that picture. I can get a good seal with the T2plus, if I try really hard. But the comfort I get with the B2D is never there when I use the T2plus.
any good foam or silicone tips to try with the kbear ks1 guys ?
I went for the KZ DQ6 ā¦and the BLon BL-03. 
KZ DQ6: most likely to fit my ears, never heard a 3 DD IEM ā makes it interesting, tuning could fit my tatse
Blon BL-03: save bet regarding frequency response, hopefully they fit my ears ā if not: donate to friend/family 
1 Like
In general I like INAIRS better than Comply tips.
2 Likes
Has the KBEAR Lark been discontinued? Seems like it dropped off Amazon
Thatās a pity.
On the other hand, Iām really looking forward to getting my KBear Neon.
As always, this review is also available in Spanish on my blog and on YouTube (links at the end of the review).
Final Audio E500
Introā¦
The Final Audio E500 are a budget set of IEMs that I believe were released some time last year, coming in at just over 20ā¬. The reason I opted to pick these up was that I have heard good things about the Final Audio tips and this set comes with a selection of them, including a set of IEMs for not much more than the price of buying just the tips.
While I am not someone who favours this style of small IEMs with fixed cables and that sit rather deep in the ear, I do use the Hifiman RE600s, which are a similar style, when I want to lay down and listen to music or watch a movie, due to their small size that allows me to lay on my side without discomfort.
On a recent business trip (finally we are back to travelling again!), I took the Final E500 instead of the RE600s to see how I got along with them for this same use case scenario. It is obviously not fair to compare these 20ā¬ IEMs with the Hifiman offering that is priced at 10 times that price (although you can find them on sale regularly for a very reduced price), and I do have other options of a similar style, but the RE600s are the ones that get most use in my case, so they do need to compete with them if they want to see any āear timeā.
Presentationā¦
The E500 arrive in packaging that couldnāt be simpler. It is a very small white cardboard box, without any images, and just the brand, model and a few technical specs shown on it.
Inside the box things donāt get much more complicated. We get the IEMs (with their fixed cable), a small warranty card and 5 sets of silicone tips.
Build and aestheticsā¦
The build and aesthetics are also very simple. Very small shells with a fixed wire is about all there is to say. The shells are actually around twice the length of the Hifiman offerings (both the RE600s and the RE400) which means that they are not as comfortable to use while laying on my side but they are not terrible. They just stick out a bit more whereas the RE600s disappear inside my ears.
The build quality is not bad, again nothing special but no noticeable issues such as faults or sharp edges. The cable is a simple cable, similar to those found on many budget headphones and IEMs (think Sony, Phillips, JVC etc.). It does present a little bit of microphonics when rubbing against a shirt, slightly more than the cloth cable found on the Hifimans, but is nothing terrible and is not really noticeable when music is playing.
The E500 are not going to win any prizes in the build and aesthetics category but they are adequate for their purpose.
Soundā¦
I am going to apologize in advance for this sound review as I havenāt spent as much time with music as I usually do. I have spent time listening to music with them but I have mainly used them for movie watching or late night listening when in bed, so I really wasnāt dissecting the music and picking things apart. I have just spent a couple of hours with my test tracks comparing these to the RE600s but, again, this is not really a fair comparison (as far as pricing) and is not as much detailed listening as I would usually do. Then again, straight off the bat, I will say that I wouldnāt choose these for detailed listening anyway.
In the subbass department, these do roll off and are not going to be a good choice for those deep bass range lovers out there. There is enough sub bass presence and extension to be able to appreciate tracks like āWay Down Deepā by Jennifer Warnes or even some electronic options such as āSun Is Shiningā but there they are certainly not a skull rumbling option. I will say that they do have plenty more in this area than the RE600s. The sub bass is not that great though, it is not terrible but it does come across as not being very clean and defined, making everything in these lower ranges sound a little smoothed over.
Moving into the general bass regions, it just sort of continues the story found in the subbass. The bass is not overly boosted, although there is enough to give the whole IEM a warmish (darkish?) sound signature, something that will also continue to be present throughout the higher ranges. Again, the bass is present enough but it is lacking detail and speed for it to be considered good, at least in my opinion. For movie watching, I found the bass to be sufficiently balanced for it to not overpower vocals and midrange when explosions and other low frequency things happen, but not something I would choose to enjoy the details in music. The RE600s are much clearer and better defined, something I prefer much more than the overly smoothed bass response of the E500.
Moving into the lower mids, the bass just continues its slow descent and presents that warm signature that I just mentioned. There is no real transition from the bass to the mids, it is more of an extension of that overly smoothed non defined sound that is found in the lower regions. There is also no real dip, or at least not a pronounced one, meaning that the whole sound just seems to extend from the bass all the way through the mids. Vocals are not terrible but they just donāt have the clarity that I would like to find in these ranges. Listening to āHallelujahā by the Pentatonix, the separation between voices is not the best and although they can be enjoyable as a background listening experience, I would find myself reaching for EQ to try and find some clarity and separation between the lower vocals and higher voices.
One of the main factors that causes this sensation is that there is no real rise in the higher mids or even in the treble. Where we would usually find a boost in response somewhere around the 3kHz mark, the E500 doesnāt really have this boost, at least not to the usual extent. Even at the point where they are most boosted, around 7kHz, it still really doesnāt climb to a presence that is any higher than the lower mids and higher bass. All of this adds more to the warm/dark signature and leaves me looking for clarity.
I am finding it difficult to explain how these IEMs sound to me as they are not terrible, the vocals are smooth and have a nice texture to them, they just seem to be too smooth to be considered good, again, in my opinion of course.
I will say that they do avoid sibilance, in fact, they reduce sibilance and make tracks that are usually uncomfortable quite listenable. The problem is that this reduction of sibilance is also at the cost of a lack of air and openness in the high end.
As far as the width of the soundstage, they are not bad, not high above average for IEMs but not bad all the same. The placement of images to the left and right is also not terrible, the problem is that there is no real separation of images and layers, meaning that things sort of blend together in the space and are not easily located amongst other instruments/sounds in the same area.
As I have mentioned already, speed and detail are not a strong point of these IEMs. They donāt fall apart with busy tracks but they donāt ever seem to be clear and detailed either. There is certainly a huge step in this regard between the E500 and the RE600s or even the RE400.
As I mentioned before, my main use for these has been to watch movies or listen to music while laid in bed at night. I always like to have something of this shape with me when travelling because they are a great option when crashing at night in the hotel. The sound presentation of the E500 works fine for me personally when watching movies but I must say that I am not someone who is very specific about my audio when watching movies, as long as I can hear and understand what is going on, it is sufficient for me and I think that is how I would describe the sound of the E500 for movies, sufficient.
Conclusionā¦
This review might be unfair because I havenāt done my usual routine of using them for a full week of listening and then a day of specific detailed listening. It is also not fair that I should compare them to the RE600s as these IEMs are not in the same price bracket (or league in my opinion).
On the trip I just got back from, the IEMs I took were the Moondrop Aria and the Final E500. I did use the E500 exclusively for movies and other video content and I didnāt hate them, I just didnāt love them either. They certainly didnāt become my choice for music when I wasnāt lying down, the Aria are leagues ahead there. As are the RE600s. In fact, I havenāt used the RE400 for quite some time now but from memory, they match my preferences much more.
The E500 is also not as comfortable as the Hifiman options. The fit is similar but as the REās are a lot shorter, they are much more comfortable when lying on my side.
I think that my general opinion of the E500 is that I donāt hate them but I will not find myself reaching for them over other alternatives that I already have.
9 Likes
I just absolutely love mine. All three of my Finals, actually. Their warm sound signature just really appeals to me, far more than the bright, v-shaped signatures of ChiFi with similar prices.
Fore example:
E500 > VK4 or EDX
E3000 = T2 but > ZAX
E5000 > Oxygen or Form 1.4
2 Likes
This is the first Final Audio IEM I have tried so I canāt comment on the others. As I tried to explain, I donāt dislike the E500, it just isnāt something that clicks with me.
If I spent some time with EQ, I would probably like it more but my use case for them doesnāt really include a means of EQing.
1 Like
I was happy to read your impressions of one of my favorites. I think you explained well.
Something that sounds like the Finals do can be polarizing. On Head-Fi, in the budget IEM threads, you will often see them described as warm, thick, muddy, slow, and dark. For context, these are usually terms used by folks used to the offerings of the able IEM tuners of Shenzhen, for brands such as KZ and the like.
I enjoy those too, but I just happen to enjoy tuning of the Finals a bit more. If I wanted to trigger fans of KZ, I might describe those IEMs as grainy, shouty, and piercing. But I wonāt do any such thing ;).
3 Likes
Ha ha! That reminds me of the man who sent his friend a birthday card and wrote " I was going to send you some money but I sealed the envelope before I could enclose the cash!"
2 Likes
Tanchjim Tanya
As usual, this review is also available in Spanish on my blog and YouTube, links at the end of this post.
The Tanchjim Tanya has been sent to me free of charge by HifiGo in exchange for this review. They have not requested anything other than to include links to the product in this review published on my blog and, as always, my opinions will be as unbiased and sincere as possible, but it is always good to consider that it hasnāt cost me anything to try out these IEMs.
The Tanchjim Tanya, at the time of publishing this review, is available on HifiGo for 18ā¬. You can find a link to it by visiting the version of this review published on my blog here.
Introā¦
The Tanya is a very recent release from Tanchjim, announced around a month ago, and is a set of IEMs that feature a single 7mm micro dynamic driver. It is available both with and without a microphone, the set I have being without the mic.
I recently reviewed the Final Audio E500 which is an IEM that has a very similar format to the Tanya, you can view my review of it here: Review - Final Audio E500. In the review I explained why I always like to have a set of IEMs of this style, as they are something I use when travelling and when wanting to listen to musicin bed. The Tanchjim Tanya comes in at a cheaper price than the E500 and, in my opinion, is something that works for me more than the E500 does.
Presentationā¦
The Tanya arrive in a grey box inside a white cardboard sleeve that shows an image of the IEM and the make/model. On the back, they list the specifications in English & Chinese.
Inside the box we find the IEMs, with their attached cable, along with various sets of silicone tips, user manual & warranty card, replacement filters and a small velvet storage bag. This is actually quite a lot of content for the price that these IEMs come in at.
Build and aestheticsā¦
As mentioned, these are small IEMs with a fixed cable, which insert quite deeply into the ears. In a size format, they are slightly larger than the Hifiman RE series but shorter than the Final E500. This allows them to protrude less from the ears and makes them more comfortable to wear when lying down on your side than the E500. They are very similar in comfort to the Hifiman RE series.
As far as build, they are nicely built, with a metal covering to the small shell (at least I believe it is metal). On the back of the shell there is what looks to be an air vent. At first I thought that these IEMs were open back, judging by the size of the vent, however, covering this vent does not seem to change the sound at all, so that leads me to believe that it is just for aesthetics and that the only ventilation is from the small hole on the bottom of the nozzle.
The cable is attached as I already mentioned but I donāt have any issues with the quality of the cable. It doesnāt tangle easily but is also not too rigid as to become a nuisance. It also doesnāt present the microphonics that other options do.
The included tips are also fairly decent. I find them to be comfortable and the sound to be decent with them so I havenāt had to go off on a search of which tips work. For my sound evaluations I have used the stock tips.
Soundā¦
As far as sound, the Tanya seems to fix the things I didnāt like about the E500, without breaking anything else. In the review of the E500, I did some comparisons to the RE600s which I said wasnāt a fair comparison and it isnāt fair to compare the Tanya to the RE600s either, at least in price, but I can say that the Tanya does not feel like a huge step down from the RE600s like the E500 did. There are still moments of clarity and detail that I find superior on the RE600s but I have had no issue using and enjoying the Tanya for my general use of this kind of IEMs.
With the brief (and possible unfair) comparisons out of the way, letās get on with how the Tanya sounds and performs.
In the subbass, the 7mm dynamic driver does a very good job of presenting rumble where needed. Listening to āChameleonā by Trentemoller, where the subbass comes in around the 0:31 mark, the Tanya give enough rumble to make even bass heads happy, or at least I think it would as I am not much of a bass head myself. This track is actually a very good way to test if IEMs/headphones can deal with all those low frequencies without falling apart and the Tanya actually holds up pretty well. Yes, the rumbling can be a little overpowering and present a bit of a āwall of soundā in those lowest frequencies but that is the track more than overly boosted subbass. If we move to a track like āNo Sanctuary Hereā, where the lowest notes are clearer and more defined than in the previous tracks, again the subbass can come across as a little strong and is a bit more than I would personally request, but they do a good job for the size of the driver with so much bass.
In the general bass frequencies, things are a lot cleaner if there isnāt as much boost in the lowest ranges of the track. āSun Is Shiningā does sound a lot cleaner than the previous two tracks while still being a track with plenty of bass, just slightly higher in the frequency range. On tracks that use real bass guitars instead of electronic instruments, such as āBlack Museā by Prince, the bass guitar does come across as slightly too boosted in the mix to be considered natural, the same happens with the bass guitar of āSmooth Operatorā by Sade. This is not terrible and is not usually too overpowering but will not be something that fits the tone for those looking for neutrality and a natural bass sound.
The transition to the mids depends on the amount of bass we are pushing to the low end. The more we make it work in the lowest ranges, the more difficult it becomes for the Tanya to make the clean transition into the lower mids, sometimes coming across as a little muddy if we are pushing too much bass.
The mids in general are nice and smooth, with voices presenting a nice tonality and being very clean and detailed (again, depending on how much we push the low end). For example, the track āWay Down Deepā by Jennifer Warnes has some rather large hits in the low end while the mid range is quite simple, this song can come across as a little recessed in the mids. However, a song like āDiamonds on the Soles of her Shoesā by Paul Simon does not have such a large presence in the lowest registers, this makes the vocals and other instruments move more into focus and the result is quite pleasant. The bass of this track is located mainly in the lower midrange, with a few climbs, and this is very easily defined in the background.
Moving up to the top of the midrange and lower treble areas, there is enough of a climb in presence to keep vocals present but without them becoming overly harsh or nasal. A track that I find good to test the harshness of vocals is āDonāt You Worry Childā by Beth, as her voice can become harsh very easily. The Tanya does a decent job of keeping her harshness in check and makes the song quite listenable.
Sibilance is also well controlled, with my usual āCode Coolā test track being presented in a way that is not too sibilant but is also not overly reduced. There is a slight hint of sibilance on a few of the lyrics by Patricia Barber but they are not too uncomfortable.
There is the typical high frequency roll off found in (almost) all single dynamic driver IEMs, where more air and extension would be a plus but there is at least enough presence in the highs to not make the whole sound signature seem dark.
The speed and dynamics are a little lacking, as is to be expected of a single dynamic driver that is only 7mm, especially when the lower regions are working hard. There is only so much we can expect from a set up like this in the price bracket that it sits in and I think they do well enough to be considered more than adequate but they are certainly not amazing detail monsters and they can get congested when we push those lower ranges past their comfort zone.
The width of the soundstage is actually rather good in comparison to so many other budget IEM offerings, it is not a huge soundstage but it is above average in this regard. Placement of images is also decent, it is not pinpoint accuracy but is decent nonetheless. The problem comes when trying to locate smaller details in the background, these are more difficult to place but this ties more into the dynamics and lack of background details when a busy track is being played.
Conclusionā¦
As I mentioned at the beginning, I recently reviewed the Final E500 and the Tanchjim Tanya is a similar set up at a very similar price (actually a little cheaper). My personal preference between the two is easily the Tanya, of that I have no doubt. The Tanya is still not perfect, it has many things that can be improved on, but again we need to consider the price, the size of these IEMs and how much we can actually expect from something like this.
Yes, the driver does struggle when we push it too far, and the limits are lower than on other options, but when the driver is not overworked, I find it to have much more clarity and better sound (to my ears) than the Final E500.
In comparison to the Hifiman RE600s, which is the IEM of this style that I usually use when wanting something which is tiny and disappears in the ear, then the Tanya is just as comfortable, seems just as well built and is available for a less than 20ā¬ whereas the RE600s retail price is closer to 200ā¬ (even though you can get them discounted quite often). Yes, the RE600s is more detailed and also matches my tuning preference more, but, as I said in my E500 review, it is by no means a fair comparison.
I have no issues using the Tanya for my late night listening in bed, or for watching movies. In fact, the explosions in movies can be quite a surprise when you are not used to the sound of the Tanya.
I am leaving on another business trip in a few days and this time I will be taking the Tanya with me instead of the RE, as I did with the E500, so I will put it through the real life circumstances that I actually use these kinds of IEMs for. On my recent trip, the E500 was sufficient, I am sure that the Tanya will prove to be more than sufficient.
All in all, the Tanya is a set of IEMs that I can see pleasing a lot of people if they are looking for a budget set of IEMs with this style of build and sound signature.
10 Likes