At a Glance:
Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)
Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 35-40 USD, Acquired at: N/A, Tour Unit
Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour organized by another HiFi enthusiast (
@Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, though BQEYZ and Elle Zhou were responsible for providing the units for review. Rest assured that no external factors outside of my listening experiences will affect the content of this review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Overview:
The KB1 is another one of BQEYZs 20-40$ hybrid IEMs like the KC2, K2, KB100 and many more. This time it comes in a 2+1 driver configuration with a 10mm dynamic, a smaller 6mm micro-dynamic and a single Balanced Armature driver. The tuning is tuned to a fun V-shaped signature.
Inclusions: N/A
This unit was provided as part of a review tour, and I only received the driver. As such, this entire review will be done without anything stock.
Build: S-
This IEMs driver shells are built entirely out durable feeling aluminum which lends itself quite well to a comfortable heft in the hands while still being light enough to be comfortable in the ear. The shells are finished in what looks to be a matte anodized coating (grey on my unit) that feels significantly more durable than the typical paint finish used on comparable IEMs like the Moondrop SSP. The connectors used are marginally recessed 0.78mm 2-pin connectors that allow for a more secure and safe fit at the cost of compatibility with short pinned connectors. However, I found that most cables still fit quite well nonetheless, they just weren’t able to take advantage of the extra durability offered by the recession. The nozzle is a rather wide bore affair that unfortunately doesn’t feature a nozzle to hold tips in place which means that non-grippy tips tend to slide off. Comfort on the other hand is about average. The smaller sized shells don’t cause any discomfort, however they don’t do anything for it either and it means that comfort is mainly tip dependent. Overall build is excellent with a couple of minor quirks that keep it from getting a top score.
Sound Review Conditions:
- BQEYZ 8-Core SPC Upgrade Cable was used
- Beenoise Wide Bore Eartips & AZLA SednaEarFit
- Deezer, Foobar 2000, Signalyst HQ Player
Sound:
Note:
This IEM is comes with BQEYZ’s standard cheese grater filter with holes too small to properly allow airflow. As with other models like the Summer, removing said filter makes the IEMs sound more open and airy by improving the soundstage width and giving the sound more separation and layering within that space. Before the filter mod, this IEM sounded homogenous and bloated and removing the filter undoubtedly improved the sound in my opinion. For safety’s sake I replaced the filter with a metal mesh filter that was as acoustically transparent as I had available. If you do purchase this IEM I highly encourage the filter mod, it does a lot for the sound.
Bass: S
Bass on this IEM is slightly boosted across all frequencies from the subbass to right under the midrange. Extension is great, it’s capable of hitting all the way down to the lowest reaches of subbass which lends itself to excellent note weight and impact without needing a boost in the midbass. The midbass is about even with the subbass and it helps bass to have a good sense of punch in the more moderate bass frequencies which is supplemented by the subbass thrum allowing this IEM to have impactful and hard-hitting bass when necessary but also giving it the control and “tight” quality that allows things like the snare drum to sound their best. Additionally, thanks to the balanced of midbass and subbass this IEM has very good texture and frequency separation across the bass region, preventing the bass from sounding “one-note”. Overall bass quality is excellent with the filter mod, textured, fun and present but not overwhelming or uncontrolled.
Mids: A+
This IEM midrange presents as relatively neutral in coloration, with perhaps some extra sizzle in the top end thanks to the BA driver. Thanks to the well-tuned quantity of bass the lower mids sound sufficiently thick and lush without being overtly warm and colored. Male vocals and thicker string and wind instruments sound quite good but they are perhaps even more slightly recessed than female vocals. Speaking of female vocals and the upper register in general they sound a little bit more forward than the lower region after the filter mod, likely thanks to some extra air being added to them. Mild 2-3k peaks mean that vocals have the characteristic transient bite that they require to avoid sounding laid back and more impressively, BQEYZ has managed to strike a careful tonal balance wherein harshness and sibilance are avoided in all but the worst of recordings. Overall, the midrange here is quite good, just a touch (very small amount really) recessed and tilted towards the upper regions more than the lower ones meaning that it does better in certain areas as a tradeoff. Issues are more significant here but still very good and very well-tuned, especially for a V-shaped IEM.
Treble: A-
This IEMs treble is tuned in a manner that’s rather common to a lot of budget chi-fi buds, extension up 8k then a chasm of death caused by a roll off. The tastefully done peaks at 3k and 8k mean that treble snap and some of it’s decay is executed properly and sounds good, however the lack of extension does mean that top range airiness and shimmer suffer as a result. Detail is thankfully spared thanks to the extension to 8k but it really does show it’s inadequacies above that. This seems to be a common theme with even the best tuned budget IEMs since their cheaper, and likely more mass-market BAs can’t reach the upper frequencies like a high-quality super tweeter from Knowles or Sonion can. Unfortunately, this seems to be an inexorable theme across this price range. I hope that in time, technology will trickle down and allow manufacturers to tune extension properly. In conclusion, this treble is rather mediocre and perhaps only the slightest bit ahead when taken as an element of a whole.
Technicalities: S
On first listen, these were what stood out to me, and in a bad way. Congested, was the operative word. As soon as I hacked those filters up the sound just opened up. The soundstage didn’t get much wider but the large increase in depth and imaging performance allowed this to shine, with separation of instruments being most apparent. The depth of the soundstage and accuracy of the imaging also lent itself incredibly well to pinpoint layering which allows this IEM to really separate out even the most congested of tracks and present them in a way that isn’t too over-the-top. Coherency is great, BQEYZ has always been known for the strength of eliminating BA timbre and this IEM is no different, it’s warm where it needs to be and metallic when called for. Overall technical performance is great with the filters but worse without so go ahead and try it.
Conclusion:
These are a fantastically tuned set of hybrids with a nice and enjoyable signature that steps away from many pitfalls that other hybrids make. They don’t particularly stand out in any way, good or bad but in a chifi world wherein rushing out tuning and incoherent hybrids are the norm, something like this is a simple, enduring classic that is an easy recommendation.
Recommended
