Blon BL-03

Veredict

Blon BL-03 is a warm sounding IEM that made it's name thanks to its excellent vocal tonality, great impact in the lower regions and, of course, hyped reviewers. All of that for a very good price, but the BL-03 put it all to waste with it's imprecise and overdone mid-bass articulation and lack of response in higher frequencies, resulting in a muddy sound especially in busier tracks.

Lows: 6,0
Mid-bass: 6,0
Mids: 6,5
Treble: 6,0
Soundstage: 6,5
Resolution: 6,0
Fit and comfort: 4,5
Sound isolation: 5,5
Build quality: 7,0

Disclaimer : This unit was borrowed from my friend who purchased it as his own personal unit

INTRO
BLON has garnered a lot of hype in recent months due to its BL-03 model. It has been rated very highly by many earphone reviewers for having incredible price to performance ratio. I have also only heard of this earphone this year and seeing the ton of positive reviews, I had to hear what the hype was all about.



QUICK SUMMARY
Sound : Bass-focused with mids and highs being more laid back



Driver : 10mm Carbon Diaphragm dynamic driver
Socket : 2-pin (0.78mm)
Price : 39 USD
Where to buy it : Aliexpress

Suitable genres : Jazz or songs with interesting bass lines that you want to hear closely

WHAT'S IN THE BOX


Inside the box we get the following :
2 sets of eartips of different sizes (S, M, L)
1 x Earphone canvas pouch
1 x BLON BL-03 earphone
1 x 2 pin (0.78mm) earphone cable
1 x User manual

The accessories included are very standard stuff however, it is still a very complete set. I really appreciate it when companies include carrying cases/pouch because not everyone has one to safely transport their earphones around. So props to them for including this simple item and making the package complete.

BUILD QUALITY
The earphone does not look much but it's build quality is good. Its shell is made of metal and it weighs quite a bit, giving it a premium feel to it which I prefer. On my unit, the socket holds the pins very snugly and it definitely wouldn't drop off. The rubber sleeves protecting the 2 pins on the cable are rigid but also has some elasticity to it that allows you to press into it slightly.



I think the only problem that I have with the earphones are that it has a chrome finishing, which makes it very prone to scratches and fingerprints. Also, the seams on it are very obvious and though it isn't a deal-breaker, it does looks weird when looking at it for a period of time.

Overall, the earphone has a premium build and feel to it though the chrome finishing and seams deducts some points off the build quality. Also, several people have noted that there might be some variance between units in the sound quality (just thought that I should leave it here under this segment).

COMFORT AND ISOLATION
Due to the earphone having rounded edges, I find that it is quite comfortable in the ears at least for me. However, I believe that an earphone with such a weight might cause some fit issues for people with smaller ear canals as the earphone might fall out. To mitigate this, I think getting third party eartips such as the Azla Sedna earfit eartips might help.

Isolation on the other hand isn't the best, I still hear slight sounds from the outside while using it. As my left ear is slightly smaller than my right, I find that the seal on the left are alright while the sound leaks slightly on the right while using the largest eartips. Switching it over to my Azla Sedna earfit eartips seemed to have helped with the seal slightly but I still hear outside noises. While listening to music on it, I could still hear my Telegram notifications from my speakers.

One thing to note is that the thing most people had issue with the earphone was with its stock eartips, they aren't the best as it's too soft and unable to maintain a good seal.

SOUND
When I first put on these earphones, the bass instantly stands out. It is a bass-centric earphone with a decreasing emphasis in mids and highs in this order. Mids seem to be a bit more forward as compared to the highs and female vocals on these lack the usual brightness that I would prefer. Mids also lack that impact that I like, for instance, the impact of a snare drum or chucking sounds of electric guitars in funk genres. Highs sound too distant and on some songs they decay away too quickly.

This review will be done on my Cayin N6ii (T01 Module) with the included cable and eartips.

Highs
Treble is airy and but I find that it decays too quickly. The quality of the highs are decent enough for its price but my gripe with it is that it does not have enough presence for certain genres of music to be enjoyable such as rock.

Listening to rock songs on it makes cymbal crashes and high hats sound very weak; they lack that energy that gets the listener excited for what's to come. Instead, they shine just enough for it to be noticed but that's about it. This is particularly obvious when listening to Frederic's "Kanashi Ureshi" where all the cymbals and high hats lack that sparkle and energy to it. However surprisingly, the electronic beat (around the last minute of the song) and shakers are pretty much present still.

Personally still, I do not enjoy the highs that much and wish that they had more presence though the quality of the highs are decent. Some earphones overdo the treble and it gets too sibilant. Hence, if you're sensitive to highs/treble, you definitely have no need to worry here!




Mids
My go-to genre to test out mids are usually vocals based songs and my usual rock songs. Vocals are definitely perform better than electric guitars and drums in this area.

Starting off with my usual rock/metal genres, electric guitars and drums lack that bite/attack to it as compared to the other earphones I have such as the Spring 1 and even the T2 Plus. Similarly to the highs, its presence is just enough for it to be heard, but just a bit more for it to be felt.

However, as this earphone has decent separation, one can still tell apart the sounds within the midrange with relative ease which makes the mids a bit more enjoyable. You can tell apart the lead and rhythm guitars and drums usually and that's great for me. Listening to "JET" by POLKADOT STINGRAY, I was able to discern the different instruments with relative ease, making the mids a bit more pleasant as I can focus on whichever I prefer.

Moving onto vocals, male vocals in general are pleasant, they sound rather natural. For female vocals I found that there's a slight difference in how they might sound if you are listening to a vocals that are higher pitched versus lower pitched. Diana Krall's "Cry Me a River" is really relaxing to listen to and I thoroughly enjoy it. The overall feel of the song here is great, vocals are natural sounding and the elevated bass adds to the overall ambiance of the song. However when listening to songs with higher pitched vocals such as LeAnn Rimes' "Blue", vocals sound too airy which makes it sound too holographic and slightly artificial. In POLKADOT STINGRAY's "JET", the vocals in this song sounds a bit too airy or nasally here, which makes it sound a bit off. Trying it against other earphones, I know that her voice is quite clear and doesn't sound like that.

During my initial phases of testing, I thought it would have been suitable for rap but I realized that the core of rap songs are mostly mids, as you would need the vocals to be fast and snappy while having the impact that provides the rhythm such as kick drums or electronic beats. Thus, I have removed rap as one of the suitable genres from my review.

Overall, the mids are more enjoyable than the highs as you can tell apart the different layers rather easily. Mids do lack that impact to it which makes it less suitable for funk and rock genres. Vocals on a whole are natural but take note that it might not be that great for higher-pitched vocals as it sounds more nasally.

Lows
This is the most enjoyable aspect of the earphone; bass on this is one of the best I've heard compared to other earphones in its price range. This is due in part to it utilizing a dynamic driver, giving the bass more texture and rumble. Bass has the majority of the presence in this unit but does not go too deep. It has just enough impact for it to be heard and felt but does not throw a ton of it in your face to overwhelm you.

I found the bass on this to work really well when you need to listen out for songs with complicated bass lines. Listening to "FREE" from POLKADOT STINGRAY, you can clearly hear the complicated bass lines, where the bassist plays all around the bass guitar and it is really enjoyable! I found myself revisiting songs which have interesting bass lines such as Frederic's "Tarinai eye" and even "LIPS" by THE ORAL CIGARETTES. It makes me really appreciate the bass lines on my music much more.

I tried this out with jazz songs too and found this to be very enjoyable too. Diana Krall's "Besame Mucho" and Michale Buble's "Call Me Irresponsible" were a real treat to listen to. Given the elevated bass, natural vocals and light treble, I found this to be a very good combination to provide a relaxing ambiance when listening to such songs. These jazz songs have a very light touch, making it really enjoyable!

Bass is really where this earphone shines as it is able to reproduce it with much detail and I doubt other earphones of the same price would come close to this kind of bass quality.

OTHER NOTES
Soundstage on these earphones are fairly wide, giving the listener an "out of head" experience. The wideness of the sound is comparable to listening to music in a small hall.

Separation is done fairly well, regardless of slow or fast paced music. It does not struggle as much as compared to other single dynamic driver earphones that I have heard in the past.

I found nothing special in the imaging section, feel that it doesn't do very well in this. At most times, the sound just seems to come out as a whole instead of having a very good layering. I usually can't tell the distance between instruments or hear it to be in any particular direction, just the usual left and right channels at most. In Chon's "Can't Wait", high hats were in the top region of the space (inside and above my head) and one guitar was on the left and another on the right, but that's about it.

I think the Tin Hifi T2 Plus is also a close competitor to this unit and comparing the two, I personally prefer the T2 Plus as they have more emphasis on the highs which I prefer. Vocals are more natural on the T2 Plus and bass isn't that forward on the T2 Plus which makes the T2 Plus more comfortable for longer hours of listening. I get a slight ache in my ears listening on the BLON BL-03 but it may be also due to me being more sensitive to bass.




CONCLUSION
I can understand why this earphone garnered so much hype : Good bass with decent mids and highs at a budget price, most listeners listen out for an earphone with good bass too. Though the mids and highs are somewhat laid back and sound distant, I still find myself appreciating the bass of songs very much. This earphone would surely appeal to most bass heads out there and people who want to better appreciate bass lines. Given the right genre of songs such as jazz, I believe that this pair of earphones can be very enjoyable. I guess sometimes you just need to find the right genre for an earphone for it to shine. Thus, if you want an earphone that is easy on the wallet with good quality bass, give the BLON BL-03 a go!

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At a Glance:

Overall Rating: A+ (S+ to C-)

Category: C (20-100 USD), MSRP: 25 USD, Acquired: Tour Unit
Diclaimer:
This unit was provided to me in a tour by another HiFi enthusiast (Raymond Roque). I have not been paid any money to make this review, nor does BLON have any influence over what I write. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.



Overview:

The BL03 is undoubtedly Blon’s most famous release, and perhaps the most famous IEM of all time alongside the Tin T2. It features a single 10mm Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Driver housed in a coated metal shell. It’s tuned to a bass-heavy L-shaped sound signature with loads of subbass.



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. It should be noted that the BL03 is noted for having a bad stock cable and eartips out of the box.



Build: A

The IEM drivers themselves are made out of a metal alloy finished in a reflective mirror coating that is rather aesthetically pleasing when clean but both a scratch and fingerprint magnet at all other times. The shells have a single vent on the part that faces your ear but I do have to note that the left driver on my unit happened to have some driver flex. The connectors are a protruding 2-pin connector that fit into the rectangle recession of an NX7/TFZ connector. However, it must be noted that a regular NX7/TFZ cable will not seat properly thanks to the nature of the protrusion, it is too long. Therefore, if you are aesthetically picky, you must find a cable with the correct connector otherwise the fit will not be seamless.



I have to dedicate an entire section to the nozzle and fit, because it is absolutely terrible. The nozzle is incredible narrow and rather short which means the finding tips that will seat properly is an incredibly difficult affair. The small, elongated shells do not help in any way shape or form to seat the IEM in your auricle, meaning that fit is almost entirely tip dependent. Any form of wide bore tip will just slide straight down and prevent you from getting a comfortable insertion depth. The loose hold will also likely mean that your eartips are very likely to get stuck in your ear canal. People have had success using an O-ring to help tighten the grip of wider bore tips, if your preference lies there. After rolling around 10+ different eartips I finally settled on the Final E eartips which had a nozzle narrow and are grippy enough to seat correctly on the nozzle. I should note though that those tips alone can cost ¼ of what this IEM costs in total at retail price. Considering that everyone’s ears are different, your mileage may vary.



Sound Review Conditions:

• NICEHCK C8-1 Cable in NX7 was used
• Final E Black – L Size
• JCALLY JM20, CX31993 dongles

Sound:



Bass: S-

This IEM’s bass is incredibly heavy and present with good extension down to the subbass and a taper-off to the midbass all the way down to the midrange. The weight and extension to the bass lends itself to incredibly heavy note weight and bass that can be described as heavily thumpy. However, this means that the middle and upper registers of the bass region can get drowned out by the subbass, especially considering that the bass speed is quite slow, which means that it lacks the agility to define notes properly in busier tracks. The mediocre texture and articulation to the rest of the bass region means that bass can sound “one note” in many tracks which can lead to it getting boring in EDM and such. The relative focus on the subbass does mean that this somewhat circumvents the usual issue of bassy IEMs, bass bleed but again at the cost of bass texture. Overall, the bass is quite good, and loads of fun despite the lacking texture.



Mids: S-

This IEM has a somewhat recessed midrange thanks to the presence of the heavy subbass region, the staging also puts vocals in particular towards the back of your head making them seem even more recessed. However, the actual quality of the midrange is quite good, both male and female vocals are relatively balanced in terms of presence. The focus on subbass instead of midbass thankfully means that this IEM doesn’t have the “warm veil” that typically pervades the upper register, which means that despite the lower mids and male vocals being properly warm and thick the upper mids do still have the “bite” that prevents them from being too laid back in the mix and helps the midrange stay present despite it’s recession. The good balance between the lower and upper registers makes this IEM quite versatile in terms of midrange, and although more presence and less recession would have been ideal for the asking price this is very good.



Treble: A

This IEM has an relatively unremarkable treble presentation with usual present, slightly spiky treble that rolls off after the 8-12kHz region. This means that lower treble, most cymbal snaps and such are decently presented and audible, thereby preventing this IEM from being too dark and balancing out the rather forward bass somewhat. However, what the heavy rolloff/lack of extension means that this IEM lacks air and shimmer to the upper treble. The lack of significant treble in the upper registers also means that the presence of detail is blunted and it makes this IEM sound fairly lacking in that respect. The lower treble snap also lacks decay thanks to the same issue so even if the snap is good the rattle could have been done better. Overall, the treble tuning is not bad, and not good. It’s just something seen in a lot of cheaper single driver IEMs, a lack of extension in one or both sides of the graph.



Technicalities: A-

This IEM has a mixed bag in terms of it’s technical qualities. The timbre is praised by plenty of people and rightly so, it’s warm, thick and slow where it needs to be in the lower region whilst the upper registers still have their necessary transient bite to sound fun and engaging. However, the tuning and “detached” sound within the frequency ranges does mean that imaging sounds, for lack of a better word “awkward”. The imaging of vocals slightly to the rear for example is a knock on the otherwise great sound while the percussion instruments have a tendency to get blurred and blunted. However, soundstage is quite wide for an IEM at this price, and it’s decently deep and holographic. Detail retrieval is just ok, it doesn’t suffer too much thanks to the subbass focus but the lack of upper range extension does hurt it. Overall, this IEM has about par for the course technical performance when compared to it’s competitors.



Conclusion:
This IEM is an incredibly popular one and it has gained a lot of fame as being a standard for Chi-FI audio and it’s indeed quite a good IEM. The fact that it was released so long ago and is still tonally relevant today in it’s highly competitive price bracket is a testament to the quality of it’s tuning and likely the validity of it’s hype. However, the tricky fit that requires plenty of tip-rolling and all the negative things I’ve heard about it’s cable make me hesitate to recommend this to a new person in the hobby, especially when IEMs like it’s partner the Tin T2 or other IEMs like the Moondrop SSP exist, which have far more compelling OOTB quality. Recommended with reservations.

I've been an armchair hobbyist for a number of years, spending more time than is probably healthy watching YouTube content creators, bloggers, and publications give their opinions on things I have an interest in like cars, tech, clothes, and other material things, living vicariously through them. Last year I decided I'd take a step - albeit a small one - into the audiophile hobby, and purchased the Blon BL-03 on the recommendation of some of the reviewers I've come to trust. It's been about a year since I received the Blons. I've used them daily as my one and only piece of audio gear, and I like to think I've become familiar enough with them to give a somewhat informed opinion on how well they perform as a product, so I'll try my best to do so.


Build, Accessories, Fit, Comfort, Isolation


The shells are teardrop shaped, and made of a metal alloy. They come in either a polished silver or gunmetal, or a metallic purple finish. Mine are the polished silver variant. They have a decent heft for how compact they are, and combined with the polished finish impart a premium feel that you wouldn't think would come in a $27 product. The shells themselves sit well in the concha of my ears, and don't cause me any particular discomfort.

Okay, that's all the nice stuff out of the way. Everything else in stock form is pretty garbo, not gonna lie.

The best thing I can say about the provided cable is that it's functional. It worked out of the box. You can connect it to the earpieces, and they will produce sound, no problem. That said, the cable is a kinky, thin, tangly mess. Many others say the preformed earhooks are shaped too aggressively, which wasn't really a problem for me personally, but this cable wanted to tangle, no matter what. No matter how neatly I tried to wrap it, or if I lay it out flat, it always ended up in the shape of spaghetti-tumbleweed-toddler-scribbling. I know everyone says to buy aftermarket tips and a cable for these, and my recommendation is the same. If not for fit issues, at least for peace of mind from tangle city. I went with the Tripowin Zonie, but there are a number of other nice 0.78mm 2pin cables to choose from that will get the job done just as well.

I have a hard time finding much to say about the stock tips. They fit me 'okay' in that I was able to get the Blons into my ears with them without them ever fallng out while I used them, but they didn't provide a sufficient seal, and never gave me the sense that they couldn't fall out of my ears, so I went tip-rolling. I first went with the Spinfit CP100 tips, which provided a better seal and more secure fit than stock, but would more often than I'd like detach from the nozzle when removing the Blons from my ears, and get stuck in my ear canal, which was incredibly annoying. I then opted for AZLA's Xelastec eartips, which provided what I would imagine is the best seal, and most secure fit of any eartip on the market, but the tackiness of the eartip meant that they got dirty very easily, and owing to the nature of TPE, eventually deform. The last eartips that I tried, and the ones I've been using to this day are AZLA's Earfit Light tips, which have provided me with the best combination of seal, comfort, and security.

Another thing contributing to the poor fit of the Blons is the short nozzle. Following the advice of some of the folks on /g/'s /iemg/, reddit, and some head-fiers, I bought small silicone gaskets to fit over the Blon's nozzles to give the eartips some extra insertion depth for a better fit.

All that to say the Blon BL-03's out of the box user experience is not good. Sure, you might not expect to have your mind blown for $27, but I've had freebie earphones that have better ergonomics.

"lol shut up dude just get to how it sounds"

I will in just a sec, but I've written so much about fit and ergonomics, eartips in particular, because changing eartips affects the sound signature. From my understanding, the bore size of an eartip affects the treble response of an IEM, and consequently, affects the overall tonal balance, and possibly the soundstaging and imaging capabilities. It might not make a night and day difference, but it makes a difference nonetheless. So entering the sound quality section of this review, I need to make a disclaimer that my Blon BL-03s are using an aftermarket cable (for those that believe cables change the sound), aftermarket tips, and needed gaskets fitted at the bottom of the nozzles to help provide proper insertion depth. On top of the $27 I spent on the Blons initially, all the extra accessories I experimented with amount to a cost of around $75 making my overall investment into the Blons a little over $100. Not everyone is going to need to spend that much to get the best experience with the Blons, after all, everyone's ears are shaped differently, but for those looking to purchase the Blons, understand that you may have to invest extra money to get the best out of them.


Sound Quality (with the caveat that my set is NOT the stock experience)


The overall tonality of the Blon BL-03s can be described as either a warm v-shape, or maybe a bassy take on a neutral signature. There's a strong general bass emphasis that lends authority to bass guitar, upright bass, and cellos, but unfortunately bleeds a bit into the lower mids which consequently causes male vocals to sometimes sound a bit recessed in some busy tracks, and some orchestral pieces with prominent cello sections can sound kinda mushy. I wouldn't call it muddy, as it seems to mostly be track dependent, more...syrupy. The upper mids provide piano, female vocals, and violins with enough energy to stand out when needed while never coming across as shouty, and the treble strikes a good balance with no harshness or sibilance when reproducing consonant sounds or cymbal crashes. I find the Blons to be sufficiently airy, only really rolling off after about 15kHz when listening to sine sweeps after which I credit inaudibility to my hearing cutting off at 17.8kHz. Overall I find the Blons to be a good all-rounder tonality-wise. It plays well with pretty much any genre, only stumbling every now and then when dealing with tracks with already sufficient warmth.

The Blons have excellent timbre owing to its strong tonal balance and natural pattern of decay. I never get the sense that an instrument sounds unnatural, nor do I get any metallic zing or graininess. Texture errs a little too much on the side of smoothness. Attack on things like plucked strings or percussive hits often sound more muted than I would expect them to be, and paired with the decay being a bit on the longer side, causes the notes to sometimes smear into each other, becoming a problem on especially busy tracks. The Blons stage are wider than deep sounding, and sound, like another reviewer said, like you're in one of the front rows of a small concert hall. Imaging is good between front, left, and right, with front left and front right being a little less distinct.


Some Listening Impressions


Ichiko Aoba - Asleep Among Endives

This track displays the Blon's stong points well. Acoustic guitar sounds warm and natural, and Ichiko's wispy, melancholic voice is reproduced faithfully. The room reverberates a bit as Ichiko sings longingly, and she's placed a small distance away directly in front. I didn't actually include this song because I wanted to give my impressions of the Blons so much as I wanted to simp for Ichiko, sorry.

Danger Doom - Crosshairs

The bass immediately sounds bloated and indistinct, causing DOOM's voice to sound recessed, and generally overpowering the other samples in the song. I can still make out DOOM's vocals, but with the bassline being so blobby it wasn't ideal.

Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts - Tank!

This was a good test of the Blon's imaging chops, which I found it to pass fairly admirably. While I couldn't pinpoint exactly where every instrument in the band was as the song got busier and more sections of the band became involved, there was good enough directionality and instrument separation to where I felt immersed in the music. Gritty brass section, upright bass, drums, bongos, and saxophone all had their place in the mix and none of them overpowered another.

Tatsuro Yamashita - Love Space

Another strong showing from the Blons. Tatsuro's vocals are front and center, bassline is well controlled, drums are present and have good snap with no sharpness, electric guitar to the right providing a consistent groove, adequate space in the stage for the saxophone solo, and for Tatsuro to belt out his lovely high notes into the heavens.

Radiohead - Glass Eyes

Thom's vocals are intimate and clear, filtered panning piano arpeggios have a slight bloom in the low end, but has an overall pleasant effect. The Blons handle imaging of the orchestra very well. I was able to pinpoint specific violins and cellos, while the bass section came off as more of an all-encompassing wall of low hums. Swelling string crescendos are replayed nicely, again with a slight bloom in that transition from mid-bass to lower mids, but I found the effect pleasant in this case.


Conclusion


Overall I'd say I like the Blons. Well, I'd have to if I've kept them as my only earphone for the last year, but it's honestly kind of hard for me to recommend them. Sure, once I'd gotten mine all tuned up with new tips, cable, and gasket, they performed great to my ears, but that really shouldn't have to be necessary, and for the money I've invested in them I probably could have gotten another IEM that performs just as well, but that's just speculation, since the Blons are pretty much my only frame of reference. Whether or not they are the budget world-beaters they're purported to be is TBD until I hear some more expensive sets.

Intro
So far I only had the opportunity to review the S1 from BLON, which I liked very much due to its three-dimensionality and richness of detail, even if it sounds a bit too bright.
Now I hold the BL-03 in my hands, which in contrast to the S1 (1*DD & 1*BA) has a single dynamic driver in the housing, which I also prefer, because especially in the price category many hybrids are not well tuned and so the potential of the multi drivers is lost. With a single dynamic driver you know what you're getting and the tuning seems easier.

On the net you often read a comparison of the BL-03 with the NICEHCK EP10. Externally and from the technical point of view this may be true, but there are some differences in sound, so a comparison of the two makes less sense for me, because they are also slightly different in price (18 € -> 35 €). Basically, the BL-03 adds a scoop in all areas!

Handling
The BLON BL-03 has a metal housing, which makes it slightly heavier than the average IEM. It also has a 2-pin connector, which makes the cable interchangeable. It can be worn both over the ear and straight down if you swap the two sides. With the included cable, however, you can only wear it above the ear, as the earhooks are already provided. Otherwise we get a cloth bag for storage and 3 different sizes of silicone tips. Not earth-shattering on assessors, but of course sufficient.

The surface of the BL-03 is mirror polished (similar to the EP10) and looks good. The nozzles have a notch which makes the tips hold well and they are long enough to get deep enough into the ear canal. However, you'll have to experiment a bit with the tips to get a proper fit that strongly affects the sound and isolation of the BL-03.

If you have achieved a perfect fit, the insulation is very good and also the wearing comfort is pleasant.

Sound
The BL-03 has a good bass lift, which makes it very fun. The bass doesn't cover the complete signature, but knows how to make its mark on bass-hungry tracks, but it doesn't cheat on less bass-intensive music with unnecessary output.
It has a good texture and also scores in detail reproduction. It could be a bit faster and a bit harder in the response, but all in all it is very well tuned and knows how to please bass lovers, especially in the sub range.

The bass slightly pushes into the mid-range, which makes them appear fuller and warmer especially in the lower range, but doesn't overshadow them. It gives male voices a full body, as well as strings or guitars. This gives them a quite natural appearance and not as bright and sharp as worse BA drivers. Female voices move more into the foreground than their male counterparts due to the raised upper midrange, but generally voices are pleasantly positioned in the room with a slight push forward, which I personally prefer. The separation is quite decent, but with more complex music, the BL-03 can get a bit muddled which leads to overlay. In general it is suitable for every kind of genre, which makes it a very good all-rounder.

The highs are very relaxed and reproduce details well. They do not show excessive hardness and are not too brightly tuned. This makes them very pleasant even for longer periods of time. However, I sometimes have the impression that I feel a little tickling and cymbals can sound a bit clattering in some cases. I like the tuning of the highs in relation to the midrange and bass very much, as they manage to counteract the warmth adequately and give the BL-03 a certain airiness. Also, the frequency response feels quite homogeneous, without strong breakdowns in the transitions, which is often noticed with many cheaper multi driver IEMs. I would describe the sound as harmonic, musical and natural, with sympathetic bass emphasis and good three-dimensionality.

Outro
With the BL-03, BLON has produced a worthy representative in the field of dynamic drivers who knows how to convince in his price class and can appeal to a broad mass with his all-round capabilities

ALIEXPRESS
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More reviews: https://david-hahn.wixsite.com/chi-fiear
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHIFIEAR/

*Disclaimer, I was sent this one for a review. I promised an honest one as I don't have any affiliation with the company and don't host a channel or a website that would make this review profitable.

4* assuming the driver variation is a one-off

Testing with Audioquest Dragonfly v1.2 that tends to present detail forward. Spotify at max quality, auto-gain turned off.
Used frequency sweep to match seals/resonances, checked for phase and whatnot using playlist below.
Some test tracks: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4vhv7XQ8UeAgCS6R6mZL18?si=Ri0dAQ0wQYmYmdsAFn9_UQ

In sum
Warm with detailed mids, defined by elevated lower textures with good sub-bass reproduction, albeit a touch slow seeming. Relatively controlled with an early rolloff around 12khz. Should appease most bass lovers that want well defined bass while avoiding fatiguing V signatures. Not the best resolving earphone for those looking for something on the brighter side of things. Still very good for the price and easy to recommend to most people.

Build
Once you get past the ridiculous box, you get well made metal two piece shells, a short/medium nozzle with a mesh cover. It is advertised as a zinc alloy. One vent on the middle of the inner shell. Their small size and smooth shape make for an easy fit once you find a good tip. The cable is too tightly coiled over the ears with a heatshrink that is on the thick side that gets uncomfortable for me (with glasses). Others reported the ear hook rotating the earphones out of their seal. I think its a .78mm 2-pin connector.

It comes with two sets of tips: one is a conical, super lightweight silicone that I could get a seal initially that would not last; the other are the typical, flanged/lipped inset bore (where the outer cap extends beyond the end of the bore) silicones. The largest were not large enough for inserting as deep as they go so I switched to another tip I had on hand that was almost identical but slightly larger. (I usually use ML, sometimes L on thre right here). Important note here not to seal that vent since it will lead to -more- driver flex.

Cable is meh, not a very tight or neat braid/twist and while not that tangly, it tends to spring about when you want to coil it nicely on a flat surface. KZ style 90 degree 3.5mm jack. I much prefer the 90 degree connectors where the strain relief start at the shaft so that you are not putting torque on the earphone connectors with daily use. It has a kz stype spread-eagle split and no chin-slider. I'm not sure what cable replacement would work best as they have a shroud. I'd be happy to hear. I have not tested the mic to see how much crosstalk there is.

Sound

Range

Very present bass from 10hz onwards.
Treble Rolloff starts at 11-12kh though it remains audible at 17.

Bass

Elevated but controlled bass that doesn't bleed into / muddle the mids too much. Some normal distortion in the 50hz region. Pretty good definition thanks to the sub extension. 40-70hz can be a little too forward with some contemporary masters, droning over other sounds at times. I actually found the bass to be a little tiring after a while when I upped the volume to compensate for the lack of detail at the higher end.

Mids

While not recessed, they are not forward either. Higher vocals lose an edge with the early high rolloff. Generally it does alright though it can feel a touch congested if there is a lot going on in the sub 100hz range. For contrast, the Final audio e2000/e3000 are also warmer earphones but they are mid-forward as they lean on lower-mids more than sub 100hzs, they do trade off some bass control in doing so.

Highs

Fast and early roll-off following elevated high mids leave them detailed feeling without being fatiguing. Resolution is so-so. I can't help but feel the veil at all times, rounding the edge of instruments and stealing the rasp of some vocals. Despite the veil, peaks in the 4750-7300-9000hz (depending on insertion depth) maintain the feeling of detail.

Soundstage/Separation

The rolloff of highs sucks some air out of the soundstage. While not congested, it lacks height and can feel dampened thanks to percussions losing an edge to the rolloff, and dominant lower frequencies that humans cannot as easily place in space. Average.

Issues
Drivers not well matched, running a sweep sways left to right several times.
Driver flex, though it is not always present and largely on one side, crinkle is never good.

ETC
You can wear them down if you can find a cable that will do so. It's a shallower fit and will likely bring up resonances in the 4-6k region which makes it more detailed sounding but possibly harshly so.

Did someone say Flavor-of-the-month? Well, the BLON BL-03 has been the FOTM for a few months running, so maybe, just maybe, there’s a gem in the hiding.

The BL-03 uses a Carbon (nanotube?) driver, and is one of the cheapest, if not the cheapest IEM to use such tech inside the housings. The first CNT driver IEM that I recall was Dunu Falcon C, and that thing had a price-tag of over $200. The “trickle-down-effect” has done its wonders indeed and so we have a strictly budget IEM that aims to take a shot at the big boys.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Definitely the expectations from a $15 IEM won’t be the same as a $150 one, and that’s the approach taken while assigning scores. I bought the IEMs with my own funds, still, Disclaimer

Click to expand...

Sources used: LG G7, Questyle QP1R, Yulong DAART Canary, VE Odyssey, Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle, iPhone SE

Build: The BL-03’s housings are made of “Kirsite” alloy, which apparently is a variant of Zinc alloy. Irrespective of the metal used, they feel really solid in hand, and there is no roughness around the seams. The mirrored finish does not attract fingerprints or smudges easily, which is a plus. My biggest complaint would be the protruding 2-pin connector, where using 3rd-party cables will put unnecessary strain on the connectors and this might be a potential point of failure in the long run.
4/5



Accessories: The accessory set is pretty complete in terms of the amount of stuff you get: 6 pairs of eartips, a 2-pin cable and a carry-pouch. However, the tips are practically useless as they are shaped in an oblong manner, thus not getting a good seal. Moreover, the cable is really tangly and worst of all — that memory wire is absolutely atrocious. Buy a separate cable to make life easier (you can find cheap ones under $10 on AliExpress). That leaves the only usable thing that you get with the box — the carrying pouch. Sigh.
2.5/5

Comfort: The Achilles’ Heel of these IEMs would be how awkward their fit is. In fact, it is one of the most fit/eartip-dependent IEM I’ve come across in quite a while. Just changing from Final E-type tips to Spinfits bring about drastic changes. The nozzle size is the culprit here as it’s too short and thus the IEMs often dangle about. The only way to get a good seal is to use double/triple-flange tips, or using Final E-type/Spinfit tips that bend into your ear-canal. I’ve personally used Spinfit CP-500 tips throughout the course of this review. Another thing to note would be the driver-flex as these IEM exhibit that phenomenon quite often.
2.5/5



Now, on to the sound:

Lows: The bass response on BL-03 depends on the type of tips used and how deep an insertion you’re going for. For the usual shallow-insertion, the bass is neither overpowering nor lacking in any sense. It mostly gives you a faint sub-bass kick and that’s about it. Bass decay is faster than the usual dynamic-driver IEMs, which gives a pacy “rhythm” to every song you play that has a punchy bass-line. On Fort Minor’s Where’d You Go, the heavy baseline never overshadows the mids, nor does the bass distort in high SPL (volume).
It won’t be enough for bass-heads, but it’s quality bass indeed.
4.5/5

Mids: Vocals are slightly accentuated, with high-pitched vocals being given more emphasis than lower-pitched/baritone ones. The comparatively leaner sounding male vocals might be the only point of contention with BL-03’s midrange as the rest of it is just sublime. Acoustic guitars and string instruments have a very natural attack and decay, with mostly spot-on tonality and timbre. I find that acoustic guitars/piano tend to sound a bit brighter than reference, but it’s nothing too noticeable unless you’re A/B-ing and it’s mostly a matter of taste. Micro-detail retrieval is where it will fall short, but that’s the only time when you’ll realize that you’re listening to a budget device. Instrument separation is excellent.
All in all — some great mid-range performance here, and not just “for-the-price”.
4.5/5

Treble: Treble is neither on-your-face, nor is it veiled. Balanced — the word that best describes it. There is enough emphasis around the presence (5/6KHz) region to keep things exciting, while the 8–10KHz region is tuned down even further with some peak around 13KHz or so to introduce more air into the treble. This makes cymbals sound more distant than reference, and the initial cymbal hits are less exciting than they should be. It’s just nitpicking at this point though, as BL-03’s treble performance is more than adequate, if not outright great.
4/5



Soundstage: Soundstage width and depth is above-average, while the height is just about average. Nothing to write home about here.
3.5/5

Imaging: Imaging, on the other hand, is exemplary. Yosi Horikawa’s Crossing is a good song to test out imaging performance, and here the BL-03 just shines. The motorcycle going from left to the right, the ambient noises that pop up every now and then throughout the whole track — everything is in the right place. Tool’s Chocolate Chip Trip is another song where you can point out the general direction of every single drum hit.
4/5

Bang-for-buck: Outstanding, in one word.
5/5



Source and Amping: BL-03 sounds good outta everything, or at least out of most decent sources. It sounded as it should out of both iPhone SE and LG G7. Obviously plugging into a good external amp makes everything sound better, but it’s a complete overkill for such a budget device. If you have a good DAP, however, that will bring the best out of these, just that it’s not necessary and more of a luxury.



Select Comparisons

vs TinAudio T2: Tin T2 is perhaps the most well-known chi-fi IEM at under $50, and for very good reasons. It sounded unlike anything under $50 in the chi-fi realm back in the day. Pitted against the BL-03, it holds its grounds when it comes to sheer details, and I would say that T2 out-resolves the BL-03 in terms of sheer resolution. However, the bass response is far superior on the BL-03, and the mid-range tuning is more “mature”. The treble is also more even-handed on the BLONs, without the often annoying peaks of the T2. Soundstage is wider on T2 while BL-03 has better imaging. Build quality is about the same while T2 is slightly more comfortable. Both have terrible cables and stock tips, so it’s mostly a home-run for the BLONs.

vs KZ ZSX: KZ ZSX has more treble detail and bass quantity, but BL-03 has far better bass quality and treble tuning. Midrange is where KZ ZSX falls apart, just like every other KZ IEM before it (and probably in the foreseeable future). It just sounds completely off in terms of tonality. Moreover, there is the infamous “BA Timbre” that’s on full display here. Comfort and soundstage width goes to KZ’s way for once, but it’s handily beaten in terms of overall sound quality.

vs Fiio FH1: Fiio FH1 only has better build and cable/accessories. It doesn’t even register as a competition elsewhere. Sorry guys, but this thing was overpriced to begin with and now is getting handily beaten by IEMs that cost ~70% lower.

vs Sennheiser IE40 Pro: Now this is more like it! IE40 Pro is one of the best IEMs you can buy under $150. Compared to the BLONs, it has more accentuated mid-bass while the sub-bass extends even deeper. Vocals are slightly better on the IE40, esp male vocals. Cymbals also hit harder and has more authority in the mix.
Rest of it is pretty much back and forth though, with imaging being about par on both and the IE40 having a wider soundstage at the cost of having the vocals sound more distant.
The best part about this comparison though is that if you prefer a mid-forward signature, the BL-03 would surely be the one you’d pick after a blind audition, provided you can get a good fit (an area where the Sennheiser absolutely shines). Overall, the IE40 is the better IEM if you consider every single facet, but the BL-03 is the better buy due to the off-the-charts price-to-performance ratio.




Conclusion:

BLON BL-03 has officially changed the status-quo of budget IEMs, at least for me. It absolutely shames some of the popular IEMs with a much higher price-tag, and it does it all in such an unassuming manner that it boggles your mind. Why can’t Fiio do something like this with far more resource at their disposal? Why can’t KZ still figure out something an obscure company has managed to do with aplomb?

The poor eartips/cables, and the short nozzles that further compound the awkward-at-best fit aside, this thing aces everything else. This is not a flavor-of-the-month, rather a flavor-of-the-year.

Moondrop Crescent, before its discontinuation, was my singular recommendation if you were looking for an IEM under $50. I don’t know how long the BL-03 will survive, but it’s on sale as of today, so grab a pair while you can. Don’t forget to get a pair of SpinFits/double-flange eartips though (mandatory), while getting some decent cable (I’m using this one) will help in the long run.

The BLON BL-03 demands a recommendation of the highest order, and that’s what it’s gonna get. I wait with bated breath to see what BLON comes up with as a successor.

#Recommended

Test tracks (as YouTube playlist, often updated):


Please check out my blog: https://www.medium.com/@kmmbd

I have finally zeroed in on BLON BLO3 as my chifi iem of choice after considering a number of options including CCA C10 and some KZ iems . It is safe to say that these earphones did not disappoint me in the slightest.On the contrary they even exceeded my expectations especially when it came to fit and comfort. The sound profile of these earphones can be described as balanced with a prominent low end. The bass is very engaging and powerful here without overpowering other frequencies The most exceptional characteristic of these iems is there expansive soundstage (especially considering the price and these being single dynamic driver earphones). The build quality and design is also pretty good.

My music setup
Smartphone: Oneplus7Pro
USB Dac: Shanling UA1(ESS 9218P Dac chip)
Music Player: USB Audio Player Pro

These can be really considered as some of the best entry level options into the audiophile world. Just make sure to pair them with a good dac and you are good to go.

It is a good IEM and I like it. I have included the measurments I have done using the UMIK-1 and a 3D Printed adapter for measuring IEM's

This is a review of the BLON BL-03, a recent $40 IEM that features a 10mm carbon diaphragm dynamic driver. I got this as a review unit from Linsoul. If you're interested in it after reading this review, you can grab one here.

Overall Sound Signature: The BL-03 has a bassy sound signature that is fun, colored, and inoffensive. It shines with slower well-recorded tracks while stumbles a little on faster-paced music that has an emphasis on the hats and cymbals.

Bass: Without a doubt, the bass is front and center of this IEM and is surprisingly very good considering the BL-03's budget status. The BL-03's DD is nuanced without the one-notedness of its competitors, being able to show off the underlying note and timbre complexities in well-recorded tracks. The BL-03's DD is also fairly balanced to me, without too short or long of a decay, having a realistic DD timbre that isn't too punchy nor bloomy. There is a minor roll-off in the subbass compared to the midbass but both are present in spades. The subbass rumbles cleanly while the midbass adds plenty of color to tracks, be it quick bass guitar lines or the thump of the kick. Even though the BL-03 is bass heavy, it doesn't come off as overly boomy to me. The only complaint I have with the bass is that it can come off as a little soft at times compared to something like the enormous subbass slam that comes with the (in)famous MH755.

Mids: The BL-03's mids are a little on the thick side thanks to the emphasized low end of the IEM. However, I don't get a sense of muddiness from the BL-03, something that is rare to find in bass-heavy budget IEMs. Similarly to the midbass, the lower mids of the BL-03 very colored. Backing synths pads fill out tracks more fully while electric guitars take on exaggerated grittiness. Vocals are slightly warm and are well presented, neither recessed nor too forward. For the fun, colored sound signature the BL-03 shoots for, the mids serve their part just fine.

Treble: The BL-03 is a little treble light, lacking both the airiness of upper treble extension and the energy that comes with the lower treble. While there is good individual note definition in slow, well-recorded tracks, its DD cannot keep up with hats/cymbals in faster tracks and becomes trashy quickly, a common issue with many IEMs. Thankfully, however, the BL-03 doesn't have any treble peaks, keeping it from ever sounding sibilant, fatiguing, or having strange timbre.

Staging and Imaging: The soundstage is a touch above average, with stage depth but lacking stage height. Imaging is fairly decent with a couple more "steps" horizontally rather than the standard 3 blobs of left-center-right but can feel vague.

Resolution and Separation: Resolution is solidly above average for the <$100 range while instrument separation is good as the BL-03 doesn't feel congested even with so much going on in its lower range.

Build and Fit: The BL-03 sports a shiny, all-metal shell that's meant to be worn over-ear. The included 2-pin cable isn't great but is serviceable. It has a very shallow fit, leading to low isolation and an often awkward fit and seal. The included tips have a spinfit-like mechanism as you can see here, the short and narrow flexible region between the stem and the tip head. This is necessary for extending the length of the tip to compensate for the short nozzle. If you have larger ears, the BL-03 may not fit as I needed to move up from medium tips to large and even then I feel like I could go up a size to get a better seal. Something to keep in mind when thinking of purchasing.

Should you buy it?: For $40, the BLON BL-03 is definitely worth its price tag. I was surprised listening to it as I expected another bassy, low-res boom monster but instead got a fun sounding IEM that's rather clean with an outstanding budget-fi dynamic driver. This should be a superb IEM for most genres except for fast-paced technical tracks.

At this point i guess i don't have to explain what's Blon, right?
"What's Blon?"
Dude, do you live under a rock?
Ok, i'll (try) to explain for you.
Blon is an chinese headphone brand that became very popular after release the Bl 03.
The Bl 03 are cheap iems that quickly became very popular in the audio comunity.
"Why?"
I gonna explain in this review, be patient.

Build quality and fit
The Blons are made in metal, so they feel pretty solid, but due the metal they are a bit heavy.
The conectors are an weird kind of 0.78 2 pins.
The fit is terrible.
The shells themselves are not the problem.
The main problem is the nozzles, that are too short, then the fit is pretty shallow and some people can't get an good seal.
Fortunately, this can be fixed with aftermark eartips, like spinfits.

As we're talking about eartips, lets talk about the stock eartips and cable.
It comes with 6 pairs of silicone tips.
The eartips are really bad, i can't get a decent seal with they, so i can't talk about how they sound, but the materials aren't good.

Feels very fragile and not well made.
Sadly (not at all) i've lost most part of the tips, so i can't show them.

The cable is also bad, but not due to the wires themselves, and due to the earhooks.
The earhooks are molded in a weird shape and with a stiff plastic that have a "spring" effect.

The cable itself isn't that bad, actually IMO is better than the old Kz brown cables, but it tangles a lot.


The sound

This is the reason of these little guys are so famous.
They have an warm sound signature, with focus on the bass.
The bass is strong but i would not call this a basshead iem.
It's on the relaxed side, so it sounds very organic and natural, with a good impact and decent texture.
Due to the more relaxed kind, the bass isn't the fastest, then for complexe tracks i would not recommend the Blons.

The mids are my favorite part about this iem.
They sound a bit veiled, but due to the naturality i can forgive it.
The mids are on the warmer side, vocals sound pretty smooth and never gets shouty.
Instruments sounds very correct and wont be agressive like some other cheap iems.

The treble is the worst part of the Blons.
They aren't bad, but at the sabe time aren't as good as the bass and mids.
It lacks air and sound a bit lifeless sometimes.

Soundstage and imaging
The soundstage is actually decent, but the imaging isn't the best.
You can distinguish if the sound comes from the left, right, back or front, but you can't pickpoint.

Details
The details are fine, not bad but not amazing, just ok.



Conclusion
For the price, the Blons are good, they sound very natural and fun, but it can suffer in busy songs though.
If you don't listen to very complex tracks, it will be an decent option under 30$.
Sorry if my english sucks, english isn't my first language, i'm learning.

BLON BL-03 REVIEW:

SOUND: 8.5/10
CONSTRUCTION: 9/10
DESIGN: 8/10
ACCESSORIES: 7.5/10
VALUE: 9.5/10

Hi budget audiophile pals,

today this review is for you because it’s about a great affordable fancy looking earphones call the BLON BL-03. Perhaps some of you already have heard about them, or are one of lucky owner that buy it for supreme absurd price (20$) when it was sell as a Lucky Bag on Ali express, if so, I applause your braveness cause you hit the jack pot!

Because let’s say it straight up No BS way, the BL-03 are nice sounding single dynamic drivers earphones!

Is it because it use a mysterious 10mm carbon nanotube drivers that these iem sound that lush, spacious and musical? Can’t say because I do not have heard the 200$ Dunu Falcon or other TOTL iem using this audio technology wich exist since more than 15 years now.

Here a small description of how nanotubes drivers work :

‘’The tiny speaker doesn't rely on moving parts and instead produces sound through the thermoacoustic effect. When an alternating current passes through the nanotubes, the material heats and cools the air around it; as the air warms, it expands, and as it cools, it contracts. This expansion and contraction creates sound waves. The new nanotube speaker could be manufactured at low cost in the same facilities used to make computer chips, the researchers say."

Reading this, it make me wonder if this heating process explain why these will benifit from good amping, not extreme, but if I plug it directly into low output DAP or DAC-AMP the sound will be dry and restrain in soundstage. More the amping is powerfull, more the sound became rich, dynamic, spacious and thicker in timbre.



BLON audio company aren’t new into audio market, I thinkthey’ve been active since 2014 but they still are rather mysterious like lot of other chinese audio company mostly active in well...China. Anyway, they create multiple iem and headphones in the past and none of them got suspectfull bad reviews. In fact, they get lot of praise on headfi for their BLON BOSSFI B3 hybrid iem as well as BLON B8 closed wooden headphones. This is sure a No BS good sign.

Priced around 30-40$, the BL-03 are utterlly impressive value, now let’s see if they should stand appart in this over crownded sub-50$ iem market.


ACCESSORIES, CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN :



UNBOXING is well presented and proove that BLON give some thinking about presentation of their product. Anyway, when you open it, you get the minimal, wich is still more than most Chifi products like KZ. Your Spoiled with a portative eco-friendly iem BAG, hourray! And a quite nice standard 2-pin 4cores braided cable and 6 pairs of silicones eartips (2 type of model). For thsi price I do not complaint, but some will find the iem ‘’protective’’ bag quite underwhelming.



CONSTRUCTION is quite impressive and extremely similar to the cheaper BLON BL-01 (or NiceHCK EP10). This is similar all metal heavy housing with the exception having mmcx connection and over the ear design, wich is a game changer in term of secure fit and comfort, as well, the nozzle being a little longer it solve the fitting issue of EP10. Cable that come with it is of basic quality, and as always, will thrown in my pile of unused cable that take dust and include 60% of cheap KZ cables.

DESIGN isn’t the more organicaly shaped and is on the heavy side. Still, due to the weight that push the housing into the ears, the fit is natural and steady. Sure the housing is rather big and bulbous, but if you use other eartips than the one included, it will fit nicely. You need longer-bigger eartips, I use L size KZ starline and the fit is wonderfull. For people that do not have lot of extra eartips collection like me, the BL-03 can be frustrating in term of fit as well, it can negatively affect the sound.



DRIVEABILITY is quite hungry type. My very first impressions was mitiged because I use included tips and not enough powerfull DAP, wich make them sound foward, brightish and congested. Amping do make night and day difference!

ISOLATION is above average and have good passive noise canceling, as well, their near 0db sound leakage.


SOUND :




GEAR USED : Xduoo X3, Ibasso DX90, Xduoo X20, Xduoo XD-05 (as DAC-AMP and AMP for other DAP)

Overall sound presentation is a U shape with fowarded upper mids that give a slow bassy and mid centric kinda sound. Timbre is thick but not too opaque, its well polish but lack in attack, should it be in mid bass, mid range or highs. First impression wasn’t that positive due to bad fit and bad pairing, strangely they sound brightish and too foward, wich isn’t normal as they are warm iem in fact, with some upper mids brightness and treble spike.




SOUNDSTAGE is quite gigantic, airy and out of your head, this is to me the big PLUS of BL-03. It’s way above average for its price range.

IMAGING is a little ackward, as if it some part of audio spectrum was veiled, you have a ‘’summarize’’ imaging that tend to separate specific range like lower bass, mid mids and upper treble, this give lot of space between instruments when their not lot of them but do the opposite when its complex music because lot of them will mix togheter or stay shadowed by overemphasis of particular tonalities.

BASS is very emphased in lower region, wich give slow rumble and sometime artificial resonance, but not in a particurly bad way, the problem with this type of bass its that it drown mid bass so you will struggle to hear correctly the kick. Its not a punchy bass at all, but it got slam to share. This do good for cello or acoustic bass that we find in jazz or classic, even if tonaly not super accurate it give extra body and excitment. For electronic, its hit or miss, fast IDM will struggle with slow bass but Rap and Drum&bass and sub centric music will sound very fun.

MID RANGE is slightly warmer in lower range, wich give extra body but stole imaging details. It have thick timbre that give sens of fullness and naturalness to vocal but can have some breathiness to it due to upper mids push, in fact, the problem with mid range is that it tend to be mixed up and lack transparency for other instrument to shine, when its not too crowded music it can sound marvellous, as well, string quartet, solo cello or violin, folk and some singersongwriter can really offer grand musical moment, never in a particularly textured or detailed way tough. Mid range is softened in attack and this is perhaps why instrument tend to mix with eachother, I do not suggest the BL-03 for symphony or jazz big band.

TREBLE is quite spiky and coloured, wich have the benifit to give some air at the top and extra sparkle with highs. But it stole timbre accuracy and texture, as well as other details in lower treble region from 8khz to 12khz. This dip darken the sound a little and do not help for proper resolution. I prefer more linear and balanced treble response. In other hand, it give extra sparkle and decay to high range instrument like harp or classical guitar, wich sound very lively to my ears.

SUB BASS : 8/10
MID BASS : 7/10
MID RANGE : 8/10
TREBLE : 7.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE : 9/10
IMAGING : 7.5/10
TIMBRE : 7.5/10
ATTACK-DECAY : 7/10

COMPARAISONS :

VS AUDIOSENSE T180 (40$) :


With its single balanced armature the T180 cannot offer a sound as spacious and airy than the BLON but its detailed imaging, even if a little congested, compensate its intimate soundstage.

BASS dig notably deeper with the BL-03, offering some rumble the T180 crualy lack, but its slower too, and show how capable is the T180 in term of fast mid bass, as well, we got some well textured sub bass line that is as well tigher but way drier and thin than muscular BL-03. In term of mid bass, its the BL-03 that crualy lack some punch and resolution.

MID RANGE is where the T180 show its bravado, its very balanced, with rich transparent slightly bright timbre, it can deal with impressively complex track and do not have unwanted peak like the more coloured BL-03 that give at it got for vocal forgetting to cover the rest with attack and grip that T180 hae in plentiness. Level of clarity, resolution and details is superior with T180. Here, the BL-03 is more about body and weight, wich give naturalness instead of hyper realism a la T180.

TREBLE is more balanced and linear with T180, but a little rougher too, wich can make percussion a little splashy. BL-03 have less micro details but more sparkling highs.

All in all, we have 2 very different iem here, T180 being a neutralish Mid centric and analytical iem while the warm, bassy BL-03 is more airy and natural with notably bigger soundstage.




VS KZ ZS10PRO (35$):



With its single dynamic driver, the BL-03 can’t compte in term of detailed imaging against the ZS10 but strangely offer a wider, taller and airier soundstage making ZS10PRO sound foward and intimate with richer layering.

BL-03 have a more U shape approach to lower end and ZS10PRO is the V kind with a fast foward punchy bass, more textured but less weighty and bodied sub bass. BL-03 warm gently lower mid range in a positive way that give extra body, warthm and naturalness to vocal wich make the mid range sound fuller but less detailed and accurate than brighter ZS10PRO.

The PRO sure dig more details and offer a more revealing mid range, its vivid and energic compared to more relaxed and transparent BL-03 that have an organic way of presenting multiple insturment. I tend to prefer the warm, thick and polished BLON vocal until lot of instrumentation go on and make it sound messy. Yes, multi BA’s of ZS10PRO sure help to offer a more agile sound.

TREBLE is more emphased in lower and mid treble with the PRO, while the BL-03 have extra presence in upper highs that permit a longer decay and more sparkle but this stole some details in lower highs wich affect overall instrument textures and make some like violin or piano sound to softened. Yep, the BL-03 are warm until they end, but offer impressive clarity nonetheless.

All in all, ZS10PRO is a more balanced sounding iem, with brighter more detailed timbre, less sub bass and a great amount of extra details compared to more U shape warm, airy and natural sounding BL-03.



CONCLUSION :



In an overcrowded Chi-Fi market where the use of balanced armature became extremely popular, creating a single dynamic drivers can question budget audiophile in term of sound limitation in term of dynamic and details. To some extend, the BL-03 show dynamic drivers can outclass badly tuned multi balanced armature, especially in term of bass, soundstage and naturalness. Still, I feel the BL-03 need more tuning work to be considered as a great single dynamic drivers earphones, because it lack proper balanced sound to reach audio nirvana that sometime he brush.

The BL-03 is very good for its price, the immense soundstage by himself worth the buy, but it got some of the same flaws we find with Hybrid or multi balanced chinese iem it try to outclass, like unbalanced mids and highs. Anyway, I applause BLON company to go back to single dynamic drivers and hope their next model will push even farther the tuning possibilites it have.

For more reviews, please give a look at my No BS Reviews BLOG

First impression was bad.
Changed tips to JVC Spiral Dots.
Changed cable to Dunnu Hulk (had it layin around).

changed the set completely.
New headphones...
Still like my Thieaudio Legacy 3, and Empire Ears Legend X, better, but at this price range they’re unbeatable

Back in August last year I received the original BL-03 (gunmetal) for review. I appreciated its natural tonality and overall balance but was unable to obtain a secure fit. The unusual shaped tips and short nozzles proved problematic and the supplied cable with its angled connectors tended to pull the IEMs out of my ears. In addition, the very smooth and shiny finish afforded no grip and the uneven weight distribution added to the problem. Some of these issues were solved by using a replacement cable and changing the tips. However, some instability remained which impacted my ability to fully appreciate the potential of these earphones and I did not join the legion of fans singing its praises.

I have now received the latest version of the BL-03 clothed in an attractive dark purple colour. I found the new paint finish afforded more grip than the shiny metal did, and I obtained a very stable and acceptable fit and consequently an improved performance from the BL-03. Below is the amended version of my original review:

The BLON BL-03 is an IEM with a 10mm carbon nanotube (CNT) diaphragm dynamic driver. The earpieces are teardrop-shaped and finished in a highly-polished zinc alloy called "Kersite" and are finished in a dark purple colour with gold speckled accents. 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 bizarre acwronym, 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 a detachable 4-core braided cable which has tightly curved ear guides and angled, shielded 2-pin connectors. I found this to be tangly and uncomfortable to wear and it tended to make the earpieces unstable. In addition, the short nozzles and unusual cone-shaped tips failed to provide a secure fit. I therefore changed the cable for a Hifi Hear 16 core cable with straight connectors and the tips were replaced by JVC Spiral Dots, large size. The fit was now snug, secure and comfortable.

The earphones were left burning in for over 100 hours before testing. During this time I found that the BL-03 benefited from extra power, so after this I used an Xduoo X20 DAP with a Fiio A5 amplifier via line out, for evaluation.

The overall profile was well-balanced with a robust bass output centred on the mid bass but still possessing good sub bass depth. There was some bass bleed but the transition to the mids was generally smooth. Timbre was very attractive and natural. The treble was nicely contoured and gently rolled off. Transient response was very good and texture was well-rendered. Layering in electronic music was especially notable. The balanced nature of this presentation suited most types of music.

Bass
The bass was on the warm side of neutral with an emphasis in the mid bass which endowed this region with a "cuddly" quality which was attractive but did dominate on some material and slightly blunted the resolution and texture. The sub bass had good impact and with a good sense of weight.

“Missing” from the album “Themes” by Vangelis, demonstrated the quality of the BL-03's bass performance. The Greek keyboard master's characteristic synth patches came over with impact and the drums and bass synthesiser parts in the climax possessed satisfying weight and power, but the leading edges were occasionally just a little soft.

Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” is a perfect test track for evaluating bass depth and power. In the version by the Eos Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Schaffer, the bass drum showed impressive depth with the rebound of the skin being easy to discern although the initial strike could have been crisper. Timpani had excellent timbre and air which resulted in an exhilarating performance.

Mids
The midrange displayed a very natural timbre with an overall warm cast which reproduced acoustic instruments very well. There was a good deal of space which allowed directional cues to be heard clearly. Soundstage was very impressive with the stereo imaging also of high quality. In addition, the layering was very good. The detail retrieval could have been greater, however. This midrange profile has been described by some as "vintage" or "analogue" and I would agree with this description.

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 the result of good single-driver implementation.

Vocal performance was impressive, too. Al Stewart’s delicate vocal style came across faithfully in “Time Passages”. The lyrics were clear and well-enunciated and the natural timbre of 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 engaging. The principal melody line and lively counterpoint were clear and crisp and layering was beautifully portrayed. The climaxes had great immediacy with the timbre of the various string sections reproduced accurately and possessing an attractive warmth or glow.

Treble
The BL-03 produced a solid treble performance. Tonality was excellent in the lower region and remained smooth throughout. It was just a little polite with a gentle roll-off in the upper treble but even so the extension appeared very good and there were no harsh peaks. In the upper region a mild lift imparted this region with clarity and a pleasant depiction of 'air'.

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, but the overall tonality was just a little softer 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 articulate single dynamic driver IEM. If a secure and comfortable fit can be obtained, it is capable of an excellent musical performance unexpected at this price level.

It is well-made, has a notable natural tonality in the midrange and an expansive, three-dimensional soundstage. It is not perfect; there is a mid bass hump and some bass bleed. There is also an occasional veiling in the mids and a roll-off in the treble which rob it of some detail. In addition, for most, the cost of a good cable and replacement tips must be factored in.

When the BL-03 was first released, it was unchallenged but it now faces stiff competition from newer single DD models such as the Tin Hifi T2 plus, BLON's own BL-05s and the excellent Smabat NCO, all of which possess a similar natural timbre and a generally superior treble performance. However its warm, inviting tonality still marks it out as an outstanding performer in its price range and it has, quite rightly, achieved almost legendary status. Highly recommended.

ERGONOMICS AND BUILD

Let's start off with build and fit. From these few days, I spend with them build looks nice and sturdy, so does the cable which doesn't tangle much, unlike KZ cables and Tin Audio cables that are quite annoying. I heard a lot of complaints about the fit but I didn't notice any. In fact, BL-03s don't seem picky when it comes to ear-tips and frequency response stays fairly similar no matter which ones I choose, unlike some other models (TinAudio T2 for example). They're also much less bulky than most of the KZs, so points for that too.

SOUND QUALITY

Overall clarity, sound stage, and separation is in line with the best of the class - Tin T2, but these are wrapped in a bit different sound signature that you might like or not. Frequency response is slightly V-shaped with emphasis on the bass much more than on the highs (so it's not really a compliantly symmetrical V). That said the bass is fast, precise and punchy most of the time, showing it's unnaturally high presence mostly with acoustic bass notes. Up the frequency range we have nice, detailed mids and vocals with plenty of textures and nice leading edges. They do lack some body because of the lower mid-range depletion. So if you favor music with strong, prominent, natural-sounding vocals - I'd go for T2s instead. That said, vocals are still rendered better than on any KZ model I heard so far, best of them being KZ ZSX. Highs are again crisp and not overly pronounced, making these detailed but pleasurable listen for longer periods of time. KZ should be worrying because BL-03 beat them at their own game. They're altering natural balance to sound more muscly and fun, but they're doing it in a better way, without ear-piercing emphasis on upper mid-range and lower highs.

CONCLUSION

If you're looking for a lively, dynamic, energetic sound with plenty of details - these have it all. Just be sure that you don't mind elevated bass and a bit thinned out vocals. Personally I still deem Tin Audio T2s to be the king of the hill under $50 bucks due to their more natural bass and lower mids. But if you're a fan of the bassy sound and you put a bit of fun over natural balance - there's absolutely nothing wrong with choosing these BLONs.

...

You can check out my website for more reviews - iiwireviews.com
I made a video review too:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Blon BL-03 is a neutral to slightly warm, marginally bright single dynamic driver earphone that excels by its tonal accuracy, natural dynamics, clarity, authentic soundstage, and spatial cues that gives you the feeling of sitting in the first row of a concert.

Note: i'd give this earphone 5 stars if it worked ootb.

You find the full review with all the usual blablabla here: https://www.audioreviews.org/blon-bl-03-review/
This version is abbreviated in order not to be repetitive with the other reviews and to make sure to stay within the posting guidelines.

...

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

JK’s tonal preference and testing practice

The Blon BL-03 is neutral with a tendency towards bright that excels by its clarity, good speed, tonal accuracy and homogeneity/balance. The sound details depends a lot on eartips used so that results may vary between listeners. Hence, please also look at the other quality reviews out there.


Frequency response of the Blon BL-03 measured with an IEC711 coupler. Diagram courtesy of KopiOkaya.


The Blon BL-03 has a rather subtle, balanced sound signature with my setup and for my ears with a tendency to a forward upper midrange, which gives it a margially brightish flavour….it is certainly a far cry from the previous generations of V-shaped single DDs. Nothing punches (too much) from the low end or pierces at the high end. It is a polite and refined earphone all around. The Blon BL-03 is primarily an earphone for “audiophiles” imo and only secondary for rockers and dance music fans as its strength lies in the authenticity of sonic reproduction. It largely lacks perfume: the bass is rather natural in quality and quantity…and not substantially boosted to prefer certain musical genres with a hard beat. Fitting to the low end, the dynamics are rather natural, too. Further, the stage is quite authentic (wider than deep, including a good height), and the spatial cues is good, too, so that you really think you are in the first row of a concert.https://www.audioreviews.org/blon-bl-03-review/

With the tips used, the bass is well extended and has the aforementioned decent but not unnaturally strong punch, it is well textured and adds subtle warmth to the image. It can be a bit slow at times but is never thick. A subtle sub-bass rumble is pleasant on my ears. Overall, bass is tastefully dosed. The midrange is clean and clear, organic, energetic, and maybe a bit on the bright side because of a lift in the upper midrange. It has good air but not as much density as the more expensive Drop + JVC HA-FDX1. There is no congestion anywhere, including the upper midrange. Treble is very well extended, well resolving, and never strident (but not smooth either). Cymbals are surprisingly realistic sounding as transients are surprisingly natural. Stage is rather wide and high with enough depth. Resolution and instrument placement on stage are almost incredible for a budget earphone. 3-D impression is very good. And then there is the timbre, which is absolutely spot on. No budget hybrid can keep up with the Blon BL-03, although the TRN V90 gives it a good try.

Condensing all these observations, the Blon BL-03 cater particularly to fans of classical music, folk, and jazz. I don’t usually give music examples (as most people don’t have access to them) but have a look at the recent John Williams re-recordings by the London Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A very fluid listening experience.


COMPARISONS

See https://www.audioreviews.org/blon-bl-03-review/

Keep on listening!

Disclaimer #1:
I bought the BLON BL-03 from Aliexpress at my own expense.


Disclaimer #2:
The stock eartips and cables are very poorly fitting (not only for myself but based on lots of feedback on headfi). My review is based on pairing with aftermarket eartips and cables (specifically spinfits and 8 core copper cable) and the sound signature may change with different eartips and cables,YMMV. I suspect some users who do not do tiprolling may think the sound quality of this set is poor out of the box.


Introduction:
The latest CHIFI hypetrain single DD IEM, the BLON BL-03, has rave reviews on headfi the past few weeks (as of the time of writing). Some headfiers and reviewers have said the BLON BL-03 is not too far away in sound quality from more established and more expensive DD sets like the Moondrop KXXS, Tanchjim Oxygen and JVC HA FDX01 (though I haven't heard these more expensive IEMs).
So does it live up to the hype, or will the hypetrain be derailed?

IMHO, I think this IEM may not suit all users. But for audiophiles that can appreciate its strengths, and can do tiprolling or cable changing, it will truly reward the effort put in. In a flood of bright CHIFI IEMs with a 2 - 4kHz harsh peak, the BLON BL-03 sports a truly refreshing tuning, with very natural timbre, tonality and dynamics.


Specifications:
- Driver: 10 mm carbon diaphragm dynamic driver
- Sensitivity: 102dB
- Cable: 2 pin detachable cable
- Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz
- Impedence: 32Ω


Accessories:
In addition to the IEM, it comes with:
- Sackcloth pouch
- Detachable 3.5 mm stock cable
- Multiple silicone tips





Pictured here is the BLON BL-03 with spinfit eartips and a NICEHCK 8 core copper cable, as the stock tips and cables were not optimal IMHO.


Forgive the spelling errors, but this was the stuff printed on the box. Indeed if you didn't give up with the BLON BL-03's stock tips and cables department, a musical dreamland will be revealed with your persistence!


Build/comfort:
So as per the above, the stock eartips won't do the BLON BL-03 any justice, as the nozzle of the IEM is short, so most headfiers and myself had poor sound and fit with the stock short tips OOTB. From the headfi CHIFI forums, longer nozzle eartips or a spacer mod seems to fix this issue. Indeed, out of the box with the stock tips, I thought the sound quality was subpar, but I got a magical sound once I attached spinfits to the BLON BL-03. YMMV.

The stock cable also is not too optimal for the BLON BL-03 as the earhooks are stiff and tend to yank the IEM out of the ears. From the CHIFI forums, there are other aftermarket 2 pin cables one can opt for to improve the fit, and some are even resorting to mods like cutting open the earhook or heating and reforming cables.

*From feedback from headfi forums, the stock eartips seem to be more problematic than the stock cables. Some folks have no issue with the stock cables, but it seems majority do have issues with the stock tips. So my suggestion is to get a set first and see if the stock cables suit you, but definitely have some standby eartips around. It seems later batches of the BLON BL-03 come with a grey stock tip instead of the older black ones, and the grey ones have longer nozzles, and it may be better fitting, YMMV.

Otherwise this IEM is actually very ergonomic, comfortable and light. I can wear it for hours without issues.

I did not note any driver flex.


Isolation:
Slightly below average compared to my other CHIFIs. I have tested it on the subway and buses and I would suggest to stick to home use with this. In fact, with strong wind blowing in my ears, there is a whirling sound heard. Perhaps foam tips may improve the isolation, but I have tried several pairs of silicon tips with not much improvement in the isolation department.


Sound:
I tested the BLON BL-03 with a Desktop -> Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 and Ziku HK-X9. The BLON BL-03 is drivable from smart phones but definitely scales better with a DAC/AMP. It is quite a power hungry little beast despite the specs on paper, with amping improving the details, soundstage, dynamics and tightening up the bass. Also distortion in the BLON BL-03 is decreased with amping (see details in the bass section).
I didn't have any hiss with this IEM on laptops/PC/smartphones.

The BLON BL-03 has a slight L shaped tuning, with boosted bass, very slightly recessed lower mids, with some light roll off at the upper treble. I didn't notice any awkward peaks or troughs in the FR. I found the clarity, instrument separation and details to be good for a single DD driver, but it won't trump a dedicated multi BA/hybrid IEM in this aspect and it also loses in these areas to some single DD IEMs I have. With very complex instrumentation or in music with lots of competing riffs/melodies going on, the BLON BL-03 does have a bit of difficulty keeping up.
Neverthless, imaging is quite accurate in the BLON BL-03.

The best aspect of the BLON BL-03 has to be its excellent timbre, natural dynamics and very coherent tonality. It really paints the music very naturally and organically. My previous gold standard in timbre was the Toneking Ninetails, and the BLON BL-03 beats the Ninetails. Coming from multi BAs/hybrids with their occasional artificial timbre of acoustic instruments (like woodwinds, strings, and brasses), I was pleasantly surprised that the BLON BL-03 could recreate the sound of these instruments almost perfectly (I'm quite OCD about timbre as I've been studying music and playing in a band since my teenage years). With the BLON BL-03, I can truly imagine the sound of the horsehairs on the violin bow being bowed, the reedy sound of woodwinds being blown, and the waa waa of trumpets and trombones in my music.

As such, I would say that the BLON BL-03 would excel at slower genres which incorporate a lot of acoustic instruments, such as in classical, jazz and acoustic genres. Its strengths may not be so apparent if your choice of music uses synthetic instruments like in electronic/EDM, or if you wanted a hyperdetailed analytical signature.
In fact I gave away my **** and KZ ZS10 Pro after a few days with the BLON BL-03 as even though they were excellent in details and clarity, they lacked in the timbre department, and my mainstay music genres were jazz and acoustic.

Overall, the sound of the BLON is very analogue sounding compared to the usual sterile/surgical precision of the multi BA/hybrids out there, it's really as though it was an old school vinyl recording played thru tube amps.


Bass:
It is very typical of a well tuned DD driver, with good subbass extension and displacement of air. Bass is slow and bleeds a bit. Subbass has a very slight roll off compared to midbass. It has good timbre and quantity, but I wouldn't classify it at basshead levels. Nevertheless, I'm a basshead and I find that the bass was of adequate amount to not necessitate any EQing. I noted that in some songs with very complex bass movements, it generally managed to keep up with good control and details, but had occasional smearing.
I did notice a slight midbass bleed, but this seems to be quite source dependent as per some feedback on headfi. Indeed on my desktop setup (Khadas tone board -> Fiio A3) I had minimal midbass bleed, but I had some midbass bleed on my smartphone and Ziku HK-X9 DAP. Nevertheless, I felt the midbass bleed adds a bit of warmth to the lower mids which creates an "analogue" sound that can aid in classical and jazz genres. YMMV.

One thing to note is that some headfiers and myself found slight distortion at higher volumes at the midbass frequencies with a lowend source on the BLON BL-03. It can be fixed with a good source/amp, and in general for home usage, I wouldn't foresee most of us turning up the volume so much anyway.

Mids:
Very slightly recessed in lower mids. Note weight/density is very good and natural compared to most other multi BA/hybrid setups. The upper mids are slightly brighter than lower mids, hence female voices sound more forward than male ones. The BLON BL-03 doesn't have the typical 2 - 4 kHz harsh CHIFI peak and hence it is non fatiguing. The mids are detailed with good clarity and instrument separation, although dedicated multi BA/hybrid setups will trump the BLON BL-03 in these areas.

Treble:
Treble is smooth with no fatigue/harshness/sibilance. Very good for listening for long sessions and having a relaxing listen. Cymbals sound very authentic compared to the usual splashy cymbals heard in some budget CHIFI sets. I would class the treble as safe compared to the usual bright CHIFI treble tuning, and it extends quite well but has a slight rolloff at the upper treble. The lower treble is slightly boosted but not harsh. Overall, I didn't notice any spikes, and neither did I notice any grain on the treble.


Technicalities:
Below average in terms of clarity, instrument separation and details. Imaging is okay, but this set is not an analytical or technical set, but more for relaxing and chilling. Soundstage is just average.


Comparisons:
As detailed above, the BLON BL-03 won't beat most multi BA/hybrids in the clarity and details department by virtue of it being a single DD IEM. So I have compared it to a few other single DD IEMs that I currently own (TFZ No. 3, Semkarch SKC CNT1, Toneking Ninetails, Sony MH755):

1) Isolation
TFZ No.3 > Semkarch SKC CNT1 > BLON BL-03 > Toneking Ninetails > Sony MH755

2) Timbre + Tonality + Note weight
BLON BL-03 > Toneking Ninetails > Sony MH755 > Semkarch SKC CNT1 > TFZ No.3

3) Comfort/fit
All equally good fitting/comfortable IMHO (with aftermarket tips/cables for some of them). None causes any irritation or discomfort with long usage.

4) Clarity/instrument separation/details
TFZ No.3 > Semkarch SKC CNT1 = Toneking Ninetails > BLON BL-03 > Sony MH755

5) Soundstage width
Toneking Ninetails > BLON BL-03 > Sony MH755 > TFZ No.3 = Semkarch SKC CNT1

6) Bass (quantity)
TFZ No.3 > Semkarch SKC CNT1 (black filter) = Toneking Ninetails (both red bass filters on) > BLON BL-03 > Sony MH755

7) Sound signature
TFZ No. 3 - U shaped, most basshead of these single DD IEMs, with great subbass extension and quantity. Has elevated 2 - 3 kHz and 8 kHz frequencies, but has treble roll off at higher treble frequencies. Lower mids are recessed compared to higher mids.

Semkarch SKC CNT1 - V shaped, recessed mids. Has 2 tuning filter options, one for bassier sound, one for less bassier/more neutralish tuning. Lower mids more forward than higher mids. Also has higher treble roll off but better control of dynamic range than TFZ No. 3 with no obvious peaks/troughs. Non fatiguing. Subbass extension and quantity less than TFZ No. 3 with bass filters on.

Toneking Ninetails - 9 potential tuning filter configurations (front and back filters), from basshead to V shaped to more neutralish sound signature. Mids recessed on all configurations. Also has high treble roll off and is non fatiguing.

Sony MH755 - harmanish tuning

BLON BL-03 - L shaped as above (see sound section)



Conclusion:
So if you have read till this point, does the BLON BL-03 live up to its hype?

I guess it depends on what you look for in your music, and what are your music genre preferences. It probably will not be the cup of tea for everyone. It does most things well, but there will be other sets that excel at certain other areas compared to the BLON BL-03.

The BLON BL-03's best aspect is it's tonality, timbre and natural dynamics, and I would 100% recommend it for aficionados of jazz, classical and acoustic music. It has above average clarity/details/instrument separation (not comparing it with dedicated multi BA/hybrids of course) and it is non fatiguing with an atypical tuning compared to the usual CHIFI fare out there.

The sound of the BLON BL-03 really harkens back to an old school vintage "analogue" sound like in vinyl recordings, that's how I can best summarize it.

For those looking for a hyperdetailed analytical sound with brightness, you would be better off looking elsewhere for a multi BA/hybrid IEM. And perhaps if EDM and electronic music is your staple genre, other IEMs may fare better. Also it requires the effort to tiproll and possibly get another aftermarket cable, only then will you be rewarded with it's magical coherent sound signature.

Nevertheless, the BLON BL-03 does well in most areas, and for its price of $28 USD, it would be a good affordable entry IEM for those wanting a natural and coherent sound.

The Blon BL-03 is an in-ear monitor using a single 10mm carbon nanotube dynamic driver per side. The BL-03 has a list price of about $40 at the time of this review. I purchased the BL-03 from the MissAudio Store on AliExpress and received a $10 discount on my order in exchange for a fair and objective review.

This review is also available on my blog: Bedrock Reviews

SOURCES:

I have used the Blon BL-03 with the following sources:

Windows 10 PC > JDS Labs The Element > Blon BL-03

Pixel 3 > Fiio BTR1K (Bluetooth Apt-X) > Blon BL-03

Windows 10 PC > Fiio BTR1K (USB-DAC) > Blon BL-03

Pixel 3 > Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle > Blon BL-03

I have tested these headphones with local FLAC and Spotify Premium. Visit my last.fm page to get an idea of what I listen to.

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:


The Blon BL-03 comes in a long rectangular white box with a clear plastic front panel, which displays the BL-03 earpieces in a plastic tray. Blon’s contact information is listed on the back in Chinese and English, and a sticker displaying technical specifications for the BL-03 in Chinese is attached to the bottom of the back panel. The BL-03 comes with a detachable .78mm 2-pin cable, three pairs of short-and-wide black silicone eartips (S, M, L), three pairs of conventional grey silicone eartips (S, M, L), and a Blon-branded drawstring bag.

BUILD QUALITY / DESIGN:


The Blon BL-03 has a simple but unique teardrop-shaped housing with a highly polished surface coating. The BL-03’s housings are advertised as being made of kirsite, a type of zinc alloy. The “BL-03” and “L” are printed on the inner face of the left earpiece. “Blon” and “R” are printed on the inner face of the right earpiece. The nozzle has a substantial lip for securing eartips. Each housing has a single circular vent on the inner face of the housing. The BL-03 has horrendous driver flex.


The 2-pin connectors use a protruding design similar to but not compatible with the KZ “Para type-C” design. The simple braided 4-strand cable has an L-shaped 3.5mm jack. The black plastic 2-pin connectors have raised markings to indicate left and right. The cable has pre-formed ear-guides without memory wire. There is no chin-adjustment choker. The cable is not tangle-prone and has little in the way of microphonics. There is strain-relief above the 3.5mm jack and above and below the Y-split.

COMFORT / FIT / ISOLATION:

The Blon BL-03 is intended to be worn cable-up only. The BL-03 has an incredibly shallow fit, and I was only able to get a good seal using double- and triple-flange eartips. Comfort is good otherwise thanks to the rounded housings. There is negligible sound leakage but isolation is average.

SOUND:

The Blon BL-03 has a neutral-ish tuning with extended, mildly elevated bass.

The BL-03 has a polite yet insistent bass presentation. Sub-bass extension is excellent. There is robust sub-bass rumble. The mid-bass is impactful without being bloated, imparting warmth to the overall tonality of the IEM without creating congestion. The bass has great texture. Bass articulation is not the fastest I’ve heard out of a carbon nanotube driver but is still capable of keeping pace with fast, complex music.

The almost-but-not-quite neutral midrange skews slightly towards emphasizing presence. Female vocals are slightly more forward and intelligible compared to male vocals. The upper midrange is vibrant without being sibilant. The overall timbre is natural.

The treble is energetic without being harsh. There is a good amount of sparkle and air. Transients are quick but natural sounding. Detail retrieval and overall resolution are excellent. Instrument separation is above average. Soundstage is average. Imaging is very good.

MEASUREMENTS:


My measurements were conducted with a Dayton iMM-6 microphone using a vinyl tubing coupler and a calibrated USB sound interface. The measurements use a compensation file derived from comparing my raw measurements with Crinacle’s published measurements. The measurements are presented with 1/24th smoothing. There is a resonant peak at 8k. Measurements above 10k are not reliable.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:

The Blon BL-03 can be driven to comfortable listening volumes with a smartphone or dongle. I did not notice hiss with any of my sources.

COMPARISONS:

Blon BL-03 [$40] vs CCA-C10 [$25]


The CCA-C10 is an IEM with a single dynamic driver and four balanced armatures per side. It has a slightly more V-shaped frequency response than the BL-03, with a larger mid-bass hump and a more forward upper midrange. The two IEMs trade blows in terms of bass articulation and treble transient delivery. The C10 has more presence and immediate clarity but can be more sibilant. The BL-03 has better imaging and a larger soundstage. The C10 has a tendency to migrate out of the ear canal. The BL-03 has worse driver flex. The C10 does not come with a bag or carry case.

Blon BL-03 [$40] vs Tanchjim Oxygen [$270]


I have included this comparison despite the price differential because the two IEMs both utilize a single carbon nanotube dynamic driver and have very similar tunings. I vaguely remember reading that they were tuned by the same person. The Tanchjim Oxygen has a cooler overall tonality. The Blon BL-03 has slightly better sub-bass extension than the Oxygen, but the Oxygen has faster, better-articulated bass. The Oxygen has a slightly more forward upper midrange. The Oxygen has better clarity and detail retrieval. The Oxygen has more air. The Oxygen has better imaging. The BL-03 is slightly easier to drive. The Oxygen does not have driver flex. The BL-03 is more comfortable. The Oxygen has more premium packaging and a more generous accessory selection.

CLOSING WORDS:


The Blon BL-03 is an excellent sounding IEM. I recommend them if you can tolerate longer eartips.

I acquired this amazing set from the very friendly AK Audio store (URL link here) the iems were dispatched quickly with no delivery issues!

I became aware of Blon BL-03 subsequent to watching the video review & glowing recommendation of Tanchjim Oxygen by ‘Bad Guy Good Reviews.' Out of the box, it’s apparent that the accessories stock cable and tips are useable but probably need upgrading to make the Blon truly shine.




In order to attain their optimum listening experience I changed stock with a balanced 8-core SPC silver cable. Also, I attached wider bore tips: JVC Spiral Dots - this combination helping to add a feeling of “air.” Any further modding is not required, additionally they appear to open up and benefit from a burn in period.

The Blon sound truly awesome with any source: whether laptop, DAP/DAC or android smartphone. For the latter I’ve been using an app: Max Volume Booster.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cool.volume.sound.booster&hl=en_GB

The Blon respond extremely well to being amped, especially via a warmer source. When switching on a high gain selector to boost all frequencies – emphasis of mids & treble response is very noticeable, plus bass and sub-bass rumble can be effectively be extended further with additional EQ.

Their only caveat appears to be the short nozzle – this was also a shortcoming of the much more expensive Tanchjim Oxygen.




Build:
The extremely light Blon shells are constructed with very durable metal – the stunning gunmetal finish leave a premium impression. The small form factor & excellent build quality are faultless!

Listening preferences:
Ambient Internet Radio (NTS) / Electronica LP’s / Binaural Soundscapes / Live Gigs & Events / Vocal/Classical/Jazz & Soundtracks.

Sources:
Balanced output:
I find the best synergy is attained listening to FLAC files with Sony NW-ZX300a (bluetooth receiver mode.) The Sony DAP remains distortion-free at max volume.

SE output: Xiaomi Mi 9T smartphone
&: iPad Air3 / Laptop /Cayin N3 & NX4 DSD/DAC (- gain switch increases all frequencies plus the quantity of bass slam and the rumble of sub-bass.) Volume level needs to be limited to just over halfway for optimum clarity.

Fit:
Amazing fit which is ergonomically streamlined to the ear....however the shorter nozzle does require experimenting with suitable tips, in order to achieve perfect seal. This certainly excludes any possibility of being worn down securely. Over-ear wearing has no such problems – especially when using wider bore tips.

Tuning / Sound Signature:
The DD driver renders timbres of instruments amazingly well, adding to the authentic signature. Their warm tonality is analogue rather than cold or analytical. Not overly bright, details are transparent & revealing, whilst retaining an energetic presentation. The smoothed out treble extension manages to avoid any peak transients.

Modding:
8-core silver SPC balanced 2.5mm cable, plus wide-bore JVC Spiral Dots tips.

Soundstage:
For electronica and binaural recordings, Blon are wide and deep enough to render tracks with an expansive aural vista admirably! Not overly congested or too intimate, however they’re not quite at 3D holophonic level. Modifications can be implemented to reveal a greater sense of air - helping with stage and micro detail retrieval.

Highs:
The DD driver does a fine job rendering the timbre of instruments and percussion, making them sound extremely authentic, whilst never succumbing to being sibilant, shouty or shrill. Any transient peaks are kept at bay - so even for the treble sensitive....the Blon never become fatiguing.

Mids:
The real star of the show are the truly sublime mids. They’re well extended and lush, adding to the addictive nature of the sound signature. Alas sometimes, low-end mids can be perceived to overshadow bass and sub-bass – this is an area for future improvement which would further help with image separation and instrument layering.

Bass:
Once a good seal is achieved there is a enough quantity of bass/sub-bass, however this is slightly compromise by the short nozzle. Switching from silver to more expensive 16-core copper cable, there is a perceptible improvement in bass, which in turn slightly reduces the treble.

Amp Scalability:
The set attains a chi-fi sweet spot very easily, responding well to being amped with a warm source (SE or balanced output.) Once frequencies are duly bolstered, the mids become totally engrossing, in turn, eking out extra micro details, thus totally engaging and encompassing the listener.

EQ response:
I found that by increasing bandwidths <1 KHz had an overall beneficial effect on boosting bass and sub-bass. However, any adjustments are very much trial and error - susceptible to producing muddy bass. In such cases exchanging the cable to copper might be a better option. Fortunately, the Blon don’t really require any additional EQ boost in the 1-16KHz frequency range.

Musicality:
An extremely accurate timbre organically renders any genres you audition them with!...the Blon are not just limited to appreciation of Jazz/Classical/Vocal genres- they also excel at electronica allowing tracks to breathe with a “live” feel. Tuning is warm, coupled with an energetic refined presentation - hence a unique experience.
Additionally, the superb mids generate an overall incredibly musical signature….LP’s that traverse a wide gamut of styles e.g. Floating Points - Late Night Tales…do sound especially awesome!

Comparisons:
NX7: The three-way hybrid configuration presents an extra level of energy compared to the Blon, the piezoelectric of the NX7 boosts the bass, treble, and detail retrieval. The single DD driver doesn’t match their energy, but the treble is smoothed out to avoid transient peaks. Coupled with the mid-centric presentation, this results in a more refined TOTL level set.

DB3: Where the DB3 deliver in extra bass, the single DD driver of the Blon excel at pushing the mids upfront, extending them way more forward. This helps to really appreciate the timbre of instruments, improving their separation and layering - but alas can perceptibly be noticed on some tracks, at the cost of bass response.

Conclusion:
A fraction of the cost of Tanchjim….the Blon are simply stunning value – imho they are the best bang for buck. The fact that the Tanchjim currently retail at £210 make this set an absolute no brainer imho!

At the paltry sum of £23 - have Blon achieved TOTL level of experience??…..no question undoubtedly!

The single dynamic driver is tuned to absolute perfection. The next iteration will no doubt boost bass & sub-bass frequency responses, & address the issue of having a more extended nozzle.

I’ll be looking forward to comparing this set with Shuoer Tape during the 11/11 sales. It will be interesting to discover if the DD driver of Blon competes with the new tech: “Low-Voltage Electrostatic Dynamic Driver.”

Ultimately, the Blon manages to magically sound both energetic and refined, it seems almost impossible to be fatigued by their signature - they easily deliver a balanced TOTL performance - which is very addictive indeed!

For this reason, they have now become my go-to reference set, brilliant with all genres & excel especially whilst listening to my favourite electronica tracks!

Ratings:

• Build: 90
• Fit: 82
• Accessories: 55
• Bass: 80
• Mids: 95
• Treble: 85
• Imaging/Layering: 87
• Soundstage: 80
• Price: 95