BLON Z200

BLON Z200 Review - Oppoty No More

Disclaimer: Your mileage may vary.

Specifications:
Connector Type: Fixed 4 Core OFC Cable
Driver Configuration: 10mm Carbon Diaphragm
Frequency Range: 20Hz ~ 20kHz
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 108dB/mW
Price: 21$ (Linsoul)

Sources Used:
Zishan U1 ES9038Q2M
Sony NW-A55 (MrWalkman CFW)
Colorfly CDA M1

Introduction:
BLON is one of the most anticipated in the past, with their BLON BL-03 as their greatest and most hyped IEM, and is still loved by many. However time passed and many BLON IEMs were released, and none of them reached the success that the BL-03 reached and was easily forgotten in the mind of many enthusiasts. Perhaps the reason for this is that the releases of BLON after its initial success is unimpressive, with only the good looks but lacking sound. The fame that BLON attained before slowly faded as none of their releases after the BL-03 caught the hype. Now we have here BLON latest offering, the BLON Z200. Will it re-ignite the hype once BLON was? Let's see.

Build Quality:

First thing that I notice with the packaging is that they have corrected their misspelling that is made fun of many times in the audio scene. Aside from that, its the standard BLON packaging that you'll see with their budget offerings around this price. Inside it contains the IEM, a set of ear tips, and a BLON pouch.

The Z200 looks like it has a detachable cable, but it does not. It is a fixed cable IEM. There are people who attempt to disconnect the earpieces from the cable without knowing it is fixed, and break the IEM in the process. Always remember that this has a FIXED CABLE.


The cable and plug it has is very basic. With the 4 core copper cable being soft which I like. I wish it had a chin slider though, because fitting with the Z200 is atrocious.


Now with the earpiece, they remind me of SHURE IEMs because of the size of the shell, but their nozzle is a normal looking one. The nozzle of the Z200 is short, along with the usual BLON ear tips, resulting in horrible fitting. None of the stock ear tips worked with my ears. Tip-rolling is required with this IEM, I personally use KZ reversed starlines as they help reach deeper inside my ears. You could also try using the O-ring method that is used in BL-03 before as the BL-03 have the same fit issues.

Sound Quality:
The ear tips that I used in this review is the KZ reversed starlines since I can't make it work with the stock ear tips as I can't fit it properly at any sizes because of its short nozzle stem.

I used to be a proud owner of BL-03 in its glory days before. What I like about it is the bass and the warm organic sound it has. Yes it is given that the bass bleeds and that it isn't really impressive in techs, it's the warm bassy tuning that makes people go nuts about it. Let's see if the Z200 is any similar to the BL-03.

The bass on the Z200 is one that stands out immediately once you try these on. The bass is punchy, more on the mid-bass with adequate sub-bass. Although I find them one-noted as the bass has poor texture. The bass of the Z200 bleeds to the already recessed mids given its V-shaped tuning. Regular bassheads may enjoy this kind of bass, but bassheads that want to hear better bass texture in their playlist may want to look somewhere else.

The mids are recessed as this IEM has a V-shaped tuning. There is nothing impressing me about the midrange as it is the typical midrange that you'll hear from IEMs with this tuning. But the bleeding of the bass is very noticeable especially at bass heavy tracks. It's ok when there's not much bass action going on.

As for the treble, it is smooth sounding with a decent amount of sparkle and extension. I think this is the best feature the Z200 has. It is not offensive compared to the treble that other V-shaped IEMs offer. It is on the safer side while being able to push out decent details.

Soundstage has an intimate presentation, combined with average imaging. And below average technical performance, especially in bass heavy tracks where the bass would bleed making it hard for me to pick out instrument separation on that track.

Conclusion:
Personally I can't really recommend the Z200, there are more options that are even cheaper (and some are even detachable), have better tuning and technical performance than the BLON Z200. The fit is horrendous and it is not detachable. I'd say that BLON yet again missed its shot in making a comeback on the audio scene. Thank you everyone for reading.

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank KEEPHIFI for providing this review unit. The Z200 can be gotten here (no affiliate links): https://keephifi.com/products/blon-z200.





SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 10 mm carbon diaphragm single DD
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
• Impedance: 32 Ohms
• Sensitivity: 102 dB (no units provided)
• Cable: non detachable, no mention of material of cable
• Tested at $19.99 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, these are included:

- Sackcloth pouch
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips - S/M/L

Well for an ultra-budget 20 buck IEM, I guess the accessories are par for the course. However, I've definitely seen other $20 competitors that gave a better spread of accessories (eg Tanchjim Tanya).



The usual packaging with the usual BLON tips and sackcloth pouch are here to greet us. It seems BLON has finally learned how to spell "Opportunity" correctly LOL. Their usual adage of "Belief", "Let Music Burn" and "Never Give Up" adorns the outer packaging.




The cable is unfortunately not detachable, despite it looking like it is from photos. Said cable is very thin and tangly. Surprisingly, there are minimal microphonics. There's no mention in the marketing materials of the what the cable is made of, but well we are stuck with this cable on this IEM, so I guess that point is moot.

It has to be said that compared to other $20 fare, the lack of a detachable cable is pretty disappointing, as rivals like the Salnotes Zero, and even their older sibling the BLON BL-03, have a detachable cable. It is not just about a non-detachable cable being a point of failure down the line, but some would like to pair aftermarket cables with it, eg balanced cables or even BT adapters.

You can opt for a mic or non-mic version during ordering.

The rest of this review was done with the stock tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT

The Z200's shells are fashioned from zinc alloy. A moon steam punk motif is adorned on the housings. Build is actually very good for a $20 IEM, and the shells are quite small in profile, similar to the bean-shaped types in the Westones and Shures. Hence, ergonomics and comfort are pretty good.

Considering some of the other predecessor BLONs had weird shell designs or sub-optimal fit, the good fit of the Z200 is a welcomed refreshing change.

I didn't have any driver flex on my set, but this may be related to ear anatomy and type of eartips used, so YMMV.


ISOLATION

Isolation is below average on the Z200. It is vented.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the Z200 with:
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- E1DA DAC/AMP dongle
- Colorfly CDA M1 DAC/AMP dongle
- Tempotec Sonata HD Pro dongle (BHD firmware)
- Smartphone

This set is easy to drive, amplification is not compulsory, but it may allow the Z200 to scale slightly.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The Z200 sports a deep V-shaped tuning, reminiscent of the old-school CHIFI tuning of a few years' back.


Frequency response graph of the BLON Z200 via IEC711 compliant coupler. The 8 kHz area is a coupler artefact peak.

Bass is mid-bass focused, contrary to the graphs. There is moderate sub-bass extension with a good rumble. The bass is north of neutral but a level shy of true basshead levels.

In terms of quality, the mid-bass does bleed and eat into the midrange. The bass speed is on the slower side, with below-average texturing. During complex bass riffs, the basslines may smear. This bloated bass gives the Z200 a "fun" sounding signature, and perhaps it will be suitable for hip-hop and EDM, but for other music genres, the intrusive bass may be unwanted.

As per the V-shaped tonality, the midrange is recsessed. Coupled with the aforementioned mid-bass bleed, this obscures a lot of instruments and activity in the midrange. The lower midrange is warmed by the mid-bass bleed, but mid and vocal lovers might need to look elsewhere. Upper mids are boosted without being shouty.

The lower treble has a 5 kHz spike, and for folks sensitive to this area, they may find it disconcerting. This adds a metallic colouration to the timbre for instruments that play around this region. The rest of the upper treble is relatively smooth with mild sibilance and not the most extended treble.

In technicalities, the Z200 fares pretty badly. Imaging is more than decent for the price, but micro-details, instrument separation, transients, clarity and soundstage are all below average compared to $20 rivals.

The Z200 hence is more analoguish than analytical. But even so, timbre has a slight metallic glean (as alluded to above), and the Z200 isn't as natural sounding as their predecessor, the BLON BL-03.


COMPARISONS

The Z200 will be compared against other ultra-budget single DD sets. BAs/hybrids and other driver type IEMs were left out of the comparison, as the different transducers have their own pros and cons.


7Hz Salnotes Zero

The Salnotes Zero is tuned more neutral, with a thinner note weight and less bass.

The Zero is a league or two ahead in technicalities. Transients, clarity, micro-detailing, instrument separation and bass tightness are much improved on the Zero. The Zero has a detachable cable too, though perhaps its fit is a bit more iffy.


BLON BL-03

The venerable BLON BL-03 is a harmanish set with a mid-bass bump. Both sets have a bloated boomy mid-bass, but the BL-03 has better timbral accuracy.

Tonally, the BL-03 sounds more organic. Both BLON siblings won't win awards in technicalities, but it has to be said the BL-03 actually fares a hair better in soundstage, clarity and micro-detailing than the newer Z200! So new is not always better!

The BL-03 has a detachable cable, although its fit is worse due to a very short nozzle.


Tanchjim Tanya

The Tanya is another harmanish set. It is a bullet shaped IEM, and like the Z200, the Tanya also has a thick note weight and embraces good tonality/timbre over outright technicalities.

Tonality and timbre are more natural on the Tanya. The Tanya is much harder to drive. But when fed proper juice, the Tanya has better technicalities in soundstage, clarity, imaging, instrument separation and micro-details.

The Tanya has better accessories, though it is also not detachable.


CONCLUSIONS

To be honest, BLON has been trying to recapture lightning in a bottle since the success of the legendary BLON BL-03. Other than the BL-03 (and perhaps to some extent, the BLON BL-05S), the rest of the released BLONs have arguably been flops or at best, sidegrades.

A good gauge if a CHIFI is worth consideration, is if the IEM is still talked about months after release, and the proof is in the pudding: other than the BL-03, there's huge radio silence regarding the other BLON models on audio forums after the initial few weeks of hype at launch.

I'm sad to say, that this is also the case with the Z200. The Z200 seems to be another generic old-school deep V-shaped set of yesteryears, which doesn't bring much to the ultra-budget table. Although the fit is good and the Z200 cost about the same as a restaurant meal, its middling technicalities, a non-detachable cable and metallic timbre do not allow the Z200 to stand out from other luminaries such as the Salnotes Zero, or even their older sibling, the BLON BL-03.

Greetings!

This is a review of the Blon Z200, which Linsoul has provided me to review.



DISCLAIMER: I WAS PROVIDED THE UNIT IN EXCHANGE FOR A NO-FRILLS, UNBIASED REVIEW. I AM NEITHER PAID NOR COMMISSIONED TO PROVIDE A SKEWED REVIEW.

The Blon Z200 promises to be the true successor to the company’s hit IEM, the BL03. It Indeed continues the legacy that its predecessor has laid down, along with some sound improvements along the way to ensure its worth. The end product is indeed Blon’s nicest sounding set out from its lineup. But those expecting it to be competitive in the current market in terms of sound will be extremely disappointed, for it leans more into the listener’s nostalgia for the era of fun-sounding v-shaped IEMs. Together with a surprisingly and deceptively non-detachable cable, it’s truly a missed opportunity for Blon to step out of the shadows of the Blon BL03 to create something that is exceptional for today’s more nuanced listeners.

𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙚
$19.99 (USD)
~₱1000 (PhP)

𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙎𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱: Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Driver (1)
𝗣𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: n/a (non-detachable)
𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗴 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: 3.5mm unbalanced
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 32 Ω
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲: 20Hz – 20KHz
𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆: 102dB/Vrms

𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 (out of 5)

Presentation
The packaging is almost identical to its predecessor’s: a rectangular shaped box with a small window on top of it, displaying the IEMs themselves. In a humorous yet welcome improvement, the legendary “oppoty” word that graced the boxes of the BL03 has been replaced with the correct “opportunity” one. The backside of the packaging features the technical specifications of the IEM in different languages. Overall, the graphics and layout are pretty much the same for your regular Blon release, with the exception of the improved grammar.





Product
As described earlier, we are given first glimpse of the IEM as it is displayed out front through an acrylic window. Getting it off the box reveals the IEM, which is emblazoned with a celestial-like design. I personally got the black variant of the Z200, but there is also a violet/blue one available. It’s a nice aesthetic when looked at front, but loses its charm when viewed from afar. The “plug” on the IEM deceives the viewer, as it can imply that it is detachable. It is not, and I will further comment on that in the build quality segment.


Particulars
With the particulars, it comes with the standard extra eartips and instruction manual/paperwork that are almost 100% sure to be found in any Chi-Fi product. What sets it apart is the inclusion of a small baggie case of an appearance that is almost synonymous to Blon: beige colored with Blon’s logo stamped at the lower center of the case. This baggie case is included in almost every Blon product and is a very welcome addition in the ultra-budget segment. Not every company in this price bracket does this, so I will have to give extra points for Blon acknowledging this. Cases are an often overlooked aspect in the Chi-Fi market, and must be looked upon further as it offers extra protection for their products when stood against the regular usage of its owner.



𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩 (out of 5)

✳ Build Quality
The Z200 boasts some material heft, a box that is definitely ticked in terms of my preferences in an IEM. It has a weighty sturdiness to it that assures the owner that it can take some of the beating that it shall experience in its lifetime. The paint used all over the IEM and in its graphical design seems to be of good quality, as I have experienced no chipping in the weeks that I have used and handled the IEM. The cable is average at most, but I can’t put much negativity to it because of the price it comes at. The only flaw that I can see in the Z200 build-wise is its deceptive appearance in relation to its plug. I have read and seen multiple reports of Z200 users breaking their sets because of this, as they thought they can remove the IEM from its plug due to its appearance. These reasons are justifiable, as the terminating plugs in the IEM end are definitely designed to LOOK LIKE that they can be detached, but the truth lies otherwise. This is definitely a no-no move for Blon and should be avoided in the future.




✳ Comfort
The Blon Z200 is almost EXACTLY shaped as a Shure IEM (SE215 and so on). This results in a mostly comfortable experience when put in the ear. The main IEM body does not fight with the natural shape of my ear, but this is all subjective and depends on the natural make up of its listener’s ear. The problem with the fit is the length of the nozzle and the quality of eartips that it included in it. Tip-rolling is an absolute must before fully enjoying this IEM, as its fit inside your ears can definitely be finicky at first. The nozzle extends too far out into the IEM, and is at a weird angle that results in an uneven fit that can cause environmental sound from the outside to creep into your listening experience. In reviewing this IEM, I sometimes needed to push the IEM deeper into my ear so that I can make the most out of the sound it produces, which is definitely a hassle when it comes to general comfort.

𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 (out of 5)

𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: (𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘍𝘓𝘈𝘊 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵, 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/48𝘬𝘏𝘻 𝘰𝘳 24𝘣𝘪𝘵/96𝘬𝘏𝘻)

𝘋𝘢𝘧𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘬 - 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘶𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘱𝘢 -𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 & 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 - 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 - 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 – 𝘛𝘖𝘛𝘈𝘓 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 - 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘪𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘐𝘯 𝘈𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘦 - 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘔𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘖𝘮 - 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 - 𝘌𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘋𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 - 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳 - 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘧𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯 - 𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘦 - 𝘕𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘳 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 [𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥] (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 - 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘖𝘱𝘷𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘷𝘳𝘢𝘮 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘐 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘈𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘌𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 – 𝘋𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘡𝘰𝘴 𝘒𝘪𝘢 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘴 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩 - 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - ...𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 (𝘢𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮)
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 – 𝘛𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯
𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘩 - 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘹 𝘖𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢

𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗: 𝘚𝘢𝘮𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺 𝘚8+; 𝘍𝘪𝘪𝘰 𝘟3 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘐𝘐

Signature
The Z200 is a reaction to what the reviews said about its legendary predecessor, the Blon BL03. All the criticism about that IEM has been ironed out in this release, while still maintaining the general sound signature from its famed brother. This equates to a generally fun listening experience that will satisfy both the quench of those looking for a guilty pleasure and casual listeners that are not too invested into the audiophile hobby. This means that the Z200 falls prey into the fad of v-shaped IEMs that has long since passed, for almost every IEM release right now seems to be driven towards the Harman target. However, if you're feeling nostalgic for that past era of IEM tuning, the Z200 will surely take you there without the extremities it entailed back then.
✳ The bass is what you expect from a v-shaped tuning. It’s very punchy and meaty, which results in a fun experience especially if you're into beat and rhythm-oriented music. Sub-bass isn't that well extended, so rumble is left out in preference to a punchy bass sound. Attack and decay in every bass hit are very slow too, so they really linger out every time you listen to a bass heavy song. I'm very sure that bassheads will enjoy listening to the Z200 on hours for end, as it will surely quench their thirst for some fat and heavy beats. Just don't expect the skull-rumbling sub-bass that usually goes with bass-heavy IEMs.
✳ I honestly almost have no significant sentiments for the midrange. It's v-shaped alright; a v-shape gonna do what it gonna do: be lean in its midrange presentation and have veiled instrumentation + vocals. However, it is worth noting that it has improved from the BL03's almost-patented brand of exhorbitant amounts of bass bleed. It solves its predecessor's tendencies for an extremely warm timbre, as it presents itself as a more natural version of that. Bass bleed still exists in some extent, but not as much as the BL03 did. And for that, I still have to give props to Blon even if it’s still veiled as its 2017-era competition.
✳ The treble, again, is what you expect from a v-shaped IEM. It's focused more on the shimmer and the shine rather than body. 2018 Goji would have gleamed at the hifi-ness of how this one sounds, but that time has already passed. Despite my laments for how bland this v-shaped IEM sounds in its presentation of the frequencies, I still must give props where it is due. It is not as peaky and shrill as what I expect from an IEM coming from that era. Yes, it still shines like a diamond in its treble presentation, but it has a level of nuance and control that I have to take note of. Yes, it’s still objectively v-shaped sounding, but it’s better than what you expect from it.
Soundstage
This is another aspect wherein it improves upon its predecessor's footsteps. Due to its "cooler" sound signature, the Z200 gives away more aural space for its listener to indulge him/herself into compared to the BL03. Although offering more soundstage and width than its predecessor, it still presents itself as a very in-your-face IEM, especially when compared with the peers it has right now. This intimate experience is still complemented though, as bass hits are more defined and smack you more in the face than what the sound intrinsically offers. Imaging is below average though, as instruments can sometimes get mashed with one another due to its intimate presentation. Couple that with a very punchy sound, and you got a mixed salad of instruments and vocals coming your way.

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙩:
Packaging:
Build Quality & Comfort:
Sound:

You can get your own Blon Z200 at the link below (unaffiliated): https://www.linsoul.com/search?options[prefix]=last&q=blon

BLON Z200



TOTAL SCORE: 29 out of 50

PROS:

• Attractive design
• Study and well-built shell
• Satisfying low-end presentation
• Bodied lower mids
• Inoffensive sounding treble
• Smooth and natural-sounding timbre

CONS:

• More accessories could have been more desirable for their form factor
• Non-detachable cable
• Recessed overall midrange
• Occasional sibilance on certain tracks
• Average detail retrieval

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR:

• BLON BL-03 enjoyers
• Prefers a smooth and fun v-shaped sound signature
• Wants an attractive and small form factor
• An “upgrade” to the 03
• People who want thick and bodied mids

WHO THIS UNIT ISN’T FOR:

• People who want a neutral sound signature
• People who want a detachable cable
• People who prefer a snug fit in the ear
• People who want good detail retrieval and technical ability
• Midcentric enjoyers

RECOMMENDED GENRES

• HipHop
• Most pop genres
• Funk
• Less busy rock genres

To think that the most competitive IEMs a few months ago were almost all exclusively IEMs above the $50 mark. Now, the market became so competitive that we’ve been seeing releases in the $20 range outperforming even $80 sets. With such a heated market, especially in this price range, how does a tuning more reminiscent of the past fair against the increasingly growing standard for a more “mature” sound signature?

DISCLAIMERS: This unit was sent as a part of a touring group and provided by Keephifi and Mr. Eiji Romero. I am eternally grateful for this opportunity, but this does not in any way, shape, or form affect the quality of my review. This review will be based entirely on my experience with the IEM itself and I was not paid or told to say anything regarding the IEM. Lastly, I am only one reviewer; this is my personal experience with the unit. Many variables come to play to make everyone’s experience different and your mileage will vary depending on the circumstance.

SOURCES USED:

• Zishan U1
• Not-by-VE Abigail
• VE Megatron
• Poco M3

OTHER ACCESSORIES USED:

• Final E in S & M
• KBEar 07 in S & M
• Stock Tips
• Stock Cable (fixed)

TEST TRACKS:

Spotify Playlist:


Document explaining what to look for in each track:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oMa7GPLaqtpnnoR9tixvWI4aK-7tXMyTEZCJAVkIZx0/edit?usp=sharing

By now, many of us are familiar with who BLON is. They are the company that brought us the BLON-BL03 that redefined what budget IEMs should be like. Some love it and others despise it, but no one can deny how it pushed other companies to be competitive with their budget releases. They’ve also released many other IEMs like the BL-01, BL-05 and 05s, BL-07 and more. They have also released headphones like the B20 that feature a planar driver. Unfortunately, their recent releases have been quite lackluster based onreviews which puts the Z200 in a position to prove itself to be worthy of the legacy that the BL-03 has set years prior.

SPECSHEET:

MODEL: BLON ZS200
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 102dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: -NA-
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER


UNBOXING:



Before we take a look at the Z200, let’s take a look at the box and its contents.

The Z200s box is your standard white cardboard box with a plastic cover on top. The top half of the plastic cover shows a preview window of the IEM and a bit of the cable while the bottom half includes the logo, their tagline and the meaning of BLON (BELIEF, LETMUSICBURN, OPPORTUNITY, NEVERGIVEUP) printed on it. This time around, they have removed the legendary Oppoty for Opportunity which was quite the disappointment (just kidding!).

The sides are plain with the right side being the only side with writings on it. It includes the BLON logo at the center and the variant options on the left side.

On the bottom of the box is the same text shown on the plastic cover but with an additional spec sheet in Chinese, English, and Japanese. The very bottom shows their contact information and some warning labels.

Pulling up the plastic tab from the bottom reveals basically what we’ve seen from the front without the text. Pulling the white cardboard shows the rest of the cable, a white cloth pouch, spare tips, and the user manual. 3 pairs of standard silicone tips are included in the package. As the Z200 is non-detachable, the cable is fixed into the units themselves. Lastly, the small pouch is a relatively standard-looking white cloth pouch with BLONs logo printed on the front. The box overall is measured at 16 x 7.5 x 3.5 which is larger than your usual Chi-Fi box.



Overall, the unboxing experience of the BLON Z200 really isn’t anything special (It was quite saddening to see Oppoty go). For $20 though, I wouldn’t complain much as this is a budget set after all. In fact, the inclusion of a nice cloth pouch was quite welcome as I personally like the pouches as they allow for a more compact storage solution (I always make sure to include a silicone pack to mitigate oxidation). But with BLON already compromising on the Z200s form factor, it would have been nice to have gotten at least a hard care or more tip choices (especially since the stock tips may not fit well with the Z200s nozzle angle). Regardless, I will always find the lack of space in the phrase LETMUSICBURN and NEVERGIVEUP to be a funny choice for BLON to not include and not change.


BUILD AND FIT: 5 out of 10



Starting with the cable, it’s a relatively thin, copper brown-colored non-detachable cable of about 1.2m in length. BLON advertises it as an anti-tension and anti-interference wire. The plug is a gold-plated 3.5mm house in plain black aluminum housing which tapers to a black jack tail.

It then braids smoothly to a pretty standard y-split with the WGZBLON and Z200 text printed on it. It then splits into 2 double-strand sections that lead to the units themselves. Sadly, the Z200 does not include a chin cinch which I’ve found to be occasionally problematic, particularly whenever I wanted to keep the cable from getting caught on edges or objects

The ear hook is relatively comfortable but can lead to pressure points depending on how you fit the Z200.

As stated previously, the Z200 sports a non-detachable cable. Cable rolling would not be an option unless modded. Finally, to the Z200 themselves. If you prefer your Z200 to have a mic, don’t fret as they do have an option with a mic. Unfortunately, the unit that I received did not include a mic so I am unable to make a comment on the mic quality and controls.



Before I get into the units themselves, BLON has provided a black and purple colorway for the Z200. The unit I have received comes in a black colorway. The Z200 is smaller than your average budget chi-fi, akin to the likes of Shure’s IEMs like the SE215. BLON advertises the shell to be of a Zinc Alloy dual cavity, dual magnet circuit. The shell can then be split into two pieces.

Starting with the faceplate, there is a protrusion coming from the base of the shell all the way to the top where a somewhat diamond shape flattens to create a plane. The top then has an illustration of a moon in gold. The nozzle side of the shell is rounded off smoothly with an absence of any wings or fins to dig into your ear. There are two vents in total with both of them being located just to the side of the nozzle and approximately 6mm diagonal to it.

Speaking of the nozzle, the nozzle is ~5mm long and ~5mm wide. It uses a grill-type filter which is placed ~1mm deep inside of the nozzle.

Inside sits the 3rd generation 10mm carbon diaphragm driver which according to BLON evolved from the 03.



I was quite disappointed to find out that the BLON Z200 had a non-detachable cable when I heard of it first, but I gave it the benefit of the doubt as it could be a really well-made cable that would make cable-rolling irrelevant. Sad to say, the cable is not what I’d confidently flaunt about on my commutes or when fumbling about in my house. The braiding is smooth and the cable feels quite sturdy, but the cable’s thinness definitely raises concern about my tendency to be quite rowdy with my IEMs. The build quality of the IEMs themselves is what I’d expect from BLON as they are very well built. I would say that the moonlight theme fits quite perfectly for the form factor of the Z200 with its smaller-than-average size and weighty Zinc Alloy shell. It has a level of heft and weight on it to speak confidence in its build quality without being too heavy to be distracting in the ear.

Speaking of having it in your ear, this was personally one of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve tried by far. Its smaller than average size allows it to sit comfortably in my ear and the absence of wings or fins allowed for virtually no pressure points in the ear when worn for longer periods of time. This, however, comes at the cost of insertion depth. If you were to use this with the stock tips, it’s very evident that you have to push the IEMs in your ear at a weird angle on certain occasions. A longer tip would definitely be recommended if you want a more comfortable positioning in your ear. Personally, the stock tips were just right for me to have a deeper insertion into my ear without being too intrusive or uncomfortable. I would actually assume that people would small ears would find the Z200 would be quite comfortable. But to people with ears who are more comfortable with IEMs that have wings or fins to keep them snug in your ear, the Z200 may not be for you.

SOUND: 24 out of 40

Sound Signature: V-Shaped

Driving Power: Very easy to run, decent scalability but a phone can run it well

Bass: 7 out of 10

• Hefty low-end elevation with lots of rumble and texture
• Sub bass offers a near basshead level of rumble
• Midbass texture is good but lacks in the micro-nuances and proper details
• Considerable midbass elevation bleeds into the lower mids

As someone who enjoys some low-end, the BLON Z200 gave me that kick that reminded me of the early days in my audio journey. Boosted and fun are the two words that I can confidently describe the bass of the Z200. Impressive low-end coherency with just enough texture in the midbass for me to deck it out on an evening of relaxation. This, however, comes at the cost of overall cleanliness and speed of bass to be able to depict clear details. Personally, the bass lingers on just long enough to be enjoyable but borders an almost boomy and bloated presentation. Due to this, details in the midbass can be blurry sounding in tracks like Make It Better by Anderson .Paak where an aggressive kick drum can often overpower the details of the backing bass guitar. This then has a pretty bad effect on the overall coherency leading to mids as a recession that will be discussed further in the mids section. But overall, I found the bass of the Z200 to be just the right kind while not sounding overly bloated or boomy. Details definitely take a step back from the overall presentation due to the elevated nature of the bass, so don’t expect a layered experience.

Mids: 6 out of 10

• Recessed overall presentation
• Meaty lower mids thanks to the midbass emphasis
• Poor string and piano-like instrument details and presentation
• Decently presented upper mids without a shout
• Female vocals sound natural but pulled back from the overall mix

I was surprised how smooth the mids of the Z200 were for being a quite aggressive V-Shape, more so than the original BL-03. Regardless, a clear recession in the entire spectrum is evident thanks to both ends being more emphasized. This isn’t really a surprise for this kind of tuning, but it can definitely be better even if you do enjoy V-Shaped IEMs. Instruments that live primarily in the mids will be present but very distant sounding and almost absent on busy tracks. Pianos and electric guitars particularly sound quite stale and undetailed in most tracks which, again, is not a surprise for this kind of tuning. I will give it to BLON for sticking true to their smooth, natural-sounding midrange as I never heard any peaks or massive dips in the vocals and I never found the mids to sound odd. Overall, it’s alright. The traditional BLON smooth recession with added upper mids emphasis without sounding shrill or shouty. But with a recession this significant that basically makes instruments quite distant or even absent, this is not going to be for those who enjoy a lot of details or forward mids.

Treble: 6 out 10

• Non-offensive overall presentation
• Generally smooth on most tracks but bordering sibilant on certain tracks
• Lower treble emphasis smoothly rolls from upper mids
• Noticeable peaks on certain tracks, but not unbearable
• Microdetails can come off as dull sounding at times but is present nonetheless
• Air is somewhat lacking, but sparkles just enough to not sound dark

The overall treble presentation of the BLON Z200 is what I would call inoffensive with a bit of fun. Most people would probably find this to be just the right amount of treble with a little bit of zing and sparkle to make it more fun and more detailed in turn. On that note, the overall detail retrieval of the Z200 isn’t that bad, but microdetails can occasionally sound dull while being present. The bass could be blamed in this regard, but it could really just be the overall driver coherency that it is unable to properly represent microdetails. Regardless, BLON did a decent job with the treble by making it inoffensive while fun enough for those who like some spiciness in the treble. But with just a decent level of detail retrieval and overall lack in the air region, it’s nowhere close to providing that spice I enjoy. But could be good enough for you.

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: 5 out of 10

• Stage is average with headroom and spaciousness being equal in depth
• Low-end emphasis muddies with imaging and separation on the lower end but makes the bass sound richer and deeper in turn
• Upper mids elevation makes certain instruments sound well placed and separated

The technical performance of the Z200 is about average and what I was expecting from the Z200 but what surprised me the most is how the bass added depth to the overall soundstage of the Z200 when I expected it to be more narrow. Sadly, the same bass ended up muddying up instruments in the lower mids and, to an extent, the vocal performance and layering in certain tracks. Overall, the Z200 doesn’t break any boundaries with its technical performance, but it also doesn’t do anything wrong


COMPARISONS:

Vs BLON BL-03

• Z200 is a steeper v-shape while 03 is warmer v-shape
• Build is equally good, but 03 is better for removable cable
• Fit is iffy on both, but Z200 is personally more comfortable
• Bass is cleaner, tighter, and better textured with better sub rumble on Z200
• Mids are smoother on 03, female vocals sound more forward but less natural on Z200
• Treble better extended on Z200 but also peakier compared to 03
• Smoother overall sound with a slightly more natural timbre on 03 than Z200

VERDICT:



It’s difficult to conclude that the Z200 is just another average IEM in the budget segment because I personally enjoyed the Z200. I could honestly be nostalgic about my early days of getting into audio where most if not all the IEMs were a taste of v-shaped. It was nice that the Z200 brought that feeling once again, but living in the past is living a life of a fool. It’s good that we use the past as a tool or an image to move forward, but to linger will only leave you disappointed with what you see around you. Such is the case for the BLON Z200.

It sports a v-shaped sound signature many are familiar with while offering little to nothing new with the form factor. Worse, it even sports a thin and potentially frail cable due to how thin it is. Its softness at least allows for little to no microphonics and is surprisingly tangle-free. But the fact that it’s non-removable easily ticks down recommendations for the fact that once the cable breaks, you can’t replace the cable and you’d have to buy a completely new unit.

With the current market favoring a more “mature” sound signature, the BLON Z200 offers another fun option under the $20 segment. I would honestly say that it is an improvement over the 03, but not significantly to redefine the price bracket as the 03 did. But what it lacks in a removable cable and refinement of its sound quality, it balances (to its best) with a nice build quality with a very attractive design and a fit that will cater to people with smaller ears (or just generally prefers smaller IEMs like me). But at the end of the day, the BLON Z200 proves to be just another fish in the sea of competitive budget IEMs

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my review! If you haven’t please consider liking and following my facebook page for more audio reviews!
https://www.facebook.com/OB.ODIO/

INTRODUCTION:

Blon, is a company that really made quite an impression on the audio community. I will never forget the endless debate and recommendations that I myself witnessed when somebody is asking for a good IEM to start with in this hobby. I myself received this recommendation more than a year ago, and that was the infamous Blon03. My co-reviewer and mentor Eiji Romero saved me from pulling the trigger on Blon03 and instead redirected me to Bqeyz KC2 which I still have with me and still enjoy listening to. I will be sharing my impression and unbias review of Blon’s new installment, the Z200, independently for this is my first encounter with their product. Well as the title suggest, I think we already know where this review is going…

The Z200 was provided to me FOC by Keephifi in exchange for this honest review. I am not in any way affiliated with Blon or Keephifi. I am not influenced by any form of monetization whatsoever. My reviews are purely out of a passion for music and audio gear and to share my impressions with those who are new and old alike.

DISCLAIMER:​

My opinions here are entirely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this with a grain of salt for we have different perceptions to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:

1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)
2. DAC or dongle or any external amp
3. Ear Tips
4. Cables
5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..
6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth to be considered when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically.

My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. I leave the technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used to other reviewers.

SPECIFICATIONS:​

Configuration: 1 x Dynamic driver
Impedance: 32ohms
Sensitivity: 102db
Freq response: 20hz - 20khz

PACKAGING:​

Inclusions are barebones. Very basic. For the asking price, I cannot complain any further. It is what it is.

• a pair of Blon Z200
• non-detachable cable
• silicon ear tips in S, M, L, sizes
• a carrying pouch
• documentation

Sound Impressions:​

The lows have a substantial elevation, round in sound, slow, and lacking texture. It exhibits noticeable bleeds into neighboring frequencies and while it has good weight and density, it has a tendency to be muddy and bloated. It is not snappy or punchy on some of my favorite tracks and lacks definition. For bass heads, the quantity of lows may suffice. It is a little bit too much to my liking, thus far it can give a good nodding when I’m in the mood for that extra bass.

Mids are recessed right off the bat. They easily get drowned by the lows and vocals are pushed back. It did maintain to sound natural and realistic yet again, lacks that definition I’m looking for. Mids have better edginess compared with the lows. The worst part here is mids are easily lost or out of direction most of the time.

The trebles share the same trait as the mids. It lacks that defining moment. The good news here is I did not sense sibilance and it is not offensive. Treble sensitives will be safe with Z200. Details are a struggle to follow and hardly heard. Concerning cymbals, hi-hats, and the likes, Z200 has good control over its trebles. The energy here on top is somewhat tamed thus making the Z200 leaning to a warm sound signature.

Conclusively, the whole sound presentation is somewhat messy for me. The recessed mids is a deal breaker for me and a lot of the instruments relevant to me as a musician are not in the highlight. Again, this is based on my own personal preference.

Fit & Isolation:​

I’m happy to say that the comfortability of wear is very decent and acceptable with Z200. If I have to really nitpick, the nozzles have an odd angle but it didn’t bother me that much. The shells are somewhat small so when worn, sit nicely on the ears. Isolation is very acceptable as well. Though insertion is a bit shallow, all is good here. Large ears might find the Z200 too small but this is just a presumption.

Technicalities:​

The Z200 offers average technical performance. A little below my personal standards or benchmark but hey, we are talking $15 gear here.

One thing I would commend is the imaging of Z200. The placement of instruments is realistic and decently good. I wouldn’t bother tackling sound stage, as you know my take of IEMs on staging. Ever since I have tried earbuds, my perception of sound stage changed. If one can perceive sound stage in an IEM, I think it has something to do with the chamber and Z200 having a small housing, it is natural to have intimate and narrow staging. Separation is below average and this set would be purely for casual listening rather than being used on stage or work-related purposes of a musician. Speed is somewhat mediocre. Z200 struggles with complex tracks leaving me with a muddy experience.

Conclusively, Z200 is not a technical set and for its asking price, it has many competitors that perform better.

SOURCES AND GEARS:​

• LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)
• Hiby Music player
• UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)
• Tidal Masters subscription
• offline FLACS
• Hidizs AP80 pro
• Deezer Hifi subscription

Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing:

That’s the way of the World by EWF
Africa by TOTO
The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral
Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent
Sila by Sud
Smooth Escape by D’Sound
Never too Much by Luther Vandross
P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy
Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
Another one bites the Dust by Queen
Good times bad times by Edie Brickell
Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
Redefine by Incubus
Far Away by Nickelback
Lovesong by Adele
Lingus by Snarky Puppy
Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams
Love Bites by Def Leppard
No Such Thing by John Mayer
As by Stevie Wonder
Whip Appeal by Babyface
Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan
Futures by Prep
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Every Summertime by NIKI
SADE tracks
AC/DC tracks
Queen tracks


And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online.

VERDICT:​

The Z200’s performance is not quite competitive against releases this year. It is not a bad-sounding set but sadly, the cons outweigh the pros. The main deal breaker for me is its lack of definition on the overall sound and the recessed mids. Maybe I’m being biased because I’m a mid-centric. The only thing that I can see saving this set is Blon’s avid followers since Blon03. Would I recommend it? I hate to be blunt but sadly, no. There are a lot of competent gears out there if you stretch your budget a bit, will give you much more for your buck. Again this is my personal take and still, I encourage you to audition and maybe find yourself this one is for you. As my first Blon experience, I think Blon needs to step up and change its tactics, instead of just making Blon03 a little better. Step out of their comfort zone and take some risks.

That’s a wrap and catch you on the next one! Love the music more than the gears and your mileage will most likely vary. Take this with a grain of salt.

The Blon Z200 have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. As is usual with Linsoul, they have made absolutely no requests, therefore, my review will aim to be as unbiased as possible (as always).

You can find a link to the Z200 on Linsoul by visiting the version of this review published on my blog.

As with all of the links I publish, it is a non affiliate link, meaning that I receive absolutely nothing in exchange for any clicks or purchases made by using the link.



Intro…

I really don’t think that I need to go into details on who Blon is or what they are known for, I have done that many times in the past, as have many others.

There are no shortage of Blon IEM models, some of which are better than others, but they have never really managed to hit it out of the park like they did with the BL-03, a set of IEMs that still remains highly praised after many other models have been and gone, even if I personally preferred the BL-05s.

The Z200 is the latest model from the company (unless any other models have been released since I received it, which is always possible in the land of IEMs) and with the quality of budget IEMs getting better and better lately, I was actually quite excited to try it out and see if they had developed something that could compete with the many other great budget sets that are on the market at the moment.

In their publicity they say that the Z200 features a Carbon Diaphragm driver that has evolved from the BL-03 with better acoustical performance. Seeing the praise that the BL-03 got (and gets), that is quite a claim.



Presentation…

Not much has changed with the presentation of Blon IEMs except for the spelling of their catchphrase. The Z200 arrive in a rectangular white box with clear plastic cover sporting their usual blue lettering and showing the IEMs inside.

The IEMs sit inside a cheap plastic moulded tray, something that doesn’t give the impression of quality at all. I have said many many times that I really don’t care for how a set of IEMs is presented in such a budget range, these cost less than 20€, but other brands manage to give a much better first impression in the same price range.

Inside the package we get the IEMs with a non-removable cable, a few sets of the typical Blon silicone tips, the usual Blon drawstring bag that gives off a recycled vibe and the user manual.

As far as presentation, in general it is pretty poor. I will say once more that the presentation is something that I pretty much ignore on budget sets such as this one but it really does give off a cheap vibe when opening.



Build and aesthetics…

The IEMs are made of an alloy metal, meaning they are very light and use a shape that is similar to many others that I have used lately. I normally find this shape very comfortable and the Z200 is also comfortable except for one thing, the length of the nozzle. Many people had fit issues with the BL-03 due to the short nozzle and although I can still get them to fit (and they are fairly comfortable), I find that I have to use larger tips which allow them to seal with a much shallower fit.

I must say that I am not a fan of the Blon tips and after some testing, I found that I had to opt for either the Spring tips in a larger size than usual (which is what I have used for this review) or a larger set of Xelastec which seal better when inserted for a while but make it a pain to remove and reinsert the IEMs regularly.

The aesthetics are a little more complex than the usual Blon offerings, with a gold moon crescent on a black shell. They are not my favourite design but they don’t look bad and are a nice touch on such a budget set.

The cable is non-detachable, even though it does look like a detachable cable (if you try to remove it, you will pull the cable out of the IEMs). This is not the end of the world on a budget set (in my opinion of course) as it does its job and stops people worrying about cable upgrades, yet I do feel that it is a step backwards in comparison to other Blon models such as the BL-03 or BL-05s.



Sound…

I guess the first million dollar (or $20 dollar) question is, are they better than the BL-03?

Well, better is very subjective and it is a term that I try to avoid. I was also not the greatest fan of the BL-03 (as I said, I preferred the BL-05s), even though I do feel that they (the BL-03) are a decent set of IEMs in their price range. In fact, the BL-03 was one of the better options until recently when many sets have come along and raised the bar quite a bit.

But let’s get on with the usual descriptions and categories, first starting off with a look at the graph in comparison to my personal preference target, the BL-03 and the BL-05s because, well, why not?



Starting off with the subbass, there is plenty of it on the graph yet it doesn’t come across as boosted to my ears as it looks on paper, at least with the Spring tips. It could be that I am turning into a sub bass-head but I feel it is more due to the way the subbass is implemented, with that slope down into the midbass which I find works really well on IEMs (in my opinion of course).

Testing the Z200 with the usual “Chameleon” workout, the subbass is definitely there, giving plenty of rumble to those lowest notes, yet it doesn’t become overpowering and actually does a decent job of keeping things defined. It is certainly not the best subbass I have heard but I can’t really bring myself to complain at 20€.

The midbass is the part that I feel brings these IEMs down. One of the things I disliked about the BL-03 was the excessive midbass that just made things a little too incoherent in the bass and lower mids. The Z200 is very similar in this regard.

On the graph I showed previously, you can see how the midbass is very similar on both sets and I would venture to say that the Z200 is even more congested in this regard. This is due not only to the overly present midbass, which is elevated into the lower mids, but also the lack of mids in general, being even more recessed than the BL-03 in this regard.

This could probably work well for certain genres of music, especially for those who like a very present (and bloated?) bass, but for the majority of music I listen to, I find that it makes things sound too congested throughout the mids. Even with very simple tracks, such as “Happens to the Heart”, the voice of Leonard Cohen seems to just be too smoothed over.

At the higher end of the mids, there is a bit of a boost to try and bring back the presence of vocals yet it is just not enough to compensate for that elevation in the lower ranges. I find that most vocals seem to be struggling for presence in tracks that have things going on in the lower ranges. With acapella tracks featuring female vocals, such as “I Concentrate on You" by Nellie McKay, there is a lot of warmth to her voice that could be pleasant if it wasn’t for the fact that it comes at the expense of clarity and definition.

Moving up in the frequencies, we hit a peak at the 5kHz mark which, as you may know by now if you follow my reviews, is not something I like at all. I am very sensitive to the 5kHz mark and that is probably the only part of the tuning that I preferred on the BL-03 to the BL-05s. I’m afraid the Z200 is even more pronounced in this area than the BL-05s, giving a peak that I find painful at times. It is not quite as bad as it could be, due to that extra warmth in the low end that (over)compensates, but it is still something that can jump out at me in certain tracks.

The extension of the upper ranges is actually not bad for a budget single dynamic driver but once again, the additional low end takes away from the clarity, removing the appreciation of those higher ranges.

The sibilance, tested as usual with “Code Cool”, is also quite acceptable. There is a little throughout the song but in general it is kept in check and is certainly not the focus point (again, due to the low end and recess in the mids, smoothing Patricia Barbers voice more than usual).

Soundstage and imaging is around average, maybe on the lower end of average, as is the detail retrieval. I feel that the driver could do much better in regards to details yet that overall sound signature is smoothing things over far too much to be able to appreciate the details.



And last but not least, isolation. The Z200 is actually much better in this regard than the BL-03 or the BL-05s. The added isolation, along with that presence in the bass, should mean that it will be able to compete quite well in noisy environments without too much of a change in performance.



Conclusion…

I really wanted this to be something new and exciting from Blon, yet I haven’t come away with that sensation. Yes, I am sure there will be people who really enjoy this set of IEMs but I am not one of them.

At the moment of creating this review, there is a difference of less than 5€ between the Z200 and the BL-03 and while I am not a huge fan of the BL-03, I think I would still opt for it over the Z200.

In my opinion, the Z200 gives a better response in the subbass and a better paint job, for 5€ less. However, the cable is fixed, the nozzle is still too short, the tips are still bad, the mids are more recessed, there is more of a peak at 5kHz and while there is a little more extension in the upper ranges, it is difficult to appreciate.

Again, I am sure there will be people who love this set of IEMs, unfortunately I am not one of them.

As always, this review is also available in Spanish both on www.achoreviews.com and on www.youtube.com/achoreviews

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

The burning question is if the BLON Z200 is needed? Of course the company needs it, they need to keep making and introducing new IEMs into the marketplace. But what about us, should we actually spend $20.99 and get this new BLON? While only having the BLON BL-01 myself, I can’t talk about this new BLON in relation to the most popular BLON, the BLON BL03. The BLON BL03 has a W signature, yet BLON has offered us a traditional V signature for both the BLON BL-01 and the BLON Z200. So our mission today is to find out if this new BLON Z200 with a BLON 3rd generation 10mm CRT diaphragm is worthwhile or a sidestep. Won't you join me for the review of the Z200.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tripowin-tc-01.24878/reviews#review-25056
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/blon-bl-01.24799/reviews#review-24869
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/7hz-salnotes-zero-universal-iem.25980/reviews#review-28978

And while I reviewed the $20.00 BLON BL-01, I found the $49.00 Triptowin TC-01 miles better, so today I will do comparisons between the Z200 and Triptowin TC-01, also comparisons between the Z200 and the $19.99 7Hz Salnotes Zero.



Lets get started:
Triptowin TC-01 vs BLON Z200
The first thing that comes to mind is they are both relatively the same in regards to efficiency. In an attempt to level the playing field, I used both the Zero and TC-01 with the single ended 3.5mm Zero cable. I used the same medium bore “long” silicone tips for all three IEMs and used the Walkman WM1A for all three tests. The issue here is the BLON Z200 doesn’t have a removable cable, even though Amazon suggests that it does.



They are disclosing that buyers of the Z200 are also getting an aftermarket cable? That’s strange as the BLON Z200 doesn’t use an aftermarket cable? While using 3.5mm cables (like the Z200 indefinitely has) the Triptowin TC-01 owned better separation in imaging. Later I will go into how the TC-01 has the ability to scale better with 4.4mm, especially bass, but for now I would say the TC-01 wins on all accounts. The TC-01…………It’s just more real! It’s filled out and (the music) is drawn into focus better. Of course the Z200 sells for $20.99..........and the TC-01/$49.00........making quite the price discrepancy? Still that $28.01 extra gives you a lot! Not only that, but the Triptowin TC-01s actually fit better. While both IEMs seem to have exactly (roughly) enough nozzle length, the TC-01 has wonderful lips which hold the tips on better. While even the shape seemed better than the Z200? Where the TC-01 is flat shaped, that meant that all of the weight was facing towards the ear. Also there was very much a uniform contact with the TC-01.......which meant you didn’t get any style of toe-in movement like the BLON BL-01!

Always better fitment adds to better sound. And here is another example. While the TC-01 doesn’t have bright sparkly treble, the Z200 doesn’t either. So? But the imaging found with what the TC-01 does seems to add definition through relief and separation, adding less need (through sparkle) to get resolution. Really the Triptowin TC-01 was the very first Triptowin to gain any exposure, yet due to being a marvelous first for the brand, Triptowin still needed to produce more product (designs) to gain respect. Many didn’t like or understand the branding, with a strange name embossed across the faceplate. Now with the Triptowin brand responsible for a number of releases, they gain respect for knowing exactly what they are doing. I even have both the Tripowin Rhombus and the Tripowin Cencibel, arriving any day which I also will compare to the Tripowin TC-01.

Still maybe you might ask how is it that these two IEMs get compared, that it’s simply not fair? Is it fair? I think it is, even though the TC-01 came out in early January 2021, it’s very much the same as the Z200, being a solid metal two piece construction. Though the TC-01 may be two piece with the nozzle screwed-on, making it slightly three piece construction? They are both 10mm full-range dynamic drivers, both are V shaped and they are so close in sound that at times just the source makes the difference. Meaning with my Sony TA desktop the TC-01 became almost too warm as the TC-01 is a warm IEM anyway, then combine it with a warmer amp and it’s 2X warm! The best synergy for these two IEMs was (and is) the Sony WM1A Walkman, in my uses. Here the boosted midrange adds to the clarity, taking the slightly subdued (left-out) midrange of the standard V response and fortifying it with midrange energy. Such source changes are real and pave-the-way to a better response with both IEMs. The reason this is a fair test is many may want to wait and save up to get the Triptowin TC-01, instead of buying the BLON Z200. In so many ways they fit the same buyer, only the benefit of the Triptomin TC-01 is the ability to change cables. Not just the sonic differences from different cables (if you believe that) but the ability to access the more powerful 4.4mm balanced amplifier in portable devices. And while I was able to get improvements from a desktop with the BLON Z200, it was nothing like the low-end expansion found when hooking-up a balanced cable with the TC-01 to the DAPs. Read the reviews about the Triptowin TC-01, it comes alive with power. Power will actually clean-up the low-end adding soundstage expansion, and increase imaging from separation due to power. The Z200 didn’t seem to respond to 3.5mm desktop power in quite the same fashion.

I’m breaking the rules!
Now I will put the 7Hz Salnotes Zero up against the Triptowin TC-01 both in 4.4mm (ISN S8 cable) and see how they battle it out. Now while this is not part of our regular scheduled programming, it’s probably important and relative in the grand scheme of things? What does this have to do with the BLON Z200? Nothing at all, except it will give better understanding to just what the TC-01 sound character is in the end. It will also help us later on when I put the Z200 up against the 7Hz Salnotes Zero! The reason for this test is I just want to see how far up the ladder I can go. Both IEMs react to power pretty much the same way, though as maybe guessed, the TC-01 was may more bass authoritative. Such a dominant reaction isn’t reflective of the whole picture with the Zero, as the (Zero) midrange was obviously better, lending forward vocals and a wider soundstage. Everyone knows the amazing imaging characteristics of the Zero, and in fact here is a place where while the TC-01 imaging and soundstage is amazing, it’s just not a match for what the Zero is truly capable of in the end. Though while the bass is missed (somewhat) in Zero replay, it may depend on your musical genre needs if that’s a big deal or not. And…..also while dramatic in the bass department, never did I feel the TC-01 was at a loss of resolution or rhythm? If anything the extra low-end added a bounce and pace that was just slightly left out of Zero playback. The clincher is note weight, while note weight in and of itself is fairly nice with the Zero, there is no comparison the the note weight found in TC-01 playback. That’s right, while the Zero produced better note weight than the 7Hz Salnotes Dioko........yet truly the amount of note weight present in the Triptowin TC-01 is emotional and moving!



7Hz Salnotes Zero vs BLON Z200
This is a great battle due to both offering a basically $20 IEM. The price is the definition of a popular buy. Meaning there will be a number of people who simply make the purchase (of either) based on price alone, especially if they read that the product delivers. 1st off lets talk about cables, while in reality the Z200 cable (even though attached) is actually pretty good for what it is. All black metal 3.5mm plug-end with a nice nice rubber strain relief. Coincidentally both are almost exactly the same color. Though the Zero cable is nicer, it really is. While they both have the same style of ear hooks, the cable itself after the split is way thicker and more substantial with the Salnotes Zero. You can tell they really put some effort into the Zero cable, actually separating it in basic quality from any $20 IEM included cable in memory, yep it’s that nice! Oh…….and you have a choice of even using a better cable as the cable disconnects from the Zero IEM, if needed. Don’t forget, this style of price point is often for mobile use, allowing even greater strain on the cable itself, with a greater chance of a needed cable replacement.

The build and fit:
Yep, the Zero is the preferred IEM as far as fit goes. It’s just that while the Zero is bigger, it’s bigger in all the best of places, adding a better feel in the ear. The Zero nozzle has a lip which goes the extra length to hold tips on. And while the BLON Z200 just barely gets good fit, it is only in one specific location, where the Zero has lots of leeway to get fit even if you are somehow met with a cable tug! In hand the Z200 seems slightly heavier, which is still within the levels of acceptability, though the lower weight combined with size seems to dial the Zero in just right? So even though the Z200 is solid zinc-alloy metal, the Zero metal/plastic seems to be only slightly less heavy, maybe due to it being bigger? While both could be looked at as medium weight, the Zero is lightweight in the best of fashion! Interestingly enough the left side IEM plug on the Zero has a very small raised dot, and that’s the only way to decipher left from right cables. Though once you get acquainted with this 7Hz way of life, all is well. The plus though is that the 2 pin on the Zero has an inner angle lean, to effectively place the cable loop facing just slightly inward. Such small examples of detail are not missed and go the extra length to insure the Zero cable always aligns the cable to route over your ear. In general though there is nothing wrong with the Z200 cable, knowing it’s permanent maybe BLON went the extra effort to insure it had a metal wire splitter, and a good feel and nice strain relief at the IEM join. Still…….lol, it gets tangled way more than the Zero standard cable………..so there is THAT!




Sound comparison:
7Hz Salnotes Zero vs BLON Z200
I have purposely tried to find music which would be the enemy of the 7Hz Zero. Why? Because no IEM is everything to everyone and all music. Beyond that, while engaging and thorough, the Zero will have slight issues with bass impact; it’s a trade we make for things like Zero soundstage and pace. So here is that rare chance for a one-up for the Z200. Such bass inclusions must give us at least a psychological advantage?


Daft Punk
Tron:Legacy OST
ALAC 44.1 kHz - 16 bit
“Arena”

Laughingly this is totally great with the 7Hz Salnotes Zeros! Running single-end 3.5mm from the Walkman WM1A, I am nothing short of amazed. The synth washes at the start are huge...........huge. When the sequenced low-end synthesizer really starts at the 20 second mark it is impactful, yet owning better pace and spacial placement than I remember. This is big! The fact that the Zero is just not truly bass focused, but because there is so much bass in this song.....still..........it’s totally entertaining! At 54 seconds in I’m awestruck due to the multiple tracks in place, one on-top of another, on-top of another, all harmoniously swimming in time. While yes, this is not obviously representing all the bass that the song contains, the amount hidden in this playback is inconsequential, truly it is! I can hear the reverberated drums skipping and adding rhythm emphasis……as they (in-fact) pan way out to the right and left of the stage. When they talk about Zero soundstage…….this is what they are referring to. While this whole song is only 1 minute 33 seconds, it holds the perfect amount of information to test these two IEMs. While obviously not being everything in an example, the stage, the rhythm, and bass frequencies offered-up tell a tale. Such a small package is like dynamite, and will work wonders to fully show us (almost all the) differences present with these two IEMs. It’s way louder with the Z200s, to the point of even being a testing issue......loudness due to bass frequencies! These are such opposites in sound replay. Most is due to the low-end differences, but this shifted personality travels all the way-up to the lower-mids......just on the weight of the bass notes. Those synth washes at the beginning are deeper and more real, yet not as airy or as perfectly defined as the Zero. Still it's acceptable, but so very different, you almost wouldn’t think it was the same song, but it is! The Z200 has been burning in for 7 straight days, and I feel there is a lot of change, basically it smoothed-out and opened-up. Gone are the irregularities first heard when removed from its box. Most of the burn-in happened in 4 days, but the extra days were tagged-on for completeness. At 1 minute 5 seconds there is the mother of all kick-drums. She is now setting the entire rhythmic pace, I don’t even remember her presence with the Zero? What’s happening here is we are approaching the song from two totally different viewpoints. Do I dare say that these two are in-fact complementary IEM friends? What else would you say? The final drum blast at 1 minute 27 seconds contains an extended reverberation which goes on and on. Strange as it was still emotional with the Zero, only half as long it seemed? Coming into this side-by-side I truly thought I knew the answer before hand. When in actuality this display creates more questions than it answers. Which one is better for this song? While the Z200 is thick and syrupy, there is not as much loss of definition as I expected? Of course the 7Hz Zero has more air, a faster pace and a reintroduction of colors and themes, yet the Z200 can’t really be critiqued for being at a giant loss, because it wasn’t. Was I thrilled by the size of it all? The size of the Z200 and what a humble $20.99 could do? The true only issue I have is how it fits, it just barley fits in only one place. As long as it stays seated all is well, but this is even with using my extra long tips, that will typically fix any issue of the sort?


BLON Z200 Sound:
Treble:
A nice display of predominately lower treble. Though it fits, the exact way cymbals on upper registers are “breaths” and not total items of creation. Such recesses seem to focus your attention elsewhere while still not offering up any distractions, or party poopers. It’s just the high-up elements are almost a suggestion and don’t completely form a reality, probably normal status for this (cost) style of replay. And to tell you the truth, I don’t mind it one bit, as it finally after hours becomes a style of listenability and forgiveness, which in-turn ends-up an asset and far from a negative. Because this is a single 10mm CNT full-range dynamic, it’s got the cohesive thing going for it. And that’s just what’s happening, nothing is bolted-on or out of place! It’s just not shimmery or super extended.



Midrange:
While effortlessness integrated, the mids are still not the main subject of our focus. I would almost delegate the performance as a duty and subject of utilization. Meaning the mids are wholesome and practical...........not something you’re going to complain about. Hence the soundstage being what it is, not giant or small but average. The best part though is the way the lower soundstage elements somehow work their way out into convincing formations of texture and entertainment. With that said, to me these obviously are not vocal specialist IEMs, but go about their day providing just enough detail and vocal relief, to not create any un-needed focus on the display. It’s this bread-and-butter style serviceability that makes replay so charming. The cohesiveness, is what single DDs are known for, and this is a great example of such efforts. Also the playback has such authority and any volume, I don’t foresee people needing to crank the volume to hear the vocals. The 2.4K treble spike pretty much guarantees a nice pinna gain, so it’s really not to shabby of a graph, if you ask me! While the lower midrange does show a style of bass bleed, it just is a fact of life and normally found with this territory…….and nothing to truly worry about if you’re onboard for this style of playback.

Bass:
While really representing the classic V shape response, the style of bass is heavy and authoritative. If it’s in the way of fidelity, that’s probably a matter of taste really. Though I found the Z200 more enjoyable from more mid centric sources, the specific tone does scale to a point with better equipment, only to a point. Still the real fun here is getting the BLON Z200 a simple phone output. Use just an Apple Dongle or really any Dongle and be prepared to be converted over. The Shanling UA3 was epic as far as finding big authority and musical involvement. While each source offered a slightly different window into a unique experience, I couldn’t help but be amazed a how a simple un-amped phone sounded. Why? I guess BLON worked long hours dialing this tune into the perfect commercial sound? Deep, low and relatively large sounding bass from a simple phone. That’s who this product was designed for, the simple phone user. Does that mean we run into trouble to try audiophile DAPs or Dongles? Absolutely not……there was still a noticeable improvement in bass texture from the Sony WA1A or the Shanling UA3, it just was not exactly needed like with some IEMs. To be critical, there was nice bass imaging, but the bass texture was probably just about average for the money. The value here is that you get this style of (bass) response out of any source, even a standard phone.




Conclusion:
In a way BLON has become the quintessential Chinese IEM manufacture. Offering spectacular value and a sound many relate with. People embraced the misspelled box nomenclature, finding such novelty delightfully fun, as well as the sound. While continuing with a design/build which is nice looking, the fit was just borderline for this reviewer. This of course may not be true for everyone as some may find exquisite fit. The sound of the BLON Z200 is both authoritative and dynamic, fun and thrilling. But what truly surprised me was just how well the BLON Z200 performed from a phone. I kept getting the idea that maybe this was exactly how the Z200 was supposed to be used. Vocals had definition, there somehow was an achievement of overall balance with all tracks. You think everything would be borderline "OK" with a phone, when in use there are extra special IEMs which seem to add a thickness which really makes standard 3.5mm phone listening enjoyable. Not the most detailed and not offering the tightness pace, yet for what the Z200 is, and what it costs, it’s fine, and better than fine if a heavier bass replay is what you’re after. In fact the sub-bass region on certain game music was out-of-the-ordinary. I could envision someone with just a phone using the Z200 for movies or games and feeling right at home, but more than that, finding true entertainment. Isn’t that all we are asking for with the Z200? Simple entertainment from a phone while reproducing just enough detail and balance so you could hear it all. The thrill was broad bass expansions by default in great separated placement in the stage………much better than expected and truly special for the asking price. While maybe this style of playback is not for everyone, it has evolved into this "consumer sound" with just enough treble and just enough bass energy to bring the thrills. Even the vocals are not bad, surprisingly. I think BLON spent a lot of time and effort in getting this style of tune right. Though at times I wonder if there is really a difference between the audiophile and the non-audiophile? Isn’t everyone with a phone and $20.99 an audiophile? Everyone wants big and authoritative sound from their phone, many don’t care about a replaceable cable. No pins to worry over…….no MMCX to break, the cables do have right and left marked on them, which helps the IEM find the correct ear to go in. While the Z200 sounds great from an audiophile DAP, it was slightly too warm with my Sony TA-ZH1ES desktop. But after spending a week fiddling around with the BLON Z200, I finally started to realize what it was. It was a great accomplice to a phone, and didn’t need an amp to get authority, it was a natural. The BLON Z200 knows in the end what it is, and what it is not, it just took this reviewer a little extra time to figure that out. Truly if you are looking for great sound from your phone you need not look any farther, if you are into heavy authoritative playback, BLON has put some serious effort into perfecting exactly what the Z200’s mission is in life.

MODEL: BLON Z200
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 102dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: (**N.A.**)
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

Package:
1) Three sets of tips (didn't get a picture of the tips I liked, but you know the drill.)
2) Z200 IEMs
3) A cloth bag
4) Instructions

BLON Z200
HiFi 10mm Carbon Diaphragm Driver In Ear Earphones

• The Inspiration of Moonlight
• Zinc Alloy Dual Cavity, Dual Magnet Circuit
• Non-detachable Cable
• Ergonomic Shape, Noise Canceling Earbud
• Purchase any BLON Z200 to purchase another BLON Fat Girl (No Mic) at only $1!*
• Simply add the BLON Z200 and BLON Fat Girl (No Mic) to Cart, and apply the discount code: RANDOMFG

Only purple/blue and black are offered here. Though if you read the box, a silver one is made. Choose between a microphone or no microphone when ordering.

Get them here for $20.99 USD
https://www.linsoul.com/products/blon-z200?variant=43201430487257
Free shipping and one year warranty when you order from Linsoul

Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C

Disclaimer:
These thoughts and ideas are of one individual, your results may vary.

Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Kareena Tang from Linsoul for the opportunity to review the BLON Z200 IEM.

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm, 3.5mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 4.4mm, 3.5mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Samsung Phone 3.5mm output
Shanling UA3 3.5mm output



Who Are The Girls?
Wait what's this? Truly I have no idea how this song made it down here?

We are going to review another earphone from BLON. This is the third BLON I am able to use. BLON has released a few IEMs up to now, and some have been quite controversial in the Chi-Fi community. Each release had some major setbacks, quality issues, inconsistencies, and many more.
Each release is also a surprise after another when it comes to design. BLON doesn't follow conventional IEM design like some Chi-Fi companies do. What we have here is the Z200. How will it fare with me? Let's see.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with BLON in any way. Keephifi has provided this unit. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review. As always, this will be an honest and unbiased review.



The BLON Z200 is BLON's latest release in the sub-$20 range. It is one of the cheapest offerings from BLON; it is a 1DD IEM with a non-removable cable.

Packaging :
The package is straightforward and simple. It has the usual packaging with everything spelled correctly (going to miss that Oppoty and Driams) and this time they offered a minimal number of eartips compared to the usual package:

- BLON Z200
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips
- Pouch
- User manual

SOUND :
Sound is obviously V-shaped, and within this price range, I am not surprised.

BASS : Bass is present, powerful, and emphasized. Sub-bass rumbling can be felt as deep and satisfying. Mid-bass is somehow decent with those thumps and kicks. However, mid-bass bleeds into the mids, which makes the lower midrange occassionally undesirable. It's not the best, but I personally like the bass on this pair. This unit's bass may appeal to bassheads.

MIDS : These pairs have recessed mids. Male vocals might benefit from this tuning as it makes male voices thicker and warmer. A male with a high-pitched voice sounds harsh and uncomfortable at times. Female voices are kind of shouty and harsh, which I do not like. Vocals become a mess when tracks get busy, and they have the tendency to be less engaging to the listener.
Instruments fall short due to the receding midrange and extended bass. Too bad, but I do not like the tuning of the mids.

TREBLE : Elevated and bright. The sparkles and crispiness are present. It sounds unnatural and harsh, but if you can tolerate a bit of treble extension on this particular unit, then be my guest. There is little to no sibilance present, which is somehow a redeeming quality of this unit's treble section.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING : The Z200 falls short when it comes to technicalities. Try to blast some busy tracks on the Z200 and you'll hear how chaotic the resolution of this pair. Soundstage is average and might experience congestion at times. Imaging has good vocal and instrument placement, which is surprising for such a low-cost IEM.

COMPARISONS:

BLON BL03 - sound signature is similar. Both are V-shaped except BLON BL-03 has a detachable cable. Both unit has deep bass response with both bleeding on the midrange. Midrange are both recessed but somehow the Z200 is less muddy compared to BL-03s resolution. Z200s treble response is a bit hotter than BL-03 but the difference is miniscule.

BLON BL07 - it's unfair to compare Z200 to BL07 but since they both came from the same company it won't hurt to at least compare the two. BL07's bass is elevated as well but with a more tamed dynamic and minimal to no bleeding on the mids. Vocals are lush and forward than Z200. The highs has better amount of air distributing a fair amount of space for instruments and vocals.

CCA CRA - the closest competitor of the Z200 but better. First, detachable cables, you are freed of any worries in any case your cables wear out. Bass is lesser on the CRA but has more clarity on the midrange and treble region. A bit sparkly and harsh than Z200 but with more resolution all throughout.

Final E1000 - both are budget friendly, both don't have detachable cables, Final E1000 is the oldest comparison to Z200 but their difference to sound is huge. Final E1000 is more neutral, tamed, and has better resolution compared to Z200. The only downside of E1000 compared to Z200 is durability. Final E1000 is made of plastic and the cable is pretty standard and thin. Sound-wise, the Final E1000 wins.

With the tough competition in the sub-$20 segment in the Chi-Fi market, BLON Z200 will face a tough battle against its competitors, and I am going to bet this pair will fall to the same demise as the BL01 , BLON-MAX, and the macaroni-looking BLON that did not gain traction and attention and were completely forgotten despite their cheap price tag. I praised the BL07 and marked it as the best BLON I tried. This is not the case with the Z200 for a variety of reasons. The design is outdated and doesn't offer interchangeable cables. Once these cables fall apart, say goodbye to your Z200. Unless you know how to modify it on your own. I wouldn't recommend spending this much on this IEM. Aside from its design, there are other options to consider sound-wise. It just did not stand out to me when it came to sound quality and felt like another sub-standard V-shaped IEM. I was hoping BLON would do good this time, but it seems like they are still experiencing difficulties when it comes to CONSISTENCY.

Technical Specifications:
Configuration → 1DD
Sensitivity → 111dB
Impedance → 32 Ohm
Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
Cable → 1,25m non-detachable cable, this sample does not sport a built-in microphone
Connector type → straight gold plated 3,5mm jack connector

Packaging:
Very simple and basic Blon package containing:
The Blon Z200
3 pairs of silicone tips
A small carry cloth bag
User manual

Let's cut to the chase, packaging is similar but not as long and everything is spelled right, I kind of like the old better it had charm. Inside the same tips, same canvas pouch and the cable is similar but doesn't come off.
The unit looks nice in black or blue with the sleeping moon logo. its smaller and flat so as to fit more people comfortable. the 10mm driver is similar too but supposed to be an improvement.

Sound: V-shaped, respectable technicalities and its fun!

Bass?: is powerful, deep and has good speed and texture. Sub and Mid are emphasized decent control but defiantly not the best in its class.
Mids?: Warm good body and weight, male vocals have a good quality and female are decent with some recordings just being towards a little shouty.
Treble?: Highs are energetic and open with a good and sometimes too good sparkle on top. together with the upper Mids can be slightly hot at times.

Soundstage is open and imaging is good but not super detailed, instruments have fair separation.

Conclusion: I like the Z200 maybe even more than the BL03, because I take it for what it is a budget IEM made to enjoy pop and rock music for a low price. it is far from the best but it fun and enjoyable.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."


This quote is from Lao Zu, a great Chinese philosopher and it's all acceptance and moving on. That's how I actually felt about this particular audio brand, BLON. I have a very complicated connection with this brand as it is one of its products is the main reason that drives me to be become an IEM reviewer. To make this story short, I'm one of the many audio enthusiasts who purchased the BL03 due to some hyping from influencers and opinions in YouTube and in some audio forums on how good sounding this IEM but when I received it, put them in my lugholes, my initial expression is "What the ****... is this a quality tuning that these people are praising it to the heavens, this is awfully tuned, fitting is atrocious and technicalities are really subpar, this is no way a ******* budget Oxy (Tanchjim Oxygen)!". I tried some improvements by purchasing some spinfit eartips and upgraded cable but still no avail to fix those issues. It's a big disappointment and waste of dosh, then after that, I develop a great dislike for BL03. Some people in the audio community scene are even aware that I always thrashed the comments in regards to BL03.


Then, in a twist of fate, a certain audio distributor contacted me if I am willing to do a review on a new product from BLON. At first, I was quite hesitant but at same time, my thoughts inside says that I should try it for the sake of pursuing the development of my audio hobby. And now I have the BLON Z200 in my hand and I'll be sharing my honest impression about this one.





Like BL03, BLON Z200 is a single DD IEM encapsulated in a metal alloy shell with a matte-like coating. Its transducer is a 10mm CNT/ carbon diaphragm and claimed that its an improvement over BL03's DD to have faster transient response. BLON Z200 has 2 vent holes for escaping some excess air pressure generated from DD. As for the connector, BLON decided that this unit has a non-detachable 4-core SPC cable in a 3.5mm termination plug which is a bummer in my opinion. And there's precurve hooks in cable which is actually good as it contours well to my upper earlobes.




Regarding its fitting and wearing aspect, Z200 seems to have a comfortable fitting as its stays well in my lug holes but fitting is a shallow one and it is a tad loose as I wiggling when I do some walking.


Packaging of BLON Z200 is a decent one, it practically the same with the BL03 box and noticeable difference between them is that BLON finally corrected the word "Opportunity".( I still have some giggles on the wrong spelling one…Oppoty)


Here are some of the inclusions inside the box of BLON Z200.

• a pair of BLON Z200 IEM.
• A canvass IEM bag sack.
• Two (2) pairs of extra ear tips of different sizes.(Small and Large)
• Basic instruction manual.

As scalability on power sources, BLON Z200 amplies well on even a decent power source but when powered from a high quality hifi DAC/amp it does really improve the sound quality to have more added volume and even sound more dynamic.




Tonality of this set is almost the same as its predecessor. It has a very steep V-shaped sound signature due a more elevated bass and treble while a deep notched midrange.


Here are some of my observations on its sound characteristics on its element in the overall audio frequency spectrum.


LOWS/BASS:

Elevated, thudding and boomy, that's how I describe its bass quality. Sub bass is surely present as I hear some reverberation and rumbling sound as I feel its depth. Midbass is the focal point of the bass region as it has more texture to add more body to the bass guitar, bass kicks and bass-baritones. Bass guitars have this very broad and weighty character to add more growl on every plucking, Bass kicks has very resonant sound as being thunderous and pounding and finally a more guttural and husky sound on bass-baritone vocals.

Like my complaint on BL03, It still has a very bloated mid bass that really ruins the midrange which is already recessed in the overall presentation. Because of its bass bleeds, the sound of BLON Z200 way too muddled and unrefined just like the BL03.



MIDRANGE:

Mids are definitely a very recessed one, too recessed that really triggered my midcentric bias on how the vocals and instruments were presented on this one. I like my midrange to be presented in a forward, spacious and open-sounding with lots of details but Z200 doesn't fit on this one. It is too laid back that it really sounds lean, veiled and was too overlaid by the bass.

For sure that bloated bass to midrange transition is more beneficial towards male vocals as it added more warmth to its texture to give sound more deep and gravelly on lower vocal types. As female vocals it has this "smoky" and sometimes orotund feeling that they are bit congested and somewhat restricted of being more energetic.

As for instruments' presentation, they are receded even further in the sonic canvass. Strings like guitars have a sufficient crisp but in most cases it does too warm sounding, violins have this glassy and wafting sound. Percussives like snares have this shrilly and clattering sound while field drums sound austere and somber. Piano tones have an uneven tone as they sound too mellow and less harmonic. Brass like tubas and horns have these particular tones of being rounded and warmer. Woodwinds like flutes has this soft and sighing but it has inadequacies of less airy sounding.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

As a V-shaped sounding, the treble of Z200 is certainly elevated as it was a bit bright and yet has its inherent smoothness. Upper mids has some certain peaks but sibilance and stridency is almost zero to none.

It has sparkle and brilliance as cymbal strikes have a shimmer and sizzle but it doesn't have the best airy extension as it was way too short and blunted but it gives a more natural sound on the hi-hats to have that distinct shorted, chick sound.

I rate the quality of treble on Z200 as above average while an average mark on its quantitative value.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

Like the BL03, it mostly fared poorly on its technical aspects. The Z200 has an equal proportion on its spatial sound field but the perceived soundstage width is narrow to a mere average size, the height is also average and depth has an enough gap for back to front. Imaging performed decently as it has a good transition from left to right in regards of stereo panning though in some instances, it can be cloudy but separation and layering is just sub par as it doesn't have an enough spacing and frequency layering isn't in order and doesn't have a distinct placement that when a more complex instrumental tracks were played, it is absolutely congested and jumbled.

Coherency of driver somehow performs very cohesive and homogeneous manner, it is a noted that it has a moderate pace transient. As for tonal colour it has still an organic and natural sounding with just added tad of warmth with a substantial amount of shimmer.

As for resolution capability, Z200 focuses more on macro dynamics with just an average detail retrieval.



PEER COMPARISONS:


BLON BL03

• Both have metal alloy casing, BL03 has a removable cable option for cable upgrade while Z200 has a non-detachable one. Fitting is an improvement on Z200 while it is atrocious on BL03 in my ears no matter how I tried to replace it with different ear tips.
• Tonality is almost the same. Both have a V-shaped sound signature but compared to Z200, BL03 is less steeper. Bass bloat permeates both of these sets as it notoriously smudges on mids. Treble of BL03 is less brighter and muted on its airy extension. Less detailed compared to Z200.
• Technicalities of both sets are very similar though Z200 is tad better on resolution capability and has better imaging but for timbre when it comes of being organic sounding, BL03 is better.

KZ EDA (Balanced)

• Both have single DD but the KZ EDA's DD is a newer generation as it has faster transient and better diaphragm response for a lower distortion. I prefer Z200 in the build quality as it has metal alloy shell but as for fitting ergonomics, EDA is way better as It has a suitable fitting to my ears. And lastly, EDA is removable.
• They have both V-shaped sound signature, but the EDA is more balanced sounding, ample texture of bass that doesn't bleed on mids, more cleaner and lively midrange and a very similar treble response.
• Technicalities-wise, I prefer EDA in almost all categories, from soundstage, separation and layering even though that EDA's technicalities are still on the average side on preference. Imaging is somehow better on BLON Z200. Resolution capability is even on EDA to as it has a better clarity and detail retrieval.

CCA CRA

• Again, both have single DD set-up. Between the two of them, CCA CRA has the most eye-pleasing shell design which make the Z200 looks too plain and utilitarian and CRA has a detachable cable.
• They both employ a similar sound signature which is a V-shape. Bass response is more authoritative, punchy and cleaner on CRA. Mids are similar as they are too recessed both of the unit, But I nitpicking choose, I prefer the CRA as its less steep and somehow more open sounding. Treble performances on both are eerily similar to my ears. Sufficiently bright while retaining some smoothness but sibilance is prevalent to CRA and airy treble extension is just mere average.
• Technicalities are once again very similar in all aspects but CRA has somehow has better sound field width and separation, coherency is even much better on the CRA. and lastly, resolution capablities of both devices are indistinguishable as both more on scaling on macro-dynamics rather than micro-details.

As I handed down my verdict on this assessment on BLON Z200s. What's the relevance of this product in the current state in a more tighter and very competitive portable audio market? How does BLON Z200 fare against its current competitors? For me it's a very tough fight on what this product will face ahead but there is always one thing that pop out in my mind, A legion of very loyal fans of the BLON brand which continues on believing them on how BL03 really change their perception on audio quality for I intrinsically admit and recognize that BLON makes an etched on Chi-fi audio's history.


Another question also coming out from my thoughts, is the BLON Z200 a redemption product to a BL03 hater like me? For me, Z200 performs decently over BL03 but it still needs more refinements just to reach my average ideal standard on what a good IEM should be.


BLON Z200 is currently available in Keephifi and just click the non-affiliated link here.

SPECIFICATION:


MODEL: BLON Z200

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 102dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: (**N.A.**)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER



Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)


Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *


P.S.

I am not affiliated to BLON nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.


Once again, I would like to thank KEEPHIFI for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate their generosity towards me and other reviewers.

Disclaimer:

• Keephifi sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Rest assured that this review will be free from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 5 days.

Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• Hiby R3 Pro Saber
• VE MEGATRON USB DAC
• Tempotec Sonata HD V
• Cyberdrive Feather DAC
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i, Samsung Galaxy On7)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration: Stock large eartips, stock cable, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume, both high and low gain, with and without extra amplification.

Sound signature:

• The BLON Z200 this time leans to a more v-shaped, clean sound signature with very good technicalities under 20USD, or has the best technical performance that sets it apart from any BLON I have auditioned and owned (yes, I auditioned all of them except for the Prometheus so I know what I am saying) at least.

Lows:

• The lows on the Z200 are elevated. However, the elevation and the speed of the lows depends on how deep it is fitted to your ears. When fitted as is (shallow),the lows are quicker in decay. On the other hand, when fitted deeply, it will sound boomy and more elevated but still retains some of its neatness. Unlike most BLONs, this is also punchy as well, creating a punchy impression. Its midbass is dominant when compared to the sub bass in terms of quantity. It does not go earth-digging deep like the BL03, but it is enough for most EDM tracks I have tested like Marshmello’s and Tiesto’s music.

Mids:

• The mids here are recessed and somewhat clean if we’re keeping the standards under 20USD. It is warm and has a bit of midbass bleed to keep the male vocals thick. Despite being recessed, it isn’t too distant nor too thin like most budget v-shaped IEMs have. It isn’t thin either despite it being clean and bloat-free. Voices of Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith are naturally thick here with great texture. Upper mids here are elevated, clear, airy, and sparkly. People with sensitive hearing may find it bright but it never sounded sibilant, peaky, or harsh abnormally. Overall, the mids are very good for its price as it is not too decent nor thin.

Highs:

• The treble is elevated, but not as elevated as the lows. I can say that it has the same level of elevation to its upper mids. As a result, it avoids any harshness as well while keeping the level of detail retrieval here above average.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• Now this is the part where the BLON Z200 sets itself different and better than the stock BL03. Its soundstage is wide with good height and depth. Unlike the BL03 where the separation and imaging is hazy, Separation here is better and handles my busy test tracks well such as Aimer’s Zankyosanka and AM2:00. Imaging here is average and is accurate for most tracks, especially on live and acoustic performances.

VS the BLON BL03

• The BLON Z200 is the complete opposite of the 03. While the BLON 03 is a warmer, smoother sound, the Z200 is a brighter, cleaner performer. It edges out the 03 in terms of the technicalities due to its quicker decays on the lower region. The mids and the treble are also more present here which also makes the Z200 clearer to hear.

Pros:

• The best BLON yet in terms of technicalities.
• Elevated, speedy lows.
• Clear upper frequencies.
• Non-fatiguing sound.
• Very good build quality.
• Decent fit and comfort.
• Visually pleasing design (subjective)

Cons:

• Fit may be shallow for some on stock tips.
• Bass depends on how deep the fit is.
• Nozzle has no lip and is short, contributing to the shallow fit.
• Sound can be “too bright” for some.
• Stock tips are below-average in terms of isolation.
• Non-removable cable.
• A cable winder would be a great treat for everybody (subjective).

This for me is the best BLON IEM to date - soundwise, at least. It still needs some polishing, mainly on its build or design. The shorter nozzle gave me some hard time to fit it properly because most of the time the fit is somewhat shallow to my large ears, and the non-removable cable left some people puzzled at first. As for its sound I did not had any problems with it and I find it good for its price. I did not liked the sound of the BL03, the BL-Max and the others, but this Z200, and the BL07 are their “best” IEMs in my book.


Pairing recommendation/s:

• Source: The BLON Z200 is very easy to drive to its full potential. It does not need any extra amplification, but having a neutral or a warmer sounding dongle with you is always a good decision.
• Eartips: You may want to find a longer-stemmed eartip for this one because this has a shallow fit, especially for those people like me with bigger ears.

Thank you for reading!

Additional Photos: