We know we live in a cruel unfair world where good people can suffer while the bad ones can be happy and wealthy. More your humble and good-hearted, more you likely will be crush by competitive neurotic capitalist society. This unfairness extend to the audio product too, where intense biased publicity can make mediocre products like Beats Audio became a social phenomenon, transforming everybody into brainless basshead banger as if they really listen just to rap.
This perhaps explains why one of the best ChiFi company still isn't know by lot of audio enthusiast. Let’s be clear : we talk too much about KZ! Let’s just calm down a little and try to explore more serious Chinese audio companies!
Okay, perhaps the company name isn’t easy to memorize as well….but still, yes, BQEYZ is among the more professional and capable iem company right now. They sure have a refined audio engineer team that give lot of time to tuning listening, because all their iem are well-tuned. Coherent and balanced sound tuning isn’t a gift from God, it’s hard meticulous work, and when you got lucky like with one model out of 10, it’s a proof your still amateurish (yeah, I talk to you again KZ).
After having reviewed and liked both BQ3 and SPRING1, I choose to give a try to the less known BQEYZ KB100 model, wich is perhaps the best balanced model among these 3 models.
The KB100 is a 2 dynamics plus 1 balanced armature hybrid earphones. It has a unique housing shape all made of metal. The drivers in there are excellent, and this include the custom BA too, which isn’t either a cheap Bellsing BA or a good Knowles, it’s made by BQEYZ and this inspires respect (again).
Priced at a very affordable 50$, the KB100 can only be found in PENON audio store, and I think BQEYZ collaborates with this audio store that time to time create iem or earbuds. Kudos if its the case, because KB100 is just too good to be true. I say that even If I know sub-50$ earphone price range is among the most competitive territory.
Okay, now you already know I love the KB100. Let’s see why in this review.
As said, the BQEYZ KB100 can be found in PENON Aliexpress store or HERE.
DISCLAIMER : After I review some of their products, I contact BQEYZ to know if i can review the KB100. They were happy to tell me how to get a review sample. Thanks to BQEYZ as well as PENON for sending me this free sample. As always, I'm fully independent, neither I’m affiliated or have affiliated link to any products I review.
UNBOXING is super minimalist. Small black box. You open it : you see good looking KB100. You have an okay braided cable (same category as TRN cable and better than KZ). And you have 4 pairs of silicone eartips. Hurray!
CONSTRUCTION is very impressive for the price and I would say the same even priced 100$. Why? Firstly, because its a unique housing design with an appealing shape that I never seen anywhere. Secondly, its all metal but the nozzle which is plastic. Housing is really well crafted, its one part mate black with beautifull mirror metal lining and the other part is red brushed alloy that has meticulously been carved. It has 3 venting hole in front housing. Construction is perfectly done, you will not find any defect, it look extremely durable as well as not prompt to scratch. Its a little thick, but otherwise quite small.
DESIGN is as impressive as construction. The kinda half-moon curvy shape make the fit very easy and natural. Yep, these are very comfortable even is nozzle is thick. I find them more comfy than both Spring1 and BQ3. 2Pin connection is tigh and secure. Again, this is highly impressive for this price range.
ISOLATION is good, I mean….if you play music loud...and if you play music loud, well, outside noise will be block but sound leakage will be present due to numerous venting hole. But sound leakage is less noisy than iem with back housing venting hole.
DRIVEABILITY is easy, you do not need ultra powerfull DAP or portable amp to enjoy the KB100. At 15ohm impedance and 105db sensitivity, its not the more sensible iem on planet earth but sure not power hungry either.
SOUND :
OVERALL SOUND APPRECIATION is a very positive one, especially about whole cohesion of sound for multi drivers earphones. Simply put : it sound rightly balanced with no serious peaks in any region even if mids and treble is emphased. At first, i feel the bass was lacking, but when i discover I can clearly heard lower bass line as well as kick, I change my mind. Its not beefy bassy headbanger, nope, its refined, flat, articulate and controled bass-licious. But the real deal is about mids and treble, this is even more coherent and accurate, with high level of precision that sound effortless. It have soft brightness to it and high level of separation. And this treble is again a refined one, far from being trebly it give all its energy in lower and mid treble. Smooth, extremely well balanced and revealing is the KB100.
SOUNDSTAGE isn’t enormous, it have good wideness and deepeness and sound like stereo bookshelf speaker you listen closely.
IMAGING is well define even if slightly intimate in its presentation, spacial placement are close too you, so its easier to pinpoint instrument when the music isn’t fullfill with them. Anyway, i do not encounter congestion even with symphonie, just lack of air in separation.
CLARITY is excellent, but not clinical or ultra sharp vivid HD like, this is due to an average background cleanest wich isn’t completely black.
TIMBRE have both thickness and transparency, its textured just enough to avoid grain and opacity, so this is why i call it ‘’polished brightness’’.
BASS is slightly tamed, very flat in its rendering but it avoid sounding dry or overly thin. Extension go down to 20hz, but did I hear this? Nope, cause its not pumped up, good luck hearing this buttom frequency without any bumping help, so, forget about rumble or slam even if ultra sub bassy music will deliver the sub bass properly it will sound some DB lower you use too with most your iem including not super bassy one. Mid bass is a little more bodied, but still quite soft in attack. The control, clarity and separation is quite good toug and upper bass have extra emphasis to help energize it. This type of bass do wonder with jazz, soft-rock post-rock and classical, some electro sound okay too, like IDM that use kick but I don’t think KB100 is tuned for bass addict. Didn’t we have enough of thos V or U shape IEM anyway??
MID RANGE is smooth, super clear and accurate with excellent imaging. As said, its just slightly bright, far from any harshness or shoutyness bright timbre can create, this in fact give realist texture to instruments and voice as well as extra clarity without affecting natural tonality of whole sound. Instruments like cello, violin and piano will all sound good, but due to lower treble extra presence, attack of violin is more vivid than piano. Vocal are well centered, not super wide and invasive in presentation, but very clear and present. Upper mids-lower treble bump do give some extra bite beneficial for guitar or violin, but it avoid serious sibilance or harshness even if this is were most brightness came from. Listening to violin quartet with KB100 is very rewarding and lively, with natural tone and timbre and precise imaging accuracy that sound effortless, never artificial.
TREBLE will be mixed bag depending of what you like about highs. If you love them well define, bodied, crisp and tigh : you will be delighted. Fan of treble of Final Audio E serie tuning should dig them too. But, if your into sharp, vivid and sparkly highs, these will sound too restrain in upper highs for you. Brilliance and sparkle as well as long highs decay aren’t really there, because emphasis is in lower and mid treble, this is were most energy of KB100 came from and still, some people will find them neutral or mid centric, wich is the case too because of how smooth and natural is the tuning curve of lower mid-range to mid treble. If you listen only to classical guitar, harpsichord or xylophone, this will be serious issue, if not, perhaps you will get addicted by rich textured treble of instrument like saxophone, violin or electric guitar, it really is lushly textured.
SUB BASS : 7.5/10
MID BASS : 8/10
MID RANGE : 9/10
TREBLE : 8.5/10
SOUNDSTAGE : 8.5/10
IMAGING : 8.5/10
TIMBRE : 9/10
ATTACK-DECAY : 8/10
CLARITY : 8.5/10
RANDOM MUSIC TESTING:
ARIANNA SAVALL ''Mester D'amor''
Level of clarity and clean black background is very impressive here. Instrumental are clean, a hint bright and textured, with snappy attack. Arianna voice is sublime, pure as diamond sharp, with emphased presence and slight upper mid agressivness, wich is what is responsible for percussions clarity and separation.Acoustic guitar sound excellent, organic and sharp, with tigh decay. Soundstage is wide, airy, quite vast in spaciality wich give large space between instruments and well centered singer.
SOLANGE ‘’Don’t Touch my hair’’
Kick is very tigh with good impact, not too agressive, and separation with sub bass kick is nicely layered, synth notes float in well spacialize soundstage. Solange voice is very clear and natural, with nice transparency and centered stage presentation but not quite wide in presence, still its not thin….just accurate. Imaging is excellent around her voice. The part of the song that get excited with a dude singing with Solange do not sound congested and keep both voice and instrument all lively and well separeted. This track is well mastered and the BQEYZ KB100 take full advantage of this, offering a very immersive, dynamic and crisp presentation. Again it show how great tuning balance is done. Exquisite.
COMPARAISONS :
VS FAAEAL HIBISCUS (55$) :
SOUNDSTAGE is both widder, taller and deeper with the HIBISCUS, making the KB100 sound a little in your head.
IMAGING is clearer and more accurate with the KB100, instrument separation have good definition even it space between them isnt super wide. HIBISCUS is more about transparent layering, wich affect crispness of positioning definition as well as background clarity.
BASS take a similar path with both, being rather soft in attack, little rolled off in sub bass region, and flat in presentation, but I feel KB100 bass is thicker and little less controled than HIBISCUS wich have dryer, more transparent presentation and less weighty mid bass attack. Anyway, both aren’t particularly bassy and lack some sub bass rumble. Bass of KB100 tend to slightly warm the lower mids more too.
MID RANGE is more fowards and detailed with the KB100, attack in this range is more snappy too, vocal have more body and presence making them feel nearer you while the HIBISCUS vocal are little recessed and thin sounding. Here, the HIBISCUS offer better transparency and layering but in a more restrain spaciality compared to KB100. Vividness against smoothness, the HIBISCUS might be less articulate than KB100, but its less aggressive too.
TREBLE is more emphased with the KB100, especially in low and mid treble where it tends to extract more details and texture than more laid back but well balanced HIBISCUS. Still, highs of KB100 lack some brilliance and even if HIBISCUS isnt super sparkly, highs are more natural and crisp, less grainy and tighter. Overall balance of mid and highs is airier with the Hibiscus, so while it might sound darker than KB100, its less prompt to over saturation and congestion.
VS BQEYZ BQ3 (50-60$) :
SOUNDSTAGE is slightly wider and deeper with the BQ3, this is even more evident without bassy music.
IMAGING is more accurate and well define with the KB100 as if BQ3 omit to show lower treble instrument separation. While bass and highs are better separated, whole mid range isn’t.
BASS is more tigh, weighty and punchy with BQ3, attackis more agressive as well making BQ3 more bassy than softer bass response of KB100. MID RANGE is were strange things happen with the BQ3, giving it a very liquid tone and unbalanced insturment presentation were some type can either sound very foward or kinda recessed, tamed in definition and textured compared to more fully covered and balanced mid range of KB100, wich sound both more natural and textured, as well, instrument attack is snappier with KB100.
TREBLE is more recessed and softer with the BQ3, explaining this overall liquid sound we have, even if it have some extra upper treble sparkle, its way less balanced and naturally revealing than the KB100, percussions sound thin and too metallic with the BQ3 while it sound realist and textured with the KB100.
All in all, the KB100 is clearly my favorite here even if less bassy and slightly brighter than BQ3.
CONCLUSION:
Again, and perhaps never like before, BQEYZ does a marvelous tuning job as well as craftmanship design.
To my ears, the KB100 might really be the very best sub-50$ iemin term of right balance, cohesion, resolution and imaging....all that without sounding artificial or too peaky in any frequencies range.
Sure, treble head will be like ''I want more treble'' and basshead like ''I want more bass'', but let this will either muffled this deliciously clean, lively and well layered midrange or distract our ears without aggressive micro details, wich the KB100 do not lack in first place.
In fact, we have plenty of everything, the bass is controlled and enough thumping, the mid range is slightly fowarded but fully covered and treble is rich, textured and on line with rest of sound spectrum.
Why some inferior is over hyped while other one stay in the shadow? Well, one thing sure: The KB100 is there to stay and we can't say that for over hyped earphones that fastly fall in complete oblivion.
The BQEYZ KB100 is a classic earphones that will age well and get more and more recognition, both from audiophile, audio enthusiast, and even basshead and treble head, but even more by those who love balance and superbly rich mid range. 50$ can't get you better iem than the KB100, it just can get you different specific flavor while the KB100 is colorful.
For more honest independent reviews, give a look at my website HERE
It sounds good now. But you have to remember I haven't listened to it much yet. I'll be honest but it's still a worthy purchase. Better then KZ, TRN and NiceHCK cables.
Pros: imaging, balance, mids, non fatiguing but sharp treble, sounds good with stock configuration. under 50 amazement.
Cons: box, accessories maybe.
After listening to multiple kzs and entering the chifi world, going through audio companies like snfer, trn, revonxt, cca, rock; the next and ultimate on the list was bqeyz. a company unheard of, having a very limited showcase of iems unlike kz counterparts who release iems according to the birthdays of their employees it seems (almost every week/month). Unlike kz who like to experiment with their releases a lot, bqeyz have fewer, unique sets that are solid performers at the thing they are meant to do. (the description matches the product with excellent accuracy)
Tin T2's i had believed at the time to be the pinnacle of what chifi could offer (for the price). It wasnt perfect, it had its shortcomings. Enter kb100's. stock setup, no tip swap, no mods, maybe a little burn in thats required nothing else. this thing sounds like a dream!
Bass, mids and highs all perfecty balanced and on equal footing. bass can be fun when required (edm) and cold as well (jazz or classical), mids are very well highlighted, giving them excelllent imaging capability. soundstage isnt as amazing as other aspects of these in ears, they dont fall back too much either. After having the tin t2, i was in a phase where i was so nitpicky about an iems bass, that nitpicking led me to this, the graphs for the bassline on this is ruler flat.
These should have the appropriate title of "50usd iem killers". I hope they become more well known in the audio market amongst companies previously mentioned and even the giants like sony, shure, rha, audio technica and definitely against chifi comapnies like KZ and TRN. They should learn about build quality from BQEYZ.
These don't need any lengthy explanation, they are just that good. Get them and understand!
Pros: $50
Relatively balanced tuning
Well-built aluminium housing
2-pin detachable cables
Price-to-performance ratio
Fast becoming a trusted brand in the audio enthusiast community
Cons: Slight treble roll off.
Many budget-minded audio enthusiasts are finding solace and excitement in the relatively new IEM brand, BQEYZ. The marketplace is awash with $50+/- in-ears and the competition gets more fierce with each passing week. Anyone following the Chi-Fi threads knows that my description here is accurate and not hyperbolic. In this review we'll be taking a close look at a 2+1 hybrid BQEYZ model that was fashioned and tuned specifically for Penon Audio.
My sincere thanks to Elle Zhou at BQEYZ for securing this particular BQEYZ model from Penon Audio for feedback purposes.
Full disclosure:
I've no affiliation with BQEYZ or Penon Audio and receive no remuneration for the review other than retaining the review sample.
Free stuff?
Yep.
Honest review?
Definitely.
About me:
I tend to prefer a relatively neutral sound signature with a slight emphasis in both bass and lower treble, which is basically a mild "U" shaped sound signature where midrange frequencies are left intact and unaffected. I find that an absolute neutral sound signature usually lacks enough energy for the genres I enjoy most, which are Classic Trance and Progressive (early Tiesto, Markus Schulz, Otello, DT8 Project), Chill Out, Breakbeat (Hybrid & Burufunk Remixes) and 80's & 90's (New Order, Secession, The Cure, Siouxie & The Banshees, Depeche Mode). Sure I listen to Verve Remixed, Sade, Bach, Ella Fitzgerald and everything in between, but as of late the bulk of my listening pleasure is focused on the aforementioned genres.
About IEMs:
Take note when you read IEM reviews that when the reviewer gives his/her opinion regarding the sound that there are many factors that shape the final sound an IEM delivers to one's ear.
Those factors include:
1 - Shape & size of reviewer's ear canals. (shallow/deep, wide/narrow)
2 - Shape & size of eartips (round/cone, single, double or triple flange)
3 - Materials of eartips (silicone/foam)
4 - Shape of IEM (and/or angle of nozzle) can cause fitment issues for some.
5 - Source (quality of DAC in smartphone, laptop, digital audio player)
6 - Source (power rating) is it amplified/unamplified.
7 - The IEM itself (driver flex/trapping air in canal causing muffled sound.
8 - The Reviewers ability to hear all frequency ranges (age plays a factor).
Most consumers are unaware of how much weight each of these factors hold in rendering a final verdict. This is why there is such a wide variance in not only ratings, but the description of an IEMs sound. An unaware consumer purchases a perfectly fine IEM but has difficulty keeping the IEM in the ear or he/she does not satisfactorily seal the ear canal with the included silicone eartips (this is a common occurrence) and the consumer summarily dismisses the IEM as sub par. Another consumer purchases the same IEM but experiences a perfect fit and seal and has nothing but praise for the same IEM. Sealing the ear canals AND HAVING THE EARTIP FIRMLY AFFIXED to the IEM nozzle is the only proper way to use in-ear monitors. I can think of no audio equipment that is subjected to such praise or ridicule as the in-ear monitor. As if that's not enough, there is no "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to IEM eartips.
Materials (silicone/foam) have different dampening effects on final sound.
Shape of the eartips (olive-shaped, cone-shaped or other-shaped) can have different dampening effects on final sound based on how much space is between the IEM nozzle and your eardrum and how well the eartip has sealed the ear canal.
The aperture of the eartip's opening (wide-bore/narrow-bore) will have dampening effects on the final sound.
The easiest way for you to experience the different effects I am discussing is to take your current on-ear headphones or over-ear headphones, pick a song full of energy, put the earphones on and let them sit naturally over or on your ears. Listen to the music for two minutes. After two minutes, using your hands, slightly press the headphones closer to your eardrums. Notice the change in the sound. Is there more/less bass? Is there more/less treble? Did the vocals slightly slip forward/back?
Consider that on-ear and over-ear headphones have a driver that sits approximately 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches from your eardrums and by pressing the headphones 1/4" closer to your eardrums the sound changed. Now consider that an IEM driver sits anywhere from 3/4" to 1/4" from your eardrums and the slightest changes (angle, depth, shape, material) can have up to three times more of an effect due to the proximity of the IEM to the eardrum.
For this reason, I think it is wise to invest a nominal dollar amount on different eartips to find an eartip that works well for your particular ear's anatomy. This way you experience everything the earphone tuner intended for you to experience. Some IEM manufacturers supply multiple sizes (S/M/L) and/or materials (silicone/foam) of eartips to increase the odds that the consumer achieves a satisfactory seal, but even this is not foolproof. If this information holds any interest for you, there are a plethora of aftermarket eartip brands to look into, such as "JVC Spiral Dots", "Spinfits", "Comply Foam Eartips" or "Znari Foam Eartips", "Creative Aurvana" and others. If you really want to fine tune things, then you might find yourself doing what I do, which is scouring Amazon for inexpensive earphones that appear to have silicone eartips that have a shape that typically work well with my ear's anatomy.
My Ears:
You should also know a little bit about my ears since yours may differ. Below I have included two images. One image of an ear canal of typical length and the other image showing a more shallow ear canal. My ear canals resemble the more shallow of the two.
Keep this in mind when reading this review. I have no scientific evidence to back this up but I'd bet that ear canal length can play a part when it comes to resonance hotspots.
The BQEYZ KB100:
Right out of the gate I'll tell you that the KB100 is a very well-tuned earphone with exceptional clarity, a sufficient low end and a slightly forward and vivid midrange.
This $50 in-ear deserves your attention!
We'll get into that in a moment but first let's get through the unboxing.
BQEYZ packaging is usually uneventful and basic but this is not an issue for me. Once I unbox an earphone that is a definite keeper the box itself goes into storage. I usually store my in-ears in zippered clamshell cases so pretty packaging is a novel idea but....it's not high on my list of priorities.
Eartips:
Moving on, I usually employ wide-bore eartips from my growing eartip collection so the earphones presentation can breathe as much as possible but the medium-bore eartips that BQEYZ included do seal well for me. Be aware that a good seal is only part of the equation. I have shallow ear canals so Tennmak whirlwinds work well for me but several years ago I purchased a package of 20 sets of the generic brand you see in the photo. They're very difficult to find now so ordering them when they were available turned out to be one of the best decisions I'd made considering how many earphones I've placed them on. These particular eartips are quite pliable and they give a full-bodied presentation to the KB100, for my ears.
2-pin Cable:
The detachable cable that BQEYZ shipped with the KB100 is in fact a good cable. It's supple enough to avoid kinking and has a well-designed 90° angle on the 3.5mm jack. In addition it has a sturdy aluminum strain relief at the "Y" and preformed earhooks with plastic housings for the .78mm 2-pin connectors. I've said this before but I'd like to see BQEYZ adopt or design rectangular aluminum housings for their 2-pin connectors. Plastic seems a bit low-rent for BQEYZ's well-designed earphones.
Driver Housings:
My pair of KB100 housings, as you can see, are finished in a beautiful electrical blue. The kidney-shaped machined aluminum fits well with the shape of my ears.
The KB100 was exclusively tuned for Penon Audio. It is a 2DD (dynamic driver) + 1BA (balanced armature) configuration and I'll say again that the KB100 is a very well-tuned earphone. If you were to ask for a one word adjective to describe the KB100 that word would be "clarity".
Treble:
Of the six initial BQEYZ offerings (K2, KC2, BQ3, KB100, KB1 & K1) I own four of them. I may be painting with a broad brush here but in general BQEYZ has tuned the treble response on each model to be detailed yet relatively tame. There are no instances of sibilance in the treble region on any of the models I own (K2, KC2, BQ3 & KB100). I've not heard the K1 or KB1 but both models are 2DD+1BA hybrids with KB100 specs:
Each of BQEYZ initial offerings, for the most part, deliver a very smooth presentation from top to bottom. How much "air" each model displays is somewhat dependent on what is happening in the sub-bass, mid-bass and lower midrange frequency areas. I say "somewhat dependent" because the BQ3 seems to take a path less traveled....but the BQ3's idiosyncrasies will be covered in the BQ3 review. For now, let's focus on this KB100 model exclusively tuned for Penon Audio.
The KB100 treble presents lots of detail without causing fatigue. One track that I routinely use for testing treble extension is Toni Braxton's "He Wasn't Man Enough". In particular I listened for the shimmering of the triangles that commence at the 22 second mark. On the KB100 the triangles do have presence but they do lack the ZS6's sparkle and shimmer. However, with my ZS6, I usually need to lower the volume a few notches to listen to this track because the triangles and claps are wince-inducing. As I am writing this sentence I am testing this track and I have no need to lower the volume on the KB100. The track plays comfortably at my typical listening volume.
Likewise with P.O.D.'s "Thinking About Forever". There is a waterfall-like shimmer in the first five seconds of the track, the 25 second mark and throughout the track. There is also a brief high pitch note at the 2:42 mark. On the ZS6 those notes give the track an almost ethereal effect. On the KB100 they do have presence but they are somewhat muted due to the KB100's "safe" sense of tuning.
Drum snaps and high hats on Van Halen's "Girl Gone Bad" do have presence throughout the track and particularly during drawdowns but you can tell the treble on the KB100 has been tuned for comfort. If you're not a treble junkie then you'll enjoy the KB100 immensely.
It's a tradeoff though, isn't it? You either want "everything" or you want comfort. I can pick and choose because I have both earphones but if you are in the market for just one budget-fi in-ear I'd go for the KB100. If you're a detail junkie like me the KB100 might suffice but I'd recommend ponying up the cash to get both the KB100 and the ZS6. You won't know what you like until you try different gear. The KB100 is a great all-rounder while the ZS6 is targeted toward detail junkies like me. The important thing is to first learn about your preferred sound signature and move forward from there.
Bottom line here is that the KB100 treble has good extension with excellent resolution and, yes, it all sounds natural as opposed to sounding artificial.
Midrange:
The midrange really takes the spotlight on the KB100. It is slightly forward of neutral but the presentation is more vivid and alive as opposed to velvety and/or creamy....but I suppose that depends on whom you ask and/or what you're listening to.
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto's "Corcovado" (creamy) or Schiller's "Under My Skin" (vivid/alive).
CREAMY:
VIVID:
The KB100 presented both recordings well with presence and warmth in the lower midrange while maintaining presence and life without strident behavior in the upper midrange.
We'll done, BQEYZ!
How about guitar presentation? Will guitars get lost in the midst of a complex passage?
Nope! Guitars still have good presence and sound clear.
:
Bottom line is that the $50+/- KB100 with its decent imaging and more than adequate separation keep the midrange distinct and in the foreground avoiding a claustrophobic presentation.
Bass:
For me, one of the most critical frequency response areas for in-ear monitors is the mid-bass region. I dislike mid-bass that oversteps reasonable boundaries. Yes, the "boundary" is in my head and is therefore subjective but, to my ears, too much mid-bass tends to reduce clarity and pilfer some of the "air" and "presence" that the higher frequencies can facilitate. The KB100's mid-bass tuning, in my opinion, is near perfect.
I was able to adjust bass response by tip rolling but generally there is enough presence in the lower frequencies to keep things relatively balanced but still fun enough for modern genres. Bass is slightly forward of neutral but it is also quite clean.
I wasn't sure what to expext with Julie Thompson's "What Will I Do?". I usually like to gauge an earphone's bass response by testing this track for both depth and impact at the 44 second mark and the 4:40 mark. If there is good impact during the drawdown at the 4:40 market then I know that I won't get flat or lackluster performance from the earphone. The KB100 nailed it. I could hear a slight rumble at the 4:40 mark. An earphone with early rolled off bass will present a somewhat hollow sound at the 4:40 mark.
I also use Basement Jaxx "Stay Close" focusing on the 54 second mark and 1:04 mark and yep, the KB100 aced it.
Bottom line: Bass has good extension and great impact (with a proper seal).
Soundstage :
Soundstage has good width but like most of BQEYZ's initial offerings soundstage depth is average. It's not shallow but it's not necessarily deep either.
With my soft wide-bore eartips imaging is a little better on this KB100 than it is on the KC2. I should mention that I could practically duplicate the KB100 sound signature on my KC2's simply by swapping to a set of eartips that actually expanded the soundstage while slightly diffusing the bass response.
This is how three BQEYZ models sound to my ears:
KC2
K2
KB100
Soundstage comparison:
Again, I found that the KB100 and KC2 can be made to sound very, very similar by tip rolling. I dropped some KZ Star-tipped eartips on the KC2 and I put soft wide-bores on the KB100 and the sound signature was almost identical. Almost. The KC2 had slightly more depth so the presentation had better spacing between instruments but the KB100's intimacy was just as enjoyable. Perhaps the KC2's additional balanced armature contributes to the increased separation. I noticed the difference in a head to head comparison on Secession's "The Magician" right away.
BQEYZ is on a roll with their first six models. Four of the six models that I have are fun yet controlled and the KB100 is included in that list. This particular earphone is comfortable, comes with a decent detachable cable and it's tuned very well. I don't own the Tin Audio T2 or T3 but, apparently, those two models and BQEYZ's own KC2 are the KB100's main competition at $50, all things considered (build, sound signature & value proposition).
A discerning ear would be able to appreciate the idiosyncrasies and character of each of the four because it's unlikely that any of the four sound exactly the same. Just want to be clear that I've only heard two of the four mentioned.
The KB100 are worth your time and effort. They work particularly well with acoustic and vocal oriented music. These were tuned specifically for Penon Audio and they can be purchased by visiting the Penon Audio website or via Penon Audio's AliExpress store.
Lastly, they will respond better if your source has decent power. Sure, they'll sound fine on your standard smartphone but the low end responds better on gear with sufficient power. These will get a lot of future use.
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