BossHiFi B8

This is a 1 year usage review, so keep this in mind.

- I have bought Bosshifi B8 one year ago, the first and also the last negative point at this review that it came without any protection package at all from China to Saudi Arabia through post office services (about 1 month to recieve), just a paper bag !!
- Although, this cans survived and arrived without any damage ----> Good point which tells how perfect the made quality.
- The provided cable also is perfect, braided with nearly zero audiophonic noise.
- the 1st test was through shanling M0, Huawei P9 plus.

So how was the sound out of the box with stock pads? ----> Let's see

* Highs:
- Clear, rich somehow in sharpness matter which may extend to the mids.

* Mids:
- Good mids but affected by sharp highs which make the vocals thin a little bit.

* Lows:
- That was the only downside to me althogh I'm not a basshead, It has a good amount of Bass but may be I felt it not enough due to the elevated highs.

* Sound stage:
- Very good for closed back headphone with perfect stereophonic separation between right and left channels.

* Imaging:
- Instruments separation is perfect, you can easly detect which instruments are played.

So, what about burning?
- After burning this cans for about 3 weeks I can tell it has alot of improvement at vocal section, The vocals became brighter and the thin feeling about it totally disappeared.

Ok, what about changing Pads?
- The stock pads are great, but for my large ears I needed to try some bigger pads, so I have tried the Brainwavz HM5 PU leather which way more cofortable but the sound dramaticlly changed to the worse, Very thin audio and the lows nearly dead.

- Then I thought to try something more premium, so I purchased pair of ZMF oval sheepskin pads and vola !!!
All my dreams became truth, it was as I have Purchased another high end headphones.

- Amazing comfort.

- The lows dramatically improved to level I have never thought this cans can reach, without any overwhelming to the mids, just powerful thumpy bass with some Oomph.

- The mids totally clear and shine, you can imagine yourself having a 1st class seat at the concert hearing the singer's voice live.

- The highs is perfectly clear with no harshness at all, just as you hear in real life.

- The most amazing great improvement was the sound stage, you will never believe that these are closed back headphones.

* Conclusion:
- Bosshifi B8 Is a Bang for the buck, so you can pay some more for a good pads and make it even better.

I ripped this from my Amazon review... where they are still available as of today.

I got this headphone because it was cheap...and I saw one review on YouTube that was glowing. Little did I know it was better than I expected!!! A LOT better than expected...

Soundstage is tight, and with video it sounded a little veiled compared to some of my other headphones, HOWEVER with music this thing shines.

Imaging feels incisive in this headphone...like it's a knife cutting through very precise places across the stage.

There's definitely some sparkle in the treble as well. Crispy and clear sounding up top. I haven't played any "bad" files with these headphones, just FLAC. That being said I would imagine anything less than perfect recordings would reveal any imperfections.

Mids don't feel recessed to me either. It's a full experience as I listen. Good meat on the bones.

Bass is not exactly for bass heads so far as I can tell, but it is present and polite from what I hear.

For some musical reference... Whole Lotta Love - when JPJ comes in he's right in the center. Robert Plant is a little to the right side of your face...until the middle rift of the song when he's right in your ears left and right and across your face...

DM - Violator (Remastered) - Definitely more bass. It's fast... and the decay is not unnatural feeling. Waiting for the Night especially sounds good with the little kind of "zip" at the top of some of the notes and you'll hear every word all to the end.

The Cure - High - from the Wish album you'll hear that "snap" of his fingers in the left ear... Usually it's so soft you don't really get it, but it's there and definitely audible as a soft snap of the fingers.

Frank Sinatra - Strangers in the Night - My Way The Best of... Almost perfect for this headphone... All the little details that make Sinatra's voice come out along with the orchestra details from the band. Also, "Fly Me to the Moon" on the same album instrument separation is clear with Frank standing in the middle. Lots of good detail in the music.

Basically if you like Pop/Rock for the vast majority of your music you'll love this headphone. From Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, to Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, John Denver, Edith Piaf... or even Cake. If you like 80's New Wave this'll be a good headphone.

Classical music you will need to turn it up a little.

Hip Hop or R&B - it depends on the quality of your recordings. Beastie Boys, Tupac, and stuff like that shouldn't be a problem unless you want real "slam". For the most part R&B people will be alright because of the clarity you get with this headphone.

All the music I listened to with these was lossless run off Foobar2000

In terms of comfort: Probably the most comfortable headphones I've had right out of the gate. I usually use headphones with a suspension strap or something because I'm literally a "blockhead"... as in if I shaved my head I'd look like the Lego man. BUT, these were not only comfortable for my round mound of a dome, but they'd EASILY fit around any other large head COMFORTABLY... Headband is thick and soft, pads were good, and clicks to spare on the adjustment. Clamp is soft-ish. Don't recommend heavy activity with these on... I could probably wear these for hours without fatigue.

One last thing before I conclude... Don't be fooled, this will leak sound... If you pump them up loud enough your neighbor on a plane WILL hear what you're hearing. Be warned. Great for an office or at home though. Heck, maybe even good for a walk when it's not too hot. I will likely do some ear pad rolling to see if anything changes though...

Overall... for the money... Are you kidding me?!?!?! Immense value buy... The only thing is that they ship from China which takes a while and it came bare bones in a box full of bubble wrap with a quality cable... but the entire box was wrapped in packing tape... and I mean the ENTIRE BOX... Just be sure to look for the seams when cutting and it'll save some time and frustration.

As an update here are some notes...

1. Earpad rolling: I got some Brainwavz... both angled protein leather and velour. Since the treble is so close to being a little too much for me I preferred the sound of the velour pads where it's rounded off a little.

2. I've had other people try on the headphone... and it's big. I mean, I didn't realize my head was so wide until I saw my friends struggle with it. Comfortable for me though as I'm only on the 3rd notch or so...

It’s quite apt to associate premium price tags to superior quality. There's a great deal of instances that these rationale are exhibited in different consumer products and are indeed exemplified when the actual purpose has been served, however, there are also instances where this rationale can also be doubted yet in the audiophile world, there’s a high chance that these lower-tiered products are shrugged off and over-looked.

One such product is the BLON BossHifi B8 headphone which features real walnut wood ear cups (or so they say), protein leather earpads and a 50mm beryllium-alloy dynamic driver. The BLON BossHifi B8 headphone retails now for $70 which you can grab off Linsoul Direct Amazon which provided the review unit.

The BLON BossHifi B8 is spec’d out with a 16Hz-20kHz Frequency Response, 16 Ohm Impedance, 106 dB Sensitivity and weighs 321g (without the cables). With little to no marketing presence and the usual absence of a distinct website, the BLON BossHifi B8 poses a lot of doubts to its actual build quality along with the authenticity of its claimed materials. I had my reservations for this particular set of cans and to have actually get to have them tested was indeed a learning curve. If you care enough to know if a $70 beryllium-alloy dynamic headphone is worth checking, feel free to read on.

The BLON B8’s packaging already screams bargain right from the start. There was no unboxing experience except for the usual courier box and some bubble wrap. The accessory set as well was non-existent except for the must-have detachable cable with a 6.3 adapter, no airline adapter or a case as well. Those looking to lug this around would be feeling BLON’s decision to omit such accessories.
The sparse information BLON provided for the actual specifications of the B8 claims that it uses real walnut wood for its earcups and while I am no lumberjack, arborist or even a carpenter, I couldn’t verify this to an extent except when I pried out the protein leather earpads and examined the earcups themselves, there was a little slit on the plastic cover that separates the beryllium-coated drivers and the earpads which enabled me to see that the earcups overall thickness was wood all over, another reassurance is when you check the 3 vents on the upper portion of the earcups and you’d be able to see that it’s wood and not some paint, the question would really be if its walnut, that I can’t confirm.
The headband and the hinges are made of aluminum joined with hard plastic which sits flush on the head with its headband covered in synthetic leather and the total length lined with soft memory foam, it is not the thickest yet gives ample support and doesn’t induce much heat after much use, the protein leather earpads though warms up before the headband does, that’s a guarantee. The earcups swivels and rotates either vertically or horizontally allowing for an easy earpad rolling experience and storage, it doesn’t fold though. Another noticeable feature of the BLON BossHifi B8 is overall lack of rattling noise or a feel of loose parts in its build quality, it feels solid and sturdy when worn and used.
The stock cable is a 1.8m 3.5 to 3.5 gold-plated termination sheathed in black with a spring strain relief on one end and plastic on the other. There was no mention of the material used. Microphonic noise is tolerable although the cable length itself is an indication is that this is not to be used on the go. The 3.5 connection though was a welcome ease of mind for using a vast of portable-use-friendly cables.

Having continuously realviewed IEMs week after week have made me appreciate when I finally reached another headphone unit queued up on my realview line. I decided to pull out my meager set of cans, the ATH-AD900x, Sony CD900st and the Meze 99 Neo units to condition myself on the headphone ambience once again. The BLON BossHifi B8’s tonality sits comfortably on the bright sound signature and delivers it at a forward and aggressive approach. With a relatively easy to drive 16 Ohm Impedance, the BLON BossHifi B8 was driven with the Xduoo x3ii and having thankfully avoided the dreaded hissing issues, the Sony CAS-1 desktop setup off an MSI GF 62 8RE laptop via Foobar2000 v1.4 was also used for the whole realview.

The BLON BossHifi B8 tackles the lower frequency in a reserved manner. It is demure and lacks that punchy impact on its sub bass. Jerry Cortez’s “Around the Globe” in 16/44 FLAC showcased the sub bass lacks some well extended rumble. Bass decay leans on the slower pace while giving out a still smooth bass texture. I pulled Eminem’s “No Apologies” in 16/44 FLAC to test out a low-end delivered in a faster pace and still the BLON BossHifi B8 struggles, mid-bass slam is lacking. An overall average performance except that the BLON BossHifi B8‘s ability to retain the overall clarity of the other frequencies when bass hits dominate the spectrum is a nice approach.

Coherent and distinct. The BLON BossHifi B8’s midrange exhibits great definition on its transparency and detail retrieval is also on point. The lower midrange doesn’t stand out much but has great body to it, allowing for an exceptional groundwork towards the midrange which doesn’t show any hints of hollowness or dryness to it. Susan Wong’s “Can’t You See” in 16/44 FLAC was a very engaging listen which complimented well with the B8’s upper midrange accurate timbre performance. You could hear me recommending the B8’s in its inherent midrange realism.

I’m a high frequency lover with a dose of treble side chicks here and there. I love my treble giving me head, hence the treble-head reference. The BLON BossHifi B8 didn’t disappoint on this aspect and with a claimed beryllium-coated diaphragm, I had high expectations so I wasn’t surprised one bit with how the treble had great extension while articulation was definite and accurate. Sibilance and harsh peaks ain’t making its way to your precious ears, not under B8’s watch. The treble bite on the distinct instrumental harmonics was always an obvious feature for the B8. The treble gives you head with subtle bite as an aftermath, let that sink in.

In closed cans parameters, the BLON BossHifi B8 is rather wide sounding. Expansion of tones are rendered naturally with no signs of congestion, monogamous as they say. Imaging is distinct and instruments are easy to identify. There is a great sense of left to right and right to left panning especially when instrumental presence enters the frequency. Openness on a closed can, how ironic.

Given how earpads-rolling friendly the BLON BossHifi B8 is, it indeed warrants its own segment to highlight the overall performance and response it acquires when its stock pads are changed. The BLON BossHifi B8’s protein leather earpads are only great for short term usage as it creates a vacuum quite fast giving my head a great deal of sweat and heat, it might be that my hair is too long now or that the clamping force of the headbands are taking its toll on me but one thing is for sure, the stock earpads isn’t for me. I switched it with Yaxi’s earpads for the Sony CD900st which alleviated a great deal of the clamping force as it distributed the force on a much bigger circumference at the cost of an even thinner sounding low-end and a more striking treble. The Brainwavz lineup of the Perforated PU leather and stock PU leather along with the sheepskin resembled the signature shown by the stock pads minus the rather fast accumulation of heat, I personally enjoyed the sheepskin earpads from the trio with its rather smoother and silky feel allowing for a much more extended use of the BLON B8. I would also add a link off a discussion from Massdrop regarding earpads swapping on the BLON BossHifi B8 for further guidance although I don’t personally vouch for what you would be getting there.

Claiming real walnut wood earcups along with parading a beryllium-coated dynamic diaphragm while being priced at $70 and being notoriously known to be CN made guarantees that the BLON BossHifi B8 almost dug its own grave. I happen to have the chance to pass by that supposed dug up grave only to find that its claims are mostly true(still can’t guarantee it's authentic walnut).

The BLON BossHifi B8 is a treblehead and bargain buyer’s dream with its solid and surprisingly well-built body and design. The sound signature it chugs out isn’t the best out there but at $70, it closely mimics the classic Sony MDR-CD900st (let the bashing begin) minus the Sony brand prowess. Throw in some Japanese branded Yaxi earpads or some trusted Brainwavz earpads and the BLON BossHifi B8 is a stellar headphone. Knock on wood.