KBEAR Aurora

KB EAR Aurora- Matte grey 2022 version

KB EAR has been making budget friendly earphones for enthusiasts and now sees an earphone that is approaching a higher price category, a newer design and a new tuning. The Aurora has plenty of reviews on headfi and I suppose it was only a matter of time before it was my turn to have a crack at them.

Upon receiving the new pewter brown colored Aurora is what it looks like in person actually. This is the new 2022 version and not the chrome version. It most definitely has a much more premium look to its Oxidized aluminum alloy shell. A new color motif and a new matte grey colored cable as well. The new Aurora before you ask is a new color but with the same tuning of the previous chrome version. Sometimes a new paint job is all it takes for a fresh launch and this is exactly what the new Aurora is all about. There have been plenty of sound descriptions of the prior Aurora on headfi and other online publications but somehow this new color makes them a bit more premium.

I would like to thank Ann at Keephifi and Wendy Li of KBEAR. For the opportunity to check out the Aurora and report back how I heard them. You can purchase a set for you here and also can be found on KBEARs official page on Aliexpress. The Aurora has been burned in for a weeks' time and is now ready for evaluation using my sources the IBasso DX300Max, Fiio M15, Shanling M6 pro, M5s, M3s, Ibasso DX160, Fiio K3 2021, and IFI black label for amping.

Titanium plated dynamics for earphones has actually been around for a while, I would say at least 15 years.

According to the nets
“ Titanium is a transition metal of silver color with low density, and high strength. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal. It is applied to earbud drivers to make sure they are as light and strong as possible. This means that the diaphragm in titanium driver earbuds is stiff and strong to resonate high-fidelity, clear sound and high quality throughout the audio spectrum, and at the same time light and precise enough to ensure super fast response times and the accurate reproduction of sounds.”

So while it isn’t something that is completely new or even cutting edge for dynamics, it is the idea behind the dynamic driver in the Aurora with a stronger lighter more agile diaphragm for sound that propels the Aurora to a nice level of sonics. I am very familiar with Titanium coated dynamics as I own at least a dozen earphones and a headphone that uses it. Titanium dynamics gives credence to bass its texture and helps with detail for a given earphone or headphone with increased speed properties to the diaphragm. Clarity, detail and a tighter response which gives the earphone that uses this driver an advantage in technicalities. The Aurora I feel follows suit.

Package
Of the Aurora includes a nice box filled with 8 pairs of silicones in various sizes, KBEARs brown faux leather magnetic square case. An 8 cored 2 pin silver plated OFC cable in single ended configuration, a lint free cloth and cleaning tool.

A side note about the cleaning tool. The cleaning tool is the one accessory that I think we all kinda overlook. I get the idea behind the cleaning tool and why manufacturers include it in the package. Ya so let's get into this a bit. If you find yourself after using IEMs leaving big chunks of wax all over your tips and such. I would suggest you try an ear cleaning regimen. Yes I bet you were not expecting a review about cleaning out your ears. But I know why some folks hear differently and let's eliminate the one thing that can cause you to not hear your earphones in a correct manner and that is to clean out your ear holes. I am just saying. A good way to gauge how clean your ears are is if you leave big globs or chunks/flakes of the stuff when taking out your earphones. Regular ear hygiene, yes there is such a thing and maybe you would never have to touch the cleaning tool. I digress, back to the review.

The build is as solid as it gets in the earphone game. Aluminum alloy is not only tough, impervious to minor nicks and scratches but keeps the weight of the earphones in check. Strong and lighter the Aurora build quality and clean modern looks make them ideal for an everyday use earphone. On a side note, I notice due to the all metal build the passive isolation here is actually decent. I would say about average for passive isolation for such builds.It does a decent job at blocking out some road noise when commuting.

The cable that the new Aurora comes with also matches up with the new brownish pewter color of the new Aurora instead of the light blue colored theme of the chrome version. This new color I believe is the same cable but different color, which I got confirmation from Ann at Keephifi. Cable being 8 cored silver plated OFC, is thicker than your average included cable so if you're not into your thicker cables just be warned. Luckily the cables are an easy switch to anything you would like to use on the Aurora due to being standard 2 pin .78mm configuration. Single ended only as well so you might have to seek out a different cable to go with them. As a bonus I will post about how the Aurora matches up with Tris two new cables that will be on the market very soon on this read later on.

Sound performance.
The single dynamic has made a surge as of late. It seems folks are liking what a well tuned dynamic does for sound nowadays. Hence the popularity for single dynamics are at an all time high. Some benefits of a full range dynamic goes without saying. The tried and true dynamic arguably gives the most natural sound and timbre. Utilizing one capable full range Titanium dome 10mm driver means costs will be at a minimum for the manufacturer, not to mention

At the price range you can’t expect class leading or even ground breaking type of IEM but at the same time at this price range it has to clearly do one over the magic $100 IEM price bracket. Does it succeed? As a whole package for the most part, yes it does but at the same time the performance level of these earphones recently has gotten better to the point where they should be grazing that lower tier of mid fi level performance at the sub $200 price range.

The bar as they say has been raised and this seems to be a yearly trend. What we heard that was acceptable a few years ago is not such a good value this year. This happens because there are so many good sounding earphones that all try to take the piece of the pie. Earphones have to be better, not only in design but also more importantly in sound. This being said the Aurora stays fairly safe with its harmon tuning and shows its strengths on a technical foundation for its sound. In a way even though I was expecting the driver to be something new like the more recent love affair the industry has with LCP drivers. Titanium dome drivers have their strengths that show what it can do in the Aurora with a well balanced harmon tuning.

Treble
Harmon tunings in general do not have treble that sticks out of the norm but on the Aurora there is a mild 8 Khz spike which introduces a bit of an extra splash and sparkle for the treble regions. A bit of coloration to make treble sound well like treble. The Aurora for the most part plays safe here again with the treble aspect of its tuning. Its overall tonality for the treble is fairly smooth but I do notice on rock tracks with splash cymbals the Aurora can sound a touch grainy. This aspect seems to lesen as the drivers get more time on them. Extension is moderate with good clean detail for the trebles. It has the most emphasis for lower treble and then has that mild 8 Khz peak with a standard de-emphasized upper treble emphasis.

Treble here is not the most refined or does it have the best extension but does a solid job representing the high notes and balancing out the sound presentation. If I was to nitpick I would say the treble is not the most airy here but for what it's got, the treble region has just enough coloration to offset the slightly warmer lower mids in its overall presentation. Tracks can sound warm and slightly cooler at the same time due to this contrasting portions of the tuning. Treble could use a bit less of the 8 khz spike with a slight rise of the upper trebles but that is just my subjective take on how KBEAR has tuned these. However for the presentation the treble here is done well. Its got a good foundational clean treble with a nicely done precise imaging for the trebles that makes the Aurora sound complete. It has just enough of that sparkle to add to the musicality of the Aurora sound.

Cables do affect the Aurora tuning which can highlight and or smooth out the treble area to a certain degree. If you feel the Aurora can do with a bit more treble emphasis and or less you can certainly do some cable rolling to help shape the treble region to your liking.

Mids.
Mids are the foundation of any earphone and here the Aurora has a mild pinna/upper mid gain with a moderate lower mid lift that brings the Aurora mids into a well balanced signature. Some may say it is a mild v shaped signature which is the way it looks on a graph but to my ears its mids are well imaged and sounds slightly forward especially compared to more neutral and more v shaped offerings. Vocal presentations are a strong suit for both male and female vocals which shows a nice range of dynamism in space and here is the benefit of a nicely done harmon tuned IEM. Mids here have a smoothness, a slight lushness, well proportioned with a dense sound projection.

I do notice one aspect that is hampering the presentation a bit is its somewhat intimate stage. I wouldn't say the stage here is confined; it sounds a bit more intimate and compact vs a semi open in ear design with a more spacious housing that shows a much grander stage. It has a moderate stage level and I feel this has to do with its relatively flat compact housing shape and design. This is in comparison to much higher end earphones that protrude outside the ears, Sony IER-Z1R for example. Shell designs that fit almost entirely in the concha of the ears that are closed designs like the Aurora do show a more intimate stage. What makes up for that moderate stage is a well imaged sound that makes really good use of its space inside that stage. Its depth is slightly greater than the height, but the width of stage is spacious yet moderate. The housing being used is a good ergonomic, comfortable design and does not protrude too much outside the ears which some might see as a plus but I was thinking what these exact drivers and tuning would have been like inside a more roomier housing, which would have given the sound a boost in stage presentation. Again more wishful thinking on my part but for the given presentation the mids are done very nicely on the Aurora and is one of its strong suits.

Its technicalities are solid. For the presentation the imaging is a standout and I attribute this to the resolving titanium dome. Sound separation is good but shows even better with a more resolving cable, detail level is about average nowadays in comparison to others in the price bracket. Its macro detailing and layering is about as good as it gets for a dynamic earphone at this price but lacks some very minor micro aspects something like a multi BA offering does best. However it makes up for it with Its timbre which sounds accurate to my ears with a slightly warm tonality. These aspects fit right into the cost range and what a good performing earphone would be at the price but at the same time something like the Auroras ability several years back and folks would have been enamored by its technical ability.

Here is a bit of advice on how to get the very best of the Aurora and this will only apply to folks that believe in more resolving aftermarket cables. The same package that I got the new version of the Aurora, I got two new cables from Tri. The Onxy and Wolfram both are pre production units, the Wolfram costing a bit over the cost of the Aurora. I will post a pic on the bottom of the read of these two cables. But I can tell you if you feel the sound of the Aurora is constrained a bit in any part of the sound, be it detail, its resolving ability, sound stage, bass definition, treble extension and such. Yes they sound markedly better using these two upgraded cables. If you are the type that doesn't believe cables do a damn thing then you will be happy not spending for an upgraded cable. On the other hand if you're like me and want the very best of what you get and optimize each earphone sound to be the best it can be. Keep reading.

Bass
Is the strength of the Titanium dome. The bass end here shows moderate elevation, more mid bass than sub bass but the roll off here is not much. Titanium bass has always been a stand out much like how Beryllium affects bass it was Titanium that leaves some of the best heavy hitting bass for headphones and earphones. The strength of the Titanium dome being bass has never been an issue. Here we get a well defined punchy tighter bass end that is elevated enough for versatility. A well tuned earphone means it has to perform in the very important bass aspect and here the Aurora makes good use of a more resolving titanium dome dynamic. Bold when called for and rumbly when extended. The bass aspect of the Aurora benefits from burn in which I highly recommend folks do with their Auroras to get the best sound out of them.

Bass end of the Aurora is clean and mud free with enough emphasis to let you know exactly what genre of music you're hearing. It doesn't specialize in the bass region so it isn’t a bass cannon or are they the end word when it comes to bass definition, yet you're gonna get the good type of bass when called for, punchy tight, good speed and rumbly when called for.

I would have liked to see a bit more massaging of the bass here to be a bit more sub bass focused but when listening casually there is enough there to suffice for any genre. Another aspect of the titanium dome is that they can take to EQ and bass boost like a champ. If you feel you need a bit more down low. No issues with adding a bit of boost. Sounds absolutely authoritative using a bit of bass boost on my IFI Black label as well as the 6dbs of boost on the Fiio K3 2021.

As they are, the enthusiastic bass end caps off a well balanced yet technical sound signature. It has just enough emphasis to bring on a musical tilt to the sound. The tuning and balancing here is done nicely. If KBEAR added just a smidge more treble it would have sounded more analytical. If they added just a bit more bass it would have been a more L shaped signature and warm in tonality. As they are, you get the nice contrast of a clean and tight sparkly treble with a moderate warm authoritative punch add to it a rangy dense mids presentation all in a well imaged intimate sound presentation. The Aurora is the type of earphone that initially will not wow a person but the more and more you listen to them they will grow on a person as they have for me.

In the end
The Aurora is a nice competitive offering from KBEAR. Unlike some of the reviews I have read about the aurora. I feel they resolve much better than folks that sampled them state on their reviews. My reasoning for this is that with the Aurora I got two much higher end cables for review purposes which also happened to be 2 pin. And both of them bring yet another level to the Aurora sound. The included cable is fine for its purpose but the differences for me anyways are very clear. As they are, the Aurora is a nicely positioned higher end yet affordable earphone from KBEAR. It has a versatile harmon tuning with just enough accuracy, timbre, imaging, detail dynamism and balance to sound great for just about any type of music you listen to. The Aurora is not perfect by any stretch but it does have a solid sound foundation for all things music. The strong build and their performance lives up to the cost for them but to get one more level above what you hear, your best tips and an upgraded cable most certainly applies to the Aurora. Happy listening always.

Extra
As promised this section is more of a preview on two new items from Tri. If you are a non cable believer than you dont have to read any of what I am about to write but if you love you some Aurora and want the very best Aurora possible. I present to you two brand new higher end cables from Tri. Both the cables I am about to show are pre production models meaning they are not yet available for purchase but will be sold on KBEARs and Keephifi audio site soon.

First is the Onyx.
Consists of 6 cores 252 strands is a silver plated Crystal Copper cable. Sleeved in an all black PVC color. The Onyx is thicker than the stock 8 cored silver plated OFC cable of the Aurora. Connecting this cable to the Aurora yields an expansion of its sound properties. It is the Aurora sound magnified. Bigger bolder sound properties including an expansion of stage in all directions. Thicker more substantial note weight while enhancing its technical abilities with added texture to their sound properties. The Onxy here is a direct upgrade and a much more resolving cable vs the stock cable of the Aurora. The Onyx will retail for $99.

New flagship level cable the Wolfram.
This cable is unique in several ways. While only 4 cores and with less stands at 204 from the previous Onyx cable. The grey colored fiber cloth makes the Wolfram just as thick aesthetically. What makes the Wolfram interesting is that these cable has pure silver at its cores but has a copper shielding on them. You see plenty of silver plated copper cables in the market as the previous Onyx cable is just this but the new Wolfram is the opposite. What this copper plating does is it adds a musical tilt to the traditional silver cable. Tri will be charging $200 for these cables. Yes it makes absolutely no sense to spend more money than the earphones cost but does the end result justify the cost? You better believe it.

These cables are legit. As expansive as the prior Onyx throw out on the Aurora. The Aurora with this cable is now playing on a completely different level in sound. Not only are the sound aspects enhanced much like the Onyx but now you get much better depth, the best possible stage for the Aurora with a fuller thicker note weight. Added texture to bass. Even better precision to treble notes. Adding this cable and going back to the stock cable made me realized just how resolving the Titanium dome in the Aurora really is. I have to admit it is difficult to hear the Aurora using its stock cable after using the Wolfram on it. This is boutique level cable from Tri folks keep a watch on this cable when released.

KBEar Aurora - Arctic Sunrise



KBEar Aurora is a high quality IEM priced at 169 USD, available from Amazon, and comes with a large 10mm single dynamic driver, and a nice thick blue cable. They will be compared to other high quality IEMs including Dunu Falcon PRO (220 USD), Linsoul 7Hz Timeless (220 USD), and QoA Queen of Audio Adonis (190 USD). It has been confirmed that a new version of Aurora with different aesthetics will be released soon, but I confirmed it with KB Ear and Ms. Wendy that the sound will be absolutely the same, so the review is valid for all variations of Aurora from KB Ear.

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Introduction

KBEar has long been known for high quality affordable IEMs, and good reliability both of their products, but they decided it is time to dip their toes in a higher price range, so we have the Aurora we're reviewing today, an IEM with a considerably higher price tag than previous KBEAR releases, but with a package and sonic performance to match the tag. If you want to purchase KBEar products, it is best to use Amazon and Linsoul when possible, as shipping costs quite a bit to and from China, and local / international shops usually have much quicker solution times than shipping something back to the producers in China.

It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with KBEAR, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I'd like to thank KBEAR for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in KBEAR Aurora find their next music companion.



Packaging

First things first, let's get the packaging out of the way:







The package of Aurora is actually better than what we're used to seeing from KBEAR, as this time they invested in a pretty nice box, with a few interesting extras included, the biggest one being the beautiful leather carrying case. The full package includes:

• Aurora earphones
• Stock cable
• Four pairs of colorful ear tips
• Three pairs of grey red ear tips
• Cleaning brush
• User guide

Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort

The Shell of Aurora is made from an Aluminum Alloy with vacuum plating. The shell is a bright silver in color and decorated with brilliant blue outline, writing and accents. KB Ear got quite serious with Aurora as they included a 10mm Tintanium Dome Dynamic Driver, customized for them.

The cable that is included with Aurora is a bright blue in color, which subjectively is a bit odd / weird to see, but it is of a very high quality, flexible, very safe from microphonic noise, and not tangle prone. The Cable connects to the IEM with a 2-Pin connector that has just the right tightness for actual usage, and the cable is a silver plated copper wire cable.



Aurora has an impedance of about 18 OHMs, and they are somewhat sensitive to hissing, especially from noisier sources, or sources with a high output impedance. Their rated frequency response is from 20 hz to 20 kHz, and their Sensitivity is of 105dB, but they are mostly easy to drive and won't be an issue for most smartphones and portable sources. Although KBEAR have been courageous with their photo shots, I would advice against sprinkling water on Aurora as they do not have an IPX Rating.

The actual wearing comfort is subjectively excellent, and Aurora is one of the most comfortable IEMS I had in my ears, despite their somewhat large size and slightly heavy design. They have a really ergonomic inner design, and present no driver flex for my ears, plus the default white tips installed on them work just well for me, and they have an ergonomic soft wrap for their cable. The cable is also of an excellent quality, and Aurora generally feels like a high-end IEM as far as the construction goes.



There is a lot of ventilation on Aurora, inside and lateral, so the passive noise isolation is mostly average, and I can hear myself quite clearly typing with no music on, but even at very quiet levels music will cover my typing noise. Aurora leaks very little and it is ok for portable usage if you don't want to bring too much attention your way.



Sound Quality

Before writing today's review, I have allowed about 150 hours of burn-in for Aurora, to keep things fair towards them, and I have used the cable they come with. I also used a multitude of sources, all from their single ended outputs, since Aurora does not come with a balanced cable. The list of sources includes Astell & Kern SE180, Astell & Kern SP2000T, iBasso DX240, iBasso DX300, Lotoo PAW6000, and Dethonray DTR1+ Prelude. I noticed that they prefer being paired with a stronger source, and despite their low impedance, they will become more engaging and more dynamic if the source has a good headroom, and Aurora scales well with the source. Aurora is somewhat tip dependent and you will get much better and more accurate bass and mids if using tips that compliment your ears and your fit with them.



The overall signature of Aurora can be described as slightly V-Shaped, clean, clear, it has a flat tendency where it doesn't have a strong emphasis on lows and highs and only a moderate one. The detail level is good, resolution is good, but soundstage width is extremely impressive, as Aurora produces a really wide and holographic sound with a lot of space in between, but at the cost of instrument separation, as instruments are less separated than on competitors. The fact that the company managed to design a unique tuning is surprising and I like the Aurora for ethereal and atmospheric music, but the somewhat scattered and airy presentation won't work quite as well for forward and aggressive music. The louder you go with Aurora, the more detailed, more dynamic and more engaging it sounds.

The bass of Aurora is clean, very deep and very nuanced, with beautiful subsonic presentation, and there is no significant roll off that I can detect and talk about, which puts Aurora way ahead of the competition in terms of bass. It won't cover the base for diehard bassheads, but for most users who just want a nice sub and bass, the Aurora sonic presentation is really well balanced and fun, both for EDM, Electronic, Metal, House and Rap. The mid bass in particular has some recess to it, which can make Aurora slightly cold, but avoids the boominess and bloom of the lows. The bass has natural speed, slow enough to be natural with all music, and quick enough to work for metal and rock.



The midrange of Aurora is unique. They clearly have a large shape inside the IEM with the function to create dispersion, or the driver is tuned quite uniquely, because they have a huge soundstage to my ears, with a ton of width, and a really holographic presentation, but at the cost of instrument separation which is fair rather than good. The midrange has a sweet tonality and works perfectly for female voices, guitars, and even more aggressive instruments such as trumpets sound enjoyable and non-fatiguing, non-harsh. The midrange has a natural speed to it, and the character of Aurora is slightly wet and splashy, which makes it fluid and musical with pretty much all music styles. Aurora is fairly engaging and dynamic, without a visible compression for their sound.

We have a nicely extended treble with Aurora, as it reaches about 14kHz, which is quite good for the price. The treble lacks the last few sparkles of air, but has excellent resolution until the 14kHz it presents, and it has a ton of detail, Aurora doing quite good with their treble. The treble speed is quick, but has a somewhat wet character, so the treble is harshness free and sibilance free at the same time. The treble quantity relative to the midrange is somewhat high and Aurora has both ends uplifted above the mids, but the midrange isn't distant or too recessed, just moderately so with most music. Most people will hear Aurora as balanced-natural-slightly V-Shaped.



Comparisons



KBEar Aurora vs Linsoul 7Hz Timeless (169 USD vs 220 USD) - Timeless seems to have received mostly love, although like any thing that exists in this lovely world, there are those who didn't like it quite as much. The comfort is comparable between them, although the faceplates of Timeless that are large are slightly less comfortable for me, Aurora winning in the comfort aspect. The sound is more technical and more detailed on Timeless, but it also has much stronger treble and a more fatiguing sound that's brighter, despite also having more sub bass as well, being more aggressively V-Shaped. Timeless is more technical, and also more pricey, but Aurora has a more enjoyable midrange, with a more natural tonality, and is more musical as well as smoother in the mids and less aggressive, which works well with all music styles as long as you're not looking for an aggressive signature on purpose.

KBEar Aurora vs Queen of Audio QOA Adonis (169 USD vs 190 USD) - Adonis is a great IEM, and one that I recommend heavily, but as far as comfort goes, Aurora is slightly more comfortable than Adonis, which tends to be slightly larger despite being slightly more rounded. The sound is more analytical from Adonis, with a brighter, more technical approach, as they have a more detailed sound, and a quicker speed to bass, treble and midrange. Aurora sounds more natural, and it is easier to enjoy with rock, metal as well as electronic music, despite the slightly lower resolution. For those who are detail addicts and who want a really quick and revealing sound, Adonis is still awesome, but for those who want a stronger sub bass, and a more balanced tonality, Aurora is easier to recommend, and should bring a smile to your face quicker.

KBEar Aurora vs Dunu Falcon PRO (169 USD vs 220 USD) - Dunu Falcon-Pro is slightly larger than Aurora, and Aurora is generally slightly more comfortable than Falcon Pro, also slightly less dependent on tip rolling. Having tested them side by side, Falcon Pro is considerably warmer in the midrange and mid bass, it has more warmth, slightly more thickness and more substance, where Aurora has a colder, brighter sound that's more sparkly. Dunu is more open, as in wider, but not necessarily more holographic than Aurora. Aurora extends better in both the sub bass and the upper treble, where Falcon-Pro's performance is slightly worse at both ends. Aurora does really well for those who want a more technical sound with more focus on detail, where Falcon Pro is more romantic, and better for those who appreciate a warmer sound with less focus on the technical aspect.



Value and Conclusion

KBEar seriously outdone themselves with Aurora, and this is the kind of IEM that I enjoyed a lot and can safely recommend to friends, close ones and those looking for a high price / performance ratio. Everything, from the package, build quality, and the sonic performance is excellent with Aurora and I consider KBEar to be improving and providing better and better products every day, Aurora being a good example of it, as they punch nicely for their 169 USD price point. I have enjoyed my time with Aurora quite a bit, despite having pretty low expectations and I find it to be fun to the point where I will listen to it even after posting today's review.



At the end of the day, if you're looking for a natural sounding IEM with a good amount of width, a fair instrument separation and excellent overall detail for the money, Aurora is an excellent choice, and as long as you remember to try some tip rolling, you should have an excellent experience with them, and they are a fully recommended purchase.



Specifications

Driver unit: 10mm Strong Magnetic Nano Titanium-plated Diaphragm
Earphone shell: High grade aluminum alloy
Interface/Connector：2PIN 0.78MM
Plug type: 3.5MM
Impedance: 18±2Ω
Sensitivity: 105±3dB
Frequency response：20hz-20KHZ
Cable length: 1.2m
Cable material: 8 core OFC silver-plated cable without microphone

It was in the Beijing’ exhibition that I heard some news about KBEAR Aurora. It is praised by a lot of friends of mine, so that I am wondering that how Aurora sounds like. A friend lent me his but I didn’t have any square time to review it. Now the new Version comes and I received the review sample of KBEAR, wish KBEAR will better and better.

Before writing, here is what I declare:
1.I will return the sample after review it. and it won’t be a full review.
2.I just review the sound.
3.My words is exactly what I thought.

Sound:
The driver is a 10mm Titanium-coated diaphragm single DD, and I was told it is a good unit with a high cost, I tell the good or bad only from the sound.

Part one: IKKO ITM01 & stock cable

This combination provide a very “right” sound. I bought ITM01 for my phone when I am out. I didn’t review ITM01 before, the sound of ITM01 is not tasted but very simple and natural. The Aurora with ITM01 sounds right, reasonable and regular but dry. The images are condensed but not stabilize enough. But I like warm and tasted so that I don’t think it is enjoyable combination. According most of people, these units may sound good, at least not bad.

Part two: Dethonray DTR1+ & TRI Grace-S

You can easily tell the sound is more powerful and stabilize in many ways. Yes, Aurora shows its huge potential, bigger sound field and regular images like a real flagship(I know someone would say that no flagship under $500 or $1000 so I say like a flagship). the sound is balanced and tasted with a good texture.

The bass is faster and more powerful, I think the sub-bass is not enough so that the texture is not perfect, if you are not too picky it sounds good. And the mids is shinning and near, cohesive and smooth, when it turns to some IF instruments, Oh great resolution and right position.

Yes the sound has a lot to do with DTR1+ and Grace-S, but what I want to say is that the cable, player and the earphones are working together for better sound, everything matters and manages to prove what Aurora could be.

Compare:
There are a lot of excellent competitors at such a price, and many are good enough.

Falcon Pro:
Yes it is more expensive, and I think Falcon Pro is better than Aurora in many ways. But Falcon is not too much expensive IMO. If you don’t have a good source to drive them well, you may find Falcon really better, the sound is more exquisite and regular than Aurora. When you have some thing good to drive them things changes, Aurora will be a good competitor of Falcon in some ways, such as the mids and resolution. But I think if someone has a good DAP he will not just buy a IEM at this price. He may turn to JVC FW10000 or Turii.

KATO:
The same price and a star product from Moondrop. If you drive them with ITM01, the power will be almost enough for KATO while not for Aurora. While I think it is not reasonable to release some IEM which are hard to drive in this price since reviewers are not your customers, reviewers have good source while most of users may just drive them by some portable DAPs like DC05, UA2 or ITM01. Luckily that Aurora works well with such portable DAPs and will be much better when meeting good source.I think KATO is just the opposite, it is funny and tasted when you drive it casually but bad with big-power DAPs.
KATO has a good sub-bass, it is not like moondrop, at least not like the moondrops I heard before.
Nice try.

Whizzer HE03D：
If you like the design of HE03D, just pick it because it is really beautiful. As for the sound, HE03D is a little exquisite, but I think Aurora sound better than HE03D and HE03D has little potential in many ways IMO. So Aurora for sound and HE03D for design.

IE40 Pro:
I think Aurora will be more fit with music while ie40pro are just for someone to work. The bass of IE40Pro is a little werid for me. but it is right in some way according to my friend, a drummer. Once I kept listening to IE40Pro for a week because this is my only one left, I think that week was helpless.

While I want to talk more and write more, But English is not my first language, I post NA2+ and NM2+ and HANA in my Chinese review, if some one want to have a discuss, it is my pleasure.

I got Kbear Aurora for review purpose thanx to hifigo.com. All the impressions and views Are based on my own experience, I m not forced or encouraged to write anything particularly good or bad. If anyone interested can buy it from here











Packaging and accessories
Well this was review Unit so didn't get full retail box hence can't comment on unboxing experience but it has nice pleather pouch ,which is very similar to kbear believe ,I liked it. But it is Little small











Build , Design, Fit and Isolation
Kbear Aurora is built like a Tank with Mirror polished stainless steel ,With printed brand logo on shell. Shell design instantly reminds me Of Ikko oh 10 . Fit wise very comfortable and seats very snugly iny ear concha. Isolation is good for me given large shell size . Yes it is large and solid like Ikko oh 10. Cable is high quality SPC in lite blue colour, very uncommon in chi-fi world .









Specifications
Aurora boasts 10mm titanium diaphragm dynamic driver.
Impedance :- 18 ohms
Sensitivity :- 105 decibels
Standerd two pin 0.78 connectors with 3.5 mm plug .









Sound Impression
Kbear Aurora is very easy to drive I used it with my smartphone and cayin n6ii with e01,a01. Aurora has very strong V shape fun to listen warm tonality , good timbre. dynamic driver produces massive hefty low end With enough punch , not very fast though. bass decay is slightly slower than desirable Level but I wudnt notice it untill compared with some other iems like bqeyz autumn, Difference is not day and night but it is there. Aurora is capable of producing satisfying subbass rumble , not very extended also it bleeds in mids ,midbass is thick , punchy somewhat bloated , somewhat muddy, Very prominent. Vocals are inoffensive , forward despite of v shape tonality. There is metalic shimmer felt in female vocals although it is not that much ,almost unnoticeable. Also mid frequencies lacks clarity little bit. But instrument sounds are pleasing With good separation. Overall dynamics are good though .treble are inoffensive and gentle. Not very extended though. No I wudnt call it dark but yes slightly lacks sparks and details. In short treble is not it's strong plus point , I wish for hair more air and extention . Due it's gentle nature I can listen it for hours without feeling tired for a second. Soundstage is wide enough with good depth. Coherency also good between all frequencies. Imaging is average, i can notice it while gaming.











Comparison


Well Aurora instantly reminds me of Ikko oh 10 , metal shell design , V shape tonality , weight , etc .but there is big difference in sound . Say oh10 has better low end and treble extension. But I m not big fan of oh10's mid range. Also soundstage is wider on oh10. While if we compare it with KBear beleive. Believe has good stage height and overall better bass and slightly better timbre but needed good power to shine while Aurora barely needs any power. Bqeyz autumn out performs Aurora in almost every aspects , yes I know comparison is not fair because Autumn is costlier than Aurora









Conclusion
Over all KBear Aurora is fun to listen type of iems. solid build, very good cable with odd colour choice . Some may like it some not. Not very analytical type But very laidback ,in offensive fun to listen, highs are not harsh or fatiguing , I can listen it for hours and hours without being tired . For its price segment Aurora offers lot of good things. Aurora is more of a musical and less analytical set with superb build quality and good set of accessories .

Disclaimer : The unit was provided by Hifigo as a part of a review tour but all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can purchase the Aurora here.

Build and Fit
I do not generally write about packaging but it must be said that the packaging of the Aurora is beautiful and elegant. Such kind of packaging is rarely seen in this price point. What is also rarely seen in this price point is the build quality. The shells are absolute units of metal, polished to a mirror finish. The good thing about the finish is that it doesn't attract fingerprints that easily. The cable has this uncommon blue cable which goes well with the aurora theme. The cable quality is also nice, it is supple and premium feeling. The finish of the earphone is really good irrespective of the price point. Kudos to Kbear.


Amp Needs
Aurora is efficient and it works fine off a regular smartphone. No dedicated amplifier is needed.




Sound Quality
The Aurora wont be to the liking of people looking for a neutral-ish sound signature. It has a substantial colored presentation which I feel lacks balance. The lack of balance is almost solely due to the bass region where there substantial bloat. It sticks out and masks a lot of details and overshadows the sound basically. Unfortunately, the bass although bloated, does not reach too far down low and doesn't have much texture either. It is more of a one-note kind of "thud". The good news is that there is decent coherence between the midrange and the treble region and the resulting amalgamation is decent when it comes to timbre. The mids are pushed back slightly due to the reigning bass so the aurora loses some texture in the sound of instruments and vocals. The treble region is smooth and totally inoffensive, laid back in presentation. As you'd might expect, due to the dominant bass bloat, technicalities are indeed hampered.
Resolution takes a hit, and so does the overall spaciousness in sound.



Conclusion
It is less colored than its elder sibling BElieve. BElieve was also a colored earphone that grew on me the more I listened to it. While the Aurora is less colored, I couldn't connect with it on an emotional level. I am sure there will be others who can.

KBEAR is well known for its good priced iems and has already made a name in the chifi industry. Today we will be trying out their KBEAR AURORA IEM.

DISCLAIMER:
This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organized by HiFiGo. This review is completely based on my experience with it and all opinions positive or negative are my own and no one else’s (no one can have my thoughts ). Please try it yourself if you can, since we all hear things differently. The link for the iem is here.

SPECIFICATIONS-

• 10mm Titanium diaphragm dynamic driver.
• Impedance: 18Ω±2Ω.
• Sensitivity: 105dB±3dB.
• Standard 2-pin 0.78mm connectors.
• 3.5mm single-ended termination plug.

UNBOXING-
As usual the unboxing of KBEAR IEMs and their sister company TRI is practical but beautiful too. But this time I was only sent a pack of tips and the carry bag with the iems and the filter cleaning tool in it.

Opening the box, I see the beautiful blue cable although 3.5mm (WHY!!! WHY !!!) and the mirror finished iems which I assumed would be fingerprint magnet and they are haha!!! Rest the pictures will depict

BUILD AND FIT-

The iems are built of polished metal and well you can even check your face on it . The slight bluish line surrounding gives it a great look. The fit is great for me although a little small, I had to use L tips for good fit. Its not causing any pain or anything and seriously the fit is great.

CABLE-

The cable is beautiful blue cable with no microphonics but felt dense and slightly heavy too. Its supple and easily slides on the ear skin but the termination is 3.5mm .

OTHER ACCESSORIES-

• TIPS(lots)
• KBEAR LEATHER BOX
• NOZZLE CLEANING BRUSH

PRICE-169$

POWAH REQUIRED-

This iem does not much power for full potential but my DAP of 400mw was able to drive it fully too. So, depending upon the source it might be good / bad / okayish but try to give everything a bit of time. Usual volume in silent passages was 35 at Low gain.

NOTE- This IEM is used with-

• N6ii and R01 (mostly R01 since it adds more naturalism to the iem and also better stage) for portable on chair listening experience for the most part of the review. About 25-35 volume on low gain
• On desktop- N6ii LO and A30s (Burson V5i D) and XDUOO MT602 Sylvania tubes (not so beautiful pairing but then low gain on N6ii and also volume at 04 ) has been used.
• Sometimes LG G8x as phone source.
• Tips used were stock ‘L’ sized tips which were a great fit

SOUND IMPRESSIONS- THIS IS SUBJECTIVE AND YOUR OPINIONS MAY VARY FROM MINE

SUB-BASS-

Sub-bass is pretty good. There is good energy and feel but the rumble lacks a bit. Tonally its accurate and there’s good timbre too. There is not much texture present and the notes are slightly having bigger body but less extension present in the ends of the notes. There is also less depth felt in the sub-bass. Fast decay helps in the congested tracks too but the energy between mid-bass and sub-bass is somewhat predominantly on the mid-bass side. It doesn’t feel hollow rather on the slightly thinner yet enough bodied side, and keeps the dynamic nature of the sub-bass. Separation though could have been more enhanced more which is what I felt like lacking the most but does it become muddy nope! Not at all.

BASS-

Bass is on the punchy and dynamic side. This also has fast decay and great control to the hits but the timbre is slightly faster. Tonally its accuracy is excellent rivaling its higher counterparts easily . The bass notes are nicely dynamic but lacks the notes edge definition. It has good texture and lots of energy but in a completely balanced fashion. The distinction between the notes is good but not good enough to satisfy at this price range. It feels a bit too closed in for that matter. Rest the dynamics of different percussive instruments note heights are greatly distinct and also the texture is good enough to satisfy my tastes .

MIDS-


TREBLE-

Treble is good, don’t feel too extended too. There is good tonal accuracy with a fast decay. The timbre is okayish but the presentation has great energy. Though it isn’t well extended at all. Air is lacking in the wind instruments. There are no offensive cymbals crash or trumpets blowing your head off . Notes are better separated along with the instruments and hence no congestion but still feels a like closed studio. Notes extend outward more and span the entire headroom. But not a hint of sharp sound, completely in offensive.

SOUNDSTAGE AND IMAGING-

It's not a very wide iem but instruments presentation is sometimes in the corners and their notes are spread outwards which may or may not be in your liking. The stage depth is pretty good but actual depth (-y axis) is not present. Height of the stage of good, every instrument notes reach different heights but they are close to each other a lot. There’s no sonic head-room left. Imaging is great with a slightly diffuse presentation but instruments feel that they don't have a bubble around them. Instruments are more situated in the front and back as layers though distinction is slightly diffused.


RESOLUTION AND SEPARATION-

Separation is not this iems strong point. Instruments and their notes are very close to each other and given the imaging, it goes for a studio experience rather than a theatre. Edge definition of the notes are not great either . Inter notes separation is similar too. Resolution is good with nuances coming up nicely. Though it's not overbearing but it did lack air and other small microdetails a lot. Seems like they kept musicality in mind but slightly sacrificing details in the meantime. Still, this is a good musical set .

COMPARISON-

FIIO FD3 WITH UOGRADED SPC CABLE-
PROS-
Better stage and separation
Bass and sub- bass coherency is better maintained
More extended in the treble region

AURORA-
PROS-
Better tonal accuracy
Better timbre
Better reverb and transparency.
Better vocals

TIN P1 PLUS –
PROS-
Better extension in both the ends of the spectrum
Better details
Better layering
Better stage depth
Better notes definition

AURORA-
PROS-
Better tonal accuracy
Non shouty vocals
No metallic timbre in the lower treble
Better make vocals

BQEYZ AUTUMN-
PROS-
Everything except

AURORA –
PROS-
Better stage height
Inoffensive completely

SUMMARY-
Seems like KBEAR went for a musical, inoffensive set completely this time around. Busier passages are not this iems strong point due to lack of good stage and separation, but other genres are pretty nicely handled. Given the competition at this price range and slightly above, this has a slightly lesser footing than others but, it’s the most musical set I have heard at this range so have fun listening to it .

Hello, I'm Ah Hui aka Mr Wong. I'm a K-pop fan and audiophile from Malaysia.

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Hillaudio MY for lending me this review unit and giving me the opportunity to review the Kbear Aurora .

I've been working with Hillaudio MY for a long time, thus why I have change to lending a lot of earphones to reviews .If you are interested with my reviews, feel free to check out my Facebook page called - MrWongChannel

PACKAGING OF IEM :


BACK OF BOX :


OPENED THE BOX WILL SEE :


DESIGN OF IEM

accessories










Configuration of IEM : 10mm strong magnetic dynamic drive with nano titanium-plated dome diaphragm.

Price of IEM : RM 699 from Hillaudio MY official shopee store .

Comfort: Comfort is great. It fits securely in my ears and I dont feel any sort of fatigue after long hours .

Design : typical in ear monitor design .shining faceplate design , 3D printed shell design fits the ergonomics of human ears.
PRO:
laid back vocals present , smooth sounding , harman curve tuning

CONS :
faceplate is a finger print magnet. IEM looks huge

**Disclaimer : This reviews done by stock ccz plume eartips L size , stock cable pair with FiiO X1 II DAP .
BASS :
The bass here is punchy, but it's quite thin . When listening to IZONE - Memory , I can hear the bass is feel lite . Bass is punchy and feel slow reponse .
MIDS :
laid back midrange presentation, full bodied female vocals and good details . When I tested Lovelyz - Rain , vocal presentation is laid-back ,sweet female vocal present and you can hear the breath of the vocals. How about male vocal ? male vocal also laid back. When listening to 许冠杰 - 大家跟住唱 , the male vocal is feel laid back and well bodied. I quite enjoy the male vocal presentation here .

HIGH :
Treble here is well extended. When listening to 许冠杰 - 梨涡浅笑 , treble clarity is good and well extended .Overall I don't have feel any harshness or sibilance on tracks .

SOUNDSTAGE : it is deep and wide. When listening to the 许冠杰 - 大家跟住唱 , the sense of space is pretty good, with deep and wide soundstage

IMAGING : it's about decent .When I listen to Lovelyz - Rain .I can pinpoint the instrument and the singer on center .It has good stereo positioning. I feel the instrument on behind my left and right ears .

Details : detail retrieval here is about decent . I can pick up on the micro-details on some track .

Conclusion:
Overall I feel the Kbear Aurora is harman-ish , smooth sounding .if you like some fun and relax sound IEM I will recommend you this IEM .Overall I really like this IEM thanks to its great performance.

interesting product ?
Hillaudio MY
https://shopee.com.my/KBEAR-AURORA-...le-Hifi-In-ear-Earphone-i.6548893.11642177068
kbear official store :
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003109134536.html

A few months back KBEar discontinued their single dd flagship, the KBEar Believe. It was getting good reviews and positive feedbacks from audio enthusiasts around the globe, including me. I loved that set, that set served me well with its smooth, rich tonality and powerful bass for my casual listening sessions. After its discontinuation, KBEar told us that they are working on a new single DD pair. Fast forward to last month when they announced the latest Aurora, a brand new single dynamic flagship from the house of KBEar. I, being a fan of Believe, was looking forward to the next iteration for a long time. So without any delay, I grabbed a unit of Aurora for myself that reached me a few weeks back. Let’s discuss how this little cyberpunk beauty sounds.


Disclaimer:-


I bought the KBEar Aurora myself from HiFiGo. Feel free to order one for yourself from their store from the link below(Not affiliated). All impressions and opinions about the Aurora are based on my own usage with the pair over the past few days.
KBEAR Aurora Single Dynamic In-Ear Monitor — HiFiGo

Unboxing & Accessories:-


Aurora comes in a white cardboard box with a short slip-on cover. The box itself has an image of the earphone printed on one side, the other side the slip-on has Aurora and KBEar branding. The slip-on cover has the technical parameters printed on the backside. From the outside, the box has a simple approach, but once we open it up, we get to see the Aurora magic. First, we have a foam covering layer with a beautiful Aurora lightning image from the Northern hemisphere. Aurora is designed with inspiration from the Aurora lightning. Below this foam layer, we have both the earpieces and the KBEar’s traditional brown colored carry case. The stock cable is safe inside this carry case. There’s a slim foam layer at the side of the package that holds four pairs of ear tips. Three pairs of grey red ear tips and a cleaning tool is also present inside the carry case. That’s all about the package and accessories. From the outside it’s simple, from the inside the look and feel is completely inspired by the Aurora lights.


Package Contents:-


>Aurora earphones.


>Stock cable.


>Four pairs of colorful ear tips.


>Three pairs of grey red ear tips.


>Cleaning brush.

>User guide.


Design & Build Quality:-


I have been a fan of KBEar’s build quality for their premium series. I have used the KBEar diamond, the KBEar Believe, and now this KBEar Aurora. Out of all three of these, I would say the Aurora has the most simple build with a rich chrome mirror finish on the earpieces. The earpieces have a neon blue-colored ring around the faceplate to complement the look. These earpieces have a full chromium finish. They are a finger magnet, you touch one place and you leave a mark. The build quality is top-notch, Despite being fully metallic they are not too heavy. I would say it is the lightest against Diamond and Believe.

The included cable has a light blue insulated coating to match the neon blue ring design of the Aurora It has an 8-core braided structure with four cores for each side. All the shieldings on the cable including the connectors, Termination plug, Y-splitter, and cable slider have earphone matching chrome mirror finish. The cable overall has a soft feel to it. There are memory hooks near the connectors for a comfortable fit.


In terms of design and build, Aurora is a top-notch product from KBEar. The presentation, the feel, the build is excellent. The only con here would be the finger-print magnet behavior of the earphones. Literally, touch them anywhere and you are gonna leave them a mark.


Fit & Noise Isolation:-


Despite having a full metallic build, the earpieces of Aurora are lightweight and have an ergonomic design. They are neither too large nor too small and provide me with a comfortable fit(I have medium-sized ears). I don’t have any issues even after long listening sessions with the pair. Noise isolation is average, I can still hear environmental noises(I listen to low volume levels).

Driving The Aurora:-

KBEar Aurora can be driven fairly easily. They don’t have high-power requirements, Impedance rating is 18Ω with high 105dB sensitivity. The pair sounded well off my Samsung Galaxy S6 Lite tablet with the stock 3.5mm headphone jack. Obviously, with better sources, the audio decoding is better resulting in better sound. So I will recommend using either a USB DAC/AMP or Hi-Res music player for best performance.


I personally used my Cayin N6ii(A01) for critical listening with the KBEar Aurora.


Sound Impressions:-


As per me, the Aurora lights or the Northern lights at the Northern hemisphere of our globe are the epitome of nature and show us smooth transitions. I expect the pair that is inspired by them to have a natural, balanced, and smooth sound with no harsh peaks or brightness. Exactly this is what the KBEar Aurora delivers. In terms of sound, the pair has a balanced sound tuning with a slightly warmer than neutral tonality. Aurora produces some impactful mid-bass slams supported by a smooth sub-bass rumble but the primary focus in the lower end is with the Mid-bass section. Lower Midrange takes a step back with a slightly forward upper midrange. Treble region is buttery smooth with no harshness or peak and has good extensions. Overall tuning is better than my former love the KBEar Believe.


Lower End:-


I was a fan of the thick and punchy lower end of KBEar Believe. The Aurora here has a more natural approach to the sound. It has all the punch present in the lower end with impactful, deep-hitting slams in the mid-bass region. Sub-bass presence can also be felt, though I would say the main focus in the lower end of Aurora is with the Mid-bass region. The pair produces a fast and precise bass response. If you hear Billie Jean by MJ, you can easily notice every slam coming and going out of the equation. Aurora prefers quality over quantity in the lower end.


Midrange:-


The mid-range section has amazing clarity for vocals and acoustic instruments. Both the male and female vocals have a smooth, warmer than neutral tone to them with no noticeable shoutiness or muddiness. Airiness in the midrange is just adequate, I would say the pair could benefit from a little more air between the instruments. Though the overall clarity of the mid-range is pretty solid. It sounds better than Believe in presenting a more natural approach for the vocals and instruments. With the Believe I found vocals to have a thicker tonality.


Treble:-


Aurora produces a smooth and well-detailed treble response. The pair nicely produces decent details even in complex tracks such as "In The End" by Linkin Park, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and the likes. The pair maintains its smooth tonality here with no noticeable harshness or sibilance in the treble region. Instruments such as Violin, Electric guitars also have good details.


Soundstage & Imaging:-


Soundstage with the Aurora has good width and height, depth could have been better. Imaging is excellent, one can easily point/separate different instruments on the stage.


KBEar Aurora Vs KBEar Believe:-


I used to own Believe before. It was among my favorite single DD sets of that time. Here’s my take between the KBEar Believe and Aurora.


>Aurora has a more natural presentation for sound, Believe had thicker tonality.


>Bass response on Aurora has a good grasp on mid-bass with decent enough sub-bass, Believe had an overall elevated bass response and presented with thick, meaty bass response.


>Midrange and Treble are better on Aurora with a natural tone and no sibilance, Believe had a slight touch of sibilance for certain instruments(Violins, Flutes, and more).


>Soundstage is similar on both the sets.

>Aurora has a smoother tonality between the two.

A Few Final Words:-


KBEar Aurora is a fantastic pair to own. It looks beautiful, it sounds smooth and natural, and overall has a better presentation than the former flagship Believe. I loved the midrange and treble performance of the set, with a single dd KBEar has delivered a quality performance at quite an attractive price. If I have to mention some cons with the set, I would say the soundstage could benefit with slightly more depth and some added airiness on the stage. Other than that, I am pretty happy with Aurora and can say this is an upgrade over the former KBEar Believe.

Disclaimer:

I received the KBear Aurora as part of a review tour in my country organized by Hifigo.com. I am not associated with either Hifigo or KBear in any way and have no incentive whatsoever to write anything positive or negative about the IEM. The impressions shared in this write-up are based on my usage of the IEM over a week or so. The KBEAR Aurora can be purchased from Hifigo.com using the following link:

https://hifigo.com/products/kbear-aurora




Introduction:

The KBear Aurora is the latest single DD offering from KBEar with a 10mm dynamic driver with a Titanium diaphragm priced at 169 USD. The IEM comes with 2 sets of silicone ear tips (3x Grey and 4x KBEar tips), a faux leather carry case, a cleaning brush, a cleaning cloth, and a well-built silver-plated copper cable. The cable uses metal terminations and connectors which gives it a premium look. The 8-core SPC cable is supple and free of microphonics. The blue coloured cable complements the shiny 3D-printed aluminium earpieces very well. The earpieces have a shiny and reflective surface for the most part with subtle hues of blue around the corners. The IEM looks well built overall and has a comfortable fit. I don’t think the fit will be an issue.



Sound:

The KBEar Aurora has a V-shaped tuning. The bass is elevated, yet lacks refinement. Beats seem shallow for the most part, especially because sub-bass on the Aurora is virtually absent. The lack of rumble makes it hard for me to enjoy EDM. I was able to add some depth to the bass by tip rolling, but then the absence of treble with those tips (Dekoni Mercury) made the experience pretty much claustrophobic. I did try a few other tips, but the difference wasn’t anything major. Not that the bass is bad. Aurora has bass in large quantities. Chances are people might actually like the bass on these IEMs. However, given the kind of music I listen to, I felt like the Aurora could do much better in this department, especially considering the cut-throat competition at this price point.

The recessed mids again left a lot to be desired IMO. The note-weight is acceptable and the vocals, both male and female sound good for the most part. What the Aurora lacks in the mids is more to do with quality (again). The vocals tend to lack emotion and instruments feel soulless, lacking the refinement and depth that earlier KBear IEMs like Believe had handled much better. Thankfully there is no noticeable bass bleed into this region, nor is there any sibilance in the upper mids. Thereby, making it acceptable. I realize I may sound contradictory, but that is exactly my problem with Aurora. The IEM seems capable of doing so much better but is somehow limited/restricted, thereby making it another mediocre IEM in the plethora of mediocre IEMs in this price range.



The treble on the Aurora has been flattened out to a large extent, thus the IEM lacks energy. However, I’d like to mention that I consider myself to be highly treble-sensitive. Hence, the Aurora seemed to have adequate treble for my preference, though I wouldn’t be surprised if others claimed that the Aurora lacked sparkle. The good thing here is that the non-aggressive tuning makes it a suitable candidate for longer listening sessions.

Coming to the technical aspects, the soundstage is average and imaging too is mediocre again. The IEM isn’t the most detailed of IEMs in the price segment, nor is it severely lacking in terms of detail retrieval.

Conclusion:

All in all, the KBear Aurora is a mediocre sounding IEM that may be able to do justice to the price tag but is likely to disappear amongst the plethora of mediocre sounding IEMs in this price range.

INTRODUCTION:

KB-Ear, a brand based out of China is known for its High Fidelity Audio Products and their infamous product BELIEVE which I personally liked a lot. Since the Believe has been discontinued the Kbear was pushed to the edge to release the successor for it and hence they released the Aurora! Even though they don’t look like the successor of the Believe in terms of physical appearance, let's see how they compare to it in terms of sonic performance.



SPECIFICATIONS:

10mm Titanium diaphragm dynamic driver.

Impedance: 18Ω±2Ω.

Sensitivity: 105dB±3dB.

Frequency response range: 20Hz-20kHz.

Standard 2-pin 0.78mm connectors.

3.5mm single-ended termination plug.

DISCLAIMER:

This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review tour in my country organised by HiFiGo. I have not been influenced by the brand to manipulate the view and this review is completely based on my experience with it hence it differs from person to person. The observations are based on my source of testing.

You can purchase the Aurora via this link (non-affiliated): https://hifigo.com/products/kbear-aurora

DESIGN AND FIT:

The design language of the Aurora follows that of the usual and traditional in-ear monitors and not the design language of the Believe. The design and the colour scheme they went with is really good. The teal colour along with the shiny mirror finish looks fantastic in the real world but the shiny aspect is the worst part here since a lot of scratches are seen and picks up a lot of fingerprints too. A matt finished sliver looks could have been better.



The fit is decent and isolates from most of the external noises even though they are not designed as Custom shell shaped. The teal trim along with the subtle branding gave the earpiece a neat and clean look. The nozzle is of good length and the tips provided are good in collection and one can easily find a good fit with the provided eartips.

The provided cable is a SPC cable which is 8 core and the look is very premium. The metal shell for the connectors and the termination area gave the cable a premium look and the colour scheme they went with this is very good too which is a blue colour. The cable has a nice supple nature and the cable has nice heftiness in the hand. The cable however has a sticky nature which is kind of obtrusive but otherwise the tangling issue is not highly present.

The 2 pin area is nicely recessed along with the body but the issue is with the cable where the 2 pin tends to be loose in the connector area hence careful attention is required in taking care of the connector area.



SOUND:

The sound signature of the Aurora is a Warm Harman tuned set which has that nice mid bass presence with the smooth highs. The brand even calls this set to be a successor which carries the legacy of the lost Believe. In this review let’s check out whether this really is a successor of the Believe in terms of sound.

LOW END:

The low end performance of the Aurora is not that exciting in my frank opinion when compared to the Believe. The Aurora low end is fully focused on the mid bass region hence they sound thick and fat rather than fast and snappier.

The sub bass here is GOOD but not that great where it is present but still lacks that rumble and bite. The sub bass presence is mostly masked out by the mid bass which makes the track appear very thicker and full bodied but lacks that crispness and bite. In the track “INSTANT CRUSH – DAFT PUNK”, the kick drums sound very thicker and fuller which is pretty appreciable but as i told before this lacks that sub bass kick and the bite. The presence is there but it’s masked out by the excessive mid bass. Since the mid bass is also slightly slower they are not the snappiest and crispiest but it's definitely addictive since it has a nice fuller and thick sounding low end. At 1:30 the sub bass drops but it’s not that evidently felt in the Aurora rather the mid bass is the centre of focus here.

The mid bass is nicely tuned here which is fuller and soothing. The mid bass is thicker, full bodied and well separated. The control is nice but lacks the speed. It doesn’t have that speed of the Believe hence this sound slightly sluggish. Despite the slower mid bass they can handle the faster tracks very well. In the track “IN THE HEIGHTS – LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA”, the kick drums have a nice bite and the kick. The low end reverberation is brought out really well. The cymbal crashes especially are really nice and smooth and the timbre is very pleasing which we will talk about in the technicalities aspect. The separation and the layering in this track is really brought out very well. Since the soundstage is very intimate the space is lacking which made the whole presentation slightly crushed.

Overall the low end is mid bass focussed, thicker, full bodied, well separated, pleasing timbre, controlled and tight, slower( but can handle the faster tracks very well ). The low end would have been complete if a little more sub bass boost had been done. A low end which is tuned to deliver the POP genres beautifully but the metal genres will take the hit.



MID RANGE:

The mid range of the Aurora is slightly recessed, especially the instruments in the background. The vocal takes the nice placement which is presented well and forward but the instruments take the hit.

The best part about the vocals and the instruments in the Aurora is the Tonality and the Timbre. They are very smooth and addictive! The tonality is exceptionally done here. It's warm, pleasing and smooth hence no hotness is seen throughout my listening. The timbre of the instruments are realistic and natural with a hint of warmth. The tonality is however slightly cold but that gives that nice soothing and pleasing experience.

Both the male and the female vocals are nicely rendered out with good body and fullness. The upper mids are not that emphasized hence lacks that female vocal sparkle. Despite that smoother upper mids the vocals sound great in the Aurora. This is a very pleasing set to listen for a longer period rather than being too energetic and fatigued over time. The detail retrieval is average though but the layering is done very well.

The instruments are nicely placed and layered well. The imaging is very nice too. The mids sometimes feels crushed since the soundstage in not that wider. Has a good amount of space but not the best in terms of the price. If the staging is slightly bigger and with some slight upper mid emphasis, the mid range could have got a bit more space to breathe and provide some sparkle in the female vocals.

In the track, “NO TIME TO DIE – BILLIE EILISH”, Billie’s voice is nicely placed and rendered. The vocal has that nice fullness and body. The vocal slightly sounds colder and darker but not that extreme. This also gives that nice sense of fatigue free listening. The instruments take a back seat but the placement and the layering is nicely done. The kick drums and the beat instruments take front seat over the stringed and percussion instruments due to that relaxed upper mids.

In the other track “SHAPE OF YOU – ED SHEERAN”, the male vocal is nicely rendered with the same fullness and body. The kick drums sound nice and sweet but lack that snappy attack though. When the kick drums kick in the stringed instruments takes a big back seat hence midrange lovers need to have less expectations over this set.

Overall even though the midrange is slightly recessed the vocal takes a nice position and made the whole presentation very engaging. Lacks the energy in the upper mids but eventually it provided the nice fatigue free, hotness free listening. The technicalities like the Layering and the imaging are nicely done. Staging is cramped a bit but overall a solid warm and smoother midrange.



TREBLE:

The treble in the Aurora is good. They sound smoother and yet detailed. The treble extension is good but lacks the air! The instruments in the top end feel crushed and a bit congested. The brilliance aspect of the Aurora is fine with some sparkle in the top end. The percussion instruments sound slightly colder hence a bit more brightness could have been done.

The cymbal strikes are however very natural and smoother. No harshness is observed and the attack, decay are at the sweet spot. The electric guitar strings and the trumpets do have that pleasing and addictive tonality. The separation is good and the resolution is pretty average in my time with this. The air is completely lacking hence the congestion and the cramping of the staging is evidently observed.

In the track “ABARIBBA CUMBIAREMOS – EDDIE PALMIERI”, the trumpets and the instruments have a nice tonality. They sound very smoother and clean on the other hand too. The detail retrieval is good too. The track separation and the placement are nicely done but the lacking things are the wider stage and the resolution. The details sometimes get lost but overall the highs are very pleasing and warm to listen to. Slightly colder but very addictive.


In the other track “DREAMS – FLEETWOOD MAC”, the cymbal crashes are very pleasing to listen to while the vocal is nicely rendered out too. The highs are very good in terms of smoothness and tonality but the only thing this lacks is the resolution and the air. Other than that this thing has one of the pleasing sound signatures overall. The layering of the instruments and the separation are one of the best.

The treble in the Aurora is smoother, pleasing and addictive tonality, detailed enough, and has impressive layering. The staging and the presence of air could have been improved other than that nothing to complain of.



TECHNICALITIES:

SOUNDSTAGE: The staging is not the biggest strength of the Aurora. The width seems to be very less but overall the staging seems to be well rounded instead of having that extra sense of width. The height is average too but the depth is nicely done here due to that thick bass response. The lesser width made the Aurora to be slightly congested.

IMAGING: Imaging is very precise. The instruments can be easily pointed out even with that impressive thick bass response. The transient response is pretty smooth and the sweeping of sounds from one channel to the other feels pretty smooth too. The Aurora is able to handle the faster tracks too hence the imaging is not an issue in that area.

RESOLUTION: It's pretty average and the predecessor Believe just surpasses the Aurora in terms of resolution.

DETAIL RETRIEVAL: The detail retrieval is above average. Even with that cramped up intimate claustrophobic soundstage the details are brought out really well

LAYERING: That's the impressive and highlighting feature of the Aurora. The placements and the layering of the instruments are very neatly done.

Tracks Used:

1. Sirens Of The Sea – Ocean Labs
2. Global Gear (Instrumental) – Punya Srinivas
3. Hideaway – Jacob Collier
4. What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving The World – Hans Zimmer

VERDICT:

Aurora, the latest offering from the Kbear is said to be the successor of the lost legend BELIEVE and i believe that this is definitely not the successor rather its focussed towards separate audience. I agree that the tuning has been changed where the Believe had that slight V shape whereas the Aurora has that Warm Harman.

Aurora is a thick sounding pair hence called the THICK BOY. Full focus is towards the mid bass and the midrange is now presented forward when compared to the Believe and the highs has been tamed down and made it more smoother and pleasing with no hotness. Believe had that sub bass focussed sound and the technicalities are superior when compared to the Aurora.

Aurora has the narrower stage if not rounded, the detail retrieval and the presence of air is pretty average. The highs lack the sparkle and the upper mids are tamed down a lot which is pretty opposite to that of Believe. The two tunings are opposite and instead I would call the Aurora to be the successor of the Blon Bl03! Has a similar tuning with improved technicalities.

Overall I would take the Believe over this since i like more sub bass, bigger soundstage and better technicalities. But does that mean Aurora is a hit? NO! Definitely this will please a separate group of people especially who like the BL03 and this THICK BOY will definitely capture the attention from the Audiophile Community.

KBear has been playing this game far too long so let’s just jump into the review right away.

Disclaimer:

The unit was provided by HiFiGo in exchange for my honest opinions. The following thoughts are a result of my experience with the unit. You can buy the iem by clicking here




Technical Specifications:

• 10mm Titanium diaphragm dynamic driver.
• Bright Aluminum ear cavities depicting the aurora lightning.
• High-quality silver-plated copper cable.
• 3D-printed ergonomic cavity design.
• Clean & natural sound with a noise-free dark background.
• High-quality silver-plated copper cable.

Build and Fit:

The Shells are made of high-precision aluminum alloy. The shells are bright and shiny and there is a blue ring around it…hence the name Aurora

The fit is extremely ergonomic as were the other KBear IEMs. The cable is another good part of the package. It is an 8-cores SPC cable with minimal microphonics.





Sources:

• Ifi Nano BL
• Hidisz S8
• Avani DAC
• Abigail DAC
• Samsung Dongle DAC
• Samsung Galaxy S10
• Sony Discman

Sound Impressions:

Lows:

Test Tracks:

• Raavan By Amit Trivedi (
  )
• Muqabala Muqabala By AR Rahman (
  )
• Marhaba (
  )
• Cash By Vishal-Shekhar (
  )
• Laila O Laila (
  )

The Bass is good but not thumpy…The quantity is present, but the quality is missing. The mid-bass has a stronger presence as compared with the sub-bass. Tracks 1, 3, and 4 are a testament to that…The sweet sub-bass rumbles are missing a bit. The overall sound signature is V-shaped so it gives the low-end a pleasing presence. The bass has quick decay with a good texture to it…but it still has the meat is missing.


Mids:

Test Tracks:

• Ranjish Hi Sahi By Mehdi Hassan (
  )
• Tumhe Dillagi Bhool Jani Padegi By Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (
  )
• Bhool Jana Tha To Phir By Anup Jalota (
  )
• Ye Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai By Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ()
• Sochta Hoon Ki Wo Kitne Massom By Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ()
• Tu Nahi To Zindagi Mein Aur Kya By Chitra Singh (
  )

Mids have a warm presence to them. The vocals are lush and full. The lower and the upper midrange have an equal amount to it but the dynamics are missing, the micro-details are missing. The Tabla, the harmonium, the Sitar… all of them sound good but the shine is missing. The Male vocals, however, are exquisite. The female vocals are sweet as well. The Ghazals…all of them were good on this but the spark is still lacking.

Highs:

Test Tracks:

• The Funeral By Band of Horses (
  )
• No One’s Gonna Love You by Band of Horses (
  )
• Simple Song by The Shins (
  )
• Chasing Cars By Snow Patrols (
  )
• Wait By M83(
  )
• This Modern Love By Bloc Party (
  )

The Treble is smoothened and hence it lacks the required energy that makes this iem a great iem…had this energy been added to this…Aurora would have been the pick of the IEMs in the range. But this doesn’t make Aurora a bad pick. It still does many things correct in the High Frequencies…This has a non-fatiguing signature which suits the majority of the listeners and those who are looking for micro-details…they already know what they have to get…But for an average user…the non-offensive sound, the pleasing v-shaped signature…this is enough.



Soundstage and Imaging:

The soundstage is average. But feed it more power and the soundstage opens up but not by a huge margin. The imaging is average as well since the IEM misses treble energy.

Vs Tforce Yuan Li:

Yuan Li has been a recent favorite of many fellow audiophiles. When compared with Aurora, The Yuan Li has a better and more organic Tonality. While Aurora has better layering. The bass is tighter on Yuan Li and the treble is equally smoothened on Both.

Conclusion:

Aurora is a decent Single DD-based IEM that offers a smooth, non-offensive signature that is going to please the majority of listeners. The overall sound presentation is on a sweet V-shape curve and that is lovely for many of us.

Looking for more entries from KBear.

Introduction​

Aurora is here.
I was actually waiting for this more than other sets because many people ask for a replacement for the Believe, which is no longer in production due to the raw materials’ shortage we are experiencing nowadays.
I think I do not need to introduce KBEAR, you have a lot of reviews of KBEAR products here on Audio Monkeys and if you ended up opening the Aurora review it means you know what we’re talking about.
Let’s get straight into the review.

Disclaimer: the sample was provided by Keephifi for free in order to write a honest review. I do not represent KBEAR in any way and this is not a promotional content.
At the time of the review, the KBEAR Aurora were sold for around € 145 on Keephifi’s official online store.

BUY: KEEPHIFI (I am not affiliated with the shop, they have just provided the review sample).

For more reviews, visit https://www.audio-monkeys.com!

Technical Specifications​

• Configuration → 1DD
• Sensitivity → 105±3dB
• Impedance → 18±2 Ohm
• Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
• Cable → 1,2m – 8-core 6N silver-plated copper cable with 0,78mm PINs, no microphone
• Connector type → straight gold plated 3,5mm jack connector

Packaging​

The packaging is very elegant even though from the outside it’s definitely leaning towards a “showy” ahestetics with its reflective logo. It contains:

• The KBEAR Aurora
• The cable
• 5 pairs of KBEAR 07 silicone tips (the same provided with the CCZ Plume) + 3 pairs of wide bore tips (the same provided with the KBEAR Believe)
• A pleather carrying case
• A small cleaning brush
• A green cloth for cleaning the housings
• User manual

Design and Build Quality​

The Aurora are simply beautiful. Their design is quite unique and they’re light blue reflections are inspired to the “aurora” and this is why KBEAR decided to name these IEMs that way.
The great build quality is something you feel immediately after picking them from the box, and the overall assembly is nearly perfect. The weight is not really high and by looking at their build quality it wouldn’t have surprised me if these were heavier.
The downside of their glossy aluminum alloy shell is that they become a real fingerprint magnet from the first time you touch them. No matter how often you clean them, they will keep your fingerprint while you’re inserting them into your ears, so you’ll just need to get used to it if it’s something that bothers you.
The nozzle is pretty thick and the lip is well proportioned: in fact, tips never fall off (except the case you put a pair of very large incompatible tips on them).
There is a pressure vent near the base of the nozzle and it seems like there is another one on the same side on which the 2-PIN port is located.

Cable​

The stock cable is very good and has all the things that are needed to be the perfect cable for a pair of mid-tier IEMs, including the chin slider that is something which is worth having on every cable. It looks very similar to the KBEAR Limpid Pro although the latter is a pure silver cable whereas the stock cable included with the Aurora is a silver-plated copper cable (not that it makes any change to the sounds, but it’s always better to write things in the right way).

Comfort and Isolation​

Comfort is nice, and although they’re not the most comfortable set I have in my collection, I can easily keep them in my ears for multiple hours. Their shape does not have sharp edges or any part that could push against your ears.
Isolation is “good”: I have sets that insulate better but these can be easily used outside with no particular issues.
Another strenght of this set is the pack of tips that comes with it: there’s a good amount of tips to choose from and there are two different types of tips in various sizes. Another thumb up for KBEAR.

Sound​

How do these sound?
This is the real reason you’re reading this review (I guess).
[Personal preference: I listen to almost every genre, even though my main preference goes to EDM subgenres. I always like a bit more energy on the bass and on the highs, leading to a personal preference for Y-shaped sound signatures, but if I have to choose, I’d prefer having many different IEMs with various signatures, in order to choose a particular one of them when I want to listen to a specific genre. I love switching between my IEMs so it’s even better if they’re very different from each others.]

TEST GEAR

• DAC: Topping E30
• AMP: Topping L30
• Mobile phones: Poco F2 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Portable DAPs: Benjie S8/AGPTEK M30B
• Other sources: Presonus AudioBox iONE

Do they need an amp?
The Aurora don’t strictly need an amplifier as they are very easy to drive, but they obviously benefit from being amplified.

Sound signature
The KBEAR Aurora are a (well-done) V-shaped set with a pleasant warm tonality.

Lows: sub-bass extension is very good, the rumble is not overly aggressive and even in the sub-bass region you can feel the Aurora are giving you some information other than just “shaking your brain”. Bass has a mature timbre, has good punch and body and average textures even though it is not the fastest I have heard in this price bracket, and its approach is definitely on the fun side.
Those who like EDM music, hip-hop and similar genres will certainly like the Aurora.

Mids: the midrange leans towards a warm and pleasant timbre. Male vocals have good depth, body and weight, and they also gain some presence thanks to the well proportioned bass. Instruments are slightly recessed, but they’re reproduced naturally with a soft warm tinge and their resolution is really great. Female voices are never sibilant although they are both energetic and intimate, and I never felt the need to decrease the volume as they were there in the right amount.

Highs: treble isn’t excessively boosted and it’s not aggressive at all. There is a good amount of details but I would not consider these as detail monsters, even though the amount of information given is up to their price tag if we consider all the other good things we’ve just mentioned. The only thing that leaves me with a sort of “bitter taste” is that the upper-treble lacks a bit of added air, and this can lead to partially muted cymbals or violin upper notes. This isn’t something a good EQ cannot fix, but I prefer pointing out that, in my humble opinion, a slightly “airier” upper range would have been perfect.
Summing up things regarding the highs, the overall impression is that they’re inoffensive and will definitely appeal most of the users out there, including the most sensitive ones that are looking for a non-fatiguing pair of IEMs to make a step-up from lower price brackets.
Soundstage is well rounded and, although not the widest (even if it has respectable width), provides a non-artificial image of the sonic scene, along with good depth and height (I am not excluding the fact that a slightly more accentuated upper treble would have increased the perceived stage size). Imaging is precise and pinpointing vocals and instruments is pretty easy, and so is when it comes to instrument separation.

Some comparisons:
KBEAR Aurora vs KBEAR Believe
I know this is what many were waiting for, so I’ll try satisfying your curiosity.
These two are slightly different, and it’s pretty evident. Sub-bass is more pronounced on the Aurora, which also reproduces it in a more elegant way, whereas bass is more emphasized on the Believe. Regarding the bass itself, the Believe have the fastest and punchier bass among the two, but its approach is not as mature as on the Aurora, which provide a more textured and natural bass. It’s just a different idea of bass, and one should choose based on personal preferences. The issue with the Believe is that their bass was not as clean as on the Aurora in the overall signature: to be clearer, Aurora’s bass sound just right, without bleeding too much into the midrange even though it still influences (pleasantly) the midrange tonality, pushing some warmth into it. On the other hand, the Believe have faster bass but the lower midrange sometimes suffers from its egoistic approach, thing that does not happen on the Aurora.
The midrange itself also sounds less recessed on the Aurora, this both because the bass isn’t as pronounced as on the Believe and because the midrange itself is actually slightly more forward in the overall signature. Male vocals sound more natural and deep on the Aurora, and in fact they never have issues regarding intrusive bass. Instruments are well resolved on both although Believe has a slight edge in busy tracks where transients speed is important: in this case, the Believe is more agile but you have to use an amplifier in order to make them a proper set for this kind of usage whereas the Aurora is ready-to-play and still does a great job in busy tracks. The upper-midrange is more aggressive on the Believe, and even though there isn’t almost any case in which the latter get sibilant, the Aurora are definitely more pleasant and delicate, and they do this without making female vocals dry or veiled.
The Believe comes out as the brightest one among the two even when speaking about the treble: they are more detailed and also have more air on top, and I think these are two strenghts of the Believe that make the Aurora a tad less resolving and open. The other side of the coin regards the overall timbre of the two sets: while the Believe can become fatiguing for many, moreover if they’re not amplified correctly, the Aurora are always fatigue-free and easy to listen to even for prolonged listening sessions. I think this is a way bigger strenght as we all want something that we can use for hours without issues, and the Aurora get us covered.
Soundstage is taller on the Believe with similar width and a bit more depth to it, even though Aurora provides a more “natural” image of the sonic stage: it seems like the overall sense of space is less artificial on the second one.
The Aurora are a lot easier to drive, and play well even when connected to a smartphone; they surely scale well but they’re not as “capricious” as the Believe when it comes to source. Please note that this comparison speaks about a properly amped Believe, so be aware that the overall comparison could be slightly affected if the Believe were connected to a very weak source.
Both are great when it comes about build quality: the Aurora have a unique design whereas the Believe partially share its design with the old KBEAR Diamond (apart from the color scheme) but both show a lot of attention to details during the manufacturing process. One thing to note is that the Believe are heavier, and when holding both in the hand the overall impression is that the latter seems to weigh twice as much when compared to the Aurora.
The cable provided with the Aurora is not bad, by any means, but its color is not my cup of tea. I still prefer a more “industrial” look and for this reason the stock cable shipped with the KBEAR Believe is the one that I prefer.
What would I pick if I had to choose between these two IEMs? I think I’d pick the Aurora, almost no doubts about it. The thing I can easily drive them from a smartphone is definitely the most important factor, moreover because they sound great in practically every situation, whereas the Believe needed a lot of power to shine, and even in that case they could become fatiguing after some time. The Aurora are the most refined among these two and, although a tad less technical and resolving than the Believe, there’s practically nothing they can’t do well.



KBEAR Aurora vs CCZ Plume
Pretty easy comparison: the Aurora win hands down and since there’s no need to write down a lot of words, I’ll sum up the more important things.
First of all, the Plume are W-shaped whereas the Aurora are V-shaped.
Sub-bass is more pronounced on the Plume, although the Aurora are more controlled and precise. Bass is more emphasized on the Plume but textures are not comparable: the Aurora have much more details in the bass and they’re also more natural and refined in this region while keeping their incisiveness. Midrange is more forward on the Plume, with upfront vocals and instruments. Although the instruments are more recessed on the Aurora, they manage to sound better, with a more accurate tonality and better resolution. Vocals are more refined and coherent on the Aurora as well. Treble is less muted on the Aurora whereas the Plume sound darker and with less details. Both miss some upper-treble sparkle.
Soundstage is wider on the Plume, deeper and higher on the Aurora. The Aurora is better in imaging and instrument separation.
Among the two, the Aurora are the easiest ones to drive.
The Plume are well built but the Aurora show some refinements that make them look more premium, and if we put into account the QC issues because of which the Plume were highly criticized then the best one is easy to spot.
Aurora comes with a better cable even though the Plume were shipped with a 2,5mm balanced cable and adapters.
Isolation is better on the Plume while Aurora is hands down the most comfortable among the two, mostly because the Plume has a huge housing with a protruding part can be very uncomfortable (at least for me).
What would i pick then? As said above, the Aurora are the way to go, and even if you’d have liked buying a pair of CCZ Plume you can’t buy them anyway as their production was stopped.

Final Thoughts​

The Aurora are very, very good. What really makes me happy is that KBEAR managed to make another great IEM partially by listening to reviewers’ feedbacks, and this is something that our community will appreciate for sure.
The Aurora are not the perfect IEMs that will stop you from buying other stuff, nor they’re free from downsides (the most important one, at least for me, being the lack of air in the upper treble), but the overall job done from KBEAR is definitely worth my recommendation.
The Aurora are good, ahestetically pleasing and competent, and it’s safe to say they really deserve the kind of attention that a good pair of mid-tier IEMs should have.

The KB Ear Aurora is KB Ear's latest 1DD IEM offering at the sub-$200usd price range. It retails for $169usd and features a 10mm Titanium Plated Dynamic Driver. In terms of unboxing experience, I think KB Ear did a great job. Upon opening the box, I am presented with 5 sets of KB Ear a07 tips, 3 sets of KB Ear 10 Eartips, a cleaning cloth, a cleaning brush, a faux leather case, a blue colour 4-core SPC cable, and last but not least, the KB Ear Aurora itself.

Overall, pretty happy with the unboxing experience here. No complaints! In terms of the provided stock tips, I find KB Ear a07 to sound better with the Aurora, so that is what I'll be using for the review. The KB ear 10 eartips, although makes the Aurora sound more open and resolving, it tames the mid-bass a bit too much for my taste.

With that out of the way, let's start the review.

*Disclaimer: This review is done using stock KB Ear a07 eartips and stock cable.

KB Ear Aurora FR graph​

Click to expand...

Source used:
1. iFi Zen DAC + iFi Zen CAN (IEMatch + iSilencer Plus + iPurifier3 + iPower + iPowerX)
2. Sony A55 (MrW WalkmanOne w/ WM1Z + Normal + J region)
3. Shanling UA2
4. Shanling M3x Limited
5. Monolith USB Dac
6. Apple Dongle
7. Samsung Galaxy S9+ SE out (Exynos)

Drivability:
1. Pretty easy to drive. Sounds great with my Apple Dongle and my phone.
2. Scales very well with amping/sources too.

Click to expand...

PROS :​

• I would describe the sound signature here to be warm, lush, and smooth. The tuning here is Warm Harman. The easiest way to imagine how the Aurora will sound is to imagine BL03, but with much better technicalities.
• In terms of bass, I would describe the bass here to be thick, warm, punchy, and full. It is more mid-bass-focused than sub-bass, but it is far from being a basshead-only IEM. In terms of speed, I'd say that the DD bass in the Aurora is impressive. It manages to strike the balance between speed and quantity - where the bass is fast enough so that the bass won't bleed into the mids, but also at the same time, manage to sound full and lush without coming off as dry. The bass here isn't as fast as the Oxygen or the KB Ear BElieve (when driven well), but I actually enjoy the bass here more than Oxygen's and Believe's. Why? Well, the same reason why I can't let go of the BLON Bl-03 - The bass quantity is just perfect ( don’t forget that Aurora has much better technicalities too).
• In terms of the mids, I would describe the midrange here to be warm, full, and lush. It is slightly recessed though, but in my opinion, this is what makes the Aurora analogue sounding and "so pleasant to listen to. In terms of vocals, I find both male and female vocals to sound pretty organic here. Instruments, too, sound pretty organic. Both instruments and vocals are presented in a thick and lush manner.
• In terms of treble, I would describe the treble here to be sweet, smooth, and well-extended. Just like most Harman-tuned IEMs, the treble here is smooth, non-fatiguing, non-sibilant, and very easy to listen to for long hours. However, unlike most warm/dark sounding IEMs, Aurora's treble is pretty well-extended. I was pretty surprised by its somewhat airy treble signature. Now, keep in mind that these are NOT the airiest, especially when compared to IEMs like Tanchjim Oxygen and KB Ear BElieve, but these are up there for sure (for a <$200usd 1DD IEM).
• In terms of timbre, these are pretty good. KB Ear Aurora sounds natural and organic.
• The soundstage here is pretty well-rounded. With decent width, depth, and height. I would describe the soundstage here to be somewhat like a sphere.
• In terms of imaging, it is pretty good! It images around your head, with above-average imaging capabilities.
• The Warm Harman tuning + well-rounded soundstage + above average imaging make the Aurora a very good IEM for both casual and competitive gaming.
• Easy to drive and scales well with sources.
• Very good accessories set. Great case, great tips, great cable. No tip/cable rolling required.
• Noise isolation + fit for me is great. However, the shell size might be a bit too big for some.

CONS :​

• Not the most resolving 1DD set at this price range.
• Slightly lacking in terms of detail retrieval and clarity.
• Shell size might be a bit too big for some.

KB EAR AURORA ($169USD) VS KB EAR BELIEVE ($180USD - DISCONTINUED)​

KB Ear Aurora vs KB Ear BElieve FR graph​

Click to expand...

• KB Ear BElieve is much more resolving, with better detail retrieval, treble, and air. Bass is faster with better texture, upper mids and treble are more pronounced. However, its upper mids and treble can be hot at times, and it is also SUPER HARD TO DRIVE. Looking to use the BElieve outdoors? Good luck…
• KB Ear Aurora is warmer, smoother, and much easier to drive. It has better bass (in terms of enjoyment), and is overall the better choice for long, non-fatiguing listening sessions. However, in terms of resolution and details, nowhere near KB Ear BElieve's level.
• Personally, I prefer the BElieve. It is currently (at the time of writing), my FAVOURITE 1DD IEM to date. However, the fact that only my desktop amp (the iFi Zen CAN) can drive the BElieve well, makes using it a pain in the ass at times…
• KB Ear Aurora, on the other hand, sounds great with anything, be it a cheap dongle or a powerful desktop amp.

KB EAR AURORA ($169USD) VS BLON BL-03 ($25USD)​

Not a fair comparison at all, but if you are looking to upgrade from the BL-03, this might be useful for you.​

Click to expand...

KB Ear Aurora vs BLON BL-03 FR graph​

Click to expand...

• The KB Ear Aurora sounds like the BLON BL-03, but with much better technicalities.
• If you are looking to upgrade from the BLON BL-03, do expect better speed, better technicalities, better soundstage, better imaging, better detail retrieval, and better resolution.
• In other words, the KB Ear Aurora IS the BLON BL-03, but better in every way.

IN CONCLUSION:​

KB Ear Aurora is perfect for those BLON BL-03 lovers that can't seem to let go of the BLON BL-03 (I know you're out there!) thanks to its amazing bass, timbre, and its warm, inviting sound.

Well, I do not want to sound like a broken record, but the KB Ear Aurora is literally the BLON BL-03, but with much better technicalities.

If you are looking for a warm Harman-sounding IEM with amazing bass, decent technicalities, with a smooth non-fatiguing sound, look no further as the KB Ear Aurora is it.

This review unit is provided by HILL AUDIO - MY in their KB EAR Aurora review tour. I am not at all compensated by them and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

TONALITY: 8.4/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 8/10

INTRO
KBEAR company doesn’t need an introduction for those familiar with Chifi, they’ve been around for about 5 years and this eaprhones company is always evolving. In 2020 they had released multiple IEM, like the ROBIN ((budget 1DD+4BA), the NEON (1 knowles BA) and now, the flagship AURORA, which is a single dynamic driver with dome Titanium diaphragm. Priced 140$, it should be seen as a follow-up to their latest mid-tier attempt, the Kbear BELIEVE. The use of strong magnet as well as new gen titanium diaphragm promise high technical performance, let’s see in this review if Kbear deliver another high sound value IEM.


PACKAGING


Elegant box with beautifull design. Generous amount of accessories including 7 pairs of silicone ear tips, a leather case, a brush and a cleaning clothes.


CONSTRUCTION


All thick metal with mirror finish. A bit big and heavy. Mirror finish equal finger print magnet but have seen easier to scratch IEM than these. The nozzle is rather big and long so it could be an issue for some as well as weight and overall size. In they ears they don't look as sexy as in they hands due to long nozzle that doesnt need deep insertion. They feel very sturdy and well built, the 2pin connecter is solidly embeded and promise good durability even if connection isn't super tight. The cable is good too, thick 8 cores SPC with heavy jack. Isolation is average, sound leakage minimal.


SOUND IMPRESSIONS
(gear used: Xduoo XD-05plus, Xduoo X20, Audirect BEAM2 and SMSL SU-9+SH9)

TONALITY :
Smooth W shape to brighten harman target, slight mid bass-mids-treble boost. The lower mids and mid treble have more presence and energy than all the rest but not in a shouty over excited way.

TIMBRE :
Realist but slightly fuzzy in texturing, average density (which is good), decent transparency. Just a hint cold. Between clinical and lush.

RESOLUTION :
Very good though not the cleanest nor the crispest or most precise. With the Aurora, you have alot of sound info at the same time, but not alot of space. This is due to high resolution that tend to show lot of nuance in texture and tone.

SOUNDSTAGE :
Average in wideness and tallness, not very deep nor clean. Compressed holographic spatiality and a bit in-your-head. Do improve with more amping, especially in tallness, not really in deepness.

IMAGING :
Not very good due to compressed sound layers, instrument lacking clear space between them, you can dig sound layers but will have an hard time precisely spot instrument placement. With acoustic-instrumental music that doesn’t have bass, imaging is crisper.

BASS :
You got a fast thumpy mid-bass, thick slam with short rumble extension. There some euphonic resonance to lower end that give sub-bass air but the body isn’t fully there. Kick drum have good weight but isn’t perfectly separated from mids nor very clean or well resolve, a bit warrmed by mid-bass boost but not muddy. Sub-bass stay in the back while hitting low range sound have more presence. With the track ‘’Moonlight’’ from IAMDDB, digital kick have lot of impact, it’s very meaty and intense, it’s not swallowed by the big sub-bass line which isn’t the most transparent I heard, but very thick and authoritative, near basshead intense, which surprise me due to short extension for acoustic bass. Acoustic bass can sound woolly and overly boosted in mid-bass and lacking natural extension, which isn’t the case for synth bass or electric bass that benefit from extra presence and grippy weight. We can’t have everything, but I consider the bass at same level than Dunu Zen in term of impact and speed and overall quality. While the bass add bit of warmth to mids, it benefit male voice as well as instrument like piano, saxophone or even organ, cello have more grunt too. If it wasn’t from the resonance that add bloom to the sound, the Aurora bass would be excellent.

MIDS :
Though not the crispest or most refined, the mid range have a very appealing fullness with hint of bass warmth and extra lower mid presence that thicken whole tonality. Rich in sound layers, yet slightly opaque in it’s macro-resolution homegeneity, the mid range have a natural tone, dense body with softed edge and good sens of weight, should it be for piano note hit, male&female vocal body or violin and cello, it have a palpable thickness to it that tend to highlight sound ‘’topography’’ over perfect razor sharp definition. Far from being clinical, thin or recessed, the mids are energic in dynamic weight but smoothen in attack edge and bite, free of sibilance. Female vocal aren’t as fowards as i’m use too but they have an appealing hint of warmth and breathyness. Resolution is a bit cloudy,especially if we search to extract an instrument individuality. In this case, male vocal is a bit fuller and better extracted.

TREBLE :
Full are the highs with shorten decay, rich in body nuance and micro-details, fast and snappy in attack, they are very well done but not very extended, which explain one crual flaw of the Aurora : the lack of air. This affect instrument separation, highs brilliance and sparkle as well as micro-details and texture refinement. I mean, the Aurora is very generous in details, but some of them are just ‘’idea of details’’ and lack proper definition. I really like the tone of all high pitched instrument, even harpsichord notes sound thick and weighty, acoustic guitar sound very nice, but they all lack proper natural decay. Electric guitar is harder to appreciate, and tonally less accurate, it feel a bit foggy in texture and lack bite for rich feedback distortion, still it’s very dense and well layered. In the other hands, the attack feel fast enough to avoid cymbals splashyness or busy track going messy, this is suprising due to thick macro-resolution but the Aurora is often imprevisible in it's audio rendering.

SIDE NOTES :
The Aurora benefit from extra amping power, it will notably widen and open the soundstage, slightly improve imaging-layering too. Don’t be fool by the rather low impedance (18ohm) and normal sensitivity (105db), these titanium driver need a bit of juice.
Changing cables inflict mostly on timbre, but resolution too, for example a silver plated cable seem to clean the sound & tame the bass while a full copper one will thicken timbre and add midbass warmth.
Ear tips inflict alot on soundstage rendering too, as well as bass balance.

COMPARISONS

VS TFORCE YUAN LI (1DD-120$)

TONALITY : Aurora is a bit brighter and more treble axed, less boosted in sub bass and less lean in dynamic (more energic in attack and edge). Yuan Li have a warmer V shape to harman neutral approach, it’s smoother darker.
TIMBRE : more textured and grainy with the Aurora, less natural and organic than Yuan Li.
RESOLUTION: Crisper and richer in micro-details for the Aurora.
SOUNDSTAGE : Wider and taller with the Yuan Li, but deeper (tunnel like) with the Aurora.
IMAGING : Both aren’t that good in that department, but Yuan Li have better transparency and layering.
BASS : Warmer and sloppier, but more extended with the Yuan Li. More textured and controled with the Aurora.
MIDS : Leaner, fuller and more natural with the Yuan li, less agressive than more fowards upper mids or Aurora. Female vocal jump at you more with the Aurora while male vocal has more lower harmonic emphasis that can lead to tone unbalance.
TREBLE : Fuller, more textured and more present with Aurora, more sparkly and less thin. Greater amount of micro-details too. Lower treble is way darker with the Yuan Li.
ATTACK SPEED : Well, it seem the Aurora can deal better with ultra fast busy music track (Elephant9-Skink), and thats quite incredible really...even if i wish it sound more open and the end of the song barely kill my ears!

All in all, if your more of an Harman target fan, the Yuan Li is for you, if your more into energic near analytical soundsignature, the Aurora is there too. Tonaly, i will give it to Yuan Li, while technicaly the Aurora seem superiorr with it’s higher resolution and faster attack speed.

VS NFAUDIO NM2+ (1DD-170$)

Let’s say that what hit at first here is how much agressive and shouty sound the NF2+, unlike the Aurora, the NM2+ is the type of IEM you need to suddenly lower the volume at certain passages of your music in upper mids range.
TONALITY : NM2+ is brighter and more upper mid centric, let say W shape with both low and highs extension being tamed. Aurora is way more balanced, fuller in extension-dynamic and tonaly pleasant-smoother.
TIMBRE : Thinner, dryer-brighter and less transparent (saturated with noise) is the NM2+.
RESOLUTION : Notably poorer, grainy homogeneity that lack definition edge.
SOUNDSTAGE : About same wide, deeper but strangely less tall than NM2+ which act like a wall of sound compared to more circular holographic spatiality of Aurora.
IMAGING : The Aurora is superior in both layering and placement accuracy, it’s cleaner and not saturated noise mix like the NM2+.
BASS : NM2+ is flatter, thinner in body, less weighty in slam and extended in rumble, more rolled off and dry. Aurora pack more punch with better attack flexibility-control and less mid bleed.
MIDS : This is where the NM2+ is notably more shouty and agressive, as well as inferior in macrro-resolution and attack control. Everything can easily go messy with busy track, which is not the case with the Aurora.
TREBLE : Thinner-splashier with the NM2+, Aurora dig more micro-details and have more natural decay and sparkle. It’s just from another league here, way more realist and controled.
ATTACK SPEED : Aurora can project layers of sounds way faster, so it avoid going messy with busy track, offer cleaner layering and better attack snap.

All in all, the NM2+ is put to shame by the Aurora in all aspect. Supreme K.O imo.

VS MOONDROP ARIA (1DD-80$)

TONALITY : Aria is more L shape to neutral, crisper-cleaner , colder and more analytical with more extended and emphasised sub-bass. Aurora is warmer-thicker-with more weighty slam.
TIMBRE : More transparent, cleaner and dryer-colder.
RESOLUTION : Notably higher, less hollow and more revealing.
SOUNDSTAGE : Notably more open, wider-taller and way deeper.
IMAGING : Crisper and more accurate, both layering and instrument separation have more space.
BASS : Less thumpy, less thick and boosted in mid bass slam. Better separated and leaner in extension while Aurora have more resonance, is warmer but have more kick drum body.
MIDS : While vocal are thinner and less bodied (especially male), mid range is cleaner and more detailed. Female vocal are smoother and better separated, it sound more open too.
TREBLE : This is where Aria take the lead, the treble is more extended and open, more airy and sparkly, it dig more micro-details while keeping a delicate balance.
ATTACK SPEED : This is always hard to judge proper driver speed, but it seem Aria is slightly faster. Again, using the same test track, the Aria manage it with more precision and the treble never affect definition of other instrument, Aurora cymbals crash is less controlled in decay and the timing is less balanced. Still, both these IEM have incredible transient speed!

All in all, the Aria have a lighter dynamic and leaner tonality with higher resolution, while the Aurora pack more punch, have thicker warmer tonality and slightly inferior technicalities.

VS IKKO GEMS OH1S (1DD+1BA-199$)

TONALITY : Brighter leaner colder neutral to analytical, and inversed L shape with emphasis on treble. Notably less musical and full sounding than Aurora.
TIMBRE : Notably thinner but more transparent too, less natural and meaty than Aurora.
SOUNDSTAGE : More intimate but cleaner and deeper.
IMAGING : Notably superior, cleaner, more accurate with more articulate instrument separation.
BASS : Near dead flat which make the Aurora feel super bassy when it isn’t...it’s over shadow by the rest of instrument and doesn’t move air nor have rumble.
MIDS : Brighter, thinner, crisper and more detailed,clean and sibilant. Aurora mids are thicker, smoother, warmer, more natural especially when it come to vocal or violin.
TREBLE : Sharper, snappier and airier, it extract more micro-detail but sound more artificial and thin, decay is less natural than Aurora, percussion can sound half-done and distached too.
ATTACK SPEED : The timing between DD and BA of the OH1S isn’t perfect, which inflict proper bass separation, as well it sound more shouty so while the highs seem faster the rest isn’t. Testing the same busy track (Elephant9-Skink), OH1S sound more messy and condensed too, the highs crumpling-splashing on everything else. Unlistenable.

All in all, OH1S is less musical and more plain technical even if not as well articulate as the Aurora. Aurora beat these in everything but imaging accuracy (except in very busy track where the OH1S can’t keep up).


CONCLUSION

KBEAR has always evolved, and lately it's for the better, especially in tonal and timbral balance. Even If i didn't directly compare those with the Diamond, we can see the Aurora as a direct upgrade that solves overly bright V shape balance for a more bassy neutral with thicker timbre. We can see this as a Believe side grade too, with similar tonality but a bit cleaner presentation.
The Aurora is a very capable single DD iem that delivers a lively yet smooth signature with warm thumpy bass, full mids and crunchy treble, the macro-resolution is extremely rich in sounds layers wich give a very immersive sound experience that benefit long time listening.
While this isn't a reference tuning and lack a bit of clarity, the sirupy tonal cohesion of the Aurora is easy to love and suit a wide range of music.
Another good release from KBear!


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PS: I wanna thanks KBear and Keephifi for sending me this review sample. I'm not affiliated to this company and distributor and keep my full freedom of judgement as always.
You can buy the KBear Aurora for 170$ HERE.


For more reviews and audio news, give a look (or subscribe) to my website HERE.

Sources used during review: Hiby R5 Saber, Fiio BTR5, Shanling M3X
Tips Used During Review: Final E Tips, Stock Blue Tips
Cables Used During Review: Stock SPC Cable, FAAEAL Hibiscus High Purity Copper Cable

Disclaimer: Aurora was sent to me Kbear for review purpose, I would like to thank them for proving me with this opportunity. However, all the views expressed in this review are my own and not influenced by anyone. It is always my goal to provide a bias free and honest review. Kbear Aurora can be purchased from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003109134536.html



Executive Summary: Kbear Aurroa is a single 10mm titanium plated nano magnetic diaphragm dynamic driver IEM. This one is a follow up to Kbear’s popular Believe which came with a pure beryllium dynamic driver and was a big hit. Aurora has a warm-ish Harman tuning with excellent timbre and thick note weight. Aurora comes in at a price tag of $170, that is by no means is cheap, so let’s see what it brings to the table!



Hits:

• Warm, Harman-ish V-shaped tuning with thick & meaty note weight. Overall, very pleasant tonality with excellent timbral accuracy. This is a pretty elegant V shaped tuning.
• Aurora is Mid-Bass focused; it packs quite a good punch and has decent amount of quantity. The bass is well textured, detailed reasonably speedy. There is a Sub-Bass presence as well but it has moderate extension compared to the Mid-Bass.
• Mids are thick and lush, imagine Blon 03 mids but not as recessed in the mix. Unlike traditional V-shaped IEM’s Aurora mids sound quite forward, not as forward as vocals/mids centric IEM but it gets the balance right.
• There is no bass bleed into the mids section, generally both male and female vocals sound great with an adequate amount of warmth.
• Nice, smooth treble with good transparency and clarity. No weird peaks present here.
• Good imaging & sound separation performance as I could pin point individual instruments in tracks like Ayreon- Into the Electric Castle.
• Aurora does not sound congested in busy tracks, the titanium plated single dynamic driver displays very good speed.
• Excellent, eye catchy build quality with a mirror finish shell, the chrome blue accents on the face-plate really makes them stand out from the rest of the competition. The shells are lightweight and are comfortable to wear for long listening sessions without any fatigue.
• Aurora comes with an eye catchy packaging as well with some holographic designs. There are a good number of accessories packed with the retail box: A 6-strand silver-plated copper cable, a faux leather pouch, a selection of ear tips, a cleaning cloth & a cleaning brush.
• Easy to drive, don’t need excessive levels of power to open up the performance. Aurora doesn’t even scale that much even if you do feed it lots of power.

Misses:

• Slightly rolled-off treble that lacks air and sparkle.
• Soundstage isn't very deep nor wide.
• Average details retrieval performance as expected from a single dynamic driver IEM compared to other multi-driver IEM’s available in the same price range.
• Although there is a good amount of Mid-Bass presence it still lacks that strong thumpy punch to satisfy the Bass-Heads out there. You do get your Sub-Bass rumble in specific tracks & genres but you will have to go out of your way looking for it.
• The chrome blue accents painted on the face plate comes off easily. Or at least it did so on my unit within a few weeks of usage.

Conclusion: Alright I will come right off and say it, the Kbear Aurora is basically an upgraded version of the Blon 03 with better technicities, resolution and offers a more balanced sound. This should have been the Blon 04, or how Blon 04 should have sounded if it did exist in an alternate universe. Kbear Aurora is an excellent set with a lot of things going for it, but is it worth the $170 asking price? I don’t think so, a more appropriate price for it would be $120 to $130 max. At the $170 mark there are definitely better options out there, more on that later. Luckily K-bear has some regular sales going on in its official Ali Express store which might make the Aurora a more attractive deal to consumers.



Comparisons: I will be including the Kbear Aurora in my Sub $200 IEM’S: A Battle Royale Style Comparison thread soon, where it will compete against 7 other IEM’s in same price range. Follow my page to see how it performs, stay tuned!
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KBEAR Aurora – Crispy Blue​

FOREWORD
As a longtime patron of HiFiGo, they have graciously sent me this KBEAR Aurora in exchange for product impressions from my standpoint as a user.

It is best to understand that my reviews are entirely subjective from my point of view and heavily influenced by my own sonic preferences – of which I am a longtime fanatic of Diffused Field Neutral sound (more like Etymotic DF Neutral). Recently I have also developed for deeper appreciation of Neutral Balanced sound which offers a bit more of weight in the lower registers rendering organic, warm-ish sonic characteristics. Admittedly I am allergic to any signs of Bass body mass that I regard as “unnatural”. But then this is just me being me.

The Build:
KBEAR Aurora being the flagship IEM for the KBEAR brand, comes in elegant and premium packaging as would be expected of IEMs of this pedigree. This includes a beautiful faux leather pouch bag, 4 pairs of Silicone Tips, Aurora Blue Silver-Plated Copper (SPC) cable (0.78 Two Pins), Cleaning Cloth and a Cleaning Brush!

Underneath the beautiful blue tinted chrome metal shells (which is 3D printed), Aurora uses single 10mm Titanium Dome Diagram Dynamic driver. Rated at 18 Ohm with 105db of sensitivity. So, it is expected that Aurora should be an efficient unit to drive.

What I find interesting is that Aurora does not use the word “coated”. KBEAR simply stated Titanium Domed Diaphragm. So, my assumption to this is that Aurora goes a bit more of being truer to Titanium based DD than any other IEMs that I have known of.

The Wear:
KBEAR Aurora is a moderately sized IEM. The build and design apparently have been meticulously done to provide comfort and sonic tuning. I wish the Aurora could have included a set of foam tips, as I am natively more comfortable with the foamies for better sealing and natural resonance. My ears just don’t respond well to silicone tips. So, it was not long before I swapped in my preferred foam tips after trying out the silicones for a while. Other than that, wearing the Aurora is hassle free with the braided blue cable being highly pliable and with very usable chin slider to keep microphonics at bay.

THE SOUND

Burn-In Assessment:
Alright I will just bluntly say this out loud. Right out of the box I wasn’t impressed at all with what I heard. Aurora was somewhat peaky bright sounding with strong metallic timbre. I also observed some very annoying grainy edged Treble decays in the extended region. However, all these gradually went away as the first 2 hours went by. By then I knew that this one will need some healthy amount of Burn-In. Being a Dynamic Driver, the factory fresh diaphragm membrane will require regular motions to loosen up any stiffness to the body. These things make sound by vibrating motion after all. Being Titanium domed suggests that Aurora will be even stiffer/denser than the regular DDs. And I believe this Aurora is also designed to be a speedy performer, which means the thickness of the diaphragm itself may be well above normal.

So, I set aside my Aurora for dedicated Burn-In with synthetic and Pink Noise audio loop on my 2nd laptop. Letting it run continuously for the next 30 hours. At the mark to 30 hours, I plugged it in for a listen and I was greatly relieved that the annoying metallic harshness all gone replaced by solid crispy sound all over. Satisfied that the Burn-In showed some positive results, I placed it back again for another 70 hours of Burn-In.

The sound impressions described afterwards are after 100 hours of burn-in with the following equipment:

• Unbranded slow rebound memory foam tips
• Samsung Galaxy S20 (USB 3.0 Power Delivery)
• HiBy Audio Player (USB Exclusive mode to bypass Android SRC)
• Traditional FLAC Files (CD Rips or Bandcamp)
• TempoTec Sonata E44 Dongle
• Ovidius B1 (3.5 Single Ended) Dongle
• Avani ALC5696 Dongle
• Abigail CX31993 Dongle
• VE Odyssey HD
• VE Run About Plus 5 (18v Amplifier)

Timbre and Tonality.
KBEAR Aurora is faithfully balanced neutral, nearing DF like neutrality especially with the foam tips worn at later stages – also pairing with equally neutral sources. The timbre is crystal clear and clean sounding, not exactly as organic as how I prefer it to be, but at least not overly bright digital-ish metallic either. What’s more important is the accuracy of tonal balance towards what I perceive as natural. Tested with Alison Krauss’ “Goodbye is All We Have”, I can hear her peaky Soprano vocals presented naturally with no hint of being nasal or sibilant. I always use this song to measure neutrality because it is so easy to skew the output on a system that is does not sound natural. The guitars and percussions all sounded realistic without any tint of coloration. I wish there could be a bit more density but then this is me being very picky, Aurora offers enough weight to the dynamic range to not sound lean – so, I can totally accept that. Solid, natural, clean, clear, and crisp is how I would describe Aurora timbre and tonality.

Dynamics.
Controlled and solid – that’s what Aurora is. Expansive dynamic range oozes with very well controlled vibrancy that is not overdone – believable, tangible, and polished. This portrayal of controlled dynamics help to compensate for the lack of organic touch as noted earlier. It is mildly exciting as not to sound unrealistic – in fact I reckoned this similarly to what a magnetic planar would sound like, instead of the many “overly exciting” dynamic drivers commonly would behave. Being a single DD helps with coherence. I did not hear any impairment in the melding of different frequencies even on the most complex passages, it is as disciplined as it can be with proper cohesion. Being highly efficient also helps. Even with my Sony Xperia Z5 Compact 3.5mm output, I am able to enjoy a wholesome presentation, well perhaps the overall staging may be not as wide as it should be. And of course, this gets better as Aurora also exhibited good scalability to match the source

Mids.
KBEAR claimed that the tuning for Aurora is to provide “rich vocals clarity, and highly detailed instruments”. Well, I must admit I will agree to them on that. First of all, as mentioned above, Aurora exhibited great natural balanced sound that is clear and concise, and this is reflected properly on Mids presentation. Aside from Alison Krauss, the breathy rich Contralto vocals of Diana Krall “The Look of Love” sounded realistic and crisp, with proper depth of decays and staging – not overly warm or intimate. Her Piano tunes equally crisp and smooth with realistic bite. The same can be said for Sinne Eeg with her Soprano-Contralto hybrid vocals and Jazz instruments. On the male side, similarly Aurora presented Morrissey and Nick Cave rich commanding Baritone vocals with natural tonality devoid of any coloration. As for the element of positional intimacy, it all depends largely on how the songs were recorded and mastered. For example, Alison Krauss, Diana Krall, and Nick Cave has always favored “in your face” performance, while Sinne Eeg and Morrissey opted for a few paces back presentation. The point being, Aurora was able to portray these accurately, transparent to the original recordings. However, depending on the preference of the listener, this natural sounding Mids may be perceived as anemic/lean for those who are used to listening to warm and rich sounding devices. Going back to Mids in general, there’s ample details and textures presented depending on the quality of the feed. Taking Russian Circles as an example, I enjoyed the crisp and polished note of guitar riffs that offered realistic tones, snappy attack, and equally prompt decays – well perhaps a bit more of decay extension would make it perfect but I am not complaining as it is now. The pattern is consistent with the other instruments and percussions – be it drums, saxophone, banjo etc. they all sounded proper and realistic.

What is most important to me, I did not hear any unwanted peaky/shouty sibilance on upper Mids as would sometimes be observed from some IEMs/Earbuds/Headphones. This can be quite a deal breaker for some.

Treble.
Initially I have a mixed feelings about Aurora Treble presentation. And that simply because I am so used to the sparkly bright presentation of Etymotic ER4SR and VE Duke Treble characteristics. If I may say this, for those already familiar with HZSOUND Heart Mirror type of Treble, they may find Aurora slightly underwhelming. However, let’s look at it this way. By all means Aurora does have great Treble qualities, the one that I find lacking are the shimmery edges and smooth splashes. In exchange Aurora offered something more solid, something sharper and well defined albeit being perceived as short in extensions (due to shorter decays). There’s enough details and texture to make Trebleheads happy, for as long as the demand stay within the acceptance that Aurora focuses on natural and realistic presentation. Great transparency and clarity does help to savor the higher frequencies favorably. Yes, I said sharp and well defined – but worry not, it is still as polished as it can be on the edges as to not fatigue the listener. What is more important, there’s no erratic spikes that goes out of control. For the lack of outright smoothness as observed from the likes of TForce Yuan Li and Shure KSE1500, Aurora compensates with airy crispness which I regard as equally enjoyable and welcoming. So how forgiving is this in practicality? Suffice to say I was able to listen to many Lo-Fi Black Metal tracks from the likes of Burzum, Mulla, Cult of Fire etc. without getting my eardrums singed bloody with the shouty Treble these bands exhibited. Try listening to Burzum with a Grado SR60e or Beyerdynamic DT990 and you will understand what I meant .

Bass.
Aurora Bass is very well disciplined and fast. In fact, if I am not reading the specs, I would have believed this being a multi–Balanced Armature Bass instead. For those loving their bass thick and gushing, Aurora doesn’t have that. What Aurora does offer is a well-behaved Bass elevation that is smooth, crisp, and impactful. Worth to note that the Mid-Bass section is a bit stronger than the Sub-Bass. Depending on tips selection, the Sub-Bass may get drowned altogether as the Mid-Bass gets stronger. With my current foam tips, Mid-Bass is still slightly more dominating, but I can hear the Sub-Bass amply enough to enjoy the lower register sensation (seismic vibe). What I do wished for a bit more would be bass decays as how Shure KSE1500 present it, but then I took a step back and realized, not even ER4SR nor VE Duke has that haha (perhaps even worse ). Perhaps 7Hz Timeless and TForce Yuan Li does it slightly better on those decays. Okay let’s focus on what Aurora does have. Again, it is fast, properly textured, detailed, and devoid of any bleeding element. I see these as a huge plus – considering my DF Neutral sound preference which is even flatter with Bass in comparison. Any more body mass added to the Bass, and I guarantee that I will likely hate it. Aurora Bass density and vibrancy is just about right – balanced neutral.

Details & Transparency.
Aurora lived up to the expectations as how KBEAR envisioned it. While not exactly TOTL level of details competent, Aurora did not falter in presenting all the available pieces of element in Sinne Eeg “We’ve Just Begun”, that Jazz masterpiece contain tons of details all over the place. The tingling splashes of cymbals, trombones, subtle cello twangs, multi layered saxophones, taps and everything else – Micro Details! All audible and present. Being natively clean and clear, Aurora does all these with impressive agility.

As with source transparency, Aurora natural demeanor means that music feeds are presented uncolored as far as neutral balanced timbre is concerned. Perhaps from DF Neutral standpoint the lower registers can be perceived as denser than neutral flat, but these are only applicable if I choose to be a zealot. Surprisingly, despite exhibiting great transparency, Aurora is actually very forgiving to poorly recorded/mastered tracks. I am hard pressed to hear any glaring artifacts which in turn makes listening to Aurora quite bearable on some of the Lo-Fi songs I have in store (I happen to have many of them). This also mean that Aurora can be used casually for YouTube random songs playback and not be worried about getting zapped too much by crappy recordings.

On the subject of sensitivity, similar to my other highly sensitive IEMs, Aurora exhibited audible background noises when paired with powerful Dongles such as Ovidius B1 and VE Odyssey HD. These are most apparent during silent passages in between songs or notes. However, it did not bother me much because when the music plays, the noises all gone. With TempoTec Sonata E44, Avani and Abigail, clean and silent background observed. So, it largely depends on how the source is.

Speed & Transients.
My favorite part. I have already hinted this a few times earlier. Aurora is a FAST-sounding unit. The speed that which Aurora offered is on par to what I would expect from a properly tuned Balanced Armature. I have yet to observe any sluggishness or compression when handling multiple notes in complex passages or outright speedy tracks exceeding 200 BPM. I believe, the Titanium element of Aurora DD largely attributed to this speedy prowess. Being able to handle myriad of notes with deft responses ensures that Aurora will not get congested. Instruments remained in their own space without bleeding into others. So, I am very happy with this. There’s nothing like a deal breaker when a great sounding unit failed at handling complex stuffs.

Soundstage & Imaging.
Admittedly, Aurora is somewhat average in this aspect. Especially when driven by less powerful sources. For example, on my Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (direct 3.5mm), I can feel a caved in staging which is tall but narrow. Good thing is, with proper matching of sources, the staging gets wider and with proper spaciousness even with Abigail CX31883 Dongle (Avani ALC5686 and VE Odyssey HD not as wide). The very best presentation of soundstage is when I powered the Aurora with the combo of TempoTec Sonata E44 Dongle + VE RAP5 amplifier – the staging offered generous amount of width and depth with airy spaces interlaced between elements of sound.

As for imaging, Aurora is consistently very holographic and precise. Spatial imaging and layering is crispy sharp. It is easy to differentiate different layers of sound and where they are positioned at. I expect nothing less from an IEM of this pedigree.

Adaptability and Scalability.
Aurora is an already very efficient IEM. As noted earlier it sounded great with my old Sony Xperia Z5 Compact (which is notoriously known for weak 3.5mm output). However, when scaled up with better sources offering stronger driving power, the Aurora audibly scale up nicely especially in soundstage width and imaging. Driven with powerful portable Dongles like the Ovidius B1 and TempoTec Sonata E44, Aurora performed with fidelity level that is truly wholesome and satisfying. Dynamics audibly sounded denser with solid presentation and smoother highs and lows. And it gets even better when smashed further with the brute power of dedicated amplifier like VE Run About Plus 5, where everything sounded much more open with healthy amount of air between notes.

As for the cable itself, I am quite happy with the stock SPC unit. It is apparent to my ears that KBEAR has exerted careful tuning to the selection of cable for Aurora out of the box. I may eventually start rolling cables, but I honestly don’t feel the motivation to do so now, not when it is already great sounding as it is. Not forgetting how beautiful the blue cable is. And of course, not forgetting the importance of tuning for proper tips. With the right tips the sound can truly enhance the sonic indulgence aligned to individual taste.



VERDICT
KBEAR Aurora. With the ever-vicious competition in the IEMs market nowadays, manufacturers has been constantly pushing the limits of making better and better products. Such is the case with KBEAR Aurora, the flagship IEM for them. What I have personally experienced as a user convinced me that the focus for Aurora is to satisfy the needs for an IEM that is technically competent, clean, detailed, neutral and agile in almost every aspect of sound indulgence. Aurora biggest strength being tuned to offer matured solid sound with deftly controlled dynamics – no overcooking of anything beyond what is regarded as natural. So, I can attest that Aurora will appeal immensely for those seeking moderately bright neutral device that can be enjoyed on extended listening sessions. Those preferring thick, warm, and dense Bass may not be as convinced, neither Aurora will satisfy pure Trebleheads. But as an all-rounder Aurora will assuredly shine like the polar lights it is destined to be.

However ultimately the overall tuning for Aurora does not click with my personal preference which is more on organic, analogue sound. In contrast to the other IEMs I have owned, Aurora is decidedly still too dry for my taste.

KBEAR is back at it again, but this time with a very bold & strong statement: Aurora. Meet the brand-new single dynamic IEM from the Chinese manufacturer that is best known for its good price-to-performance products. As most of you know KBEAR has two brands: KBEAR, which specializes in budget-friendly products, and TRI, which is the premium sister company of KBEAR.

KBEAR was exclusively manufacturing budget-friendly, <$100 products, but broke that rule with its Believe model which was priced $180. From what it appears, the company is exploring the mid-priced market, as though Aurora is priced at $169.

In my opinion, Aurora is the company’s most complete product to date.


Unboxing Experience


What a presentation! What an experience!

I was absolutely stunned when the package arrived — and keep in mind, I received the TRI i3 Pro recently, which also featured a stunning package. The marketing team definitely knew what they were doing when they designed the packaging for the Aurora.

Aurora comes in a rectangular white box. You probably aren’t imagining anything exciting when you read “a rectangular white box”, but it is the holographic accents that set it apart — much like the accents present in TRI i3 Pro’s packaging. First of all, the box is oriented horizontally, having a large “X-Ray” illustration positioned to the right on the front-facing side. The illustration features the previously-mentioned holographic finish on outline and the “KB EAR” logo. Besides the holographic logo in the bottom-left corner, this is the only visual detail on the box itself. What filled in the emptiness is the slide-on cover that features even more holographic accents.

The cover features the company’s logo in white, while the surrounding area has the same holographic finish as other parts of the packaging. This cover also features the model’s name, driver array, and company name in a holographic finish. Once you flip it to the side, you will find all the company’s contact information. Flip it once more to get to the back side, and here you can read all the specifications (in three languages: Chinese, English, Japanese).

… You’d think that the packaging is over at this point and that you’ll find the average black foam and classic arrangement inside. Nope. Once you finally open up the box, you will be met with a big foam “insert” that features a green aurora, strengthening the model’s name. This foam insert covers the IEMs and the synthetic leather carrying case. What it does not cover is the little white compartment on the side, which once again features the “AURORA” model name in a holographic finish.

The compartment on the side has all the KB EAR ear-tips, while the carrying case houses the cable, a cleaning brush, and 3 pairs of grey ear-tips. Also, not to forget, there is a sneaky little “pouch” on the lid. You will find the cleaning cloth inside this pouch.

Formal format of what’s inside:

1x 3.5mm cable
4x KB EAR ear-tips (S/SM/M/L)
3x grey ear-tips (S/M/L)
1x blue-ish ear-tips
1x cleaning brush
1x cleaning cloth

Click to expand...

Design

If TRON:LEGACY was an IEM, it would be KBEAR's Aurora. I can safely say that, aesthetic-wise, Aurora is the company’s most complete design.

Everything revolves around the blue aesthetic. Blue is the color of this model, and it won’t take you long to notice it.

Let’s start from the shell design. Aurora features the same mirror finish that we have seen in the i3 series. On the face-plate there are chrome blue accents. Both the “KB EAR” typography logo and the outline are in this accent color. Speaking of the face-plate, towards the 2-pin connector area, there is an elevation to the surface. This curvature is beautifully showed off with the chrome paint. This is also the part where the typography logo is printed, so all the attention is lead to this specific part.

On the side, “AURORA” is printed in the same chrome blue color as the rest of the accent elements. It’s also worth noting that the shells are made up of two pieces: the faceplate, the bottom body. On the 2-pin connector side, the faceplate features a small vent.

L/R indicators are etched into the inner side of the bottom body. The bottom body also features a single vent — making Aurora a two-vented IEM.

The nozzles are considerably shorter than the ones featured on TRI models. Something that I am also not used to seeing are the grills. Besides being extremely tight-knit (almost solid in appearance), they are not exposed. The lip of the nozzle grips over the grills, acting almost like a partial enclosure which houses the grills below itself.

So, there are several “loud” blue accents on the IEMs themselves, and that by itself is enough… However, KBEAR decided to go a step further by featuring blue-ish ear-tips and a blue cable. This ladies & gentlemen is the reason why I consider Aurora the most complete design aesthetic-wise.



Build Quality & Cable

If I am not mistaken, Aurora is made of the same aluminum that the i3 series is made of. If that’s the case, the following quote from my i3 Pro review is also valid for this model:

“The shells are still made of an aluminum alloy (according to the marketing, 7000-series aluminum alloy is used). 7000-series aluminum alloys are used in wing bearings and landing gears, which require the highest strengths and strongest reinforcements. Fun fact: 7000-series aluminum alloys have the highest strengths of all other aluminum alloys. Apple has used it in their watches, phones (e.g. iPhone 6s). TRI actually did reveal that they are using specifically the 7050 aluminum alloy, so there you have it.”

The included cable is one of the better cables I’ve come across. If I am not mistaken, it’s a 6-strand silver-plated copper cable. I like cables that are very flexible, not too heavy, well-built, and nice in touch (this is more of a luxury, not a necessity) — and Aurora’s cable certainly has all that. The blue sheathing is made of a softer material than usual, giving the cable a silk-like aesthetic and feel.

i really want to put an emphasis on how well made the cable is. Finally we see all metal housings (3.5mm plug, Y-Splitter, chin slider, 2-pin connectors). Not only that, but there is a functional chin slider, unlike the useless plastic bead chin slider which is loved by the manufacturers, hated by me. I also like how they went for something a little bit more attractive for the 2-pin connector housings. They have this nice form that makes them more interesting. While a subtle detail, it is something that completes the overall aesthetic of this IEM.

The cables flexibility makes it very easy to put away and it holds it shape quite well. The 2-pin connectors slide in effortlessly. I greatly appreciate both of these, because one of the biggest pet peeves of mine is when the cable cannot be rolled up.

Comfort & Fit

I had a positive experience in terms of comfort with just about every IEM from KBEAR/TRI. However, the ones that I’ve spent the most time with are TRI Starshine and TRI i3. Both of these IEMs are very bulky and big, and that’s the same way they feel in the ear.

Aurora is different. This is a much slimmer IEM, making it an ideal daily driver. I have been using the Jade Audio EA3 as a daily driver for over 2 years, and Aurora provides me a similar comfort level. If anything, Aurora has a deeper fit and a tighter seal. However, the relaxed and lightweight feel are the two main reasons why I have not switched out the EA3 as my daily driver. Aurora carries both of these qualities. I love it.

If I was to be nit-picky and put some attention on an imperfection it would be that the ear guides were stiff out of the box. The didn’t have the usual ear shape, but after some careful bending and flexing they adopted it.

Sound Performance​

Lows

I am going to go from 0 to 100 straight away. I think that this is the fastest and cleanest low-end response I’ve heard from an IEM, though it’s worth noting that I don’t have the most experience with IEMs. I’ve only gone through a handful, so take this with a grain of salt. There’s definitely something special going on here, and I like it very much.

Aurora has shown its low-end capabilities in both MOON’s “Hydrogen” and Lee Curtiss’ “Smoking Mirrors”, my two standard testing tracks. The attack & decay are both very responsive and fast. Comparing Aurora to TRI’s new i3 Pro, the bass is better defined on Aurora, but doesn’t go as deep as i3 Pro. The difference is not subtle, it’s very easy to pick up and hear Aurora’s snappier & tighter bass response.

When it comes to sub-bass, TRI i3 Pro has more sub-bass presence and quantity, while Aurora has better quality. Of course, the track that I am using to evaluate sub-bas qualities is Hans Zimmer’s trusty “Why so Serious?” at the 3:27 minute mark. If there is any need to mention it, Aurora is not able to produce the growling rumble in Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” like the TRI i3 and i3 Pro are able to.

Something to note is that, while better in quality than the i3 Pro, Aurora is not an IEM that has a balanced low frequency response. I would say it is somewhere between the usual hard V-Shaped response and a balanced response. When I say “balanced”, I am referring to IEMs with a fairly linear frequency response where the bass doesn’t stick out — think HiFiMan IEMs or BQEYZ’s Spring line.

Once I listened to Aurora and compared it to Starshine, it really made me realize how important a dynamic driver is. The quantity, the quality, the snappiness, the speed — all of these qualities come from a dynamic driver. But this is just about where the comparison between Aurora and Starshine ends, as though Aurora is more of a V-Shaped IEM, while Starshine is more of a balanced mid-centric IEM.



Mids

After going back and forth between Aurora and i3 Pro, I made the conclusion that Aurora has a fuller and sharper mid-range. On the other hand, I found that i3 Pro gets the upper hand when it comes to lower mid-range.

Aurora has more edge and is brighter than the i3 Pro — peaky tracks have more edge on Aurora (e.g. “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Joan Baez). Which one is better is a matter of preference and taste. I personally like brighter tuning in general, I just like to hear the details in the top end.

Being a V-Shaped headphone, the mid-range lacks clarity and dynamics compared to a mid-centric IEM, and that’s completely normal. Stringed instruments sound fine — not great, not bad. Obviously, I do have some bias towards mid-centric IEMs because that is my personal preference.



Highs

I love Aurora’s top-end. It’s sharp, shimmery, and semi-aggressive, just the way I like it. It’s not shying away from having a treble extension.

In both “Stop Trying to Be God” by Travis Scott and “Portia” by Miles Davis — my standard sparkle and treble quality testing tracks — Aurora proved to be a tad bit brighter than the i3 Pro. If I was to describe it in greater detail, i3 Pro has a smoother and a less aggressive treble response, though both of these IEMs reach sparkle levels and are not for people who are looking for a warm IEM.

Soundstage & Imaging

Width-wise, the soundstage is average. I would say it sounds 2cm outside of your head, and this is when playing a very wide track like “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa.

Imaging on the other hand is quite accurate, I would say. Even with the limited soundstage, I had no troubles hearing the exact position of every drum hit in Pink Floyd’s “Dogs” at minute mark 3:48.

Conclusion​

At $169, Aurora has a lot to offer. I would say that as a whole it is a truly great package that involved a lot of thought behind it.

KBEAR managed to create a well-tuned V-Shaped IEM that doesn’t break the bank.

With great build quality, great comfort, great design, great cable, great packaging & accessories, there is very little to complain about.

I can easily recommend the Aurora to anyone who is looking for a daily driver with a softer V-Shaped sound signature.

Setup used: iBasso DX300 + AMP11 MK1.1
iBasso DX300 settings: Mid gain, 43 – 47 volume, D5 filter
Used with the stock 3.5mm (SE) cable

Introduction

The Aurora are the latest release from KBear. They are a single dynamic set of In Ear Monitors (IEMs)., for ease of reference I set out the detailed specifications of the Aurora below:

Specifications:
Driver Type : 10mm Single Dynamic Driver.
Diaphragm Type : Titanium Alloy Diaphragm.
Frequency Response : 20Hz -20kHz.
Impedance : 18Ω ± 2Ω
Sensitivity : 105dB ± 3dB.
Interface : 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin earpiece Connection and 3.5mm single-ended plug.

Disclosure:
KBear kindly sent me this review set of Aurora, for which I am grateful. I provide my honest opinion of the Auroa without limitation. Nothing I say is given to anyone for approval. All views I express are my views. I am not influenced by anyone, and I am not paid to express any views positive or otherwise.

Form, Fit and Function

The package: The package is a medium sized cardboard box, which does not seem too wasteful in these times of ecological awareness. The Aurora come with the following in the package:


The IEMs;
A 3.5mm single-ended silver plated copper cable;
A beautiful faux leather case;
A selection of tips,
A cleaning brush; and
A cleaning cloth;

In terms of presentation, in the medium sized package you find the beautiful KBear faux leather case, now a staple of the brand, which is, as always, quite capacious, yet the case will ft well in most pockets of average size. The case is strong and hard enough to give your IEMs good protection from everyday scrapes.

You also get a good selection of tips as part of the package together with a cleaning cloth and a cleaning brush, in addition to the usual pamphlets.

The cable adds to the design cue in that the theme of the blue edging on the earpieces is carried over to the cable, which is a light sky blue, matching the earpieces beautifully.

Form: The Aurora, have the basic kidney-shape of the KBear Diamond, and KBear Believe which came before them. However, the design has had a bit of an ergonomic tweak, the effect of which is to tapper the inner edge slightly, to improve the look rather than the fit, it would appear.

Fit: The design tweaks do not appear to have improved the fit. They fit my ears well, but do not improve on the isolation of previous models. Although your choice of tips would improve the fit, in my view the less than ideal fit, is a missed opportunity, given its effect on the sound, a point we will get to later.

Finish: In terms of design, these are chrome finished but with the added twist of blue edging, which gives them an understated elegance. The build quality is very good judging by my time with the Aurora so far. Clearly, only time will tell if there are longer term quality control issues, but the build at this stage exuded an air of good quality.



My setup for this review
As my source, I paired the Aurora with Samsung galaxy note 10 plus and Fiio M11, with UAPP for my local media library or Apple or Amazon used for streaming. For amplification, variably: SMSL AD18, a Samsung dongle, Fiio BTR5, the HA FEE HA11 and the Littlebear B4X tube dac/amp, mostly balanced 2.5 mm and on high gain.

Synergy
As with many dynamic earphones, the aurora are tip sensitive, so you will need to patiently work through tips to fine tune your Aurora. In addition to tips, you will need to work through your sources to get the sound input that sounds good to your ears. In relation to portable equipment, I am not talking simply of your dongles, DACs, DAPs and Amplifiers, you have to take account of the applications from which you play your sound files. For example, I found PowerAmp was not giving me the best of my local files. UAPP on the other hand gave me much more joy, in that the application, brought out the very best in the Aurora.



The sound in short
In short if you do not want to read the whole review: The Aurora have an “L shaped” tuning, to my ears, in that the mid-bass (but not sub-bass) is elevated, whilst the midrange and highs are fairly linear. They are relatively easy to drive, but as set out above, you may need to fine tune your earphones with tips, and audio equipment to get the most out of them. The Aurora are very good, clean sounding earphones, with a potent mid-bass, pleasant midrange with plenty of clarity and detail in the highs. Although, to my ears, the highs have been restrained a touch, presumably, to avoid sibilance. For me it works and I have to say, a good job well done for the price.

The sound in detail

Bass
As stated above, the tuning is not sub-bass focused or even prominent in anyway, yet it works quite well. You will occasionally feel the presence of the sub-bass, but the Aurora are predominantly mid-bass focussed. The fact is that that mid-bass is of such good quality and so beautifully tuned and implemented that, for me, a sub-bass fanatic, the enjoyment of music is not hugely compromise by the minimal sub-bass, I just hear it as bass expressed differently.
Mid-bass is elevated to the extent that you initially fear that this is some, “please the masses bass set”, but no, it is not, the elevation is just below the level at which you would describe as excessive. This is bass thump for a reason, because it is just above what the musicians intended. When you know what to expect, and let it flow, you will appreciate how well controlled and fine quality the bass definition is. The definition is such that you get all the distinct bass notes within each musical phrase. The exception, for me is that the sub-bass could have been given a bit of a lift, but that is my preference. It is worth noting that the less than ideal fit also has an effect on the bass quantity, so a careful selection of tips to ensure a better fit would pay off if you want to maintain the bass quantity the Aurora is capable of delivering to your ears.

Nicolas Cole and Vincent Ingala - Snap:

When you listen to the track “Snap”, you would usually feel the viseral punch of the bass line, However, with the Aurora tuning emphasis being more mid-bass focussed, what you get is a delightfully full bass with each bass note well defined bass, so there is no doubt about the bass quality but without the visceral bass, in essence, you hear excellent bass but feel less of it than you would. The track is just as good to listen to.

Midrange
The midrange is quite well positioned relative to the other frequencies, and in terms of prominence, the midrange is more than adequate to ensure that voices and midrange instruments are present in sufficient quantities. Male and female voices are quite forward given the L-shape, that is if the track you are listening to is not a bass heavy track. Note, I am not talking about bass bleed, given my view is that the Aurora bass is good quality bass which is quite disciplined to my ears. Notes on the Aurora sound quick and nimble and as usual with dynamic drivers, the timbral accuracy is exceptionally good.

Peter White “In Rainbows” - Smile:

Treble
As we are aware, dynamic driver treble is not as pronounced as electrostatic or electret treble. However, we have all been weaned on dynamic drivers and that is what sounds most natural, at least to my ears. The Aurora are no different to most single dynamic in this price range in the implementation, they deliver nice clean treble. “Female poison” (here I use it to denote extreme treble) is well controlled so that for those who find “female poison” toxic have no need to worry.

Mascagni - Cavelleria Rusticana - Intermezzo - Giacomo Aragall:
Instrument Separation, Imaging and

Stage
The Aurora do well on the additional attributes you would expect from your earphones. In relation to instrument separation and imaging they are very good, I am not aware of many IEMs in the Aurora price range which do a better job. The sound stage is perceptible but not particularly huge.
Comparisons with other single dynamic drivers earphones.

Meze Rai Solo - I can honestly say that, despite the price difference, the Aurora, delivers, mids just as well as the Meze Rai Solos. The differences are the treble and bass, where the treble is more resolving on the Rai Solos. When it comes to bass, I prefer the quality of the bass on the Aurora, despite the elevation of the mid-bass, the definition of the notes delivered by the Aurora is much better quality to my ears. The Aurora also give you better instrument separation and sound stage.

Cayin Fantasy - I have had the pleasure of hearing the Cayin Fantasy and I take the view that the expectations placed on more expensive sets, has not helped the reviews of the Fantasy. How do the Fantasy compare to the Aurora? There is no doubt that the treble of the Fantasy are well extended, and I cannot imagine many single dynamic drivers are able to better the resolution on the Fantasy treble, that is of course, if you are not treble sensitive. In comparison to the mids and treble on the Fantasy, the Aurora, fall short of the Fantasy, but not six times short of the Fantasy as the price would suggest, the Aurora hold their own for a set so much less expensive. The bass on the Aurora, again show their worth, the mid-bass (which may not be for everyone) are not only more present, but for me, the bass quality is praise worthy. The sub-bass on the Fantasy, to my ears, is not at all prominent, but to the extent that there is sub-bass present on the track, the Fantasy do a very good job. The Aurora, do exactly the same, in that the tuning does not extend to the sub-bass anywhere as much as I would like. For that reason, the less expensive, does a great job emulating what the Fantasy does in delivering sub-bass.
Conclusion
I have really enjoyed listening to the Aurora, not because the sound from the Aurora jumps out at you and not because the Aurora are the most resolving set of dynamic driver earphones I have ever heard. In my view, the reason I have enjoyed listening to the Aurora is that they are exceptionally competent set of earphones which do their job without fanfare. The point is, if you want a good set of dynamic earphones that give you very good reproduction of your music, with a mid-bass boost but without a sting in your pocket, the Aurora are just right.

Enjoy Your Music!

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank KBEAR for providing this review unit. It can be gotten at https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003109134536.html




EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The KBEAR Aurora is a lush harmanish single DD set. It features a beautiful shell, organic timbre and great tonality. This set generally scores good marks across most departments, only perhaps lacking in treble extension and microdetails.


SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 10mm Nano Titanium Plated Diaphragm
• Frequency response: 20 Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 18 Ω
• Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
• Cable: 2 Pin (0.78mm), OFC Silver plated cable
• Tested at $169 USD

ACCESSORIES

The Aurora comes in a nice packaging featuring an Aurora Borealis motif.

Included are:
1) SPC blue cable (ties in nicely with the Aurora snowfield motif) - The cable is well braided, no microphonics, very thicc and substantial. The blue colour may be a bit too showy for some though.
2) Silicone tips of various sizes. Do tip roll to see what suits you sonically and for fit/isolation.
3) Carry case - faux leather, similar to the case seen in other KBEAR products
4) Cleaning cloth
5) Cleaning brush




The accessories provided are par for the course for a $100 USD range set.

I liked that KBEAR is using a cable with a 2 pin connector, I had my fair share of mishaps with MMCX type connectors after switching cables once too often, they ended up like spinning windvanes.

For the purposes of this review, the stock tips and stock cables were used, so as not to change the sound signature with aftermarket gear.


BUILD/COMFORT

Build wise, the Aurora has a shiny mirror like finish, akin to the HZSound Heart Mirror or Moondrop KXXS. The Aurora is quite light and smooth, it is well built with no funny edges to poke the ear. Comfort is very good. But due to the mirror like finish, this set may be finger print or scratch magnet, so do be careful with em.

The shells are quite a looker, while using them on the subway for isolation tests, a few curious commuters kept looking at the Aurora earpieces.

I didn't have driver flex on my set, but this is partially related to ear anatomy an types of tips used, so YMMV.


ISOLATION

Unfortunately, the Aurora's isolation is below average. I lost quite a lot of the bass frequencies when using them on a subway (bass is generally the first frequency lost in a noisy place). This skewed the sound to be a bit shouty in the upper mids/treble. So personally, I think the Aurora's ideal sound is to be gotten when using them at home or in a quiet area.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the KBEAR Aurora with a Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp, Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp, Sony NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Plus v2 Mr Walkman Mod), smartphone, Shanling Q1 DAP, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, E1DA 9038D, and a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 Amp.

The Aurora are relatively easy to drive, but scale well when amped, in the areas of bass tightness, soundstage, dynamics etc. They are definitely easier to drive than their older sibling the KBEAR BElieve.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The KBEAR Aurora is a harmanish warm set. The Aurora Borealis icy motif may give an impression that this is an ice cold set in terms of tuning, but far from it be. The Aurora is actually warm and lush and leans towards analoguish, rather than a sterile frosty wintery wonderland.


Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya from Audioreviews (IEC711 compliant coupler). 8 kHZ area is probably a resonance peak.

The bass of the KBEAR Aurora is midbass focused, it is north of neutral but not at true basshead levels. Subbass extends well, you will get your rumble for the subbass frequencies.

Despite the copious bass, the bass speed is quite agile, note weight is on the thicker side, yet with very minimal midbass bleed. Listening to some of the faster bass movements on songs such as Sting's "Englishman In New York" (interlude portion), some slower DD drivers can make the bass notes sound like a nebulous haze, but the Aurora passes this test.

Bass is not as fast as BA bass though, but not many sets manage to get a good mix of bass quantity/note weight and bass quality (speed, without bleed). Timbre and texture in the bass is quite good, in keeping with its DD roots.

The KBEAR Aurora's lower mids are slightly depressed (not overly so). There is a boost in the upper mids, but they have an upper mids that is a few dB lesser than a traditional harman IEM. So generally, they manage to thread a fine line of having a forward upper mids without going too much into shouty territory. Perhaps there is some upper mids glare if one uses them outdoors (poor isolation kills the bass and overly emphasizes the upper mids/treble), or on some poorly recorded tracks or at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve).

But by and large, this set doesn't have the usual banshee upper mids seen in CHIFI tuning, the pinna gain here is around 10 - 11 db. Vocals are forward compared to instruments, and timbral accuracy for vocals is rather organic. I would describe the mids in the Aurora to be on the lusher and thicker side, but it may not have the best transparency or clarity. Think of an analoguish signature like the BLON BL-03 but with better technical performance.

The KBEAR Aurora has moderate treble extension, though it may not be as airy as some multi BA types. So sparkle is a bit tamed, cymbal and high hat hits are a bit muted with the tuning, but consequently, I don't find the Aurora fatiguing. Some slight microdetails are lost as such. Sibilance is very mild.

In technicalities, the KBEAR Aurora have above average soundstage (in height, depth and width). Imaging and instrument separation are also above average at this price bracket (for a single DD set), though clarity and microdetails are not the best. Those multi driver/hybrid types at the $100ish bracket might be better at technicalities, but some of them have timbre or coherency issues. So different strokes for different folks, pick your poison.

Timbre on the KBEAR Aurora is very good. In fact, I'd say the Aurora have better timbral accuracy than the KBEAR BElieve and some other similarly priced single DD sets. Acoustic instruments like brass, woodwind and stringed instruments all sounded organic. Considering the KBEAR Aurora use a titanium driver, I was pleasantly surprised by the timbre (my past experiences with titanium drivers IEMs wasn't the best when it came to timbre, eg DUNU DM480, Audiosense AQ7).


COMPARISONS

I have compared the KBEAR Aurora with a few single DD at the upper budget-midfi segment. Hybrids and pure BA types were left out of the comparisons as they have different pros and cons among the different transducer types.

KBEAR BElieve ($159 USD)


Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya from Audioreviews (IEC711 compliant coupler). 8 - 9 kHZ area is probably a resonance peak.

Compared to the older KBEAR BElieve, the Aurora is much easier to drive, and it has more subbass extension than the BElieve. The BElieve has more upper mids and treble, and also has better technicalities and resolution. The Aurora has better bass speed, especially at the midbass, whereas the BElieve's midbass could be quite nebulous, especially when underpowered.

Timbral accuracy is better on the KBEAR Aurora, and it isn't as hot in the upper mids either.

The KBEAR Aurora and the BElieve are kind of sidegrades, each have their pros and cons as such.

The KBEAR BElieve is no longer in production, but word on the street is that the Vento Conductor T-500 Pro is very similar to the BElieve, or might be an OEM of sorts. So if you are still looking for the BElieve, perhaps consider getting the T-500 Pro.


Tanchjim Oxygen ($269 USD)


Graphs courtesy of KopiOKaya from Audioreviews (IEC711 compliant coupler). 8 kHZ area is probably a resonance peak.

The Tanchjim Oxygen is one of the benchmark single DD sets in midfi CHIFIdom. The Oxygen has a more extended treble and air and it also has all round better timbre, better technicalities and a better bass quality (better timbre, texture and speed). The Oxygen has a slightly thinner note weight though, when compared to the more analoguish sounding Aurora.

Definitely the Oxygen is the superior set, but it is $100 USD more expensive.


TForce Yuan Li ($119 USD)

The TForce Yuan Li are a bit less V shaped than the Aurora. The Aurora has bigger bass quantities and more subbass extension. Timbre is better on the Aurora, with the Aurora also having a not so hot upper mids region. Technicalities are also better on the Aurora.

Both sets have a very nice shell and accessories, but if you can top up the $50 USD or so, the Aurora is a marginal upgrade.


CONCLUSIONS

The KBEAR Aurora is a lush harmanish single DD set. It features a beautiful shell, organic timbre and great tonality. This set generally scores good marks across most departments, only perhaps lacking in treble extension and microdetails.

The "Aurora borealis" naming convention here is quite a good choice, as this set melds good looks and sound in a nice little package, like the northern lights.

Definitely the Aurora is a set that single DD lovers and timbre lovers should consider!

KBEAR Aurora

Disclaimers: I received this review sample from KeepHifi.
I am a BL03 fan/lush mid fan so Aurora's signature is one that I like very much. Aurora is the rare set that comes along that so closely matches my own preferences that I would consider it a bias in this case, I was almost predisposed to love this one.

Specs: 1 10mm titanium dome dynamic driver, mirrored shells. recessed 2pin.

Accessories: Leather case and KBEAR KB07 tip set, electric blue SPC cable, cleaning cloth, brush


Build: Stunning metal shells polished to mirror finish, blue accents. Top notch look and feel


Fit and comfort: no issues. Fits great and KBEAR has learned to use lighter materials from their previous flagships.

Gear: Mostly Qudelix 5K with balanced output, Comply isolation tips, NiceHCK SpaceCloud cable 2.5mm


Sound: warm, Harman-ish, bass similar level to KBEAR Believe plus more decay, full note weight, treble level like a more extended BL03, coherent, natural, organic like a 1DD, volume scales like Tanchjim Tanya. You should be getting the idea that it has a Blon-esque sound and with that, the tuning leans towards that richer, thicker, lush sound so if you are a detail chaser or prefer a lighter note weight, the Aurora may not be for you.

Bass: If you are going to hear any benefit from a small burn-in, it is in the bass. Not any change in level, but tightened up a bit from my out of the box impression. The bass is clean and controlled considering the quantity but I do wish there was a bit more detail/texture to it. I think the bass level is right for balance and quality is good, but $170usd is quite a bit of money for a single DD. On one hand, I do wish it was a bit faster, tighter, hit harder, and more texture, but I am not sure that would have been faithful to the sound signature. It plays perfectly into this thicker, smoother, softer, relaxed sound so I think from a technical point of view, I would want more, but I think it would need to be a different sound signature. For fans of slam and rumble, it can go there, but not an ear shaking basshead set. I think the balance between bass and treble is good, any more lower bass and it would have been quite dark.

Mids: Think in terms of your BL03 descriptors, weighty, meaty, rich, thick, lush, textured, natural, detailed but lacking the clarity and transparency of leaner sets. As a BL03 fan, these mids are very familiar, just better, cleaner, more detailed with a more capable dynamic driver. On one hand, there is this natural and luscious quality to the vocals but for hybrid/tri-brid fans, this is still a 1DD and will not have above average details or resolution. Generally both male and female vocals have plenty of warmth, but on the soft side. There are no hard edges or any hint of aggressive gain here.

Treble: For those familiar with KBEAR Believe, you will recognize a drop in the treble level. See the graph above. Maybe that was due to feedback or just design. In my opinion, it is a bit of an overcompensation. The extension and quality is great, but the level needs a slight boost to bring back some sparkle and air. That will flow down to better dynamics in the mids and add a bit of an edge that I said was missing. I understand the softer presentation, but I think it also results in an apparent less-detailed sound. Just a bit of EQ or tips that offer a bit of emphasis to the upper treble makes Aurora better without changing its character.

Soundstage: One of those 3D stages where you first notice the vocals are offset from your head and then as the instruments fill in, there is sound all around the space. It is not the largest space and in no way cramped, but feels immersive and in line with my expectations at this price tag. One of those sets, where there is no “at the ears”, it is more of a continuous space, not discreet positions. A big stage with lots of separation and easy to pinpoint instruments in the space.

Tonality: Warm but slightly dark due to the treble level. I prefer a slight treble boost to add a bit more brightness and better balance. Great 1DD timbre.

Details: Good for a 1DD, but detail chasers will want more. My first impression was detailed, but can squeeze out more detail with some more treble.

Volume: Easier to drive than Believe, but it also loves more power, more volume. At lower volume, the treble level is more noticeable so hit vol + a few times. And then a few more times.

Price: The $170usd seems on the high side for a 1DD. Potential buyers should weigh their preferences against what is offered by Aurora. While it seems like a steep price, the demand has exceeded supply thus far into the release.

More rambling can be found here:

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