KB EAR KS2

Disclaimer:
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Burn-in time: 5-10 hours per day, 4 days.

Source/s used:

• Hidizs AP80
• Not-By-VE Avani Realtek Dongle
• BaseUs USB DAC
• Zishan U1 USB DAC (AKM Variant)
• Cyberdrive Feather DAC
• Non-HiFi smartphone (realme 5i, Samsung Galaxy On7)
• Local Files via Foobar and Roon, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM and configuration: Stock medium eartips, stock cable, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume, both high and low gain.
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Sound signature:

• Warm v-shaped sound signature. Big, rumbly bass, musical warm mids, non-fatiguing treble. Decent technicalities for its price.

Lows:

• Lows are elevated and are the main difference from the KS1. It is big, rumbly, and will dig deep whenever the track requires it to sound so. Unlike the KS1 where it only exhibits a bit of sub-bass elevation compared to the midbass, the KS2’s sub-bass is noticeably elevated by a big margin than the KS1. As a result, the bass is a bit softer than its budget sibling. Despite being soft, it never sounded bloated or mushy at all. Its decay leans to the average with a hint of being slow to some tracks but will sound good on EDM, pop, metal, and bass-heavy tracks. I wholeheartedly recommend this IEM for those people who really want a decent, quality bass on a budget.

Mids:

• The mids are slightly recessed but never sounded too distant in my tests. There is a presence of midbass bleed that makes the lower mids sound warm and smooth. Ed Sheeran’s vocals are a bit thicker here than usual. Upper mids are slightly elevated, has a good amount of clarity and air, and never exhibited any sibilance or harshness throughout the test. Instruments also sound really good, particularly on jazz or classical pieces but may lack bite for some due to its smooth sound presentation. As a result, the KS2 offers a fatigue-free sound, especially for long listening sessions.

Highs:

• The highs on the KS2 are well-extended and never sounded rolled off to my ears. However, treble heads might find the treble lacking because it isn’t as extended just like the usual v-shaped sound. Cymbals may sound “muted” if you’re looking for that extra crisp and bite to it. Detail retrieval is average for its price and can cater to nuances quite well.

Soundstage, Imaging, and separation:

• The soundstage is wide and has a decent expansion whenever the track requires it. There is noticeable congestion when things get haywire and busy but not up to the point that it is very noticeable to an average user or for someone who just listens to their music casually. Imaging is accurate for its price and can render vocal and instrument positions correctly.

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Pros:

• - Another IEM with an excellent sound quality under 20 USD.
• - Warm and lively sound signature.
• - Rumbly, big, and fairly controlled sub bass.
• - Smooth yet articulate mids.
• - Non-fatiguing upper frequencies.
• - Decent technical performance under 20USD.
• - Comfortable fit.
• - Very good isolation.
• - Actually has decent eartips, no need to eartip roll unless wanted.
• - Very easy to be driven to its full potential.

Cons:

• - Instances of slight midbass bleed are present on tracks.
• - Congestion is slightly present only on very busy tracks.
• - A cable winder would be a very good treat for everyone (my nitpick)

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This KB Ear KS2 shoots itself for those people who need that big juicy bass in their life. Despite not being a basshead, I enjoyed listening with this IEM to my casual listening sessions as this catered my random tracks very well without sounding off or lackluster at all. This IEM will not only please enthusiasts, but this will also appeal even those people who are not into the audio enthusiast/audiophile hobby as the KS2 is a very good upgrade from the stock earphones of your smartphone, or maybe your 3 years old or more IEM that needs to rest and be replaced. And it now comes with a cool, striking neon-ish colour!


Pairing recommendation/s:

• Source: A phone will do because it is very easy to be driven fully but a neutral or balanced source will greatly tighten and lessen a bass.
• Wider bore eartips will also lessen the bass, forward the mids by a little bit, and widen the soundstage.

Thank you for reading!

Additional Photos:

KBEAR KS2​

KBEAR KS2







Pros: Fantastic Bass, Packs a good punch

Cons: Stock cable tangles easily, Poor build quality

Today, I will be reviewing the KBEAR KS2. The KBEAR KS2 is one of the most recent released IEM from KBEAR. The KBEAR KS2 is a really fun IEM and is very good for its price range. Now lets go into deeper detail of it. I firstly would like to thank KEEPHIFI and KBEAR for sending me this sample and giving me an opportunity to review the KBEAR KS2. If you are looking to buy the KBEAR KS2, visit the link below and it will lead you to the KEEPHIFI where you can purchase the KBEAR KS2 https://keephifi.com/products/2020-...running-game-headphone-kbear-kb06-kb04-tri-i3

Packaging and unboxing: The unboxing of the KBEAR KS2 reminded me of the KZ packaging. What was different is that the KS2 came in a foam cut out and the stock cable and ear tips in tiny box such that both the foam cut out and the tiny box would be able to fit in the KBEAR KS2 packaging.

Accessories: The KBEAR KS2 comes with 4 pairs of ear tips and a stock cable. To be honest, I am actually quite disappointed with the stock cable that came with the KS2. It gets tangled really easily and the Y split is right in the middle of the cable. I think the chin slider however was able to somewhat justify the Y split being in the middle of the the cable.

Build quality: The KS2 gives me two very contradicting feelings about the build quality. In your hands, it will give you a very solid feel. But if you take a closer look, the shell of the KS2 is really thin and looks like it would crack if you drop it. Maybe the should make a drop test for IEM's during manufacturing. Just kidding.

Sound quality: First Impressions: The bass of this IEM really hits the spot. If you are a bass head or love a good bass, this IEM will definitely do the trick. Although there are many IEM that obviously have better bass, I don't think any of it at the KS2 price range can beat it.
Bass: The bass has good impact, depth and rumble. At times, I feel that it tends to over power the mid and high frequencies occasionally. If you are a bass head lover on a tight budget, you can must definitely try this out.

Mids: The mids of the KS2 definitely fall behind the bass but i think its still decent and is not bad. There is not much to say but it can definitely be improved.

Highs: The treble is not not bad. I wouldn't say its fantastic but it is quite decent for an IEM at this price range. It provides an acceptable amount of detail and is able to escape from the darker territory. There is some sibilance and peaks here and there but its not too fatiguing. For the mids and highs, they can be easily tweaked to get a more detailed presentation by change the stock cable and using an upgrade cable. It will be able to achieve ground breaking amount of detail after this upgrade.

Conclusion: This IEM was not a bad attempt by KBEAR but I also wouldn't say its the best. Still, the KS2 is a great IEM in its price range. If you have spare cash lying around on the floor, you should try to get you hands on it.

Written By: Jack Lim
@earphonatics_audio_reviews

*DISCLAIMER*
I am the Publisher of Earphonatics Audio Reviews on Head-Fi. These reviews aren't mine unless stated otherwise.

I've tried various in-ear headphones over the last few years and I really care about staying up to date with new products. I bought these KB EAR out of curiosity and with the purpose of checking the production quality of this brand which is close to KZ stuff.

Let's go step by step..

CONSTRUCTION

build quality in general is good. They are made of plastic with metal output nozzle (it almost looks like brass but I'm not sure). Constructively they are assembled well, despite the plastic housing they seem tough and durable.

In the package there is the cable, soft and rubbery with pre-formed rings to fit around the ears, and a series of tips in three different sizes: they are quite standard, in my opinion a little better than those generally offered by KZ (the famous starlines).

AUDIO:

LOW FREQ: The bass are generally there, present but not invasive, they certainly do not stand out for a basshead listening, but they are still controlled and warm. In my opinion they lack a bit of "Punch", but they offer good warmth and a good presence on the deeper frequencies. They are not suitable for those who want to clinically listen to drums, but for the average listener the bass is ok. Among other things, the response to the equalizer is very good despite not being able to fix the lack of Punch I mentioned.

MEDIUM FREQ: Definitely the best part of this headset. Although set to a V EQ, the mids feel good, have excellent control and bring out the voices so much to let the best songs of Lana del Rey sneak deep in your chest. Excellent response to the equalizer in the mids which can also be raised to distortion level.

TREBLES: Although there are no particular hisses or excesses generated by the balanced armature in the output nozzle, the highs are a bit confused and poorly controlled, especially in the frequencies between 4k and 8k there is a lot of confusion. That’s one more reason why drummers will not love this headset: the charlestones are a bit of a slap and the bass drums do not explode as they should (don't try listening to Dream Theater, you will cry).

In general, however, the high frequencies are heard decently and, despite the confusion, they allow a pleasant and relaxing listening of most musical genres.

Soundstage is quite wide, however the slightly confused trebles makes the expression of the stage with some reverb and without a good instrumental separation. I still believe it’s pleasant to listen to.

Isolation is definitely not the best. Okay for a walk in the park but not for subway transfers!

CONCLUSION: Music is pleasant, good for electronic without too much punch, video and film given the well expressed mids. Definitely not suitable for sound engineers, but given the low price they are a great deal for those who want to listen to music in a decent way.