KBEAR Lark

Disclaimer
I would like to thank Sir Loo Levi for letting me experience this pair.
I am a former musician and the instrument that I played is the violin my experience in the violin is only 3 years.
I am not a professional reviewer, I am just an audio hobbyist who loves the audio hobby.

Specification:
Brand: KBEAR
Model: Lark
Interface: 2PIN 0.78mm(TFZ)
Frequency response: 20-20kHz
Sensitivity: 105dB
Impedance: 16ohm
Earphone material: Zinc Alloy+Environmental friendly PO
Color: Mauve; Light Gray; Aqua Green
Cable material: 4 core silver-plated cable
Plug type: 3.5mm L-type gold-plated plug

Ratings based on kamen rider finisher
Lows: (5)- Full Throttle.
Mids:(3)
Highs:(2)
Comfort:(5)-best match
Design:(5)- Drive type cool.
Technicalities:(3)

Opening
The KBEAR Larks is an IEM that is a budget hybrid setup. this IEM reminds me of Guilty Crown and if you're wondering what is Guilty Crown it's an Anime that I love. This is also my first time encountering the name KBEAR. I only know them through some reviewers and videos.
This pair is special to me, even though it's not my unit. the reason why is that it makes me happy that I am getting compliments from other people anyways let's start the review and I know that many of you want to know the sound of this pair.

Build quality, design, and comfort.
The pair itself is made of plastic resin with a metal faceplate I can say that it's well built, in terms of the connector type, the pair is very sturdy and tight. in my ears, it's very comfortable and it goes deep giving me a better seal and fit with maximize sound isolation. The design reminds me of the guilty crown because it resembles the scene where the main character uses his power to unleash weapons.

Sound signature.
The pair itself is a V-shaped type of tuning and has a hint of being bright, this pair has controlled sub-bass and mid-bass with being punchy and prominent in the track

Lows
Lows in this pair are very punchy and have an attack that bass-heads will like, sub-bass extension is very deep and has an impactful punch which is very prominent in the tracks. Mid-bass is very clean it didn't bleed in other frequencies also mid-bass is very deep and has an attack with being controlled. Instruments like bass guitar and drums it's very impactful and has an attack.

Mids
Mids in this pair are too recessed, even it's recessed I find the vocals to have extension and presence in the track. male vocals have more note weight while female vocals have their openness and clarity but lack body. both genders deliver clean. presentation with definition. In terms of the presentation of the mids, it's more like vocals in the back and instruments in front.

Highs
Highs in this pair are decent and treble needs more refinement since it has an unbalanced quality and leads to being sibilant, cymbals have their presence in the track and it's only decent. Air and sparkle have a decent extension. Violin has decent extension it has clarity and sparkle, but the sounding of the violin feels boosted and making it artificial not realistic.

Technicalities.
This pair is not a technical pair, but it still delivers technical aspects. The soundstage in this pair feels like you in a small room and honestly, it's pretty small for my liking. Separation in this pair is decent it still separates instruments and vocals just fine. layering is decent it still has the right placements for instruments. In terms of details, it's more in macro details rather than micro details. micro details shine a bit and have their presence but only minimal.

Greetings!

This is a full review of the KBEar Lark, which was graciously provided to me by Keephifi through Mei Liu.

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

The KB EAR Lark is my first foray into the company's slew of offerings, and what an introduction it is. I am both amazed and in shock in how good this offering is at its price bracket: packaging, accessories, and sound are all spectacular. Despite a few caveats that hold it being the absolute king of the budget range, the KBEar Lark can absolutely stand on its own despite the myriad of others competing against it.

Let's now move forward to heed nature's calling!


𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜
- Presentation
The IEM is packaged unlike other IEMs in the same budget range: it comes in a larger, square box with nicer materials utilized in its creation and printing. We are treated foremost with a large picture of the IEM itself, showcasing the metal faceplate and honeycomb-like engraving etched into it. The name of the IEM "Lark" is nicely sized with the driver configuration indicated below: 1 DD (Dynamic Driver) and 1 BA (Balanced Armature). Another flex of the metal faceplate is seen, with a description "Hybrid Metal Earphone" affixed under the driver configuration. The one thing that turns me off in the packaging is the motto "In the hustle and bustle, find their own world", which doesn't really amount or mean to anything. Its a trend usually seen not only in Chi-Fi, but also with any product made in China. I would prefer that they remove these unnecessary quotes in any of their products, but hey, it is what it is.



- Product
The box made up of two parts: a slip cover which is primarily seen in the initial impressions of the packaging and an inner box, which is nicely textured and feels like 3x what you paid for. Said inner box has a gold print of the KBEar logo, and then has a provided ribbon flap to open the magnetic enclosure mechanism it has. Again, what a great price-to-value ratio! Upon opening, we are greeted with a 3-part presentation with their own little separately-named boxes: (1) the IEM, (2) the case, and (3) the accessories. The IEM is hugged in a especially shaped nicely-cushioned foam that prevents it from rattling during shipping. We see the nice sparkle that the IEM's metal faceplate has upon first glance.


- Particulars
Continuing the 3-part presentation, we are then graciously provided with a sturdy, hard case. KBear's logo is imprinted on the top of the case AND is engraved in its zipper's handle. It is the first time I am treated with this kind of generous accessory in my years of exploring budget Chi-Fi IEMs, and poses as a challenge to other companies to up their accessories game. The next part of the presentation are the accessories, that of which is packaged in a box. It includes the cable and 2 SETS OF EARTIPS. This, together with the hard case, is really unheard of in the price bracket. It is distinguished by two colors (white & black), which seems to be indicative of a narrow and wide-bore eartip variations. If I can only give the accessories a 6-Atomic Breath score, I would probably do.





𝘽𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 & 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩
The build quality of this IEM is excellent for its price range. It has a nice heft and tactile feel for its price, mainly attributing to the metal faceplate that KBEar has flexed multiple times upon its advertising and presentation. Said metal plate does not feel cheaply-made, and does not feature and jagged edges and/or pointy imperfections that can hurt the ear upon use. At the back of the faceplate is the skin-friendly plastic we commonly see on Chi-Fi IEMS, but I am sure this is not the medical-grade resin that some do use. It lacks the tactile and weighty heft that resin usually features in IEMs that do include them. The nozzles are a nice brass, which does not feel cheap and has nice tactile value to them. The only caveat to the build quality that I have noticed in this product is its flimsy cables, which are the thinnest that I have seen in any Chi-Fi IEM. Though having the advantage of being lightweight, they do not feel nice and it easily tangles up upon storage. KBEar, at some point, needs to cut costs in this nicely-valued product; I feel that the cables took the major hit.
The IEM is really comfortable upon wearing. The eartips sit snugly in the ears, and the provided wealth of options give you the chance to find your perfect pair. The aspect that I really didn't like about it is its inability to sit flush with the ears due to its short and wide nozzle. This usually means that you can't use this pair when you lay down on your bed sideways, but it is a small caveat that is not really worth mentioning because of its only-aesthetic value and the wide variety of eartips provided to you to ensure a comfortable fit.




𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙

𝘔𝘜𝘚𝘐𝘊 𝘜𝘚𝘌𝘋:
𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 - 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘷𝘦
𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘮 - 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘔𝘢𝘯
𝘓𝘶𝘴𝘩 - 𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴
𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦 - 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘴
𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 - 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘥
𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 - 𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮
𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 - 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘩
𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 - 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢
𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘚𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦
𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢 - 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘙𝘰𝘢𝘮
𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 - 𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘖𝘧 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘴
𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 - 𝘚𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤
𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘯 - 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨
-Signature
This is probably the most matured and natural sounding Chi-Fi IEM I have heard in this price bracket, beating out the BLON 03 in terms of my subjective preference. The 03 was a little too warm for my taste, creating this slightly off timbre tonality that muddied up the midrange. This is all alleviated in the Lark, creating a natural timbre that is sweet to hear. It still has the v-shape tonality that we all know and love when it comes to Chi-Fi audio, but it is more refined and developed than other offerings out there.
The bass on the Lark is controlled and "well-mannered", with bass thump that will tingle any basshead out there. Bass drums are well represented with a nice attack and quick decay on triggered drums, making for an impactful sound that carries the groove of any song. It is certainly not as present as other v-shaped IEMs out there, but it is there enough to make anyone satisfied.
The mids are no stranger from the v-shaped tonality, yet it takes a more mature approach by not scooping them too much. It has a smooth transition that makes the midrange natural sounding while being having the "clean" sound of a scooped midrange. One caveat to this is the vocals, especially male, is taken slightly aback. You can still hear the sweetness of the tonality of the IEM in the vocals, but it is not as prominent as I would like it to be.
The treble on the Lark is beautiful yet peculiar at the same time. It both has nice body and sparkle to it, but it is VERY sibilant at higher volumes and lacks a sense of air that I prefer in my IEMs. The midrange and treble tuning compliment with each other, but it has a weird tonality to it that sounds a little bit too clean. Nonetheless, the treble on these IEMs are one of the better executed ones in this price range, with detail retrieval at an above average rate.
-Soundstage
Another nice result to the complimentary tuning of the midrange and treble is that it greatly helps with the expansive soundstage of the Lark: its above average soundstage becomes excellent. Resolution takes a hit though, with the weird tonality of the treble hindering the already-limited resolving capabilities of the drivers. Imaging is above average, with a nice width and an excellent height. Instruments are nicely separated even in progressive metal tracks, wherein multiple instruments are layered with each other.

Get your own KBEar Lark at the link below (non-commissioned link):
https://keephifi.com/products/kbear-lark?_pos=1...

VERDICT:
Packaging:
Build Quality & Comfort:
Sound:

𝗚𝗼𝗷𝗶-𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗤 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀:

+5db at 117 (2.5Q) - Low Shelf
+5db at 683 (1.0Q) - Band Pass
-5db at 7.86k (4.0Q) - Peak
+3.5db at 12k (1.3Q) - High Shelf

“Larks are one of the most adaptable species of birds out there, they can produce that melodious and high pitch singing especially on their call to mating ritual and even to a simplest communication, they can mimic some of other birds' chirping and churrs too.”



Oi! welcome to my another IEM review article and I'll do another product review from one of the fastest growing audio companies in the current market, KB Ear.

I previously done some reviews on their product twice, KB Ear KS1 and the successor of this product, The KB Ear Robin. If you are interested on their other products, you can check it out the links below after this statement.

KB Ear KS1:

https://euphoniareviews.blogspot.com/2021/03/kb-ear-ks1-kilo-sierra-uno.html

KB Ear Robin: https://euphoniareviews.blogspot.com/2021/11/kbear-robin-good-decent-performing.html

What I have here is the KB Ear Lark, this is the first product from their line of “Birds” series. As I mentioned that I’ve done a review on its successor unit, both have a hybrid driver system but this one has a single BA (balanced armature) driver as opposed to a quad BA drivers to its successor. KB Ear Lark has a 10mm dynamic driver that handles the low end and a single custom BA's made by Bellsing for mids and highs frequency range that were regulated by an electronic frequency divider.



The shell of KB Ear Lark has different materials on each section as its face plate is made of zinc alloy, an opaque polycarbonate plastic on its cavity base ( mine has pale purpleish colour) and an aluminium alloy on its nozzle. The shells a little bit on a hefty side but It was well-constructed and of a good quality standard. The metal face plate has a debossed honeycomb pattern and very fine, laser-etched “KB Ear” word at the bottom. It has a 2-pin connector that reminds me from the one’s implemented on TFZ's which sturdy and proven design




Ergonomically-wise, when it comes on fitting and comfort. The shells' contour fits alright in my lug holes as I don’t feel any unpleasant experience as it has smooth finish on its sides without any roughness or misalignment construction on the sandwiched polycarbonate and metal. As I insert it into my lug holes, I feel that it has an average sealing that it barely blocks the noises from external source due to the nozzles are bit wobbly into my ear canal.



When it comes to packaging and inclusion of accessories, KB Ear is the few audio companies are impeccably generous on putting up some contents and on how they are place in orderly that make unboxing experience pleasing and enjoyable. The box itself has a white colour cardboard sleeve with the picture of the product at the front and some basic information on specifications and address at the back.

Here are the following contents that you will find inside the box:

• A pair of KB Ear Lark
• Three (3) pairs of black ear tips of different standard sizes.
• Three (3) pairs of white ear tips of different standard sizes.
• A white 4N SPC cable with a L-shaped 3.5mm termination plug.
• A canvas zippered IEM case.
• Instruction manual.

As for connectivity from its source, this IEM is easy to drive as they can use to decent sources such as laptop, smartphones and tablets. Putting them on a more better sources such as good quality devices with DAC/Amps will scale them even better as they sound even more fuller and produce better resolution.



The sound signature of KB Ear Lark is more on v-shaped tuning as bass and treble are more prominent that the mids’ placement is more on neutral and deep-seated in the audio frequency spectrum.



Here are some of my observation on each segment of audio frequency spectrum.



LOWS/BASS:

The bass is prominent on this IEM as it sound more punchy, precise and definitely has an ample slam, to think that sub-bass is more prominent on the bass region.



The sub bass is quite impressive as it has a good extension that it really produces a grumbling when I play some bass-intense tracks. Mid bass has decent amount of weight note to give a substantial texture on bass kicks, bass guitar and some male vocals. Authoritative bass kicks, a growl and more earthy sound of bass guitar and a more throaty quality on bass-leaning male vocals.



Overall, bass quality is decent enough that some ardent bassheads will probably accept the Lark's bass as sufficient and satisfying.



MIDS:

In this part of audio frequency spectrum, here will I layout my critique on KB Ear Lark. In my impression, I find it subdued, recessed and leaner that it doesn’t suit my preference as I want my mids has more forward vocals and more natural, well-textured and accurate timbre on instruments.



Despite of my skepticism on its midrange, It still find it as a clean, neutral and detailed. The vocals of both gender performs well as male vocals has a decent and leaner weight note but still deliver a clean and definition while the female vocals will be more benefited on this one as its has that more transparent and openness as their voices has that pleasant and sweet quality albeit it is sound a bit thinner.

When it comes to the tone colour of each instrument, I find it more benefited more on strings and wind instruments rather than percussions due to it more brighter timber as it gives off a more crisper sound of a guitar, more reverberating quality in violins and shrilly and edgy sound of a sax. Percussive has a less penetrating, sustaining, crackled and less detail sound especially on snares and bongos.

Despite on my reservations on the quality and quantity of the mids, I still find it more mature and pleasant to listen compare to some contemporary IEMs at almost the same price range.



HIGHS/TREBLE:

The trebles performs decently but here some of my observations; It has an enough brightness just to give a crisp, sparkling and decent airy extension.

In most tracks, it delivers that uneven smoothness as I noticed that’s it shows a sibilance if the tracks was intendedly mix to be sibilant and a hissy one a bit, And a hint of strident and gratin sound to high pitch female vocals in some vocal-centric tracks (probably due some adjustments on fixing the first tuning of Lark which reported to more boosted that cause a harshness but treble on this one sounds leaner and leaning towards being brittle sounding).



Cymbals strikes has a satisfactory shimmer and natural airy extension while hi-hats sounds less muted as it has ample definition and harmonic range.



Summarily, if I rate the quality of treble, I give it just as a barely passable mark as they don’t really sound bad nor spectacularly impressive.



SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

In my estimation on overall dimensions of its sound field, it has an above average on width, just enough depth just to be able to sense a deep and more emphasis on height. Imaging performs up to the mark one, not the most accurate on pinpoint the exact location as I hear in some IEMs but for its price range compare to other products at the same price bracket, KB Ear Lark performs well.



Separation has a little bit sense of gap and spacing on between instruments and vocals, Just have an enough distance if I perceive but the layering aspect is laudable, the fact that on how the rows and its placement of each instrument has a good overlay and stack on each segment especially on orchestra that plays classical and movie scores.



Driver coherency performs decently for a hybrid that they sound well-balanced without being uneven phasing and imbalance sounding. When comes to the timbre, it has bright and has “BA” tonality due to sounds metallic.

The DD is more a bit more sedate as its transients speed is performs sluggish and decay has a gradual pacing.



As I render my verdict on my assessment on KB Ear Lark, if you observe that I'm quite pointing out some of its flaws and inadequacies to sound more of a critique on this product rather than being buoyant and yet I still give a 4-star mark, one of the reasons is that KB Ear gives an importance on its customer’s satisfaction on how they present their product very well-organise and very presentable with a substantial amount of included accessories compare to its competitors that usually provided their set with just bare-bones accessories. Second is their products aesthetics and presentation for its quality and in well-organise manner and lastly, their tuning which is more mature and refined compare to some IEMs when it comes to V-shape tuning.

And to be honest, It will be a hard to sell that I will recommend this one to a more experience audio enthusiast who were more attuned to neutral and less coloured sound signature, But for a starters and beginners who want a better sounding and decent technicalities set than their previous more casual “consumer-friendly” tuning earphones then KB Ear Lark is a better option.

The KB Ear Lark pricing is around US$29/£22 and still available to all e-commerce sites.







SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KB EAR LARK

IMPEDANCE: 16Ω

SENSITIVITY: 106dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz - 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: MMCX CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNITS: 1 DYNAMIC DRIVER AND 1 BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVER.





PROS:

• Sufficiently balance-sounding IEM.
• Good all-rounder set.
• Elegant looking shell.
• Smooth and mature tuning.
• One of the most generous audio companies on putting up a substantial amount of included accessories.
• Decent technicalities.
• Ample resolution quality for its price value.

CONS:

• Too recessed and laidback mids especially on vocals and percussive instruments in my liking.
• Treble quality needs more refinement.
• Wishing for better stock cable.

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



Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

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

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

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

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*



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



Once again, I would like to thank Wendy Li for providing this review unit, I truly appreciate on her generosity towards me and other reviewers.





If you are interested this IEM product from KB Ear, Just check out the link below:



Facebook: https://mobile.facebook.com/kbearofficial1/

Ali Express:

https://kbear.aliexpress.com/store/5017064