Hello folks, this is my review with these great earbuds and iems from Toneking and the latest offering from Blon, the BL-03. Sorry if this review isn't focus to one product.
Toneking Unicorn
Build quality- Very light and durable, The stock cable however are not the same quality, easily gets oxidized and had a bit of that sticky feeling out of the box. Foamies are a must when using the Unicorns as it helps bring a more fuller sound and a better fit..
Fit- Keeps falling out without foams depending on your ear size, and as expected, isolation is very poor, almost no outside noise blockage at all.
Sound Signature: Stock
Bass- Like majority of earbuds this cant reproduce subbass that well, about 40hz and below and it starts to roll off but not in a drastic way. other than that it has a very good response from above 40hz onwards, bass is snappy and has a good texture to it. Has a midbass elevation that adds warmth.
Midrange- Warm but natural sounding have a more intimate presentation, a little muffled when compared to others.
Treble- Mellow treble but still has good amount of air, very good for longer listening.
Soundstage- Due to its more open presentation is has a more wider feeling and resembles a full sized headphones huge sound. Imaging is on par with the others, but because of its lack of isolation microdetails are less audible.
The Unicorn has a huge and open sound, offers wide stereo soundstage with great imaging, though not as resolving as the other Tonekings but still retains the organic house sound. But I would not recommend it if your prefer hip-hop, edm or other similar genres that requires a hard hitting low end.
Nine Tails/ 9way
Build quality- The metal housing of the drivers looks and feels durable, the finish is not perfectly smooth which I personally would've wanted but nonetheless its a solid build and feels more premium compared to the others. Same with the cables, however it's not soft enough nor flexible, the weave is just too tight imo. Also shows a slight oxidation after 2 months of use.
Fit- Made my ear soar for the first 2 weeks but gets more tolerable over time, as of now my ears had almost adjusted to it, I could use it for an average of 4 hrs. before I can sense pain again. Isolation is pretty good for me personally. Could block the outside noise almost completely and could be better when using cables with memory wires as it helps a more deeper insertion and a snug fit. While using the stock cable, there are some occasions were the iem just pops out of itself.
Sound Signature- The 9way sound signature really depends on its filters, it could go from v-shape to neutral, so I will just describe its sound signature using the Default filters and tips.
Bass- Have a proper amount down to 20hz with natural decay and satisfying rumble but the subbass doesn't go really low like the sw iii, has a slight midbass hump that doesn't intefere too much with the midrange.
Midrange- Recessed around 500hz-1khz making the sound thin and lacks body specially female vocals, the rest are properly tuned, very clear and resolving.
Treble- Unstable in this department, at first it sounded relatively organic, but listening more critically, it has a spike at 8khz. This is more audible when using silicons or comparing it straight away to sw iii treble response, it starts to sound proper at 10khz above for that wider stage with good amounts of air.
This is my listening observations from all the filter combos using spinfit tips cp100 (m) which I use rather than its stock tips since it somewhat fixes the mids but not the treble issues, might be not accurate since some of the filter combos I only spent a few minutes of listening.
1. bronze rear + bronze front/ Default tuning- midrange still needs more body, vocals are forward sounding, has the right amount of bass with a slight midbass hump.
2. bronze rear + blue front- same to default but better treble response and lesser forwardness in vocals.
3. bronze rear + red front- same to default with more midbass hump, recessed mids and treble.
4. blue rear + bronze front- adds a few db between 2khz-4khz, adds more clarity and forwardness to vocals, not shouty but can get too energetic, reduces midbass hump
5. blue rear + blue front- Similar to blue rear + bronze front with lesser coloration to midrange. (More balanced tonality but vocals have a closer presentation)
6. blue rear + red front- Similar to red rear + blue front, but a bit narrower sounding, almost similar in bass response, darker treble.
7. red rear + bronze front- More bassy vs. Default, a bit v-shape in sound.
8. red rear + blue front- Very similar to blue rear + blue front but a bit laid back vocals and treble, midbass should be more prominent but I cant audibly hear the difference (Good for longer listening)
9. red rear + red front- Elevated lows with a huge midbass hump, recessed mids and darker treble vs. Default.
Sounstage- Less wider than the sw iii, but it's more immersive and engaging. Imaging is great but the sw iii still delivers the most accuracy on microdetails.
The Nine tails gives an immersive listening experience. Delivers fun bass response, midrange with great clarity, the music is more engaging and exciting. Any tuning issues, whether dips or peaks can be solved using the tuning filters itself or tip rolling so its not a major problem. It's a modders delight and nightmare at the same time.
ShockWave III (fixed cable ver.)
Build- Durable yet light, so light that it felt cheaper when compared to the Nine Tails, almost the same weight to the Unicorn, the fixed cable is average, quite flexible and sturdy but has microphonic issues, also showed oxidation near the part of the cable where it touches the ears after a month of use. I also think the seller might gave me the older batches of sw iii since it doesn't come with the shark fin tips.
Fit- Since my ear canals are small for the stock tips, the foams wont fully fit in my ears leaving the sw iii to somewhat float and doesn't have the best seal, fortunately the lightness helps to keep it in staying. Isolation is average considering my ear canal issues with the foam tips. So for anyone who have smaller ear canals like mine, get some smaller foam tips.
Sound Signature: (with preffered tips)
Bass- Contradictory to its name, it ain't a Bass-oriented iem (the mmcx ver. might be more suited for that). It has the most accurate reproduction and can go ridiculously low when the music only requires it to, much like how good speakers could do, with no audible distortion or excessive decay, very controlled and dynamic with excellent texture.
Mids- One of the most realistically tuned midrange, and very well distinct, super consistent vs. the others specially at more complex songs and louder volumes were the vocals could get more shouty, no noticeable coloration, no dips or peaks.
Highs- Best resolution and extension, totl tuned treble, neutral and airy with perfect finesse. One of the best cymbal crashes reproduction. Burn in will help reduce the initial treble harshness/grain, giving an overall smoother sound (toneking said themselves that burn in adds 10% more smoothness, although its true, I'm just not so sure about that 10%
), slight sibilant and harshness occurs when using majority of the silicon tips so foam tips is more preferred.
Soundstage- The widest out all the earphones in this review, but its spaciousness really depends on the song itself, there are times that it sounded narrow other times you will amazed how far the sounds are coming from. Imaging is super accurate and easier to determine where the instruments/voices are coming from, down to the very little details on the background.
The Shockwave iii is an enlightenment to me to what a true high fidelity audio is like, a reproduction much faithful to its source. Well controlled, perfectly textured low-end, flat midrange and a very smooth and clean treble presentation yet still not forgiving in poorly recorded tracks, its a step ahead in almost everything; resolution, imaging, microdetails, instrument separation, consistency, transparency, dynamics, speed, you name it, the sw iii can do it. This is the best iem Ive heard so far in terms of sound quality and technicality.
Now, just recently, One of my new favorite chinese brand, the blon with its new iem, bl-03, has been gaining more attention and got very positive feedbacks, its one of the chepeast iem you could buy right now that offers decent sound quality and decided to include it in this review, however I think its getting overhyped, just my personal opinion and Ill give the reasons as to why. I have been using it for the past 3 months and comparing it side by side against my modified 9way. These are my thoughts and as to why I consider the Nine tails to be the better one.
Lets go straight right away with the blon bl-03 sound. (Note: Cable swapping and tip rolling is a must since the stock ones are crappy, heck even the writings in its box is questionable like a failed Google translation) Changing the tips to foams effectively improves the mids and highs, I find the bl-03 to sound best using foam tips.
Blon BL-03
Bass- More prominent subbass, but lacks that full bodied bass response and texture, unlike the 9way or Unicorn its midbass is recessed which even gives a colder tonality.
Mids- Dry and thin specially in higher pitched female vocals when using silicons. Using foams tips, the vocals is energetic, but not far to neutral response kinda similar to 9way using bronze filters but refined.
Highs- Grainy when using silicons, on Foam tips its a proper accentuated treble, not piercing or overly bright, no sudden dips or peaks unlike the stock 9way. However it leans on the colder side and sounded artificial to my ears.
Vs. Nine Tails
BL-03 soundstage is considerably wide but lacks depth. Texture, layering and instrument separation is better on 9way, the subbass on the blon is great, but overall sounded incomplete in general as it lacks natural warmness which doesnt sound right. Overall the bl-03 lacks the realistic tonality that Im hearing on the 9way, every sound reproduced is more natural on Tonekings, the bl-03 has a very good frequency response and good extension on both ends but I just dont feel any emotion when listening to the bl-03 and It gets boring after a while. Maybe its just me who isn't a fan of cold sounding earphones now. If you prefer the cold tuning and somewhat more transparent sound, the bl-03 maybe the better choice. But for music and pleasurable listening experience I prefer the modified Ninetails more. The price difference is huge but so is the sound quality, just my humble opinion.
Edit: My unit might actually had been tuned different to majority thats on the market since most folks say it leans on the warmer side instead.
.
My Conclusion:
For a person with mild ocd like me, the Nine Tails is such a nightmare of an iem to play with. All in all, its a well engineered single dynamic driver iem capable of producing various sound signature you could think of and with the right configuration and mods, it can give you an amazing listening experience and with a more premium build. The Unicorn, whilst lacking in some aspects, carries that similar organic signature with a more open sound and when modded, its one of the best budget earbuds Ive heard so far. Talking about more in technicalities and pure sound prowess, the Shockwave iii is the clear winner. A perfectly tuned hybrid iem that represents the true high-end audio at a budget price, the only downside? its cables, and the fact thats its non-detachable just hurts, but with regards to sound quality alone? I think Im done with iems, this is it, unless Toneking gets crazier and makes a sw iii in a custom iem body and detachable connector and thats a definite end game for me (Im looking at you v10). All these three delivers lifelike sound unlike the majority of the earphones on the market today. Toneking knows how and what music should sound like. Wp mr. Z
As for the blon bl-03, that brand continues to impress. It keeps on giving great products at unbelievably cheap price. I wish they keep this trend and gain more recognition in the future I just hope they make their future iems with a more realistic tuning approach. As of this time, Faaeal have made their move and released the faaeal Hibiscus which is also a carbon nanotube driver iem, now thats a better battle for the Blon.
Toneking Unicorn
Build quality- Very light and durable, The stock cable however are not the same quality, easily gets oxidized and had a bit of that sticky feeling out of the box. Foamies are a must when using the Unicorns as it helps bring a more fuller sound and a better fit..
Fit- Keeps falling out without foams depending on your ear size, and as expected, isolation is very poor, almost no outside noise blockage at all.
Sound Signature: Stock
Bass- Like majority of earbuds this cant reproduce subbass that well, about 40hz and below and it starts to roll off but not in a drastic way. other than that it has a very good response from above 40hz onwards, bass is snappy and has a good texture to it. Has a midbass elevation that adds warmth.
Midrange- Warm but natural sounding have a more intimate presentation, a little muffled when compared to others.
Treble- Mellow treble but still has good amount of air, very good for longer listening.
Soundstage- Due to its more open presentation is has a more wider feeling and resembles a full sized headphones huge sound. Imaging is on par with the others, but because of its lack of isolation microdetails are less audible.
The Unicorn has a huge and open sound, offers wide stereo soundstage with great imaging, though not as resolving as the other Tonekings but still retains the organic house sound. But I would not recommend it if your prefer hip-hop, edm or other similar genres that requires a hard hitting low end.
Nine Tails/ 9way
Build quality- The metal housing of the drivers looks and feels durable, the finish is not perfectly smooth which I personally would've wanted but nonetheless its a solid build and feels more premium compared to the others. Same with the cables, however it's not soft enough nor flexible, the weave is just too tight imo. Also shows a slight oxidation after 2 months of use.
Fit- Made my ear soar for the first 2 weeks but gets more tolerable over time, as of now my ears had almost adjusted to it, I could use it for an average of 4 hrs. before I can sense pain again. Isolation is pretty good for me personally. Could block the outside noise almost completely and could be better when using cables with memory wires as it helps a more deeper insertion and a snug fit. While using the stock cable, there are some occasions were the iem just pops out of itself.
Sound Signature- The 9way sound signature really depends on its filters, it could go from v-shape to neutral, so I will just describe its sound signature using the Default filters and tips.
Bass- Have a proper amount down to 20hz with natural decay and satisfying rumble but the subbass doesn't go really low like the sw iii, has a slight midbass hump that doesn't intefere too much with the midrange.
Midrange- Recessed around 500hz-1khz making the sound thin and lacks body specially female vocals, the rest are properly tuned, very clear and resolving.
Treble- Unstable in this department, at first it sounded relatively organic, but listening more critically, it has a spike at 8khz. This is more audible when using silicons or comparing it straight away to sw iii treble response, it starts to sound proper at 10khz above for that wider stage with good amounts of air.
This is my listening observations from all the filter combos using spinfit tips cp100 (m) which I use rather than its stock tips since it somewhat fixes the mids but not the treble issues, might be not accurate since some of the filter combos I only spent a few minutes of listening.
1. bronze rear + bronze front/ Default tuning- midrange still needs more body, vocals are forward sounding, has the right amount of bass with a slight midbass hump.
2. bronze rear + blue front- same to default but better treble response and lesser forwardness in vocals.
3. bronze rear + red front- same to default with more midbass hump, recessed mids and treble.
4. blue rear + bronze front- adds a few db between 2khz-4khz, adds more clarity and forwardness to vocals, not shouty but can get too energetic, reduces midbass hump
5. blue rear + blue front- Similar to blue rear + bronze front with lesser coloration to midrange. (More balanced tonality but vocals have a closer presentation)
6. blue rear + red front- Similar to red rear + blue front, but a bit narrower sounding, almost similar in bass response, darker treble.
7. red rear + bronze front- More bassy vs. Default, a bit v-shape in sound.
8. red rear + blue front- Very similar to blue rear + blue front but a bit laid back vocals and treble, midbass should be more prominent but I cant audibly hear the difference (Good for longer listening)
9. red rear + red front- Elevated lows with a huge midbass hump, recessed mids and darker treble vs. Default.
Sounstage- Less wider than the sw iii, but it's more immersive and engaging. Imaging is great but the sw iii still delivers the most accuracy on microdetails.
The Nine tails gives an immersive listening experience. Delivers fun bass response, midrange with great clarity, the music is more engaging and exciting. Any tuning issues, whether dips or peaks can be solved using the tuning filters itself or tip rolling so its not a major problem. It's a modders delight and nightmare at the same time.
ShockWave III (fixed cable ver.)
Build- Durable yet light, so light that it felt cheaper when compared to the Nine Tails, almost the same weight to the Unicorn, the fixed cable is average, quite flexible and sturdy but has microphonic issues, also showed oxidation near the part of the cable where it touches the ears after a month of use. I also think the seller might gave me the older batches of sw iii since it doesn't come with the shark fin tips.
Fit- Since my ear canals are small for the stock tips, the foams wont fully fit in my ears leaving the sw iii to somewhat float and doesn't have the best seal, fortunately the lightness helps to keep it in staying. Isolation is average considering my ear canal issues with the foam tips. So for anyone who have smaller ear canals like mine, get some smaller foam tips.
Sound Signature: (with preffered tips)
Bass- Contradictory to its name, it ain't a Bass-oriented iem (the mmcx ver. might be more suited for that). It has the most accurate reproduction and can go ridiculously low when the music only requires it to, much like how good speakers could do, with no audible distortion or excessive decay, very controlled and dynamic with excellent texture.
Mids- One of the most realistically tuned midrange, and very well distinct, super consistent vs. the others specially at more complex songs and louder volumes were the vocals could get more shouty, no noticeable coloration, no dips or peaks.
Highs- Best resolution and extension, totl tuned treble, neutral and airy with perfect finesse. One of the best cymbal crashes reproduction. Burn in will help reduce the initial treble harshness/grain, giving an overall smoother sound (toneking said themselves that burn in adds 10% more smoothness, although its true, I'm just not so sure about that 10%
), slight sibilant and harshness occurs when using majority of the silicon tips so foam tips is more preferred.Soundstage- The widest out all the earphones in this review, but its spaciousness really depends on the song itself, there are times that it sounded narrow other times you will amazed how far the sounds are coming from. Imaging is super accurate and easier to determine where the instruments/voices are coming from, down to the very little details on the background.
The Shockwave iii is an enlightenment to me to what a true high fidelity audio is like, a reproduction much faithful to its source. Well controlled, perfectly textured low-end, flat midrange and a very smooth and clean treble presentation yet still not forgiving in poorly recorded tracks, its a step ahead in almost everything; resolution, imaging, microdetails, instrument separation, consistency, transparency, dynamics, speed, you name it, the sw iii can do it. This is the best iem Ive heard so far in terms of sound quality and technicality.
Now, just recently, One of my new favorite chinese brand, the blon with its new iem, bl-03, has been gaining more attention and got very positive feedbacks, its one of the chepeast iem you could buy right now that offers decent sound quality and decided to include it in this review, however I think its getting overhyped, just my personal opinion and Ill give the reasons as to why. I have been using it for the past 3 months and comparing it side by side against my modified 9way. These are my thoughts and as to why I consider the Nine tails to be the better one.
Lets go straight right away with the blon bl-03 sound. (Note: Cable swapping and tip rolling is a must since the stock ones are crappy, heck even the writings in its box is questionable like a failed Google translation) Changing the tips to foams effectively improves the mids and highs, I find the bl-03 to sound best using foam tips.
Blon BL-03
Bass- More prominent subbass, but lacks that full bodied bass response and texture, unlike the 9way or Unicorn its midbass is recessed which even gives a colder tonality.
Mids- Dry and thin specially in higher pitched female vocals when using silicons. Using foams tips, the vocals is energetic, but not far to neutral response kinda similar to 9way using bronze filters but refined.
Highs- Grainy when using silicons, on Foam tips its a proper accentuated treble, not piercing or overly bright, no sudden dips or peaks unlike the stock 9way. However it leans on the colder side and sounded artificial to my ears.
Vs. Nine Tails
BL-03 soundstage is considerably wide but lacks depth. Texture, layering and instrument separation is better on 9way, the subbass on the blon is great, but overall sounded incomplete in general as it lacks natural warmness which doesnt sound right. Overall the bl-03 lacks the realistic tonality that Im hearing on the 9way, every sound reproduced is more natural on Tonekings, the bl-03 has a very good frequency response and good extension on both ends but I just dont feel any emotion when listening to the bl-03 and It gets boring after a while. Maybe its just me who isn't a fan of cold sounding earphones now. If you prefer the cold tuning and somewhat more transparent sound, the bl-03 maybe the better choice. But for music and pleasurable listening experience I prefer the modified Ninetails more. The price difference is huge but so is the sound quality, just my humble opinion.
Edit: My unit might actually had been tuned different to majority thats on the market since most folks say it leans on the warmer side instead.
.
My Conclusion:
For a person with mild ocd like me, the Nine Tails is such a nightmare of an iem to play with. All in all, its a well engineered single dynamic driver iem capable of producing various sound signature you could think of and with the right configuration and mods, it can give you an amazing listening experience and with a more premium build. The Unicorn, whilst lacking in some aspects, carries that similar organic signature with a more open sound and when modded, its one of the best budget earbuds Ive heard so far. Talking about more in technicalities and pure sound prowess, the Shockwave iii is the clear winner. A perfectly tuned hybrid iem that represents the true high-end audio at a budget price, the only downside? its cables, and the fact thats its non-detachable just hurts, but with regards to sound quality alone? I think Im done with iems, this is it, unless Toneking gets crazier and makes a sw iii in a custom iem body and detachable connector and thats a definite end game for me (Im looking at you v10). All these three delivers lifelike sound unlike the majority of the earphones on the market today. Toneking knows how and what music should sound like. Wp mr. Z
As for the blon bl-03, that brand continues to impress. It keeps on giving great products at unbelievably cheap price. I wish they keep this trend and gain more recognition in the future I just hope they make their future iems with a more realistic tuning approach. As of this time, Faaeal have made their move and released the faaeal Hibiscus which is also a carbon nanotube driver iem, now thats a better battle for the Blon.
