Blon in ear monitors impressions thread
- Thread starter FastAndClean
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warbles
100+ Head-Fier
Just need to say that the 'responder' at AK Audio truly, truly sucks. Gives me email address to send him or her vid of my useless (malfunctioning) Blons,. which I do again and again, and s/he claims never to receive it.
Add to that the TRN 2.5mm balanced cable I just received from another seller transmits not a sound from my DAC (the DAC readout doesn't even register it as balanced), and you have one pretty miserable head-fier hereabouts...
Add to that the TRN 2.5mm balanced cable I just received from another seller transmits not a sound from my DAC (the DAC readout doesn't even register it as balanced), and you have one pretty miserable head-fier hereabouts...
Remind me what is wrong with your Blon exactly?
warbles
100+ Head-Fier
The right earpiece plays only faintly. So the whole experience is basically crap. Have swapped out various cables and problem remains. Think I'm gonna have to give up on AK Audio and buy another pair. I suppose there is no way anyone can ensure same thing won't happen again, regardless of which seller one buys from... Pity I was so excited to get 'em in the midst of all the raves that I promptly gave AK positive feedback!
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I'm sorry to hear that, blon 03's are pretty great. I can test a pair for you and send them to you at shipping cost if it's an actual problem in NZ (maybe they zap them at import).
edit: on a boat
They seem to be more expensive on AE. Maybe type something like "KZ silicone eartips"? They are not called starlines on the shops/online platforms, starlines is just a headfi nickname for them.
I bought a whole set of KZ starlines 30 pieces from ebay for 99 cents: https://www.ebay.com/itm/30Pcs-Smal...Bud-Tip-for-KZ-ED12-ZS2-ATE-ZS3-/252978022948
But I think he is only left with small sized KZ starlines.
warbles
100+ Head-Fier
Okay.... Got that thanks... Am now curious tho.. Where does the nickname stem from? Sounds kinda odd name for tips...?
Have you tried removing the nozzle screens with the filters? I had a similar problem and had to do that, and now I use earbud foam in the nozzle instead.
warbles
100+ Head-Fier
What do you mean by "...(remove) with the filters" though? Could you elaborate? Weird there had been a server error on here for the last hour or so that won't let me respond to genck...
The metal mesh screen at the end of the nozzle has a thin filter stuck to the back that changes the sound signature but also becomes saturated with moisture after use, leading to reduced volume and increased driver flex, at least with my BL03. I removed the original screens with the filters (saving them in case I wanted to put them back), and put cut up pieces of Hiegi earbud foam in the nozzle until the sound signature was approximately the same as before, though I don't have any equipment to measure how the frequency response changed. I then put a third party replacement screen from AliExpress on the end of the nozzle. I still have some driver flex now but no issues with volume lowering due to moisture.
warbles
100+ Head-Fier
Okay thankyou for the very clear explanation! But I can't help thinking that accumulated moisture can't be the problem with mine cos the earpiece was on the fritz from the moment I took the Blons outta the box!
I can't even tell if you're joking. That's absolutely not a problem.
warbles
100+ Head-Fier
??? There seems to be a disconnect here somewhere.. What do you mean joking? And everytime I try to answer your offer of shipping me some TESTED Blons, I get "server error". Same when I try to PM you...
I'll make it easy for you.
The grasshopper jumped the blue.
The rabbit skipped the hole.
For driver flex, it is usually due to a too tight seal, and is partially related to the tips we use + our ear anatomy. I found a few ways to mitigate it, YMMV:
1) Use foam tips instead of silicone tips, works sometimes for me. Probably cause the foam is porous and lets air escape thru the foams rather than going into the IEM shell.
2) Sometimes using another silicone tip that has lesser isolation/seal may reduce driver flex, though at the expense of isolation. Try a variety of different ear tips and sizes if you can, some tips give more driver flex than others.
3) Try opening your mouth and pulling down the earlobe before inserting the IEM, this opens the ear canal a bit for more space to insert the eartip, and hopefully some air can escape during insertion with the bigger diameter of the ear canal.
4) Insert the ear tip slowly or not too deeply initially, and slowly make fine adjustments to push it in.
I think it's cause when u look down at them from a vertical position, the opening looks like a star with many lines descending down the eartip.
Even though it is very cheap, I find it is quite compatible with many IEMs for me in providing good sound and fit/isolation.
U can even do this very useful reverse starline mod (credit to @Slater who discovered it) to give some extension: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flip-tips-prepare-to-have-your-mind-blown.906357/
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