[hmscott]

I've been enjoying the Blon BL-05's very much, the sound is great right out of the box, but I'm assuming some kind of break-in will moderate the sound, so I'll post my reactions over time.

The BL-05 sound is full and although on some tracks you could say they are bright - the mids and bass are fully represented too and their brightness hasn't exceeded my enjoyment of listening to them for long periods of time.

I've been listening with the FiiO BTR5 / BTR3k, and the FiiO M15. I've also tried the M15 high current "Over the ear headphone mode", dropping down a couple of volume steps after enabling it, and the Blon-05 seems to fill in the bass a bit more with it enabled, but with it disabled the Bl-05's sound great too. I've got it off most of the time.

They fit for me with the stock out of the box tips is better with the BL-05's than the BL-03's. I'll try switching to the same foam tips I've been using with the BL-03's at some point, but for now I don't feel the need to switch.

I haven't tried to fit balanced 2.5mm cables to the BL-05 yet, but that's coming at some point too.

 

[pfloyd]

I have a problem. I've been using my Blon 03 for about 2-3 months now, and suddenly one ear started to work quieter. That happened yesterday at night, I just took them off and let them be. Today I woke up and started using them and they seemed fine for a while, then the same ear started getting quieter again. And it keeps getting quieter. The problem is not in the cable or source. What could this be and can I fix it and has this ever happened to someone before?

I had this problem with some Bluetooth iems where I would leave them in all night and by morning they would go quiet. Then by next evening they’d be fine for a while then go quiet again. Then one morning when they were completely quiet I removed the mesh filters they immediately started sounding fine and since leaving the mesh filters off, they have not gone quiet. Now the mesh filters were made of plastic polymer, not metal. Polymers often times can be hydrophilic (attracts water) more so then metal, and can even swell as well. I think the blons have a two-ply filter system, and perhaps the inner one is polymer and prone to attract moisture, or maybe just because there are two filters they’re more prone to blockage. Perhaps if you remove that one and replace the metal filter, it might work better, something to try. I know in a previous post slater shows a filter mod to add treble to the blon so it might change its sound, but based on photo the one filter looked dark like maybe it’s polymer if I remember correctly. I believe the TRN BA5 and v90 reportly has the same problem, maybe modding the filter or removing it will help them too.

 

[chinmie]

trying this setting with the BL03. now it's closer to my preferred taste, and also proves me that the BL03 driver is good and adapt well to EQing

 

[Arjey]

I had this problem with some Bluetooth iems where I would leave them in all night and by morning they would go quiet. Then by next evening they’d be fine for a while then go quiet again. Then one morning when they were completely quiet I removed the mesh filters they immediately started sounding fine and since leaving the mesh filters off, they have not gone quiet. Now the mesh filters were made of plastic polymer, not metal. Polymers often times can be hydrophilic (attracts water) more so then metal, and can even swell as well. I think the blons have a two-ply filter system, and perhaps the inner one is polymer and prone to attract moisture, or maybe just because there are two filters they’re more prone to blockage. Perhaps if you remove that one and replace the metal filter, it might work better, something to try. I know in a previous post slater shows a filter mod to add treble to the blon so it might change its sound, but based on photo the one filter looked dark like maybe it’s polymer if I remember correctly. I believe the TRN BA5 and v90 reportly has the same problem, maybe modding the filter or removing it will help them too.

My problem isn't in the filter, I tried taking it off, it's something else (

 

[mochill]

The blon 05 is on Amazon now, ordered.
Here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08732X7VG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
edit: It was in stock when I ordered it, it already went to "In stock on May 19th" since putting it here on Head-fi. lol, got my order in though and supposed to be here on the 18th
edit edit: for the gun no mic version, the one with mic has 5 left

Ordered

 

[dharmasteve]

Just got my BL05s. First out of the box impressions are that it isn't so dependent on amplification as the 03, my phone drives it fine. It actually fits properly and the stock tips didn't go straight in the bin either. Sound wise I've not gone too much into it but definitely better detail than the 03 at the cost of some bass. The timbre isn't up to the KZ Z1, but I haven't listened to my 03s in a while so I can't compare there as yet. There are some definite positives over the 03 but also some negatives and nonpositives. The bass could do with a lift though with eartip rolling I expect I'll get somewhere near where I want to be. The mids are nicely weighted, not recessed at all and have a nice attack which is superior to the KZ Z1 and equal to the 03 but more detailed. Sadly the timbre is not quite up to the Z1 and I suspect the 03. Listening to Big Brother and the Holding Company's take on "Summertime" through the Z1 I hear a Strat played on the 4th position of the pickup selector and a Gibson of some description playing through the bridge pickup. On the 05 I just hear two guitars...
The 05 is really good and has a lot to recommend it. But I echo the sentiments of those who aren't blown away by it. I've just got two new sets and both are great (the Z1 is better than I hoped for) but... I think the 03 ruined budget IEMs for me. My expectations are super high nowadays.

Hi there
You speak of the KZ Z1 timbre. How do you rate them? I'm in the market for a hands free, wire free, that can stand up to wired IEMs. Are they worth a punt? Where did you get them......is there a UK seller?

 

[Tonymac136]

Hi there
You speak of the KZ Z1 timbre. How do you rate them? I'm in the market for a hands free, wire free, that can stand up to wired IEMs. Are they worth a punt? Where did you get them......is there a UK seller?

Timbre is AT LEAST as accurate as the BL03. They're a bit more detailed than the Blon but they do lack some of that musicality that you just can't quite put your finger on. They're tuned very similar to the Blon generally, in that the bass can overpower the mid slightly leaving it a bit recessed on some tracks. I've changed eartips for the Chinese Sony Hybrid knock-offs which has taken the bass back a bit (though it's still happy and rumbly when it needs to be). Thus equipped they're slightly brighter than the Blons though not painfully so to me.

If you're in the market for IEMs, these deserve to be in the conversation with any at the price. The natural comparison is with the Blon BL03 and they don't come off worse in most regards. KZ are really taking budget TWS seriously. The S1 was the equal of most wired sets at the money and the Z1 is a goodun too.

I got mine from the KZ official store on AE. They were on "preorder" and yet took only about two weeks to come. Happy days.

 

[dharmasteve]

Timbre is AT LEAST as accurate as the BL03. They're a bit more detailed than the Blon but they do lack some of that musicality that you just can't quite put your finger on. They're tuned very similar to the Blon generally, in that the bass can overpower the mid slightly leaving it a bit recessed on some tracks. I've changed eartips for the Chinese Sony Hybrid knock-offs which has taken the bass back a bit (though it's still happy and rumbly when it needs to be). Thus equipped they're slightly brighter than the Blons though not painfully so to me.

If you're in the market for IEMs, these deserve to be in the conversation with any at the price. The natural comparison is with the Blon BL03 and they don't come off worse in most regards. KZ are really taking budget TWS seriously. The S1 was the equal of most wired sets at the money and the Z1 is a goodun too.

I got mine from the KZ official store on AE. They were on "preorder" and yet took only about two weeks to come. Happy days.

Are they Aptx or Aptx Hd.

 

[pfloyd]

Received the bl05 yesterday. Love the ergonomics, fit is great, even with the stock cable, which is the exact same as the bl03 cable. Now when I received the bl03 the fit with the stock cable was so bad l quickly switched to to an aftermarket balanced cable and listen almost exclusively like this out of the es100 for months and it sounds and fits great. Now when I received the 05 yesterday the fit with stock cable was so good I listened for several hours this way while tip rolling trying to get the right sound but not quite reaching it. It just sounded flat, compressed, missing dynamics and dimension.

After several hours finally fitted a balanced cable and bam! That’s what I was looking for, the dynamics and dimension just popped. I do remember now that the 03 did respond better then the other chi-fi in my arsenal to balanced setup and it seems the 05 does as well. It seems the stock cable holds it back. Now likely a better single ended cable cable will improve it as well, I don’t have one to try. Balanced the 05 has the similar magic the 03 has with less mid bass and lifted presence area in the upper mids/lower treble. The warmer 03 works good with lesser quality recorded material, covering up the sins of the recording, while the 05 shines with better recorded material with more insight into detail. Really not a huge difference but enough to differentiate the two. Like them both though, good stuff!

 

[Tonymac136]

Are they Aptx or Aptx Hd.

Sadly not. At the price it's not a deal breaker. I do wonder how much better they might have sounded with a better codec. But that might have come at a price either financially or in battery life.

 

[dharmasteve]

Sadly not. At the price it's not a deal breaker. I do wonder how much better they might have sounded with a better codec. But that might have come at a price either financially or in battery life.

Appreciated

Thank you

 

[Hinch]

Ok so after a few hours burn in I listened to them over the last couple of days and I really like them. Its brighter, more energetic, though leaner sounding and a lot cleaner in the bass. Its really great for fast music like metal or rock and is a nice complimentary iem to go with the BL03. Also being able to power them straight off my phone, without it turning into a muddy mess means I'll use them a whole lot more too.

While they aren't a direct upgrade to the BL03 they are a different flavor; which is great since I already have two sets of 03's! FYI I tried it through my JDS Atom (high/low gain) and it sounds great just as it does through my phone. Would recommend.. just remember to replace the tips and cable

 

[slayermbm]

Received the bl05 yesterday. Love the ergonomics, fit is great, even with the stock cable, which is the exact same as the bl03 cable. Now when I received the bl03 the fit with the stock cable was so bad l quickly switched to to an aftermarket balanced cable and listen almost exclusively like this out of the es100 for months and it sounds and fits great. Now when I received the 05 yesterday the fit with stock cable was so good I listened for several hours this way while tip rolling trying to get the right sound but not quite reaching it. It just sounded flat, compressed, missing dynamics and dimension.

After several hours finally fitted a balanced cable and bam! That’s what I was looking for, the dynamics and dimension just popped. I do remember now that the 03 did respond better then the other chi-fi in my arsenal to balanced setup and it seems the 05 does as well. It seems the stock cable holds it back. Now likely a better single ended cable cable will improve it as well, I don’t have one to try. Balanced the 05 has the similar magic the 03 has with less mid bass and lifted presence area in the upper mids/lower treble. The warmer 03 works good with lesser quality recorded material, covering up the sins of the recording, while the 05 shines with better recorded material with more insight into detail. Really not a huge difference but enough to differentiate the two. Like them both though, good stuff!

Could you please explain to me what do you mean by balanced cable? How they differ from the stock cable, sound wise? Do you have a link to buy some of them? Thanks a lot!

 

[FSTOP]

Could you please explain to me what do you mean by balanced cable? How they differ from the stock cable, sound wise? Do you have a link to buy some of them? Thanks a lot!

Balanced uses another ground connection for each channel vs a common ground (3-pin).
But you also must have a balanced source (dap) to use the cable. In my opinion, it isn't as much the actual wire that offers any improvements, but a balanced source generally has more output (power, impedance) and better imaging as the channel separation is improved.

 

[pfloyd]

Could you please explain to me what do you mean by balanced cable? How they differ from the stock cable, sound wise? Do you have a link to buy some of them? Thanks a lot!

As FSTOP says in his comment, a balanced system has a separate ground for each channel, helping to minimize crosstalk between channels among other things. Here’s the link to the cable I have, https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32973114057.html. You need to specify 2 pin/2.5mm to use with Blon balanced with the EarStudio ES100. You can find them on Amazon at many price points as well, just search for 2.5mm balanced cable. Now you can maybe do better than stock by just getting a better single ended standard cable, this is just what I used to good effect. Here’s the link to the headfi thread for the ES100, you might find the info there useful to explain its capabilities, including the advantages to a balanced system,it’s a good affordable amp/dac Bluetooth dongle, but there are other options as well, https://www.head-fi.org/threads/radsone-earstudio-es100.867366/