[JEHL]

I also wonder what BLON would be capable of once they dip their toes into the BA realm and start creating multi driver IEM without downgrading the tonality they're known for (or maybe they could use multiple dynamic drivers too?). I'd probably wouldn't be able to afford that since I'd expect the price point to be B20 like, but I wonder if they'd create high end worthy stuff at entry to midrange price. But for all I know calling the BL-03's tonality fantastic is hyperbole. Isn't it? Like my attempt to interpolate all impressions I read combined the BL-03 would get an A+ for Tone and C- for Technicality.

I also thought the point of CNT/graphene/DLC is to improve the technical grade of a dynamic driver... but I guess the research of how to take advantage of it still continues. And I wonder if this is the current focus of BLON and they'll only touch BAs once the research for the perfect diaphragm reaches satisfactory levels for them.

This will be a very long wait.

 

[Slater]

Does that mean driver is the same and only everything else is different? But then again, we wouldn't know unless someone harvests the drivers for comparison.

Edit: Are the cardinal/bluejay discontinued?

Yes, they are discontinued.

As far as the driver being the same, that hasn’t been definitely determined by anyone yet.

 

[Slater]

I also wonder what BLON would be capable of once they dip their toes into the BA realm and start creating multi driver IEM without downgrading the tonality they're known for (or maybe they could use multiple dynamic drivers too?). I'd probably wouldn't be able to afford that since I'd expect the price point to be B20 like, but I wonder if they'd create high end worthy stuff at entry to midrange price. But for all I know calling the BL-03's tonality fantastic is hyperbole. Isn't it? Like my attempt to interpolate all impressions I read combined the BL-03 would get an A+ for Tone and C- for Technicality.

I also thought the point of CNT/graphene/DLC is to improve the technical grade of a dynamic driver... but I guess the research of how to take advantage of it still continues. And I wonder if this is the current focus of BLON and they'll only touch BAs once the research for the perfect diaphragm reaches satisfactory levels for them.

This will be a very long wait.

Not a long wait at all. Blon B3 and B3S have been out for a few years now, and are hybrids.

 

[JEHL]

Not a long wait at all. Blon B3 and B3S have been out for a few years now, and are hybrids.

I forgot that at one point the BL05 was meant to have a piezoelectric but got scrapped. Did it end up too shrill despite presumed attempts to tune it?

I remember seeing some wooden IEMs, but only now I know their names and that both are hybrids. I never heard or read ANY impressions of these however and from what I can tell they were given a hard pass due to... Being hardwired?

I haven't found any attempts to push BLON to make detachable cable versions of those either.

I'm expecting them to have typical chi-fi tuning. But what if they don't?

 

[bigjim]

I hope they just continue putting out reasonably priced single DDs, the 03's to me sound far better than IE800, Pinnacle P1, all final E series etc, so I can only imagine how good they might start sounding in future with a bit of R and D.
I think the only difference with Blon and other manufacturers is that say for instance Sennheisser, they can make a DD sound wonderful, but do want the £400 for it, cheaper IEMs are not as proficient giving a customer choice to pay for the top dog. Blon however simply made their single DD sound as good as possible and just sold the best one they could make as the only option, marvelous!

The reviewers who rely on the more expensive brands for 'review samples' can't really afford to give it the rating it deserves, hence it hovers around the 'its decent' score, but those of us with plenty to compare to know it's up there with the best anyone can offer, just very reasonably priced and has pretty much made most people sit up and decide whether or not they want to continue paying £000's for products that are no better.

Best purchase I have ever made in audio.

 

[JEHL]

Has anyone tried to... somehow contact BLON to send them the modded BL-03 to see if they're interested in releasing them that way? Cuz AFAIK all BLON probably needs to do is make the nozzle slightly longer, supplying a cable with an actually functional memory hook(I THINK this is already covered since my stock cable has a 270° memory rather than the full 360°, but could be an outlier for all I know) and have the mesh filter with the punctured sponge rather than the overly restrictive filter it currently has. Or have the same cloth filter but punctured at the middle or whatever version is voted best here (Kinda makes me want to see Mr. Slater showcase all versions of this mod so far in a single post, or anyone with the knowledge for that matter).

If the BL-03 already has its value proposition in the clouds as is, then I imagine BL-03 MK.II with those implementations would launch its value proposition into orbit outright.

 

[bhazard]

Got the BLON BL-05 already. I should have some time tomorrow for pics and initial thoughts.

Really nice packaging at first glance.

 

[Slater]

Has anyone tried to... somehow contact BLON to send them the modded BL-03 to see if they're interested in releasing them that way? Cuz AFAIK all BLON probably needs to do is make the nozzle slightly longer, supplying a cable with an actually functional memory hook(I THINK this is already covered since my stock cable has a 270° memory rather than the full 360°, but could be an outlier for all I know) and have the mesh filter with the punctured sponge rather than the overly restrictive filter it currently has. Or have the same cloth filter but punctured at the middle or whatever version is voted best here (Kinda makes me want to see Mr. Slater showcase all versions of this mod so far in a single post, or anyone with the knowledge for that matter).

If the BL-03 already has its value proposition in the clouds as is, then I imagine BL-03 MK.II with those implementations would launch its value proposition into orbit outright.

As far as the longer nozzle, there is the longer nozzle mod that only costs $0.13.

It’s not as perfect as the (supposed) MKII shell that has a factory longer nozzle, but the nozzle mod would be an option for those not willing to wait on the MKII (which may never happen).

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/blon-in-ear-monitors-impressions-thread.916702/page-89#post-15322543

 

[Slater]

*** NEWS FLASH ***

I discovered something about the BL-03 today, that was previously unknown by the community.

I was carefully examining the BL-03, and I noticed that there is a fully functional bass vent right at the 2-pin plug.




This bass vent can get COVERED UP and sealed when the stock cable is used (or a banned brand that makes an upgrade cable using the stock plug ends):


However, when a generic 2-pin cable is used, the bass vent is fully UNCOVERED. This is due to the way the generic cable sits on top of the stock socket.


I tested this with different cables, and sure enough there is a difference. This difference is not due to the cable itself, but rather the vent being covered vs uncovered. I think this can explain at least why some people were hearing different BL-03 tuning, the (untrue) rumors of the different colors sounding different, etc. Some people said it had too much low end, others said it was too little, etc.

You can even test this with the stock cable, by partially unplugging the stock cable so that it unseals the vent. This proves that a stock vs 'upgrade' cable is not reason, but rather the bass vent.

The BL-05 has no such bass vent, and there is significant difference in the quantity of bass between the BL-03 vs BL-05:


Sure, the BL-05 uses a different shell and newer generation of driver, which does have some influence on the difference between the BL-05 vs BL-03. But the lack of bass vent on the BL-05 is a significant contributor on the BL-05 having less low end vs the BL-03.

 

[backdrifter]

*** NEWS FLASH ***

I discovered something about the BL-03 today, that was previously unknown by the community.

I was carefully examining the BL-03, and I noticed that there is a fully functional bass vent right at the 2-pin plug.




This bass vent is COVERED UP and sealed when the stock cable is used (or a banned brand that makes an upgrade cable using the stock plug ends):


However, when a generic 2-pin cable is used, the bass vent is fully UNCOVERED. This is due to the way the generic cable sits on top of the stock socket.


I tested this with different cables, and sure enough there is a difference. This difference is not due to the cable itself, but rather the vent being covered vs uncovered. I think this can explain at least why some people were hearing different BL-03 tuning, the (untrue) rumors of the different colors sounding different, etc. Some people said it had too much low end, others said it was too little, etc.

You can even test this with the stock cable, by partially unplugging the stock cable so that it unseals the vent. This proves that a stock vs 'upgrade' cable is not reason, but rather the bass vent.

The BL-05 has no such bass vent, and there is significant difference in the quantity of bass between the BL-03 vs BL-05:


Sure, the BL-05 uses a different shell and newer generation of driver, which does have some influence on the difference between the BL-05 vs BL-03. But the lack of bass vent on the BL-05 is a significant contributor on the BL-05 having less low end vs the BL-03.

It's an astute observation, @Slater. But did you notice that the stock cable has a divot to avoid blocking the port? The divot aligns with the port. It's such a small port, I wouldn't be certain that it's blocked by the cable.

 

[bystander]

The amount of advanced and innovative technology BLON packs is astonishing. Another evening I letmusicburn while waiting for the summer sale.

 

[Slater]

It's an astute observation, @Slater. But did you notice that the stock cable has a divot to avoid blocking the port? The divot aligns with the port. It's such a small port, I wouldn't be certain that it's blocked by the cable.

On my stock cable, that notch is poorly formed with a rubber ‘tit’ from manufacturing hanging off. This doesnot allow the vent to be reliably open.

Of course one could use an Xacto knife and open up the notch slightly, so make it more open. I thought about doing the same on the QDC cables that I use with my BL-03 (since I sanded down the BL-03 2-pin socket to be QDC shaped.

 

[JEHL]

BLON BL-03 Slater edition. Best sub $50 IEM ever?

 

[IEMusic]

*** NEWS FLASH ***
I discovered something about the BL-03 today, that was previously unknown by the community.
I was carefully examining the BL-03, and I noticed that there is a fully functional bass vent right at the 2-pin plug.

Now I need to inspect my cables. Perhaps that’s why my left driver failed, possibly due to driver flex. I‘ve only been using regular 2 pin cables on my 2nd pair.

I also just used the BL03s to watch an action movie (I needed to try it, since I’ve recommended it a couple times to people looking for an IEM to watch movies.), and it is awesome for that purpose!

 

[pfloyd]

*** NEWS FLASH ***

I discovered something about the BL-03 today, that was previously unknown by the community.

I was carefully examining the BL-03, and I noticed that there is a fully functional bass vent right at the 2-pin plug.




This bass vent can get COVERED UP and sealed when the stock cable is used (or a banned brand that makes an upgrade cable using the stock plug ends):


However, when a generic 2-pin cable is used, the bass vent is fully UNCOVERED. This is due to the way the generic cable sits on top of the stock socket.


I tested this with different cables, and sure enough there is a difference. This difference is not due to the cable itself, but rather the vent being covered vs uncovered. I think this can explain at least why some people were hearing different BL-03 tuning, the (untrue) rumors of the different colors sounding different, etc. Some people said it had too much low end, others said it was too little, etc.

You can even test this with the stock cable, by partially unplugging the stock cable so that it unseals the vent. This proves that a stock vs 'upgrade' cable is not reason, but rather the bass vent.

The BL-05 has no such bass vent, and there is significant difference in the quantity of bass between the BL-03 vs BL-05:


Sure, the BL-05 uses a different shell and newer generation of driver, which does have some influence on the difference between the BL-05 vs BL-03. But the lack of bass vent on the BL-05 is a significant contributor on the BL-05 having less low end vs the BL-03.

There might be a bass vent on the BL-05 as well.