[clerkpalmer]

Apologies if this has been covered but has anyone used the BL03 with a BT20S and if so how is the fit and does the BT20S have enough to power them? Thanks.

 

[Slater]

Apologies if this has been covered but has anyone used the BL03 with a BT20S and if so how is the fit and does the BT20S have enough to power them? Thanks.

Not the BL03, but I was just using the BL05 with the BT20 today. Fits great, plenty of power.

So if the BT20 can power the BL05 fine, then the more powerful BT20S should power the BL03 jim dandy.

As far as fit with BL03 and BT20S, that will depend on individual ear anatomy. Some earphones fit better with the BT20 and some fit worse, so you’ll just have to try it and see.

 

[Sebulr]

Apologies if this has been covered but has anyone used the BL03 with a BT20S and if so how is the fit and does the BT20S have enough to power them? Thanks.

I've tried the blon bl-03 with the bt20 non s, it powers it fine, but the angle of the connector is the same as the original cable, but as the cable is more rigid, it tends to pull it out of my ear. Even worse than the original cable. The 05 however is fine. No hissing on the bt20 non s either. I've heard the bt20s hisses with some phones. Mine only hisses with my my kb ear kb10, but everything hisses with those, as they are very low impedance.

 

[clerkpalmer]

I've tried the blon bl-03 with the bt20 non s, it powers it fine, but the angle of the connector is the same as the original cable, but as the cable is more rigid, it tends to pull it out of my ear. Even worse than the original cable. The 05 however is fine. No hissing on the bt20 non s either. I've heard the bt20s hisses with some phones. Mine only hisses with my my kb ear kb10, but everything hisses with those, as they are very low impedance.

Thanks. I was concerned about the angle - I have some Dunus that absolutely don't won't work with the BT20s due to the angle of the connector. It's maddening. So it sounds like the 03 has a similar issue. Boo hoo.

 

[Slater]

Thanks. I was concerned about the angle - I have some Dunus that absolutely don't won't work with the BT20s due to the angle of the connector. It's maddening. So it sounds like the 03 has a similar issue. Boo hoo.

You can heat the BT20 cable with a hair dryer and reshape it to fit better. Some owners have done that with success.

 

[clerkpalmer]

You can heat the BT20 cable with a hair dryer and reshape it to fit better. Some owners have done that with success.

Yeah - too much trouble for me... I've had some bad luck with fitment on the BT20 lately. My T4's also don't really work with them.

 

[JEHL]

I wonder if anyone saw the large tips I showed in the budget IEM thread that I used on the urBeats2. Well they work great so far. I get around the nozzle length issue by using a tip that only requires shallow insertion to get a seal. Not sure if these count as L or XL, but here's the showcase of the tips.

I wonder if an image shows better what I did than a few words but notice how the cable is plugged. Bass kinda sounds less bloated this way and also unsure if a consequence or is doing both at the same time, there seems to be more sub bass extension. Sounding less bloated and more extended overall... all of this could be placebo however so don't quote me on this. if all of this is true then Slater's suggestion of getting just about any 2 pin cable that doesn't cover the bass port should work wonderfully here. As said before I don't own an aftermarket cable yet so either this or cutting out a bigger hole on the bass port side will have to do for me. For now.

I don't have spare meshes so I don't feel like risking wrecking the mesh yet either, but I imagine freeing the bass port is no substitute and works together with the mesh filter mod.

 

[Hinch]

Actually, blocking that vent off will result in LESS bass, not more bass.

For more bass, you would want to block off the FRONT vent with micropore tape:

Like this. Definitely doesn't reduce bass. Unless my ears are broken.

Tried this with it on and off this gives me a slight boost in midbass. I tried that blocking off the inner vent and it kinda kills off dynamics and sound stage.

 

[trumpethead]

Actually, blocking that vent off will result in LESS bass, not more bass.

For more bass, you would want to block off the FRONT vent with micropore tape:

I believe I am blocking that Front Vent somewhat by using Large Foams pushed all the way down on the stem. After a week of tip rolling it is the only way I am getting sufficient bass and also taming the upper freq sharpness.. I am looking the SQ this way.

 

[bhazard]

I've never heard the BL-03, but I like the sound of the BL-05. Plenty of bass here, so the BL-03 must have been at basshead levels... that or I'm too used to mid centric Planars lately.

Treble and detail isn't pronounced though. Not unexpected for $40, but not a revelation either. It's just pretty good for what it is.

 

[Slater]

I've never heard the BL-03, but I like the sound of the BL-05. Plenty of bass here, so the BL-03 must have been at basshead levels... that or I'm too used to mid centric Planars lately.

Treble and detail isn't pronounced though. Not unexpected for $40, but not a revelation either. It's just pretty good for what it is.

Yeah, I’m liking the BL-05 so far. I’ve been using it with the TRN BT20 adapters, with excellent results.

 

[voicemaster]

Just got back to listen to my BL03 again and I am still awe with the sound this IEM produce. I changed the tip with Large silicone tips that come with Nuarl N6 Pro. It is better than my previous foam tips which I have to push the earbuds when putting it on my ear, but with this silicone tips, it is just seal right away.

 

[originalsnuffy]

I've never heard the BL-03, but I like the sound of the BL-05. Plenty of bass here, so the BL-03 must have been at basshead levels... that or I'm too used to mid centric Planars lately.

Treble and detail isn't pronounced though. Not unexpected for $40, but not a revelation either. It's just pretty good for what it is.

I have not heard the BL-05 but reviews for it are mixed. Now once you get a good fit, the BL-03 is very good for its price point. But then again I barely listen to them anymore; I tend to go with ThieAudio Legacy L3 and FLC 8D (Gunmetal).

By the way, just tried out the Sedna's on these. Definitely a good choice for the 03. Solves some of the fit issues nicely.

 

[kmmbd]

I know graphs don't tell the full story, but it is strange that the BLON BL-05 (red) is thrashed in a lot of reviews for the harsh upper mids, but Tin HIFI T4 (green) is generally well regarded (in fact the Tin T4 may have less bass than the BL-05 and the ears may hence perceive the frequency spectrum as a whole for the T4 to be brighter as such).

I've not heard the T4, but possibly T4 may have better technicalities or other areas of improvement over the BL-05?

I've written a draft of the T4 review already (didn't end up finishing it completely yet, maybe next week) and I'll just quote myself:

The upper-mids are overly emphasized but about 10dB which makes them a bit too spicy in general. Depending on the track and the mastering, the female vocals can range between “clear” to “I don’t want to listen to this anymore”. The tonal balance of the mids don’t facilitate long-term, effortless listening sessions if you’re sensitive to upper-mid peaks. What I find more problematic than theoverdone 3KHz peak is the overzealous 6KHz peak in the treble region. This particular peak (this can be anywhere between 5–6KHz, varies upon insertion depth) is a massive letdown. If you have similar issues with emphasis in that presence region, the T4 will be very difficult to listen to for long periods.

Compared to the T4, the BL-05 is an easier listen and I'd pick it for longer listening between the two (albeit both have their issues and BL-05 is slightly shoutier). The reason why people praised T4 was due to this notion of it being "neutral" and the abundance of detail it can deliver. It doesn't really follow any of the academic target curves, so by definition it's not neutral. And even if you don't trust in target curves, the coloration in the lower treble is too much. The T4 does one thing better than anything else in this range though: detail retrieval. I won't call it a technicalities champ overall since it has poor soundstage and imaging but raw detail retrieval is where it pulls ahead and BL-05 kinda pulls back. Ironically BL-03 has better imaging than both of these.

Tin T4 is unabashedly detail-heavy and pulls out all the stops. BL-03 knows what it is and barring the fit issues absolutely nails the basics of an analogue tonality. BL-05 went for an analytical signature without the detail retrieval to match, and that's where things kinda went downhill IMHO.

 

[IEMusic]

I've written a draft of the T4 review already (didn't end up finishing it completely yet, maybe next week) and I'll just quote myself:


Compared to the T4, the BL-05 is an easier listen and I'd pick it for longer listening between the two (albeit both have their issues and BL-05 is slightly shoutier). The reason why people praised T4 was due to this notion of it being "neutral" and the abundance of detail it can deliver. It doesn't really follow any of the academic target curves, so by definition it's not neutral. And even if you don't trust in target curves, the coloration in the lower treble is too much. The T4 does one thing better than anything else in this range though: detail retrieval. I won't call it a technicalities champ overall since it has poor soundstage and imaging but raw detail retrieval is where it pulls ahead and BL-05 kinda pulls back. Ironically BL-03 has better imaging than both of these.

Tin T4 is unabashedly detail-heavy and pulls out all the stops. BL-03 knows what it is and barring the fit issues absolutely nails the basics of an analogue tonality. BL-05 went for an analytical signature without the detail retrieval to match, and that's where things kinda went downhill IMHO.

I fully agree with your take on the T4 (I can’t yet comment on the BL05). They have a LOT of detail, but are intense as a result. They are definitely NOT neutral, but are quite well balanced.