[F700]

the cardinal has a very similar sound to the BL-03 using a typical IEM resin shell. So I don't think it has as much to do with nailing a specific tuning, as it was trying to nail a certain aesthetic (and perhaps price-point).

Interesting. My Cardinal should arrive in a week. I will be able to compare both. @Hisma @Slater thanks

 

[Slater]

In an indirect way, yes. My question is: does Blon put that DD, with that tuning, in a teardrop shell intentionally or not? Did they make research or hoped for public acclaim by randomly inserting a DD in a non conventional IEM shell?

Well, there's nothing inherently magical about a teardrop shell.

Think of it like a car. You have a Ford Mustang with a V6 vs a V8 engine, and it is a very different car even though both have the exact same body. Likewise, you have some F-150 trucks, which literally use a Mustang V8 engine (only with a few revised parts such as camshafts), and the 2 will be very different. A car - how fast it is, how it handles, how it brakes, etc - is more than just sharing the same engine (headphone driver) or same body (earphone shell). It's the sum of its parts; a total package.

 

[baskingshark]

In an indirect way, yes. My question is: does Blon put that DD, with that tuning, in a teardrop shell intentionally or not? Did they make research or hoped for public acclaim by randomly inserting a DD in a non conventional IEM shell?

Well, there's nothing inherently magical about a teardrop shell.

Think of it like a car. You have a Ford Mustang with a V6 vs a V8 engine, and it is a very different car even though both have the exact same body. Likewise, you have some F-150 trucks, which literally use a Mustang V8 engine (only with a few revised parts such as camshafts), and the 2 will be very different. A car - how fast it is, how it handles, how it brakes, etc - is more than just sharing the same engine (headphone driver) or same body (earphone shell). It's the sum of its parts; a total package.

I agree with @Slater that it's the total package. And definitely shell shape and materials/nozzle length etc can influence sound and tuning. I did a professional reshell for a universal BA before and the reshelled version sounded quite different in sound from the original (from what I could recall). Even for the folks in the Sony budget thread who reshell or mod their Sony MH755, they do find a difference in sound with sizing of knots on the cables/clip materials inside the shell.

Strangely, I also concur with @Hisma that the Cardinal sounds similar in sound signature to the BLON BL-03 (other than added subbass extension/quantity in the Cardinal, which I think is due to the better isolation in Cardinal). The Cardinal is like almost double the size of the BL-03 and made or resin instead of metal, with longer nozzle, but they sound similar nevertheless. They purportedly use the same drivers between the two, and there're some rumours the Tancjim Oxygen uses the same drivers too, but I've not seen any official statement/evidence to substantiate these same driver claims.
@F700 let us know your opinion once you get the Cardinal!

 

[TimeSnow]

I also have a cardinal coming.... Ordered on 11/10...lol.

No tracking updates since 11/23...but fingers x'd.

 

[the diode]

Link for the Cardinal please.

 

[baskingshark]

Link for the Cardinal please.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32921023757.html

There're a few shops on AE selling it, but this was the one I bought mine from, I think it's the cheapest too. There's a Bluejay version (which is blue coloured shell, but internals are the same as Cardinal). Most shops sell a packaged version (which has tips, storage case, 1/4 inch jack and cables) or non packaged version (just the IEM itself).

 

[the diode]

Thank you baskingshark I appreciate it!!!

 

[bahamot]

Blon-03 is not like Oxygen. Is there sample variance?

I have both blon-03 and oxygen, to my ears the oxygen sounds better. Blon's bass is too much to my taste.

 

[VoodooBear]

Probably beating a dead horse here but:

I ordered these on 11.11 from AE, got 'em like 2 weeks later and they just sat on my dining room table for days (another ChiFi IEM, ain't nobody got time for that, right?) all alone.

Finally got around to taking them for a spin and I've been using them non-stop for the last couple of days.

These definitely live up the hype. A fun, detailed, excellent all-around daily set of IEMs to carry around. I know it's been said a billion times but these punch way above their ~$30 price tag. I would have a hard time recommending anything else to anyone other than an extreme bass head. At $50 all-in with a set of tips and a cable I'm hard pressed to come up with anything else that's close or better at 3 or 4 times that price.

That last part's important by the way. They NEED tips and another cable ASAP. Don't waste your time on the stock stuff. I tried the gray silicone tips and was massively underwhelmed. A set of no-name AE foam tips fixed them right up. The cable was just uncomfortable as hell to wear. Spend the extra ~$15 or you'll be stuck with some nice looking, trash sounding, shiny metal drops sitting in a box.

So if you're reading this and are on the fence like I was, do yourself a favor and order these with your preferred color of no-name foam tips and a **** cable or whatever from AE and enjoy!

 

[F700]

I also have a cardinal coming.... Ordered on 11/10...lol.

No tracking updates since 11/23...but fingers x'd.

We are on the same boat... Ordered on 11/11 and just got the confirmation that they were finally "flying" to my country.

 

[SilverEars]

I have both blon-03 and oxygen, to my ears the oxygen sounds better. Blon's bass is too much to my taste.

I realized heavy bass isn't what I dislike as long as it's not the type that bleeds since I don't find heavy bass come on strongly with tracks other than pop or hiphop.

The question is, is the bass quality good even if heavy?

As long as bass doesn't bleed, is impactful and tight, and fast, my main concern is with the higher frequencies. Does it have good tonal balance in that area and how well does the driver resolved without sounding noticibly dipped or peaky in response? How do you find the differences in terms of those aspects?

 

[Arjey]

Hi guys! I have a question. On the first pages people have been talking about how the brown and silver Blon sound differently. Has anyone made graphs comparing them? Has there been a reached opinion? I ordered a brown version, it has already arrived, but I'm sick, so I can't go get it from the post office. Hope I didn't make a mistake by getting gun metal just because I didn't want it to be so shiny..

 

[yorosello]

Hi guys! I have a question. On the first pages people have been talking about how the brown and silver Blon sound differently. Has anyone made graphs comparing them? Has there been a reached opinion? I ordered a brown version, it has already arrived, but I'm sick, so I can't go get it from the post office. Hope I didn't make a mistake by getting gun metal just because I didn't want it to be so shiny..

No different

 

[Hisma]

No different

seriously, how many times has this question been answered? Someone should add a FAQ to the first post or something.

 

[yorosello]

seriously, how many times has this question been answered? Someone should add a FAQ to the first post or something.

Hahahaha, ikr