So been listening to Blon 03 and Blon 05 using the same 16 core cable that the DD shop had included as an unordered extra.
Tracks
Tears Inside Ornette Coleman
Gnossiene 5 Zaida Salace
Wild Horses Rolling Stones
Groove Attack Infected Mushroom
Reckoner Radiohead
Offering Chant Lama Dorje
Whisky in the Jar Thin Lizzie
The Stable Song Gregory Alan Isakov
Closer to the Truth Tony Joe White
Familiar Agnes Obel
Would I Lie to You Charles and Eddie
Landslide Fleetwood Mac
Anthem Without Nation Nitin Sawhney
Video Games Lana Del Rey
Ghost Town Katie Melhua
Woodstock Joni Michell
Invocation The Kirtaniyas
East of Gary Darrell Scott
Amanke Dionte Ablaye Cissoko
Tamiditin Tan Ufrawan Tinariwen
The Supernatural Peter Green
Ambitionz Az A Ridah 2PAC
Tribute John Newman
The Night They Drove * Joan Baez
Devil Eyes Hippie Sabotage
Some I only listened to parts I knew well.
Timbre and tone like Blon 03, the Blon 05 does perfectly. The Bass has been slightly reduced, noticeably in the Sub Bass.....but the bass is quite less boomy and does not compete with the midrange. The loss of some bass make the midrange sit well in it's own space and stand out in a good way. I quite liked the big bass of the Blon 03 and on tracks like Ambitionz Az A Ridah, 2PAC, and Groove Attack by Infected Mushroom, the 03 has more impact. The Blon 05 has one great improvement on the 03 which may be due to the lessened bass....... it has an almost holographic soundstage which is exceptional (maybe the new casing). The 05 has a very slightly thinner sound than the 03 but not in a bad way. Cymbals and High Hats sound natural and accurate, guitars full and musical. Vocals stand out more on Blon 05, both male and female. Highs have no sibilance and may be very slightly more forward in the presentation. A tiny bit more 'technical' but not like a BA. The 05 has the excellent rhythmic characteristics that the Blon 03 has
Fit is 100% better on the 05 and that may be reason enough on it's own to go for it. I haven't even untied the cable because it has no interest to me and the supplied tips are bog standard and not all that. Can it be called better than the 05....I think for some yes. For me they have enough of a different sound and I would recommend the more holographic presentation of the 05, but all in all they are equals. Are they worth the money....YES. Are they worth spending a little more on a cable and tips...YES. They are well made and there is tiny writing on the metal wall that needs a magnifying glass to see.
Somehow Blon have made changes which are noticeable, but without losing the natural timbre of instruments. Is it an upgrade? In a number of ways ways yes, fit and holographic soundstage yes, but the Blon 03 is still a fantastically musical IEM.
The one caveat is for detail junkies, remember this is a DD driver and will never give the detail of many BAs. On the other hand other BA IEMs can never match the timbre and tone of the Blon 03 and Blon 05.