[IEMusic]

All good and important points. This is why every review needs to be read with critical thinking, just like any source of information out there. I think it is helpful when reviewers make assessments both with stock tips and with aftermarket ones, and I applaud those that include that information in their review. The accessories that one uses when critically evaluating an IEM is necessary information.

 

[RikudouGoku]

What both you guys are saying sounds good, but I think that reviewers should have a target group for their intended readers.

For example a review can be aimed at the common person that just wants a good sound, for those people tip-rolling and cable-changing is not something they want to do, so the iem must be good to go OOTB. For that the review must be using stock tips and stock cable so that the person reading it can get a good assessment for their needs.

Then we have the more knowledgeable people (like most of us here on headfi and other forums), that wants the best sound out of it, for these kinds of people the reviewer will have to tip-roll and/or change cables and/or burn-in to get the most out of it.

If a review doesnt have a target group, it will be too versatile and not deep enough. My own reviews are targeting the more knowledgeable people, which is why I tip-roll and cable change, with the exception that if the stock tips/cables are almost equal or better than other 3rd-party tips/cables then I wont change it (so the price/performance = value is better) one example of that exception being the Final Audio E5000.

Edit: Also the review for the common person, probably is better not to use many difficult audio-terms or they might not get it at all

 

[Sebulr]

After listening to the bl 05 for about ten hours and trying a few tips, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the the bl 03. The fit is very similar, in that the nozzle is too short for my cavernous ears. With a flip top they are fine. Extra large tip is too shallow for the stem, similar to the bl 03.

Sound wise, they are too thin in the midbass for my liking and they upper miss are slightly too shouty. I can tolerate them, not saying they are bad, just not my tuning. I appreciate the differences, but I tend to eq them. To be honest I eq most of my earphones, but I think the bl 03s are perfectly timed to my tastes. The soundstage is better though, probably because of the tuning.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Wonder if anyone that has the blon 05 also has some moondrop iems, since they seem to be similar.

 

[dharmasteve]

Seems that Blon may well lose their mythic status that they drew in through the Blon 03 and the Blon Cardinal. While the 05 is really very good it's definitely not magical. It's going to be interesting to see peoples thoughs. Seems the few on here who have commented are not instantaneously taken by the Blon 05.

 

[Sebulr]

Wonder if anyone that has the blon 05 also has some moondrop iems, since they seem to be similar.

I haven't, but I'm tempted by the moondrop starfield, either that or the kB ear diamond, whichever is closer to the blon bl03 in tuning. I probably don't NEED them, hehe.

Sorry about the typos, in the last post. I blame my phone keyboard.

 

[peskypesky]

After listening to the bl 05 for about ten hours and trying a few tips, I've come to the conclusion that I prefer the the bl 03. The fit is very similar, in that the nozzle is too short for my cavernous ears. With a flip top they are fine. Extra large tip is too shallow for the stem, similar to the bl 03.

Sound wise, they are too thin in the midbass for my liking and they upper miss are slightly too shouty. I can tolerate them, not saying they are bad, just not my tuning. I appreciate the differences, but I tend to eq them. To be honest I eq most of my earphones, but I think the bl 03s are perfectly timed to my tastes. The soundstage is better though, probably because of the tuning.

thank you for the comparison!

I'm awating my BL-03s (made the mistake of ordering from China instead of Amazon)....and since I like strong bass, I'm glad to know I made the right choice with getting the BL-03's instead of the BL-05's.

 

[peskypesky]

Seems that Blon may well lose their mythic status that they drew in through the Blon 03 and the Blon Cardinal. While the 05 is really very good it's definitely not magical. It's going to be interesting to see peoples thoughs. Seems the few on here who have commented are not instantaneously taken by the Blon 05.

yeah, it seems the BL-05 is underwhelming people so far. That's unfortunate.

 

[peskypesky]

Just an aside re reviews of IEMs in general. I'm not a reviewer, but I do listen in great detail to IEMs I purchase, hopefully with concentration and mindfulness, as do others here. It soon becomes clear that the supplied tips from most IEM companies are crap. Most of us are aware that tips can change the sound qualities and our pleasure into something completely different. In this regard most IEM companies are stupid. A good IEM can sound pretty poor with the wrong tips or supplied tips. So that leaves it up to us, as an intelligent community, to get good ear tips with good fit (and sometimes even test suggested well thought out mods). But tips are crucial. The Blon 05 is just one case in point. With supplied tips it is one thing, with good tips it is another. Sometimes reviews can be meaningless, because with poor tips we may get no idea of the IEMs potential. It falls to reviewers to show common sense. I personally need a review to show how to get the best out of an IEM rather than my having to use guesswork and chance in buying. So most of the time, after reviews, we are still buying blindly. A lot of us eventually find the tips that suit us and maximise sound quality. Some of the time comments made, even here on Head-Fi, are based on poor tips (thank god half the time the regulars here......do what is necessary to get the best sound). When such good tips are available the ChiFi companies themselves must be seen as plain stupid to minimise their products capabilities. Half the time reviewers do not really help us with determining what a particular IEM really sounds like. So I expect more of reviewers.......and feel lucky to have found all the TIPS on Head-Fi to get the best sound from my IEMs. But no apologies for thinking reviewers and manufacturers are silly not able to show the real capability of their product. The Blon 05 as a case in point they sound completely different with the supplied vs bought, quality tips.

This is why I never trust one or two reviews. I generally don't buy an IEM until I've read about 10 reviews praising one. You need to try to get a consensus.

 

[DynamicEars]

@crinacle impressions about BL05 seems align with few buddies that already got their BL05

Initial impressions

• Noticeably thinner than the BL-03.
  • Clarity is improved significantly
  • Overall tonal balance sounds worse, or at least “less pleasant”
• Resolution and detailing doesn’t seem that much improved over the BL-03.
• Sounds very “generic”, a V-shaped signature that I’ve heard a million times before.
• Doesn’t quite fulfill any partcular niche, unlike the BL-03 which can at least be recommended as a largely safe tuning.

So i guess i just pass the oppoty this time. "Thin" and more high mids emphasize is my deal breaker.
They could just retain same tuning with lesser bass. Keep the high mids lower. Or maybe BL03-Mod suits me better.

 

[Jecht Auron]

I still consider my self a rookie so bare with me. I got a pair of the BL-05 been waiting for like awhile to receive them. I ordered them because of their shape is like the Shure 215 and are about the only iem that will fit in my ear without hurting Or falling out. I will say the plus and only plus is they fit superbly and I love them. The bad are typical the supplies tips. They are just bad.
now the weird thing with these are the sound. When I use them on my iPad Air 3 they are very Piercing in the highs basically hurting. Especially with horn instruments are so overpowering. Now if i use my note 9 with my hipdac the highs are tamed and has i think is good bass. I have also used aftermarket tips to get slightly better sound. So went back to my iPad and still has that piercing sound but really depends on how the songs are recorded. i listen to old pop classic rock type music from like the 50s on up. There are some songs the iems preform poorly on while while others sounds manageable and better. Newer stuff seems to do the best. Yet with my dac everything tends to sound way better.

I just wonder if these needs more power to drive them unlike the BL-03? Or am I totally wrong? Like I said I am still a rookie in this field. I have a FiiO M11 on order and going to order some new tips and a better cable for the BL-05. I want them to work so they are my go to set. As I said I have a hard time to find iems that fit without hurting or falling out.

 

[baskingshark]

I still consider my self a rookie so bare with me. I got a pair of the BL-05 been waiting for like awhile to receive them. I ordered them because of their shape is like the Shure 215 and are about the only iem that will fit in my ear without hurting Or falling out. I will say the plus and only plus is they fit superbly and I love them. The bad are typical the supplies tips. They are just bad.
now the weird thing with these are the sound. When I use them on my iPad Air 3 they are very Piercing in the highs basically hurting. Especially with horn instruments are so overpowering. Now if i use my note 9 with my hipdac the highs are tamed and has i think is good bass. I have also used aftermarket tips to get slightly better sound. So went back to my iPad and still has that piercing sound but really depends on how the songs are recorded. i listen to old pop classic rock type music from like the 50s on up. There are some songs the iems preform poorly on while while others sounds manageable and better. Newer stuff seems to do the best. Yet with my dac everything tends to sound way better.

I just wonder if these needs more power to drive them unlike the BL-03? Or am I totally wrong? Like I said I am still a rookie in this field. I have a FiiO M11 on order and going to order some new tips and a better cable for the BL-05. I want them to work so they are my go to set. As I said I have a hard time to find iems that fit without hurting or falling out.

Possibly some sources you use are warmer than the others, so perhaps that explains why u get less piercing highs on the note 9 vs the ipad air 3.

I don't have the BL-05, but perhaps to tame the treble, u can try narrower bore silicone eartips on it, this generally boosts the bass, and since we hear the frequency spectrum as a whole, we will perceive the treble to be tamed relative to the boosted bass. EQ is another option, or using foam tips, to tame the treble. Even playing the music at a softer volume (Fletcher Munson Curve) may also make the sound less V shaped and more U shaped (hence lowering the perceived treble).

 

[dharmasteve]

I must agree in general the Blon 05 is not an improvement over the Blon 03. I've been listening it as my daily IEM for some days now. If judged separately and not as the successor to the Blon 03, it is clean, clear and has a particularly good soundstage, but I will definitely not use them as my daily driver. In general I prefer the Blon 03 and the Urbanfun iss014. They are not going to become the great hit that the Blon 03 is and the Blon 05s main virtue is soundstage. Seems the end of a story. As Norbu said to the Dalai Lama, in the film Kundun, after playing a game...... "today I win Kundun nextime you may win, things Change Kundun". Nothing is more true of IEMs. Things change and the King is dead. Blon has lost it's magic.

 

[Odyopile]

I must agree in general the Blon 05 is not an improvement over the Blon 03. I've been listening it as my daily IEM for some days now. If judged separately and not as the successor to the Blon 03, it is clean, clear and has a particularly good soundstage, but I will definitely not use them as my daily driver. In general I prefer the Blon 03 and the Urbanfun iss014. They are not going to become the great hit that the Blon 03 is and the Blon 05s main virtue is soundstage. Seems the end of a story. As Norbu said to the Dalai Lama, in the film Kundun, after playing a game...... "today I win Kundun nextime you may win, things Change Kundun". Nothing is more true of IEMs. Things change and the King is dead. Blon has lost it's magic.

What will be a good upgrade route from blon 03?budget around 100 to 150 usd. Thanks

 

[dharmasteve]

What will be a good upgrade route from blon 03?budget around 100 to 150 usd. Thanks

Most of my more expensive IEMs are not an upgrade on the Blon 03. I would say a better cable, extending the tip length through basic modding, and a good suitable tip will get the most from the Blon 03. The Urbanfun iss014 is for some an upgrade, but QC, driver material, and unpredictable delivery make the iss014 a chancy upgrade. I would not recommend them anymore but they were an upgrade for me. Others can guide you on other upgrades.