[WoodyLuvr]

EDIT: May I ask what you mean by that you don't believe in warm sources?

I am rather scientific-minded in my approach to this hobby and to sound so I prefer to be able to measure what I can hear rather than just trust my seemingly infallible ears and brain. I also have strange minor hearing loss due to my previous life (helicopters, gun-fire, bombs exploding, malaria, etc.) so I probably would be a rather poor subjective audiophile even if I desired to be one !

I personally have never been able to determine or differentiate a correctly made solid state amplifier or DAC as being different let alone warm or bright. Now if one speaks of colored sound as a form of distortion like that between a solid sate amp and a vacuum tube amplifier then yes of course I can hear and recognize that! What I can detect and usually quite quickly is listening fatigue... some audio components, especially DACs, can be quite fatiguing for me to listen to for any length of time.

Another example of my closed mindedness, I personally do not believe in cables improving sound. With nearly forty years of using earphones (earbuds & IEMs) since their inception in 1981/2 there have only been a few occasions where I have distinguished a difference in cabling and that was mostly due to inferior wire quality being used and/or poor soldering of the terminations. On those rare occasions that I had thought I heard a difference, and it wasn't due to a poor quality issue, I could not discount some sort of confirmation "bias" playing-at-hand and/or even the remote possibility that the driver dampening had changed and/or the driver position within the shell had slightly moved when it was re-cabled which c/would effect the sound signature.

With that all said, I do sincerely respect those who do believe in amps/DACs being different and/or warmer or brighter and that cables will improve the sound as these individuals may actually be hearing something that I can not hear nor able to measure. So I sit in that camp right smack dab in the middle between believers and naysayers cuz I do like me some pretty cables (but for aesthetic reasons only) and enjoy that warm glowing distorted sound offered by tubes.

 

[ian91]

I am rather scientific-minded in my approach to this hobby and to sound so I prefer to be able to measure what I can hear rather than just trust my seemingly infallible ears and brain. I also have strange minor hearing loss due to my previous life (helicopters, gun-fire, bombs exploding, malaria, etc.) so I probably would be a rather poor subjective audiophile even if I desired to be one !

I personally have never been able to determine or differentiate a correctly made solid state amplifier or DAC as being different let alone warm or bright. Now if one speaks of colored sound as a form of distortion like that between a solid sate amp and a vacuum tube amplifier then yes of course I can hear and recognize that!

Another example of my closed mindedness, I personally do not believe in cables improving sound. With nearly forty years of using earphones (earbuds & IEMs) since their inception in 1981/2 there have only been a few occasions where I have distinguished a difference in cabling and that was mostly due to inferior wire quality being used and/or poor soldering of the terminations. On those rare occasions that I had thought I heard a difference, and it wasn't due to a poor quality issue, I could not discount some sort of confirmation "bias" playing-at-hand and/or even the remote possibility that the driver dampening had changed and/or the driver position within the shell had slightly moved when it was re-cabled which c/would effect the sound signature.

With that all said, I do sincerely respect those who do believe in amps/DACs being different and/or warmer or brighter and that cables will improve the sound as these individuals may actually be hearing something that I can not hear nor able to measure. So I sit in that camp right smack dab in the middle between believers and naysayers cuz I do like me some pretty cables (but for aesthetic reasons only) and enjoy that warm glowing distorted sound offered by tubes.

I see! That's totally fair. In that case my friend, if you struggle with the exciting tuning, hook that MX64 up to a Little Dot 1+ hybrid tube amp (or other tube amp plus an impedance adapter to decrease the noise) to colour the sound

Whatever you can do to appease the ears will be worth it!

 

[FranQL]

Well, I don't know what to say, but this is for analysis.

If you like Wong's buds, you can give your opinion freely, I need to understand how someone can go to the trouble of PM you in the described tone.

If I like (or not) Wong's buds, I will express it freely if I consider it necessary, it would be missing more.

I read exaggerations disproportionate to my personal perception of certain models, and I can think of nothing else than to respect them, since the audio is subjective and I always try to think that this opinion is honest for the perception of the amateur reviewer. Something that for me is spectacular for another person may be garbage, from several critics or users with similar tastes to yours, you can draw your own conclusion before buying, but it is essential to have a basis.

If someone buys a bud a cause of positive review, it's the buyer's problem, nobody forces you to buy anything and what is worse, isn't the bud thread full of recommendations? Isn't that the end of the thread? (helps those interested in buds, sadly in my case they can't be tested before buying).

Is it correct to speak well of the big brands that we all know and wrong to speak well of the small companies? (Regardless of the price, I repeat, if you want to buy and if not, no. Another option is to try to make them yourself, there is an excellent thread where EVERYTHING is explained in great detail, I am sure it is a possible source of many innovations that we see recently in different brands).

In my opinion it is very positive that there is life after shozy, Simphonio, etc.

 

[fonkepala]

I humbly offer this brief clarification to all my fellow earbud enthusiasts here on the Blur Earbuds Lovers thread.
This is my public answer to some rather strange and some what concerning accusatory PMs that I have received recently.

• No, I am not a shill nor do I work for Blur Earbuds in any capacity.
• No, I do not receive any payment from Wong Kuan Wae to post favorable reviews/posts of any kind regarding his custom-made earbuds.
• I am but an old man, comfortably retired and thankfully very well off, whom is simply having fun partaking in a small innocent hobby.
• Yes, I am friends with Wong who is a fellow audiophile and earbud enthusiast and I respect him immensely for his kindness and for his beautiful creations.
• I honestly do love Blur Earbuds, appreciating both their robust build; excellent timbre; and ear-friendly sound signature as I am extremely sensitive to sibilant treble.
• Wong is but an earbud lover, like all of us, and is truly a rather humble man... he is but an artist and curious audio-engineer at heart.
• Blur Earbuds is actually not a business but simply a relaxing hobby for Wong in which both his wife and daughter partake in.
• Wong keeps absolutely no records of any kind and thus is unable to tell you how many different models he has created nor how many earbuds he has made since 2016.
• All the profits received go into supporting his earbuds affliction mostly in the purchasing/maintenance of required tooling and testing equipment and buying all the necessary exotic parts he needs for his creations by piece-mail (as he never buys anything in bulk or wholesale).
• If anyone feels misled I do humbly apologize for that was never my intention. My intentions were only to offer fellow earbud enthusiasts helpful information as I love creating lists and tracking data especially when it comes to earbuds.

I, for one, appreciate your posts on Wong's latest creations & also more importantly, the chronological record of his work. I think it's helpful to know what's the latest he got up his sleeve. Ignore the detractors & keep it coming, I say.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

DELETED

 

[xuan87]

Oh wow, this thread is such a shock to me for several reasons.

Initially I was just browsing head-fi and came across this thread because of the name. "Blur" is a slang in southeast Asia where it means "to be ignorant, or confused" depending on the context. So my curiosity was piqued.

Then to learn that this brand was started by Won Kuan Wae! I'm Singaporean too, and I met him via Carousell (it's like the Asian version of Craiglist) 6-7 years ago. I forgot whether I was buying from or selling to him (I still have his number saved as Boleh7 in my phone cos that was his username). But we were discussing audio, particular Dita Audio, since it's a Singapore brand (in fact, he worked for Dita Audio for a while, I met him at the Dita booth during one of the Singapore Canjam before COVID-19 happened) and we were also discussing VE Monk earbuds. At that time, he was modding them extensively, and I guess this was what inspired him to start Blur Earbuds.

What a blast from the past! Will be going through the whole thread tonight after work, and I might pick something up from him as well.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Oh wow, this thread is such a shock to me for several reasons.

Initially I was just browsing head-fi and came across this thread because of the name. "Blur" is a slang in southeast Asia where it means "to be ignorant, or confused" depending on the context. So my curiosity was piqued.

Then to learn that this brand was started by Won Kuan Wae! I'm Singaporean too, and I met him via Carousell (it's like the Asian version of Craiglist) 6-7 years ago. I forgot whether I was buying from or selling to him (I still have his number saved as Boleh7 in my phone cos that was his username). But we were discussing audio, particular Dita Audio, since it's a Singapore brand (in fact, he worked for Dita Audio for a while, I met him at the Dita booth during one of the Singapore Canjam before COVID-19 happened) and we were also discussing VE Monk earbuds. At that time, he was modding them extensively, and I guess this was what inspired him to start Blur Earbuds.

What a blast from the past! Will be going through the whole thread tonight after work, and I might pick something up from him as well.

Warm welcome fellow Southeast Asian'r! Be warned this here be a very deep rabbit hole! There is no going in and then simply getting out. Wong has indeed really outdone himself with his custom-made (hobby) earbuds. Very unique house sound to say the least.

 

[ian91]

Be warned this here be a very deep rabbit hole!

I would like to corroborate this...!


In other news, White Face arrived a few days ago. Still manages to retain what I'm starting to hear as the 'house sound' of Blur but brings something different to the table! More impressions & pictures to come

 

[LoneRanger]

These will be coming my way shortly - Blur 266 mx150 aPs v2 Retune 4.4mm

I have been advised by Wong that these have a more balanced tuning with a front/wide soundstage. It does not have the full blown bass of some of his other offerings (like the White Face?) although is still present when needed. He has made a slight increase in the mid bass, to have less of a spike in the mid high and vocals are well presented and slightly forward - overall I am told these should have good tones and detail. I already have a recabled/modded Vido from Wong and those were very nice, so have high hopes for these and looking forward to receiving them - the wait begins...........

 

[ian91]

These will be coming my way shortly - Blur 266 mx150 aPs v2 Retune 4.4mm

I have been advised by Wong that these have a more balanced tuning with a front/wide soundstage. It does not have the full blown bass of some of his other offerings (like the White Face?) although is still present when needed. He has made a slight increase in the mid bass, to have less of a spike in the mid high and vocals are well presented and slightly forward - overall I am told these should have good tones and detail. I already have a recabled/modded Vido from Wong and those were very nice, so have high hopes for these and looking forward to receiving them - the wait begins...........

Interested to hear your thoughts! Wong is making me the same.

Edit: turns out this is a retune of the one i'm after. Still cool though!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

DELETED

 

[ian91]

My desk companions...!

 

[lil BANE]

I’ll be joining the blu earbud club shortly - Wong just shipped my blur 266 pk32ohm.

I’m not sure what to expect quite honestly, but I really dig a hand crafted pair of headphones! I was looking for some buds to pair up with my Dethonray DTR1 for on the go tunes and stumbled onto the blur thread…I’m very excited…but I believe in burn-in so l’ll have to have some patience to hear their true potential!

 

[ian91]

Blur 266 ‘White Face’ Special Ultimate Basshead Limited Edition (16Ω) Review

Source: Shanling M8 (Line out mode, High gain) & Cayin C9 (Tube mode, Class A/B, Low gain) - both known to be warm.

Used with full foams. Burn-in: circa 20 hours (+ near 30 hours with Wong)

Disclaimer: I paid full price for this earbud, with no incentive from anyone to write this review.

Preamble

I’ve developed somewhat of a costly affliction as of late for Blur earbuds…

First, investing rather blindly in the 300ohm '美魔女' Beautiful Witch aPs, I was enamoured by the forward and lush vocals that were warm but without a loss of detail and fit perfectly for folk music. I was left wanting a bud that offered something a little cooler, with a more expansive stage and possibly slightly less forward vocal range. This lead me to the 64ohm OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition that the kind gentleman Master Wong assured me had a large soundstage that I needed to hear to burlieve. He wasn’t wrong! The OFC MX64 has quickly solidified itself within my head gear rotation (and most used transducer as of late) providing an incredibly open, musical and timbrally and tonally accurate reproduction of baroque / jazz / world music (see previous impressions) with vocals less emphasised than the Beautiful Witch. Another niche I quickly identified (read as: excuse to purchase more earbuds) was pop, electronic, ambient and the very occasional hip hop I listen to. I would need something that was fast, could move a lot of air, had good impact for emotional engagement, a reasonable soundstage for ambient soundscapes and preferably a signature that preserved the body of vocals that I have come to expect of the Blur sound. Timbral accuracy and strict tonal requirements were less important to me this time, it just had to slam and preserve a degree of clarity in the lower mids for male vocals.

Welcome onto the scene the ‘White Face’ limited edition initially commissioned, I am told after much persuasion, by @WoodyLuvr. My version is the 266 ‘White Face’ Special Ultimate Basshead Limited Edition. This is an earbud designed to be unapologetic in its affection for bass. Implementing a supposedly temperamental, but very capable, driver that was selected for maximum low end presence.

I have had some time to settle in with the White Face and happy to give a verdict. Admittedly, this was a limited edition and Master Wong, at the time of writing, has no more drivers available for this build. For that reason this review may have minimal utility, but I hope you enjoy the read nonetheless.

Sound

Bass:

Mid-bass focus with powerful impact, subbass extension with soft, but palpable rumble. Quality bass with plenty of texture.

Comment – Despite the ‘basshead’ moniker, that has somewhat negative connotations for me, this bass is tastefully done. It’s doesn’t vastly overshadow the midrange but it certainly reaches deeper and can hit harder than the rest of the earbuds I have tried (granted only a few). While it doesn’t overshadow, it does however define the overall signature, giving everything above it a warm hue and redirecting the attention away from the upper registers and into the bass and lower mids.

Mids:

Warm with reasonable detail, non-fatiguing, great headroom for volume scaling, presence feels tastefully balanced with bass, neutral to forward leaning.

Comment – good enough for the pop/hip hop genre where my emotional engagement is largely in the bass frequencies. Male and female vocals placed non-invasively and not emphasised allowing for the volume / gain to be upped without suffering shout. Sibilance is nowhere in sight. This isn’t the earbud I would use for vocal-centric instrumental music due to lack of resolving power (however, I don’t believe that’s the intended purpose) but vocals do have the signature Blur body and presence to sit alongside the hefty bass.

Treble:

Subtle treble presence, upper harmonics / overtones, fine grain textures less appreciable than MX64 / Beautiful Witch.

Comments – The treble is certainly not a focus here, it gives way to the bass and mids which share most of the acoustic stage. A warm, smooth and close tuning overall, with less emphasis on detail retrieval.

Technicalities:

Stage – a very respectable stage size, reaching laterally and behind about what feels like 10cm psychoacoustic distance. Virtually no forward staging.

Imaging & Instrument separation – very clear imaging within the stage, instrument separation is good but can be hard to decipher in busier passages.

Layering – quite a flat psychoacoustic presentation, struggle to appreciate significant layering. Some congestion in very busy EDM music.

Comments – Capable enough for most of my electronic and ambient tracks. Instrument separation and layering do stop it from mastering more complex arrangements.

Timbre:

Excellent timbre as usual from Blur. Very natural sounding. Warmth does detract to some degree from the perception of natural and finer decay that the driver is probably capable of.

Conclusion

Overall, I’m not disappointed with the ‘White Face’. It’s clearly a very capable bass-centric driver that is tuned to be fun and exciting without being self-indulgent at the expense of musicality. The warm and inoffensive tuning allows for good volume scaling if you want to beat your eardrums and means nearly all genres can be enjoyed without the fear of sibilance or shout. The ‘White Face’ was clearly tuned with purpose. It performs admirably with bass heavy genres and when matched with the vocal tuning expertise of Master Wong it excels with hip hop especially.

The ‘White Face’ is my earbud of choice for hip hop, minimalist electronic and ambient music.

Well done Blur!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Blur OFC MX64 Special Tuning Edition (64Ω) Review

Blur 266 ‘White Face’ Special Ultimate Basshead Limited Edition (16Ω) Review

Yet another smashing review here Ian! Well done good man! Thank you for taking the time to write these detailed reviews for us all to benefit from. You are awesome!

I anxiously await the arrival of the first prototype model of the Blur OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition (64Ω) though Wong has already warned me that I may not like it due to my preferred tuning of relaxing warm sound. He said that that extreme detail and big wide open sound (soundstage) may come across 'excited' to my sensitive ears. He even begged me to use a 'warm source' even though he knows I do not believe in such things. We will see shortly!

Welcome to the new Blur OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition (64Ω)... just look at that frequency response!
The following is the prototype (first sample) of this new model line.

I am currently on my third day listening to the prototype version of the Blur OFC MX64 aPs STE (Special Tuning Edition). Impressed thus far. Currently, comparing with my other earbuds and using various sources.