[digititus]

Can you describe the sound signature please?

I've only had a brief listen to check they were ok. I will try and spend some time with them over the weekend and get some brain burn in and first impressions.

 

[FranQL]

Este es mío, todavía no lo he recibido.

Solo hay cinco (5) modelos existentes de BLUR "WHITE FACE" - Special Ultimate Basshead Limited Edition:

No. 4 - Desenfocar 256 + 133 Cara blanca; (PK 16Ω; 2.5TRRS) = Privado (Miembro Head-Fi)

 

[ian91]

Ditto, yet to receive mine, but here she is! No. 5

 

[fonkepala]

Mine is still on the way, here she is: Blur PK32 266 in 2.5 termination.

Spent a (relatively) pretty penny on this. Hope it's worth it! Although I have little doubt that it will be.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Este es mío, todavía no lo he recibido.

Ditto, yet to receive mine, but here she is! No. 5

Welcome to the "White Face" club! The list has been updated. Only No. 3 remains anonymous... hopefully, that individual will come forward.

There are only five (5) existing models of the BLUR "WHITE FACE" - Special Ultimate Basshead Limited Edition:

No. 1 - Blur 256 White Face (PK 16Ω; 2.5TRRS) = WoodyLuvr
No. 2 - Blur 256 White Face (PK 16Ω; 3.5SE) = Digititus
No. 3 - Blur 256 White Face (PK 16Ω; 2.5TRRS) = Private (Head-Fi Member)
No. 4 - Blur 256+133 White Face; (PK 16Ω; 2.5TRRS) = FranQL
No. 5 - Blur 266 White Face; (PK 16Ω; 4.4TRRS) = ian91

 

[ian91]

Blur OFC MX64 Special Tuning Edition (64Ω) Review

Source: Shanling M8 (Line out mode, High gain) & Cayin C9 (Tube mode, Class A/B, High gain)

Used with full foams supplied by Master Wong (as used in tuning)

Disclaimer: I paid full price for this earbud, with no incentive from anyone to write this review. I want to temper this review slightly in that I am using warm-leaning (and pricey) source gear, so I’m unsure at this point what it might sound like from other sources.

Preamble

I have experimented over the past few months with various sound signatures, driver compositions and price ranges (including the $6600 Traillii), from over-ear headphones, IEMs and now earbuds. I’ve had somewhat of a revelation through that journey that it is the dynamic driver that best presents my music and what I value most when listening. I value timbre and tuning over raw technical ability. I want the attack and decay of instruments to feel natural. I want my instruments and vocalists to sound as if they are in the room with me, the sense of air to be natural, not suffocated nor artificially enhanced. I want a warm-leaning tonality to bring out the passion of music but not at the expense of texture and detail and I want a coherent presentation on a stage that isn’t vast at the expense of intimacy.

I have only recently started purchasing earbuds – initially just out interest – and I have been pleasantly surprised by the unique presentation that the earbud itself can provide. Although lacking in isolation, they enhance and present soundstage very effectively and most importantly the earbud world is an evolutionary battlefield for timbre and coherency owed the single driver nature of the product and a tough competitive market. Gone are the often complicating crossovers and disparate timbre of multi-driver IEMs. Back to simplicity…

I have recently found my own single DD IEM haven in the Oriolus Isabellae for when I need the isolation of an IEM (I’ve given my impressions elsewhere on this forum if the reader feels their tastes seem to resonate with my own). However, we’re not here to talk about an IEM.

I had recently purchased the Beautiful Witch aPs 300Ω from Master Wong Kuan Wae of Singapore and was thoroughly impressed by the warm, vocal-centric Beautiful Witch. As my first Blur earbud, it had a very unusual (and not unappealing) sound. Maybe it was the 300ohm driver at work? Or was this the Blur ‘house sound’? I needed to try more – for scientific purposes!

Enter Master Wong and one his latest earbud creations – the OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition, a reimagining of a previous MX64 tuning with Wongs novel air pocket shell (aPs) tuning system. I am sure that if anyone is interested @WoodyLuvr would be happy to detail the history of this particular earbud and its previous iterations.

Prior to purchase Wong advised me that this earbud had a large soundstage and was good with vocals. He asked if my source was ‘warm’, which I took to imply this was a brighter tuning than the Beautiful Witch (it turns out it is). I was all set, and eager to see what this bud had to offer…

Packaging & Build

As with everything from Master Wong the OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition arrived in a little white jiffy bag envelope, with several bags of foams and a handmade leather wallet for the earbud and leather clip for the cable. Compared to some of the unboxings of thousand dollar IEMs, the presentation here is very humble, but beautiful and functional nonetheless.

The cable used here is OFC. The cable has some memory, is very flexible and has some minor microphonics that don’t bother me much. The shells are lightweight, almost as if I don’t have anything in my ears.

Sound

Bass:

Mid-bass focused, minimal subbass extension, a touch of physical impact, good texture

Comment - Enough action here for the vast majority of what I listen to – folk, acoustic, instrument, jazz trio, world music, pop etc. May not be enough quantity here for electronic/metal genres.

Mids:

Clear, textured, smooth, warm-neutral, forward

Comment - some of the best male and female vocals I have heard to date, ever. In the past I’ve had to choose between male and female vocal performances, with the presentation of one usually being better than the other on a given earbud/IEM, but here both are expressed to near perfection, naturally textured and yet buttery smooth. The only slight weakness is some strength near the sibilants. They never come across harsh, but they have required I turn the volume down a few notches on some occasions.

String instruments and electric strings are incredible. Full of natural timbre and in total support of the vocal midrange.

Treble:

Natural, good extension, no sharpness

Comments - Plenty of detail here to softly tail off the instruments in the lower frequencies with a degree of warm radiance but without anything harsh or unnatural.

Technicalities:

Stage – wide and with great lateral reach and a soft fade out beyond that circumference, recording dependent but I can appreciate psychoacoustic distance to be about 20cm beyond the ear at least, in a largely triangular shape with the apex eyes forward and the base extending 5-10cm beyond the back of the head. The most acoustically natural sounding stage I’ve heard so far (on both IEMs and buds). Does not feel stretched or contorted for the sake of novelty.

Imaging & Instrument separation – great imaging befitting of the stage it can muster up

Layering – good and sufficient for instrumentals but may struggle to convey information in orchestral/OST/complex electronic.

Timbre:

I thought I would put this last – a culmination of the earbuds tonality and it’s drivers own inherent technical properties. Something that I chase above else and something that must be faithfully recreated for me to connect with what I’m listening to.

I lack the superlatives to describe the timbre on show here. Suffice to say it is utter perfection. As faithful and as real as it gets.

Conclusion

When I put the Blur OFC MX64 Special Tuning Edition in my ears, the sound it creates does not feel as though there has been any transduction of any sort. It is as if the earbud has vanished and sound is sourced, unobstructed, from the room I’m currently in. Such is the realism of the stage, the room-temperature tonality and the perfected timbre of the instruments presented therein.

If there came a day where I had to sell all my Head Gear, I would happily dispense with everything but this earbud and my DAP. If you have a good source that has a warm tilt to its presentation and you listen to small ensemble/jazz trio/world music/folk etc you cannot go wrong.

I have only heard one other Blur earbud (with a third soon to follow) but if this isn’t Master Wongs crowning achievement – I would love to hear what is…

Astonishing...!

Reference tracks

Echoes – Rodrigo y Gabriela

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

Sadir – Anouar Brahem

Elyne Road – Toumani Diabate

 

[WoodyLuvr]

A quick update for all Blur fanatics and lovers.

WHITE FACE (SPECIAL ULIMATE BASSHEAD LIMITED) EDITION
Wong wanted everyone to know that most unfortunately and sadly his stock of special PK16Ω bass heavy drivers, which he was using to build Blur 256/266 PK16Ω White Face earbuds, is now exhausted. So that is it... five models made, five only, all done, no more!

RETUNE EDITION
Though sometimes with sad news comes good news!

Wong had an epiphany earlier in the week and figured out a way to retune his MX150Ω drivers to closely mimic the bass response seen in the Blur 256/266 PK16Ω White Face! No easy feat either as the 150Ω drivers he uses are especially sensitive to even the slightest change in tuning and usually for the worse! Not this time though . This new version of the 266 MX150 aPs will be called the Blur 266v2 MX150 aPs Retune (150Ω). Wong has already built and sold one of these but never fear he is currently building and testing another one which should be ready here shortly in another week or two.

As you can see via the following FR graphs the new Retune (top) sounds very similar to the White Face (bottom).

 

[ian91]

A quick update for all Blur fanatics and lovers.

SPECIAL TUNING EDITION
Only one (1) earbud is currently available for immediate shipment the Blur OFC MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition (64Ω; 2.5mm Gold-plated; Black Shell). Wong is also currently building a 266 MX64 aPs variant of this special tuning signature and this earbud model will be known as the Blur 266 MX64 aPs Special Tuning Edition (64Ω) and should be available soon.

RETUNE EDITION
Wong wanted everyone to know that most unfortunately and sadly his stock of special PK16Ω bass heavy drivers, which he was using to build Blur 256/266 PK16Ω White Face earbuds, is now exhausted. So that is it... five models made, five only, all done, no more!

Though sometimes with sad news comes good news!

Wong had an epiphany earlier in the week and figured out a way to retune his MX150Ω drivers to closely mimic the bass response seen in the Blur 256/266 PK16Ω White Face! No easy feat either as the 150Ω drivers he uses are especially sensitive to even the slightest change in tuning and usually for the worse! Not this time though . This new version of the 266 MX150 aPs will be called the Blur 266 MX150 aPs v2 Retune (150Ω). Wong has already built and sold one of these but never fear he is currently building and testing another one which should be ready here shortly.

As you can see via the following FR graphs the new Retune (top) sounds very similar to the White Face (bottom).

​

Appreciate you keeping us all up to date. That V2 tune looks interesting. Hopefully I'll have my White Face next week to see, to some degree, what that FR sounds like.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

DELETED

 

[ian91]

I've just sat down for another listening session with the OFC aPs MX64. Through my source it has a lovely organic tone & timbre with a hint of warmth that is unbeatable for string instruments. It is as if when I go to my other buds/IEMs there's a digital sheen, or a digital bloom, that detracts and obscures, respectively. The wood, the string resonance, the slide of the finger along the string during a legato note...it's all just more life-like and more apparent.

I've had moments of emotional connection with my music as a result of this alone, that I would never have had otherwise.

This stark difference, the movement from artificial to organic, is noticeable for about a minute or two then it's appreciated by my brain as tonally and timbrally 'natural'. It's like coming home...and coming to my senses, as cliche as that sounds.

I'll be interested to hear your impressions @WoodyLuvr of your MX64 - even if it's just to say I'm not imagining all of this?!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

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 piecemeal (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.

 

[ian91]

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'm sorry to hear about those PMs. It's clear you put alot of effort into collating all this information for us. Hopefully, with this public statement things will settle down...

 

[WoodyLuvr]

I've just sat down for another listening session with the OFC aPs MX64. Through my source it has a lovely organic tone & timbre with a hint of warmth that is unbeatable for string instruments. It is as if when I go to my other buds/IEMs there's a digital sheen, or a digital bloom, that detracts and obscures, respectively. The wood, the string resonance, the slide of the finger along the string during a legato note...it's all just more life-like and more apparent.

I've had moments of emotional connection with my music as a result of this alone, that I would never have had otherwise.

This stark difference, the movement from artificial to organic, is noticeable for about a minute or two then it's appreciated by my brain as tonally and timbrally 'natural'. It's like coming home...and coming to my senses, as cliche as that sounds.

I'll be interested to hear your impressions @WoodyLuvr of your MX64 - even if it's just to say I'm not imagining all of this?!

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!

 

[ian91]

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. We will see shortly!

It's most certainly a completely different beast to the Beautiful Witch aPs, but combine this detail with a warm source and you have the most natural sound I've ever heard. I know my review leaned on some hyperbole, but I stand by what I said...this is a truly special product. Wong has tuned this driver to its strengths.

I have all my appendages crossed that it suits your ears / tastes!

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

 

[PapyKahan]

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.

Sad to here that. I'll truly appreciate your work and your advices.
The Blur lovers club love your work. Thanks a lot!