Cant believe the only iems I've bought since the kb100s are the mh755s, with the modding stuff. Waiting for my metal shell to come along, for a second pair.
Of course nothing still beats the kb100 in my inventory, with an occasional preference to the tin t2.
KB100 still holds its own and serves a better experience than BLON to me. BLON's timbre is marginally better than KB100 but loses to KB100 in every other department for me. I like both of them for what they are. BLON's are perfect for casual listening and for acoustic/classical genres where timbre plays a crucial role. Hindustani classical/fusion sounds very rich on BLON but details+soundstage+separation+imaging is way below KB100. In bass, both deep dig for me thus I have no complaints. Highs and mids is where KB100 completely trounces BLONs which is somewhat expected as one is a hybrid whereas other is a CNT DD. It's unfair to compare them but as a consumer who's tight on budget and is confused on what to purchase should go for what works best for him. Because someone who's eyeing KB100 will surely think about Chi-fi's recent superstar BLON BL03 which is costs almost half of KB100. I love DD sound hence I bought BL03. I love both and use them almost daily at my desk in office.
P.S. These are my impressions on how I perceive them.
I was so close to buying a KB100 this past 11/11 as I had an unused $5 off $35 coupon and with the Pennon price drop it would have made it $39.51. Then Ebay started their $15 off $75 or more deal and I got LZ A6 Mini for $68 instead.
On a different note. KC2 is just ridiculous good for me and has been getting a ton of use. Low volume listen sessions of Jazz, Jazz Fusion, and female vocals like Karen Carpenter, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday ect. are nothing short of spectacular. The tuning of them just seem to put a spotlight on female vocals. Love them. Love them. Love them. Cant wait to go to bed sometimes and drift off listening to them.
Does anyone have both the bq3 and kb100? Aside from the extra BA in the bq3 and penon being the only seller of the kb100, what are the differences? I'd honestly say if I had to pick one IEM to take with me to a deserted island, it'd be the bq3. I'm hoping it's basically identical, so I don't have to also buy the kb100.
would be a great idea if you guys share your EQ settings to try them all and and discover how the spring 1´s are capable of, i would be so pleased if you do so
would be a great idea if you guys share your EQ settings to try them all and and discover how the spring 1´s are capable of, i would be so pleased if you do so
Does anyone have both the bq3 and kb100? Aside from the extra BA in the bq3 and penon being the only seller of the kb100, what are the differences? I'm hoping it's basically identical, so I don't have to also buy the kb100.
Does anyone have both the bq3 and kb100? Aside from the extra BA in the bq3 and penon being the only seller of the kb100, what are the differences? I'd honestly say if I had to pick one IEM to take with me to a deserted island, it'd be the bq3. I'm hoping it's basically identical, so I don't have to also buy the kb100.
I do, the BQ3 has more bass than the KB100, which is more pleasing to my ears. Don't get me wrong, both are very capable iem at their price ranges, so it does come down to preference. The KB100 is flatter to my ears (neither is really flat, so keep that in mind). Whether you would need the KB100 or not it would come down to your own preferences, they do share a house tuning at the end of the day.
KB100 is more to forwarded mids IEM, signature more balanced, with treble roll off, with touch of bass (mid bass is little bit bigger), with great imaging and smooth sounding like their house signature. while BQ3 is more v shaped, punchy with sparkles on top end, more fun overall. They are great on their own ways, depends on your preference signature. While Spring 1 for me is more successor to KB100 with more similar sound signature.
So now that I have my Spring1 back from loomisjohnson (he had a great succinct review at the blog) I decided to remove the entire mesh screen grill for a quick test. While I don't feel it really changed the issue with the bass, it is still pretty woolly because the boost begins rather early into the lower mids-actually it decreases the sub-bass a little, it does increase the upper midrange peak and treble quite a bit to give the impression of less bass. What is interesting is how drastic the tube coupler resonance all of sudden shows up, I don't really hear this peak. I think it is fine with the mesh because the boost is just right. They do have a filter over the BA, it would be nice if there was a source of those somewhere on ALI. Micropore tape on the nozzle could be an option, but harder to work with. Anyway, here is measurement.
Also, after listening to the SImgot EN700pro and 700bass which has a fantastic bass profile that I love, the Spring1 bass issues are very apparent when listening to Tool Forty six and 2 for example. It's not a deal breaker, I just find that for rock type music I prefer the bass of the Simgot.
So now that I have my Spring1 back from loomisjohnson (he had a great succinct review at the blog) I decided to remove the entire mesh screen grill for a quick test. While I don't feel it really changed the issue with the bass, it is still pretty woolly because the boost begins rather early into the lower mids-actually it decreases the sub-bass a little, it does increase the upper midrange peak and treble quite a bit to give the impression of less bass. What is interesting is how drastic the tube coupler resonance all of sudden shows up, I don't really hear this peak. I think it is fine with the mesh because the boost is just right. They do have a filter over the BA, it would be nice if there was a source of those somewhere on ALI. Micropore tape on the nozzle could be an option, but harder to work with. Anyway, here is measurement.
Also, after listening to the SImgot EN700pro and 700bass which has a fantastic bass profile that I love, the Spring1 bass issues are very apparent when listening to Tool Forty six and 2 for example. It's not a deal breaker, I just find that for rock type music I prefer the bass of the Simgot.
Thanks for the graph, like I said they have mid bass bigger than sub bass, and your description mimic mine, but with nozzle grill removal i heard changes on bass texture and more faster decay (its sounded like not being bounced back or blocked).Maybe you can hear more after A-B ing (I know its pretty hassle to remove and put back nozzle grill like I did the other day)
I shocked that the coupler resonance became like that, and I agree with your statement that I also don't hear that peak at all, even with standard BLON BL-03, I hear more 8khz. Could be coupler artifacts maybe.
But overall I found the actual sound have bigger bass overall than that. I can confirm with filter on the BA opening, so they are still sounded smooth.
Yes the micropore tape can be useful, also I suggest put in just a very little cut of soft density sponge after grill change. Dont leave them open without grill. Just remove the cloth mesh behind the grill or completely change the grill.
I suggest that you guys put the grill back on and try those Ikko I-Planet foam/sponge tips. Great seal like a foam (so you can get a real good bass) but doesn’t suck the visceral energy out of the experience. Also doesn’t flatten down the mids and treble like a regular foam. Basically what you get is more even dispersement of the frequencies without energy loss or boomy bass. They are quite good with this set. The Spring, that is.
They are shaped more like an inner tube than long like a regular foam. Brings the nozzle opening up near the front and you can snug them into your ear better. If there is anything that I can contribute here, it’s that more people should try these.
I suggest that you guys put the grill back on and try those Ikko I-Planet foam/sponge tips. Great seal like a foam (so you can get a real good bass) but doesn’t suck the visceral energy out of the experience. Also doesn’t flatten down the mids and treble like a regular foam. Basically what you get is more even dispersement of the frequencies without energy loss or boomy bass. They are quite good with this set. The Spring, that is.
They are shaped more like an inner tube than long like a regular foam. Brings the nozzle opening up near the front and you can snug them into your ear better. If there is anything that I can contribute here, it’s that more people should try these.
wow it's the same with Misodiko TWS eartips! they must be take from same OEM. Yes but with grill mods, i heard more bass texture and less bloated, even compared with same eartips.
Thanks for suggestion though!
wow it's the same with Misodiko TWS eartips! they must be take from same OEM. Yes but with grill mods, i heard more bass texture and less bloated, even compared with same eartips.
Thanks for suggestion though!
Yes, they are like those Misodiko Tws tips! And just as expensive! Haha. They also made my cheap QCY TWS as good as they could possibly sound (which is pretty good for such cheap TWS, and fit great. I can run with that setup). The Springs are great with those though. Give it a shot, and if you don’t end up using them, you can put them on a Sony M755 which is also a killer combo.
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