Hey guys, I've recently upgraded my home-listening headphones to a pair of Sennheiser hd650 and after a few months of listening to them, I found that I can't stand my jaybird earbuds anymore. To give a bit of a background, I'm a conservatory student (classical guitar performance) and commute to school everyday. I listen to classical and jazz. Seems like some of the better choices would be the new tin t4 or the blon bl-03 with better cable and tips. What would you recommend?
Thanks for your answers
Hi friend, I don't have the Tin T4, but I do own the BL-03 and it's upgraded version (the BLON Cardinal). What is your preferred sound signature. U like neutrally tuned sound, more bass, more treble or vice versa?
I play classical guitar and jazz piano and also listen to the same genres u do. The BLON BL-03 is one of my favourite IEMs, cause its timbre and tonality for acoustic instruments is perfect to me. There're lots of IEMs out there with better details, imaging, instrument separation/clarity, but I haven't heard any that is better than the BL-03's in the area of timbre, so it really depends what do u prefer in your listening.
However, the BL-03 is not very transit friendly as its isolation is poor. So not the best option for travelling. U seem aware that the BLON BL-03's stock tips are quite poor fitting for most of us users, so get some longer nozzle tips or do a spacer mod (see the forums) if u intend to buy it. Stock cable may be a problem for some, though not everyone has issues with it. It also does better with amping, so driving it out of a smartphone generally makes the bass of the BLON very bloated.
I read some initial reviews of the T4 and its not as good as the BL-03 in the area of timbre/note weight, but it may have better technicalities than the BL-03.
The upgraded version of the BL-03, the BLON Cardinal/Bluejay, has better fit and isolation, there's not need to mess around with tips and cables with it. Though it is double the price of the BL-03. Also the Cardinal doesn't do well in windy environments due to its vented design, but if it is just subway commuting with not much wind, it is above average in isolation. The Cardinal has marginally better technicalities than the BLON BL-03, but keeps the same great timbre and tonality.
Another IEM I use that has great isolation and good timbre/technicalities is the Hisenior B5+. This one is suitable as a subway commuting IEM, though it has a bit of roll of in the bass and treble. It is very midcentric, so great for vocals too, and it takes very well to EQ, so the bass can be boosted a bit. ~ 80USD during sales. Timbre is not as good as the BLON but it has much better imaging/instrument separation and clarity.
Good luck in your search, I hope others have other input, but feel free to PM me if u wanna ask more questions.
