I agree. I choose various IEMs according to the musical genre. And as tuning and accuracy improves, the similarities are becoming greater than the differences.
Well I bought a cable from electro acousti and a adapter from Haldane store and both of them have taken almost 2 months to get here and no update at all from after they got on the plane. I suspect that they have been lost and will probably ask for them to resend them to me or refund me the entire amount. The thing I find bad is that they insisted that it is still in transit, which is stupid because it has taken double the time it takes for stuff to get to me. So yes you are not alone in dealing with troublesome sellers.
KBear Diamond - A Better, Brighter BL-03?
Early initial impressions of the KBear Diamond
The KBear Diamond is an interesting IEM because it represents the move by an increasing number of Chi-Fi manufacturers towards tunings that are popular in the enthusiast community. How does it fare? I can tell you a little so far.
Unboxing
I don't talk about unboxing much, but with the Diamond the unboxing experience is serious. Unlike my Tin Hifi T4, the Diamond's box cover slid gently off, tolerances were right-on.* Inside, everything is laid out pretty logically. The housings are staring right at you, along with the spare foams. There is a visible compartment underneath the top layer housing the case, and later on I just use that space to store the extra parts. It's very easy to discern everything quickly upon opening.
The included IEM case is a shade lighter and rosier than the T4 case, and uses a similar magnet. The T4 case is larger, which I appreciate, although both would be considered 'quality' in this price-range. Be warned that the real/faux KBear leather will warp or wrinkle slightly if left on a heat-source.
PHOTO: You can put the empty paper box containing the IEM case back into this cutout, and use it to store all the extra eartips.
The cable is amazing, and easily the best cable I have ever received with an IEM. I know that the tuners put a lot of thought into this selection, and it shows. It is reasonably thick, attractive, shiny, and very tangle-resistant. It doesn't have any negative qualities. It's a little rubbery, but not as much as the T4's cable.
Fit and comfort
You can see from photos on the web that the housings are little large. And in-the-ear, they are about 10-20% larger than I'd like them to be. It's not that they hurt, but I know that they are there. This is using stock tips.
Isolation is definitely present, although in about the same quantity as the T4 [I have imperfect fit with both, so isolation is below rated levels for me]. The CNT-1 fits me better, and gives isolation at least on par.
Because of fit (not SQ), fatigue sets in after about an hour with the stock tips for me, although I went for 2-hours straight in one session. I am trying the short black tips presently, although I am not discerning a significant difference yet.
Sound Impressions
Okay, let's cut to the chase. I haven't really spent much time with this, or seriously put it through its paces. But after a half-hour on an iPod Touch, and two hours on an iPad Air 2, it became apparent to me that the Diamond is a 'better BL-03.'
It has a similar tuning, but lacks some of the Blon's commonly-cited weaknesses. Here is what I told a forum member in a private message:
"The Diamond is like a BL-03, with better technicalities, and non-bloated bass that doesn't bleed.
It a thick sound, but not a slow and unclear sound like the BL-03. The kind of music that sounds good on a BL-03 also sounds good on this, but maybe better. For example, Prince's "My guitar gently weeps" is a tonal success on the Diamond, as on the BL-03, but the Diamond is bringing you crisper guitars and more detail, it's not losing sounds and detail in the mess.
So you might be able to call it a BL-03 with much improved fit and technicalities. That's how I'd market it, at least. Not so much against the T4, since the T4 is a thinner-sounding neutrally-tuned IEM that can't boast a lot of bass.
I'd have to listen more, I need to try acoustic, classical, and jazz. It can get certain instruments very tonally-accurate, including pianos I think."
I have to emphasize from that quote that the Diamond has respectable speed. It plays some of my techno/trance samples faster than I remember the BL-03 keeping up. It can sort of keep up with the BA5, which is not something that I would attribute to the Blon.
So it's faster than the Blon, but I would also say that it is brighter. I notice little bits of brightness in the overall sound, especially at higher volumes, which I don't remember from the BL-03.
Driving the Diamond
I find that the Diamond benefits from having some power, and decent electronics behind it. It sounded nice from the iPad Air 2, which uses a relatively-good dedicated sound chip. It was a better experience than the smaller iPod Touch. I also used the Diamond with a Fiio E10K DAC/AMP on Windows 10, and it performed better than with the Apple USB-C/3.5mm dongle.
Always use the best source equipment available with these, it makes a difference.
I think the new BAs, DDs, and hybrids coming out, like the BA5, T4, and C12 can be driven more easily than the Diamond, and require very little power. The Diamond is not tough to drive, but I'm seeing that it benefits more from higher-end sources.
Tone and Timbre
The Diamond presents a natural, soft, relaxing sound that isn't juiced or weirdly-coloured. Putting aside the size of the earpieces, the sound itself is very laid-back. You could easily listen to it for hours-and-hours. It is more laid-back than the CNT-1, which itself is relaxing with the right music.
Listening to Grant Green's "Cantaloupe Island" is almost like being in a small, quiet jazz bar, but for the original recording lacking fidelity. It is the same with Sean Callery's "Jessica Jones" extended Season 2 theme.
Voices are natural, not elevated or much messed-with.
Some instruments that sound particularly naturalistic are guitars, notably acoustic guitars. Flutes / pan-flutes also sound good.
It just effortlessly handles the acoustic guitars, in any track I throw at it. They are crisp and clean, but not piercing or painful in any way. Joe Pass sounds golden, instead of thin and vibrant as with the CNT-1.
Saxophones can be a little screechy, at least by the Diamond's standards. This is where brightness may be unhelpful, IMHO. Piano is a little brighter than I'd like it to be, but maybe that's the price you pay for that airiness. Overall, piano is fairly heavenly.
Percussion is also relatively natural. The bass beats don't sound as synthetic as on the T4, for me. Actual drums sound realistic. None of the percussion sounds elevated, which is something that you might experience on the BA5 or even the T4.
Soundstage
The soundstage is average. It might be a little larger than the T4 much of the time, and can sometimes sound expansive (wide), but that is not a defining characteristic of the IEM. I find the Diamond and the T4 to be more closed-in overall than my preferred IEMs, and it's nothing to write home about, even by DD standards.
In terms of imaging / positioning, I find that the Diamond resembles the experience of the CNT-1 for me. Sounds mostly congregate at L - C - R, whereas I find that the T4 maybe gives me L - LC - C - RC - R sometimes, the King Pro gives me all that and then some, and the BA5 throws sound anywhere in the universe.
Next Steps
There's a lot that has to be done for me to get a better sense of the Diamond's technicalities. It's not likely to give the same kind of microdetail as the T4, but that can be tested. Is it a strong performer in vocal-centered tracks?
I have only been having mediocre results with the provided tips, so I'll move on to the Spiral Dots and CP145 next. The 'large' short black feel kind of mushy, folding in on themselves in my ear, but the next size down is too small, so I don't know how much I have to work with there. But I have amassed enough tips to try a few things here, so we'll see how that goes.
Overall, I think that the real competitor to the KBear Diamond is the Moondrop Starfield, since both are influenced by the BL-03 and Harman-like tunings are are now popular, and both are promising a more natural sound. I think it may come down to fit in terms of what people prefer. The Tin Hifi, in contrast, is markedly more neutral in timbre.
*You'd think that packaging fit isn't a big deal, but if you have to pull forcefully, your IEMs can fly right out.
Agree, I can praise this pair all the way but doesn't mean it's all sunshine and rainbows. On some instruments Diamond can be shouty and piano doesn't sound full bodied (high mid boost?). Hopefully it will even out after burn-in.
And on comfort part, I also feel slight ache after few hours of wearing, like the weight mainly felt on the lower part of the ear. Again will probably get used to it.
Still, this pair has a lot of potential and will give another thoughts after enough burn-in.
Where do you go next after this? I am already eyeing for Tri i3
KBear Diamond - A Better, Brighter BL-03?
Early initial impressions of the KBear Diamond
The KBear Diamond is an interesting IEM because it represents the move by an increasing number of Chi-Fi manufacturers towards tunings that are popular in the enthusiast community. How does it fare? I can tell you a little so far.
Unboxing
I don't talk about unboxing much, but with the Diamond the unboxing experience is serious. Unlike my Tin Hifi T4, the Diamond's box cover slid gently off, tolerances were right-on.* Inside, everything is laid out pretty logically. The housings are staring right at you, along with the spare foams. There is a visible compartment underneath the top layer housing the case, and later on I just use that space to store the extra parts. It's very easy to discern everything quickly upon opening.
The included IEM case is a shade lighter and rosier than the T4 case, and uses a similar magnet. The T4 case is larger, which I appreciate, although both would be considered 'quality' in this price-range. Be warned that the real/faux KBear leather will warp or wrinkle slightly if left on a heat-source.
PHOTO: You can put the empty paper box containing the IEM case back into this cutout, and use it to store all the extra eartips.
The cable is amazing, and easily the best cable I have ever received with an IEM. I know that the tuners put a lot of thought into this selection, and it shows. It is reasonably thick, attractive, shiny, and very tangle-resistant. It doesn't have any negative qualities. It's a little rubbery, but not as much as the T4's cable.
Fit and comfort
You can see from photos on the web that the housings are little large. And in-the-ear, they are about 10-20% larger than I'd like them to be. It's not that they hurt, but I know that they are there. This is using stock tips.
Isolation is definitely present, although in about the same quantity as the T4 [I have imperfect fit with both, so isolation is below rated levels for me]. The CNT-1 fits me better, and gives isolation at least on par.
Because of fit (not SQ), fatigue sets in after about an hour with the stock tips for me, although I went for 2-hours straight in one session. I am trying the short black tips presently, although I am not discerning a significant difference yet.
Sound Impressions
Okay, let's cut to the chase. I haven't really spent much time with this, or seriously put it through its paces. But after a half-hour on an iPod Touch, and two hours on an iPad Air 2, it became apparent to me that the Diamond is a 'better BL-03.'
It has a similar tuning, but lacks some of the Blon's commonly-cited weaknesses. Here is what I told a forum member in a private message:
"The Diamond is like a BL-03, with better technicalities, and non-bloated bass that doesn't bleed.
It a thick sound, but not a slow and unclear sound like the BL-03. The kind of music that sounds good on a BL-03 also sounds good on this, but maybe better. For example, Prince's "My guitar gently weeps" is a tonal success on the Diamond, as on the BL-03, but the Diamond is bringing you crisper guitars and more detail, it's not losing sounds and detail in the mess.
So you might be able to call it a BL-03 with much improved fit and technicalities. That's how I'd market it, at least. Not so much against the T4, since the T4 is a thinner-sounding neutrally-tuned IEM that can't boast a lot of bass.
I'd have to listen more, I need to try acoustic, classical, and jazz. It can get certain instruments very tonally-accurate, including pianos I think."
I have to emphasize from that quote that the Diamond has respectable speed. It plays some of my techno/trance samples faster than I remember the BL-03 keeping up. It can sort of keep up with the BA5, which is not something that I would attribute to the Blon.
So it's faster than the Blon, but I would also say that it is brighter. I notice little bits of brightness in the overall sound, especially at higher volumes, which I don't remember from the BL-03.
Driving the Diamond
I find that the Diamond benefits from having some power, and decent electronics behind it. It sounded nice from the iPad Air 2, which uses a relatively-good dedicated sound chip. It was a better experience than the smaller iPod Touch. I also used the Diamond with a Fiio E10K DAC/AMP on Windows 10, and it performed better than with the Apple USB-C/3.5mm dongle.
Always use the best source equipment available with these, it makes a difference.
I think the new BAs, DDs, and hybrids coming out, like the BA5, T4, and C12 can be driven more easily than the Diamond, and require very little power. The Diamond is not tough to drive, but I'm seeing that it benefits more from higher-end sources.
Tone and Timbre
The Diamond presents a natural, soft, relaxing sound that isn't juiced or weirdly-coloured. Putting aside the size of the earpieces, the sound itself is very laid-back. You could easily listen to it for hours-and-hours. It is more laid-back than the CNT-1, which itself is relaxing with the right music.
Listening to Grant Green's "Cantaloupe Island" is almost like being in a small, quiet jazz bar, but for the original recording lacking fidelity. It is the same with Sean Callery's "Jessica Jones" extended Season 2 theme.
Voices are natural, not elevated or much messed-with.
Some instruments that sound particularly naturalistic are guitars, notably acoustic guitars. Flutes / pan-flutes also sound good.
It just effortlessly handles the acoustic guitars, in any track I throw at it. They are crisp and clean, but not piercing or painful in any way. Joe Pass sounds golden, instead of thin and vibrant as with the CNT-1.
Saxophones can be a little screechy, at least by the Diamond's standards. This is where brightness may be unhelpful, IMHO. Piano is a little brighter than I'd like it to be, but maybe that's the price you pay for that airiness. Overall, piano is fairly heavenly.
Percussion is also relatively natural. The bass beats don't sound as synthetic as on the T4, for me. Actual drums sound realistic. None of the percussion sounds elevated, which is something that you might experience on the BA5 or even the T4.
Soundstage
The soundstage is average. It might be a little larger than the T4 much of the time, and can sometimes sound expansive (wide), but that is not a defining characteristic of the IEM. I find the Diamond and the T4 to be more closed-in overall than my preferred IEMs, and it's nothing to write home about, even by DD standards.
In terms of imaging / positioning, I find that the Diamond resembles the experience of the CNT-1 for me. Sounds mostly congregate at L - C - R, whereas I find that the T4 maybe gives me L - LC - C - RC - R sometimes, the King Pro gives me all that and then some, and the BA5 throws sound anywhere in the universe.
Next Steps
There's a lot that has to be done for me to get a better sense of the Diamond's technicalities. It's not likely to give the same kind of microdetail as the T4, but that can be tested. Is it a strong performer in vocal-centered tracks?
I have only been having mediocre results with the provided tips, so I'll move on to the Spiral Dots and CP145 next. The 'large' short black feel kind of mushy, folding in on themselves in my ear, but the next size down is too small, so I don't know how much I have to work with there. But I have amassed enough tips to try a few things here, so we'll see how that goes.
Overall, I think that the real competitor to the KBear Diamond is the Moondrop Starfield, since both are influenced by the BL-03 and Harman-like tunings are are now popular, and both are promising a more natural sound. I think it may come down to fit in terms of what people prefer. The Tin Hifi, in contrast, is markedly more neutral in timbre.
*You'd think that packaging fit isn't a big deal, but if you have to pull forcefully, your IEMs can fly right out.
The jade EA3 does took a long time to reach you, hmm...bad shipping service ftw
Uh oh.. Finally the jade audio EA3 are arrived, together with LZ A6 mini.
Will post my early impressions on each dedicated thread later.
