Chinese / Asian Brand IEM Info Thread
May 9, 2020 at 1:19 PM Post #30,661 of 33,689
I have been amazed by the difference a cable can make. I have a spare cable from a faulty Tin T4 and have used it successfully on my **** Pro. Today I tested it on my Shuoer Tape and it sounded much better than the stock cable. The Tape does need a high quality source and extra amplification and then is very good indeed.

What was wrong with your Tin T4?
 
May 9, 2020 at 1:42 PM Post #30,662 of 33,689
What was wrong with your Tin T4?
What was wrong with your Tin T4?
It was a connection problem. The cable is fine, the MMCX sockets were badly machined. Eventually there was no signal to the earphones. My replacement set is perfect, and is one of my favourite IEMs.
 
May 9, 2020 at 2:44 PM Post #30,663 of 33,689
It was a connection problem. The cable is fine, the MMCX sockets were badly machined. Eventually there was no signal to the earphones. My replacement set is perfect, and is one of my favourite IEMs.

Nice. I've got a 2 week old pair of T4's, I've read about this MMCX connector problem before. How can I identify if I have/am likely to have the problem?
 
May 9, 2020 at 2:52 PM Post #30,664 of 33,689
Nice. I've got a 2 week old pair of T4's, I've read about this MMCX connector problem before. How can I identify if I have/am likely to have the problem?
The sound may cut out in either channel or may become intermittent. If you have no problem, I would advise you not to detach the cable if not necessary.
 
May 9, 2020 at 2:54 PM Post #30,665 of 33,689
May 9, 2020 at 3:20 PM Post #30,666 of 33,689
May 10, 2020 at 8:24 AM Post #30,667 of 33,689
...I did it again....ordered the Final Audio E2000, E3000 and F3100...got all the E series now :joy:
 
May 10, 2020 at 8:43 AM Post #30,668 of 33,689
...I did it again....ordered the Final Audio E2000, E3000 and F3100...got all the E series now :joy:
You are a big hero of the hobby with the wallet commensurate with the heart :gs1000smile:

On a separate note, I thought to ask - what is happening with the BGVP, the train completely derailed?
 
May 10, 2020 at 9:06 AM Post #30,669 of 33,689
On a separate note, I thought to ask - what is happening with the BGVP, the train completely derailed?
Terrible quality control took its toll. Fair enough, I'd say.
 
May 10, 2020 at 9:35 AM Post #30,670 of 33,689
...I did it again....ordered the Final Audio E2000, E3000 and F3100...got all the E series now :joy:
Too many E-type tips ... the more the merrier!! :)
 
May 10, 2020 at 10:10 AM Post #30,671 of 33,689
Too many E-type tips ... the more the merrier!! :)
Yeah those were like 50% of the reason why I got the E2000 and E3000 lol. Really amazing tips.
 
May 10, 2020 at 10:28 AM Post #30,672 of 33,689
You are a big hero of the hobby with the wallet commensurate with the heart :gs1000smile:

On a separate note, I thought to ask - what is happening with the BGVP, the train completely derailed?

BGVP as a company has been around quite a while, even before the big hype of DM6 (which i still own and love). it has a few good earbuds, but for IEMs, i only noticed them when the DM6 came out. i think some problems that held them back are QC and sound consistency. for that, i much prefer other companies like Moondrop, or even KZ than BGVP. i also like QCY, but they mostly deal with wireless earphones
 
May 11, 2020 at 2:30 PM Post #30,673 of 33,689
Hope all is well for all fellow head-fier’s here…:v:

Up for review is the KB EAR Diamond

"A Diamond in the rough!"
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ABOUT KB EAR and KB EAR Diamonds:
KB is the abbreviation of American professional basketball player ‘Kobe Bryant’. The owner of the company decided to name his new in-ear earphone products after the famous basketball player and legend, Kobe Bryant. They started to sell their earphones in April 2019, and are quickly becoming a hot commodity and talk on their current models including the KB EAR Diamond, which has exceptional qualities and potential to be known as a “Diamond in the rough!” Its body structure and good looks makes them the perfect price versus value when it comes to satisfaction. They are driven by one dynamic driver on each side with diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated PET. At first, it looked like they were following a trend of “copy-cat” earphones when compared to other companies like KZ and CCA, but lately they’ve been shading away from that trend and making a statement when it comes to beauty and value. Though, the KB EAR earphone company did mention to me that they were not affiliated with any other company and that they’re an independent brand in itself. So, let me make the best of it and hope that they are independent and truthful to their word, since it surely looks like they are making a big splash with the KB EAR Diamond, which I personally can see it pleasing many buyers for the looks and value it presents.

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SOUND SIGNATURE:
They have a V-shaped, but bright and technically clean sounding signature throughout the midrange with clear, but laid-back treble and a surprisingly low natural sounding punchy rich bass.

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PACKAGE:
In the package you get a nice brown leather-like vinyl magnetic carry case with black velour interior, two bags of small-medium-large silicone ear tips, two black and gray foam ear tips, one detachable 8-core premium silver-gray cable with 2-pin connectors and sliding chin guard, two left and right grey-green with carbon-like face plate KB EAR Diamond housing units with left “L” and right “R” indicators all in one nicely made premium storage box.

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AFTER 100 HOURS TEST:
At first, receiving and listening to the KB EAR Diamonds I was nicely impressed with their easy going sound that came out of them, but I wanted more and that’s when patience paid-off! It all changed after burning them in for at least 100 hours! …Just clear, naturally airy and exceptionally tuned earphones! Though, it’s important to note that my review also consists of changing the default ear tips and replacing them with my personal choice of wide-bore ear tips for better comfort and openness, which are actually not the default tips, but an aftermarket brand I chose for best fit and sound even though for the majority of buyers the included ear tips will do just fine.

SOUND:
BASS:
The bass is articulate, punchy, and can demonstrate good quality bass response due to the bigger than average housing for a dynamic driver, especially in the sub-bass region where they have such a rich natural sounding bass. In return, The KB EAR Diamond relies on the quality and quantity of bass, which keeps the whole signature quite technically balanced, even though sounding more of a V-shape signature to the average listener, IMHO.

MIDRANGE:
The midrange has a sense of natural transparency that favors both male and female vocalist, while instruments come through just as clear giving a sense of realism and technicality making them very coherent and easy to listen to for many different categories of genres. So, definitely the vocals will come through sounding more natural with a smoother approach compared to today’s norm of brighter sounding IEM’s.

TREBLE:
The treble demonstrates smooth easy listening, while maintaining a good flow of vividness with quality sounding details. This kind of upper signature is very engaging and hours of fun and pleasure feeling as if there were a lot of effort tuning them to achieve this point. So, the hi-end details can only be expressed as immersive and indulging for those that treasure the likings of timbre and texture working cohesively together in perfect harmony.

SOUNDSTAGE & RESOLUTION
I’ve always said that with most in-ear monitors, in general, a vital role in the whole signature is achieving an excellent all around soundstage plus good resolution. And, though the ‘Diamonds’ demonstrate just better than average all around soundstage and resolution, in my opinion; imaging, timbre and texture seems to be working in their favor when compared to others I personally own. So, since “the price-is-right” all is forgiven and much to gain!

COMPARISONS:
URBANFUN YBF-ISS014 -vs- KB EAR DIAMOND
After comparing these two well-packaged IEM’s, I noticed that actually both weren’t far off of having more similarity traits in there sound signatures than there is differences. Both have similar quality rich sub-bass, both have a similar midrange that favors both male and female accordingly, and both have clear and laid-back treble that doesn’t sizzle to the point where they leave you with an ear ache. They both perform very well for hours of fun time and time again. But, they both each have a “take-away” that might be a toss-up for some. The ISS014’s housing can come with a bad mmcx connector, which I can see is the connection between the mmcx connector from the housing unit to the wire, which was my unfortunate experience with them, while the Diamond has a narrower soundstage when comparing both. So, it’s all about your personal choice on which one you’ll benefit more from. I’ll consider you lucky, if the ISS014 has no problem with the mmcx detachable connection between the unit and the detachable cables, or if you actually feel better off by settling with the Diamonds average sounding soundstage if playing it safe on your next purchase is what you want. In the end, it’s a personal choice, since both are fun and have more similarities in their bold and rich sounding signatures than their very little differences.

CCA C16 -vs- KB EAR Diamond
So here are two top in-ear earphones offered by CCA and KB EAR…and make no exception; they are both good in quality and value! The C16 offers 16 BA armatures in its housing unit, while the Diamonds offers two exceptional DD’s. The C16 has an almost neutral sound signature boasting quick speed and raw details on top with excellent upper to lower bass response. But, the Diamonds carries a more realistic approach in its overall signature with a richer and sonically inclined lower-bass response that’s hard to resist. And, though they have similarities towards the midrange and treble, the Diamonds has the edge on sounding more “natural” due to the DD’s unique signature providing a balanced approach even though in reality they have a V-shaped signature. But, in-the-end, if you want to talk about “package”? Make no doubt that the better package with all its accessories for the price has to go to the KB EAR Diamonds. The package shows much more value than most presented in their price range offering a sense of true satisfaction and money well spent.

BLON BL03 -vs- KB EAR Diamond
Finally, here we have two IEM’s that will please DD lovers for the effort to produce timbre the way it should be done. But, some differences will actually set them apart from each other to show if the Diamond was able to belittle the underdog according to sound alone. And, just a reminder, the Diamonds cost more than double the price of the BL03’s. So, don’t expect the BL03 to match the Diamonds on package and accessories as well. Now, when it comes to sound, the BL03 has a clear organic signature that will take your breath away for such a low budget IEM. They are actually one of the best budget IEM’s in its price range today. But, with all good things there are limitations on what it can provide for several hours of easy listening. They do tend to fall short of their ability to stay consistently smooth for several hours. You’ll start to get fatigued and the mid-bass can get overwhelming after just half an hour of personal listening to some. In the other hand, the Diamonds tends to consistently stay smooth and collective with every song played. And, though they are considered V-shaped by all standards, they seem to always pull through as a balanced signature providing a lower bass rumble that’s easier to handle to my ears than the slight mid-bass hump response that seems to tire me out from the BL03’s. The Diamond also just sounds richer and natural, but unfortunately has an average soundstage for the hefty price. But, all in all, it handles many genres well and can be considered a step above the BL03 for a more mature and precision sounding IEM.

PROS:
Superb bass, natural sounding, excellent build quality with nice quality detachable cables.

CONS:
None that I can see or hear so far.

FINAL COMMENTS:
The KB EAR Diamonds are a pleasure to have and can be viewed as a level of premium quality with excellent packaging for the price, IMHO.

SPECIAL THANKS:
Lastly, I want to give a special thanks to Wendy from KB EAR for sending the Diamonds in return for an honest review. My views on the sound signature may be different or beneficial to some, so please compare my review with others before making your own personal decision whether if this product is right for you, or not. Right now, the cost is currently around $71 US dollars, though price may vary elsewhere due to the country delivered, coupon offers, or shipment cost. Their official website is http://www.kb-ear.com/ and their other official store for sales can be found at https://www.aliexpress.com/store/5017064.


Hope this review can be of help towards your next purchase...


-Clear :ok_hand:
 
May 12, 2020 at 2:36 AM Post #30,674 of 33,689
BGVP as a company has been around quite a while, even before the big hype of DM6 (which i still own and love). it has a few good earbuds, but for IEMs, i only noticed them when the DM6 came out. i think some problems that held them back are QC and sound consistency. for that, i much prefer other companies like Moondrop, or even KZ than BGVP. i also like QCY, but they mostly deal with wireless earphones

Was it already well known that BGVP appears to be the same company as THIEAUDIO, TRIPOWIN, and EPOMAKER? Shenzhen Changyun Technology Co., Ltd. is the company behind all of these brands unless I'm reading something wrong.

EDIT: Never mind, a representative from BGVP has already clarified that they are not the same company in the following posts.
 
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