[WoodyLuvr]

I try only K's 32, Nameless, K300, and K's Bell-WE Bass Version. I liked the latter the most. But I want to try K's Bell-Blue after the small review of one buyer "I own older K's earphones like the 300 Samsara and 600 but after getting the Bell Ti 120ohm, I wanted to satisfy my curiosity for the model which sits in between generations. The Blue Bell or "Smurf" is exactly what you would expect it to be if you have been following K's progression. Older K's plastic shell earphones have rolled-off treble with an emphasis on bass response. The newest Bell Ti has a neutral tuning with excellent detail. The Blue Bell splits the difference by having most of the detail of the Bell Ti with some added quantity to the mid-bass and bass response. If you are considering the latest flagship Bell Ti or Bell Onmyoji earphones and want an accurate/neutral tuning, you should stay with that plan. However, If you want a slightly warmer, more relaxed performance that is closer to the K's earphones of yesterday + the modern aluminum shell this might be for you!"

Concur, I also found my buddy's Smurf to be very old school Ks sounding as well. This is a very accurate description. Since I already have a number of warm/dark bassy earbuds I went for the more neutral and ear friendly Ks Bell-Ti (120Ω; aka "Titanium Ling") which have been excellent for very extended listening (super comfortable and absolutely no listening fatigue to speak of).

Most of the Chinese reviews I've come across for Bell Blue described it as having a similar bright sound signature like the Moondrop Chaconne.
Very well extended in the treble region with a wonderful sense of detail, transparency and airiness, that's excellent for female vocals, violin etc.

Not too sure about the bass part though.
While the general consensus is that the Bell Blue has even better treble than Bell-Ti & Onmyoji 2020, some did mention that it has slightly lesser bass quantity compared to the latter two?

Wouldn't call the Bell Smurf bright though... it is still a rather warm earbud. The Smurf does have some sparkle in the treble that people like... very nice treble however, it is fatiguing for me but I wouldn't categorize it as being bright or even sibilant rather maybe a bit "excited".

I think most of these reviews that you speak of are comparing the 32Ω Bell Smurf (Blue Bell) with the 32Ω version of the Bell-Ti and not the 120Ω variant which is most definitely a step-up from even the Smurf in most all regards besides bass... whatever the Bell-Ti 120Ω lacks in bass depth (slam) it makes up for it with excellent bass detail and timbre.

Wouldn't recommend the Turandot if your preference is for airy treble, as it's a little warmer sounding compared the others mentioned above.

Concur completely; the Turandot is a very warm, almost dark earbud... great for extended listening and for those sensitive to bright/sibilant sound signatures. Though they are a tad heavy for some I surprisingly find them very comfortable to wear with no issue.

 

[40760]

Concur, I also found my buddy's Smurf to be very old school Ks sounding as well. This is a very accurate description.

I have loved the sound of the K's 300 Samsara I used to own and was thinking of getting another set, but this has piqued my interest in the blue bell.

 

[digititus]

Do Ksearphones have a website? Dedicated online store? Would like to do some more research.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Do Ksearphones have a website? Dedicated online store? Would like to do some more research.

Probably the closest you can get to what you want would be via Kaisheng Technology's official store on Taobao here

 

[furyossa]

Probably the closest you can get to what you want would be via Kaisheng Technology's official store on Taobao here

K's Poseidon looks amazing. First time to see this model.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

K's Poseidon looks amazing. First time to see this model.

Yes, the Ksearphone w/ Final Acoustics Poseidon (215Ω) was quite the cat's meow when it debuted back in 2017. The more recent flagship Bell-Ti has replaced it sonically speaking though. Really surprised to see a few New Old Stock listed as it was discontinued some time ago.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Reminder to vote for the NiceHCK ME80 to come back:
http://www.strawpoll.me/42665519/r

I will send the poll to niceHCK tomorrow.

 

[Nool]

I've been playing around with EQ on a few different buds, namely the Yincrow X6/RW9, Rambo 2 and BK2. Figured I'd post my thoughts.

The BK2 is definitely my favorite. There's no warmth, so it has a very "sterile" sound, but it easily has the best resolution, as well as very good timbre. After using EQ to clean up sibilance between 4khz-10khz it sounds great, very clean and rich, the mids in particular are very enjoyable. Note weight is about average though, maybe a little better than the X6 and RW9. Very clean, rich, but "sterile" sound.

As far as I can tell the X6 and RW9 use the same 15.5mm 32ohm drivers; overall resolution, timbre, and note weight are pretty much the same between them. After EQ I prefer the X6 though, it was more coherent across the mids, whereas the RW9 required more equalization to reach similar tuning, which degraded sound quality a bit, imo. Bass and mids sound better controlled on the X6, whereas upper mids and treble sound similar on both (after EQ). The resolution, timbre and note weight of the X6/RW9 aren't amazing but definitely acceptable, I'd consider them a standard for what earbuds can offer.

The Rambo 2 definitely has the best soundstage, as well as being the only bud I have that has a good strong note weight, giving it an immersive and strong, authoritative sound. However the resolution on it is lacking, about as good as the X6; in fact the X6 might have better resolution due to its thinner sounding notes, though not by much. Timbre on the Rambo 2 is a bit dull as well, notes are well controlled but don't sound very rich or detailed, again not much difference from the X6. So for $60 extra, all you get is larger soundstage and stronger notes, and a worse fit.

For now, all I'm using is my BK2, or the X6 if I want more warmth.

 

[InstantSilence]

Just some impressions of the fiio em5.
My first earbud, ever.
I enjoy the fast easy one and off feeling of an earbud and that it is also have a thr open back effect at work and hiking ect...

Fidelity is poop, I've heard 30$ in ears that throw up over these fiios. But that can't be a fair comparison as the seal matters a lot. These are comfortable. But they sound better if I put them at a angle, something that cancels when I start walking. Anyways thats just normal i suppose, as these just rest.

The sound is horrid, I haven't even as much heard other buds out there, and my quest starts and stops with these.
I'm afraid to hear what cheaper iems can or cannot do.

I put the old dynamic equalizer to give these the bass I needed and the upper mid deep that I needed to have comfy long listening.
Stock seems bright, fatiguing, spiky, sharp. Yet boring.... My alarm clock has higher resolution than these.

With that said... I guess they are keepers. And I still need something I can walk around with and hike and work with.

Sound is most definitely important as I see a certain weird position finally directs the sound down my pipes. But can't be maintsned while walking.

These have 0 hrs burn in which I'm sure matters but i cant see it fix its sonic shortcomings. I came in this not expecting much, especially at least low prices. I found myself far more dissatisfied and disappointed than I thought it'd sound.
There is no reason not to wear iems even 30 $ cheap ones that schiit on these, unless you need nonisolation and have other reasons you can't be plugged up.
I'm hoping the iPod 7th gen classic I have coming on the way would be able to allow me to eq this as violently as I need just to make the listenable...
Just flipped buds with the ears and they do fit better this way. Wearing the red color line to my left ear. Better...
Did it as I wrote this... Lol


Anyways. Gonna burn them for 200 and see what's up. Keepers regarless because I can't see others being drastically different.

But, this way, you can have open back in ears... How cool is that!

 

[rprodrigues]

Grats on the LBBs! I just finished auditioning mine a few days ago. Still ambivalent about recommending it wholeheartedly as I had tremendous fit issues. Might be good for someone with smaller ear anatomies. All the time it played nice & stayed in my ears, I could tell that it had good SQ. Surprised by the amount & quality of the bass. I'd be interested to know your thoughts as well.

Have you managed to get rid of the fit issues with the LBBs?

If so, would you rec them?

 

[jestercow]

FAAEAL Datura Pros came in today, my first non-MX500 shelled earbud. I would rate them at 10/10 for build quality, the cable is lovely, and I love the weight and size of the buds themselves. However, the mids have some weird asymmetry right around the vocal range causing female singers to be louder than male singers, which really messes with my head. Between this hump/scoop and the slightly rolled-off treble and bass I will be returning these. I do not like to mess around with EQ; I tend to switch headphones/buds frequently. Not to mention that there are enough transducers out there that if I don't like the tuning of one I would prefer to find something else that suits me in stock form.

Is anyone who has heard both the Datura Pros and the K's LB able to do a quick comparison?

 

[40760]

Found a good price for the K's LBBS and ordered a set too...

 

[InstantSilence]

What tips do you guys recommend to bring the upper mids and treble down quite well?

 

[baskingshark]

What tips do you guys recommend to bring the upper mids and treble down quite well?

If u are referring to earbuds, then try full foams, they tend to tame this area for me, though perhaps at the expense of some detail loss.

If you are referring to IEMs, try foam tips or silicone tips with narrow bore (the narrow bore ones boost the bass, so the ears take the entire frequency spectrum as a whole and will perceive the treble to be less too).


The upper mids/treble can also be tamed by:
1) EQ
2) using warm sources
3) playing at softer volumes -> fletcher munson curve. Sound is perceived to be more U shaped at low volumes but more V shaped at higher volumes.

 

[InstantSilence]

Am I wearing the em5 wrong?
I feel like they need to be deeper for a much better sound, but they just don't fit in deeper. They don't direct the sound towards the ear canal.

Only way is this weird way as shown in this photo.