KB EAR Audio impressions thread
Aug 21, 2019 at 6:26 AM Post #46 of 2,441
Friends,KB EAR F1 has indeed made a little revise, and now we have confirmed the ultimate version of F1.
The unit is a custom Bellsing BA.

Thanks for confirming it...
 
Aug 23, 2019 at 5:35 AM Post #48 of 2,441
Aug 25, 2019 at 2:21 PM Post #49 of 2,441
I have the NiceHCK NX7 as well. At least for my ears, I prefer the TRI I4. If you give me an example headphone or sound signature you prefer, I might be able to offer some more specific advice that could help.

Wow that is awesome... I basically look for a Fun V shaped signature, My favourite ones are KZs AS10, ZS10 Pro, TRN V80 and IM1.

Im actually looking at the Trii because I was being told how cheap BAs get the timber wrong and wanted to try the good BAs, and the NX7 just because I love unecessarily overcomplicated crap.

I need a boomy bass (or be able to be equalized that way) and Im not treble sensitive at all. :)

Thanks!
 
Aug 26, 2019 at 4:17 AM Post #51 of 2,441
Aug 26, 2019 at 7:04 AM Post #52 of 2,441
Well, I just received and had a 1-song experience with the Kbear KB06, here are my impressions:

- THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL you will convince us it isnt manufactured by KZ... KZ cables, KZ box, KZ tips, KZ connector... Its a KZ.
- It sounds good... (too few time with it yet to say HOW GOOD, but it is good.)
- Its way smaller than I expected and what KZ users are used to... Its really small and that makes it very comfy.
- It feels like a improved ED16 (The ED16 sound signature never convinced me)

I need some time to compare it with v80, ZSN, etc... but I dont doubt it will be my default recommendation for this pricepoint (20 euros)
 
Aug 26, 2019 at 12:15 PM Post #54 of 2,441
Aug 26, 2019 at 8:51 PM Post #56 of 2,441
Wow that is awesome... I basically look for a Fun V shaped signature, My favourite ones are KZs AS10, ZS10 Pro, TRN V80 and IM1.

Im actually looking at the Trii because I was being told how cheap BAs get the timber wrong and wanted to try the good BAs, and the NX7 just because I love unecessarily overcomplicated ****.

I need a boomy bass (or be able to be equalized that way) and Im not treble sensitive at all. :)

Thanks!

I've had better experiences with fewer drivers at the <$100 price points in earphones. KB EAR TRI I4 being one of those better experiences, but I'm not sure how much boomy bass you'll get out of them if that's what you're after... I just saw someone mention that taping over one of the airflow ports on each earphone will increase the bass to KZ ZS7 levels (which can be a lot). Personally I've had to tame the ZS7 bass to enjoy it. ZS7 with JVC Spinfit eartips is too much bass for me, for instance. Tenmak Whirlwind tips tame the bass a lot, too much for my tastes I think after some extended listening over several days (they do get the ZS7 closer to a 'reference' sound if that's what you're after ). Auvio tips are close to the sweet spot of the ZS7 for me, delivering a solid amount of sub-bass without the low end being totally overwhelming. I can get a similar amount of bass out of the TRI I4 with the JVC Spinfits, and I prefer the upper frequency presentation on the TRI I4 more. The NX7 is by far the most analytical <$100 earphone I've heard. Precise bass, not boomy at all, and some unique and very present (for my tastes too present) highs.

Note that I try to temper my advice because people have differently shaped ears and earphones bypass the physical outer structure of your ear, and each of our brains still apply their personal EQ to the incoming sound as if your ear shape was still in play, so YMMV, but I hope my experience helps.
 
Aug 30, 2019 at 2:36 PM Post #57 of 2,441
I got a 2nd pair of F1 yesterday. They use the larger "generic" BA. There's no markings on the BA of any sort (hence why it's generic").

There are definitely differences in sound as compared to the Bellsing version I have.

During comparison testing, I used the exact same cable, same tips, same source (ES100), and same songs.

The generic driver has more low end, and is warmer sounding. This makes sense because it is a physically larger driver with more volume. However, the low end is a bit woolly and not as crisp. The midrange is slightly more recessed vs the Bellsing. And the generic version has less clarity overall than the Bellsing version.

The Bellsing version has less low end quantity (it's leaner), but much better quality. Low end is punchy and crisp. The midrange is not forward compared to the bass and treble, but it is more forward than the generic driver version. Midrange has more presence and a better and more natural tonality than the generic driver. The overall presentation of the Bellsing is clearer. One negative is that the Bellsing has a small amount of sibilance, which is not present in the generic driver. This is not a surprise though; anyone familiar with KZ IEMs knows the Bellsing BAs have always has some issues with sibilance (some models more than others).

Be aware that the difference between the 2 versions isn't night and day. It's not like the generic is total junk and the Bellsing is the best thing since sliced bread. The differences are subtle, and definitely detectable when A/Bing. But the differences are there nonetheless.

I'd love to get my hands on the Tehnz version of the F1 to compare to the others. I don't know how that's possible though. Which driver you end up with in any given F1 is a gamble.

But between the generic driver and the Bellsing driver, I'd take the Bellsing version for sure.

I only wish the F1 Bellsing version had a vented shell, to take advantage of the vent on the bottom of the Bellsing driver. This would bump up the low end, and really make the Bellsing F1 shine. The particular Bellsing driver is intended to be put in a vented shell; that's why the Bellsing driver is vented. It's a wide band driver by design, and achieves the wide dynamic range by utilizing the vent. I've DIYd some IEMs using the genuine Knowles that the Bellsing is modeled after, and it definitely is better with an external vent vs sealed (ie unvented).

Anyways, I'll be completing my review in the next few days, so stay tuned for my full report.
 
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Aug 31, 2019 at 7:30 AM Post #58 of 2,441
Early impressions of the KB06. Out of the box they are very well balanced, mids are very nice, probably the best implementation of the 50060 BA I have heard so far. Treble (30095) is clean and detailed with no nasty peaks. Bass has plenty of texture and goes quite deep with good ambience. Soundstage is excellent too with the vent on the rear of the earpieces. Lively and dynamic sound. These are very promising. More to come.
 
Sep 3, 2019 at 8:27 AM Post #59 of 2,441
Sep 3, 2019 at 4:55 PM Post #60 of 2,441

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