@WendyLi Looking on AE, the KBEAR page makes no mention of the tribrid nature of the pro but only the DD. what's going on?1. Smaller 2. Tomorrow 3. $169 (First 5 days) 4. Planar
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@WendyLi Looking on AE, the KBEAR page makes no mention of the tribrid nature of the pro but only the DD. what's going on?1. Smaller 2. Tomorrow 3. $169 (First 5 days) 4. Planar
Wow!A mistake again,sorry for that.@WendyLi Looking on AE, the KBEAR page makes no mention of the tribrid nature of the pro but only the DD. what's going on?
Yes, I told them and they have changed the text.
They mention the Planar and the DD, but I dont see the BA being mentioned. It might be better if @WendyLi made the "driver unit" spec more clear on what it is.
Did you manage to find any L & R cues on either earpieces or cable yet? Me not!Just received a review unit of the KBEAR Robin.
In terms of build, the KBEAR Robin appears externally similar in shape to the KBEAR Lark, but the Robin is heavier and sturdier. Comfort is good, have used the Robin for a few hours with no discomfort. I got the blue coloured version and it has a quite unique hue and stands out from the usual silvery/blackish shelled CHIFI IEMs. As usual, KBEAR uses a 2 pin connector on the shell, I'm happy with this, as I had my fair share of mishaps with MMCX connectors in budget models.
Accessories wise, it is very good at this price bracket, and is similar to the KBEAR Lark and Neon, where a grey semirigid case, cable and 2 variants of tips are provided. In this instance, there are more silicone tips provided than the predecessor KBEARs. One set of eartips is wide bore, one is narrower bore. YMMV, as we have different ear anatomies, but the narrow bore ones boost the bass, whereas the wider bore ones boost the higher frequencies.
The cable provided is really quite well braided and is a 4 N oxygen free copper cable, it looks thicker and sturdier than the usual noodle thin budget CHIFI cables. It has minimal microphonics and is very usable. The accessories are all very usable OOTB, no need to spend more on aftermarket accessories, which adds to costs.
Isolation is above average, and is quite good considering it is a vented set.
Now on to the tonality, the KBEAR Robin is a bassy and warm mild V shaped set. It kinda reminds me of the CCZ Plume and BGVP DMG in terms of tuning, if you have heard them before.
Bass on the KBEAR Robin is midbass focused. The subbass extends moderately for a DD bass with some rumble, but the midbass is still the predominant frequency. The midbass quantity is quite north of neutral, but it isn't a real basshead set per se. The midbass speed is on the slightly slower side, texturing is below average, and the midbass does bleed a bit. The good thing is that the midbass can be tamed a bit by using the wider bore eartips.
The midbass bleed adds a lot to warming the lower mids, and gives it a lot of heft and weight to this area. The upper mids/lower treble are quite well done in my book. Disclaimer, I'm sensitive to this area, and on the Robin, the upper mids are well within my tolerances, nothing shouty, perhaps unless you jack the volume up a lot (Fletcher Munson curve). It manages to balance a fine line with having a forward upper mids without veering into banshee territory, not the easiest line to balance if you have tried other budget CHIFI gear. The upper treble on the Robin isn't the most extended, it is quite treble safe for treble sensitive folk and there is some lack of air and muted microdetails. But consequently, this set isn't fatiguing and is well suited for longer listening sessions.
Techicalities are at least above average to good (at this price) for imaging, instrument separation, and soundstage. Will need to do some A/B testing against other similarly priced hybrids to confirm. There's some slight BA timbre in the higher frequencies for acoustic instruments, but it isn't as bad as some TRN/KZ BA types I've tried.
Will do more A/B testing in the coming week and report back!
Did you manage to find any L & R cues on either earpieces or cable yet? Me not!
On the side of each stock cable there is a small circle with R or L (see red circle):
On the side of the IEM earpiece is a small circle denoting which side it is meant to be:
Anyways for most folks who have used overear IEMs for a long time, it is quite intuitive on which earpiece fits which ear. If really in doubt, one can also use a link such as this to check the side of your IEM:
The writing is fairly small but within each circle you will find L in one and the other R.Heh....yeah, kinda intuitive!..Most.of the time... Thankyou for the illustrations but i have to aak, how do those littlle circles denote, exactly?
On the side of each stock cable there is a small circle with R or L (see red circle):
On the side of the IEM earpiece is a small circle denoting which side it is meant to be:
Anyways for most folks who have used overear IEMs for a long time, it is quite intuitive on which earpiece fits which ear. If really in doubt, one can also use a link such as this to check the side of your IEM:
Ha! I thought it looked kind of familiar, too! Well spotted!That looks like the old kz cable that came with the original kz zsn. It hardens over time, but is otherwise ok.
That looks like the old kz cable that came with the original kz zsn. It hardens over time, but is otherwise ok.