[baskingshark]

An unnamed 2+1 beta earphone in generic housings arrived directly from the infamous Tanchjim Oxygen/Blon BL-03 tuner for comments and improvement suggestions. A bit less mid-bass and less upper midrange, the lower mids are already ok...this will be another good one. Good dynamics and air already. I first used this after 2 hours with a $1300 loaner and it fared well.

I name such betas "elf king" in direct translation of Erlkönig, a moniker for German car prototypes that are kept entirely black...and secret.

Any idea when it will be releasing?
If they can improve on the BLON BL-03 (while keeping its great timbre and tonality) and give a reasonable pricing, I'm sure they will sell like hotcakes.

 

[Otto Motor]

Any idea when it will be releasing?
If they can improve on the BLON BL-03 (while keeping its great timbre and tonality) and give a reasonable pricing, I'm sure they will sell like hotcakes.

Absolutely no idea. This is a different earphone more in the $100 category -- and it contains 2 BAs on top of the DD. The vocals stroke me instantly as being good. When I first used it I knew nothing about the driver configuration or the price. Two of us "users" are working together on it. As always 200% pro bono. I am sure @HungryPanda is already looking for the order form .

What is important to us is that this edition appeals to the western ear. The Asian tuning prefers a boosted upper midrange. Here we make sure we get it tuned down...and we also want long nozzles for our elephant ears. The Blon's nozzles are short - same with the Oxygen.

The Blon BL-03 is currently my favourite earphone. Even more favourite than the JVC HA-FDX01. There is more than sound that plays a role for "usability" (has nothing to do with USA): fit, comfort, and handling are all exquisite. Take the famous and highly advertised Campfire Solaris...I would not want to have such monsters in my ears for long...

Update: this earphone may be called "Otto", which means "Rose Oil" in Mandarin: 奥托. It will be a selling like hotcakes across Asia, too .

 

[baskingshark]

Absolutely no idea. This is a different earphone more in the $100 category -- and it contains 2 BAs on top of the DD. The vocals stroke me instantly as being good. When I first used it I knew nothing about the driver configuration or the price. Two of us "users" are working together on it. As always 200% pro bono. I am sure @HungryPanda is already looking for the order form .

What is important to us is that this edition appeals to the western ear. The Asian tuning prefers a boosted upper midrange. Here we make sure we get it tuned down...and we also want long nozzles for our elephant ears. The Blon's nozzles are short - same with the Oxygen.

The Blon BL-03 is currently my favourite earphone. Even more favourite than the JVC HA-FDX01. There is more than sound that plays a role: fit, comfort, and handling are all exquisite. Take the famous and highly advertised Campfire Solaris...I would not want to have such monsters in my ears for long...

Yeah I'm enjoying the BLON BL-03 now even as we speak haha. One of my bugbears with it is the short nozzles as you say.
Agreed, I dislike the boosted 2 - 4 kHz range that is common in the CHIFI IEMs (which I suspect may have something to do with giving a false impression of more details in budget CHIFI sets in addition to Chinese audiophiles preferring it).
If they can tune this range down and still preserve details, and fix this nozzle issue, it'll be a day one order for me.

 

[silverfishla]

Absolutely no idea. This is a different earphone more in the $100 category -- and it contains 2 BAs on top of the DD. The vocals stroke me instantly as being good. When I first used it I knew nothing about the driver configuration or the price. Two of us "users" are working together on it. As always 200% pro bono. I am sure @HungryPanda is already looking for the order form .

What is important to us is that this edition appeals to the western ear. The Asian tuning prefers a boosted upper midrange. Here we make sure we get it tuned down...and we also want long nozzles for our elephant ears. The Blon's nozzles are short - same with the Oxygen.

The Blon BL-03 is currently my favourite earphone. Even more favourite than the JVC HA-FDX01. There is more than sound that plays a role for "usability" (has nothing to do with USA): fit, comfort, and handling are all exquisite. Take the famous and highly advertised Campfire Solaris...I would not want to have such monsters in my ears for long...

Update: this earphone may be called "Otto", which means "Rose Oil" in Mandarin: 奥托. It will be a selling like hotcakes across Asia, too .

Well, I believe you are right. Many of the Chinese earphones are not tuned to the Western ear. Their point of reference is completely different. I mean, completely different. It is one reason why Campfire (as you name) can consistently throw strikes for the Western audience. They tune for Rock n' Roll. You could make the same argument for the Asian DAPs, as well. Point of reference is key to understanding where a "tuner" is coming from. If you are helping to tune this new iem.....I hope you like good ol' Rock n' Roll.

 

[mochill]

Hope then new iem have more subbass then the b3 and better overall sound

 

[archdawg]

Just in case: the dimensions of the nozzle - length & inner diameter(s) - are an integral part of the acoustic tuning of any IEM - intended or not. No need to mention that different tips and not at last our individual ear canal geometries can throw the best tuning (intentions) entirely out of whack but again the job of any tuner is to deliver the best possible sound of his creation into very different ear canal geometries and I don't think that the nozzles on otherwise meticulously tuned IEMs like those Blons or the Oxygens are that short without a reason.

(BTW, like posted some days ago after some extensive rounds of tip rolling I'm getting the most balanced and clear sound with the 'best' spatial representation to my ears from the BL-03 with rather short and stiff wide-bore silicones - YMMV.)

 

[Lores]

I am the other "user" Otto had mentioned... "Elf king" is the not the successor to BL-03... It is a completely different animal altogether. It is 2BA + 1DD. The successor to BL-03 will only be using DD (following the tradition). Rest assured "we" are taking note of all the pointers. We know the problems of BL-03 and it won't happen again. Cheers!

 

[mochill]

I am the other "user" Otto had mentioned... "Elf king" is the not the successor to BL-03... It is a completely different animal altogether. It is 2BA + 1DD. The successor to BL-03 will only be using DD (following the tradition). Rest assured "we" are taking note of all the pointers. We know the problems of BL-03 and it won't happen again. Cheers!

I'll probably get both (*_*)

 

[FastAndClean]

I am the other "user" Otto had mentioned... "Elf king" is the not the successor to BL-03... It is a completely different animal altogether. It is 2BA + 1DD. The successor to BL-03 will only be using DD (following the tradition). Rest assured "we" are taking note of all the pointers. We know the problems of BL-03 and it won't happen again. Cheers!

please post in the Blon thread when the successor is ready - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/blon-in-ear-monitors-impressions-thread.916702/

 

[mbwilson111]

I am the other "user" Otto had mentioned... "Elf king" is the not the successor to BL-03... It is a completely different animal altogether. It is 2BA + 1DD. The successor to BL-03 will only be using DD (following the tradition). Rest assured "we" are taking note of all the pointers. We know the problems of BL-03 and it won't happen again. Cheers!

Not everyone has problems.

 

[Otto Motor]

Well, I believe you are right. Many of the Chinese earphones are not tuned to the Western ear. Their point of reference is completely different. I mean, completely different. It is one reason why Campfire (as you name) can consistently throw strikes for the Western audience. They tune for Rock n' Roll. You could make the same argument for the Asian DAPs, as well. Point of reference is key to understanding where a "tuner" is coming from. If you are helping to tune this new iem.....I hope you like good ol' Rock n' Roll.

I was travelling to China a lot in the first decade of this millennium...and looked at some of their Hifi. It was frequently sounding shrill and aggressive...goal was probably to generate something that leaves a lasting impression. And it surely did .

 

[Otto Motor]

Just in case: the dimensions of the nozzle - length & inner diameter(s) - are an integral part of the acoustic tuning of any IEM - intended or not. No need to mention that different tips and not at last our individual ear canal geometries can throw the best tuning (intentions) entirely out of whack but again the job of any tuner is to deliver the best possible sound of his creation into very different ear canal geometries and I don't think that the nozzles on otherwise meticulously tuned IEMs like those Blons or the Oxygens are that short without a reason.

(BTW, like posted some days ago after some extensive rounds of tip rolling I'm getting the most balanced and clear sound with the 'best' spatial representation to my ears from the BL-03 with rather short and stiff wide-bore silicones - YMMV.)

Yep. Here an example: two iBasso IT01 with different nozzles (that's the whole "revision"): the newer model has "longer" nozzles, that is the same old nozzles extended by a screw-on filter. It does not sound as thick and congested at the transition bass/lower mids compared to the older one. The reason is obvious: the upper midrange is elevated which balances the bass...after all, our ears hear the whole FR spectrum in context.

 

[peter123]

Yin and Yang

 

[ozziecook]

Yin and Yang

Can you explain?

 

[Coyro]

I was travelling to China a lot in the first decade of this millennium...and looked at some of their Hifi. It was frequently sounding shrill and aggressive...goal was probably to generate something that leaves a lasting impression.

Could it derive from the "tonal vs verbal" language and generally more high pitched voices, I wonder...