Pick Your Poison

red dragon

Justiceforall
Skilled
20201024_232239.jpg20201024_232219.jpg
Three incredible VFM IEMs.
BLON bl03 (less than 50 USD)
T2 Pro, not the plus or pro version ( few bucks more than bl03)
Sennheiser IE40 Pro (around 70-80 USD)
I do understand spending 2-3k or more for a pair of IEM may seem stupid. But I was going through Amazon India and saw plenty of people are buying IEMs between 1-5k INR from JBL/ Sony/ Boat audio etc. Nothing against those companies, but I would not pay 50 rupees on those pathetic JBL/ Sony IEMs with fixed cable and shitty sound quality.
I do still have relatively cheaper Fiio FH1/FH3,KZ ZS10 Pro, Shure 215, mid range Pinnacle P1, Shure 535, and insanely expensive JHA stuff and 64 audio customs and at least 4-5 pairs from various manufacturers ( after clearing out 15 pairs!!)
But these 3 are my favorites irrespective of pricing/ brand value and other non sense.
All are well built, come with replaceable cable and sound phenomenal with mobile phones.
If you are planning to buy an IEM (even wireless ones) can consider these ( and use something like BTR3K, if bluetooth is needed). One thing I can guarantee, no Sony/JBL etc. can come even close with 5 times the price tag and a 30-40k wireless earphone will sound far worse with any of these with BTR3K. I am 100 percent sure abound the sound quality.
Now troll away...
 
I agree, any of these with fiio BTR3K or BTR5 is way better than sony/jbl/or jabra.
Looking forward to try one of these chi-fi though not a requirement right now.
For bluetooth, any of these in balance connection with something like fiio BTR5 or Shanling UP4 is superior than standalone bluetooth earphones or TWS.
I am very much impressed by Fiio F9pro's performance with BTR5 in balanced mode. channel seperation/ soundstage everything enhanced.
Right now this was my favourite combination but as I was not using bluetooth so sold my BTR5, now using F9pro with Aune X1s pro dac or sometimes with my Asus 5Z.

second option for bluetooth is to buy bluetooth cables which are available for all these iems. 2 pin or mmcx connection cable are available with features like aptx HD and aptx LL.
these kind of cables are standard mmcx or 2 pin and can be plugged in any of these Chi-fi or other iems.
 
Not great. But not congested either. IE40 is the cleanest and possibly widest. But it's somewhat sharp sounding.
bl03 is the most fun sounding with a touch more mid bass to what I'm accustomed to.
T2 is the most balanced out of the 3.
I could have made a list of 10 very expensive earphones, they all sound good. But decided only to include the most affordable ones with sound signature of TOTL/ very high end IEMs.
 
View attachment 92610View attachment 92611
Three incredible VFM IEMs.
BLON bl03 (less than 50 USD)
T2 Pro, not the plus or pro version ( few bucks more than bl03)
Sennheiser IE40 Pro (around 70-80 USD)
I do understand spending 2-3k or more for a pair of IEM may seem stupid. But I was going through Amazon India and saw plenty of people are buying IEMs between 1-5k INR from JBL/ Sony/ Boat audio etc. Nothing against those companies, but I would not pay 50 rupees on those pathetic JBL/ Sony IEMs with fixed cable and shitty sound quality.
I do still have relatively cheaper Fiio FH1/FH3,KZ ZS10 Pro, Shure 215, mid range Pinnacle P1, Shure 535, and insanely expensive JHA stuff and 64 audio customs and at least 4-5 pairs from various manufacturers ( after clearing out 15 pairs!!)
But these 3 are my favorites irrespective of pricing/ brand value and other non sense.
All are well built, come with replaceable cable and sound phenomenal with mobile phones.
If you are planning to buy an IEM (even wireless ones) can consider these ( and use something like BTR3K, if bluetooth is needed). One thing I can guarantee, no Sony/JBL etc. can come even close with 5 times the price tag and a 30-40k wireless earphone will sound far worse with any of these with BTR3K. I am 100 percent sure abound the sound quality.
Now troll away...
You should really do a getting started thread here for Noobs/Aam junta like us on high quality audio stuff man. Write away! You have the passion for it anyway!
 
Not great. But not congested either. IE40 is the cleanest and possibly widest. But it's somewhat sharp sounding.
bl03 is the most fun sounding with a touch more mid bass to what I'm accustomed to.
T2 is the most balanced out of the 3.
I could have made a list of 10 very expensive earphones, they all sound good. But decided only to include the most affordable ones with sound signature of TOTL/ very high end IEMs.
What will you be pick if someone has T2 and BLON 03 and wants great deal of performance/HQ jump? You know something that will/might put BLON 03 to shame lol I know am asking for too much .. just very curious.
PS: That guy is me hehe.
PPS: I am tired of not recommending BOAT/JABRA/SONY/JBL to my non-geek friends but it is hard and I don't do that any more.
I agree, any of these with fiio BTR3K or BTR5 is way better than sony/jbl/or jabra.
Looking forward to try one of these chi-fi though not a requirement right now.
For bluetooth, any of these in balance connection with something like fiio BTR5 or Shanling UP4 is superior than standalone bluetooth earphones or TWS.
I am very much impressed by Fiio F9pro's performance with BTR5 in balanced mode. channel seperation/ soundstage everything enhanced.
Right now this was my favourite combination but as I was not using bluetooth so sold my BTR5, now using F9pro with Aune X1s pro dac or sometimes with my Asus 5Z.

second option for bluetooth is to buy bluetooth cables which are available for all these iems. 2 pin or mmcx connection cable are available with features like aptx HD and aptx LL.
these kind of cables are standard mmcx or 2 pin and can be plugged in any of these Chi-fi or other iems.
Bluetooth is not for pure music lovers. No matter what it does not cut for me.
 
You should really do a getting started thread here for Noobs/Aam junta like us on high quality audio stuff man. Write away! You have the passion for it anyway!
Thanks man. But I am no expert. Can only write about my experience, and tend to get hypercritical with headphones/ speakers that I don't like.
Moreover from mid November, life will change again, possibly won't even get time to log in to beloved TE ( though will try..you people helped me a lot during those dark months this summer)
I'm sure getting headphones/ earphones will be even more difficult in Africa.
Will try to get my hands on to the HD560S before Africa though. I've ordered from 3 different countries, none has arrived yet. No one cares for our small country ☹️☹️
I may start writing about malaria and daily struggle of life in Africa, and why I always wanted to be there despite all the hardships. These next 5 years or so is definitely going to be my last with WHO and field of medicine, so will give more than 100 percent everyday.
What will you be pick if someone has T2 and BLON 03 and wants great deal of performance/HQ jump? You know something that will/might put BLON 03 to shame lol I know am asking for too much .. just very curious.
That's a very difficult question boss. In the world of universal fit IEM, almost everything I have/ had are side grades at best ( IE800 has wonderful and huge soundstage, but the overall sound is not a significant upgrade by any means, Shure 535 is all about mids and it's a definite downgrade, Ety ER4s are very clean and clear, and so is T2!! I forgot the model number of the Sony TOTL IEM few years back, 1000 something, it had excellent airy highs, but not significantly better than T2)
I haven't heard IE500 pro yet, going by IE40 pro, it's going to be even more brighter ( considering the smaller size of the dynamic driver)
In Chi-fi world, my exposure is limited. But despite tall claims of Starfield's superiority, I'm not sure. It's practically similar sounding to T2, and boring compared to the wonderful bl03.
In really expensive stuff,
I hated Andromeda ( it's made to sound even the worst produced albums enjoyable, everything is smooth and non offensive in Andromeda, but it's built with real care and justifies the price.
Had a few expensive JH audio earphones, but honestly, none of them are significantly better sonically. Yes, the cables, eartips are top notch stuff, but not a big upgrade in sound.
Not talking about FiiO here, I only have FH1/ FH3 and had FH5, though good, not even close to a well sealed bl03!!
The only significant difference ( not necessarily an upgrade) is the custom stuff. But that's possibly due to the perfect seal.
I'm thinking about going the custom route for the IE40, but it's a big hassle from here (Ukraine has a distributor, but they possibly send the mould to UK or Vancouver)
 
Last edited:
What will you be pick if someone has T2 and BLON 03 and wants great deal of performance/HQ jump? You know something that will/might put BLON 03 to shame lol I know am asking for too much .. just very curious.
PS: That guy is me hehe.
PPS: I am tired of not recommending BOAT/JABRA/SONY/JBL to my non-geek friends but it is hard and I don't do that any more.

Bluetooth is not for pure music lovers. No matter what it does not cut for me.
Just curious as to why would you place Jabras along with boat and jbl on the list. I bought Jabra 65's based on the rating at Crinacle and they are damn good indeed. In fact they are rated better than the blons and tinaudio. I haven't heard any one out of those two but for 5k-6k these days, Jabra 65s sound rather good. They offer the convenience of wireless and good sound.

I am not arguing with your opinion, just trying to understand if the Crinacle ratings are to be trusted or are they biased /paid.
 
Just curious as to why would you place Jabras along with boat and jbl on the list. I bought Jabra 65's based on the rating at Crinacle and they are damn good indeed. In fact they are rated better than the blons and tinaudio. I haven't heard any one out of those two but for 5k-6k these days, Jabra 65s sound rather good. They offer the convenience of wireless and good sound.

I am not arguing with your opinion, just trying to understand if the Crinacle ratings are to be trusted or are they biased /paid.
Jabras are not bad actually .. but do listen to BLON 03 :)
 
In fact they are rated better than the blons and tinaudio. I haven't heard any one out of those two but for 5k-6k these days, Jabra 65s sound rather good. They offer the convenience of wireless and good sound.
Who actually rated a wireless earphone over T2/ bl03?
From what I've read about Jabra, and heard very briefly in audio stores ( Elite 85 something), they were pure consumer grade headphones. Jabra is in the wireless game long enough, but not exactly known for their sound quality.
I've read articles where people openly claimed Apple's airpod pros are the greatest sounding earphones, in reality they sound like shit.
XM3/XM4 were hyped like they sound better than HD6XX/ DT880 or even better.
In reality they sound just like the generic 50 USD BT headphones with insane amount of compression!!
If a pair of wireless sound even close to bl03/T2/IE40 Pro, I would buy them instantly even if they cost 1000EUR.
But sadly, there's nothing mate. I've indeed burned thousands and everything sounded like poop compared to good wired earphones (except PXC550 II)
Nothing against Jabra or any other brand ( except Sony, they know very well how to tune a headphone properly, but won't do it, as a better driver costs money and the XM3/ XM4 sound signature has become benchmark for consumer grade audio manufacturers) but you should have listened to the bl03 ( they are really inexpensive) before coming to any conclusion.
I'm struggling to find a sub 1000 USD earphones which is a clear significant upgrade to it ( and trust me on this, I've wasted a LOT of money on IEMs, headphones...could have bought a very decent car easily to replace the old beat up Honda I drive...even our 5 year old prefers his mom's fancy car)
 
Last edited:
I went by the rating on Crinacle. He rates 1000 usd headphomes as well so I thought it might be a good guide to go by. But now I will get the blons too and judge for myself ,since they are available for just 2200. As for the hype, totally agree. I have listened to both QC 35 and XM3 for long periods, and thought the same thing. Why are these so famous. Both sounded very artificially smooth.

I have a 10k budget for some good audio gear. Blons are done for 2200. Any open back that you would recommend at around 8k or less? I have never had an audio gear with a proper wide soundstage. So looking to try out an open back.
 
I'm not sure about Indian pricings, HD598 should be a good entry level open back headphone.
Otherwise wait out for a couple of months. HD560S will eventually show up everywhere.
If you can import from Drop, get the 58X. It's amazing.
 
Got the Blons. And they are definitely quite enjoyable to listen to. The treble is doesn’t hit harshly. It may or may not be accurate but what matters to me is that it is not harsh. It does sound much better than the Jabras. Especially male vocals for Bollywood songs sound damn good. Jazz sounds amazing as well. Have been listening to Strangers in the night on loop :)

The only issue is at times with Rock. With too many instruments esp. the drums going on in the background it gets a bit much as it sounds very much right in the ear. In acoustic guitar heavy songs though, it again sounds amazing.

Apart from sounding too close, it is amazing. For them, the word I will use is enjoyable, fun and immersive as I don’t know the meaning of terms like bright, warm etc.
 
Got the Blons. And they are definitely quite enjoyable to listen to. The treble is doesn’t hit harshly. It may or may not be accurate but what matters to me is that it is not harsh. It does sound much better than the Jabras. Especially male vocals for Bollywood songs sound damn good. Jazz sounds amazing as well. Have been listening to Strangers in the night on loop :)

The only issue is at times with Rock. With too many instruments esp. the drums going on in the background it gets a bit much as it sounds very much right in the ear. In acoustic guitar heavy songs though, it again sounds amazing.

Apart from sounding too close, it is amazing. For them, the word I will use is enjoyable, fun and immersive as I don’t know the meaning of terms like bright, warm etc.
To hell with terminologies. Just enjoy it. Get some flacs and use a better player. Phone/PC anything. They keep on scaling up ... test them.
 
How do the blons compare to the popular piston 2.1's? While the pistons had a recessed midrange, they had top notch instrument separation and a wide soundstage. Does the blon better them in any way?
 
You mean the Xiaomi Piston 2? If yes, then I lost them in 2016 but don’t remember them to be as nice sounding as the bl03.
One thing to note, the blon came with not so great tips, I replaced those with tips from cx275 and now it seals very well
 
I'm not sure about Indian pricings, HD598 should be a good entry level open back headphone.
Otherwise wait out for a couple of months. HD560S will eventually show up everywhere.
If you can import from Drop, get the 58X. It's amazing.
I got a used HD599 SE earlier today. This is something else. I have never had headphone this good. The level of details and instrument separation is damn good. Even busy songs don't sound like a lump of sound.

The volume is fine on an iPhone. This is my first open back and I absolutely love this.
 
Back
Top