KBEAR KS2 Review (1) – Big And Wide And Tall
Pros — Lively, dynamic sound without any annoyance; huge soundstage; value.
Cons — Generic design; thin mids; not the greatest timbre.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The KBEAR KS2 is a warm-fun-lively V-shaped earphone that excels by its gigantic soundstage in all dimensions at the price of recessed mids.
INTRODUCTION
OK, let’s cut the crap right away. This earphone is not for the gallery, it is not sexy, it features a generic design. No staged photos, no camouflaged sales brochure, no other window dressing required to stimulate buying appetite. The KBEAR KS2 is all about functionality: sound and fit – and value. Apparently, 70% of the cost are in the drivers. It is KBEAR’s lowest priced budget model. As you know, KBEAR is a brand that has come a long way in the last half year with their popular Diamond and KB04 models both tuned with the help of KopiOkaya and myself – two big-hearted however poor pro-bono amateur tuners who made these products fly off the shelves like hotcakes. The KBEAR KS2 were apparently tuned by a professional team.
SPECIFICATIONS
Driver unit: 1 10 mm DD + 1 BA
Impedance: 16 Ω
Sensitivity: 105 ± 3 dB dB/mW
Frequency range: 20 – 20,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: 2-pin, 0.78 mm
Tested at: $23
Purchase Links: KBEAR Official Store and Wooeasy Earphones Store
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The package contains the barebones: the 2 earpieces, 3 pairs of tips (S/M/L), cable, and the paperwork. Yawner! This content, including that shade of green, reminds me of some 2017 KZ hybrids…although, so I was told, this KS2 earphone has nothing to do with KZ. I am relieved.
The generic shells are made of good-quality resin, and they fit my ears well…although, they are not the smallest around and could be thinner. But they are really light. The cable is also nothing to write home about, we have seen such design frequently before, it works just fine. No microphonics at all, it is reasonably thin and pliable. Certainly better than the one that came with the Blon BL-03 or TRN-VX. But: it appears to be the latest gimmick in budget stock cables that the ear hooks are designed to strangle your concha. The loop looks tight as hell…but was working ok in the end.
The largest included tips do the job for me. And bingo, the KBEAR KS2 work out of the box. At a sensitivity of 106 dB at 16 Ω, the KBEAR KS2 play just fine with my iPhone SE – they are really easy to drive. You may not have known how much guts your phone’s amp has. Ergonomics is generic, and fit/comfort what you expect: average. Isolation could be better.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
My tonal preference and testing practice
What did a member of our Facebook group tell me: “Don’t tell us it’s got a long trunk, fat legs, and rough brown skin. Tell us instead it’s an elephant!” And this elephant is big. BIIIIIG…biggest soundstage in all dimensions I could imagine: deep, wide, and tall. Seriously, it is gigantic. You feel you are in a huge cave and the music was recorded binaurally. The signature can be described as warm-fun-lively V-shape with a tad of plastic added (not too bad, though). Here you have it. That’s what your elephant looks like.
Yes, the KBEAR KS2 are quite alive, they have this jump factor…this live sound. They have lots of energy without being annoying or fatiguing on either end – although the graph does not support this. BUT, don’t judge this book by its cover.
When I first put the KBEAR KS2 into my ears – listening to Canadian rock of the Guess Who – I could not get them out again, so appealing and irresistable was the sound.
OK, the graph looks awful: a pronounced V…doesn’t this remind us of the boomy bass and shouty midrange in pre-historic times, back in 2017? Well, drivers have come a long way since then – and today, the quality of the drivers appears to offset the odd, strange-looking graph. And since the human ear hears the whole frequency spectrum and not just select cherry-picked areas, the elevated upper midrange can balance the boosted bass. And it does in this case. So, no shoutiness or boom.
Bass is surprisingly speedy and controlled, and also, of course, prominent but not fatiguing. The punch/rumble appears to come from way below, not from the mid-bass, which is usually easier on the eardrum. But, although it is dry, it can be a bit blunt. The upper bass is actually rather thin and therefore does not bleed into the lower midrange/vocals. Vocals are breathy and attenuated with a splash of pressurized air added, but they are quite there and very 3-dimensional. They are not the richest or densest, but they are ok in the mix. The vocals obviously get that famous extra energy from the upper midrange, but not in a bad way. This results in excellent clarity without sharpness. (Sub-) bass and upper midrange keep each other well in check and balance each other nicely. I can’t hear any obvious shoutiness. Treble are present and add tizziness to cymbals. This whole mix results in great speech intelligibility.
The star of the KBEAR KS2 is undoubtedly the huge soundstage. It is very impressive in all dimensions and gives you the feeling you are at a live concert – when listening to a live recording, of course. Cavernous but not hollow! In this respect, it beats many more expensive competitors. Detail resolution is equally impressive: I felt I was diving through a symphony orchestra when listening to Gustavo Dudamel’s/LA Symphonic’s Star Wars interpretations. All of the above point to the KBEAR KS2’s good suitability for gaming.
But limitations in the technicalities exist: it is the timbre! Ok for string instruments but off for woodwinds and brass. The tonality has a bit of plastic added to it, which appears to be an artifact of this kind of shells – had this before in the KZs. This is however somewhat forgivable as it is partially offset by the openness of the sound.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY?
Hmmm…we are bound by an extremely low price – so nothing really.
KBEAR KS2 COMPARED
The KBEAR KS2 are hard to compare as they are pretty unique: their build/design is generic and won’t win any door price, and their sound is well above the similar looking and priced Knowledge Zenith budget models of recent years. Maybe the <$20 NiceHCK DB3, which has a boomier bass and a more recessed midrange. The in-house <$30 KBEAR KB04 is punchier but also shoutier and a bit more tonally accurate, and it has heavier metal earpieces – it actually is the better value imo. The $199 Shozy Form 1.4 sound much richer and thicker, but the KS2 hold up quite well in their staging.
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
We at audioreviews.org are a vibrant team of 8 bloggers [more], we have diverse opinions, and not everyone of us is writing a review. It is for your benefit to know more than just one opinion. Here we go.
KOPiOkaya:
Just received the KBEAR KS2. First impression… Better than Moondrop SSR… That’s a good start… Definitely better than TRN M10… That’s another good start.
Imaging and staging is exceptional (just as Jürgen had mentioned in his first impressions)… BUT I am not entirely impressed by it and here is why:
1. Bass is a tad too much for my taste… HOWEVER, it is clean, fast, punchy bass. Not muddy or wooly. Great for EDM stuff.
2. The upper-midrange sounds a bit etched. I don’t mean harsh or edgy. It sounded as if somebody had over-sharpened an image in Photoshop… If you get what I mean.
3. Timbre sound a bit unnatural to me. Sorry, maybe I am so used to DD timbre but hey, my TRI I4, which is a hybrid, has better timbre.
4. So, will it compete with KBEAR KB04? My comfortable answer is “no”. KB04 sounds more coherent and smoother overall. The bass of KB04 sounds more pleasing to my ears.
5. Switched to my iFi iDSD Nano Black Label DAP/Amp, MUCH BETTER!!! The KS2 definitely excels with a warm source. I am not going to nitpick on its build as most of you know by now, it is just meh. But fit and comfort-wise is very good. I can wear these for hours.
Okay, what I like about the KS2?
- Very good clarity and resolution,
- Very good soundstage,
- Pinpoint stereo imaging,
- 3D vocal
- Precise bass control (thanks to the new BLON DD),
- Deep, deep sub-bass,
- US$23 without mic is extremely good value.
Equipment used:
- Apple USB Type-C dongle with Xiaomi Max
- UAPP Player (Bit-perfect enabled)
- iFi iDSD Nano Black Label
- Yinyoo 8-core tin-plated copper cable
- SpinFit CP-145 eartips (medium)
Biodegraded:
This Super Best Audio Friend is the grumpiest of us (I come second) and therefore was rather critical of the idea that the world needed another ~$20 earphone. Biodegraded found a channel imbalance in the upper midrange and felt the need to remove bass by modding. He noticed that the stage is so big because the mids are so distant. He thinks people should buy less quantity and better quality.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT IT – OR NOT?
The desire to get the KBEAR KS2 really depends on your attitude towards consumerism. If you are a newbie and want to find out what signature you like, the KS2 is a good choice. If you just want to go for quantity of your collection or don’t have the cash to go higher, why not? But if you have drawers full of iems already, you may rather go a bit up the scale towards the TinHifi T2 Plus or the Shozy Form 1.1, or even the KBEAR KB04. I think the KS2 would work well for gamers because of their liveliness and soundstage.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
For me, the KBEAR KS2 are refreshingly unpretentious, pragmatic earphones: no amp needed, they play straight out of your phone. They are V-shape well done: gone are the days where the recessed mids were squeezed between a boomy low end and a screechy upper end. Here, all elements play well together and generate a pleasant and well-staged sonic experience – but with the limitations as described above.
The KBEAR KS2 are lively but nevertheless well-behaved earphones for the road, gym, or computer screen. They are not the audiophile steak & lobster fare, they are dripping burgers with greasy fries and lots of ketchup. Yummers! They are not served with champagne but with ice-cold thin American lager. Toss them in your backpack, throw them in your glove department. They are dynamic, they are fun, they are affordable…and they will be immensely popular soon…until the next model comes along. Believe me!
I think I need something to eat now.
Until next time…keep on listening!
You find an INDEX of all our earphone reviews HERE.
DISCLAIMER
The KBEAR KS2 were provided unsolicited from Wooeasy Earphones Store. Thank you very much.
Get the KBEAR KS2 from KBEAR Official Store or Wooeasy Earphones Store.
Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
Like what you read? Did it help you save money? We don’t believe in Patreon accounts (a ripoff), affiliated links, or ads. But if you want to support our running cost, we gladly accept PayPal donations.
RELATED…
