BCD X10 Review – Nicht Gut
I really wanted to like these >$20 replicants of the supremely comfortable and stylish (if overpriced and sonically underwhelming Klipsch X10), but even if the magical land of Chifi you sometimes get what you pay for. Tonality is, to put it generously, “warm,” or to put it accurately, hazy—there’s a veil across the entire presentation which makes drumbeats sound like a pillow fight and vocals and guitar distant and unnatural. V-shaped, with wooly, poorly-sculpted bass bleeding profusely into the recessed mids and smooth but blurry lowend. These do present a wide soundstage, though the lowend smearing muddles the imaging considerably.
Compared to ultra-budget stars like the EZ Audio D4 or Tennmak Dulcimer, the BCD sound almost like dollar store buds. I’ve read some qualifiedly favorable reviews of these, and I could see where they would have some appeal to extremely treble-averse folks or sleepers—they’re inoffensive at very low volumes and I do love the form factor—but even at the why-not tariff you’re better off buying a few more beers.
Disclaimer: Loaner from Durwood.
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I wonder – what tips did you use when testing them and how deep did they go?
I have them and when inserted shallow and with silicone tips, they are kind of lacking and trebly and a touch wooly, but when I put the Comply Tsx-100 on and insert them almost as deep as I would an Etymotic earphone. The bass tightens up, the 6.something treble peak is almost gone and they seem much more resolving that way overall (understandably, I think, as they’re closer to the ear drum).
They still wouldn’t beat a better tuned microdriver, but that way, they isolate much better and are pretty usable, at least for me.
i used stock silicons and then starlines fro my review–at your suggestion i did try ’em out with smaller complys, which did increase presence and bass depth. however, i still hear them as veiled and lacking in overall clarity. of course, ear shape, preferences, etc. can markedly affect perceptions, as can source, so enjoy yours without reservation
Your review seems to be spot-on. I own a pair of Klipsch x11i and no matter what tips I tried, it has a very distinct sonic signature that’s reminiscent of the BCD X10’s. It baffles me why Klipsch tunes the X10/11i/12i single armature the way they do. Among my collection of chi-fi offerings is the KB Ear F1 which is a single armature design and although it’s not perfect, it’s way more coherent, detailed, articulate and dynamic. Not exactly bass monsters but what’s there is quick and clean. They make the klipsch sound like cotton ball drivers.
the klipsch seem optimized to be ultra-smooth and non-fatiguing–they’re not exactly audiophile tools but not unpleasant for non-critical listening.