BLON BL-05 MKI Review (1) – Do You Belief In Letting Music Burn?
Pros
Good build/fit.
2 pin connector – better lifespan than MMCX.
Above average soundstage.
Above average technicalities for a DD.
Good timbre for acoustic instruments.
Easily drivable.
Cons:
Somewhat harsh upper mids/lower treble – this is to some extent, source dependant and can be tamed or modded (see below).
Thin note weight, vocal timbre not the best in the mids area.
Average isolation.
Meh accessories.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The BLON BL-05 is quite different in tonality from the hypetrain BL-03, sporting a clean, bright V shaped tuning which is easily drivable, with above average technicalities and a good fit.
INTRODUCTION
I’ve had a very pleasant experience so far with the BLON brand, having purchased both the BLON BL-03 and its underrated big brother (the BLON Cardinal), which is unfortunately no longer in production.
The BLON BL-03 was (and still is) a mega hypetrain single DD set with good timbre and tonality at an affordable sub $30 USD. It’s rather famous among budget audiophile groups for the superb price to performance ratio. Some folks even labelled the BL-03 as a giant killer that can compete with TOTL sets. Personally, while I think the BL-03 is a very good set for the price, and maybe it can compete with some $100 sets in timbre/tonality, it lacked a bit in these areas to be a true giant killer:
1) Poor fit OOTB with stock tips – due to the too short nozzle. Most people had to resort to a spacer mod or aftermarket longer eartips, or even different cables. So with these aftermarket extra costs, it probably was closer to $40 – 50 USD in terms of pricing (depending on what stuff u bought to augment it).
2) Overemphasized midbass with midbass bleed; bass can’t keep up with fast/complex music.
3) Lack in technicalities.
So there was great anticipation for the next BLON release, which is the BL-05. From released graphs, it seems to have a toned done bass with some slight boost in the upper mids, with a better looking fit too. So here we are with the BL-05 review today.
SPECIFICATIONS
Driver: 2nd Generation 10mm CNT Diaphragm.
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 KHz
Connector: 0.78mm 2 Pin
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 108dB
Tested at $42 USD
ACCESSORIES
In addition to the IEM, it comes with:
1) Stock cable – thin with no chin cinch. Recommended to swap ASAP.
2) Lame sack cloth pouch like in the BL-03.
3) Silicone tips of various sizes, some with longer nozzles and some with shorter nozzles.
BUILD/COMFORT
The BL-05 is very comfortable and well fitting OOTB, in contrast to its BL-03 little brother, there’s no need to mess around with aftermarket tips/spacers.
The shell is metal, and is on the heavier side of things as such, but is very ergonomic with no weird poky edges. The steampunk look is quite unique!
I liked that it came with a 2 pin connector, which has generally better lifespan than MMCX connectors in my experience. Although the 2 pin housing protrudes a bit and certain 3rd party 2 pin cables may not be compatible, or may protrude when in use.
I didn’t have any driver flex with the BL-05.
ISOLATION
Isolation is average, but better than the BL-03.
DRIVABILITY
I tried the BL-05 with a humble Android smartphone, a Ziku HD X9 DAP, a Tempotec Sonata HD, Tempotec Sonata HD Pro, a Khadas Tone Board -> Fiio A3 amp, and a TRN BT20 bluetooth device.
The BL-05 is pretty drivable from lower powered sources like smartphones, and amping isn’t truly mandatory.
However, do note that the source plays quite an important role in the sound signature and synergy with the BL-05. As the BL-05 is on the brighter side for the upper mids, with thinner bass quantities, I found it to sound less harsh in the upper mids when pairing the BL-05 with a warmer source. When I paired it with more analytical or brighter sources, it brought the upper mids area too much to the forefront and made it more fatiguing and harsh for longer listening sessions. YMMV.
SOUND AND TECHNICALITIES
The BL-05 is a mild V shaped set with some boost at the upper mids/lower treble region and a slightly tamed down midbass (compared to its predecessor the BL-03).
Technicalities like details and instrument separation are above average at its price point. Imaging and clarity is good. Soundstage is above average. It probably won’t beat multi BA/hybrid sets that are equivalently priced in the technicalities department.
Timbre is good for acoustic instruments. Note weight is on the thinner side and vocals sounded not as good in the timbre as acoustic instruments. The BL-05 can sound somewhat analytical and dry at times, and is quite different from the warm and analoguish tonality of the BL-03.
Bass:
The BL-05’s subbass is of more quantity than midbass, with some rumble typical of DD bass, though it is not as bassy as the BL-03 in terms of quantity. Midbass thump is a bit lacking for my basshead tastes, but I think those that like a neutralish bass will love this set’s bass.
Bass quality is on the faster and tighter side, though not the best in texturing. There’s no midbass bleed.
Mids:
Upper mids are boosted compared to the lower mids and I found some harshness at the upper mids area which may sometimes be fatiguing for longer listening sessions and female vocal predominant music. Vocals are very intelligible. As stated above, source pairing is important as a warm source can help in the upper mids area. Other than source, EQ or micropore mods may help, +/- narrower bore tips and copper cables (if u ain’t a cable skeptic). In case anyone is interested in doing a reversible mod for the upper mids on the BL-05, there’ll be a discussion below.
Treble:
There’s a boost at the lower treble, but otherwise it extends fairly well but is not a super airy set. I’m treble sensitive and found the treble to be within my tolerances, without the need to EQ/use foam tips (cough cough looking at you TRN VX). There is very mild sibilance. Cymbals are occasionally splashy.
COMPARISONS VS BLON BL-03
I know a lot of folks’ next question will be, how does the BL-05 compare to the BL-03? I would say upfront that the BL-05 is pretty different in tonality compared to the original BL-03. The BL-05 has decreased midbass but increased upper mids compared to the BL-03 as the above graph.
I didn’t compare the BLON Cardinal here as it is no longer in production and not many people own it.
Pros of BL-05 (stock form):
– Fit is better on the BL-05, no need to mess with eartips/spacer mods OOTB.
– Bass tighter and less midbass bleed on BL-05. Better subbass extension/rumble than BL-03.
– More analytical/colder tonality with better clarity.
– Better soundstage.
– Easier to drive.
Pros of BL-03 (stock form):
– Cheaper (though if u factor in aftermarket tips and cables it might be thereabouts in cost).
– Less fatiguing at upper mids/lower treble.
– More natural tonality in mids.
– Fuller lower mids, thicker note weight.
– Better vocal timbre.
I feel the BL-05 has its own merits and it shouldn’t be viewed as a BL-03 Mk2, but taken as its own IEM and I appreciate that they’ll be fans of both tunings either way (disclaimer I’m more a fan of the BL-03’s tonality but I try my best to judge the BL-05 as objectively as possible in this review). I think a lot of folks expected the BL-05 to be tuned along the same lines as the BL-03 and quite a few BLON fans were disappointed with the BL-05 as such.
Also, factor in that the BL-03’s hype was at hysterical levels, and anticipation for the BL-05 was at sky high amounts. As is quite commonly seen, it is very difficult to live up to the same standards and demands in the sequel of a hyped original movie/book. If the sequel meets the standards of the original movie/book, fans would say, it is only to be expected. But pitchforks will come out if the widely anticipated movie/book sequel has some flaws or is rather different than anticipated. In addition, the BL-05 was priced more expensive than the BL-03, and the $40 – 50 USD market the BL-05 was released into had much tougher competition than the $20 – 30 BL-03’s market. (Though I would argue the BL-03 is actually also in the $40 price bracket if an average aftermarket tip/cable is factored in the equation as most folks don’t get a good fit OOTB).
MICROPORE MOD FOR BL-05
Credit to KopiOKaya for this great and reversible mod for those who want to lower the upper mids/lower treble of the BL-05 a tinge.
Use a 3M tape (2 mm x 2 mm square) and cover part of the nozzle mesh, but do not cover it entirely, if not the sound will be muffled. With the micropore mod, the upper mids are reduced and the mids sound a bit more tonally similar to the BL-03, but with the midbass bleed/bloom removed and with the BL-05’s good fit and speedier bass.
I appreciate though that not everyone wants to mod stuff and a lot of consumers would just prefer to use the IEM OOTB as it is, then perhaps EQ or changing to a warm source would help too if you are sensitive to the upper mids region.
CONCLUSION
The BL-05 sports a V shaped bright tuning with above average technicalities, a good fit, and is easily drivable. I actually like the BL-05 more than the recently reviewed (and more expensive) TRN VX, which was much shoutier in stock form, and I couldn’t listen to the TRN VX more than 5 minutes without a EQ or some micropore mods.
Like real life siblings, audiophiles will always compare the BL-05 with the BL-03 younger brother, even though the BL-05 is tuned rather differently from the BL-03 and is not a BL-03 MK2 (maybe unless you wanna try the reversible micropore mod as above). The BL-05 has areas of improvement over the BL-03, such as in fit, soundstage, bass quality, and a toned down midbass. The BL-05 should thus be seen as its own IEM, with its own unique tuning and merits.
All in all, I think the BL-05 is not for bassheads or those wanting an analoguish/warm tonality (which is my sound signature preference). So, the BL-05 is not my cup of tea for the brighter upper mids region and thinner note weight/lower mids, but forgive me while I meander a bit in this short story:
My review of the BL-05 was delayed cause my wife saw the BL-05 delivered in the mail and she snagged it. She would normally go “tsk tsk” and roll her eyes at another audio gear arriving in the mail or be ambivalent at best. However, the moment she saw the rainbow wording of Oppoty and Driams and the steampunk look of the BL-05, she grabbed it and said she wanted to try it. She isn’t an audiophile but she listens to a variety of music genres like 3 hours a day, and her first words were “good fit”, “clean sounding”, “sounds good”. After that I didn’t see the BL-05 for a week (well this constitutes a free burn in I guess). She only returned it to me after I bugged her for a few days. For comparisons, she didn’t like the BL-03 (even though I went to extreme lengths to buy aftermarket spinfits to help her BL-03 to fit).
Hence I appreciate that there will be fans of the BL-05’s tuning, such as those who want a cleaner and brighter sound signature than the hypetrain BL-03.
Let music burn!
MY VERDICT
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DISCLAIMER
I would like to thank the Wooseasy Earphones Store on Aliexpress for providing this review sample.
Get it from Wooeasy Earphones Store
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