My review of the KS1
QRD
MAKE SURE YOU BURN THESE IN!
Who should buy this? If you own a Nintendo Switch buy the KS1 and thank me later. Are you looking for a fun sparkly v shaped iem with good soundstage and impressive resolution for the price? Buy the KS1. Don’t want to buy an amp/dac/aftermarket cables/aftermarket tips buy the KS1. They sound good stock. Sound even better modded, see below.
Who shouldn’t buy these? Like to play on retro consoles i.e. Gameboy Advance or older? Don’t buy these. Are you looking for a more natural and relaxed tone and are willing to trade off resolution then don’t buy these. In the same price bracket, pick up Blon BL-03, but you’ll probably need aftermarket tips and needle to mod them at a minimum. Google mesh mod.
Gear Used For Testing
Amps
Apple Dongle
AudioQuest Dragonfly Red
Massdrop THX 789 (In Singled Ended Only)
Flux FA-12 (In Single Ended Only)
DACs
Schiit Modi 3
Denafrips Ares 2
Cables
Stock Cable
Linsoul HC-08
Tips
Stock Tips
Spinfit CP145
The Good
String instruments sound fantastic. Listen to with these to Father and Son by Cat Stevens. Piano sound great too, shout out to Ru’s Piano on youtube.
Comfort
A safe shape that is more comfortable than the Blon BL-03 for long listening sessions for my ears.
Scaling
These scale surprisingly well with better dac/amp. Bass tightens up and they can get fairly resolving. In fact, these IEM’s scaled with all of the gear I own. It may sound silly to use a $20 IEM with $2K in gear, but use better and get better out of KS1! Emotion and micro detail is on full display. They still sound good coming out of my MacBook’s headphone jack, but it can come off as harsh at times. A better DAC/AMP smoothes out the sound.
Tips
The tips are a big surprise. They’re fairly comfortable for my ears, and the sizes provided seal nicely for my ears. I found them more comfortable for short listening sessions than the Spinfit cp145’s and they sound better too. Contrast this with what’s included with the BL-03 and it’s a revelation. The BL-03 has completely unusable tips that do not seal well. You’re getting a lot of value with this iem with just the included and very useable tips.
Cable
The included cable is ok. It’s a good step up with what’s included with the Blon BL-03. In that it doesn’t tangle up as easily and has a more comfortable fit around the ear. It is a good cable for free and the right angle 3.5mm connector is awesome for portable gaming.
The Bad
Packaging was adequate in that it will likely protect the IEM’s, but that’s it. I don’t care much for fancy packaging as I think that money is better spent on the IEM’s themselves, so this is fine by me.
Isolation is only ok. You’re going to hear the outside at low volume.
The Ugly
The sound out of the box is… bad! These need 72 hours of burn in with very bass heavy music at loud volume. If you ever want to experience the magic of burn in, buy these IEM’s!
Sound Impressions
Highs
Detailed, crisp and a little airy. If you’re using these IEM’s for video chatting, you’ll be surprised at how clear and in the room voices sound. Consequently, soundstage is much, much better than the Blon BL03. If you’re looking for positional cues from IEM in this price range this is a great choice.
Mids
The mid range can come off as a little distant and thus not as natural compared to the Blon BL03, but detail is good. Main issue is that on very busy tracks, think jpop with synth and classical instruments at the same time, the mid-range can get muddled. Perfect for less busy tracks with string instruments or piano.
Lows
Bass is slightly elevated in a fun way, but it’s still more nuanced than a stock Blon BL03. Sub bass rumble was very enjoyable for movies and games.
For Gaming
Gear Used
Nintendo Gameboy Color - KS1 picks up slight noise due to sensitivity less of an issue with the less sensitive Blon BL-03.
Nintendo Gameboy Advance - KS1’s are too sensitive and pick up a lot of hiss. Mine is IPS screen modded so YMMV
New Nintendo 3DS XL - Powered well with volume to spare. Treble is nicely detailed without being too fatiguing. Very spacious sounding.
Nintendo 2DS XL - Sounds similar, but not as good as the N3DSXL. Less volume to spare as well. Treble is a bit peaky and not as spacious.
Nintendo Switch – This is the reason to own these IEM’s! Very, very detailed coming out of the Switch with volume to spare and a black background and good dynamics. If you have a switch, just BUY THE KS1!
Sony PSP powered well of headphone jack, but treble can be a bit peaky
Sony PS Vita – Lots of volume to spare, very dynamic sounding and not fatiguing. Just awesome for the Persona dancing games.
iPad (Remote Play) - Sounds good out of the apple dongle or the older 3.5mm jack. Can get fatiguing for long sessions, 2+ hours of music, but great for games/Netflix.
Want EVEN MORE Performance out of the KS1? Use spinfit CP145 tips and mod following this guide for smoother but still detailed treble and a more present mid range. KB EAR Audio impressions thread | Page 108 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
In stock form the KS1 bests the Blon BL-03 in most areas except for natural and relaxed tone. If you don’t want to mess around with mods, tip rolling or cable switching, just buy the KS1 over the Blon BL-03. If you intend to mod the Blon BL-03 or the KB Ear KS1 it’s a much tougher fight with tone winning on the Blon BL-03, and detail winning out on the KB Ear KS1.
