Blon BL-03 Review
<aside> 🔥 Bass is tight and quantity is great, vocals sound rich, instruments sound lively and decently clear
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<aside> 🧐 Resolution / imaging are not great, sound stage is narrow, good fit is difficult to achieve
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Introduction
These earphones should need no introduction. Dubbed the Budget Kings and fueling conversations about whether high end earphones are even necessary compared to it, anyone even remotely interested in earphones should have come across these. And I have to say, I find these earphones fantastic and I think these will satisfy most people, especially at their price point (with a rather large caveat).
Unboxing
If this is your first chi-fi unboxing experience, it doesn’t get much more classic than this. A simple mix of cardboard and plastic greets your eyes and one would immediately be captured by the sleek steel earpieces on display, along with an...... interesting selection of English words with some (presumably) amusing typos.
‘Belief
Letmusicburn
Oppoty
Nevergiveup’
Because that’s why we get earphones, to be inspired and have a completely life-changing realization via broken phrases.
Jokes aside, the earphones come with a cheap-feeling wire, some replacement tips and a carrying case and that’s about it. Not exactly premium, but that’s not the price we’re paying either.
Overall Listening Experience
Once in the ears, if you’ve never owned anything better than your average consumer brand earphone, I think the most impressive thing is just how rich everything sounds. While some other reviews laud the bass of the Blons, I find the feature which most stood out to me was how alive my music sounded. Sort of like a sunrise after a foggy hike, the music sounded warmer and livelier than anything I’d heard of before. The bass is certainly there, thumping away. Vocals are front and centre and the instruments fill the space playing all around it. It has to be remembered that these are around £30, so the soundstage isn’t anything to write home about, but there is enough detail to pick out the different instruments and that they are not all playing in the same area.
The bass is prominent and you’ll get plenty of energy out of any tracks you put on. As a self-professed bass-head, your mileage may vary here. Compared to a lot of the common consumer headphones though, I can confidently say this does not overpower the other elements and while it can be felt, is not muddy either.
The mids are actually where I think these earphones really show their value. Vocals come in sounding rich and full-bodied thanks to the heightened sub bass. Any prominent singers and acoustic tracks are a delight with the Blons, punching well above their price point.
Highs are kept nice and tidy, the notes don’t sound shrill or sharp, but do tend to lean towards the softer side. If you’re a fan of sparkle in your songs, these earphones will not be your favourite. However, they pretty faithfully produce the high notes and do not leave you feeling fatigued after long listening sessions.
In terms of broke student status, these should be lauded as an immediate choice should you be on the market for earphones. They are cheap, durable and sound great.
One step from perfection
These would be a super easy pair of earphones to recommend to people if it weren’t for one rather annoying caveat: The fit. These earphones have a rather short tip which does not extend very far into the ear. That means that these are prone to slipping out if the ear tips are not snug enough and also makes achieving good sound isolation a bit of a challenge. If you’re one of the lucky ones with ear canals which suit the stock tips and design of this earphone....... well just give me a message and I’ll send you a nice meme. Otherwise, you’ll likely have to turn to after-market tips to make these fit right. Once they do, it truly is worth it, though that decision will be up to you. The more detailed sound review will be based on getting a good seal/fit with these earphones.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned throughout the review, these are perfectly capable earphones and provide a really fun listening experience. Anyone just getting into buying ChiFi or non-consumer brand earphones will be pleasantly surprised by the Blons and will not regret getting them.