BLON BL-03 Review (2) – Another (Unsolicited) Opinion

BLON BL-03—I was moved to buy these not so much because they’re the most-talked about Chif of 2019, but because I understand Blon to be the alter-ego of Bosshifi, whose hybrid B3 is one of the best-sounding $50 phones of recent years.

The single-DD BL-03 is a completely different tuning than the bright, balanced B3—warmer, Harmon-ish, with a moderately boosted, well-shaped midbass. Note texture is relatively lean, and integration between the different frequencies is laudably seamless. Soundstage is wide, with limited depth and height (there’s more of an inside-your-head presentation), but instrument placement is very accurate and stereo separation is excellent. 

The BL-03 is surprisingly power-hungry for a cheap piece—it sounded OK but slightly unenergetic through my V30 (considerably turning up the volume enlivens the presentation but can lead to some mild midbass bleed); through my desktop setup, bass tightened and decay seemed quicker. They are also very fit and tip-dependent (longer silicons like Starlines work best) and can sound off without deep insertion. Isolation is slightly below average, which limits their utility as a daily driver.

Analyzed by component, these sound unremarkable—subass is palpable but not especially punchy; mids are forward and clear but don’t have a lot of body, while treble is crisp and non-fatiguiging, though not as extended or mega-detailed as price peers like TRN or KZ’s recent hybrids. Heard as whole, however, the BL-03  do, as advertised have that certain inalienable “naturalness” and accuracy of timber that (BQEYZ BQ3 excepted) is largely unrivalled at this price point—as others have posited, they sound like listening to vinyl on a good rig. Acoustic instruments and horns, in particular, have a live-in-concert character (upright bass and drums sound great), while orchestral and other densely-arranged fare are sorted out capably. They do lack the low-end grunt and body to match well with metal or EDM, but correspondingly do not inject the artificially-juiced quality and sharp high-end of many cheap hybrids.

These have been hailed as a giant killer, and they do have much of the coherence and unforced spontaneity of good $100 DDs like the 9Tail or Simgot EN700 Bass, although the latter sound weightier and better for rock. Comparisons to the (5x the price) Kanas Pro are actually most compelling, inasmuch as the two share a very similar tuning and warmish tonality, with the Blon actually presenting a tighter (if less voluminous) low end. Value aside, I would still opt for the Kanas, which is fuller sounding and has the more enveloping soundstage, but it’s not a night-and-day improvement and most less-obsessive folks would not consider the sonic difference to be cost-effective.

The Blon BL-03 has its limitations—inefficiency, isolation, quirky fit—but optimally driven/EQ’d sound very good and are the rare cheap piece that justify the megahype.

Non-disclaimer—I bought these.