Intro:
These IEMs were sent directly from Linsoul for review. Thanks to the Linsoul Audio team for sending them.
The packaging box no longer has the typical Blon typos, which is a positive change despite losing a bit of Blon's signature branding.
The accessories are quite complete, including the signature Blon burlap sack soft case, 9 pairs of tips with 3 different types. The tip quality has definitely improved compared to the original BL03. The stock cable is also a significant improvement over the original, but still slightly inferior to the Lord Z300 cable.
The housing shape of the BL03 II is unchanged from the original. If you had trouble with the fit of the original BL03, don't complain, because the fit is just as tricky. I had to roll the tips to find a comfortable fit, and I only found a good fit in my ears with the white tips in size L.
The BL03 II is very easy to drive, even with weak sources like phones or inexpensive dongles. It doesn't require high volume to sound good and show its potential.
Okay, let's move on to the impressions...
Bass:
The tuning of these IEMs is a mild V-shape with a slightly bright emphasis. I'll explain the "slightly bright" part in the treble section. The bass is dominant with a balanced amount of mid-bass and sub-bass.
The bass has improved significantly from the original BL03. The mid-bass texture is really good, with a full impact and no hollowness like the original BL03. The bass also has a deep sub-bass rumble extension with good control and minimal bleed into other instruments compared to the original BL03.
Interestingly, the bass speed, which was a bit slow in the original BL03, is quite fast in the BL03 II. So overall, the bass quantity is quite large with good control and speed. Nice improvement from the original BL03.
Midrange:
The midrange is positioned further back than the bass. Because the upper midrange is slightly boosted compared to the original BL03, female vocals are presented a bit more dominantly than male vocals with clear clarity. Similar to the clarity of Xuan Ji's vocals.
Due to the more controlled bass and slightly more forward upper midrange, the weight of the vocals in the BL03 II is slightly thinner compared to the original BL03. This makes the BL03 II less suitable for thicker male vocals.
Despite this, the swaying, emotional, and sweet sensation of the original BL03 vocals is still present in the BL03 II. So the BL03 II vocals are still among the sweetest in the sub-million rupiah price range.
What about the midrange timbre? The original BL03 is known for its relatively organic sound in this area. Unfortunately, the vocals of the BL03 II are not as organic and natural as the original BL03. In addition to the clarity boost, this is caused by the excessive boost in the upper treble area, especially in the 12-13kHz range.
This makes the BL03 II vocals, especially female/male vocals that fall within this frequency range, slightly sibilant and almost robotic in timbre. Too bad, actually. Because the midrange instruments already sound natural in the BL03 II.
Treble:
The positive aspect of the treble lies in its good extension, feeling crisp, quite aggressive, and airy. Especially for cymbal crashes. Unfortunately, in metal and classic rock songs like Scorpion, the treble feels a bit aggressive and grainy due to the excessive upper treble boost.
This makes the timbre of the BL03 II treble sound artificial and almost metallic. Although the lower treble area has a natural timbre. Too bad.
Technicalities:
In terms of technicalities, the BL03 II is one level up in all areas compared to the original BL03. So the technicalities feel on par with Xuan Ji, Inawaken Dawn MS, C3, KBEAR KB02, etc. Not yet on the level of the S trio (Singolo, Soratune, Sonus) and Que.
The immediate improvements are felt in the detail, resolution, clarity, and micro-detail, which feel better than the original BL03. This also occurs because the upper treble boost also affects this sector.
The soundstage also feels wider. Although the stage width is relatively standard, the depth and height of the soundstage can be said to be good. This makes the instrument imaging quite precise and almost gives a good 3D impression.
Despite the somewhat large bass, the separation is still good and not too cluttered. The transient speed is also quite fast, with clear clarity. Suitable for double pedal enthusiasts, even though the bass is a bit large.
The scalability of the BL03 II is surprisingly good, better than the KBEAR KB02 and Xuan Ji. Using better cables and sources also improves the technicalities. This is rare to find in IEMs in its price range.
Outro:
The packaging box no longer has the typical Blon typos, which is a positive change despite losing a bit of Blon's signature branding.
The accessories are quite complete, including the signature Blon burlap sack soft case, 9 pairs of tips with 3 different types. The tip quality has definitely improved compared to the original BL03. The stock cable is also a significant improvement over the original, but still slightly inferior to the Lord Z300 cable.
The housing shape of the BL03 II is unchanged from the original. If you had trouble with the fit of the original BL03, don't complain, because the fit is just as tricky. I had to roll the tips to find a comfortable fit, and I only found a good fit in my ears with the white tips in size L.
The BL03 II is very easy to drive, even with weak sources like phones or inexpensive dongles. It doesn't require high volume to sound good and show its potential.
Okay, let's move on to the impressions...
Bass:
The tuning of these IEMs is a mild V-shape with a slightly bright emphasis. I'll explain the "slightly bright" part in the treble section. The bass is dominant with a balanced amount of mid-bass and sub-bass.
The bass has improved significantly from the original BL03. The mid-bass texture is really good, with a full impact and no hollowness like the original BL03. The bass also has a deep sub-bass rumble extension with good control and minimal bleed into other instruments compared to the original BL03.
Interestingly, the bass speed, which was a bit slow in the original BL03, is quite fast in the BL03 II. So overall, the bass quantity is quite large with good control and speed. Nice improvement from the original BL03.
Midrange:
The midrange is positioned further back than the bass. Because the upper midrange is slightly boosted compared to the original BL03, female vocals are presented a bit more dominantly than male vocals with clear clarity. Similar to the clarity of Xuan Ji's vocals.
Due to the more controlled bass and slightly more forward upper midrange, the weight of the vocals in the BL03 II is slightly thinner compared to the original BL03. This makes the BL03 II less suitable for thicker male vocals.
Despite this, the swaying, emotional, and sweet sensation of the original BL03 vocals is still present in the BL03 II. So the BL03 II vocals are still among the sweetest in the sub-million rupiah price range.
What about the midrange timbre? The original BL03 is known for its relatively organic sound in this area. Unfortunately, the vocals of the BL03 II are not as organic and natural as the original BL03. In addition to the clarity boost, this is caused by the excessive boost in the upper treble area, especially in the 12-13kHz range.
This makes the BL03 II vocals, especially female/male vocals that fall within this frequency range, slightly sibilant and almost robotic in timbre. Too bad, actually. Because the midrange instruments already sound natural in the BL03 II.
Treble:
The positive aspect of the treble lies in its good extension, feeling crisp, quite aggressive, and airy. Especially for cymbal crashes. Unfortunately, in metal and classic rock songs like Scorpion, the treble feels a bit aggressive and grainy due to the excessive upper treble boost.
This makes the timbre of the BL03 II treble sound artificial and almost metallic. Although the lower treble area has a natural timbre. Too bad.
Technicalities:
In terms of technicalities, the BL03 II is one level up in all areas compared to the original BL03. So the technicalities feel on par with Xuan Ji, Inawaken Dawn MS, C3, KBEAR KB02, etc. Not yet on the level of the S trio (Singolo, Soratune, Sonus) and Que.
The immediate improvements are felt in the detail, resolution, clarity, and micro-detail, which feel better than the original BL03. This also occurs because the upper treble boost also affects this sector.
The soundstage also feels wider. Although the stage width is relatively standard, the depth and height of the soundstage can be said to be good. This makes the instrument imaging quite precise and almost gives a good 3D impression.
Despite the somewhat large bass, the separation is still good and not too cluttered. The transient speed is also quite fast, with clear clarity. Suitable for double pedal enthusiasts, even though the bass is a bit large.
The scalability of the BL03 II is surprisingly good, better than the KBEAR KB02 and Xuan Ji. Using better cables and sources also improves the technicalities. This is rare to find in IEMs in its price range.
Outro:
I can say that the BL03 II is not really an upgrade from the original BL03. Why? In short, the BL03 II has a different tuning direction compared to the original BL03. The BL03 II is mild V-shape with a slightly bright emphasis, while the original BL03 is mild V-shape with a warm emphasis.
So the BL03 II tuning feels more analytical and aggressive compared to the original BL03 which is more relaxed and musical.
The improvement in scalability, technicalities, and treble extension is also accompanied by increased shortcomings in terms of the artificial mid/treble timbre and the slightly thin midrange weight. And don't forget the fit problem still exists with these IEMs.
It's a shame that the upper treble is boosted a bit too much, because the BL03 II is actually a potential IEM, especially at its still reasonable price of around 500 thousand rupiah.
These IEMs are almost suitable for all-around use. They seem to be a good fit for treble-heads. These IEMs are also suitable as an upgrade from the SGOR Venus and CCA CRA Old Batch.
Overall, these IEMs are quite worth it at their price, even though they face strong competition from the KBEAR KB02 or Tin T3 Plus.
That's all for now.
So the BL03 II tuning feels more analytical and aggressive compared to the original BL03 which is more relaxed and musical.
The improvement in scalability, technicalities, and treble extension is also accompanied by increased shortcomings in terms of the artificial mid/treble timbre and the slightly thin midrange weight. And don't forget the fit problem still exists with these IEMs.
It's a shame that the upper treble is boosted a bit too much, because the BL03 II is actually a potential IEM, especially at its still reasonable price of around 500 thousand rupiah.
These IEMs are almost suitable for all-around use. They seem to be a good fit for treble-heads. These IEMs are also suitable as an upgrade from the SGOR Venus and CCA CRA Old Batch.
Overall, these IEMs are quite worth it at their price, even though they face strong competition from the KBEAR KB02 or Tin T3 Plus.
That's all for now.