:
- Amazing build quality for the price
- Easy to drive
- Smooth and relaxed tuning
- Full note weight
:
- Slightly muddy mids
- Very genre-dependent; not very versatile
- Physically heavy
Disclaimer: Linsoul loaned me with a review unit. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Unaffiliated product link.
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Introduction & Packaging
BLON X HBB Z300 ($35) is another entry to the long list of collaboration IEMs from HawaiiBadBoy (or otherwise known as Bad Guy Good Audio Reviews on Youtube). I have owned several others of his collab IEMs in the past and even reviewed one of them here. I have to say, unlike Crinacle, who are very strict with his target signature, HBB took a wider range of sound signatures, ranging from neutral-balanced like the Tangzu Heyday or Tripowin Olina, warm-dark like QKZ x HBB, V-shaped with KZ X HBB PR2, and more. So, where does Z300 lie in this spectrum? I would say... at the root of it all.
It's no secret about HBB's love for BLON BL03, which is in fact reflected by his very first collab, the Tripowin Mele as an attempt to recreate the magic of BL03. Alas, while I think Mele was a good IEM, it did not really recapture BL03's musicality and timbre in my opinion. My short time with Mele was enjoyable nevertheless. Now with the 'oppoty' to work with BLON directly, this is HBB's second attempt to do what he set out to do in the first place. And, spoiler alert, I think he did way better than his previous attempt.
The packaging is simple, with the IEM, cable, 6 pairs of tips, and a cloth carrying case. Nothing much to really point out about the eartips and the carrying case. The biggest highlights are definitely the cable and the IEM itself. The cable is a beautifully braided 4-core copper cable, which is decently thick and feels very premium in hand. The IEM housing is all metal, 18K gold-plated zinc alloy for the gold colourway option which I have for review. There is another blue colourway which is also made out of zinc alloy with matte painting. Honestly, having it on my hands, I really thought it's way more expensive than it is.
Now, with the competition under $50 getting so heated up, how does Z300's sound stack up?
Sound Impression
Sources: Topping D90SE/A90D stack, Fiio M11S, L&P W2-131 (all single-ended)
Setup: Large stock eartips (white large), stock cable
Music Sources: Local FLAC (redbook/hi-res), Tidal Masters, Apple Music Lossless
Listening impression is a very subjective experience depending on individual ear shape, choice of eartips, music library, and personal preferences, so your experience may vary.
Z300 can be described as a relaxed, warm-dark tuned IEM with a slight V-shaped profile. It has good extensions on the subbass, but has a slight roll-off at the upper treble region. The mids are not perfectly neutral, but that's not the aim of the tuning direction after all. The Z300 is all about fun and musicality.
While Tripowin Mele was trying to get close to BLON BL03 in terms of raw graph tuning, I feel that Z300 is trying to get to the spirit of BL03, focusing on the smoothness of the sound presentation while keeping the richness of the tones. What I find lacking in Mele was the lack of tightness in the notes and overall sluggishness, which are thankfully addressed in Z300. However, I do think that it is indeed targeted to a specific set of music libraries like slow rock, classical, jazz, or hiphop, making it less all-rounder in my opinion. That said, for theese genres, Z300 is indeed very enjoyable.
Bass
I find the bass in Z300 to be its strongest point. Its subbass extends very well, gliding smoothly into midbass. The bass is tight enough to render decent textures, but not so tight to make it sound too dry. The bassline in "Seven Nation Army" by White Stripes are reproduced beautifully, with enough energy and details of each twang of the distorted guitar.
Midrange
There are a fair amount of bleed from midbass into the mids, but not to a degree where it affects the listening experience. Vocals do suffer a bit here, especially with female vocals. Male vocals fare better with quite an oomph whenever the right low notes are hit. I personally like vocal jazz with the Z300 here, something like "Hajimete no Chuu" by Platina Jazz feat. Niklas Gabrielsson. This is, again, another example of genre specificity that Z300 excels in.
Treble
The treble is leaning slightly towards dark without losing ground too much from the bass. It does have enough contrasting energy to provide decent amount of details without being piercing or sibilant. It does have adequate extension and air up top, but not fantastic. However, treble is definitely not the main focus here and I doubt this will affect the listening enjoyment that much.
Technicalities
For the price point, Z300 is quite above average in technicalities overall. Soundstage is medium-wide, still pretty much sounding near to your head in one giant blob. Imaging is surprisingly good (plus point for those who want to game with this). The layering is actually good due to the pretty responsive driver. Details retrieval is quite average. With a more complex track like "Change" by Monkey Majik feat. Yoshida Brothers, I do find the Z300 does not overly mush the instruments together and I can still piece out the shamisen from the rest of the bands.
Select Comparisons
BLON BL03 (about $28 at the time of writing):
I do find BL03 is less technical compared to Z300. Resolution and layering are certainly better with Z300. However, there is something about BL03 where the musicality seems to be in the right spot, and that is probably the reason why it leaves so much good impression from people who experienced it (might be a rose-tinted nostalgia glasses here). That said, Z300 still managed to come close to BL03's experience while providing a more updated technicalities to compete with current models, as well as a less awkward form factor compared to BL03. I do think Z300 is a worthy successor to BL03.
This is a bit more complicated personally. Cadenza is pretty much my favourite set under $50, with amazing price-performance ratio and good build quality. I personally think that Z300 has a better build quality and accessories, however I do like Cadenza's genre flexibility better. Cadenza's tuning is more of neutral with bass boost, which tends to be the more versatile one. I do think, however, in the genres like jazz, slow rock, or classical, Z300 does perform much better. Overall, if you like Cadenza and wish for something a little darker than it, Z300 might be your answer.
This is quite a bit of a leap in terms of price, but hear me out... I think Z300 does sound like SIE's little brother. The tuning direction is similar, the build is similarly all-metal, and it seems that the only differentiating point here is the technical performance. VE SIE has a better treble extension and resolution. Additionally, due to SIE's driver superiority, I find it less limited in the genre pairing too. However, as I alluded many times earlier, with correct genre pairing Z300 can easily match others in much higher price bracket, SIE included.
Conclusion
Z300 is a very fine IEM, balancing musicality and technicality at a very competitive price point. With the included accessories and build quality, I do think we have a hit on our hand here. While its staying power is yet to be proven against BL03 as of writing, I do have confidence that this will be a nice addition to anyones collection in a long time.
