KBEAR KS1
It is actually KB EAR and not pronounced like the cuddly BEARs you know from the 90s kids shows. KB EAR KS1 is one of their newest earphones utilizing a single PET polymer 10mm diaphragm with dual magnetic circuit in a dual cavity design. The dynamic design has seen a resurgence and this tried and true design is not going away any time soon. As a single dynamic can easily cover the full sound spectrum. KB EARs KS1 is affordable but has some surprises in store for the enthusiast.
I would like to thank Wendy Li of KB EAR for being awesome on the threads and being an awesome rep for KB EAR. She has graciously asked me to do a review for her so how can I say no to that. The KS1 was provided for review purposes. Here are my thoughts about the KS1. You can purchase a KS1 here.
I would like to thank Wendy Li of KB EAR for being awesome on the threads and being an awesome rep for KB EAR. She has graciously asked me to do a review for her so how can I say no to that. The KS1 was provided for review purposes. Here are my thoughts about the KS1. You can purchase a KS1 here.
The KS1 build quality is what you would expect in the price range, an all plastic build but you can tell the plastic housing used for the shells are of a higher quality. The review set was in white and It looks and feels similar to a ceramic aesthetics vs being purely plasticky. The big surprise to me was that these had some decent isolation. Comes with a standard single ended cable and 3 pairs of tips in various sizes to go along with it. Nothing out of the ordinary here but ultimately even for $20 or less during sales it comes down to the sound.
Sound analysis was done using my sources Fiio M15, Shanling M6pro, M5s, M3s, Pioneer XDP-30R, Ibasso DX160, Fiio M3ii, Cayin N5ii, IFI black label for amping.
KS1 does seem to benefit from a good run in so I advise folks that dive into a set to give them a good beat down for at least a week. They also benefit from an upgraded cable with your better tips. However I discovered that the stock tips works great with an inverse mod I will show later. Sound design is a mild V shaped signature with a moderate level of resolution detail and stage. You can’t expect something that costs $20 to have world class technicalities but for what the KS1 presents for the bucks you really can’t do much better. I can see a clear use case for the KS1 as they are supremely comfortable with a very ergonomic shape and since it is utilizing a single dynamic the size is smaller and thinner for the housing than most semi custom designs.
Sound analysis was done using my sources Fiio M15, Shanling M6pro, M5s, M3s, Pioneer XDP-30R, Ibasso DX160, Fiio M3ii, Cayin N5ii, IFI black label for amping.
KS1 does seem to benefit from a good run in so I advise folks that dive into a set to give them a good beat down for at least a week. They also benefit from an upgraded cable with your better tips. However I discovered that the stock tips works great with an inverse mod I will show later. Sound design is a mild V shaped signature with a moderate level of resolution detail and stage. You can’t expect something that costs $20 to have world class technicalities but for what the KS1 presents for the bucks you really can’t do much better. I can see a clear use case for the KS1 as they are supremely comfortable with a very ergonomic shape and since it is utilizing a single dynamic the size is smaller and thinner for the housing than most semi custom designs.
Also due to that single dynamic design coherency is not an issue with the KS1. Tonality is leaning toward slightly warmer in tone with a softer timbre of note lacking a bit of weight. However imaging and stage is surprisingly good. The slightly warmer tonality is due to the relatively controlled balanced treble with an uplift toward lower mids with a peak in mid bass emphasis. Resolution of the KS1 is what you would expect but this being said I don't think you can really do much better unless you throw in a BA in the mix like the KS2 but the trade off there is somewhat artificial sounding BA timbre vs a more natural dynamic timbre of the KS1 which to my ears is more agreeable vs its sibling the KS2.
Treble has good control and presence and here is where treble sounds more natural in tone and emphasis and is relatively clean. KBEAR has found a middle ground in treble performance for the KS1. It isn't too lively yet at the same time does a good job picking off detail on a macro level. Again you can’t expect world class treble but for what is on the KS1 it is non offensive and has good enough presence and energy to balance out the enthusiastic bass end.
Treble has good control and presence and here is where treble sounds more natural in tone and emphasis and is relatively clean. KBEAR has found a middle ground in treble performance for the KS1. It isn't too lively yet at the same time does a good job picking off detail on a macro level. Again you can’t expect world class treble but for what is on the KS1 it is non offensive and has good enough presence and energy to balance out the enthusiastic bass end.
Upper mids sees a pinna gain of 10dbs which is enough for good presence and helps detail for the overall sonics of the KS1. Mids has a recession which gives credence to bass performance of the KS1 and here is where I wish KBEAR would consider tuning with a bit more balanced approach for their next earphones. Most of the earphones I have heard from KBEAR all seem to have a degree of the tried and true V shaped sound signature which is fine but I would love to see something a bit better balanced for the mid bands. Mids presence here comes off a bit flat and not really projected to an immersive degree. The phones sounds like you're hearing your music which is the goal of such earphones but it lacks an immersive quality for the mids.
Mids do exhibit good fundamentals with a slightly soft timbre yet natural in tone, while taking a step back from the treble and bass ends, mids emphasis is not forward yet not overly recessed. Again I feel if the balancing was a bit better here these would get even a higher score from reviews and from myself. However in doing a V shaped signature means you're going to get a better sense of stage for the KS1 and this aspect is a stand out for the KS1.
Stage is surprisingly spacious for a compact design. Overall stage is wider than it is tall or deep so that is the trade off. For earphones they have a moderate medium sound stage and certainly does not sound confined or constricted. Venting here is done well so no pressure build up or driver flex I can detect. I appreciate KBEAR going with a 2 pin design as 2pin connectors will last much longer, and are easier to use than mmcx connector types.
Stage is surprisingly spacious for a compact design. Overall stage is wider than it is tall or deep so that is the trade off. For earphones they have a moderate medium sound stage and certainly does not sound confined or constricted. Venting here is done well so no pressure build up or driver flex I can detect. I appreciate KBEAR going with a 2 pin design as 2pin connectors will last much longer, and are easier to use than mmcx connector types.
I do notice better sound quality using better cables and tips and much like most dynamic earphones, the KS1 does scale better to more power. Your best cables and tip rolling is highly recommended to get the best results from the KS1. KB EAR happens to sell some of the best budget cables on their own web site. And yes you will have to spend a bit more on a nicer cable but in this case it is OK to get a better cable to use on the KS1. You're still not going to spend a lot but you will certainly get better performance out of the KS1 especially if you need a balanced cable. Their KBEAR Limid pro 8 core pure silver cable highly recommended for better technicalities for the KS1 stock sound which results in better balancing, a tighter bass, cleaner treble and better imaging.
A V shaped signature means it will have pronounced bass and I feel the bass end of the KS1 is done in good taste and nothing that is overly cooked. Bass has surprising detail with ample presence. There is a certain fun and charm to the bass end which is not the fastest or has the most depth or the most textured but honestly you're not gonna find too much better in the price range for bass. Bass has good agility and for a sub $20 earphone is very well done in the region and is another of its strong suits for sound design of the KS1.
Simple tip mod using the included stock tip.
A V shaped signature means it will have pronounced bass and I feel the bass end of the KS1 is done in good taste and nothing that is overly cooked. Bass has surprising detail with ample presence. There is a certain fun and charm to the bass end which is not the fastest or has the most depth or the most textured but honestly you're not gonna find too much better in the price range for bass. Bass has good agility and for a sub $20 earphone is very well done in the region and is another of its strong suits for sound design of the KS1.
Simple tip mod using the included stock tip.
This tip inversion method has been popular on headfi and there are some tips that this trick works great with and some tips that are useless. The good news is that the included tips works awesome to open up the sound of the KS1. You need a longer nut screw tool to invert the tip inside out. This video will give you an idea of how to do this with the stock tip. The end results is the sound is much more open when using this tip in this way and it is now usable for me.
These 2 sets of tips are the same tips. The bottom half is inverted and the mod I highly recommend you trying out. This simple mod will surprise you.
In conclusion there is a need for good audio at all price ranges and KB EAR has been providing some of the best in ears for the price and here we get a very nice sounding single dynamic on the cheap. But that dont mean the sound has to be. I applaud what KB EAR has accomplished with their KS1 and even their KS2 designs in that these are more than affordable for the casual enthusiast the sound really is not going to get much better for the price range. In fact I would love to see the next evolution of the KS1 tuning using a higher end dynamic and a more premium shell with better balancing for their next dynamic earphone. They managed to squeeze out the most out of a simple design and you're going to be surprised how capable a $20 earphone can be from KB EAR. As always I appreciate you taking the time to read. Happy listening as always.
