Disclaimer:
I would like to thank KBEAR for sending this review unit and to my friends at Sonic Mantra for giving me the opportunity to test it out. This review reflects my honest opinions. I didn’t get influenced or paid by anyone for this review.Introduction:
The KBEAR KB02 is an interesting offering at its price segment. It comes at $40 with no mic. It doesn’t come with an attached mic version to my knowledge. The driver configuration is the stand out feature for the IEM. It features a Beryllium-plated Diaphragm Dynamic Driver and a Bone Conduction Vibrator unit hybrid setup which is the first at its price range. It comes with 3 color choices- blue, purple and orange. The bone conduction driver did create some hype around this IEM. Let’s see what the hype is truly for.
Package Contents:
- The earpieces
- Cable
- 3 sets of ear tips including 3 pairs in each set
- Paperwork
The unboxing experience was just like any other budget offering. The IEM shells were presented at top upon sliding open the cover. The cable and ear tips were inside of a box right below the shells which in my opinion is clever and easier to store or re-box them.
Build and Design:
The KBEAR KB02 looks absolutely beautiful with the kinetic sand like faceplate design. The mixed patterns look beautiful and the KBEAR logo in the middle is of perfect size to show the beauty of the faceplate. The shells are made of resin and they do feel premium. The nicely angled nozzle is made of metal which holds the ear tips in place preventing them from slipping out. The stock cable on the other hand is disappointing. Its thin and flimsy and doesn’t do the IEM justice at all.
Fit and Comfort:
The shells are medium sized with good ergonomic design that fits in the ears comfortably. The Nozzle angle gives a deep and snug fit with most ear tips. The isolation is top notch here. With the right ear tip the passive noise isolation can rival some of the best ones in the market no matter the price range. The ergonomic curve fits in the ear nicely. The lightweight resin build makes for a comfortable fit for long listening sessions. The cable is soft and memory free. But it does get tangled sometimes.
Sound Quality:
The KBEAR KB02 boasts a Balanced mild V-shaped sound signature The bone conduction driver adds a unique touch to the sound experience. Let’s dive deep into it:
- Bass:
The bass is Impactful and well controlled. The mid-bass is more focused compared to sub-bass. The sub-bass here is well extended with adequate amount of details. Sub-bass rumble is hard with ultra-low frequencies which is perfect for rap, pop type of genres. Just the presence falls behind in sub-bass section. The bone conduction driver sure does its charm to give a subtle but unique resonating atmospheric effect. It does complement the rest of the sound pretty well. Despite the not so prominent sub-bass presence, in bassy tracks with ultra-low frequencies, the sub-bass sounds very authoritative. The bone
Mid-bass is more prominent here. With powerful hard hitting drums, Beautiful bass guitar playback, the mid-bass sounds complete here. It has great impactful and tactile slams. A moderately airy after-effect creates an immersive experience in some tracks where the drum acoustics are clearer like in “Amongst the Low & Empty – Signs of the Swarm”. While the bass performance isn’t overpowering, it can satisfy a couple of bass-heads out there with what it has to offer. The vibrating bone conduction driver adds an extra fun touch to the bass performance which is a stand out feature in its price range.
- Mid-range:
The mid-range is quite engaging here. From vocals to instruments, the mid-range performance is notable. The male vocals are the best in this region. Especially low pitch male vocals sound exceptional. They sound well textured, detailed and very engaging. Male vocals have the right amount of body and note weight to them which sounds very rich. The bone conduction driver seems to add a touch of liveliness with its minimal vibrations which helps in delivering beautiful texture and adequate amount of details. Tonally they fall under neutral side of things. The airiness revolving the vocalists feels amplified due to the bone conduction driver. It gives a resonating piano like sound surrounding the atmosphere which is caused by the vibrations. In songs they sound quirky but in normal media consumption when people are having conversation, the effect sometimes annoyed me.
Female vocals sound airy, smooth and lively. They don’t exhibit any sibilance even in tracks with poor mastering. Female vocals sound a step or two behind compared to male vocals. They maintain a natural and neutral tonality. In some tracks the female vocals do tend to sound a tad bit thin. While the female vocals are vibrant, smooth and articulate too in some tracks, they do not sound as engaging as male vocals in this set. The lows and highs sound more prominent with a hint of recession in female vocals. But they don’t get drowned. With the right ear tips, source and upgraded cable, the female vocals can also get the focus where they somewhat lack at. They do sound easygoing, smooth without any kind of shoutyness which will be better for users who are sensitive to forward and energetic female vocals.
Instruments sound quite vibrant. From string instruments, to keyboards all sound very lively with proper amount of energy. The bone conduction driver does play a role here. Even though they are supposed to show more control over the lows, it also shows some resonating effects in mid-range, especially in lower mid-range. Pianos, cellos have that atmospheric resonating effect from the vibration of bone conduction driver. In songs, they sound delightful but in normal media consumption, podcasts, that resonating effect causes the vocals to have that piano like tint over them as mentioned before. The 'ting' sound of the bone conduction driver will bother you when you're watching anime while eating. The bites makes that 'ting' sound of the bone conductor.
- Treble:
The Treble is well extended and detailed. Tonally they fall under neutral to sometimes bright signature. Lower treble is quite detailed and articulate in some areas. Upper treble has decent amount of sparkle and air. Treble instruments have beautiful natural tonality and right amount of energy. Upper mid-range sits at a pleasant spot where it doesn’t ruin anything in the treble area. In well mastered tracks, the details are more highlighted. The KB02 portrays the true nature of the track very well. Like in the track “Another Heaven – earthmind” the IEM showed the energetic and sibilant nature without ever crossing the line. It performs very good in instrumentals. I enjoyed the natural and lifelike tonality in “Polyphia” tracks very much. The articulate and detailed nature was shown here pretty well.
- Technical Performance:
Technicalities isn’t ground breaking but it does perform pretty good for the price. The soundstage is fairly wide with good depth and height. It doesn’t lack anything here rather sounds just right. The imaging is impressive as well. The directional audio cue is pretty good. The instrument placements are shown better here with good precision. Separation is decent here. From instrument separation to regional separation like sub-bass, mid-bass is handled pretty good. It isn’t all that holographic but for the price that would be asking too much. While dynamic range handling isn’t its strong suit, it does perform average. Transient response is above average too. In terms of detail retrieval, it shines profoundly. From macro to micro details all are highlighted so well that it is effortlessly one of the best at it in its price range. Overall technical performance is more than decent and it can handle some casual gaming good as well.
Source and Tip-rolling:
For ear tips, the KB02 pairs pretty good with most ear tips. It pairs best with narrow to normal bore ear tips. With some wide bore ear tips the treble opens up a bit more and shows a slightly brighter signature. I found the Penon Liquor Black ear tips to sound the best for me. They offer more clarity and control in both the lows and the highs. The vocals get a bit more clarity and separation from the other sound regions.
In terms of source, a neutral to warmish neutral source is recommended. Moving from the stock cable to a good quality copper cable seemed essential in my case. The stock cable didn’t let the IEM exert its peak performance.
Conclusion:
The KBEAR KB02 in paper surely is an interesting offering. The question is whether it can stand out in the crowded market with what it has to offer. In my opinion, it sure does have some quirks that makes it a strong choice at its price bracket. It offers a balanced all rounded sound performance with a fun touch of the bone conduction driver. The powerful bass, engaging vocal performance, beautiful instrument rendering, the sound quality is great. The shells look much more premium in hand than the price implies. And the passive isolation cannot be rivaled at this price range. Considering these strong suits if they fulfill your requirements, this is definitely recommended. But too much treble sensitive people may have to pass on this one.