Disclaimer:
This impression comes from real feedback from purchasing users.
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Kit used for first impressions, Cayin N3 Ultra, Shanling M0pro, Samsung S24 Ultra, iPhone 16 both phones with the Ibasso DC04 dac, iPod Classic v7, iPod Nano v3, a MacBook Pro, and a box full of tips and cables!!
I am not one for giving my impressions of sound, as we are all different, with different tastes etc etc. But as these are new and not many, if any reviews as yet, I thought I would give an 'opinion'!
Out of the box with the provided earbuds (3 different silicone sets of 3 sizes), I hated the sound, all middle and treble, I will admit the instrument separation is fantastic, just no bass.
I swapped and changed the tips a few times and ended up with some Sonicfoam tips, I started with my usual large, but they hurt after 30 minutes so have now gone for the medium size.
The change in sound was brilliant, the KB16's are very U shaped, bass is there, but its clear and punchy but not a dull thud that rattles your teeth. In fact the whole range is clear, I played a lot of trance, chill hip-hop, industrial and some classic rock, Led Zeppelin, some Deep Purple and my go to testing album Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon. Lots of Fender Precision bass and lots of mid to high sounds with crash cymbals, saxaphone, organs and lead guitar, all trying to get a line in the mix. The bass in Money and US & Them is glorious.
I am not a great fan of booming bass, I like to hear it, but not at the expense of everything else. I own and don't like KZ ZSX (Terminators). The KB16's are advertised as powerful bass, and I got that, its clear, distinct and punchy, but its not prominent at the expense of everything else. The KB16's make all the instruments visible in the mix and the soundstage is pretty good, one thing I noted was the vocals, vocals have a nice sound.
One track I really enjoyed with KB16's was Armin Van Buuren's Intense, the string at the start was straight to centre of your temple, and then the bass comes in underneeth the synth, wow!
I won't go into the sounds of all the players I used, except I didn't alter the EQ, this was left flat, but did use the modern and classic tube options on the Cayin, where I prefered the modern. The other great sound I got was with the Samsung S24u with DC04 Dac, that had a real warmth to it.
If you want something to rattle your teeth, then I would look elsewhere, but if you want a good bass sound with a clarity across all instruments without spending a fortune then these would be a good buy.
Spend Less Enjoy HIFI
