KBEAR KB02
Let's get started. Firstly, I'd like to thank @KEEPHIFI for sending me this set for review. I am so very appreciative for the opportunity, and it was an IEM I had on my radar due to the affordable taste of bone conduction driver (BCD) tech. This would be the third review for Keep, and I will admit, this one is my favorite of the rest. The KB02 is a fabulous surprise. Ok, I really don't wanna give too much away right off the top, but I can't help myself here. Kbear is known for producing quite a few budget sets, and some very highly rated mid-fi IEMs (the legendary Kbear Believe), but this IEM simply provides that "what the heck?!" kind of reaction that's kinda rare in the budget sector, and especially sub $50.00. So buckle your seatbelts and prepare for a 100% unbiased impression with heartfelt observations and thoughts. Now on to the fun stuff.
Let's get started. Firstly, I'd like to thank @KEEPHIFI for sending me this set for review. I am so very appreciative for the opportunity, and it was an IEM I had on my radar due to the affordable taste of bone conduction driver (BCD) tech. This would be the third review for Keep, and I will admit, this one is my favorite of the rest. The KB02 is a fabulous surprise. Ok, I really don't wanna give too much away right off the top, but I can't help myself here. Kbear is known for producing quite a few budget sets, and some very highly rated mid-fi IEMs (the legendary Kbear Believe), but this IEM simply provides that "what the heck?!" kind of reaction that's kinda rare in the budget sector, and especially sub $50.00. So buckle your seatbelts and prepare for a 100% unbiased impression with heartfelt observations and thoughts. Now on to the fun stuff.
This unboxing was very minimalistic, which is expected from something selling for under $40.00. Box is small and mostly unassuming. The cover sleeve announces the KB02's elastic BCD + dynamic driver tech. The front loaded (positioned next to the nozzle) dynamic is a Beryllium diaphragm, which is one of my favorite bass driver, and the KB02 does not disappoint on the low end. A picture of the beautiful IEM shells also appear. The inner box is high quality, very hard, and sports the Kbear branding embossed in reflective silver. There you find your IEMs in foam holder, warranty papers, and inside the container box, you find three sets of silicone tips, and a very thin, cheap black cable, that seems to be similar or the same thin IEM found in the Lowmaster, YuXuan Ji, and Airoso. It's throwaway. I used two different aftermarket cables on mine (Tripowin Moonshadow and Tripowin Zonie Purple) and AZLA Crystal tips. Shells are extremely comfortable, as they are considerably smaller than my other BCD driver IEMs, as these are 1+1, and so even though they do exhibit that springy echo emitting from the shell like other BCD, so this might bother some listeners, it does not bother me in the least. Just tells me the BCD inside is no gimmick, which was my worry, due to the price of this IEM, but the springy echo just confirms that the tech is there for a reason, and it works. The polished resin shell feels great in hand, in ear, and looks great too. I got the violet one, which was nice, since I have several purple cables due to owning the Tangzu Wu Zetian and Legend, and Tri i3 MK III. Nozzles aren't very intrusive, and overall, fitment is high level and comfort is as well.
THE SPECS :
KBEAR KB02
TECHNICAL INFORMATION :
KBEAR KB02
TECHNICAL INFORMATION :
Frequency Response graph provided courtesy of KBear & KeepHiFi
PRICE : $40.00
Available for purchase at this location.
PRICE : $40.00
Available for purchase at this location.
The Gear :
What did I use for my listening sessions for my review??
I used far fewer sources with this review, as I think the source choices were strong enough to assist in highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the KB02 without having to dig too deep into the arsenal. So we're looking at the Cayin N3 Ultra (Modern Tube mode, Slow roll off filter, M gain, untethered), FiiO JM21 (M gain, slow roll off filter, 3.5mm jack), Sony NW-A25 (untethered), and Hiby R3 II + iBasso DC Elite + iBasso Nunchaku (Tube mode/Solid State mode, slow roll off filter, H gain).
Music used for the review and all my reviews in general?
Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching
Robert Glasper - Canvas
Alfa Mist - Antiphon
Mareike Wiening - Reveal
Avishai Cohen - Brightlight
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Survival
Rob Van Bavel & Joris Teppe - Dutch Connection
Kaisa's Machine - Taking Shape
Esperanza Spalding - Self Titled
Junior Kelly, Bounty Killer, and Capleton - The Good, The Bad, and the Blazin'
Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Drive By Jehu - Self Titled
Juan Ibarra - La Casa
Crownshift - Crownshift
In Aphelion - Reaperdawn
Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine
Shuffled Classic Rock, Reggae, and 80's Pop Music playlist
SOUND IMPRESSIONS :
Dynamics : 4
Resolution : 3
Details : 3.5
Instrument separation : 4
Imaging : 3.5
Low End Impact : 4
Sibilance : 1 (No discernible sibilance)
Soundstage : 4
Overall score : 4/5
BASS/MIDRANGE/TREBLE :
The KBear KB02 as mentioned above came as a total surprise in it's entertainment value and price to performance. I did not have high hopes, as I've tried and owned previous Kbear IEMs, and usually their budget fare was a bit underwhelming, but boy was I wrong about the KB02. Almost right out the box, I was taken aback by the fullness and grandness of it's spatial cues. The BCD in this $40.00 IEM was doing it's magic with greater impact than the Penon Fan 3, and very close (but not quite) to the Pula Anvil 114. Now let's get this straight, both the $300 Fan 3 and the $200 Pula Anvil 114 are both technically superior to the KB02, with more incisiveness, richness, and detail retrieval, but the Kbear is about 80% there, but at a couple hundred dollars plus less than either of those BCD wonders. The Beryllium bass responds as you would expect a high quality Bery driver to respond, which is it has snappiness, note resolution, speed, and punch. Now like all Bery bass that I've encountered, the trade off is it doesn't have the most sub bass shake and quake. Sub bass isn't rolled off, but it's not the most pronounced, and certainly plays second fiddle enough, that this is not a basshead IEM. What this does have is a punchy, snappy, resolving bass that punches much higher than the price target, that provides a very fun listen with most genres, including reggae, pop, hip hop, and acid jazz. While I found the bass quality to lag behind just a bit with metal, especially black metal or blackened death, where some bass smear was perceivable on fast tracks, it still remained snappy and resolute enough that it wasn't really distracting. For most metal and hard rock, the bass was present and competent enough. For reggae and pop, it could downright get you to groove.
Midrange was another surprise. It's got warmth, but also the BCD creates a sense of space and grand spatial cues, so that instruments have a nice distance, with good amounts of transparency (though not really top end), warm solid note weight, natural timbre, and beautifully rendered resonances and reverb. Now admittedly, the resolution in the midrange is only good, but not great. It's not at mid-fi tier level, and though the tonality is quite natural and engaging, note depth and incisiveness is a bit more in it's price bracket than say the bass region, but that might be because the dynamic driver is playing full range here, with the BCD providing an assist, so don't expect miracles from a budget single dynamic across the entire frequency range. Still, I found it more than adequate, due to that strong note weight and naturalness, so male vocals were rendered with proper weight, meatiness, and emotiveness, while female vocals were evocative, delicate, and ephemeral in decay. Listening to Esmerelda Spalding or Yasmin Lacey's vocal deliveries was creamy and dreamy, with a blanket of warmth, and no sibilance found anywhere.
The treble isn't the strongest trait, though it's good enough to not let the rest down. There's a lack of airiness and shimmer, but there's enough natural note weight and crispness that the treble is well behaved, never strident or spicy, and can deliver some crispness without getting crispy, but as mentioned with the midrange, the resolution is only average, so the incisiveness takes a back seat. Again,, this is probably due to the dynamic driver handling lows, mids, and highs, and being stretched thin for the quality of driver, but trust me, the Beryllium driver does a commendable job in providing a cohesive, warm, fun, and technical performance that does punch well above it's weight, with the help from the elastic BCD. Treble extension is safe, solid, and staid. It delivers for what you ask of it, and for someone sensitive in this area, this is a great choice, as it will not ring your ears, or deliver stridency, shrill, or crispiness. On the contrary, it will deliver satisfaction in cohesion with the rest of the band.
COMPARISON :
Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching
Robert Glasper - Canvas
Alfa Mist - Antiphon
Mareike Wiening - Reveal
Avishai Cohen - Brightlight
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Survival
Rob Van Bavel & Joris Teppe - Dutch Connection
Kaisa's Machine - Taking Shape
Esperanza Spalding - Self Titled
Junior Kelly, Bounty Killer, and Capleton - The Good, The Bad, and the Blazin'
Abysmal Dawn - Phylogenesis
Megadeth - Rust in Peace
Drive By Jehu - Self Titled
Juan Ibarra - La Casa
Crownshift - Crownshift
In Aphelion - Reaperdawn
Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine
Shuffled Classic Rock, Reggae, and 80's Pop Music playlist
SOUND IMPRESSIONS :
Dynamics : 4
Resolution : 3
Details : 3.5
Instrument separation : 4
Imaging : 3.5
Low End Impact : 4
Sibilance : 1 (No discernible sibilance)
Soundstage : 4
Overall score : 4/5
BASS/MIDRANGE/TREBLE :
The KBear KB02 as mentioned above came as a total surprise in it's entertainment value and price to performance. I did not have high hopes, as I've tried and owned previous Kbear IEMs, and usually their budget fare was a bit underwhelming, but boy was I wrong about the KB02. Almost right out the box, I was taken aback by the fullness and grandness of it's spatial cues. The BCD in this $40.00 IEM was doing it's magic with greater impact than the Penon Fan 3, and very close (but not quite) to the Pula Anvil 114. Now let's get this straight, both the $300 Fan 3 and the $200 Pula Anvil 114 are both technically superior to the KB02, with more incisiveness, richness, and detail retrieval, but the Kbear is about 80% there, but at a couple hundred dollars plus less than either of those BCD wonders. The Beryllium bass responds as you would expect a high quality Bery driver to respond, which is it has snappiness, note resolution, speed, and punch. Now like all Bery bass that I've encountered, the trade off is it doesn't have the most sub bass shake and quake. Sub bass isn't rolled off, but it's not the most pronounced, and certainly plays second fiddle enough, that this is not a basshead IEM. What this does have is a punchy, snappy, resolving bass that punches much higher than the price target, that provides a very fun listen with most genres, including reggae, pop, hip hop, and acid jazz. While I found the bass quality to lag behind just a bit with metal, especially black metal or blackened death, where some bass smear was perceivable on fast tracks, it still remained snappy and resolute enough that it wasn't really distracting. For most metal and hard rock, the bass was present and competent enough. For reggae and pop, it could downright get you to groove.
Midrange was another surprise. It's got warmth, but also the BCD creates a sense of space and grand spatial cues, so that instruments have a nice distance, with good amounts of transparency (though not really top end), warm solid note weight, natural timbre, and beautifully rendered resonances and reverb. Now admittedly, the resolution in the midrange is only good, but not great. It's not at mid-fi tier level, and though the tonality is quite natural and engaging, note depth and incisiveness is a bit more in it's price bracket than say the bass region, but that might be because the dynamic driver is playing full range here, with the BCD providing an assist, so don't expect miracles from a budget single dynamic across the entire frequency range. Still, I found it more than adequate, due to that strong note weight and naturalness, so male vocals were rendered with proper weight, meatiness, and emotiveness, while female vocals were evocative, delicate, and ephemeral in decay. Listening to Esmerelda Spalding or Yasmin Lacey's vocal deliveries was creamy and dreamy, with a blanket of warmth, and no sibilance found anywhere.
The treble isn't the strongest trait, though it's good enough to not let the rest down. There's a lack of airiness and shimmer, but there's enough natural note weight and crispness that the treble is well behaved, never strident or spicy, and can deliver some crispness without getting crispy, but as mentioned with the midrange, the resolution is only average, so the incisiveness takes a back seat. Again,, this is probably due to the dynamic driver handling lows, mids, and highs, and being stretched thin for the quality of driver, but trust me, the Beryllium driver does a commendable job in providing a cohesive, warm, fun, and technical performance that does punch well above it's weight, with the help from the elastic BCD. Treble extension is safe, solid, and staid. It delivers for what you ask of it, and for someone sensitive in this area, this is a great choice, as it will not ring your ears, or deliver stridency, shrill, or crispiness. On the contrary, it will deliver satisfaction in cohesion with the rest of the band.
COMPARISON :
KZ Libra X ($12.00) : So this is a natural comparo due to the Libra X being my current favorite sub $50.00 IEM. It's a massive under the radar IEM, due to the weekly Pokemon releases by KZ, and gross negligence when it came to promotion and review units making the rounds. The Libra X features a front loaded (just like the KB02) single dynamic driver, and this IEM has a huge soundstage thanks to all that space in the shell left untouched due to the front loaded system. Bass is punchy, with plenty of rumble (more so than the KB02), but is considerably less note incisive and clean. Midrange isn't as natural sounding, and actually, can exhibit some of that metallic tone that you find in most KZ dynamic drivers. There's more clarity, and less warmth, so vocals aren't as weighty and emotive thru the Libra X, though details present themselves more readily. Also imaging is a bit more naturally positioned than the KB02, but that's where the wins end with the midrange, as the KB02 just has a fuller, grander spatial cues, and instrument separation than the Libra X, while the BCD adds a bit more dimensionality to the stage. Treble is where the Libra X is a clear winner, delivering wonderful shimmer, air for days, and incisiveness and crispness, while again avoiding stridency, though sibilance is more present in the Libra X, so there's that. In the end, just the added note weight, spatial cues, and snappy bass, with more naturalness makes me choose the KB02 in this comparison, but surprisingly, it's still close. Advantage : Kbear KB02.
Pula Anvil 114 ($189) : The big brother of the KB02 is logically the Pula Anvil 114. It also contains an elastic BCD that exhibits the same traits as the KB02, but it's a much larger shell, with BA's included, as well as BCD and DD's. Whereas the KB02 shell is smallish and comfy, the Anvil 114 shell is exceedingly large and can be a bit unwieldy to get into the ears and get proper fitment and comfort. Now it can be done (at least in my ears), but quite a few have failed to find this proper fitment. Now overall refinement, detail retrieval, soundstage depth, as well as bass impact and treble and midrange incisiveness fall under the Anvil 114, and this is instantly noticed in an a/b comparison, and it's not subtle, but the amazing trait of the KB02 is that in reality, for $40.00 measly dollars, it gets you around 80% there! So you're not missing out on too much overall, especially in terms of experiencing BCD magic, and not having to spend a couple hundos more. You lose out on that last 20% in terms of overall details, technicalities, incisiveness, and mid bass impact, but the gulf isn't that wide, and if you never got your hands on either the Fan 3 or the Anvil 114, you'd be none the wiser if you were sporting the KB02 and living in blissful ignorance, but still listening with a high degree of technical and musical excellence in the budget sector. Also, the fact the comfort level is so much better with the KB02, that you can shave off another 10% realistically (as everyone knows fit and comfort are just as important as tuning), so you can say you are maybe 10% all the way there?! So want that extra technical juice? Buy the Anvil 114. You won't be disappointed. Want to get almost there and save yourself some coin? Then the KBear KB02 is the way to go. Advantage : Pula Anvil 114 (sorta).
CONCLUSION :
Dynamic, musical, warm, vocally and spatially immersive, and punchy fun!! That would be a great description of the KB02. It's might not WOW you, but it is going to make you PAY ATTENTION. It will grab your attention from the first notes, and it will make you think "how did they make this sound this good at this price?!" Also, this IEM responds like a champ to tubes. Tube resonance and harmonics somehow blend with the BCD, along with the DD, and synergy sisters are made. It takes up the warmth and performance up a notch. This was very noticeable with contemporary jazz albums like Robert Glasper - Canvas, or Juan Ibarra - La Casa. The harmonics and note weight were felt. They immersed you! Vocal music drew you in, and you were greeted with a level of dynamics, note incisiveness, crispness, and emotiveness that belies it's price point, and takes you into higher dollar territories. It's not close to perfect, and when you compared it to it's big brother, the Anvil 114, it was apparent the KB02 had weaknesses that also placed it right where it was sold at, so let's not get too romantic over this IEM performance. Yet, there are elements within it's delivery that deserve, more so, REQUIRE your attention, as they do punch well past price to performance. The ability of this IEM to be an all-arounder is impressive. It handled most of my library mentioned above with aplomb, with an ability to draw you in. That's a rare quality for an IEM at any price point. This is why this IEM comes highly recommended by me, and why it's currently the best budget IEM under $50 in my rotation. It's ability to be a sonic chameleon, and handle all genres with competency, and some with excellence. So if you'd been on the fence with picking the KB02 up, then I assure you, you will at the very least feel your $40 was a validated spend, and most likely, it will ascend near the top or at the top of your budget rotation? Either way, it's worth the blind buy. If you read this entire review, then you're not blind anymore, so do yourself the favor and just buy.
RECOMMENDATION LEVEL : BUDGET ALL-AROUNDER MUSICAL BOSS - HIGH 8/10.
Thank you so much for reading and remember to be water with your audio luv! When you do...AUDITORY ZEN UNLOCKED!
Pula Anvil 114 ($189) : The big brother of the KB02 is logically the Pula Anvil 114. It also contains an elastic BCD that exhibits the same traits as the KB02, but it's a much larger shell, with BA's included, as well as BCD and DD's. Whereas the KB02 shell is smallish and comfy, the Anvil 114 shell is exceedingly large and can be a bit unwieldy to get into the ears and get proper fitment and comfort. Now it can be done (at least in my ears), but quite a few have failed to find this proper fitment. Now overall refinement, detail retrieval, soundstage depth, as well as bass impact and treble and midrange incisiveness fall under the Anvil 114, and this is instantly noticed in an a/b comparison, and it's not subtle, but the amazing trait of the KB02 is that in reality, for $40.00 measly dollars, it gets you around 80% there! So you're not missing out on too much overall, especially in terms of experiencing BCD magic, and not having to spend a couple hundos more. You lose out on that last 20% in terms of overall details, technicalities, incisiveness, and mid bass impact, but the gulf isn't that wide, and if you never got your hands on either the Fan 3 or the Anvil 114, you'd be none the wiser if you were sporting the KB02 and living in blissful ignorance, but still listening with a high degree of technical and musical excellence in the budget sector. Also, the fact the comfort level is so much better with the KB02, that you can shave off another 10% realistically (as everyone knows fit and comfort are just as important as tuning), so you can say you are maybe 10% all the way there?! So want that extra technical juice? Buy the Anvil 114. You won't be disappointed. Want to get almost there and save yourself some coin? Then the KBear KB02 is the way to go. Advantage : Pula Anvil 114 (sorta).
CONCLUSION :
Dynamic, musical, warm, vocally and spatially immersive, and punchy fun!! That would be a great description of the KB02. It's might not WOW you, but it is going to make you PAY ATTENTION. It will grab your attention from the first notes, and it will make you think "how did they make this sound this good at this price?!" Also, this IEM responds like a champ to tubes. Tube resonance and harmonics somehow blend with the BCD, along with the DD, and synergy sisters are made. It takes up the warmth and performance up a notch. This was very noticeable with contemporary jazz albums like Robert Glasper - Canvas, or Juan Ibarra - La Casa. The harmonics and note weight were felt. They immersed you! Vocal music drew you in, and you were greeted with a level of dynamics, note incisiveness, crispness, and emotiveness that belies it's price point, and takes you into higher dollar territories. It's not close to perfect, and when you compared it to it's big brother, the Anvil 114, it was apparent the KB02 had weaknesses that also placed it right where it was sold at, so let's not get too romantic over this IEM performance. Yet, there are elements within it's delivery that deserve, more so, REQUIRE your attention, as they do punch well past price to performance. The ability of this IEM to be an all-arounder is impressive. It handled most of my library mentioned above with aplomb, with an ability to draw you in. That's a rare quality for an IEM at any price point. This is why this IEM comes highly recommended by me, and why it's currently the best budget IEM under $50 in my rotation. It's ability to be a sonic chameleon, and handle all genres with competency, and some with excellence. So if you'd been on the fence with picking the KB02 up, then I assure you, you will at the very least feel your $40 was a validated spend, and most likely, it will ascend near the top or at the top of your budget rotation? Either way, it's worth the blind buy. If you read this entire review, then you're not blind anymore, so do yourself the favor and just buy.
RECOMMENDATION LEVEL : BUDGET ALL-AROUNDER MUSICAL BOSS - HIGH 8/10.
Thank you so much for reading and remember to be water with your audio luv! When you do...AUDITORY ZEN UNLOCKED!