BLON BL-07 Review: The Redeemer

BLON BL-07 Review: The Redeemer
Written by Adrian Yambao

Pros:

  •     Solid, hard hitting lows
  •     Great midrange clarity
  •     Satisfying level of details

Cons:

  •     Unconventional 2 pin design
  •     Stiff cable

Introduction:

  • BLON is a company from China that produces in-ear monitors and headphones. Over a short span of time, BLON released a handful of gears that utilizes dynamic drivers exclusively. The BL-07 is the latest product in their BL series of IEMs, which thankfully now has a more ergonomic shape compared to their previous releases. The BL-07 currently retails for 45 USD, and was provided to me for free by KeepHiFi in exchange for this review.

Specifications:

  • Driver unit: 10 mm dynamic
    Impedance: 16 ohms
    Sensitivity: 115 dB
    Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Source:

  • Poco X3 paired with FiiO KA3, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1

Unboxing and Accessories:

  • The BL-07 comes in the traditional BLON rectangular white box. Opening will reveal the earphones nesting on foams. Right below it is a smaller box that contains the cable, cloth storage pouch, instruction manual, three pairs of regular silicone eartips, and another two pairs of cone shaped silicone eartips.
  • BLON BL-07 front packaging
    BLON BL-07 rear packaging
    BLON BL-07 inner packaging
    BLON BL-07 accessories

Build:

  • The shells are made of metal. It is quite hefty but doesn't feel all that heavy when worn. The variant that I have is the purple one, and the shells are coated in glittery paint with a smooth and glossy finish. At the rear side of the shell, there are two relatively large vents. The nozzle has a lip to hold eartips in place and a mesh filter to keep foreign objects out. It is also worth mentioning that BLON now switched to a more common 2 pin design compared to the one they used in the BL-Max. However, this is different from the usual QDC-type design. BLON used the same pin design that TFZ and CCZ use.
  • The cable is a basic silver plated copper. The cable on each channel is soft and pliable, but it becomes stiff at the main cable, primarily due to its thick insulation. The angled male 2 pin connectors are made of hard rubber, while the splitter and 3.5 mm gold plated plug are made of metal.

Lows:

  • The lows are energetic but shows great control. Subbass has more focus than the midbass and exhibits great depth; it is able to reach those really deep rumbles accompanied by a slightly above average length of decay. Midbass sound thick and impactful but instances of it bleeding into the other frequencies are very minimal.
  • Overall, BLON finally decided to tone the lows down with the BL-07, especially the midbass which was really bloated in their previous releases. There is still an additional amount of vigor in the subbass, but the midbass is not as bloated as before which is definitely a good thing.

Mids:

  • The mids have a slightly forward presentation with an average weight. Articulation and clarity is great, instruments sound open and well-defined. However, there is a very slight bump somewhere in the upper mids that may sometimes give a hint of shoutiness but it is pretty minor and negligible most of the time.
  • Overall, the BL-07 has that clear and natural sounding mids. Voices and instruments are reproduced with a good sense of space. One of the better tuning of the mids I heard from BLON.

Highs:

 

  • The highs are reproduced in a clear and crisp manner. Treble reach, along with its decay, are both slightly above average. The highs give a very good amount of air and sense of space in the instruments, and also able to present minor details without difficulties.
  • Overall, another huge but welcome change by BLON. The highs are now more vibrant and lively than their previous releases. Subtleties in every track are now appreciated with ease and instruments sound more open and airy.

Soundstage and Imaging:

  • The stage is sufficiently spacious. The width and the height are just about equal in terms of expansion. Imaging has a slightly above average accuracy and clarity. Instruments are pleasingly layered and well separated. Congestion is very minimal even in busy tracks.

Comparisons:

  • BLON BL-07 (1 DD, 45 USD) vs. BLON BL-Max (2 DD, 37 USD)
  • The BL-Max has more quantity in the lows. It has a louder rumble and slightly longer decay in the subbass. Midbass also has more weight and more boomy in the BL-Max. Meanwhile, the BL-07 has better depth, texture and control. With the mids, the BL-07 has way better transparency, has more air, and sound more natural than the sometimes nasal and boxy sounding mids of the BL-Max. The BL-07 also has more details, sparkle, and longer decay in the highs. Cymbals and lead guitar sound livelier and more energetic. In terms of the soundstage, the BL-07 is wider and taller. Instruments are separated better and imaging is much clearer in the BL-07.

Conclusion:

  • BLON has a tendency of being hit or miss with their releases, and with the BL-07, they definitely hit it big time. It's great to see that they are now back to a more ergonomic shell shape, but it's still questionable as to why they did not use the more common female 2 pin designs. Now going back to the sound quality, this is where BLON displayed the biggest improvement over the previous lackluster BL-Max. If BLON can keep this up, while improving other aspects such as the cable and other accessories, they are gonna be the brand to look out for this year.
Blon bl07

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