KBEAR Diamond Review

Price: 70€

Where to buy: https://aliexpi.com/dsex

Specifications:

• Impedance: 16Ω

• Sensitivity: 102dB

• Frequency response range: 20Hz-20 KHz

• Driver configuration: single dynamic driver (“diamond-like carbon coated composite diaphragm”)

Thanks to AK Audio for the review sample.

KBEAR is a relatively new brand in the audio scene. I had the chance to try their Opal and claimed them as a false start. They sounded, without turns of words, bad. Especially for a dynamic driver. And it was a pity because the design was good and the cable wasn’t that terrible. Then I got the F1, the single BA: I had QC issues, unfortunately, and didn’t release a review yet. They solved them with the last batches, and I can be more gentle here because the resin F1 were totally hand crafted. And the sound wasn’t that bad, but it was pretty anemic. Then I tried the KB06, a sort of KZ with a KBEAR logo, which finally sounded nice. A classic v-shaped eastern IEM, with a surprisingly good fit due to some small dimensions. That was a good way, but I didn’t understand the need of another brand crafting the same earphones. So, I wasn’t that surprised when they came out with the Diamond, thinking they were another tasteless earphone. I was wrong.

Unboxing and first impressions

You can already tell from the unboxing experience that the Diamond are not your usual KBEAR. Honestly, they ain’t even your usual earphones. They come not just with a lot of accessories, but they actually are really nice ones: a 16 core cable (classic single-ended), two pairs of foam tips and a lot of silicon ear tips, as well as a fake leather carrying case, which is – differently from some competitors (looking at you, Tin HiFi) – large enough to store the IEMs and even a dongle or something else.

The IEMs are well-crafted, with a metallic body and a faceplate with a carbon pattern, which is not perfect but gives a nice feel. The nozzle is also made of metal and has the right position to stay inside the ear without hurting. The body is pretty large, though, so these won’t really stay inside your ears, but they will protrude significantly. Also, the foam tips are all medium to large measure, so I personally cannot use them, having pretty average ears.

Sound

My sources: FiiO M7 (standalone; to XDUOO XP-2 via Bluetooth; to XP-2 via line-out; to TOPPING NX4 via line-out), Dodocool DA106 (mainly to XDUOO XP-2 via line-out); Mi MIX 2 to XP-2 (via Bluetooth and USB) and NX4 (USB), to Zorloo ZuperDAC-S, to Audirect Whistle; MacBook Pro 2012 to Focusrite 2i2; MacBook Pro 2012 to iFi Zen DAC;

My music: Jon Hopkins, “Singularity”; Billie Eilish, “When do we fall asleep, where do we go?”; Coldplay, “Ghost stories”; Bon Iver (Discography); Jack Garratt, “Phase”; Jamie Cullum, “Taller”; Sia, “Colour the small one”; The Bloody Beetroots & Jet, “The great electronic swindle”; Jacob Collier, “In my room” and “Djesse (Vol.1)”; John Coltrane, “Giant steps”; Lauv, (Discography), Oh Wonder (Discography), Radiohead (Discography), a lot of Mozart, ecc..

My files: MP3, M4A, FLAC, ALAC, few DSDs (Pink Floyd), MQA (TIDAL).

There’s an important thing to say: the tuner of these earphones said you must use them with the stock cable and tips to obtain the best sound out of it, being pretty sensitive to changes due to their particular single dynamic driver. With the tips which fit my ears, I get a really underwhelming midrange, buried under the upper bass and sounding far. That can be tamed by using different eartips, even from the ones provided. I suggest using the ones with the bigger bores possible.

The general sound signature, however, doesn’t differ so much: that bass is powerful, more than I could ever need. It is powerful and it is not so quick to compensate: its decay is average, so you’ll get a sense of “oomph” sometimes, which you could enjoy but I suggest a careful choice of the source. For example, my iFi Zen DAC has a really nice “truebass” function, which you absolutely have to avoid: it is wonderful with bass-lacking earphones but in this particular situation it elevates it way too much. At least you won’t miss any, even at low low frequencies.

The midrange is not the best. When you mix vocals, you have to be careful that the lead one is well-centered. If you mistake with reverb, the risk is you lost the mid and put too much presence in the side. That’s the constant sensation I have here. Vocals don’t sound in your head, nor at the centre of the scene; they are diffuse, behind you, around you. And that’s pretty the only disadvantage of the Diamond. Their V-shape is too accentuated, leaving you with a giant bass and a pretty solid treble, both unfair to the mids. Speaking of treble, it is good. Nice extension, there’s enough air and the separation has been achieved. It is well-tuned, because picks aren’t there and sibilance (5-6k I believe) has rarely shown (Italian as a language has plenty and I listen to it often). I don’t think the burn-in period has changed anything. Imaging is on par with other models of the same price bracket, while the soundstage is pretty wide, I like it. 

Comparisons

Tin HiFi T4: I’d rather the T4 because of a more balanced tuning – they still are fun, but they are more focused on the midrange than the Diamond and I need to hear them clearly. Still, the T4 aren’t the best ever for vocals. I’d say the T2 beat them two here. The overall package is very similar, but the cable provided with the Diamond is much better than the one of the T4. The fit is bad, personally, for both; but surely the T4 are smaller, so I have more chances of getting a good one. Design-wise they both are nice. For bass-heads I’d suggest the Diamond.

BLON BL-03: everything about the BLON is bad, except for the sound – and their design. So, if you want a more premium and complete experience, go for the Diamond. But the BL-03 really provide a rich sound, with a smooth treble, a clear midrange and a bass which is just a tad too bloated. If you need to spend as little as possible, I’d focus on the BLONs with upgraded cable and ear tips.

TRI I4: these are similar to the T3 by Tin HiFi, but the fit is completely different. Having a similar price tag, I felt like it was fair to add them to this list. I like them. They may need some burn-in – I’m not a believer, but I felt them more relaxed and open after breaking them in. Their stage is not crazy wide, not even as wide as the Diamond. But their precision is the best of this list, maybe due to their Knowles BA. I like them more if needed to monitor and not just to listen to music, they are closer to neutrality (yet still a bit far from there). Pretty nice accessories there, too.

Conclusions

Diamond is a recognizable name, far more than F1 or KB06. I think there’s more than a better tuning here; there’s a pretty successful marketing strategy. You ask for the Diamond, you remember them. Because of the driver, because of the name – well, it is essentially the same thing. And that’s why, even without my words, you may have considered this pair of IEMs before, even after the previous QC issues of the brand, even after their first DD earphone was a mess. Finally, KBEAR is doing things well. And TRI, their sister company, is doing fine too – even providing hybrid planars! That’s the right way. Diamonds are shiny. And that’s not just a statement.

Pros

• Accessories

• Build quality and materials

• Tuning is much better than previous models

• Punchy bass

• Fair treble

Cons

• Fit

• Only one measure of foam tips

• Midrange is underwhelming

KB EAR Opal Review

Price: 25/30€

Where to buy: [link]

Specifications:

• Impedance: 16Ω±10%

• Sensitivity: 102±3dB

• Frequency response: 20Hz-20 KHz

KB EAR is a new contender in the sub-50$ Chi-Fi market. I had the chance to try their Opal, which is one of various products they launched to start. Others (I have some and I will review them later) are the F1 (single balanced armature IEM) and an 8 core upgrade cable, but there are also a 16 core cable and a KZ-like 5 BA IEM. I want to thank KB EAR for this review sample.

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Unboxing and first impressions

The box is simple but elegant, similar to the RevoNext QT5 or the BQEYZ BQ3 ones, in a black color with the logo, a picture and some information around its faces. There’s a good selection of soft silicon eartips (6 pairs) and a surprisingly good MMCX cable (for its build quality, less for the isolation). The IEMs themselves are all made of plastic, with a very nice design which reminds me some IBasso In Ear Monitors. The faceplate has a carbon look with the KB EAR logo on it. Impressive, good looking, even though I would have put a metallic nozzle. The quality of the plastic is high, and the MMCX connectors are gold-plated and the cable can rotate very easily when attached. The cable has pre-formed hooks to put over the ears, which are great, and the plug is L-shaped. With a carrying case, even a soft one like BQEYZ does, the package would have been spectacular.

Sound

My sources: FiiO M7, Mi MIX 2 with DAC Zorloo ZuperDAC-S and MacBook Pro 2012 with USB audio interface Focusrite 2i2 first gen, XDUOO XP-2 in various wired/wireless configurations

My files: DSD, FLAC, ALAC, MP3, M4A

My music: “Colour the Small One” by Sia, “Djesse Vol.1” by Jacob Collier, “Where are You?” by Frank Sinatra, “Ghost Stories” by Coldplay, “O” by Damien Rice, and many other tracks by Queen, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Radiohead, Billie Eilish, The Bloody Beetroots, …

I’ve previously mentioned some problems with the isolation. In fact, the cable suffers from electric noises by a disturbed source (like my Mac’s jack output, which is close to the hard drive). I’ll verify if their upgrade cable would resolve this problem, because my 8 core by NiceHCK doesn’t suffer from that issue, thanks to its great isolation. Speaking of which, the isolation of the IEMs themselves is just average: the shape is not particularly ergonomic, and if you have medium sized ears like me, you could have some air coming through a little bit too often. That being said, the fit is average and you can adjust it with the best tips for your ears, obviously.

I’m not fully convinced about the sound of the Opal. KB EAR told me to burn them in 72 hours. I’m not a true believer in burn-in, but I followed the suggestion, because this is a dynamic driver earphone. Even after the burn-in, I felt like they are not very lively. There’s a sense of unnaturalness that I believe it’s the sum of different factors: the soundstage is narrow; the tuning has to be improved, because it’s balanced but it sounds muddy in the low range and thin in the midrange; vocals are a bit harsh. I’m not saying they sound terrible, but there are some albums that I can’t listen to with them (“Urban Hymns” by The Verve, or “A Fever Dream” by Everything Everything). That last album is often hard to listen to with bright earphones. I would consider the Opal as bright sounding, they have some aspects of harshness and sharpness. For example, they are not gentle with the sibilance, nor they are not smooth sounding, in any way (“The bends” by Radiohead is unpleasant to listen to for the sibilance). The bass is undertone: by listening to the Bloody Beetroots’ “My name is Thunder”, the intro is enough to understand that the treble is super enhanced, while the bass is lacking. This aspect reflects the tuning in every song, so you can choose the Opal for bass-heavy tracks and not feel that bass (it reminds me the BRAINWAVZ KOEL, or the Tin HiFi T2/T2 Pro, they are pretty light on the bass). I’ve tried different sources with the Opal, to find the best synergy. I found that warmer sources are preferable, but here’s the thing: it’s easy to get a better sound if you use the iFi xDSD, but I don’t think that people interested in buying something like the Opal would spend that money for a DAC/Amp. We are talking of budget earphones, and it’s more honest thinking of a cheaper source like my Dodocool DA106 DAP. They match pretty well together, but you must understand the Opal are not surprisingly good, even with good files, even with good sources; they are just honest sounding for the price, not so natural, not so lively. Their sensitivity must be very high, because even with my Focusrite 2i2 I hear a lot of background noise, which is not something I’d expect (if you look at the specifications, it’s just slightly over the average 100 dB). Vocals are a bit robotic and lack harmonics, so the effect is hearing recessed mids, while they are not. Try with Radiohead’s “High and dry”, for example: the voice covers a large spectrum of the midrange to the high range, but here it sounds thin and unpleasant. Guitars are not the best, too. Percussions are more enjoyable. Then, if you listen to tracks that fade out you won’t hear a smooth volume change but some steps; I can say the same for the imaging: it’s pretty precise but not smooth, and the soundstage, while being narrow, is strangely uncentered, unbalanced. I hear more sounds on the left earphone, like the instruments were positioned that way. The instrument separation is average, not bad. I don’t understand the sound signature of these IEMs. For a dynamic driver, they have a ridiculous bass, but I think they are meant to be V-shaped. In the end, they are just close-to-flat-until-the-upper-midrange earphones with a lot of picks and notches in various zones, even in the midrange. I honestly never heard anything like that on “serious” earphones. It’s like they have problems with their polarity.  

Comparisons

ADVANCED Model 3: personally, a difficult earphone to appreciate initially, but now I understand its fun tuning and its darkness. True, they have recessed mids, they are not fantastic IEMs for vocals, but they are coherent. I’d rather them to the Opal, which have the only advantage of having a better stock cable. The fit, the packaging, the tips, the sound, everything is superior on the Model 3. Review here. 

TRN IM1: am I really comparing two disasters of monitors? Okay, I have two pairs of IM1, they sound terrible. Incoherent, thin, bright, muddy. Just like the Opal! I don’t want to be too brutal, the Opal are superior to the IM1 for me, but I cannot say I like them or even save them. Well, I don’t want to talk about these anymore. Review here. 

KZ ZSN: strange enough, this is one of the few times I can say that I’d rather a KZ to another earphone. The ZSN are good, surprisingly good for being a KZ. They sound balanced, with their expected U-shape and the color needed for a mass-oriented IEM. Here, again, I talk about coherence, because that’s the point that lacks the most in this review. I don’t hate sound signatures. I’m a flatness lover, but sometimes I need that bass. I’m not a fan of brightness because it’s usually a friend of harshness. But I can stand everything if I understand the will of the earphone. I don’t understand the will of KB EAR, with the Opal. We’ll see if the single BA (F1) by the same company is different. ZSN review here.

Conclusions

If I weren’t a reviewer, with all these earphones to try every day, I’d be way less critic about the Opal. They are not terrible, but the Chi-fi market nowadays is a sea full of sharks and you have to be careful before selling a product with an immature tuning. To be gentle, I’d say the Opal are not my cup of tea. I love their design, I like their cable, I appreciate the MMCX connectors, but in the end it’s the sound that matters, and this is not something I would recommend.

Pros

• Design

• Accessories

• Cable

Cons

• Average fit

• Incoherent tuning

• Unnatural sound