Disclaimers
This Hobby is very subjective, and we have different tastes and likes for our sound.
I want to thank KEEPHIFI and Sir Eiji Romero. for arranging this tour and allowing me to test this unit.
We have different hearing ranges, so expect different outcomes.
I don’t consider myself a professional but a casual guy who likes his Hobby.
Pros
Great fitting in my ears
Easy to drive even smartphones can juice it up
Decent imaging for a V-Shape sounding iem
Decent metal build
Bass heads will like the bass response of this iem
Cons
Nonremovable cable. If we talk about the trend in this price range, the nonremovable cable is still dominant in the meta.
Not that great isolation due to the shorter nozzle
Recessed Mids are making it boring for me
Stockeartips feel it’s cheap
Introduction
Hello everyone, welcome to my IEM review; I will review a product from BLON, and it’s called the Z200. So without further ado, let us start.
It was my second time experiencing their products; the first was the BLON-03, and the second was this pair which is the BLON Z200 Will these pair be the redemption arc for BLON or not? Let’s find out.
Background about me and personal taste in music.
I am a student and, currently, a hobbyist in the audio world. My sound library Comprises more anime songs and Jpop artists (but not all artists). To all my fellow anime fans, even otaku or weeb, expect me to put anime references in my reviews.
Personal Sound Preference
I am more balanced-neutral to mid-centric. Sometimes I also listen to U-Shape sounding.
Build Design and Cable.
I have mixed thoughts about this pair; first, why did BLON decide not to make it cable-friendly? In the long run, it will be challenging to manage. Cable Durability is somewhat acceptable. The design reminds me of a pebble. And in the faceplate, a moon is engraved with lines.
Packaging
Inside the box are the following.
- The pair itself
- set of ear tips
- paper instruction manual
- canvas bag
Fit and comfort
I didn’t encounter any issues with the fitting, but it feels like an earbud since the fitting is not tight. Comfort is passable in my ears, but for some, this may not be comfortable since this has a short nozzle.
Drivability and Driver setup
It has one driver setup, and if you ask me what kind of driver, it is a Dynamic Driver. In terms of drivability, it’s effortless to drive even smartphones can go it decently, but using this pair, I find that it is a source ability or, in short, scalability. With my Abigail Dac, it somewhat improves the sound output, but it still has the same sound signature, which I will tackle.
Sound Signature
It has the same Sound as Blon-03, which is V-Shaped with recessed mids. The improvements I can see in the Z200 are the treble and mids, while the bass is still the same as with the Blon-03.
Setup
Before I describe the sound components of the BLON Z200, here is my setup for this review.
- Abigail Dac – 15-20%
- ES-Pro 9318- 16-22%
- Roon Music Player-Exclusive Mode
- Kbear-07 ear tips
- Stock cable
Regarding sound enhancers or EQ, I don’t use them in my reviews since it alters the authentic sound of the IEM and makes it saturated. Now, let’s dissect the Bass, Mids, Treble, and Technicalities.
Bass
As mentioned earlier, it is similar to the Blon-03. The Sub-bass is punchy and prominent in any track I listen to; it has depth. I can feel the rumbly feeling in my ears. Mid-bass is out of control since it bleeds and sounds bloated, making the mids section recessed. Honestly, this might suit you if you are a bass head and want some aggressive bass.
Mids
Since this is a V-Shaped sounding pair, I expected it to have recessed mids. Male vocals will benefit from the mid-bass bleed since the mid-bass bleed gives male vocals a warm feeling. But for me, it’s not that great since I want both vocals to shine, and before I forget, Female vocals sound like they caught some flu. Violin is one of my favorite instruments. And I have experienced playing this instrument. Now, if I were to ask if the Violin sounds good in this pair, my answer would be it sounds average. I gave it an average rating because the Violin lacks emotion and has a feel of glass, but as I said earlier, I didn’t expect it to be forwarded.
Treble
When it comes to brightness on the treble, it’s a little bright with having that smooth feeling. Upper mids tend to peak but are not that too shouty. The sibilance factor is not that prominent.
Overall Technicalities
Let’s start first with the soundstage. The soundstage is not that wide. It’s more on average, while the space of it is on the middle side, either. Imaging is what I like here. It’s an improvement from the Blon-03; I remember that the Blon-03 has sub-par imaging for my liking. The Imaging of the Z200 is passable enough for casual listeners. It has that left-to-right feel. Detail retrieval emphasizes macro while it has a bit of micro. I encountered it to have a few micro details in my Es-Pro 9318, while in Abigail Dac, I didn’t experience the micro details.
Conclusion
The Z200 is a comeback from Blon, but unfortunately, that comeback fell short and can’t compete appropriately in its price range since, in this price range, there are better items that have better technicalities and overall sound signature.
