KBEAR KB04 Tuning – A Distant Memory Lost And Found

April 5, 2020 KopiOkaya (Singapore)

[Estimated reading time: 4 minutes]

When KBEAR sent Jürgen and me the KB04 beta for tuning, we were still halfway through fiddling with the KBEAR Diamond. The former, being a less important “candidate”, was put aside until a much later date. We gave Diamond our 200% attention. KBEAR did mention to me (not Jürgen) briefly the KB04 was going to be their new budget model.

When we did eventually get to the KBEAR KB04, we were exhausted by the excitement over Diamond. I have to admit that I didn’t bother to give it a good listening. My initial impression of the KBEAR KB04 beta was good. Nothing offensive that needed my immediate attention, so I didn’t get back to KBEAR promptly as I normally would. However, Jürgen did highlight the mids being a tad shouty.

I did some minor adjustments on the tuning console. Somehow, reducing midrange “shoutiness” dulls the overall sound and rendered it lifeless. I told Jürgen about it. From our experience with the Diamond, we know cable and eartips can make or break the sound of an IEM, and so Jürgen suggested maybe KBEAR could match the earphone with right “accessories” to tame the midrange a bit.

Photographed: KBEAR KB04

Some photos of the KBEAR KB04

Another few weeks had passed, and KBEAR was busy promoting Diamond. They didn’t contact me again until one fine day, I received a WeChat message asking how Jürgen and I feel about KBEAR KB04. I told them it needs a good cable and eartips. I was immediately hit back in protest – “blah, blah, blah… this is a budget set, if we include fancy cable, it is going to increase the cost… ” Okay, okay… Cool down. I didn’t want to agitate her further, so I told KBEAR to go ahead with the final tuning. The earphone sounded fine to us.

Subsequently came Chinese New Year, then the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great China Lockdown. At the same time I was busy with other projects. The presence of KBEAR KB04 left my memory completely. Then in March, out of the blue I received a WeChat message from KBEAR. This time informing me KB04 will be launched by month’s end. I tried to recall which earphone KB04 was… I dug up the frequency response graph… Oh, that one! And so, I posted it on the Audioreviews Facebook page.

So, what is KBEAR KB04 and how does it sound? I believe there are many talented reviewers out there who can write and describe sound better than me (such as my colleague Loomis Johnson), so I won’t go into that. What I can share here are its shortcomings and which kind of audiophiles the KBEAR KB04 will appeal.

– First of all, do understand that the KBEAR KB04 is a budget IEM model… Meaning everything has been skimmed to most basic to save cost.

– KB04 is tuned for beginners and amateur audiophiles in mind… In another word, it is suitable for newbies who are still discovering their sound preferences.

– Since KB04 is tuned for newbies, it has a “safe” tuning. Meaning, it will appeal to most people (both audiophiles and non-audiophiles), and is suitable for a broad range of music.

– And since this is a budget model, those advanced-amateurs or expert audiophiles can give it amiss. If you insist on buying a set, PLEASE LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND DON’T NITPICK – KB04 was tuned by amateur tuners still in diapers.

– To get the most from it, you will have to spend more than US$30. Put aside at least $20 and invest in a good set of cable and eartips. If you already own some, do a mix and match to find the right combination.

– If the upper-mids glare bothers you, do a 3M Micropore mod on the nozzles. That will smoothen the sound a little and makes it more palatable to treble sensitive ears.

If all of the abovementioned seem reasonable and acceptable to you, order a set, enjoy it and be happy.

Every audiophile has a starting point, Jürgen and I are glad that you use KBEAR KB04 as your launch pad. Slowly but surely, you will grow in this hobby, and so is your earphone collection. By then, KB04 will be a distant memory to you as well.

Happy exploring…

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RELATED…

Loomis’ review of the KBEAR KB0 4

Baskingshark’s review of the KBEAR KB04

Jürgen’s photos of the KBEAR KB04

Author

KopiOkaya (Singapore)
Head-Fier since 2018. “Who is KopiOkaya?” that is the first question many audiophiles and earphone enthusiasts ask when stumbled upon his coffee cup avatar… “I am just a nobody…” – that is his usual answer. This “nobody” has his audio roots stretch until the mid-1970s when his father hauled back a set of Sansui-Luxman-Coral combo from “a friend’s place” (so that mom believed it was a given set). He fell in love with the sound instantly, and the rest is history. Previously taught in a public school, now a full-time tutor and an “ad-hoc” multimedia producer, Kopi wants to divert his attention from his teaching job and focus on something he truly loves – hifi audio. Throughout the years, Kopi owned many “nice” equipment and accessories… until the year 2009 when he discovered Chi-Fi or Chinese Hifi. An euraka moment, it was the sound he had been looking for all these years despite spending thousands and thousands of dollars on branded, highly-reviewed equipment. He sold everything (except a few good cables) and downgraded to pretty much bare minimal.Back to the very first question… What is “KopiOkaya” then… In Singapore, where Kopi is based in, kopi O simply refers to thick black coffee and kaya is a type of toast spread made of brown sugar, coconut milk, eggs and pandan leaves, commonly served as breakfast in Southeast Asia regions.
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