KBEar Neon Review (2) – Neon Golden

Pros — Fit, comfort, stock cable
– Natural vocal representation (both male/female)
– Well defined snare-hits
– Mostly inoffensive, neutral tuning

Cons — KBEar Neon’s stock tips are bad
– Lack of sub-bass rumble
– Narrow stage, 2 dimensional imaging
– Blunted transients, not the most resolving IEM
– Emphasis ~8KHz might be noticeable on some tracks

INTRODUCTION

KBEar released the Neon outta nowhere, and at first glance I assumed the existence of a Knowles BA driver at this price-point (where most IEMs are using Bellsing BA drivers) was supposed to be the sole Unique Selling Point.

To my complete surprise, the KBEar Neon had another trick up its sleeve and a darn good one – its tuning. I never thought KBEar would come up with something that goes for neutrality to the degree that the Neon has gone, and it’s quite fascinating indeed.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. KeepHiFi was kind enough to send me the KBEar Neon for review.

Sources used: Questyle CMA-400i, Hidizs AP80Pro
Price, while reviewed: $50. Can be bought from KeepHiFi

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

The packaging is typical for the price-range, no surprises there (check the Photography section if you’re interested in the looks of the package). As for the accessories: love the cable, like the carrying case, hate the tips. The cable is really nice: supple, doesn’t tangle, has a tight braid, and rather noise-free. It’s a 4N SPC cable, so I expect it to get yellow over time with usage (lower purity).

I’d recommend a tip-change, however, esp a small sized one (more on this in the sound section).
4/5

BUILD QUALITY

The IEM has a bullet-type shell, not unlike those Final E/F-series IEMs. The IEM shells are made of UV-cured resin and are supposedly tougher than typical ABS shells. The translucent shells give a view of the driver which is nice. The front cap, however, is metal, and houses the dampening filter (from what I gathered). The back of the housing has raised 2-pin connectors and fits the stock cable really well (third-party cables might not fit as snugly). Pretty nice build overall.
4.5/5

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Bullet style shells are generally very comfortable for me, but I’ve met a few people who find them intrusive so if you’re one of them, try these before buying. Also, these IEMs require a deep fit and the shell size isn’t really ideal for that. It’s a bit too thick in terms of shell diameter, even thicker than the Final E5000. Fortunately with small tips things worked out well for me. Isolation was pretty good as well.
4.5/5

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

I’ve mostly used the Questyle CMA-400i since I’ve been at desk for most of the last week (home office etc.). However, they were driven really well by the Hidizs AP80 Pro ($150, review coming soon) so with an entry-level DAP you’re good to go. They don’t need much power to drive (14ohms, 105dB/mW @ 1KHz) but is sensitive to output impedance changes (and also changes the FR if you put an extra resistor in the line). For eartips: I used the ePro horn tips (small size) to facilitate deep fit.

DRIVER SETUP

The KBEar Neon uses a single, unvented BA driver (Knowles ED-29689). KBEar didn’t mention if they’re using a Knowles damper but I’d guess they are using some form of damping in front of the driver nozzle (based on how it sounds).

The following listening impressions are made on the following setup: stock cable + ePro horn tips + Hidizs AP80Pro.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

The general sound signature of the KBEar Neon can be termed as “neutral”. The bass is almost flat and lacks the rumble around the sub-bass region in typical BA fashion. However, due to the mid-bass being almost in-line with the lower mids, there is no sterility or thinness in the midrange representation. Similarly, the pinna gain (~3KHz) is not too heavy handed with just ~6dB of extra boost vs the lower-mids. This results in up-front male and female vocals with none having the shouty/thin characteristics. Vocals are one of the best aspect of the KBEar Neon, after all.

Treble meanwhile rolls off after 9KHz and doesn’t really allow for a lot of sparkle. KBEar did add a bit of a boost ~8KHz to bring back some clarity. This works on most tracks but in some poorly mastered tracks the 8KHz peak was a bit more noticeable. However, despite the flat tuning (which is similar to DF-neutral apart from the upper-mids being more pulled back), there are some issues with the transition from upper-mids to treble.

I feel like the slope from the 3KHz to 7KHz region is a bit too steep. As a result, there is a distinct lack of clarity in this region. Many go for neutral tuning hoping for more clarity around this region and KBEar Neon won’t cater well to those needs. Transients are somewhat blunted too (likely due to heavy damping in front of the driver), making the KBEar Neon more on the smooth, rounded side rather than a resolution-monster. Moreover, the 8KHz peak has more of a contrast with its preceding frequencies as a result, resulting in some added grain in treble.

Soundstage, in typical deep-inserting IEM fashion, was mostly focused on the width rather than depth/height. Placements of instruments are mostly on a flat plane, so you don’t get the so-called “holographic imaging”. Dynamics are not much to write home about as this is a single-BA IEM and is mostly constrained by the nature of the driver (and also some tuning decisions). Separation was good on slower, less busy tracks, but tracks with a lot of instruments tended to blur some of the instruments (e.g. Tool’s Chocolate Chip Trip). Timbre had a sense of BA-artificiality to it.

All in all, the KBEar Neon acts as a showcase of KBEar’s version of neutrality. I like it for the most part but I do think the lower-treble region can be lifted by a couple dB or so for better clarity. Other than that: solid tuning, mostly enjoyable neutral sound signature.

Bass: 3.5/5
Mids: 4.5/5
Treble: 3/5
Imaging/Separation: 3/5
Staging: 3/5
Dynamics/Speed: 3.5/5

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Etymotic ER2XR ($100): The Etymotic ER2XR is priced (usually) 2x the price of the Neon. However, at times they’re on sale for $60 (though mostly US only). Nonetheless, at the time of writing, the price is $100, so the comparison will be made on that basis.

Build quality is good on both. The cable on the ER2XR is worse in terms of haptics. The other issue with the ER2XR (a big issue) is its fit. I can’t use it for more than 20 mins as it causes pain to my ears. I am not down with torturing myself for a pair of IEMs so exercising caution is advised.

The sub-bass is boosted on the ER2XR vs the KBEar Neon. The mid-bass is more fleshed out on the KBEar Neon, however. I personally prefer the texture and rumble of the ER2XR bass, but I really like how KBEar tuned their mid and upper-bass regions. Snare hits are really well portrayed as a result.

The midrange has more clarity on the ER2XR due to the reduced mid-bass. It does make the lower-mids sound somewhat lean. Female vocals get more focus as a result. Treble has better clarity and extension on the ER2XR. Soundstage is about same on both, imaging slightly better on the KBEar Neon.

I’d probably pick the KBEar Neon myself as I can actually use it without feeling the pain of wearing Etymotic IEMs. If you can withstand Etymotic fit (or crave it even) the ER2XR is the more resolving pair with better timbre.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

If budget is a concern and you don’t wanna deal with the Etymotic fit, KBEar Neon is one of the few options in this price range if you’re after neutrality. The name, Neon, refers to the inert gas and signifies this tuning decision rather aptly. However, I do think the treble tuning needs to be re-thought for their next “neutral reference” IEM (perhaps the Helium?) and trying other driver/housing types might be a good idea too.

For now, I can recommend the KBEar Neon to those who want a neutral signature that doesn’t sound lean or dry in the midrange.

MY VERDICT

4/5

A good option if you want a neutral sound signature under $50.

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DISCLAIMER

Get the KBEar Neon from KeepHiFi

Our generic standard disclaimer.

PHOTOGRAPHY

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