The KB Ear Neon is a single-BA budget IEM designed for audiophiles. Though the company’s official name is KBEAR, I pronounce it as “K.B. Ear” in my head and I think that’s how it’s supposed to be spelled out. This review is a slight step outside my comfort zone. KB Ear is not a new company at all. In fact, they are very well received in the “Chi-Fi” category and known for high sound quality considering the price. The new Neon will not changing anything about it. For just around $50 the Neon only has a single full-range BA per side.

Personally, I’ve been treating my ears to high-end gear for a while now. Can this budget offering win me over?



Get the KB Ear Neon from the Official AliExpress Store

Build​

To be fair, at $50 we are not expecting Campfire-grade build quality. But then again, there are also excellently designed IEM at this price, for example the Final E2000. KBEAR tries to impress with a replaceable and transparent hi-fi cable. But the design is not thought through to the end.

Build Quality​

The Neon features a bullet-shaped shell made from hardened resin. The resin is not fully opaque and allows you to take a look at the Knowles 29689 BA-driver inside. At the moment, the Neon is available in 3 different version that are only different by color. Featured here is the black color. Next to purple, there is a red & blue variant that makes it easier to visually separate the left and right channels. That is an interesting choice because the cable is replaceable. That means you could easily exchange left and right ear pieces as the stereo channel is decided by the cable only. Yet even the black shells have a small colored dot indicating left or right. The channel separation is already very obvious due to the cable’s asymmetrical shape.

The nozzle is made of metal and where it connects to the main body, there are no uneven gaps. Curiously, the brand name is basically hidden on the underside of the IEM with just a tiny space for the laser-engraving on a metal ring. The nozzle has a mesh grill preventing dirt falling inside.

Cable​

For one, KBEAR’s cable is excellent. However, I think it is a bad choice for the Neon in particular. I don’t know if KB Ear actually manufacturers the cable or has it supplied by an OEM partner. Anyway, the silver-transparent cable impresses with high flexibility and low memory. This one isn’t easy to accidentally tangle up. There are also no issues with crosstalk or bad shielding. Technically, I’m quite impressed by the cable considering the low price of the complete package.



However, the choice for qdc-style 2-Pin connection is very awkward. The bullet design of the Neon has a tiny shell. It would hide so well in the ear. But the cable connection is almost as big as the IEM itself and it makes the IEM stick out so far that I cannot even place the cable over my ears. The cable’s softness helps to prevent microphonic noise, but it would have been far superior if vibrations were cancelled by contact of the outer ear. This was a very bad design choice, because ultimately I can only wear the Neon with the cable down. Yet the connection isn’t even rectangular but protrudes even further. Why… KBEAR, why?

Fit​

The KBEAR Neon is tiny! It’s such a small IEM that it would have the potential to be among the most comfortable designs yet, next to the Final E- and F-series. But the cable ruined it completely. There is no grip, no ear hook and no way you could lay on the side wearing these IEM. In my opinion, this is a flawed design. A fixed cable that goes off to the side would have been much more elegant.

On top of that, some users might experience ear pressure. The IEM is fully sealed and has no solution to release pressure. Compared to multi-BA designs, the single BA of the Neon sits even closer to the ear drum. This means that if you insert it deeply, overpressure might cancel the sound completely! I could consistently reproduce the issue. This is something that is worth mentioning! I am sure KBEAR has received some complaints about defective units (“no sound”) of which users were just inexperienced and didn’t realize thy had to release pressure by fiddling around with the IEM.

The included ear tips are very average. The provided sizes should be sufficient for most users. Average sized ears also get the bonus of a single pair of foam tips. Be sure to clean your ears thoroughly, first! The light grey foam will take on the color of your ear wax very quickly.

Even with the fully closed housing, the isolation is merely average. This might be due to the transitions between the separate parts or that the resin is rather thin. If you were considering to use these as monitoring IEM on-stage, I hopefully made it clear that you should consider alternatives. For casual listening, the issues above have less impact.

Sound​

The separation is much better than most dynamic drivers at the price.

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The KB Ear Neon is an IEM that’s very easy to listen to. It features a very balanced frequency response with good transitions. Overall, the Neon sounds fairly realistic without the “shout” that many neutral IEM often have. While there is great stereo width, unfortunately, the depth placement is lost for the most part resulting in a flat soundstage. For monitoring, the imaging (instrument placing) is still good enough, but you probably do not want to rely on the Neon for professional work. Ultimately, there are unsurprising limitations in regards to resolution when compared to pricier IEM. But considering the highly competitive price, this is a very good IEM designed for price-sensitive audiophiles foremost.

Tuning​

There is no doubt that there was great care taken into the tuning of the KB Ear Neon. The bass is fairly flat with a slight tendency towards upper bass. Midrange frequencies are exemplary neutral. Up on top, the treble response is pretty much what you’d expect from a single BA with expected downfalls in regards to extension and a pronounced resonance.

Bass​

Let’s get this out real quick: If you’re a bass head, the KB Ear Neon isn’t for you. This is mostly due to the lack of rumble. At the very low-end, the Neon fails to create pressure and has heavily limited headroom. However, I do not consider this an issue at all. I hear a light-weight sound that seems agile and provides a relatively good punch. On top of that, there is decent texture. These are the terms you want to tick when designing an audiophile IEM. In this regard, KB Ear succeeded.

Mids​

The tuning of Neon’s midrange is exemplary, but the single driver still struggles to reproduce a realistic soundscape. Unfortunately, the dimensionality of the stereo image is lost and the presentation is very flat and dry. The timbre is great, but voices won’t really come to life as the Neon struggles to separate multiple layers on the audio track. The limitations are absolutely acceptable considering the price, and the separation is much better than most dynamic drivers at the price.

Highs​

There is an old prejudice towards balanced armature receivers that they fail at full-range reproduction. Now the Neon will not tackle that preconception. In the contrary, Neon’s treble noticeably lacks air. Apart from the limitations due to frequency extension, KB Ear did well, though. There is good definition but no sibilance. The Neon is still a very closed-in sounding IEM, but considering the challenges, I wouldn’t feel comfortable criticizing the result.

Verdict​

This is a very good IEM designed for price-sensitive audiophiles foremost.

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If you put sound quality first, the KB Ear Neon has an incredible proposition at the price. The tuning is excellent considering the limitations of a single BA, and the detail retrieval outperforms similarly priced dynamic drivers. In regards to the build quality and product design, this is still very much a Chi-Fi product. The cable connection is the most puzzling aspect, in my opinion. Nonetheless, if you want to get a natural or neutral sounding IEM for only $50, definitely consider the KBEAR Neon.

The full review is available on my blog, as published on March 5th, 2021.

Verdict​

High-Fidelity is a science. I always try to present myself as a conservative user who prefers linearity. But I also do not forget what music is for, like the time I described what it’s like to be an audiophile. I wrote a feature on the 64 Audio Fourté on how a design not following the textbook can add to musicality and, ultimately, realism in audio reproduction. The Turii is just such a case. It brings the audio to life!

The design is bold, though the size is much smaller than it appears on images. Nonetheless, there will be a few ears that will find discomfort in the heavy metal build, but I have to recommend that you give the Turii and its complex absorber chamber a shot. In my mind, it is the best single dynamic IEM I have yet heard!

Whether I want pure music, all the details, a tight and punchy bass, to notice audio compression in a track, hear a producer’s signature or have a dynamic sound to swallow me completely, I pick Turii. This is an outstanding sound performance! Respect!

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https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2021/03/05/softears-turii/

Full review and measurements, as published February 15th, 2021, are available on my blog.

Verdict​

What a jaw-dropping surprise! The Softears RSV is in its own right the most impressive IEM release I have experienced in years. As far as fully sealed all-BA universal IEM designs go, I think Softears pretty much hit the limit cap and ticked as many boxes as possible. The RSV is a well-built, very comfortable, and beautiful universal IEM with flawless execution in regards to tight and dynamic sound that is suitable for monitoring and enjoyment. Though not related in any kind, this is a true “ProPhile” by merging audiophile qualities with professional demands.

I am not saying that there can’t be any more improvements – because there can! In detail, the RSV doesn’t have the texture quality of other high-end BA designs or some of that amazing high frequency sparkle found in the reference class. Most of all, I am missing a pressure relief system that creates just overall more space to match the sharp separation and layering. But let’s not forget that the RSV is the little brother of the RS10, which promises to deliver on all of that. What kind of beast must Softears have created at three times the costs!?

Make no mistake, the Softears RSV is not a “Chi-Fi” earphone that tries to pack as many drivers into the housing as possible. It also does not blindly follow the Harman-target. There is just so much polish and sense for audio re-creation put at show here that it’s impossible the RSV turns out to be a one-hit wonder. (Saying that, I am also hinting at the upcoming Turii review.) Especially considering the price of 800 € or less, the value proposition is fantastic. Long story short, the Softears RSV is an incredible offering for any serious audiophile that appreciates IEM! Even if the InEar ProPhile 8 or Etymotice ER4 XR were not to your satisfaction, give this one a shot anyway.

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• Full review: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2021/02/15/softears-rsv/
• Measurements: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2021/02/07/softears-rsv-measurements/

The review was originally posted here first: https://www.klauseulenbach.de/2020/05/28/flavor-of-the-month-final-a8000/

About me: I bought the beyerdynamic DT 240 PRO from Amazon.de out of curiosity only. I have many years of experience with headphones and audio in general. I am a former MOT for a CIEM manufacturer and I also used to write reviews for Headfonics.com. Currently I support my friends' very ambitious German audio blog over at Headflux.de.



MONITORING ON A BUDGET

The DT 240 PRO by beyerdynamic (short: BYR) are fairly new closed-back headphones for studio and monitoring purposes. Compared to their larger models like the DT 770, the DT 240 are aimed at mobile use. Thus they work also well as a companion for commuting. The MSRP is 99 € but these cans are actually sold for 85 € and less, including the official BYR online shop.
So on paper these should meet the demands of an aspiring audiophile that likes a balanced sound and is looking for a set of affordable portables.



Packaging

Packaging is simplistic and to the point. The design of the outer packaging is recognizably BYR. Sleek. The package is fairly slim as the the headphones' cups swivel 90 degrees and fold flat. The headphones are held in place by a plastic mold. The removable cable, a pouch and a quarter-inch screw-on adapter are hidden underneath in plastic wrap.



Accessories

A very low-cost velvet pouch is supposed to protect the headphones from damage, but at the very most all it can do is cover them from dust. The plastic material on the headphones does not scratch easily so the unbranded black pouch is nothing but a useless extra.

The coiled cable extends to 3m and pulls itself together to 1.5m. That's a good length for a desktop but some of the cable is always tangling around when I put my source in the pocket. Shorter cables can be had from other sources for cheap. The connection is 2.5mm on the headphones' end and the cable can be plugged in either left or right.

Design and Materials

BYR opted for a simplistic all-black design. The cups are flat and the headband not too big, so these are no headphones that will make any passerby turn the head. I do find the edge of the headband a bit awkward as protrudes to the sides more than the cups. It looks a bit too... edgy for my taste.

This is unmistakably a budget-tier build. The headband has metal enhancements that are only visible when its extended. Everything else is black plastic and synthetic material. While the headband cushion is soft, it feels more like rubber than fake leather. The ear pads use the same material but they have softer dampening. Do note, your ears will not be able to breathe underneath this material! If you are out in the sun, your ears will sweat.

Build Quality

Despite beyerdynamic claiming that all their Pro series headphones are made in Germany, the DT 240 Pro is actually made in China. It's all good, though. I didn't notice any manufacturing errors. I do expect the stitches on the cushions to open up after some wear.

Comfort

The DT 240 Pro are incredibly lightweight. That helps with comfort but there is a large issue with the size of the cups. The design is neither over-ear nor on-ear. The best way to wear these is to lay the pads on the earlobes and have them just barely surround the upper pinnae. This solution is nothing you want to endure all-day, but I guess it is a bit more comfortable than a pure on-ear design.

Isolation is very good for portable cans. Maybe they're not quite as good as the Oppo PM-3, but they do extremely well considering their weight. I did notice that the headband's edges create some annoying wind noise when using outside. This could have been omitted.



SOUND

Preface: I am a hifi-enthusiast, meaning I prefer neutral and studio-like tunings with no frequency range emphasized whatsoever. That is also my understanding of high-fidelity and I think this should be the aim of high-end and monitoring equipment. If you prefer warm signatures, you have to take that into account when reading my assessment. I will try to throw in some comparisons for good measure.

Tuning

The beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro are warm headphones with a moderate emphasis on the low-end. Mids are adequately open while the treble is fairly soft. I am a big fan of the DT 1350, another monitoring headphone by BYR. In comparison, the 1350s are a lot closer to neutral with overall better balance. The 240s remind me of the new Aventho (Wireless) consumer fashion on-ears that have a fairly comparable signature. Both, the 240 and Aventho, are warm and a bit soft sounding. From this perspective, the DT 240 Pro are not recommendable as a monitoring headphone - in my humble opinion!

Bass

I don't review many budget-tier headphones, so I do have to remind myself of the DT 240 Pro's price tag. Being used to well-equalized magnetostatic headphones and multi-driver IEM designs, the bass comes off as a bit sloppy and muddy. I can't describe the bass' characteristic as textured, but luckily it isn't overdone with punch and oomph either. The low-end boost is actually distributed very consistently all the way down to the lowest octave (~30 Hz). That does help the bass from not sounding too forward like many other headphones that don't have this stellar extension and try to make up for it with a mid-bass hump. I am used to a bit drier presentations, especially from the Oppo PM-3 and the DT 1350. Also the Aventho, though it has comparable bass quantity, sounds snappier and has faster attack.
The bass is not overdone to the point that it would be distracting. However, when using the DT 240 for monitoring, I do recommend to use an equalizer or compare with reference speakers to make sure the mastering isn't bass light.

For pure musical enjoyment, I found the DT 240 Pro performed quite well as all-rounders and even with Classical musical I wasn't bothered too much by the low-end.

Mids

I can get very picky about the midrange because I think this is where true high-fidelity matters the most and it's also the frequency range where sloppy tuning shows. Other than Jazz and Classical music fans, there is a widespread toleration for warm and dull mids. I am less tolerant than most Head-Fi'ers. So when I tell you that the midrange of the DT 240 Pro is warm and has a slightly recessed vocal presence, this might be different than your perception. I am basing this claim on using sine swipes. Piano tracks and vocals just sound a bit dark. There are but a few headphones that actually exaggerate to the opposite direction - the DT 1990 Pro actually does and also the Musical Fidelity MF200 comes to mind - but there are even less that actually nail the midrange like the PM-3, for example. Again, for monitoring, I think the DT 1350 outclasses the DT 240 Pro by a large margin.

Now that I have complained, I do have to say that the mids sound lush and juicy. I admit they sounded better than they should sound and they can be quite addicting. I can get used to the signature and I am fine with the detail resolution, too. There are definitely far worse sounding headphones for triple the price tag.

Voices are intimate but not forward, they are homogenous to the bass and most importantly, they sound enjoyable. They are actually a bit too soft and it shows clearly with female vocals. But ultimately an S-sound still sounds like an S and not a TH.

Highs

There is a prominent dip where the midrange transitions into the lower treble. 5-7 kHz are very recessed and this makes it very difficult to recommend the BYR for monitoring. There is a high risk of shooting your master into an awfully sibilant mess due to this. On the other hand, it makes your audio sound soft and enjoyable even at very high volumes. From 8k and up, the treble performance is actually very solid, if not even surprisingly good regardless the price tag. The extension sounds fine to my ears to 14 kHz at least, which is not a given for a closed-back design.

There is no infamous Beyer-peak (excessive 8-10 kHz as found on the DT 770, 880, 990, T1, T70, T90, ...) which is applaudable, however, there is also some energy missing to counterweigh the foregoing dip. Overall, ignoring the technicalities, the treble sounds soft, smooth and recessed.

You won't find any sparkle or shimmer here, but also no sibilance. It's almost as if the treble only wanted to support bass and mids. It's a bit too cautious for my taste, especially as a fan of trumpets and violins, but I have heard far worse.

Resolution and Soundstage

The BYR neither stands out for micro nor macro dynamics. It's not an epic sound that emphasized on dynamic recordings, nor does it highlight all the small cues hidden in complex tracks. It's fairly average in both regards. Layering is good, but the imaging is not accurate due to the tonal coloration. If you compare the DT 240 Pro with other on-ear headphones, the soundstage is good in depth and width.



Matchability

I have used the BYR with a Chord Mojo, Hugo 2 and RME ADI-2 Pro. All of them extreme overkill for this small headphone. I have enjoyed plugging the DT 240 Pro into the Shanling M0 for convenience, but the sound difference to my iPhone is negligible. These work well with any source.

Comparisons

I have thrown some comparisons into the text already. However, all of them were far more expensive headphones. The DT 1350 are to date still the only true monitoring on-ear headphones that I am aware of. Every other on-ear sounds colored when put aside. It's not a perfect monitor, but it is fairly close and by now the price has dropped to regions where they can be blindly recommended.

Another BYR, the new Aventho have a similar signature to the 240s. Bass is quite a bit tighter, though. Also, the mids sound less lush on the Aventho. Instead they are a little hollow and brighter sounding to better counterweigh the low-end. Treble is comparable. The Aventho start at 329 € and have a very premium finish. Worth the upgrade? I am not fully convinced...

The Bose QC 35 (active, because that is the only mode one would ever use them) sounds far sloppier than the DT 240 Pro. Bass-weight is similar but the BYR sound more coherent, which holds true for the highs also.

I also have some Marshall Monitor here. They are also something between on- and around-ear by design. The BYR are more comfortable and there is absolutely no competition in regards to sound. The Monitor are a dull and bloated, low-quality bassy headphone that brings nothing but shame to my collection of headphones.

VERDICT

The beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro are a good set of portable cans in the budget-tier category below 100 $. I think the monitoring purpose advertised by BYR is a bit too enthusiastic, but they do sound enjoyable especially with Pop and Rock music. They are not ground-breaking in any way. You will find pairs that are more comfortable, more fashionable, more neutral, more expansive and more detailed, but not all of it at once for the same price. With the DT 240 Pro, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.