Sound Signature:
W/o foams: Warm, Intimate mids, Accented highs (U-shaped)
W/ foams: Balanced leaning to warm
Disclaimer: Blush was given to me by an anonymous donor, who messaged me on facebook during my attempt to purchase second hand earbuds to expand my collection. He did not ask for anything in return and only made one request: to take good care of his beloved earbuds, pass it on to others just like how he did to me, from one audio hobbyist to another. I did not purchase anything for this review but this will be as honest a review as it can get. I uphold my morale code to be fair and just. All you can read here will be my own opinion, subject to different factors such as gear used, tracks and what my own ears perceive. I also only write reviews after thoroughly listening to it for a week or more rather than just a day; both casually and critically with reference tracks I'm personally familiar with. Please be respectful towards the comments section. With all that on the side, let's talk Blush.
Price: 14 USD/Php 700
Specifications:
Impedance: 32Ω
Frequency range: 20-20000Hz
Cable: 130cm 18 core aluminum foil wire dyed pink, OEM oyaide cable
Driver diameter: 16mm
Gear used:
(Hiby Music) Mi 9T Pro (naked)/Mi 9T Pro > Tempotec Sonata HD Pro w/ 2 Vrms. (Foobar2000) Desktop (naked)
Reference Music:
Dream Eyes - Mine, Kosuke Quintet (DSD 128)
Evolution Orange - Earth, Wind & Fire (DSD 128)
Giorgo by Moroder - Daft Punk (DSD256)
Making of a Cyborg - Kenji Kawai (FLAC 24bit)
On the Run - Pink Floyd (FLAC 24bit)
Charlie Wasn't Afraid - Day Din (FLAC 16bit)
Uchiage Hanabi - DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu (FLAC 24bit)
Upstairs - Psapp (FLAC 16bit)
Grand Escape - RADWIMPS ft. Toko Miura (FLAC 24bit)
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach - Gorillaz (FLAC 16bit)
Hotel California - The Eagles (WAV 32bit)
Black Rainbows - Hawaii: Part II (FLAC 16bit)
Introduction:
Weeks ago, I raised a post inquiring fellow hobbyists to contact me first if they're going to put their beloved earbuds for sale. I am content with second-hand items, as long as they are intact still performs well, even with dings; I'd get them in a heartbeat. I even proclaimed myself "basurero ng audio" as I have no qualms getting the scraps of others. During this time, a few reached out to me selling their earbuds for a bargain price, and whilst I combed through my inbox; I saw a message from a fellow audio enthusiast asking me a simple question "what source do you have?". We exchanged pleasantries back and forth, but it is there and then that I found out his intent of giving me some of his beloved collection for free. Happy but still a little surprised, he left me these message: "I'm spreading the love, pass it forward if you have the chance". The parcel arrived, surprised that it contains nine pvc storage boxes, each craddling a pair of buds made by Sir Joe Arranchado of Just On Earbuds. Blush, one of the single ended plugs, caught my attention because of its clever name and of course the unique pink colorway which stands out among the rest. Weeks passed and it is now Blush's turn to be reviewed, just like the rest of my #lokal earbuds; with no bias and no favors whatsoever. With this as my second local in-depth review and many more to come, I will uphold my promise to help fellow audio hobbyists find what they are looking for, provide a constructive criticism to help the architects of the bud improve their work and of course, promote the exceptional craftsmanship and passion that the filipino makers have.
A brief introduction to Just on Earbuds:
Just On Earbuds started just like any hobby. Joe Arranchado wanted to build his own buds doing mods on his collection back then. He learned modding around early 2018 practicing on Vido drivers and OFC cables. He built his first demo unit in 2019 and yet he doesn't even have any idea on how or what to name it.
There was a regular Walnut and Zishan Enthusiast (WaZe) meet back in Feb 2020. This was the last regular WaZe meetup before the pandemic hit. Edwin Eyan Moragas was there and listened to the prototype. NALASON! (poisoned) He copped my build right there and then. "Utang muna kasi wala akong pera" (Let me pay you back next time, I don't have the money right now) Edwin said. A few days later Edwin named the bud #Joemanji. And that was how we got here.
Build:
A transparent MX500 shell dyed in pink. They are the usual transparent shells you can find on many online diy shops. The shells were dyed in pink albeit moderately that you can say it was a "shade of pink". On its stem are debossed L & R marking. I am a fan of debossed left and right markings as they do not fade overtime, however; because it has no complimentary color whatsoever, and unlike embossed L & R markings where you can feel the letters just by your thumb; the indicators are quite hard to discern to the point that you need lighting to see which is which. Due to the fact that the shells are transparent, you can see the tuning foams used for Blush were dyed in pink; showcasing a monochromatic color scheme that appears to fade from the upper part of the shell all the way down the cable.
Cables:
The cables of Blush is 130cm in length and sports a single-ended straight plug. The cable itself is stiff but feels durable; of course they also have the pink colorway to complete the look. It appears that the cable is covered in some kind of plastic sleeve, they feel smooth but not premium. The cable has a stainless splitter and a thin ring-like chin slider; it does its job and frankly it suits the Blush's simple look. Wrapping them using the rodeo wrap or as some call it "over & under", they struggle when set down, bouncy even and has some resistance when you wrap it around your hand.
Comfort:
My ears are very sensitive to foreign material, on contact with foams; they itch like hell and feels really unpleasant after an hour or so. Blush has the same diameter as other mx500 earbuds, thus they need special foams or none at all for me to wear them all day. With that said, I am surprised with how light these earbuds are. You almost forget that you wear them after some time; it's as if you're wearing feathers on your ears, thus they are pleasant for long listening sessions, even more so than the other mx500 earbuds that I have.
Isolation:
These are earbuds, don't expect too much.
Sounds:
Have you ever felt dull, bored and just out of sync with your daily chores? Are you like me that you need a damn good hype music to fuel your whole soul with fire just to clean your whole room full of stinking socks and underwear? Do you play dubstep and electro, then call Tiny Tim or some other entity to possess you right before you start mopping the floor? Well lucky you, we have the right buds for your weird cleaning fetish. The Blush, is a Warm U-shaped earbuds; reaching deep down to the depths of lows that it should satisfy your basshead needs. Not only that, but they have articulate, intimate mids; it won't disappoint you whilst listening to Taylor Swift or your favorite hot guy vocalist: Adam Levine. The highs aren't pushovers either, they pack quite the bite and will make you fall in love with how they handle Blues & Jazz whilst cleaning your cheetos infested bedroom. This is the Blush, don't be fooled by its cute pink appearance, they are meant to pack quite the punch inside. In-depth review below:
Lows:
The biggest strength of Blush is also its biggest weakness. On the positive side, these pink earbuds pack quite a punch. When listening to Day Din's Charlie Wasn't Afraid, they reach the depth of the lows, that it feels you're listening to a well done warm-tuned IEM. They are well-textured, you can feel the rumble with tracks like Making of a Cyborg by Kenji Kawai; they hit you just right with a sense of body and fullness. Lows also have decent decay, they are not bouncy like other earbuds that has below average transition from a sub bass roll-off to mid bass (I'm looking at you Tingo TC200 Old). They are technically well done albeit sub-bass can be improved a little bit. On the weak side of things, the biggest gripe I have with Blush is its mid-range bleed. The lows may reach very deep, but it also reaches the lower notes of the midrange, smearing the first few notes a little; Black Rainbows by Hawaii: Part II demonstrates this perfectly, you can feel that the bass is somewhat overlapping the vocals on some parts of the song. Sub-bass sometimes feel disjointed. Casually listening to Skrillex's Triple Vinyl Set, you are craving for more extension in the early frequencies, there is rumble but sometimes it just feels it's too little to be considered even. Nevertheless, anyone who craves for punchy or boomy earbuds should be satisfied with Blush's performance.
Mids:
If you like articulate, natural vocals; you are in for a treat with Blush. They are not forward, in fact; I consider Blush as the "hardest to identify in terms of sound signature" due to its mids. They are sometimes intimate, female vocals are a little more forward than the males which is pleasant to hear because this means that the mid-range has a decent slow roll-off. But they are also recessed in some tracks, especially if you put them on foams (donut or standard). I can only categorize the midrange positioning as "one step forward, a step backward". They have sharp response and has decent micro detail. In Uchiage Hanabi by DAOKO x Kenshi Yonezu, the male vocals are raspy, done with natural tonality whilst the female is soothing and not shouty at all. The upper midrange is well done as it gave great initial bite to trumpets and guitars. Listening to Evolution Orange by Earth, Wind & Fire; you can't deny that Maurice's voice feels natural, raspy even. It might be one of the biggest strengths of Blush if only the mid-bass bleed didn't hamper and masked some lower midrange notes.
Treble:
I commend Blush with how it handles the upper midrange and presence region. The transition is done really well, giving character and naturalness to vocal transients. They do not sound dark at all, in fact; hi-hats and cymbals have above average bite on them. Dream Eyes by Mine, Kosuke Quintet sounds excellent, the hi-hats feels good on its attack, making Blush a good earbuds to play with Blues & Jazz as well. They are sparkly, though they do not possess a lot of micro-detail; the percussive instruments specifically the cymbals make up for it with its accurate strikes. The 10khz region also exhibits great dimensionality. It does not roll-off steeply like others which results to weak definition. Despite the praises though, the highs could be better with a little more extension. Percussive instruments felt too quick on their decay, sometimes even bouncy, losing some of the details they possess.
Soundstage:
Quick Note: Soundstage is a highly subjective spectrum of audio. Different factors such as how the track was recorded or if it was properly mastered, plays a crucial role in identifying soundstage. Please take everything with a grain of ajinomoto seasoning.
As mentioned above, the treble really handled the airy region quite well. Because of this, there is depth and excellent horizontal imaging. Identifying instruments from left to right should be a breeze with Blush, even closing your eyes and figuring out the space; you can see where each instruments are positioned, albeit not precise. They are not holographic nor do they have astonishing headroom, but they frankly do really well; above average I would even say. If you plan on listening to Pink Floyd's well-mastered tracks, Blush is something you should look for.
Layering and Separation:
Instrument separation and layering with Blush is decent. Much like other entry-level mx500, they have good instrument separation until you play really complex tracks like Dream Theatre's Metropolis Part 1. Once tracks that have multiple strings or percussive instruments are played; it might feel slightly congested. The biggest problem with this earbuds is that the lows sometimes hampers your capabiltity to comprehend separation, the bass sometimes over compensates that some instruments are indiscernable from others.
Comparison:
Vido Red: Winner (Blush) Much like the Blush, the Vido Red punches way above its price point. They are both warm with the exception that Blush also features an intimate midrange and good highs. Blush rolls over Vido Red like how the meteor rolled over the dinosaurs back in prehistoric age. If Vido Red sports a punchy, well-textured but boomy bass; Blush offers a much more plethora of skillsets. The challenger has better texture, better extension with its lows and reaches depth that Vido Red wont be able to. If we do venture on the midrange, the vocals are way more intimate on Blush than the Reds, they are natural with sharp response as opposed to Vido's plain and linear mids. The highs have better attack on our pink-colored friend, it offers a more tasteful presentation, with sparkle and enough details to emerge on the top. The soundstage? the really cramped soundstage and imaging of Vido pushes it as one of the worst earbuds to listen to Pink Floyd and classical genres, whilst the Blush has enough depth and horizontal panning to properly convey everything with ambience. On all frequencies, Blush absolutely kicks Vido's warm red ass.
LG Earbuds: Winner (Blush, you can't even..) If you are one of those people who received LG that was endorsed by VE, well I can safely say to you that Blush should and will absolutely slap those Php 70/ 1.39 USD metallic ass cheek. Blush was made to be inoffensive, I can wear them with extreme comfort for hours on end whilst I cannot even stand LG Earbuds after an hour or so. The biggest weakness of LG is how it handles the presence region (4khz-6khz) all the way to the highest frequencies. Some say that LG Earbuds have bright sound signature, but personally I think they are overly bright, to the point that Paul Klein's voice (LANY), sounds overcompensated and metallic. They pierce your ears with abrasive harshness and those "S" sounds like a rattlesnake just wondered in your ear for no apparent reason. Comparing them side by side, Blush is just really tastefully done. The warmth of its lows up to the really good treble tuning, there is no way that LG comes out on top.
Qianyun Qian39: Winner (Qianyun Qian39) This is a tough battle and a close one to be honest. The Qian39 has better presence on lows, better sense of body, full; whilst Blush offers a deeper, better textured bass. In the midrange we have a smooth, clean tonality which serenades you on Qianyun Qian39, on the other hand; Blush showcases the natural character of vocal transients, is articulate and has arguably a "real" tonality. We go to the highs and both have different strengths as well, Blush provides a better initial bite; sparkle, while Qian39 has the edge on percussive decay and micro-detail. So who wins? The Qian39 wins in my book because of two downsides that Blush has, the mid bass bleed into the midrange, and the better more intimate positioning of Qian39's vocals. Our pink-colored challenger suffers from too much mid-bass and masks some of the early midrange notes, whilst the well-known sleeper buds provides a smoother and arguably better mids transition. If however, you are in fashion for listening to a more raspy tuning, Blush should be your go to more so than Qianyun.
Tingo TC200 Old: Winner (Tingo TC200 Old) We again pit our
#lokal earbuds against one of the famous chifi budget kings: Tingo TC200 Old. The bright chifi earbuds has a formidable reputation in providing a holographic soundstage, considered by many to be impressive at the price of 5 USD/250 Php. Like Blush, TC200 offers articulate mids and natural vocals, they also both sport a tight sounding bass, but our challenger has deeper, full-bodied lows. Listening to them side-by-side, you can hear the edge of TC200 if ever so slightly in terms of imaging and soundstage. The TC200 also offers better micro-details and sparkle, though I can safely say that the initial bite of cymbals and hi-hats is still better on Blush. Again, the losing moment for Blush is its midrange bleed. Despite having the better, full sounding lows; they are maimed by the dreaded bleeding on bass heavy tracks or tracks that have recessed mids. Properly controlling the mid-bass might be the key to make Blush a glow among entry-level earbuds.
Conclusions:
The Blush will never fail you no matter what genre you stick in it. It will never fail you if you so desire to bang your head against the wall with boomy genres such as electro and dubstep. It also won't let you down with the laid back Ballad genres and lofi cafe "sip and chill" type of music. Do I recommend it? Yes, especially if you are looking for a #lokal earbuds that won't break your pocket. They do exceptionally well for casual listeners and I can safely say that your grandfather would rock with them playing Bon Jovi or Led Zeppelin. They can sometimes feel congested on complex tracks, and those lows can mud down your hip-hop albums, but it won't hamper you enjoying the music at all. For an entry-level price of just 14 USD/700 Php, Joe Arranchado of Just On Earbuds made a well rounded and frankly exceptional earbuds that everyone may enjoy.
If you want to get some, feel free to give his page a visit:
Just on Earbuds
