BLON BL-03 Earphones Review – The Overshadowed Budget King? A Solid All-Rounder IEM

First Impressions

The BLON BL-03 was my first pair of IEMs and having only used free Samsung buds, trying them out was a mystical first listen. 

I plugged the set into a Samsung phone as the source and booted up Spotify. 

The first thing I noticed, even as a total audio noob, was the weight of the notes. The first playback immediately made it apparent that the set had heavier notes than any pair of consumer earphones I’ve tried.

Basically, that was it, until I played ‘Heathens’ by Twenty One Pilots. 

The second thing I noticed was the bass. These things could do bass with a very rich and deep rumble, which I found to be pretty impressive.

Build Quality

These things are built like tanks. 

The BLON BL-03 is made from Kirksite, a material composed of zinc alloy, magnesium, copper, and small amounts of aluminum. 

“Yeah, but what about it?” 

Kirksite is used to make tooling materials and die-cast molds with its near-perfect casting accuracy. When it comes to strength, it’s known as a medium metal – being both strong and ductile. 

This material is one of the most commonly used metals for nutcrackers, which is more than enough proof of how sturdy it is.

In my experience, I’ve slept with the BLON BL-03 on my ears, side-slept with them in my pockets, accidentally dropped them at fairly high heights and accidentally banged them on metal pipes as I was spinning them around – and still not a single scratch on them. 

I’ve convinced myself that these are apocalypse-proof, with no doubt in my mind.

Apart from being durable, these IEMs look stunning. They have an iridescent finish with microscopic glitter which makes them look aesthetically-pleasing. 

Fit and Comfort

As for the fit, the BLON BL-03 has some weird teardrop shapes that might make some people question whether they’re comfy or not. 

To my surprise, they fit really snugly in my ears and feel comfortable to wear. 

I reckon I had used them for 7 hours straight before they started feeling a little uncomfortable.

The fit will generally depend on the type of ear tips you’re using as well as the shape of your ears. I found the stock bullet tips to my liking because how they’re shaped naturally made it possible for them to sit deep inside my ears.  

Sound Quality

Now let’s get to the most important part. 

This pair will surely set the bar high if you’ve never known what quality sound is supposed to sound like. 

Even if you’re unfamiliar with all the audio lingo, the ears will never lie. These IEMs are pretty well-tuned across the frequency spectrum. 

The transient response of these IEMs is fast. Cymbal strikes and snare hits come across as very robust and crisp. 

The sound separation is very well done and is a real treat when you come across well-mixed tracks with a lot of layering. 

The soundstage isn’t really that wide or tall and is still an in-your-head experience. 

The resolution is average but I wouldn’t trade the BL-03’s warmth and great tonality with resolution on any day with this set.

Bass

In discerning an IEM’s bass, you’d need to consider two things: bass quantity and bass quality.

The bass quantity in the BL-03 is massive because of its authoritative presence in the frequency range. 

The bass quality is excellent due to the grungy bass texture and the right amount of attack and decay. 

The bass isn’t too speedy but it’s not slow either. It has just the exact amount for it to complement the overall tuning. It’s balanced as it should be.

Mids

For V-shaped IEMs, these don’t even give you the slightest clue that they are one. 

Without looking at the frequency response graph, you wouldn’t even know that they’re V-shaped and that’s because the mids aren’t scooped out. 

The mids continue a steady graph from the low midrange on 250Hz to the upper midrange smoothly, only bumping up in the 2, 4, and 5khz range. The 2kHz bump may be the reason why the vocal presence on the BL-03 is so good

Treble

The upper midrange is also known as the treble and it continues up to the 20kHz range.

Harmonics and percussion instruments live within this region. With the 4 to 5kHz bump in the BL-03’s graph, the treble has a good bite to it that surprises me until now. 

It’s quite rare for IEMs to be very warm and darkly-tuned, and yet possess sparkly details. 

It still has an extension past the 10khz region and dies down at roughly 14kHz, not extending any longer. 

Due to this graph, the BL-03 has a good airy sound in its vocal playback and contributes to a lot of atmospheric delivery.

Test Tracks

The tracks I used are varied and based on different genres, but I decided to pick a few out for your reference.

• Daddy! Daddy! Do! Kaguya-sama Love is War Opening 1 (Anime) – Truly a benchmark of anime music test tracks, this track showcases the BL-03’s note weight, organic timbre, and sound separation. The vocalist’s dynamics, as well as the mix’s layering, are dance-inducing.
• Sugar, We’re Going Down by Fall Out Boy (Rock) – This track has a section where two vocals sing two different verses at the same time and these vocals can be heard apart from each other. This highlights how, on some tracks, the BL-03 is just amazing with only a single dynamic driver handling all the frequencies. 
• Wachito Rico by Boy Pablo (Alternative/Indie) – The dynamic range of the vocalist makes you enjoy this track, even more so because it has a lot of percussions and rhythm to it. The colored sound of the guitar and the bass riffs in this track works well with the BLON BL-03’s tonality. Overall, a very cohesive and enjoyable listen.
• Starboy by The Weeknd (Pop) – Vocals come in very clean and unmuddied by bass. The layering is very audible, even with the ever-present bass throughout the track. The bass on this track is big and I love it.
• Cry by Cigarettes After Sex (R&B/Soul) – The signature house sound of this track resounds beautifully with tasteful reverb. The song carries you into a very deep and emotional listen. The note weight and treble air is helping this track play as emotionally and effectively as possible. 

Conclusion

The BLON BL-03 is a hidden gem amongst a sea of excellent IEM offerings. 

At $38.99, you get the most cohesively tuned bass you’ll ever hear in any pair of IEMs, even compared to higher-priced models. You’ll also get a clean and lively midrange with treble sparkle and air, plus the durability of a siege helicopter. 

Overall, these earphones are a reliable and fun set to enter into the audio hobby. 

With all of the other products on the market, the BL-03 remains worthy to be listed as one of the best budget offerings on the market.

This post was last updated on 2025-01-15 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.