KB Ear Little Q Earphones Review – Small Enclosure, Big Performance

First Impressions

The KB Ear Little Q came packaged in a white carton box with a corrugated design. The presentation is rather simplistic, and nothing stands out that catches my attention, which is reasonable given its price.

The included accessories were minimal, which were just a couple of extra pairs of ear tips and nothing more – no carrying pouch or anything, which is a bit of a bummer as similarly-priced included a lot more accessories as compared to the KBEar Little Q.

Build Quality

While the packaging and accessories were a bit disappointing, the KBEar Little Q makes up for it with its build quality.

This IEM features an aluminum alloy shell that’s lightweight and sturdy. It has that high-quality feel and despite having a pretty simple design, it was well-executed. Because of its weight, the KBEar Little Q is effortless to carry around, making it an excellent pair of earphones on the go.

Its cable is also quite decent. It feels much more durable than those typically seen on budget earphones. It also doesn’t produce the irritating microphonics that cheaper cables have, plus it’s less prone to tangling.

Fit and Comfort

Even though it has an aluminum alloy shell, the KB Ear Little Q is very light and comfortable to wear in the ears. The shape and the length of its shell are just right and don’t cause any discomfort. The cable also doesn’t cause any discomfort as it doesn’t have any microphonics even though it has a rubbery texture.

Meanwhile, the stock ear tips are your typical budget ear tips but they still do a great job of providing a decent seal and secure fit to the ears. The material used for the ear tips is comfortable as well.

Sound Quality

Regarding the sound, the KB Ear Little Q has a noticeably strong and heavy note weight, producing a girthy presentation with its bass and lower mids. The vocals are very forward for a V-shaped sound signature. 

Although the Little Q can be mistaken for having a U-shape sound signature, it still has a recessed midrange, which keeps it classified as a V-shaped IEM. I also noticed that it’s a bit harder to drive, which is a recurring theme for IEMs with a smaller driver size.

Bass

The bass of the KB Ear Little Q produces a well-balanced and well-controlled performance between its sub-bass and mid-bass regions. The sub-bass presents a decent amount of depth and resonance, which can be attributed to its extension. The mid-bass, on the other hand, features impactful slams and a tight response.

One flaw that I found with the bass performance is that the mid-bass occasionally bleeds to the lower mids, which can affect the presentation of the instruments or vocals in this region. This highly depends on the demands of the tracks that you listen to. 

If you’re listening to some bass-heavy tracks, the mid-bass bleed is noticeable. Otherwise, the mid-bass bleed doesn’t happen that often.

Mids

The KB Ear Little Q surprised me because the mids are less recessed than the typical V-shaped sound signature. The mids also present good note weight, adding body to the instruments and vocals in this frequency.

The mids take a toll from the mid-bass bleed, which causes problems with how the mids produce details and clarity on instruments. It can also affect the vocals.

On its own, the mids are natural-sounding. They’re also warm with no weird tonality, although the clarity takes a bit of a hit due to their warm presentation.

Treble

The treble of the KB Ear Little Q is surprisingly not fatiguing. It’s also not as elevated as I expected. It also shows no signs of being sibilant or harsh frequencies affecting its performance.

One thing that I’d like to point out is that the treble lacks fullness while still maintaining a presence in the mix. The treble has a more rounded or slightly rolled-off sound than a bright or biting tuning. The treble extension is relatively short and can only be observed on cymbals and bells.

Test Tracks

I’ve tested the KB Ear Little Q on different genres of music to get a proper understanding of their sound and here’s my analysis.

• Metal / Rock – The instruments had a bit of a colored presentation. The guitars presented good texture and girth, while the chugs were clean and tight. The bass remained impactful and had a fast response that worked well with the demands of the tracks. Tracks used: I Don’t Love You (My Chemical Romance), All The Small Things (Blink 182), Ignorance (Paramore), Cold (Korn), Cliffs of Dover (Eric Johnson)
• Pop – The bass response was quick and tight, complementing the groovy beats of the tracks. The bass presented good balance and a decent note weight. The vocals were well-positioned and occasionally suffered from midbass bleed due to the elevated bass but it didn’t happen as often as you’d expect. The micro details were evident in the highs, with the cymbals and snares having a treble extension. Overall, the Little Q had a detailed performance with great clarity on the vocals. Tracks used: Snooze (SZA), As It Was (Harry Styles), Yours (Maye)
• Hip-hop – The bass performance that the Little Q produced for this genre is phenomenal. The sub-bass had ample amounts of rumble and a decent depth, making instruments in that region a lot more prominent and present in the mix. The macro details were quickly presented, and the snare hits and bells had excellent clarity. The tuning and tonality did well in producing a fun and entertaining sound for the test tracks. Tracks used: LOVE. (Kendrick Lamar, Zacari), sdp interlude (Travis Scott), I Wonder (Kanye West), Superhero (Metro Boomin & Future)
• R&B / Soul – Even for an IEM with a V-shape sound signature, the mids of the KB Ear Little Q weren’t as recessed as the vocals were a lot more present in the mix. The bass on the test tracks was prominent and impactful, with enough rumble and resonance, which makes for a more colored bass presentation. Tracks used: LA FAMA (Rosalia, The Weeknd), Blessed (Daniel Ceasar), Moonlight (Kali Uchis), Traingazing (Sam Wills ft. Honey Mooncie), Always (Daniel Ceasar)

Conclusion

The KB Ear Little Q is a fun little IEM, with its most substantial feat being its entertaining presentation of the tracks. The less recessed mids also sound good as it complements the other frequencies nicely. It has a small and sturdy construction that makes it easy to carry around.

The performance of the KBEar Little Q is impressive for its price as it shows minimal flaws with its sound quality. Overall, it’s a great IEM for casual listening while on the go.

This post was last updated on 2023-11-28 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.