BLON Z300: An Heir To The Throne?

Puff, The Magic Dragon lived by the sea, And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee. 

--a line from the song, Puff The Magic Dragon by Peter, Paul & Mary.

So how is that quote supposedly related to this product? Well, BLON is known as Bao Long in the Chinese market which means "Jeweled Dragon" or "Treasure Dragon" (But not a magical one like Puff, so forgive my unnecessary and unrelated insertion of this one). We already know BLON with their famed BL03 and a misspelt tagline "Oppoty & Driams" which leave me flabbergasted despite that they corrected it on the Z200. (Please check out the review of this one later after this assessment, there's a provided link below)

This is Z300, BLON's latest offering and it is a collaboration effort between them and Chris Ballard also known as a Hawaiian Bad Boy (HBB) as we know him as one of the sought-after portable audio reviewers in YouTube. We in the audio community are quite familiar with his preferred type of tuning on which he believes that it suits well with his library of tracks like classic rock, hip hop and some classicals like Vivaldi. And to think that those types of music genres are also my preferred ones and are also in my library playlist.

Like all BLONs, starting from the BL03 up to Z300's predecessor, The Z200, They always utilises a single dynamic driver set-up and a metal alloy shell chassis which became their staple pattern on producing their models. But this time, Z300 uses a different type of dynamic driver which has a silicone diaphragm instead of Carbon Nanotube on which previous models have.

Its 10mm dynamic drivers are housed in metal alloy made of zinc-magnesium which offers an excellent strength and corrosive resistance with good malleability and machinability. The shells have a gold-plated dragon (Bao Long) on its faceplate which really suits BLON's product theme and identity. The Z300 uses a NX7/TFZ-type 2-pin connector as its detachable mechanism. The stock cable of this one is an improvement over its predecessors as it has

As for fitting and comfort, BLON Z300 probably has the best fitting among the BLON sets that I have tested so far and it decently sits pretty well into my lugholes albeit it's a bit of a heft. It has decent passive noise isolation as it is able to block some external noises from outside surroundings.

The product packaging of BLON Z300 is rather pedestrian as it is unvaried to most products in similar price range. It has a simple, white-coloured small rectangular box with its contents inside the box.

Here are the following contents inside:

● BLON Z300 IEMs

● 4-core SPC cable in a 3.5mm termination plug.

● a cloth sack IEM pouch.

● 3 pairs of grey-coloured balanced bore ear tips of different standard sizes.

● 3 pairs of white-coloured balanced bore ear tips of different standard sizes.

● Instruction/user's manual.

BLON Z300 is an easy to amplify set that a source with decent power output will be able to deliver a sufficient performance. And it also noted that this set scales well on other devices with high performance DAC/amp chips as it gives even more dynamics and a substantial solid note weight.

As for its tonality and sonic profile, BLON Z300 is a warm, V-shaped sound signature with boosted bass, recessed midrange and just a slightly elevated treble region particularly on the upper-mids up to the presence part.

Here are some of my observation regarding its overall sound characteristics.

LOWS/BASS:

Since I'm quite familiar on HBB's tuning target curve, he wants a more warmer tuning and low frequencies should have solid and well-texture note weight to give more authority and tactuality on drum bass kicks and basslines.

I perceive the general presentation of its bass that focuses more on the mid-bass rather than to carry through a rumbling sound from its lowest bass region. It gives a more emphasis on note weight on bass drum kick to sound full but it sounds a tad hollow and dull sound while on bass guitars, they have this mellow and hollow sound which give that lack of growl and roar. Bass-baritones fare a bit better as it has that weight that can deliver that dim and wool-like sound characteristic of this particular vocal type. It is also noted that its low frequencies really smudge across to other frequencies that make it really veiled and murky sounding.

MIDRANGE:

Like the previous BLON models, due to that inherent bass smearing, it overwhelms the quality and quantity of the midrange and Z300 still has those characteristics. It warms up a bit too much to the point it affects the clarity, energy and vividness of some female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds. The presentation of the midrange frequencies are notable recess on this one.

Males vocals especially on baritones will have its plush and rich characteristics and female vocals like contralto and some lower register mezzo-soprano vocals have its husky, heft and dark tone. Don't expect the sound quality of tenors, countertenors and sopranos as Z300 will not render them properly as they sound dull, lifeless and lethargic.

On instruments, Z300's also affects the tonal quality of instruments especially on strings like violins and guitars as they sound a bit too warm, buttery, austere and soft in my liking. Same with woodwinds like concert flutes sounds too mellow, aspirating and dull as I listen to some orchestra tracks and also some random Jethro Tull tracks. Percussives are somehow decent on this one as toms and snare drums have that hard and booming sound from them while chordophones like pianos have a more warmer and sombre sound. Bass trumpets and bass trombones fare better on this one as they sound fuller and warmer with darker timbre.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

This particular frequency that this set has projects a rather smooth and relaxed quality from the upper mids to the presence part of the treble region. This will also give you a non-sibilant and zero-harshness that will give us a pleasant listening session but there's an underlying caveat on this one. Due to its leaning towards a more darker sound, it will not have that crisp, clarity and detail that detail lovers and analytical-type of listeners will prefer to.

Cymbals sound soughing and dull on how I perceived it but portrays well the sound of hi-hats with its shortened buzzing quality. The brilliance treble on this one was rather mediocre as it has a modest amount of air that has less sparkle and impeded harmonics.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

I'll be straight on this one, like its previous predecessors, it has a rather meagre technical performance. It has a narrow to average soundstage width but somehow it has a decent height ceiling and an acceptable depth from front to rear.

It has a two-dimensional, typical basic two-channel stereo panning presentation where you will be able to locate the arrangement of instruments and singers but not in a well-pinpoint manner. It has rather a modest separation but layering is apathetic and poorly executed as it is incompetently defining the tonal and frequency layers within its sonic canvas that will be badly performed on more complex music genres like jazz ensemble, movie scores and orchestras.

As for coherency, it performs decently as it delivers a moderate transient speed and decay, and at least I don't encounter any out of phase issues. Regarding its resolution capability It has a more solid macro-dynamics but micro-detail retrieval is a scant one due to its blunted definition on extracting nuances and subtleties from the audio tracks.

PEER COMPARISONS:

KIWI EARS CADENZA

■ While Z300 have a shell chassis made of metal alloy shells, Cadenza shells are made of medical-grade resin. They have a similar amount of inclusions but the product presentation of Cadenza is a bit better.

■ Compared to Z300, Cadenza sound profile has a more neutral approach as it has mild-U shaped tonality. It has less punchy and tighter bass response but it has cleaner quality, it has a more neutral and a transparent midrange with just a sufficient warmth on it and a similar treble response but it has a tad shimmer to give a sense of clarity and detail.

■ On technical performance, Cadenza has a tad better soundstage lateral span, similar imaging aspect, a bit better separation and detail retrieval though it has less solid macro-dynamics compare to Z300.

BLON-03

■ For shell design as both sets have metal alloy shells, BLON-03 has a rather peculiar shell design that proper insertion is impossible to achieve due to its too short nozzle length and fitting will be problematic. Cable is also a mediocre one too.

■ As for tuning, it has warm V-shaped sound signature as it has more boomy and bloated bass response, too warm and too recessed midrange and darker treble that treble air is almost non-existent.

■ Both these models have a mediocre technical performance in my opinion and BLON-03 has a narrower sound field that gives me a congested presentation.

SIMGOT EW100P

■ EW100P shells are made of composite materials and have a smaller size compared to Z300. It takes a leaf-like form factor with a teardrop design on its face plate, it has a lesser amount of inclusions but the product presentation is way better.

■ Its tuning is more of a Harman-ish one which has a leaner U-shaped sound signature. It has more emphasis on the sub bass, a tad recessed, spare note weight and transparent midrange presentation and a more accentuated upper mids to presence treble region which makes a contrasting sonic profile with Z300.

■ When it comes to technical capabilities, EW100P has an edge as it has average sound/speaker stage and better separation and layering. Even detail retrieval on EW100P is even better than Z300.

It seems that BLON still takes some cues from their previous products. But finally, they made a good decision to take a sensible approach on implementing an improved shell chassis design which gives better wear to its users. So what does this product mean to us as audio enthusiasts? Well, BLON Z300 will not give us a very technical and high fidelity experience as it performs poorly on those aspects but it gives you that fun, engaging and musical for a more casual listening enjoyment.

BLON Z300 is now available at LINSOUL, you can visit the provided unaffiliated link below.

★★BLON Z300 - LINSOUL★★

You can check out my reviews on other BLON product:

● BLON Z200

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: BLON Z300

IMPEDANCE: 28Ω

SENSITIVITY: 115dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.25M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 3.5MM

DRIVER UNIT(S):  1 DYNAMIC DRIVER

PROS:

△ Solid build quality metal alloy shells.

△ Finally, a huge improvement over BL03 when it comes to fitting and comfort.

△ Good quality stock cable.

△ Warm, analogue-ish tonality.

△ V-shaped sound signature that will be enticing towards a majority type of listeners which prefer a more casual tuning.

△ Smooth and inoffensive treble response.

△ A highly recommended for treble-sensitive blokes out there as there will not a hint of harshness nor sibilance.

CONS:

▽ Like all BLON sets that I've tested, bass bleeds that smears across other frequency ranges. Too warm for my liking.

▽ Subdued detail and clarity due to its dark tuning.

▽ Certainly not for neutral heads due to a more coloured tonality.

▽ Below average sound/speaker stage, I have a great dislike on narrow and congested feel on my listening session.

▽ Poorly-rendered layering capability. (Good luck for complex tracks)

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

Type O Negative - Black No.1 *

Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **

P.S.

I am not affiliated to LINSOUL or BLON nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to Daniel Miguel a.k.a [USER=554028]@Berry108[/USER]  for lending his review unit to me. I truly appreciate his generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.