Blon Z200 - "Lost in translation"

PROS:

• sturdy metal chassis

• fit and wear are somewhat acceptable

• bearable tone and timbre

• price

• non-offensive sound presentation

CONS:

• non-detachable cables

• recessed mids (subjective)

• poor details and texture

• bass bleeds

• oddly angled nozzles

INTRODUCTION:

Blon, is a company that really made quite an impression on the audio community. I will never forget the endless debate and recommendations that I myself witnessed when somebody is asking for a good IEM to start with in this hobby. I myself received this recommendation more than a year ago, and that was the infamous Blon03. My co-reviewer and mentor Eiji Romero saved me from pulling the trigger on Blon03 and instead redirected me to Bqeyz KC2 which I still have with me and still enjoy listening to. I will be sharing my impression and unbias review of Blon’s new installment, the Z200, independently for this is my first encounter with their product. Well as the title suggest, I think we already know where this review is going… 

The Z200 was provided to me FOC by Keephifi in exchange for this honest review. I am not in any way affiliated with Blon or Keephifi. I am not influenced by any form of monetization whatsoever. My reviews are purely out of a passion for music and audio gear and to share my impressions with those who are new and old alike.  

DISCLAIMER:

My opinions here are entirely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this with a grain of salt for we have different perceptions to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:

1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)

2. DAC or dongle or any external amp

3. Ear Tips

4. Cables

5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..

6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth to be considered when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically. 

My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. I leave the technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used to other reviewers.  

SPECIFICATIONS:

Configuration: 1 x Dynamic driver

Impedance: 32ohms

Sensitivity: 102db

Freq response: 20hz - 20khz

PACKAGING:

Inclusions are barebones. Very basic. For the asking price, I cannot complain any further. It is what it is. 

• a pair of Blon Z200

• non-detachable cable

• silicon ear tips in S, M, L, sizes

• a carrying pouch

• documentation

Sound Impressions:

The lows have a substantial elevation, round in sound, slow, and lacking texture. It exhibits noticeable bleeds into neighboring frequencies and while it has good weight and density, it has a tendency to be muddy and bloated. It is not snappy or punchy on some of my favorite tracks and lacks definition. For bass heads, the quantity of lows may suffice. It is a little bit too much to my liking, thus far it can give a good nodding when I’m in the mood for that extra bass.

Mids are recessed right off the bat. They easily get drowned by the lows and vocals are pushed back. It did maintain to sound natural and realistic yet again, lacks that definition I’m looking for. Mids have better edginess compared with the lows. The worst part here is mids are easily lost or out of direction most of the time. 

The trebles share the same trait as the mids. It lacks that defining moment. The good news here is I did not sense sibilance and it is not offensive. Treble sensitives will be safe with Z200. Details are a struggle to follow and hardly heard. Concerning cymbals, hi-hats, and the likes, Z200 has good control over its trebles. The energy here on top is somewhat tamed thus making the Z200 leaning to a warm sound signature.   

Conclusively, the whole sound presentation is somewhat messy for me. The recessed mids is a deal breaker for me and a lot of the instruments relevant to me as a musician are not in the highlight. Again, this is based on my own personal preference. 

Fit & Isolation: 

I’m happy to say that the comfortability of wear is very decent and acceptable with Z200. If I have to really nitpick, the nozzles have an odd angle but it didn’t bother me that much. The shells are somewhat small so when worn, sit nicely on the ears. Isolation is very acceptable as well. Though insertion is a bit shallow, all is good here. Large ears might find the Z200 too small but this is just a presumption. 

Technicalities:

The Z200 offers average technical performance. A little below my personal standards or benchmark but hey, we are talking $15 gear here. 

One thing I would commend is the imaging of Z200. The placement of instruments is realistic and decently good. I wouldn’t bother tackling sound stage, as you know my take of IEMs on staging. Ever since I have tried earbuds, my perception of sound stage changed. If one can perceive sound stage in an IEM, I think it has something to do with the chamber and Z200 having a small housing, it is natural to have intimate and narrow staging. Separation is below average and this set would be purely for casual listening rather than being used on stage or for work-related purposes of a musician. Speed is somewhat mediocre. Z200 struggles with complex tracks leaving me with a muddy experience. 

Conclusively, Z200 is not a technical set and for its asking price, it has many competitors that perform better. 

SOURCES AND GEARS:

• LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)

• Hiby Music player

• UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)

• Tidal Masters subscription

• offline FLACS

• Hidizs AP80 pro

• Deezer Hifi subscription

Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing: 

That’s the way of the World by EWF

Africa by TOTO

The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral

Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent

Sila by Sud

Smooth Escape by D’Sound

Never too Much by Luther Vandross

P.Y.T by Michael Jackson

Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy

Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC

Another one bites the Dust by Queen

Good times bad times by Edie Brickell 

Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans

Ain’t it Fun by Paramore

 Redefine by Incubus

Far Away by Nickelback

Lovesong by Adele

Lingus by Snarky Puppy

Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams

Love Bites by Def Leppard

No Such Thing by John Mayer

As by Stevie Wonder

Whip Appeal by Babyface

Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan

Futures by Prep

Landslide by Fleetwood Mac

Every Summertime by NIKI

SADE tracks

AC/DC tracks

Queen tracks

And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online. 

VERDICT:

The Z200’s performance is not quite competitive against releases this year. It is not a bad-sounding set but sadly, the cons outweigh the pros. The main deal breaker for me is its lack of definition on the overall sound and the recessed mids. Maybe I’m being biased because I’m a mid-centric. The only thing that I can see saving this set is Blon’s avid followers since Blon03. Would I recommend it? I hate to be blunt but sadly, no. There are a lot of competent gears out there if you stretch your budget a bit, will give you much more for your buck. Again this is my personal take and still, I encourage you to audition and maybe find yourself this one is for you. As my first Blon experience, I think Blon needs to step up and change its tactics, instead of just making Blon03 a little better. Step out of their comfort zone and take some risks. 

That’s a wrap and catch you on the next one! Love the music more than the gears and your mileage will most likely vary. Take this with a grain of salt.