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TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Blon B50
The Blon B50 were sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. Linsoul have not made any requests or comments and I will do my usual best to be as sincere and unbiased in this review as possible.
You can find the B50, via Linsoul, here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/blon-b50
As always, this is a non-affiliate link.
To avoid being repetetive in my reviews, you can find all the info about how I create the reviews, equipment used, how I receive the products and how to interpret my reviews by visiting: About my reviews
Intro…
I have actually had the Blon B50 for some time but haven’t really gotten around to them until now. As the temperatures start to climb rapidly here, hitting between 30 and 35C every day, I decided it was best to focus on testing these closed back headphones before the heat starts to get, let’s say, uncomfortable.
The B50 are a set of budget oriented headphones by the brand that is more known for its IEMs than over ears, although they do have a few models of headphones, none of which I have tried. This specific set is available for just under 120€ on Linsoul at the time of putting together this review, which, in my opinion, is a very reasonable price for a set of headphones… if they are decent that is.
So, after using the B50 at my desk, finding that they are easily powered by anything with a headphone jack, here are my opinions on these headphones.
Presentation…
I have to say that I was very surprised by the packaging of the BL50, which arrives without even being in a box! The normal brown shipping box used by Linsoul opened to reveal a rectangular semi-rigid storage case just sitting inside.
Opening the case didn’t get any better either. The interior of the case is just an empty space inside which the headphones were placed in a clear zip-lock bag, with the included cable in another zip-lock bag, and a simple warranty/info card.
That is it. I would say that the presentation being sparse would be a bit of an understatement but they do at least give us a storage case and if the savings are spent on the headphones themselves, then I am all for saving on packaging where possible.
Build and aesthetics…
Let’s get the aesthetics out of the way first, I am not really a fan. They have a bit of a retro look going on but, honestly, I think it makes them look more “cheap” than “retro”. I think the main thing that turns me off as far as looks are those large gold diamonds with blue text and decor. These are mounted on solid metal cups that are a darkish grey colour which is not terrible but doesn’t match the metal used on the headband either, making it look like it was put together with random parts.
Moving on to build quality, credit should be given where credit is deserved. There is no shortage of metal used on the B50, with metal cups, yokes and headband, all seeming well assembled and looking like they would withstand quite a bit of abuse. When fully extended, there is a bit of play in the part that extends but it is not bad and I would say that, for 120€, these are very well built.
As far as comfort, this is obviously going to vary from one person to the next but personally I found them to be very comfortable. There isn’t much in the way of adjustment, just some tilt (very little) to the cups and the extension of the headband but in my case they fit well. They are also on the heavy side, which is understandable due to them being completely made of metal, but I didn’t find them tiring, mainly due to the soft pads, decent clamp and the (faux) leather headstrap that just all click into place with my personal anatomy. Again, this is going to be very different for each and every one of us, so it is worth noting that there is no swivel or really much adjustment at all, they will either be comfortable on your head or they won't.
Before moving on, I have to say tha the included cable is quite nice, being superior to many cables received with other headphones at price points above these. It is a simple fabric covered twist which then divides into single 3.5mm connectors, one for each side. It is a lightweight cable that isn’t prone to tangling (or having a life of its own) and, while it may not be a boutique cable, I like it.
Sound…
All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.)
Now on to the important part, how does it does it perform in the audio realm. Well, I’m afraid that it doesn’t do great. There is a strange overall presentation of music with the B50 that is difficult to explain but I will try.
First off, as always, the graph:
I have included the HD6XX just for comparison's sake so you can get a reference as to what the basic frequency response is like. Now it is not really fair to compare the measurements of a closed back headphone against an open back as closed backs rarely measure well (at least the ones that I have measured) and while sometimes the measurements look rather weird, it is possible that the sound is not as weird as the graph would suggest.
As an example, here is another graph comparing the the B50 to the Beyerdynamic Custom Studio, which is another closed back headphone:
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In this case, you can see that the CS measurements are also all over the place in comparison to an open back but these are a set of closed back headphones that I actually find myself using when I need over ear isolation. No, they are not the best sounding headphones I have but they are not terrible either.
But anyway, enough of the squiggly lines and let’s get to how I find the B50 to perform in my subjective opinion, starting off with the subbass.
The lowest frequencies are actually not bad, they do have a bit of a roll off in the lowest frequencies but manage to stay from being too boomy in that low end. My usual “Chameleon” test track is a long way from being the cleanest I have heard but they are still fairly decent in these lower ranges. If you are looking for an extreme rumble in the lowest frequencies then they aren’t going to give you that but seeing that they stay coherent, I can’t really complain.
Midbass actually seems a little hollow, without much presence, which is again not a bad thing. I would rather there be some absence of midbass than an overly bloated mess that some other closed backs have in this area. Although there is a dip around the 200Hz mark, they don’t actually sound like the lower notes are too detached from the mids, avoiding that “separate subwoofer” feeling that I have found with some other sets that have a similar dip.
Unfortunately, as we move up from this range, things get progressively worse moving through the mids and then into the upper ranges. The B50 give a sensation of having holes in the frequency response, with certain groups of frequencies being elevated while others are just not there. This gives a very unrealistic timbre to acoustic instruments and, when listening to more electronic focused music, gives the impression that a DJ has been playing with his effects and forgot to turn the knobs back to neutral.
Vocals somehow manage to be recessed yet peaky and harsh at the same time, going from not being quite upfront to attacking you, all at the same time. This is the case with both female and male vocals, however, females can portray the harshness much more than in the case of males.
Sibilance is present but doesn’t really stand out as much as it would if there weren't other harsher things going on around it. Again, the impression that I get is that some kind of effect has been activated and not removed, this can make certain parts of songs in the upper ranges actually quite painful. I did find myself removing the headphones on occasions until I could change tracks.
Soundstage is actually not too bad for a closed back set of headphones and if it wasn’t for the weirdness in sound, I think imaging would be fairly decent also, but as it stands, it is difficult to locate things accurately due to those dips and peaks in both music and vocals.
Conclusion…
I can’t see the point in going deeper into this review as the Blon B50 just don’t agree with me. I am not sure what went on with the tuning of these headphones but the outcome is… strange.
While I would love to say that they are a good alternative for a specific use case or genre, I’m afraid that I haven’t found it personally. They are comfortable and seem like they will withstand abuse, meaning that you could probably throw these about in a bag and not worry about them but, to be brutally honest, I’m not sure that the weight would be worth it.
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