KBEAR KS1

June 2023: After yet again another pair of Sony MXR110's failed on me (one side always goes bad in less than a year) .. the old "100's " i had lasted nearly 10 years .. actually was my first Amazon purchase in 2013 and they failed Sept 2022 after HEAVY use. Well I have been using these KS1's regularly on my walks and I do like them. I may pickup a set of headphones to use since I am in Florida and after awhile (like with any earbud) my ears start to sweat and i rather use headphones when that happens... I still have to say I am more impressed with these KS1's overall and I liked them before I have a pair of (now de-listed) KSN's that were about $15-$20 like these. Just comparing the two, these KBears sound SO MUCH better. I MAY give the KBear KS2's a shot because of my feelings for these, but the KSN's ... they just sound off without HEAVY EQ'ing and with these i just use my standard "V-shaped EQ"... the KSN's have an issue with the mid-mids to the highs where say guitars sound "so far back" and the vocals are WAY TOO forward .. almost "louder" then the rest of the music. WIth my older Sony Mp3 Player with Rockbox firmware, I got those to sound good in one use case (that player) .. THESE KBears just need my standard U- / V- shaped EQ and they still sound better. And when I go after those KSN's ... Those Sony headphones I mentioned dont sound great either... they need help.... so while i love my music I am no audiophile, needing top notch gear. These sound good ... maybe better than the Sony headphones ... the KSN' IEMs that I HAVE anyway just sound so much worse than these. To be fair .... I am POSSIBLY considering picking up another pair of these, with my bad luck with Sony Headphones mid December update: I have to say that with a certain media player and a certain genre i listen to on that, the KS ZSN's do not sound as off as some other players and genres with my usual U to a V shaped EQ (not a sharp V if it is a V) ... but these KS1's just sound so much better when those similiar earbuds just sound "out of tune" ... like the different parts of the song (vocals and music) are pulled back and/or pushed forward in odd ways. I am not going to say these KS1's will please a picky audiophile but ... everything sounds balanced to me ... listening to a NUMBER OF genres just late last night trying my best to do an A-vs-B comparision ... the "worst" the KS1's were .. caused me to go "oh .. this is well balanced but i wish it had a tiny more 'bump' in the base/sub-base" ....I am totally fine with that ... I love my Samson SR850 headphones for instance but they have the same issue .. great sound overall .. well balanced "everthing is where it should be" ... but on say some rap tracks .... it could use a bit more bass. I have NO idea how KBear and "KS" relate to each other ... from the same parent company? .. competitors? ... but when the KS ZSN's sounded off (not TERRIBLE btw ... just off) to me ... between the KS1's cable being just a little bit better in my view and the sound of course .... it felt like the KS1's while i would not say "they are junk" ... it felt like they were a knock-off model of these KBears. in the interest of fairness maybe if 'KS" tuned them better they COULD sound exactly like these. If you are on the fence with earbuds like these ... go with these KBear KS1's update: WIthout just copying and pasting parts of my reviews of a similar product in the same price range (even a few $ more) ... I have to say I am MUCH more impressed with these, over the KZ ZSN Pro's I got ... with the same U to V shaped EQ I have always used with my headphones, and NO TWEAKS to that, these sound really good and impressed me right away ... the KZ ZSN Pro's in the same price range, are not tuned the way I like ... i have to drop the top end (highs/treble) to stop the "piercing sound" on those where you can even hear say cymbals from the drums over most everything else ... or where the vocals are so forward they seem "louder" than the music ... .bass wise ... I have to really bump up the EQ base that was already a U-to-V shape just to get a normal (to me) level of bass .... THESE KBear KS1's do not need any of that fiddling ... do these sound "perfect" or "audiophile level"??? OF COURSE not. When EQ'ed basically .... do they sound as good as my Sony MDRZX's that I love for walking around headphones/earbuds? ... YES I am so happy with the fact I ordered these -------------------- another update: I JUST got a pair of KZ ZSN Pro's that I bought for a similar price to what I got these for and as a comparison with the same EQ settings I have always used and in my view (even if a tad bass heavy at times) ... I dont dislike the KZ's so far ... but I may even consider returning them as they have parts of the mids ... say vocals in alot of my tests (just my own ears and how i think stuff sounds) WAY TOO forward and they are lacking bass by default ... the eartips on the KZ's seem to be the exact same as these KS1's and doing a fast (but admittingly short so far) "A-vs-B" comparsion, I totally like the KS1's better ... everything (again a tad bass heavy at times) is right where it should be with lows, mids, and highs ... the KZ's (the model that some compare to the KS1's) to me doesn't sound as good as these do... but I admit I am still testing those ones out. with that A-B test I mentioned ... as soon as I put these KS1's in my ears with the same song, same EQ setting, same player, I noticed a difference right away -------------------------------------- Update after 3 days of using these out Comfort wise after my say ... 45min to 1 1/2 hour walk during the day/early evening .... 4.5 out of 5 stars from me and not counting KZ's (which I do not have yet but ordered due to a sale and how much I like these KBears ... and a recommendation from Youtuber Dankpods as well), I still say I am not an "earbud" guy, but I do like these. (Forgetting the difference between "IEms ... In Ear Monitors" and "earbuds") I have to say though that the heat and humidity here in the far south of the USA has gone down a bit since the middle of the summer, so that may effect how much I'd take the KBears out and "just let my ear breath" for a moment or two before putting them back in. This is to note that the comfort overall of the default eartips for my ears (note: everyone's ear size is different, so many different ear tips ... which you can buy replacements for apparently.... and i love that), is a-ok. There is part of me that doesn't like things stuck in my ears, but that is not saying these are bad..... this is just my own personal preference. With the way they are made where the driver part sits OUTSIDE your ear canal ... you can push them in just a pitch if you feel them slipping out, but for me i can never "push them in too far" which is a really GOOD thing. Based on what I just said I have to say that while the KBear KS1's have never come close to falling out or anything... sometimes on some tracks, while out on my walks, I noticed the base "lacking" from what I heard earlier ... I then SLIGHTLY (with almost NO pressure) pushed the KBears into my ears "more" and the base came back. With any IEM or earbud that seels the ear canal, the ear tip size vs the size of a person's ear can not only effect the comfort and passive noise cancelling, but also the sound. Too big for ones ears and an IEM/Earbud can sound extra bassy. One thing I noticed is that SOMETIMES there was like an illusion of extra bass over different genres, but that may just be me being a headphone guy, not use to something stuck in my ears. When i listend to genres from Rock to Rap to Smooth Jazz too, I closed my eyes just to really focus and I though "is this too much bass, or is that that I am hearing, just due to my ear canal's being sealed and these ARE balanced sounding?") Only long term use will tell me if the cable will be fine, versus the bad luck I have had with earbuds where within a few weeks of CAREFUL use, one side always stops working. This is one of the reasons, other than sound quality, I had a bad taste in my mouth for earbuds (combined with my genrally good luck with my Sony XZ series on-ear headphones). Sound wise I have to say I am impressed at how balanced these are, but my fear is to OVERSTATE how great these sound. I think these sound good and balanced, but I am sure different similar IEM's that have 5 drivers per earbud (in say the $50 or so ... US prices anyway, range), will sound a bit better. I do not want to say "these are the best sounding things ever! OMG!"... but also if you have experience with earbuds A) Being so bass heavy the mids and highs are VERY WEEK or B) Have had earbuds that ... like many low end earbuds .. are "mids-only" .... THESE KS1'S are not like that. IF anything I think they are a bit bass heavy at times, but that is with a KEY PREFERENCE of the fact that the music player I am using at the time has my usual Sony ZX series headphone EQ settings, which does bump the bass up a bit ... if i really tweaked that for not the Sony headphones but these KS1's I could get it closer to what I like ... in this case the extra bass is TOTALLY my own EQ settings, since i lowered that a bit and the "extra bassiness" I heard at times went down to where I'd like it. That is totally on me/my settings. Update Summary: After Dankpods (Youtuber) recommended these I picked them up and do not regret my choice .. he also recommended different KZ brand IEM's in the same range, which I have ordered and on the way ... I can't say which is better, but unless these KS1's break...even if the KZ's KSN Pro's sound great ... .THESE ARE NOT going back. I even just returned a pair of OneOdio "Hifis" that I was beyond disappointed with the sound and how muddy everything sounded, despite "They sound great" reviews ... I was hoping the KZ1's were not like that too before I got them and glad they are not only not bad ... for in ear stuff (again I have had a bad taste in my mouth for years with this type of earbud)... these are pretty darn GOOD. ---------------------------------------- Original Review: I have to note that this review is still based on first impressions to a degree though I have used two of my main music players and on each (granted I did not change any EQ settings setup for my usual Sony MDRZX100's or Sony MDRZX110's that I admit do not sound great at times but EQ'ed right i think for walking around headphones that dont break the bank, sound pretty good). I have to say that while years ago I use to use earbuds more ... and had a favorite pair of earbuds in my late teen years (not sure if there were tweaked models of this over the years but they are at least close to the Sony MDR-E828LP ... or some variant if there were different models)... trying those as a new pair after my old ones broke on me, the sound really .... pushed me to be a headphone/not earbud guy ... there was like all mids in the new pairs and the prior mention Sonys became my regular headphones. I think he may have mentioned these but I know he mentioned a similar set of earbuds .... Youtuber Dankpods AND a good sale on these made me take the risk of trying these out. I have to say some Video and Amazon reviews do say that these sound more balanced but less "v shaped" (eq wise) then the KBear KS2's ... I cant say I can compare the two of them to say which sounds better. Pros: - Comfort: ... granted that most earbuds do not go over the back of the ear (or at least none that I have had)... I was worried to a point, wearing glasses and how these would feel ... I can totally say that with my sunglasses or regular glasses this was a silly thing to "worry" about... this is a TOTAL non-issue and there are no problems there. I mean I know there is a cord there but it's almost as if there isn't with the way they feel so light. I do have to mention that eartip wise this is subjective and you may need to adjust the ones that fit right for you. I know that having the wrong tips on, may even effect the sound "quality' to a point too. At the time I am typing this, I have not even opened the little bag with the extra tips. The default (medium?) tips feel great. Personally, I may want to take the headphones out and let my ears "breath" for a bit during long listening sessions, though this is NOT an issue with the earbuds ... or the tips ... I'd do this with ANY earbuds (I still am more of a "headphone guy")... I also have had earbuds in the past (not counting those Sony E828's) that really feel like they are going far into my ears and I dont like that ... while providing a great seal for me ... these default eartips DO NOT feel like they are pushing in too far or becoming uncomfortable quickly. This all gets a two solid thumbs up from me on comfort. - Noise Cancelling - Ok ... here is one I have seen people complain and give 1 out of 5 reviews on these for. With these there is NO active Noise Cancelling and I think some people just see "noise cancelling" in the title of the listing and expect them to have say top-end earbud ACTIVE noise cancelling. NOW ... I do admit that this goes with the "get the right ear tips that fit you... " comment ... with the default tips there is (without anything playing) reasonable PASSIVE (just from the seal of the eartips in the ear) noise cancelling and at reasonable (meaning you don't have to have music at full volume) there is VERY GOOD passive NC ... I can barely hear my small black Honeywell fan that is NOT quiet by any means, right next to me, during my testing. REMEMBER nothing is going to truely cancel out loud voices and some noises, though I hear that different Apple and ESPECIALLY Sony's are great for that if NC is at the top of your list of wants. NC wise I give these a two thumbs up as well - Sound Quality - I cant say I have done tons of testing but I have (NOT CHANGING, any of my EQ settings from what I have them set to for my Sony MDR's that I mentioned ... have to note that) testing these with my Sansa FUze+ running Rockbox and my Victure M3 (no matter what I do EQ wise it never sounds as good as the Sansa players I have).... I also have listened to some Rap, Rock, Jazz and Easy Listening in my tests. I am not going to go over the top and say these are the best sounding (note: the eq commment) but without touching my usual settings that bump up the Bass and Treble a tad .... being a fan of a ... say a combo of a U shaped EQ and a V-shaped EQ .... these KBear KS1's sound ... REALLY good. SOMETIMES It can seem like some tracks have a touch too little bass, but other tracks that make me go "wow... that bass is impressive for an earbud" ... EVERYTHING I have listened to sounds clean too ... between the bass/mids and highs ... nothing seems like it's pushed too forward over the other. SO many of the earbuds I have tried since (and even the last pair of those I tried) those Sony 828's were what I used, sound like they are trying too dang hard to prove they have alot of bass, that the mids and highs at best ... at BEST sound very muddy. I know all of these are in the "budget range" so I am not expecting perfect sound, but when headphones do that sort of thing ... I can't use them The LAST pair of Sony 828's I tried a few years back were "all mids" compared to earlier models (and i had a pair that only had one side working, they still sounded more balanced then the new pair I bought). Even if I'd want to touch up the EQ at times for these KBears, SLIGHTLY adjusting the bass or treble perhaps, these sound clear in all three areas (lows, mids and highs), and from what I have heard in my tests,.... the vocals are NOT pushed back like even some headphones I have listened too. I'd say maybe the tuning is a slight u-shaped tuning mixed with a flat tuning and I LOVE THAT. It reminds me of a food dish where everyone can adjust or add sauces or what-not to their taste, on good foods VERSUS a "dish" having too much of one thing or the other, and you have to try to take something "away". These are earbuds of course but ... to a point, considering that ... they have a decent sound stage ... I mean nothing huge "forward and back" like my Samson SR850's but ... a surprise to me for earbuds of any kind. That clean "tuning" has something to do with it too, I think. Putting everything together ... it's not like some earbuds that are "I hear you like bass, so here is all the BASS, even if it sacrifices the mids and highs". This sounds more like "Hey... here is the music you want to listen to .. we may add a TOUCH more Bass and/or Treble by default but not much .... here is your music mostly 'as-is' " Unsure: (not con's but things to note... maybe they will never be cons) - I know all earbuds that are wired have small wires, but these seem to be on that same track and versus the pictures the cord seems smaller than what I was expecting ... THINNER, NOT length wise. I do love the fact that I can replace the cord (what ALWAYS goes eventually for me) if the earbuds themselves are a-ok. Note: putting the earbuds on the wire was really easy but take note that the writing of "L" and "R" are small and while I already have messed things up... if you are careful, it's easy to take the buds off the wire. All you have to do once you know the L and R part of the wire and L and R earbud ... PAY ATTENTION to which way the earbud is facing on like me with one of them .. you can goof up and put it on where the earbud faces OUTWARDS. If you are careful holding the tip of the wire where the prongs are and the earbud and DON'T "just yank them apart" ... it's no big deal to turn that around... but I am always careful with small/thin wires myself. I am not sure how "heavy duty" this wire would be depending on the use-case but the fact that it can be replaced ... was another thing besides the sound quality that drew me to taking a chance on these. I know I probably forgot something, but I think that is all I wanted to say .... as long as someone wants/likes earbuds and do not mind they are wired ... I'd 100% recommend these. I can't of course say if these are better than the KS2's or any of the KZ products I have seen (Youtuber) Dankpods mention but I have gotten some of those bad earbuds that sound awful to me and are made cheaply for around the same price. I know this is the gift giving time of the year and even if someone has some earbuds already, I'd say this would be a great gift idea ... they may even be surprised at the difference between their default earbuds that may have say come with a phone or other device, versus the sound quality with these.

Packaging - The pakaging is quite minimal. You get the KS1's themselves, the cable and three pairs of tips (S, M, L) in a small KZ style cardboard box. I really appreciate the minimalistic packaging. Less packaging material = Less waste. Thats always a plus in my book. Build - A Plastic body up until the sound nozzle, which is made of metal. Although they are plastic they retain a premium look and feel. The cable build and quality is in-line with other IEMs in this price point. It has a resemblance to that of the stock BL03/BL01 cable but with a slightly more robust Y split and a metal L-shape 3.5mm termination. Still I'd opt for a more robust upgrade cable. Fit - Personally I have trouble with most, if not all provided silicone tips and unfortunately these weren't the exception. This is more of a me problem and I don't fault KBear or any other brands for that matter. I opted to use some extra foam tips that I had and achieved a proper seal. Also I chose to use my KBear upgrade cable that I use on my Tri Starsea's after my initial liten with the stock cable. There's nothing wrong with the stock cable and you can do without upgrading it but personally I really like the feel of KBear's 16 core silver plated upgrade cable and use it whenever I have the chance. Once in my ears they just sorta disappear. With the plaatic build you get the benefit of a lighter housing. Of course all ears are shaped different so your mileage may vary. Sound - Simply put these are fun. You get a very well done V-shape sound signature that slightly favors bass. Bass - Bass is nice and tight. Not exactly a "basshead" IEM but I cant imagine getting closer at this price point. it definitely offers a nice thump. Mids- There is some mild bass bleeding into the mids so vocals(specifically male) tend to sound a little recessed but only on more throaty, deeper tones. Female vocals sound natural and non-offensive. The mids, while laid back are still very much present and well articulated. Highs - Highs are not as fatiguing as other V-shape tuned IEMs. For comparison, my Jade Audio EA3's have a similar sound to the KS1's but the highs on the EA3 can get peircing to the point of having to take a break every 30-40 minutes. These do not suffer from that problem. Soundstage/Separation - A more in your head feeling soundstage that extended ear to ear. Not as wide as other offerings for example the Blon BL01 is a little bit wider but the KS1's just do everything else better in my opinion. Instrument separation is good but with the soundstage being narrow as it is, it can be a little more challenging to pinpoint every instrument in a given track. With that being said vocals are upfront and center. Overall the KS1's may very well be the best 20 dollars you can spend on a pair of IEMs so far. These are going to be my new recommendation to freinds and family that may be looking for an intro into better, fun sounding gear.

TL;DR, amazing for the price definitely recommend I was pretty frustrated with the last few pairs of earbuds I had before these. I probably went through three or four different earbuds from different brands in the six months before getting these, every time it felt like no matter how well I took care of them one side would always go out and the audio quality was pretty mediocre too. For only ~8 dollars more than I was paying for those other pairs I got a pair of these and it's lasted me since I got them back in July with no signs of giving out. They also never fall out of my ears and are very easy to untangle if they ever get caught on each other, and the audio quality genuinely impressed me for a pair of earbuds in this price range. If you're looking for a new pair of earbuds for yourself or for a gift, I would definitely consider these.

Okay, there was the first thing I noticed when using these IEMs on my phone: the hiss. -It's especially apparent during quieter and softer parts of a song. Loud, bassy, or more full parts of a song, it's quite tolerable. However, then you hear the next potential dissuasion: the high end frequencies. They can be quite sharp occasionally. Tolerable usually but still very noticeable. -If you want BASS, these IEMs provide a normal amount of it, at least, in relation to the treble. These IEMs should be advertised as crisp high end. These IEMs provide a stereo field. But not to the quality to where you feel like you're in the room. You can definitely tell that you're listening to the music from tiny speakers in your ear. -The feel of these IEMs in my ears is nice. I've got a slightly deformed right ear, but these stay in regardless which is new for me. I bought these IEMs hoping for great sound quality, which I didn't receive. However, I feel satisfied enough in that they are comfortable. I'm still going to use these IEMs for music sometimes. I use headphones at my computer, and I get tired of them. So now I have the backup I've been wanting. Usually I'd use my Dime 3 wireless earbuds but it uses up their battery, which after a year of usage don't last as long, but their sound quality is IMMACULATE. (They're only $25 right now.) I'm keeping these IEMs for one: they fit my ears comfortably. For two: I believe I'll get my money's worth out of them. For three: they produce adequate sound.

Great forum ear band. Great lows and stays in ear.

The Kbear KS1 is a great value. It has good bass and clear vocals. I originally intended to keep these as backup IEMs for my backpack, but the sound is so good that I now use them as my daily earphones. It significantly beats the sound quality of known earphones brands.

Good medium and high. Okay base for IEM. Provides good volume. Go Kbears !

They’re not bad but at this price point I would personally recommend either the Apple EarPods, or the KZ ZSN Pro. These IEMs lack sub bass, but have decent mids and highs, but I would still recommend the other two IEMs I mentioned earlier considering they both have the sub bass that these lack.

Parfait pour batteur, permet un bon son de retour tout en entendant correctement sa batterie sans s'exploser les oreilles

Like most, I was drawn to this product by the YouTuber, "DankPods". Compared to the "Soundcore Life Dot 2" earbuds I have been using, which are 3 times more costly, these somehow sound even wider, and seem to strangely seem have higher fidelity. In terms of comfort, they stay in the ears perfectly due to the cable structure, and sit in the ears so delicately that the user may forget that they are even wearing the "KS1"'s within minutes; or even within seconds even. Not only that, but the actual shape of the earbuds actually lends to comfort while laying down instead of hindering it, which is a major "plus" for myself personally. In terms of sound cancellation, the "KS1"s are also reasonable. I would highly recommend this product. The value is unparalleled.

Cumplió mis expectativas, son cómodos y tienen una gran calidad de audio

Integenstelling tot de beoordelingen is de kwaliteit van deze oortjes zeer middelmatig. En ik heb jarenlang studiowerk gedaan en weet nauwkeurig wat ik hoor.

Buen sonido ,ajuste bueno,buena compra ,lo recomiendo