BLON x HBB Z300 - All About That Bass

 3⭐️

+ Bass quantity

+ Great build quality and design

+ Stock cable

- Bass quality (bloated)

- Sibilant at times

- Treble lacks extension

- Struggle with complicated tracks

thaslaya's star rating system:

☆☆☆☆☆ - Fantastic!

☆☆☆☆ - Recommended

☆☆☆ - Sound for thee, not for me

☆☆ - Can't see the appeal

☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer: 

This product was purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Gear used: 

● LG v30+

● Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra

● Hiby FC4

Source:

● Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.

Introduction:

Hawaiian Bad Boy (HBB) is an audiophile YouTuber and reviewer. He has done quite a few tuning collaborations with different iem manufacturers. Most of his sets are very bass heavy and oriented toward the low end. The Blon x HBB Z300 contains a single dynamic driver and is indeed very bassy. It is currently priced at $35 on Amazon. Let's break it down and see what $35 can get you.

Build, fit, ergonomics:

The shells are constructed of metal and have a nice heft to them. They feel very premium and have a great durable build for only $35. They are available in 2 color options (gold or cobalt blue) and feature an artistic dragon design on each faceplate. The stock cable has a premium look and feel and is available in 3.5 or 4.4mm termination (I opted for 4.4). It's one of the nicer stock cables I've recieved with an iem under $50. There are 6 sets of silicone tips and a small carrying bag also included. Overall the accessories are adequate and about what I'd expect for the price tag. The nozzle length is on the shorter side which might cause fit issues for some. I did have to do a fair amount of tip rolling and settled on medium Penon Liquer orange tips for the best seal. 

Sound impressions:

The soundstage has good depth but the width is just average. It could benefit from more width to have better separation and allow the frequencies room to breathe. They aren't great at detail retrieval or very resolving but to be fair that's not what this specific tuning was made for.

●Lows - The bass hits right away and seems to never let up. If bass is your thing then the Z300 are probably right up your alley. Sub bass rumbles deep and mid bass has good punch and impact. There is a fair amount of bloat and bleeding into the mids on certain tracks. It's not a very fast bass and has a slower decay that seems to linger. Usually I associate a fatiguing profile with too much treble but in this case the bass wears me down over time and my ears need a break. It's not the quantity but rather the quality. I enjoy big bass but it needs to stay in it's lane and not completely dominate the other frequencies. Even with more easy listening tracks from Adele and John Mayer, the bass is constant and never let's up. 

●Mid - I was afraid the big dominant bass would push the mids back too far but to my surprise they aren't actually that recessed. Vocals are clear and positioned just a bit forward on the stage. There can be a hint of shoutiness in the upper mids at times depending on listening volume. The bass bleeds and muddles up the whole lower mid range.

●Highs - To be fair if you're listening to an HBB collaboration you're probably not interested in the best treble presentation. There are a few problems here. The highs roll off too early. The lack of extension hinders the overall presentation of the treble. It makes the sound more congested. Also, there is sibilance at times. Treble sensitive folk like myself will find the S's and cymbal crashes to be harsh on certain tracks.

Summary:

At $35 the Blon x HBB Z300 lies in a crowded tier. If you're a basshead on a budget these might be a good one to try. The build quality is very nice and competes with iems double and triple the cost. They deliver a big bass experience but don't expect the best technicalities, treble extension, or overall tuning in this price bracket. In my case they worked best with rock, hip hop, and chillhop. If the budget can be pushed higher to $50, I would reccomend checking out the Juzear Clear. In my opinion, the Clear are superior across all frequencies and have better technicalities, a more premium design, and the best stock cable under $100.