KSEarphones Bell-LB/S (Temperament)

disclaimer:  A big thank you to Awedyo Audio who introduced me to several new models while at THE Show in Long Beach CA earlier this year.   Richard was kind enough to let me try several models including some beta versions of things (more on those soon) and a couple brands I hadn’t run across before.   If you live near their shop, be sure to check them out  and if not, check out their online store.   KSearphones was one of the brands that Richard introduced me to as I had not had the opportunity to try out any of their products prior to that and shortly after the show,  he sent me the Temperament to audition and review.    I have no financial interest in Awedyo or KSEarphones nor do I profit from reviewing these products.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The box is matte black with only the word temperament in gloss black centered at the lower edge of the box.   A label on the side gives a bit more details about what is hiding inside unfortunately for me, most of the information is in Chinese which I have very little skill with.  Lifting the top of the box reveals the earbuds in foam surround at top and a flap hides the cable, earhooks, carrying bag, manual, and foams.   There are 8 sets of foams including both donuts and solid foams in black and white.    The carrying bag is simple but uses a thick material that affords some padding.  The manual is very thin and again most of it is in a language I have no fluency in.

 

Build/Fit:

The earpieces are made of a magnesium/aluminum alloy in a stepped cone shape with a rounded back and a short tube where the cable exits.   The cable exit has some airspace around the cable so doubles as the driver’s rear vent.   The grill is stainless steel with concentric circles of pin-hole ports to allow sound through but block dust, and wax.   These are not waterproof or sweatproof due to the open nature of the face and rear vent so some care needs to be exercised around water.   Despite the metal build the earpieces are fairly light and if wearing during strenuous exercise the provided earhooks come in handy.   When not exercising, the earpieces can be worn tip-down with great comfort although some microphonics are transferred to the ear when wearing them in this style.

 

Internals:

The Bell-LB/S uses a 15mm dynamic driver developed in house using a polycarbonate diaphragm, a titanium suspension, and n52 magnetic structure with a CCAW voice coil.  The resulting driver is both quick and rigid with near 1 tesla of magnetic force driving the ultralight diaphragm.   The housing’s aluminum/magnesium alloy is also designed to help minimize resonances and is integral to the sound quality produced.     Nominal impedance is 80Ω with a sensitivity of 105 dB/mW (±3) and a frequency response of 10Hz-40kHz.   I found the Bell-LB-S best powered with sources with good power and while some dongles worked fine, others had less usable volume range than I prefered so most of my testing was done using the Astell & Kern Kann Maxx on medium gain.

 

 

Cable:

The cable is fixed with the lower end being cloth covered and the upper above the splitter instead using a soft rubber coating.  Wire is Oxygen-free copper and silver plated oxygen-free copper mixed to ensure the best signal transfer, and the jack is gold plated as well for corrosion resistance.   The Jack is the 3.5mm straight type with a silver metal housing and a short black plastic relief before the cable exits in its black cloth housing.    The splitter matches the jack with a short relief below the brushed metal splitter and a black bead style chin-slider above.   Cables enter the earpieces at the bottom rear of the bell shape and have a short metal stem to protect the entry point.

 

Sound:

 

Remember that with earbuds the FR doesn’t represent what is heard and most models have extremely elevated bass as is seen here.  With the non-sealing design of earbuds, the bulk of that bass never makes it to the eardrum so although the FR looks very bass heavy, what arrives at the ear is considerably more balanced.

Bass:

There is some sub-bass that reaches the ear, but it certainly is not elevated and while depth is good, the open nature of the design means the vibrations don’t reach the ear and sub-bass is limited by that.   There is considerably more mid-bass that reaches the ear and here we have good levels of detail and nuance with good transparency to go with it.  Don’t expect big punch as even with more of the mid-bass arriving at the ear, it is not going to rival sealed designs in impact and thump.   If you like earbuds, the bass will strike you as typical or a bit better than typical for models in this budget range.

Mids:

This is why you buy earbuds, the mid-range does arrive at the ear in quantity giving vocals a great natural tonality with good weight.  Both lower vocals and their higher counterparts are really well rendered making the Bell-LB/s a good choice for acapella or choral arrangements.   Most instruments have good tonality as well with guitar, strings, and piano all sounding good.   My favorite was acoustic guitar in the form of 40 Fingers guitar quartet as each instrument is easily identifiable in the mix and yet the whole blends well with good coherency.    There is a small lift of the upper-mids that helps bring higher voices to the front, but it doesn’t push them so far forward as to be unnatural.

Treble:

Lower treble has good energy and brings a solid amount of detail into the mix but can be a bit sharp edged if tracks are mastered on the hot side.   Percussion snap is good, snare has good rattle, and cymbals have enough energy to sound quite good.   There is some grain to the treble with a bit of a drop off above 7kHz and then a resurgence around 12kHz.   The tuning gives the Bell-LB/S good treble extension without wandering into fatiguing territory.   Overall air and sparkle is good and walks the border well.

Soundstage / Imaging:

One of the things I love about earphones is the stage.  There is some magic to non-sealing designs both in-ear and over-ear and much like their open-backed headphone cousins, earbuds offer the best soundstage of the in-ears (on average).  The Bell-LB/S does not disappoint in that regard and while some like the Lyra classic have more depth to the stage, the Bell LB/S is no slouch.  Seating the orchestra is straight forward with no big gaps or overlaps, but it does seem a bit wider than deep.   Imaging is also good with movements easily tracked around the space and positions well defined in space.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

I love a good earbud as they present a very different soundscape than sealed in-ears with better staging and a more natural tonality.  At least the better ones do.  The problem has typically been that at the low end you had models like the Yincrow X6 that were decent but not all that inspiring and then at the upper levels there are really outstanding models like the Astrotec Lyra series but prices are high enough that many aren’t likely to spend that amount to find out if earbuds are for them.   The KSEarphones Bell-LB/S is a good middle ground being a decisive step above the entry level Yincrow and VE models while maintaining a price ($40-50 USD depending on sales) that is much more accessible than some of the other models I have tried.   It has a good neutral signature with the tonality that earbuds are famous for.  It sounds natural and effortless in its delivery, stage rivals open back headphones, and one can enjoy their music and retain situational awareness.  The addition of the earhooks makes them more practical for joggers as worn tip-down they do translate some of that movement to the ear.   As always with earbuds, bass heads need not apply as it won’t make them happy, but for those looking for a pleasant organic sound will find this a hot ticket item.    Recommended, get yours at Awedyo Audio.