BLON BL-30 $110 70mm driver headphone

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Philimon, Dec 26, 2020.

  1. Philimon

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  2. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    FR graph source found. On that page the product is slightly different using pleather pads.
     
  3. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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  4. Philimon

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    Antpage did a nice teardown. Thank you
    Reddit thread.

    Could be a good value modding platform with an interesting driver like the t50rp.

    Edit: Antpage thread looks to be same guy as in hifiguides. So its mostly repeat but easier to read.

    Edit: Ordered x1 from Linsoul with express shipping.
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
  5. Philimon

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    Comes in a nice carry case. Smells strongly of paint or whatever. Fresh! All metal finish is appreciable, like a 4XX. Comfort is getting some bad remarks around the internets due to bad design: headband small, cup cant rotate fully because gimbal hits cup lip, which all leads to the shallow pads being unable to seal well for some people. Ive not tried headphone yet personally - just verified operational and to burn-in. Impressions and fr measurements later.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Philimon

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  7. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    What's that look like? 4XX
    [​IMG]

    Can only briefly and improperly listen because the fit issues are true. Currently trying to bend headband to my will. Those brief and improper moments sound promising though. I liked the 4XX btw besides the planar plasticky timbre.
     
  8. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Bending headband with hands works out well enough. Large but shallow pads dont contour face well so obtaining seal might be issue for some, though I dont know how important it is to have seal with these velour pads. Angled pads would be nice.

    Very quick listen before dinner: bass is deep and impactful. Linear through mids as can be seen. Treble is uneven, but no sharp peaks. If you look in 4XX thread, some pad rolling helped smoothed out treble so hoping pads will be an easy mod. Doesnt sound grainy or bloated. Resolution is I dont know yet, was focusing on bass. I listened to some electronic music I used to enjoy with 4XX and the bass didnt sound as clean but thats like a planar specialty I guess. Uneven highs will have to be addressed. But two hurdles, boomy bass and painful highs BL30 passes.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2020
  9. Philimon

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    Listening to more familiar non-electronic music and it sounds weird, that upper midrange dip maybe. Sounds like somebody mistook tone control for volume knob. I applied generous eq at 2kHz but it didnt sound great and pretty swiftly ended up with ear fatigue. Idiot.

    Going to order an assortment of pads. Ill edit this post with links to pads I order in case anyone else is following and dont want to repeat. While those ship I will tear down and see if some random mods can help, such as grill removals front and back.

    EDIT: Besides the weird upper mids, these do sound very interesting. They sound big, which is not unexpected, but actually hearing it is pretty cool unless you're coming from Audeze or something then these probably aren't anything. Resolution is good but also kind of hard to judge with odd frequency response... I'd say bass thru lower mids sound plenty delineated.
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2020
  10. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Right before ordering some pads I realized I might have some pads at home that might work. But first:

    BLON BL-30 no pads
    BLON BL-30 no pads.jpg

    Was about to start tearing down headphones, but the driver dome looks fragile as paper. I'll not take off front grill for now
    [​IMG]
     
  11. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    Any chance of seeing what's behind the driver? Might pick up a pair for myself as a fun modding project. Can't argue with the price, have some ideas...
     
  12. Philimon

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    BLON BL-30 with E-MU teak stock pads:
    I thought the E-MU stock and aftermarket pads might fit but they are tad too small. Maybe they are 105mm instead of BLON's 110mm. I could probably get them to stretch on, but am worried about damaging pads. Would rather wait and order correct size. Tried measurements anyway by wedging pads in between headphone and EARs plate.

    BLON BL-30 emu pads.jpg
    They also sound bad to me.

    @E_Schaaf more pics coming.
     
  13. Philimon

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    BLON BL-30 grill vs no grill.jpg

    Could I tell a difference? Same way I feel with 6XX or 4XX with no grills... Can't say for sure so just leave grill on for protection.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    When re-installing stock pads I noticed that the cups have a second lip/baffle for pad installation, like a t50rp mk3. From what I could tell this doesn't cause an air leak unlike t50rp mk3. I also took a measurement to make sure and didn't see anything weird.

    Edit: I'm going to hold off on ordering pads if you're going to pick one up @E_Schaaf since I know you have all the pads already, so you can just tell me what to get please without wasting a bunch of money with trial and error. :)
     
  14. E_Schaaf

    E_Schaaf MOT: E.T.A Headphones

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    To get to the back side do you have to unscrew anything? I'm wondering how it's all mounted together, how easy it is to take apart and reassemble.
     
  15. Philimon

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    Just for comparison. E-MU teak (with ahl pads) I find a little bright, but tolerable. BL-30 is a little better in this regard and it has as good (or better) bass from memory. E-MU more treble detail with kind of Grado-esque guitars.

    BL-30 vs 6XXm vs E-MU ahl.jpg

    Grills just pop off with prying. Easy
     
  16. Philimon

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    BLON BL30 TTVJdeluxe .jpg

    I didn't tape them down or anything so getting pads centered for measurements/listening is ridiculous. Not seated properly like on a Grado cup, not a proper seal. A little hot at 4kHz, but otherwise not bad. So, I need a 110mm version, but TTVJ would prob charge $110+shipping per pair though.
     
  17. Philimon

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    BLON BL30 HD414 insert.jpg

    HD414 pads inserted into center of stock pad ear holes. Idea is to have less seal. Suck-out still sucks. I'm going to look for 110mm foam pads with extra density like TTVJdeluxe. Maybe make my own flats.
     
  18. Roderick

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    @Philimon have you tried if the plastic piece on the magnet comes off? Looking at the pictures it seems it was added later in production. Removing that would give a lot of options for modding.
     
  19. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    Tried it but could not pry out easily. Its in tight and could not wedge in between for prying. I didnt use a lot of force though because Im worried that I might suddenly pop through and tear driver dome. Maybe if that vent filter paper were removed then it would be easier to get in and pry out. Im not ready to try possibly irreversible mods just yet though.
     
  20. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

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    [​IMG]
     

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