Blur 256 PK32 Earbud Review

Introduction

After ~300 hours of burn in period, I can finally write something about this earbud. First of all I am neither a pro reviewer nor a veteran in this hobby. I am just another random guy wanting to explore and learn more about audio gear. My knowledge and experience are definitely lacking so keep that in mind while reading this unprofessional and inexperienced subjective review. Pardon my bad English too.

Blur is a custom or assorted earbud made by the well known and praised Wong Kuan Wae (at least in Earbud Anonymous group). My model is very limited and in fact it’s the only one that has been made. The shell is a PK-typed with 32 Ohm 14.8mm dynamic driver. The cable used is 4 Core Litz OCC which is thicker and stiffer than currently available 266 cable which is then terminated into 4.4mm gold-plated balanced plug. Naming of this 256 cable is quite complicated compared to the usual naming system Wong used like in the 266 (133 + 133 wires each channel). So I won’t be explaining about that. I don’t have Blur 266 and 173 PK32 to compare with mine but Wong did said mine sound fuller and has bigger soundstage. This is due to the 256 cable and which later on is used for tuning the also limited Blur White Face PK16 basshead variant. So how does it sound?

Tonality

The overall sound is balanced across the frequency with slightly warm tone. But if I compare it with my friend Blur daBass (older basshead Blur model), mine is brighter or perhaps neutral (between warm and cool) which is exactly what I requested at first. This earbud surprisingly has sub-bass presence although not as rumbly as IEM (like Sony MH755) but perhaps more like headphone in presentation (although I don’t have one). Bass here is really satisfying and addictive. It has just perfect bass quantity and slam for me. Not lacking not overbearing which is enough to showcase the low notes and details when the appropriate instrument is playing. Coming from a bright with linear bass IEM, this earbud made me realize how important bass can be because I can hear some low frequency notes and details that I have never heard in some songs.

On midrange (the strongest part of this earbud) lower mid is slightly boosted which provide the note weight, body and fullness to the overall sound. Meanwhile, upper mid is much more boosted which give extra clarity and energy to the sound. However, the caveat is high pitched vocal (either male or female) can be slightly peaky depending on the songs, volume, and the source (DAP, DAC/AMP, etc.). Putting that aside especially in well recorded songs, I honestly never heard this much clarity in the vocal and midrange instrument in any earphone I’ve tried. Amazing.

Being a slightly warm tuned earbud, treble is the weakest part of the frequencies which is absolutely fine. Me being a treble-head, not to say it’s rolled off but rather smooth and polite but still comes with adequate treble energy and details. In fact, it has more airy sound compared to Blur daBass. Most importantly it has no harshness and no sibilance whatsoever.

Technicalities

Soundstage is the most outstanding one. It is wide, deep, and tall when called upon depending on the track being played. What is unique to me is the soundstage is very spacious that I can feel the space despite there is not much air or upper treble extension. This makes the soundstage effect to be accurate rather than constantly big or small and hence, a studio recorded song will sounds like you’re in the studio while live recorded song will sounds like you’re in a concert or hall. Consequently contributing to superb imaging presentation. However, vocal presentation or position is not very intimate and sometimes some sounds can be a little bit too distant probably due to the spacious soundstage.

Resolution and details are very very good. I can’t really say whether it has a TOTL resolution since I don’t have any other flagship level earbuds to compare it with. But being my most expensive earphone to date ($170), I can definitely say this earbud is more resolving than any earbuds or IEMs I have tried before. Detail is also great in which midrange detail being the most impressive one then bass detail in second and treble detail in the last.

On transient response I can’t really say much since I don’t understand that much yet. But what I can hear is the decay is slightly shorter than I usually used to but still in the territory of a dynamic driver instead of a BA driver. However timbre is far from BA like driver. It is still very natural but not the best in my opinion. Transient attack I would say sufficient enough for the driver to give an energetic sound especially in the bass region. Instrument separation however is probably the weakest sector in the technicalities. It doesn’t have the best layering therefore in complex section in badly recorded songs can sound slightly congested. But still the best I’ve heard for an earbud. Maybe my expectation is little too high for a single dynamic driver that is being enclosed in an earbud form.

Comparison

Blur daBass is – warmer, slight midbass bleed, more bass punch, less forwarded upper mid, more intimate vocal, less clarity and airy treble, similar technicalities except tiny less soundstage depth and slightly faster/ energetic sound (transient).

VE Zen Lite is – much much warmer (dark?), slightly smaller soundstage, harder to drive (120 or 300 Ohm?), other departments are not better than Blur.

Fengru Tingo TC200, Tingo TG38SA (300ohm), RY4S MMCX (300ohm), Ksearphone Nameless, JCALLY EP08, Sennheiser MX375, Edifier H180 are – simply not comparable 😅.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Blur 256 PK32 is a fantastic sounding earbud in my opinion. Wong’s tuning really caught my heart even though I’m more of a treble-head person. He made me understand what is a well balanced sound is because every part of the frequency is just right. The presentation is big, dynamic, musical, and natural. To me Blur house sound is meant for pure music enjoyment rather than chasing for raw details that are unintentionally recorded by the sonic equipment. What I can finally say is I am now a #blurliever. So hear it to blurlieve it as the maker always said.

Miscellaneous

Source pairing: Sony ZX300 (best synergy), IFi hipdac, E1DA 9038S, Apple USB C, Redmi Note 8.
Tracks tested: Too many to list 😅
PS: Thank you Edmund Chan for the Zen Lite and Blur daBass. And special thanks to Sir Wong Kuan Wae 🙌🏻👏🏻.

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