Introduction
KB ear China has been one of the most active earphones companies in recent years by producing a wide variety of in-ear monitors that focuses on high sound performance coupled with a budget friendly price that is accessible for all users. With releases such as Diamond, Lark, Neon and many more, they have been very innovative with their design along with their high quality sound that is a staple in their products. With the recent discontinuation of their highly sought-after flagship Believe, they have introduced a brand new flagship earphone to fill that void, the KBear Aurora. The Aurora has been on the radar of portable audio enthusiasts ever since their release and hopes are sky high for this product. Vincent from Hill Audio has kindly sent us a pair of KBear Aurora in exchange for an honest take on this product and we thanked him for this opportunity. Will they be able to bear the flagship lineage of KBear’s Believe and be competent in today’s stacked arena of high performance in-ear monitors? We shall find out.
Functions & Specifications
Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the KBear Aurora :
- Driver unit: 10mm Strong Magnetic Nano Titanium-plated Diaphragm
- Earphone shell: High grade aluminium alloy
- Interface/Connector：2PIN 0.78MM
- Plug type: 3.5MM
- Impedance: 18±2Ω
- Sensitivity: 105±3dB
- Frequency response：20hz-20KHZ
- Cable length: 1.2m
- Cable material: 8 core OFC silver-plated cable without microphone
Retail Price & Where to Get
The KBear Aurora can be purchased at HILL AUDIO – MY for only RM835.00.
Purchase Link :
HILL AUDIO – MY Shopee : https://invol.co/cl792py
Packaging & Accessories
The packaging of the Aurora is simple yet quite elegant with their white based box decorated with a shiny bright blue essence that is just eye-catching. Inside we will find 4 pairs of KBear’s own 07 ear tips with different sizes, a leather based magnetic case, a brush, a polishing cloth for the Aurora as they are mirror polished, a blue 8 core silver-plated OFC cable, a warranty booklet and of course the earphones itself. The package is good but not great like how other companies like FiiO would package their products in this price range but it is good nonetheless.
Design
The design of the Aurora is just futuristic and it looks awesome to my eyes. They are mirror polished and finished with a shiny bright blue on the edges and the branding on the faceplate mimicking the northern lights, the aurora borealis. It looked elegant and in my eyes, it looked way better than the KBear’s Believe but they are a fingerprint magnet also easily scratched like the HZ Sound Heart Mirror. They are slightly big in size but they are very comfortable for me and eartips rolling is easy with their good nozzle design.
The 8 core light blue silver-plated oxygen-free cable matches well in looks with the blue accent of the Aurora. They are very well built with tight braiding and metal parts all over. They are terminated with a 3.5mm single-ended plug with 0.78mm 2 pins plug on the earphone side and both are gold plated. They sounded great with good clarity and extension in the bass department even on other earphones, they sounded pretty decent.
Instead of joining the hype train of beryllium plated or pure beryllium driver, KBear has decided to go for a titanium plated driver that promises a crystal clear performance that matches other high-end drivers.
Gears Used for Comparisons
- FiiO M11Plus LTD
- Audio GD 28.38, dual clocks, Amanero USB
- Questyle M12
- Hidizs S9 Pro
- Beyerdynamics Xelento
- Etymotic ER3SE
- Intime Kira
- HZ Sound Heart Mirror
- Smabat Proto 1.0
- KBear Believe
Songs list
Tone and Presentation
Tone thay the Aurora present is a very well tuned harman-ish V-shaped sound with a great sub-bass presence. It is slightly bright sounding with great details but the resolution is average for the price but they possess great details. It has a warm and smooth sound that is fatigue free which suits a long relaxing listening session. There is a slight colouration to their presentation making this set a fun pair of earphones to listen to while still sounds organic and natural. Attack on these earphones is more to a natural pace and they sounded thick without sounding sloppy or bloated. Their background noise is truly black and they have a very low noise level for in-ear monitors. Overall, the Aurora is a fun set to listen to and they are able to immerse yourself in your music and they are not meant for critical listening in my opinion.
Soundstage
Soundstage that the Aurora presents is a more intimate sound that brings the music closer to your ears. They are a tad bit narrow for their price range but they are still acceptable by sounding quite holographic and their 3D perception has some depth. Height perceived is quite good with a taller sound but they do lack some openness in their presentation. They sounded airy with an average headroom feel but they are intimate to listen to and they provide a very cozy sound profile.
Separation and Timbre
Aurora being a single dynamic driver, it doesn’t incur any problems in their coherency and this earphone has a great separation in their sound presentation. It is very well layered with all instruments and vocals sounded clear with zero congestion. They easily handle busy and fast tracks such as EDM or metal like flagship earphones do. Timbre’s performance is superb and everything sounded tonally correct and accurate with great clarity.
Drivability
Rated at a mere 18 ohms, the Aurora is very easy to drive and they sounded great even with a simple dongle setup or straight from a laptop they sounded great. With a better source and ample power, they scaled up pretty well and helped in their resolution. They are forgiving in the music played even with poorly mastered tracks, they are able to sound great and with high resolution tracks, they sounded supreme. They are a great companion for portable earphones as they are easily driven and sound great even without serious gears.
The Bass (Low)
Bass on the Aurora is the main attraction of these earphones in my opinion as they possess a thick, meaty and authoritative bass response. Clarity in the bass is clear as day and they are filled with details making this earphone a truly fun set to listen to. Bass impact has a clear thump and they have a rumble that does not sound loose at all, instead they are tight and very responsive. The bass is not overpowering by any means but they are just a pleasure to listen to and extend very well while sounding full. They are almost at a basshead level but still very well under control without smearing the midrange. Sub-bass on the Aurora is just awesome and they sounded very natural with their response giving a very well extended sub-bass presence. For EDM, they are my current go-to earphones providing a thumpy impact without any bass bloat.
The Mids
Aurora is a true V-shaped earphone in my view and they do have a recessed midrange but not to the point of an empty midrange, instead they possess a natural warm type of midrange. It has clear mids but I do feel that it lacks some resolution and lacks definition by a small margin but they still sound full sounding without any major hollowness. Vocals male or female have a warm and intimate presence and in acoustic tracks they do shine with good clarity. The midrange here has an emphasis on the upper range and it gives a clearer and brighter presentation to the Aurora. Overall, the midrange is quite accurate and has the presence to stay in the mix and plays well with their bass.
The Highs
The high range in the Aurora is a smooth sounding type of highs and they sounded very pleasant to listen to without any harshness, peakiness or shoutiness present in their presentation. It has a slight roll off in the treble at times but they do extend quite decently and have an airy performance. They have a great sparkle in their treble but lack crispness and for a treble head like me, I do find the treble sometimes a little too polite. The tuning for the treble is actually quite natural and spot on for a more relaxed listening as they are not sibilant in any means possible. Hissing is practically non-existent and they are simply smooth and quite enjoyable with zero fatigue for long listening sessions.
Comparisons
VS Kbear Believe
Believe is a pure beryllium driver based earphone that is very much loved in the audiophile community. They have been discontinued a while back and they possess an U-shaped sound profile that sounded sweet and smoother than the Aurora. Side by side, the Aurora sounded slightly clearer and their sub-bass has a better presence and they extend better than the Aurora
High region in the Believe is crispier, has no roll off and they sounded airier. Aurora’s high range sounded smoother than the mildly aggressive treble of the Believe. Treble details on the Aurora are better but Believe is more enjoyable.
Midrange on the Believe has more presence and they sounded sweeter. Believe’s midrange has better resolution and more body in their vocals. Clarity on the Aurora’s midrange is better though they sounded slightly recessed.
Bass on the Aurora has better impact, better details and better extension especially in the sub-bass region. Believe’s bass has a sharper and tighter slam while the Aurora has a meatier and airier bass slam. Details in the bass are roughly the same but bass in the Aurora sounded cleaner.
Soundstage on the Believe is wider and they possess better height in their performance.
VS Intime Kira
The Intime Kira is one of my favourite earphones for treble performance as they have one of the best treble in an earphone form in my collection. They are from Japan and have a single dynamic driver. They are bright in their signature with a very well balanced midrange and bass. They are priced very similarly.
Highs on the Kira have a crispier, airier and possess more sparkle than the Aurora. They might deter some treble sensitive users but they are sublime in this department for me. The Aurora treble sounded a little too polite for my taste but they are smoother and enjoyable for a longer listening period.
Midrange on the Kira has a more forward signature and their resolution here is better than Aurora. Details and resolution on the Kira is better but the Aurora’s midrange has more body to it versus the slightly thin midrange of the Kira.
Bass on the Aurora has better presence, more body and they extend better than the Kira. Kira’s bass sounded a little more loose than the Aurora. Details in Aurora’s bass are better than Kira’s. Sub-bass on the Aurora has a better presence and they extend better than the slightly thin bass of Kira.
Soundstage in both units has a similar height and width to it but the Aurora sounded slightly airier.
VS Etymotic ER3SE
The legendary earphones makers from the US of A that are known for their accuracy and high resolution sound with just a single balanced armature driver. The ER3SE has better resolution and they sounded dead accurate versus the fun sounding Aurora. They are also priced quite similarly.
Bass on the Aurora has more impact and body to their presentation while the ER3SE sounded neutral but possessed a greater clarity. Sub-bass on the Aurora has a better presence versus the slightly low sub-bass of the ER3SE. Details in the bass region of the Aurora are better by a small margin.
Midrange of the ER3SE has a better performance by sounding clearer, more body and it possesses a better resolution. The Aurora midrange sounded a little warmer and thicker. Vocals on the Aurora are sweeter and lusher but the Aurora sounded more accurate.
High range on both has the same amount and they sounded smooth with ample sparkle in their presentation. Details in the high region on the ER3SE are better but the Aurora sounded more lively. Both lack the crispness but they do have a great sparkle.
Soundstage in the Aurora is slightly better than the ER3SE closed soundstage.
Synergy
FiiO M11Plus LTD
The M11Plus LTD is my favourite digital audio player with their great design and user friendliness. They have a now rare dual AKM’s AK4497eq dac chips with dual amplification by THX. They sounded neutral and warm to start and a pairing great with the Aurora by making them clearer in their presentation. High range in the Aurora sounded more lively and extended a little more. Midrange in the Aurora is slightly boosted making them sound less recessed and sounded more forward in their presentation. Vocals sounded sweeter than before and they gave the Aurora’s resolution a bump. Bass is cleaner while retaining the same tight slam and they sounded more polished with the same uber quality sub-bass performance. Soundstage widens out a tad more with a better height as well. Overall, they sounded great with this pairing and I am loving it.
Questyle M12
The M12 from Questyle Korea is an ultra portable dongle for ultra portability that supports MQA playback. They are a Sabre based chip and they sounded very clean with great details all around. High range of the Aurora on this pairing is superb by giving the Aurora a boost in their sparkle and extension. Treble sounded much clearer and more organic. Midrange remains the same but I do feel that the resolution is slightly better. Bass has a sharper slam with added details and they sounded more polished. Sub-bass has the same amount of rumble but they seemed to extend a little more giving a bigger representation of head room. Soundstage widens out a little but height perceived seems to remain the same. Overall, this is my favourite pairing for portability.
Who Is It For?
KBear has created a flagship worthy product that caters to a fun sounding crowd and those who want a smooth performance in their earphones. They are good for long listening sessions as they incur practically no fatigue even with their big bass. Their bass is simply awesome with a sub-bass that is just reactive and ever so present. Those who are treble sensitive will find the Aurora is a good pair of earphones as they sounded smooth but still retained a high degree of treble quality. They are warm, intimate. lush and just simply fun to listen to, not meant for critical listeners.
Final words
KBear Aurora in my opinion has created a worthy flagship status earphone in their collection. Though I still prefer the ex-flagship Believe as they sounded much sweeter and had a better degree of resolution, the Aurora still impresses me with their great bass response with a substantial sub-bass extension. Soundstage is slightly narrow for the price paid but they sounded warm and intimate in return. Their treble lacks a little crispness and there is a slight roll off, but they are smooth to listen to incurring no fatigue. For the retail price, they are facing plenty of competition in this era of low priced, high performance audio gadgets but with their great futuristic design coupled with a beautiful cable and uber fun sound, they are relevant enough to stay in the mix. Overall, a great job done by Kbear.
I would rate this product a solid 
(4 / 5)
