KBear BElieve IEM Unboxing & Review: Thick, Lush, Beautiful!!

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KBEAR is a China-based earphone manufacturing brand. They have been releasing multiple pairs of IEMs in the budget segment. While none of their IEMs grabbed much attention, last year when…

KBEAR is a China-based earphone manufacturing brand. They have been releasing multiple pairs of IEMs in the budget segment. While none of their IEMs grabbed much attention, last year when they released the KBEAR Diamond that was a pretty good success. Later they released their flagship pair, the KBEAR Believe that is said to have a pure Beryllium Diaphragm. Beryllium is a pretty rare material that is not only costly but also hard to implement with high machinery costs. There are only two IEM’s that have Pure Beryllium diaphragms, DUNU Luna and Final Audio A8000. It is also found in the diaphragms of high-end headphones such as the Focal Utopia. All of these IEMs/Headphones are high-tier costing over 1500$. And that makes the KBear Beryllium interesting to feature such high-tech in a 200$ pair. Well, I have spent over a week with the pair now. And today I am gonna share my impressions of this flagship pair from KBear. SO, let’s begin.

Disclaimer:-

I received this unit of KBear Believe from HiFiGo for the purpose of this review only. All views and impressions in this review are based on my own experience with the pair over the past week. I am not paid by anyone to write positive or negative about the pair. You can buy KBear Believe from HiFiGO from the link below.

KBEAR Believe 9mm Pure Beryllium Diaphragm 1DD In Ear Earphone

Package & Accessories:-

I got a review sample unit of the KBEAR Believe where I got only the pair along with its cable, ear tips, and carry case. You can check out the unboxing of KBEAR Believe on HiFiGo’s YouTube channel here.

Things I received:-

>Pair of KBEAR Believe IEMs.

>Plenty of ear tips.

>2-pin cable with 3.5mm termination.

>Leather carry case.

Design & Build Quality:-

KBEAR Believe shares shape similarities to the previously successful KBEAR Diamond IEMs. The earpieces have a strong metallic build with a black inner cavity, golden ear nozzle, and carbon fiber printed faceplates. The faceplates have a light reflective black and blue carbon fiber texture with an enamel coating on top of it. Both the earpieces have a silver KBEAR logo printed on top of the faceplates. On the top, we have recessed two-pin connectors along with the DD vent hole and R/L printed to denote right and left earpieces respectively. The pair has weight to it, it feels heavier than Resin material ear shells. In terms of design and build quality, the pair has a strong, sturdy build quality.

The included cable is also of good quality. It is a 4-core cable with 2-cores on each side and has a 3.5mm termination plug with the KBEAR branding logo printed on the plug. Other accessories such as the Leather carrying case and ear tips are also of good quality. To be honest, the pair came with a lot of tips, many different pairs of silicone tips, and two pairs of foam tips too.

Fit & Noise Isolation:-

The pair provided a comfortable fit for my medium-sized ears. With its ergonomic shape, I am sure most people will find it comfortable. Though to some people, the earpieces might feel heavy. The earpieces cover the entire ear canal providing good levels of noise isolation. While listening at home in front of the television, I find good levels of surrounding noise blockage.

Driving The KBEAR Believe:-

The KBEAR Believe loves some power thrown it’s way. It has a low impedance rating of 17ohms but also low sensitivity of 98dB/mW. It can be driven loud enough with smartphones but surely lacks dynamics and extensions even at full volumes. For this review, critical listening is done with Cayin N3 Pro, MacBook Air, and Topping E30+L30 Stack. Here are my findings with these combos.

With MacBook Air:-

KBEAR Believe is loud enough at about 60% volume in this combo. But shows some background noise(That’s not the pair itself but uncleaned output via the Laptop).

With Cayin N3 Pro(3.5mm Solid-State):-

This combo is pretty decent and relaxing to listen to. The pair opens up at around 45-55/100 volume on high gain mode. On lower gain modes the pair is loud enough at 90-95% volume but lacks dynamics that opens up at a high gain level. No background noise noticed in this combo, output is clean and extensive. At tube timbre I found the pair to have a more forward presentation.

With Topping E30+L30:-

When I said the Believe loves power I meant this combo. In this combo, the Believe opens up completely, shows powerful deep lower end, has a super clean background, and vocals sound sweet and lovely. Loved this combo the most.

If you have a hi-res player or a portable DAC/AMP you are good to go for KBEAR Believe, using a smartphone you will miss out on the true potential of this pair. When not powered properly, the bass sounds bloated, lacking texture, the stage feels narrow, and the overall output is too into the face.

Sound Quality:-

The KBEAR Believe has a laid-back and thick sound signature. By thick, I specifically mean the deep, punchy bass that is slightly slower than a traditional DD bass. I find the pair to have a warm approach that sounds relaxing and musical, appropriate for long listening sessions. The mid-frequencies sound slightly recessed. Both male and female vocals have a crisp clarity to them and don’t sound harsh or fatiguing even at louder volumes. Instruments sound well-detailed and are extended well. The treble frequencies are transparent and extensive. The overall approach of the pair is powerful and musical. I loved how this pair complements genres such as Hip-Hop, EDM with its powerful bass and at the same time makes vocal, Rock, Pop, and other genres shine with its crisp detailing throughout the frequency range.

Lower End:-

As I said earlier, the bass response is powerful and impactful with the KBEAR Believe. Drum kicks are thick & sound precise and deep. They have a rich texture to them. The sub-bass has good extensions with powerful rumble. It doesn’t matter whether you are a bass-head or a natural sound lover, you just can’t dislike the thick, punchy bass with the Believe. I found the pair complementing the other frequencies with its punchy bass response. When the bass drops in Lalala by Y2K, it hits right into the core with a thunderous impact.

Mid-Frequencies:-

The mid-frequencies are slightly recessed. Instruments such as acoustic guitars sound airy and detailed. The best part in mids is the natural presentation of the instruments and vocals, they don’t sound artificial at all. Vocals have crisp clarity to them, they sound amazingly detailed without any harshness or fatigue. With a warm tonality, the mids sound transparent and musical. There is no noticeable bleed or overlapping from the lower end into the midsection.

Treble-Frequencies:-

The treble frequencies are presented with good transparency and extensions. Instruments such as pianos, electric guitars goes long with good extensions to them. They show enough sparkle to make the pair sound fun and relaxing. It doesn’t show any signs of sibilance or fatigue. The pair mostly sounds airy and transparent. It also retrieves good detailing in complex genres such as heavy metal and more.

Soundstage & Imaging:-

The KBEAR Believe has an average wide soundstage. It neither sounds too wide nor it is too deep. It provides ample air and stage for music to shine on. Note that if you don’t amp it properly it will sound narrower and shallow in terms of the soundstage. With good detail retrieval, the pair shows good layering and positioning of instruments hence providing good imaging capabilities.

Final Verdict:-

The KBEAR Believe is a solid-sounding pair with its thick lower end and crisp clarity throughout the frequency spectrum. But it sure does need a power source to perform properly, a smartphone just won’t cut it. If you are looking to buy a pair of IEMs with good clarity and a relaxing approach for music output and has a power source, the KBEAR Believe won’t disappoint you. I would like to thank HiFiGo for providing me this review sample of KBEAR Believe. You can buy it from their store here.