KBEAR - Alkaid KB03

Hello all! I've had these **KBEAR Alkaid KB03s (69$)** for about a week now, so here's my thoughts about them! If you don't know, KBEAR is a well-respected audio brand for those in the hobby that's probably quite underrated on this subreddit. They make everything from IEMS, cables and eartips (KBear 07 the GOATs), and it's usually at a solid level and above. Along with their KeepHifi sister brand, TRI, they've made some of my favorite products, like the cult legend **Tri I3 MKIII** (on a really nice sale on KeepHiFi AliEx right now!) and the KB03s big brother, the **KB02**. If you're tired of only seeing the usual brands on here like Truthear, Moondrop, Tanchjim, 7hz etc., then KeepHifi's brands are really safe bets if you want to branch out. I reached out to Keep-Hifi personally to ensure that I got my hands on an early copy as I'm a big fan of their stuff. **If you want your own, you can get it here:** [Keep-Hifi](https://keephifi.com/products/kbear-alkaid-kb03-in-ear-monitors-1-dd-1-ba-1-bone-conduction-hybrid-hifi-iem-earphones-upgraded-vibration-bone-conduction-driver) (don't worry, I'm unaffiliated) So, the KB03 is the successor to the KB02. The main selling point of these two models, are their Bone Conduction Drivers (BCDs). If you don't know what that is, they're basically "vibration" components within the IEMs that make them physically vibrate and thud. They're meant to give bass some extra physicality, and they're usually quite good at accentuating string instruments in particular, giving them some extra life-like resonance. The KB02 (30-39$) is one of the cheapest IEMs you can get with a BCD, and in my opinion, they're quite well implemented. **Now, the KB02 was a 1DD+1BCD set, but the KB03 technically upgrades on this with an added BA driver that handles the upper registers, and an upgraded beryllium-coated DD.** KBEAR claims this is a "refined successor" to the KB02, but unfortunately and ironically, it is the lack of BCD refinement that is the ultimate downfall of the KB03. The main two problems are, firstly that they're extremely aggressively and sharply tuned in the 185-200hz region, giving the midbass a very unnatural sound. Secondly, I think because of the construction of the IEM-shell itself, the BCD thuds come off as sounding hollow and echo-y. The result is that a lot of songs sounds like they're being ruined by a gremlin banging away on some steely drums inside your headset or by a blown-out subwoofer. Personally, I think this is a rare misstep from KBEAR. Most music is simply close to unlistenable and ruined by the aggressive BCD implementation. I would say however that they work better with digitally produced music, and that they're decent for certain genres like digicore and plugg. It's a bit of a shame, because if you listen beyond the BCD, the sound is certainly upgraded over the KB02. The upper registers sound "higher-resolution" in particular. With some PEQ, you can somewhat tame the BCD, but its hollow and flat quality never quite goes away. Now, the KBEAR market these as a gaming IEM, so I tried it for that as well. I've been playing quite a lot of a game called SurrounDead lately, a really good open world zombie survival game. I wouldn't say the KB03 makes the gaming experience better, but it certainly makes it *different*, and not in an entirely unpleasant way. Explosions and gun-shots are given some real physical power that is quite fun, at least in small doses. The downside is that the BCD is so sensitive that it triggers during rain or random footsteps in the distance. Like, if it rained in game, it sounded like someone was practicing their snare drum. Overall, I would not recommend getting the KB03 at full price unless you're a collector looking for something VERY unique or you're a gamer with some extra cash to spend who wants a toy to spice up their gaming sessions. I'd rather recommend picking up the KB02 if you're curious about BCDs, or saving up for the new version of the KB16 Cepheus that is coming out soon! If you've got any questions about this set or any other set, feel free to ask me in the replies or DMs! I'm a librarian who's been collecting quite a lot of IEMs this past year, and I'm always happy to talk gear \^\^

Hey y'all, got some more stuff in. The fine folks at KeepHifi sent over a KB03 Alkaid and I just had my first sesh with it. First thoughts- Holy Bone Conduction Batman. I’ve heard a few BC driver sets at this point and these guys are trying to set a record or something. By far the most impactful BC driver implementation I've heard to date, it’s gonna be interesting to see how that holds up over longer sessions. The set is a 1DD, 1BC, 1BA hybrid retailing for about $70. Overall its bassy and warm, with well controlled, smooth treble. Ever heard a Kiwi Ears Cadenza? This feels like a direct upgrade to that set. If you like that set, you’ll probably love the Alkaid. (Btw smart money would buy a KB01 instead of a Cadenza. Same driver and tuning at half the price) Very much looking forward to sharing a full review of the Alkoid, one of the most exciting releases around 70 bucks so far this year imo. Happy to answer any questions on it, be good y’all.

Off the top: Better controlled treble and a more aggressive BC driver implementation so far.

lol, shame you didn’t like it. It’s definitely a novelty, not something I would listen to every day. If you have cash to blow on a toy I think it’s fun, but it would not be my main set. Gonna sbs kb02 and kb03 for the review.

I’d say “unusable” is a huge stretch, but I do agree about everything passing through that region sounding strange. I’m pretty sure that’s what they’re going for with the BC drivers, and they were pretty heavy handed with the kick. A verse 1 may well suit your preferences better, but I think this set is pretty specifically for people that want an unapologetically aggressive BC driver response. Sort of a novelty, but so unique that it currently has little other competition for anyone looking for that novelty. Aside from its little brother, KB02.

The Alkaid is a lot like a fun, but irresponsible roommate. He’s constantly late on rent, doesn’t help with any of the chores. He doesn’t really pull his weight 100% of the time, but I have a bit of a soft spot for him. Why? Well he’s just entertaining as hell honestly. And if there’s one thing Alkaid does know how to do, it’s how to party. Even if he has a tendency to go overboard sometimes. Eh, most times.  (Disclaimer: Kids, don’t do drugs. Drugs are bad. M’Kay.) The KB03 Alkaid is a new tri-brid IEM from KB Ear utilizing 1 dynamic driver, 1 balanced armature, and 1 bone conduction driver. It retails for around $70, but I’ve seen it on sale around the $50 dollar mark. My most sincere thanks to KeepHiFi for the review copy. But how do I put this.. this thing is completely unhinged. This is by far the most aggressive BC driver implementation I’ve come across and my vision shakes as I type. Yet somehow, some way, this little tri-brid manages to it work. Sometimes. Kinda.  # Look and Feel The first thing that should tip you off to the fact that the Alkaid is a little bit different from the other IEMs is its box art. No waifus here, no glamour shots of the set. Instead we get a fricking exploding lava sword. That actually does a great job setting the tone though, KB03 sort of sounds like a powerful weapon that may well explode into a fiery inferno. The glittery swirl of the faceplate belies some dark secrets, but like most KB Ears sets it comes in a variety of pretty colors. My green set looks plenty planetary.  The unboxing itself is pretty modest. We get the set, a cable, two sets of eartips, and that’s it. The cable and tips are pretty standard budget tier inclusions. I decided to tip roll with Tangzu Tang Sancai Balanced tips to help tame the crazy midbass spike this set throws into the mix. The cable is fine and functional, but I’d swap it out for something a little less spindly.  The set fit great for me, very secure and snug with excellent passive noise isolation. My ears are a bit on the larger side, but I feel that its lack of protruding edges and light weight make it a universally comfortable set. The fit is basically the same as the KB02, which is generally praised for being pretty comfortable.  When no music is playing, you can tap on the set and hear the BC driver resonate. Actually, you can click your teeth and hear it resonate too. Pretty cool it you haven't heard it before, a fun little BC easter egg.  # Sound Impressions So yeah, this thing is kinda nuts. I would say half the time its sounds like a more engaging version of its little brother, the KB02. The other half of the time, it sounds like its actively trying to murder me. Its all depends on the track, really. I got lucky on my first listen, the first few songs I chose played pretty well with the aggressive BC driver. Slower indie rock seems can be quite pleasant when it doesn't anger the BC’s too much. But after putting it through its paces over the last week, I’ve come to know the KB03 a whole lot better. There are no letters to describe this sound. V Shape? U Shape? Nah, KB Shaped (terribly sorry, its a smooth v-shape with an injection of crazy). This review will have 3 different endings depending on your experience with in-ear monitors. If you’re looking for your first or second IEM please skip to the end. Hiby R4 and Apple Dongle w IPhone used for sound impressions. Listener discretion is advised.  **Bass** Often times I'll hear that people are disappointed by an earphones BC driver implementation. Usually the complaint is that they barely notice it, that is too subtle. Well, that is absolutely not the case here. We may have the opposite problem, in fact. That BC driver does some weird stuff to the other drivers when you let it run loose. I think this is why BC implementation in hybrid IEMs tends to take a more cautious approach, careful not to disturb the delicate oscillations of the other drivers. Alkaid throws caution to the wind.  The first song I listened to on the Alkaid was “Being So Normal” by Peach Pit. This lured me into a false sense of security, because what I heard was a pretty cool time. I found the bass prominent, well textured, with decent punch. More sub than mid. I did notice a little vocal weirdness, but I chalked that up to the BC's having some resonating effect. It wasn't enough to be a distraction, and I continued to bop. This and the KB02 are some of the least expensive hybrid IEMs with BC drivers on the market and I figured there would be some sort of tradeoff. The only other BC driver sets I've tried aside from from the KB bros are my Penon Fan 3 (subtle) and a UM MEST MK2 (wild without the weird, from what I remember). Oh and at this point I posted a first impression in which I described the set as an upgrade to the Cadenza. I was so innocent 2 weeks ago. Lessons have been learned. A little Radiohead was up next, album: The Bends. It played nicely until I got to "High and Dry", and that's when I first encountered what I will henceforth be referring to as "The Tone".  The Tone is a distorted, distracting, unnatural sounding, elongated bass note around the 250hz region. It has no texture, rhyme or reason. It simply asserts itself. The Tone essentially turned "High and Dry" into a cacophonous dumpsterfire. So after determining that Alkaid could handle some-but-not-all easygoing indie rock, I set off trepidatiously in search of subbass.  Next up was Ghosts and Stuff by Deadmau5. I pressed forward, petrified that I was now actively seeking out The Tone. I played the track and it was.. good? Everything sounded normal, enjoyable actually. The track is more subbass focused, narrowly avoiding the midbass minefield. I let "Hi Friend" play afterwards and still The Tone did not return. There were some flashes of proto-Tone, and in retrospect was the weirdness I was experiencing earlier. But “For Lack of Better Words” got passing marks. A most dynamic and tactile low end response, the set thwacks you in the face when the bass drops. After hurting myself in confusion I set off to search for a few more gems and did manage to find a few. But The Tone haunts the bass region randomly. Sometimes its called forward in busy tracks, sometimes vocals are the inciting event. Really, there were few obvious rules. In the end, I found The Tone fully present in 15% of tracks. 40% of track that were not fully inToneated had flashes of proto-Tone. And 45% fun cool-times.  **Mids** Hard to tell. Sometimes it sounds natural and organic. Sometimes it sounds like the singer fell down a well. All sorta depends on how Tone is feeling, please refer to the percentages above. It’s a fairly V-shaped set, but the male vocals have a tendency to blend and morph along with the bass. When all is right, the vocals don’t lag too far behind the rest of the sound. When all is wrong, singers sound like they’re trying to communicate by screaming into steel guitars. **Treble** It’s an improvement over the KB02, better controlled and resolving while retaining its little bros characteristic smoothness. And, I feel like I’m beating a dead horse now but you can only enjoy these improvements when Tone’s not in town. It’s not an especially detailed or analytical set despite the addition of a BA for treble. It’s comfortable and controlled, but fairly subdued in the highest frequencies. I’d have liked a touch more air.  # Final Thoughts  **Ending 1- You’re looking for your 1st or 2nd IEM** There’s really nothing for you here. Sorry. But hey, maybe check out the KB01? Lots of people like the Kiwi Ears Cadenza and it has an almost identical tuning and technical performance for about half the price. Great starter set. Or maybe a Tanchjim Bunny if you’d like a more neutral set, more focused on vocals. There’s lots of great options out there, and if you’re really hankering for a BC driver try out the KB02. It’s a reasonably priced, fun little into to BC driver tech.  Welcome to the hobby! Or if you’re just looking for a good tool for casual listening, I wish you luck on your journey. You don’t have to spend too much to get a great IEM these days, it’s an absolute golden age. You’ve read all you have to here, good luck!  **Ending 2- You own 3-12 IEMs** How many ears ya got buddy? Haha, just kidding. At this point you’re branching out, probably trying a few different sound signatures before you invest into something pricey. That’s smart! If you don’t have a BC driver set and you’d really like to try one out, go grab a KB02. You won’t have to worry about any weird distortions, but it’s a set you have to crank to a good volume to enjoy. The BC seems to muddy things at lower volume listening, but the BC doesn’t overpower the dynamic driver at higher volumes. That’s gonna give you at least a taste of a decently tuned BC driver set, and you won’t break the bank doing it.  Nice collection you got there. You probably have more than you’ll ever really need, but I get it. It’s a lot of fun to open up a brand new set and experience a new sound. But the Alkaid isn’t something that’s going to help you find your endgame. I’ll tell you right now, the perfect set does not exist. If your really happy with one of those sets, just love the one you're with. Happy listening, friend. Thanks for reading. **Ending 3- You own 12+ IEMs** You make me sick. You disgusting, consumerist pig. You just keep buying more and more, chasing that dragon. Looking for that perfect sound. A never ending journey that's left you thousands of dollars poorer in relentless pursuit of the impossible. Good set, bad set, that almost hardly matters anymore. You just wanna hear everything, nothing will ever satiate your desire to fill up your ear holes with whatever singing pebbles you can shove inside them. Interventions have failed, rehab was a waste of time. You're in it now and there's no going back. The addiction has taken hold and nothing will stop you from browsing AliX into the wee hours of the evening looking for deals. I'm not here to stop you, you're beyond help. I'm 150 sets in, I would not be the guy to see about that. I highly recommend you buy a KB03 Alkaid. Not because it's a great set. Not because I think it's going to be your new favorite. But because at this point, you just want something wacky and unique. And quite frankly, it’s what you deserve. It's going to try to hurt you sometimes, but if you carefully tiptoe around the land mines, you'll find nuggets of gold here and there. And that should give you the rush you need, you animal. You just want to A/B test, I know your type. Don't pay retail though, this is a novelty IEM. And don't complain to me when The Tone shows up, because I warned you. It is possible to EQ this set and reduce that midbass spike to enjoy a more subtle and realistic sound, but you’re going to have to work for it. If you do decide to take the plunge, good luck with your new roommate and his weird friend. You’re going to need it, you sick freak.

I bought these, played with them for a few hours and sold them. The BC was interesting but overall not worth. I’m happy I tried them and glad I could sell them for almost what I payed. Fun review btw

https://preview.redd.it/yy62ulgm0gif1.png?width=1234&format=png&auto=webp&s=62d7ba591e2241c653d511630ff625b17e14120c Unusable without hefty EQ (-10dB @ 185Hz). That spike at \~180Hz is real and ruins low-mid end completely. Any sound in (or passing trough) \~180Hz region has some strange tin can high pitched hollowness/echo. Bass guitars sound strange, drums sound strange, low vocals sound strange... Any background hum in music/movies/games sounds strange. Fit and finish is nice, sound isolation is very good - but that tuning... Strangely, dip past 180 into 200-280 range is not audible (using 100-300 frequency sweep). At 70$ Fudu Verse 1 (still available on AliEx) wipes the floor with KB03 (sound quality and overall package).

Without seeing FR these sound - defective. The choice to crank up 180Hz is definitively a choice - but it makes no sense. It has 0% benefits and 100% negatives. Tuning choice is usually balance between improving certain areas of FR with as little as possible negative effect on others. This tuning choice is just net loss. There is no aspect of music that gets improved by aggressive 180Hz spike. Unless you wake up in the morning thinking - i need more ouuaouaeeeeeeeeouaaoauaaaaaoooooouuuuuoooooaaaaaaoaooooouuuuu in mu music. It is also very hard to EQ out - spike is very high and in very narrow range. So you need good EQ software to apply a lot of negative EQ in very narrow range (used EQ APO+PEACE). Once EQ is applied these sound quite nice. Good low end, clean mids and nice highs. Without EQ they just sound wrong.

I got these ! Compared to KB02 these are a big mess up smh ! They overly did it with the BC . It sucks and I’m gona give it away to somebody !