Metal Crystal Weeb Audiophile Junior Fun – iBasso Klee IEMs
iBasso Klee is a $85 USD pair of IEMS or In-Ear Monitors with a Single Dynamic Driver at the heart, and today we will explore how the Klee sounds like, and if there is any relation between the Klee and Anime fans given the new package used by iBasso.
Introduction
iBasso is by now one of the most popular names in the audio industry, and they’ve brought happiness to many customers from all over the world, with their DAPs, Headphones, and even IEMs. iBasso Jr or Junior is part of iBasso’s adventure into bringing better audio to the younger crowds, to creating a better experience for those who are on a budget, without compromising on what made ibasso popular in the first place.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to iBasso for providing us with the sample for this review.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4mfuhJk
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okwXSG7
Build Quality / Aesthetics
iBasso Klee is a pair of IEMS with a Lithium Magnesium alloy diaphragm, which is a new type of tech for IEMs, at least as far as I know I reviewed. We get a shell made of Mirror Stainless steel PVD, with double color matching. The team behind iBasso Junior is very enthusiastic, which is nice, and they have used a high magnetic flux density 1.6T magnet, with Helmholtz Resonance Double Cavity, an acoustic approach that we’ve seen explored in Sennheiser Ie800 and Sennheiser IE900.
Cable is an OFC or Oxygen Free Copper cable with Silver Plating, and this cable is removable, with replaceable modular plugs too. The 2-Pin connector is great because it is versatile, and while it is not possible to yet find an official page with good translations to English of what Klee does and how it is made, we know it can come in either Ultramarine or Blue color or Mithril or Silver color.
At a technical level, we have a somewhat heavy IEMs at 12.5 grams per each shell, without the cable, and we have a somewhat low impedance of 22 OHMs. SPL is high at 112 dB, and THD is quite low at <0.5%. You can choose between a 3.5mm and a 4.4mm balanced jack connector, and the driver at the heart is a 10mm dynamic driver. All of this is pretty cool for an entry-level IEM, and it is clearly more than what most companies do standard at this price point.
Fit / Subjective Usage
What is more important is how the Klee feels when you’re actually wearing it, and here we see the only one downside of the Klee, which is a heavy weight. Shells are metallic and they will not electrocute you, but they feel heavy inside of my ears. Passive noise isolation is fairly good, around -15dB, while leakage is on the slightly higher side of things.
Cable is not microphonic, it is not tangle prone at all, although it does have a kinky effect, it shows a lot of kinks and bends, even after being unbent for a couple of days. This could be attributed to the style of braiding used by iBasso Jr. Overall, it is likely the best cable I’ve seen included with an entry-level IEM. I am super pleased with it.
My comfort with the Klee is overall very good, once I got used to the weight and shape (they are a bit on the large side), their weight is supported by the cable, jack is nice to have and to be modular, balanced cable below 100 USD is always nice, and having both balanced and SE is especially nice.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To test the new iBasso Klee Junior, I have paired it with a selection of sources, including Rose Technics RT-5000, Shanling EH1, Dethonray Listening M1, Dethonray Clarinet, iBasso DX340, Lotoo PAW GT2, Sparkos Gemini driven by Fosi Audio ZD3, and Singxer SA-1 V2 driven by HIFIMAN EF500. iBasso Klee Jr can easily be driven using simple dongles, and portable solutions, including iBasso Nunchaku, of FiiO JM21. It is not very sensitive to source noise and you will not have to get a good source, but it will reveal hissing with sources that have an exceptionally high output impedance.
Overall Signature – Klee is a V-Shaped tuned pair of IEMS, they fit really well in the entry-level market, pair well with popular sound, EDM, Pop, Dubstep and bombastic music in general. Klee is hype, it is happy, it jumps, throws punchies, and feels alive, exactly what I expect people want in the entry-level range, including a thick and heavy bass, exceptionally dynamic sound, and a good detail revealing ability. Despite the anime marketing, I feel like Klee works better with common music and it does not work that well with anime songs, Vocaloid songs, it is a bit too lively and aggressive, giving those a slightly too aggressive presentation.
Bass – Starting right from the bottom, Klee is the heart of bass, it has a bloomy, strong bass that goes as low as 20 Hz, but punches with most strength around 40 Hz, above which the strength is still high up to 85 Hz, above which it relaxes a bit. Overall, it has a very strong, punchy bass that gives sound an especially bombastic presentation, pleasing for dubstep, pop, electronic music, and even for rock and neoclassical.
Midrange – There’s a bit of recess at the midrange level, and klee presents music with a slightly less present voice compared to the bass and the treble, but it is a very clear, clean midrange with a slight bloom coming from the bass, and a bit of upper midrange emphasis, giving all music an especially vivid signature. Both male and female voices are sweet, vivid, full of life and present, while guitars are juicy and free of fatiguing resonances.
Treble – Klee gives treble a sharp, bright presentation that adds strength, space and life to music. It works really well for rock, metal, EDM, Dubstep and pop, giving all those styles a lively presentation, keeping the vibes and mood happy, and elastic, giving both the happy tone needed for punk, but also a more emotional presentation to a sadder violin-driven song.
PRaT / Textures / Dynamic – Klee has a somewhat relaxed texture presentation, and despite having a fairly dynamic and engaging sound, it really dampens the textures, making them somewhat laid-back, relaxed and lean, especially considering the strong and otherwise punchy sound it has. This is for the better, because it makes all kind of aggressive music styles easy to listen to and enjoy.
Volume Control – Klee sounds better when you go loud, it becomes even more vivid, comes alive, it is more enjoyable if you pump the volume high. This being said, the signature is consistent across all volume levels, it generally sounds good and controlled at all volumes, but it clearly has a bias for allowing me to go really loud and for making me want to go loud.
Soundstage – You get a natural sound, it feels a bit tight and focused at first, but once Klee plays for a while, the staging seems to open up and there’s a clear distinction between layers , especially a really clean forward and background layer separation.
Value and Conclusion
With a price tag of less than 100 USD, iBasso Klee currently has the best package, best cable, and it is made by one of the most reliable companies on the market, si value is at an all-time high for the IEM, especially if you enjoy popular and commercial music styles or if you appreciate a V-Shaped sound.
At the end of the day, I really enjoy iBasso Jr. Klee, it is an excellent IEM to listen to pop, dubstep, electronic music, and just generally commercial music. There ain’t a single style it doesn’t render nicely, it is versatile, comfortable, and despite the larger IEM shell and heavier weight, I had one of the best times with it out of all the entry-level IEMS I reviewed over the past 12 months.
PROs
- Very good build quality
- Flexible but high end, modular cable
- V-Shaped sound with a strong punch
- Comfortable if you have larger ears
- Detailed and crisp sound
- Revealing, fun, dynamic
- Not fatiguing despite the brighter treble
Cons
- IEM Shells are a bit heavy
- Storage case is soft not solid
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4mfuhJk
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_okwXSG7
--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---
- If you have a dime to spare, please donate, and help us! It would make the day brighter for me and my wife-
Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
--- Contact Us ---
