The Blon BL-A8 Prometheus is a new uniquely designed irregular openwork shell IEM featuring a single 10mm dynamic driver. It is priced at $84.99
Disclaimer: The Blon BL-A8 Prometheus sent to us is a sample in exchange for our honest opinion in this review. We thank the team at Linsoul for giving us this opportunity.
To read more about Linsoul sold products we have reviewed on Headfonics click here.
Note, this review follows our new scoring guidelines for 2021 which you can read up on here.
This is the first time we have covered Blon on Headfonics. If ever there was a gravy train brand label for entry-level performing IEMs, this name is a king among kings.
The BL-A8, however, feels different, it certainly looks different. Whilst the price point of $84.99 is still pocket change for many serious audiophiles, it is their flagship or TOTL IEM at the time of writing.
Tech Highlights
The Blon Bl-A8 Prometheus is a single 10mm dynamic driver featuring a newly developed lightweight diaphragm.
Little is known about the specs of the lightweight diaphragm, but we do know that BLON is famous for its Carbon Diaphragm Dynamic Drive found in the BL-03 which uses a composite acoustic cavity that amplifies the lower frequency regions.
A similar “lightweight diaphragm” is found with the BLON BL Mini which uses a 6mm diaphragm. It looks like BLON used a similar carbon composite material to keep it lightweight and continually improved it by increasing the size from 6mm to 10mm from the BL Mini.
This new improved 10mm lightweight diaphragm claims to bring more flexibility in the low frequencies and an improvement in the clarity of the high-frequency. The focus on the improvement is to bring heavier bass and more powerful vocal presentation.
The Prometheus is rated at 32Ω with a sensitivity of 115dB, which should be easily driven by most portable sources.
Design
I was blown away by the design of the BL-A8 design as it features an out-of-this-world hollow-carved metal open shell. This unique design is achieved through a high-precision 3D printing technology that made 14 irregular non-overlapping surfaces connect. Honestly, it looks like a shiny bicycle helmet with numerous vents planted on the surface.
What amazes me with its polished shiny silver color is that they used a high-polished mirror process, a similar process used with the BLON BL-03, which makes it anti-scratch and hard for fingerprints to stick on the surface.
Although it features a hollow design, it is pretty solid and robust. It’s also lightweight, thanks to the ingenious hollow structure that makes it comfortable to wear even for long periods. The shell fits the ear pleasingly well with an ergonomic case that improves the overall fit quality.
Stock Cable
One of the highlights with BLON’s BL-A8 Prometheus is the High purity Oxygen-Free Silver-plated copper cable that comes in the box. I was shocked that they were able to include this quality of cable for a sub $100 IEM.
Externally, the cable is a 1.2m smooth braided shiny silver color with gold plated 2-pin and 3.5mm straight termination plug.
The termination on the IEM side is a universal 0.78mm dual-pin interface that is easily upgradable for those who like to try different cables. A standard adjustable chin slider is also present to help with cable control.
The cables are also tangle-free. There were no problems in untangling cables when putting the IEM in and out of the carry case.
Comfort & Isolation
The BL-A8 Prometheus is light thanks to the hollow-carved design of the metal shell. Even though it is lighter than other IEMs, it stays firmly in my ears, thanks to the ergonomic design of the shell.
Blon’s BL-A8 feels very premium and comfortable in my ears. Mind you, the cable hooks were a bit too flexible although this is not an issue due to the excellent fit. The IEMs will not fall even if you move around.
Upon opening the box, the BL-A8 is equipped with a medium-deep cone tip. Five different tips – Small, Medium, Large regular soft dome tips, and Small, Medium deep cone tips were also included in the package.
The stock ear tips offer good comfort and isolation. Outside noise was not heard while listening. You can relax while listening to music despite a television turned on in the background.
I found that the BLON BL-A8 is comfortable to wear thanks to the hollow-carved metal shell and ergonomic design of the shell.
Packaging & Accessories
The outside packaging is a thick hard box that feels very solid and pretty premium. Upon opening the box, the first thing you will notice is the beautiful silver shell of the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus with the medium-deep cone tips. It is placed in a white sponge-like material which emphasizes the shiny metal body of the IEMs.
A box is found below the IEM and has a plain white color with minimal blue text. Inside the box, you would find the 5 different tips enclosed in 2 separate small plastic pouches, along with the High purity Oxygen-Free Silver-plated copper cable and soft white pouch.
Carry Case
The Carry Case is a minimalist white canvas string pouch with a small blue BLON logo. The inside is a plain blank pouch with no organizational pockets. It is a neat little soft pouch that will offer a minimalist case for your IEM and protection from scratches.
Sound Impressions
Bass
BLON BL-A8 has meaty and thick lows. This model is perfect for bass heads as it gives a meaty deep rumble. Sub-bass is also sufficient in quantity but not too overpowering. It does not cause smearing to the higher frequencies. The mid-bass is full-bodied, although, a bit slow in the attack. It is not impactful as I thought it would be.
Overall, the lows on the BL-A8 are one of the best for IEMs in this price range. It gives a full-bodied meaty rumble without a muddy presentation. Listening to bass-heavy tunes is a delight with the Blon BL-A8.
Midrange
The mids are minimally recessed compared to the bass with the upper and lower midrange floating among the other frequencies.
Despite the thick bass quantity of the BL-A8, vocals are still clean, transparent, and present. Both male and female vocals are smooth and natural sounding. It’s enjoyable to listen to duets as both voices harmonize with each other, i.e., not feeling one is louder than the other. Overall, the mids of the BL-A8 are clean, smooth with a balanced midrange.
Treble
The treble is a little bit recessed compared to the Bass and Midrange regions but still quite clear. Highs never sound faded with plenty of perceived treble extension.
Unfortunately, the quality is a bit hollow. It lacks the shimmer when listening for the percussion and cymbal crashes on certain tracks. Despite the hollow presentation of the treble, the Blon BL-A8 has a clear and transparent treble that is comfortable to listen to.
Staging
The soundstage of the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus is above average. Soundstage is not cramped, in fact, it is slightly wider compared to other IEMs in its price point – limited to around an inch radius.
Instrumental separation is evident across different genres. The difference between the blending of the flute and trumpet in an orchestra can easily be differentiated. However, the timbre is a bit dull and light. The flute and violin solos sounded a tad too thin over the whole impact of the song.
Overall, the different instruments still have above-average layering, despite the lack of richness of some instruments.
Synergy
Tip Rolling
Pairing the Prometheus with the SpinFit CP800 produced a wider sound stage and realistic guitar strums that were lacking with the stock ear tips. These tips would also be great if you feel the lows of the Prometheus are a bit overwhelming as the spin fit do well in countering thumping beats.
Overall, these tips seem to create a more pleasant balanced sounding Prometheus compared to the supplied stock tips.
Source Pairing
The Prometheus is rated with an impedance of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 115dB. It’s not difficult to drive given that even an iPhone 12 Pro Max produced a decent performance at a relatively low volume level.
Switching over to a dedicated DAP, there is a noticeable difference in sound stage and imaging. When using the Shanling M3s, there is a significant improvement concerning instrument separation, vocal quality, and dynamic range.
Select Comparisons
Kinera BD005 Pro
Design
The Kinera BD005 Pro has a translucent acrylic shell with a metal nozzle while the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus has a unique hollow metal shell. It is noticeable that the Prometheus has a more durable and elegant feel compared to the BD005 Pro.
For the fit, the shell of the Kinera B005 Pro was too big for my ears while the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus had a better fit as it felt snugger.
The BD005 PRO comes with a semi-hard shell pouch which I prefer, compared to the soft pouch that came with the Prometheus. Both IEMs have an ear-hook design with a universal 2-pin termination which is great for people who enjoy cable rolling.
Little is known about the Kinera BD005 PRO cable, but from the looks of it, it’s an ordinary-looking black PVC-coated SPC braided cable with a built-in mic.
The Prometheus is equipped with a braided High purity Oxygen-Free Silver-plated copper cable which certainly is an upgrade from the common SPC stock cables. Both cables come with flexible ear hooks and a standard chin slider to keep the IEMs in place.
Performance
The BLON BL-A8 Prometheus outperforms the Kinera BD005 Pro in the sub-bass and mid-bass regions. When comparing the BD005 Pro to the Prometheus, the BD005 Pro sounded flat and dull. It lacked the strong meaty rumble that was present in the Prometheus.
Listening experiences on the male vocals are similar between the two IEMs. The texture is thick and full which is enjoyable in listening to Male ballads.
The Prometheus does well with female vocals, but it lacks the energetic and crisp presentation felt in the Kinera BD005 Pro. The BD005 Pro does perform better in the upper midrange and treble as it is thicker and has more shimmer, but to be honest it’s not that significantly noticeable.
When listening through instrumentals, both the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus and Kinera BD005 Pro deliver natural-sounding textures. The cymbals sound a bit crisper in the BD005 Pro while the beat from the percussions is punchier with the Prometheus. However, the staging of the Prometheus is wider, making the instrumental separation feel a bit farther apart.
Summary
Even though the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus costs slightly higher, this is very well justified. Apart from the unique hollow metal shell elegant aesthetics and pleasant tuning, the BLON BL-A8 also comes with a High purity Oxygen-Free Silver-plated copper cable, which I can say is one of the best stock cables for a sub $100 IEM.
The Kinera BD005 Pro does perform better in the higher frequencies. But it lacks the presence in the lower regions in which the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus does amazingly well.
Overall, the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus and Kinera BD005 Pro both have a forward midrange which is very enjoyable in listening to vocals. The Prometheus has a W-shaped tonality that has emphasized lows, which significantly outperforms the almost non-existing lows of the BD005 Pro.
Moondrop Aria
Design
Both the Moondrop Aria and BLON BL-A8 Prometheus have a metal chassis which makes both IEMs feel very durable. Design-wise, both are very unique and elegant – Aria looks like truffles in an expensive box of chocolates while the Prometheus looks like an elegant hollow metal abstract art sculpture.
Due to the solid metal shell of the Moondrop Aria, it is slightly heavier compared to the hollow metal shell on the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus. The fit of both IEMs is similar, both are snug to my ears. However, I prefer the Prometheus as it had a better fit.
Both IEMs have an ear-hook design with a universal 2-pin termination. The cable on the Aria is a bit harder to manage as it is a black braided woven fabric compared to the smooth silver cable on the Prometheus.
Aside from aesthetics, a massive difference between these 2 stock cables is that Prometheus has a High purity Oxygen-Free Silver-plated copper cable compared to Aria’s SPC cable.
Overall, both IEMs have premium quality with really good aesthetics. It boils down to preference. If I were to choose which design I like better, I would prefer the Prometheus as it is a pretty unique-looking IEM.
Performance
Compared to the Moondrop Aria, the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus has more elevated lows. The quantity of both sub-bass and mid-bass is significantly noticeable, with the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus being marginally better. This is more evident while listening to music in the R&B genre – bass thumps are so punchy that it makes your head rock up and down.
Vocals are also more forward with the BLON BL-A8. I enjoyed the fuller texture of both sets of vocals with the BLON BL-A8 whereas the Moondrop Aria felt a bit recessed and dull compared to the Prometheus.
The Aria has more elevated highs wherein cymbals and guitar strums sound punchier and clearer, even though the Prometheus delivers a decent performance in these regions. With the Moondrop Aria, you do get a more crisp, airy, transparent sound due to its treble uptick.
The soundstage of both IEMs is similar, it is barely noticeable but in some tracks, the Prometheus appeared to have a slightly wider soundstage. As more instruments harmonize with each other, you can feel that they are farther apart from the BLON BL-A8.
Summary
Even though both BLON BL-A8 Prometheus and Moondrop Aria are at a similar price point, I would say the BL-A8 has an edge in overall technical performance. The choice will also come down to the user’s personal choice in both aesthetics and sound signature.
The Moondrop Aria has an asymmetrical V-shaped tonality that has more emphasis on the highs while the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus has a W-shaped tonality that has more emphasis on the lows and vocals.
Our Verdict
This is my first experience with BLON and I have to say that the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus lived up to its name as BLON’s new flagship universal IEM.
Compared to other budget monitors in the market, there is a lot of attention to detail in both the aesthetics and performance of the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus which makes it stand out among the rest of the competition.
With the unique look and tuning of this IEM, it is easy to recommend this pair for those looking for a budget IEM. For what it’s worth, it simply does not look and feel like a sub $100 gear.
If you’re planning to pick up the BLON BL-A8 Prometheus, it is guaranteed that you will get more than what you paid for in both sound and that exquisite irregular openwork shell design.
BLON BL-A8 Prometheus Specifications
- Model: BL-A8 (Prometheus)
- Driver Unit: 10mm new lightweight diaphragm
- Headphone Socket: 0.78pin
- Impedance: 32ohms
- Frequency range: 20Hz~20000Hz
- Sensitivity: 115dB
- Cable Length: about 1.2 meters
- Plug: 3.5mm straight plug
