It has been a solid minute since I checked out any earbuds but today we’re going to remedy that. In this review, I’m taking a look at the KBEAR Knight budget earbuds. The Knight features all-metal housings, unique design and sound quality that’s full of surprises. Let’s check it out.

Never announce that you are a knight, simply behave as one. You are better than no one, and no one is better than you.

Sir Thomas Lemuel Hawke

This sample was provided for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

KBEAR Knight Review

Package and Accessories

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Nothing out of the ordinary here. Traditionally, earbuds come with a pretty sparse kit and that is the case with these. Knight comes in a small box with an image of the earbuds on the front and a list of specs on the rear. All said, you basically just get the earbuds and 4 pairs of foam covers in various colours.

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Build Quality and Design

The Knight has a simple but striking design that is basically made up of a stem with a disc attached to it. For such an affordable earbud…..the materials and construction really feel good.

It’s an all-metal design, so the stem and the main body of the earbuds are made of a lightweight but strong aluminium with a mix of black and silver colours.

Exiting from the tapered lower end of the stems is a fixed Silver Plated Copper (SPC) cable. It has clear TPU insulation with the gleam of silver wire underneath.

The cable handles well and there is a very minimal amount of microphonics or cable noise. Both the Y-split and straight 3.5mm jack are silver-coloured, knurled aluminium.

Comfort and Noise Isolation

As with all earbuds, the fit will depend largely on the shape of your outer ear. Personally, I find earbuds with a hanging stem like this to be my preferred type as it gives you something to hold onto and makes it easy to adjust the position in your ear.

Also, depending on your ears and how active you are, you might prefer to wear them with or without foam covers. I like to use the foams as they make the buds feel more secure in my ears.

In terms of comfort, the Knight fits like every other earbud but they are very lightweight. If you’ve ever used an earbud before you will have some idea already how they work with your ear anatomy.

Noise isolation is typical for an earbud, which is to say they have almost none. If you desire or require noise isolation, you will need an in-ear style earphone but otherwise, you’ll know what to expect with these.

Sound

While the build quality is impressive for this budget bud, the audio quality is even more surprising. Knight has a sound signature that’s reasonably neutral with a bit of added warmth and a mature tonal balance. It’s worth noting that using the foam covers produces a slightly thicker and warmer sound, so keep that in mind.

These buds have a natural tonality and feel effortless in their presentation. The sound is not in your face: rather it’s very open and has an ambient feel to it. It’s deeply engaging too though: as you pop them in your ears for a quick listen then suddenly sit up and realize you’ve just listened through an entire album.

Bass

Bass is fast and tight. There isn’t an excess of mid-bass impact but it has good definition and still enough punch to drive the music and get your feet tapping. Sub-bass is another story though and surprised me with its depth and extension. Knight gets a nice, satisfying little rumble going when you need it to.

These are not for the basshead but for my tastes, they’re absolutely able to do justice to electronic and hip-hop tracks. Firing up “Faith” by Scarface, Knight takes the sub-bass notes in its stride but still leaves the vocals upfront and unsullied.

Mids

This is where the Knight really shines as the midrange comes to the forefront. Clarity is only fair but it’s Knight’s midrange tonality and musicality that makes it so captivating. Of course, if you want more clarity you can remove the foams but then you lose some of that velvety warmth.

If you like the sound of your heartstrings being plucked, Knight’s vocals are sure to strike a tune. Both male and female vocals alike are rich and charming. These earbuds make it really hard to not sing along with the music. Who cares about technical performance when you’re busy butchering your fav songs out loud?

Treble

The treble is crisp and detailed. Sitting just behind the mids, it’s not shouting for attention but rather just happy to play its part in the overall presentation. Decay is reasonably fast and overall the treble is fairly polite, keeping things smooth and non-fatiguing. Just like the bass and mids, the Knight’s treble sounds natural and effortless.

Soundstage

Earbuds generally have a large soundstage and that is the case with Knight. Despite the forward midrange and polite treble, the stage feels open and spacious. It has a good sense of depth as well as width. It’s not the widest of stages but it makes up for it with above-average imaging and note density. In complex music, it struggles a little compared to some higher-end buds but overall it holds up really well.

Conclusion

I must admit I was hesitant to try these earbuds at first. Call me a sceptic but I just normally don’t expect much satisfaction from something that costs around the price of an up-size Happy Meal or a couple of coffees. Not only did I end up enjoying the KBEAR Knight, but I also ended up loving it. If you’re looking for an inexpensive, great sounding earbud with a unique design then the Knight comes highly recommended.

Check the latest price on the KBEAR Knight at AliExpress.

Specifications

• Impedance: 32Ω
• Headphone sensitivity: 109dB
• Frequency range: 20-25000 Hz
• Interface: 3.5mm