The new BASN Tempos In-Ear Monitors bring an affordable option to the table when it comes to music monitoring headphones. We’ve already done a roundup of some of the more high-end in-ear monitors out there, but let’s take a deeper look at these so you can decide if they are right for you.
*Please note that BASN generously sent me this pair of headphones for review, however I will provide my full unbiased opinion to make sure that you, the reader, get the most accurate picture of what to expect from them.
About The Company
BASN first started in 2009 by Louis Lee in California. The company name stands for “Be a Sincere Newcomer”, and the term was coined so that Louis could remind himself not to forget his original intention to be an honest headphone manufacturer, despite being new to the industry.
BASN prides itself on not only making great products, but making great fashion items as well due to its bright colors, and detachable/replaceable parts. You can mix and match different cables and earphones to create the exact look you want to achieve.
Right now it seems like BASN offers a variety of budget in-ear headphone options, but perhaps some higher-end models are in the works. All products come with a 12-month warranty, replacement cables are easily purchased, and you can even get free eartips sent to you by filling out a simple form on their website.
Packaging
The headphones come packed nice and secure in a compact box. Inside you’ll also find multiple styles and sizes of eartips (9 total pairs) so that you can find the right fit for your ears. You’ll also find the cable, a manual, a cable clip, and even a cleaning tool for keeping your in-ear monitors in top condition.
Build
The earphones themselves are 3D printed out of a liquid resin and have a glossy finish. Supposedly, this all-in-one design makes them more durable and resistant to damage (and much cheaper and easier to produce I’d guess).
Reinforced detachable 2-pin cables plug right in, and the cables come with an integrated microphone and call remote. The cable comes in at 3.6 feet long. It’s quite flexible, and the over-ear design makes the headphones much less prone to falling out of your ear, especially with the memory wires that form to your ear. I find the cable very short for how I intend to use it, but it looks like you can buy longer cables from their website, or even a Bluetooth cable that hangs around your neck.
On the inside, these headphones feature Dual Hifi Dynamic Drivers which have been optimized for greater bass response. I wish that BASN provided more in-depth detail about the inner-workings on their website - things like sensitivity, DC resistance, and most importantly, frequency range - however, you can find some of these on the back of the box. Here’s what I found:
- Connector: 2 Pin
- Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000 Hz
- Impedance: 18
- Sensitivity: 93 +- 3dB
- Maximum Input Power: 5mW
- Plug Type: 3.5mm
I opted for the blue color, which definitely stands out from the crowd of the more muted colors in the competition. I was a bit worried that they might look like a cheap toy given the vibrancy of the color in pictures, but in-person they look a bit more refined.
Since they are made of a liquid resin, they do FEEL more toy-like than the competition (some of which offer metal casings), but let’s be honest, you aren’t buying these just for how they feel in your fingertips.
Fit
The BASN Tempos claim to block out up to 38db of outside ambient noise with their secure fit.
I must admit, I’ve never been a huge fan of in-ear headphones in general. My ears get fatigued very quickly, and I definitely prefer the comfort and sound quality of over-the-ear headphones. I will say though - I found the BASN Tempos to be a comfortable fit once I found the right combination of eartips.
As soon as I put them on, I noticed how great they were at blocking out ambient noises. The memory cable also formed nicely to the back of my ear keeping the headphones in place, and I never felt like they were even close to falling out.
Sound Quality
My primary use for monitors is when playing with my TD-17KVX Electronic Drum Set (see our review here). It’s really the perfect test because I’ve played along with extremely high-end headphones, so I have a benchmark for audio comparison. It’s also a great test to see how well the noise isolation blocks out the sounds of the sticks hitting the drum pads.
My first impressions were that these things put out an impressive amount of bass for in-ear monitors. My kick drum and low toms felt punchy with just the right amount of powerful low end. It made everything very immersive, as if I was playing a real drum set.
All that bass, however, comes at a sacrifice, as I found the mid/high ranges to be lacking a bit for my tastes. It’s not that it sounded bad per-se, but the full character of each drum felt a little muted when compared to using my over-the-ear Audio Technica ATH-M50’s. Despite the excellent bass, it just didn’t sound like I was getting the full spectrum of sounds from my drum set that I was used to. With that being said, for headphones at this price point I think they are a step above most of the competition.
The noise isolation of these in-ear monitors is excellent overall. The second I put them on, I couldn’t hear much of anything around my house, and not hearing my sticks hit my electronic drum set made playing much more fun.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
So, are the BASN Tempos In-Ear Monitors worth it? For the price, I think it’s a great improvement over most similarly priced in-ear headphones if sound isolation is important to you.
If you love a good low-end more than anything else, these are also an excellent buy. I don’t think you’ll find a pair of in-ear monitors for this price with this good of a bass response. If a great sounding mid/high range is more your thing, you might want to pass on these and go with something a bit more high-end.
You can check the current price of the BASN Tempos In-Ear Monitors here on Amazon.
Being that BASN is a relatively new company, I’m very curious to see what they come out with next. My hope is that they can learn the ins-and-outs of what makes a great pair of earphones using the Tempos as a test-bed, and come out with some higher-end models in the near future to compete with the big guys like Shure, MEE, and Sennheiser.
