Kato vs. Blessing 2 IEM Comparison Review

Kato vs. Blessing 2 IEM Comparison Review

You see the packages in the picture, so I’ll get my obligatory “UwU thanks for reading” out of the way now. There, it’s done. Beyond the hilarious packaging, we’re taking a look at two pretty popular IEMs today that come from Moondrop: the Kato coming in at $189.99 and the Blessing 2 at $349.99. As they come from the same company, I certainly hope they are as different sounding as they are priced.

What’s In The Box?

Kato

-Kato IEMs

-2 pin XLR to 3.5mm braided headphone cable

-Ear tip case

-6 pairs of ear tips (3 foam and 3 “spring tips,” S/M/L)

-Semi-firm leathery carrying case

-Soft carrying pouch

-Warranty card

-Instruction booklet

Blessing 2

-Blessing 2 IEMs

-2 pin XLR to 3.5mm braided headphone cable

-Firm leathery carrying case

-3 Pairs of Silicone Ear Tips (S/M/L)

-Warranty card

-Introduction booklet

Look and Feel

I must say that both of these are very stylish IEMs. The Kato has what I’d call a cyber aesthetic with its shiny metal housing and cable that brings to mind fiber-optic wires. The Blessing 2 looks significantly different but has a similar sort of flash, with its copper/bronze-colored cable and aquatic colored gem-stone like design on the back of its housing. Another feature for the Blessing 2 that I know some like myself will appreciate is the transparent ear-side of the housing, which leaves the driver and electronics contained inside the buds visible. The fit on both IEMs was pretty easy and non-cumbersome, though the Blessing 2 sat a little more comfortably and naturally due to its curved, less angular shape and significantly lighter weight.

Both cables were well insulated and durable – the Kato’s cable maybe a little more so than the Blessing 2’s.

Design

Kato

Driver: 10mm Dynamic with DLC Composite Diaphragm

Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz

Impedance: 32 ohms

Sensitivity: 123dB/Nrms (@1kHz)

Distortion: <0.15% (@1kHz, AES17 20kHz, A-weight)

Blessing 2

Driver: 1DD+4BA Hybrid, 10mm Dynamic (Paper Diaphragm)

Frequency Response: 9Hz – 37kHz

Impedance: 22 ohms

Sensitivity: 117dB/Vrms @1kHz

Distortion: <1% @ 1kHz

Soundstage and Imaging

I liked both the Kato and Blessing 2’s imaging a whole lot more than I liked their balances (we’ll get to that shortly). I was genuinely surprised by just how spatial the Kato could get especially when considering its sub-$200 price. The only minor criticism I had with its image was that it didn’t quite meet in the middle of my face, something that the Blessing 2 was more than capable of doing; in fact, I’d go so far as to call the imaging present in the Blessing 2 nearly premium. Perhaps it was influenced by it’s fuller balance, but pans, phasers and other elements that generally generate sonic movement felt forceful and well controlled.

Balance and Timbre

My first gut impression with the Kato was that it has a pretty thin sounding balance; the lows kick in just in time to give body to a mix, but the mid scoop is simply too drastic for my taste. I do respect the effort and focus in its high mids and highs, which really let hi-hats and twangy guitars shine mostly unperturbed by shrillness. Vocal quality was a mixed bag, at worst sounding empty but at its best bringing out the air in female vocals and the buzzy fry in male vocals. Though it was hard at times to coax truly big, impactful subs from the Kato, it could get there when things got really deep, but it mostly retained a pretty natural low end. To be fair, poppy tracks that are frequently mixed with a mid scoop brought out the best in the Kato. I had a pretty good experience listening to the album Hot Pink by Doja Cat, for example, as the Kato picked up the deep, driving hip-hop/dance-y bass very accurately and added some extra crispness to Doja Cat’s nasally mid register and airy high register.

Unfortunately, I have similar criticisms for the Blessing 2, though to a lesser degree. It handled low-end similarly to the Kato, though with a few key differences: bass stayed mostly balanced, but seriously ramped up sub 80Hz (going just by my ears). Jai Paul’s track Crush boomed loudly and proudly, with the Blessing 2 delivering the heavily subbed kick drum with a full and impactful energy. The mids seemed to have better representation than they did with the Kato, but vocals had the same issue with thinness on several tracks. Though I liked the way the Kato handled its highs, the Blessing 2 has a little less attenuation in the tippy-top frequencies and passed my ultimate highs test (Cranked by Panda Bear) more audibly than the Kato; that being said, I found the Blessing 2 to face a sharper boost in its low-highs/high mids and could at times get a little harsh especially around the notoriously tricky 4kHz area, though not in a way that makes this too significant of a criticism.

Overall

So, what are you really paying more for with the Blessing 2? It’s pretty straight forward: premium imaging, a slightly more balanced EQ, and a fuller bass response that adds a touch of extra warmth and body. My favorite feature in both? Handily goes to their imaging, especially on the Blessing 2. My least favorite quality? Well, I have to say that while I wasn’t the biggest fan of either EQ balance, this is a highly subjective preference. I would genuinely recommend these to anyone who listens to a lot of pop or hip hop which are well suited genres for the mid scoop present in both the Kato and the Blessing 2. If you’re shopping around in the casual use IEM market, it’s worth checking out both of these Moondrop IEMs if you haven’t already: they sound more serious than their packaging suggests.

TLDR:

–Both have great spatial imaging: the Kato is excellent considering its price point but the Blessing 2 ultimately reigns superior.

-Heavy mid scoops in both, less drastic in the Blessing 2.

-Blessing 2 has more forceful subs and slightly brighter mid highs.

Both the Kato and Blessing 2 can be purchased at Audio46.