Kinera Limited Edition earbuds impressions and review - expatinjapan




FiiO X7ii - low gain. 

Red/blue earbud covers.

Very balanced sound overall, no particular region seems over emphasized.
Vocals are rich and full bodied. Slightly forward.
Bass is deep, fast and tight.
Mids are syrupy and smooth.
Highs are clear, but aren’t a main focus. Guitars and cymbals sound realistic.

The Kinera earbuds respond well to volume and stay controlled.

Instrument separation is satisfying.

Soundstage is wide, deep and with some height.

There is naturalness and liquidity to them.


iBasso DX200, Amp module 5.

Low gain. 

Red/Blue earbud covers.

Overall quite natural and smooth as with the FiiO X7ii.

They have fairly fast response with a tad of sub bass lingering at times (need more burn in perhaps).

Mids are lusciously lush.

Highs are more ethereal with the Amp 5 in particular. And afford the sense of more separation and space between the various instruments.

High gain.

I could definitely hear more improvement straight away. More control and definition especially in the sub bass and bass regions. More tighter and responsive.

Once again the sound stage is wide with depth, some height (less than the depth) bass at the back of the head and vocals mainly central.

Instrument placement is presented well.


Very enjoyable, I would like to swap to Amp 1 for another test, or move onto the Opus#2 but I am quite enjoying listening to the Led Zeppelin III album.

Exquisite. 

As a recent earbud convert I still do prefer IEMs for various reasons, especially for my commute where music leakage isn’t approved of by my fellow travelers.


Opus#2

Gain high. The earbuds require the power.

Red/Blue earbud covers.

Overall a little thicker in sound in  comparison to the previous DX200 with the natural and sweet highs of Amp 5. 

Adjusting my ears...

Once again the sound stage and vocals are similar as on the other daps as expected.

The Opus#2 pairing isn’t my favorite so far.
I think perhaps the Opus#3 might be a better match.

A little too thick in the bass and mixing with the lower mids at times.


The buds are generally quite uniform across the different daps which is a good sign to me.
Being dynamic drivers they are relativity impervious to various changes of output impedance.
The daps used are from under 1ohm to 2ohm OI.

Luckily I am am sick in bed and have a box of daps next to my bed....

Opus#3

Gain High.

Red/Blue earbud covers.

Similar to the afore mentioned Opus#2 but closer to the FiiO X7ii with a general clarity, fast response and excellent separation overall.

The Burr Brown dac is a great match for these If one likes that transparent, airy sound.

Sound stage still wider than depth, but with a bit more head room than the other daps. 

Bear in mind I am shuffling, casually listening and not applying the usual SPL meter or headphone switch box.

Switching back to the DX200 briefly on the same track and now using a SPL meter to match volumes there is definite improvement and upwards scalability with the Kinera earbuds.

There is more control and clarity at higher volumes with the DX200. 



Echobox Explorer X1.

Red/Blue earbud covers.

UAPP app

A delicious pairing.
Seems to be a sweet spot in terms of matchability. Enough power without maxing the volume and maintaining control overall.

A nice spacious, holographic sound.
Rich without over doing it.
Separation is excellent.
Imaging is great. Placement of instruments is fairly accurate.
Sound stage is large and satisfying as in the other daps, not as extended as with say the Campfire Audio Andromeda but that is to be expected.


Shanling M3s 

Red/Blue earbud covers.

(I just got this dap and since I had been using all touchscreens so far I tried to do the same, M3s is not that kind of UI).  :)

Similar to the Opus#2 in that certain thickness to the low end.

But the M3s have just enough clarity and separation where needed, such as Radioheads ‘Paranoid Android’. 

Best paired at lower volumes.


Overall I found the Kinera Limited Edition and experimental earbud to be pleasing to my ears.

Comfort is excellent, speaking as one who usually has the earbuds not properly fitted unless I attach some inner ear hooks.

I do hope Kinera continue to pursue this line of development as someone at Kinera has a good ear for what makes a decent earbud.

Kinera Ltd Edition: Natural, smooth, deep and rich with a detailed clarity, good imaging and a decent satisfying sound stage.


Thank you to Kinera for sending their earbuds to Head pie for feedback and impressions.


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