Kinera is a brand I have become more familiar with in recent years. Up until recently, they were known for mainly producing IEMs in the lower and mid tiers, but with the launch of Loki, they are firmly taking aim at the upper echelons of this hobby.
As I have mentioned in many of my previous reviews, I have an interest in all sets that utilise bone conduction drivers, and my preferred configuration for IEMs, in general, are hybrids that include DD, BA and EST drivers, so when I heard Kinera had a new IEM in the works that ticked all of these boxes, my interest was piqued!
To clear up some confusion that exists when it comes to Loki, there are two versions in circulation. The original Loki, which is aimed at the Asian market, and the Loki Emerald, which is aimed at Western markets. It is the Emerald version I am reviewing here. I have not heard the other version, but I have included a graph below so you can see the differences in tuning.
I left Loki burning in around the clock for a week before doing any critical listening. Like everything in this hobby, what you are going to read are just my opinions based on my hearing, tastes, and previous experience. You may disagree with them, and that’s fine, but just treat them as one data point.
Packaging
Kinera has gone above and beyond with the packaging, in my opinion, and it is up there with the best I have come across in this hobby. The IEM itself is presented in a hexagonal, tiered box which includes two different cables, a great selection of tips from well-known brands, a carry case, a cleaning cloth and a cleaning brush. In addition to this, you also get a black leather storage box, similar to the one that comes with the Hiby RS8, to store the IEM, cables, tips and a DAP. I will go into more detail about the two cables included in the Cable section below.
Everything is of very high quality, and you can see that a lot of thought went into including accessories people will need and want to use.
Design
Loki has a traditional hybrid shape. If you have no fit issues with this general design, you shouldn’t have any issues with Loki. The IEMs are very light, and there are no edges or bulges in the shell so once I found the right tip, the fit has been perfect for me, and I seldom need to adjust the fit if at all.
The faceplates of the Loki Emerald have a beautiful 3D effect of flaskes, which really catch the light and shine. The rest of the shell has speckles of colour running throughout which also catch the light and sparkle. I have tried to capture it as best as I can in the images, but I am probably not doing it justice. It is also possible to get a custom design for a fee if that interests you, but I stuck with the standard Emerald design as I quite like it.
The IEM uses flush-mounted 2-pin connectors, and the shells are vented. Inside the shell is Kinera’s custom-made 6mm liquid diaphragm dynamic driver, four Knowles mid-range BAs, two Knowles treble BAs and four Sonion ESTs for ultra-high frequencies.
In addition to these drivers is Kinera’s custom-made contact-type bone conduction driver. This is a full range BCD which Kinera designed to have significantly more impact than comparable drivers found in other IEMs.
Sound
I have found Loki to be very responsive to different cables, sources and amps, and they scale really well with desktop gear. My favourite set-up has been listening with my Gustard R26 DAC and Topping A70Pro amp, but to be fair, I have enjoyed listening with any source. Describing its tuning is made a little more difficult by how much you can fine-tune it with sources etc, but put simply, Loki can produce huge quantities of quality bass, it has a clear, forward and highly resolving mid-range with a detailed and airy treble.
Loki is a very detailed set, which produces a vast, 3D soundstage and impressive layering. The BCDs clearly play a big role in producing this effect, and it is one of the best sets I have come across for creating that sense of being able to hear sounds coming from anywhere around you. It creates that sense of being immersed in the music.
One of the standout features of Loki for me has been its ability to reproduce bass in tracks faithfully. Whether it’s a traditional drum kit, bongos or synths creating the beat, they all sound exactly as you would expect them from the first strike right the way through the decay the quality and texture are exceptional.
Loki can produce a visceral, tactile thump when needed, but it doesn’t dominate the rest of the frequency range. The bass appears when called for and gets out of the way when not. I think this is another benefit of the BCD, as even with busy tracks, the bass quantity always remains balanced enough to allow everything else to be clearly heard and never becomes too much. From an experience and quality point of view, Loki produces some of the best bass I have come across in an IEM.
On initial listen with the stock EA cable, I found there was a lot of upper-mid energy and the sound was a little shouty at times. I swapped to the other cable from Kinera that is included, and it hasn’t been an issue since.
The mid-range is detailed and full, and the sheer resolution Loki produces is impressive. Vocals are forward and take your focus. The detail combined with the BCD effect adds realism to the vocals. The forwardness can make it a full-on experience at times with more intense tracks, but the set is equally capable of reproducing nuanced details in more delicate tracks. Strings are reproduced accurately and without any colour being added. The vibration of the strings is tactile. All of the nuanced details you expected to hear like fingers sliding along strings, are clear and present. Similar to the bass and vocals, everything sounds like you would expect it to.
I think Loki does a great job of having enough treble quantity to keep it balanced with the rest of the frequency range and produce an airy and sometimes ethereal experience while never straying too far and becoming spikey or sibilant. The treble has great extension and enough energy for notes to cut through and be heard in detail. The way Treble has been implemented means Loki can cover a broad range of genres. It extends well and can produce ethereal synth sounds for genres like EDM but can also handle the busyness of heavy metal cymbal crashes.
Cables
Loki comes with two cables included. One is what looks like an EA Ares, and the other is a cable that the Kinera owner had manufactured to acoustically pair with Loki. It is a Silver plated OCC, and Gold plated OCC mix. For my tastes, this is a much better pairing with Loki than the EA cable. With the Kinera cable, the sound is a lot fuller, and there is a greater sense of air. The EA cable, for me, produces a thinner sound with sharper treble and forward upper mids. As a result, all of my listening has been done with the Kinera cable.
I have compared Loki against a selection of other aftermarket cables, and my impressions are below.
The track I used for comparison was “
Somebody New (feat. ShezAr)” by Sonny Fodera, played through a Gustard R26 and Topping A70Pro.
EA Fusion 1
Listening with Fusion 1, compared to the stock Kinera cable, there is a more visceral mid-bass punch and there is also increased sub-bass. The vocals are very clear and detailed, but everything is warmer leaning. I like the increased sub-bass levels, but the extra mid-bass is making that the focus and some of the aspects of the track are a little overpowered by it. There is a slight reduction in treble quantity too, but that is amplified by the great bass quantity changing the balance.
Overall, it’s a more “fun” tuning with Fusion 1, and it’s nice to know you can add extra bass if that is what you are in the mood for or the track requires it.
Khanyayo Cardas Clear
In an outcome that will shock no one, the Cardas Clear cable pairs very well with Loki. Swapping from the stock cable, you immediately notice a blacker background. The soundstage stretches out even further, and there is that sense of sounds appearing out of the blackness.
Whereas Fusion 1 impacted the bass and mids more than the treble, the Cardas Clear cable makes improvements across the board. The bass is even cleaner, the mids have a nice touch of warmth added, but the blacker background keeps them sounding clear and detailed while the treble is smoothly delivered. It is a very impressive pairing.
Kinera Orlog
Kinera’s own upgrade cable, which was a collaboration with EA, is a light and supple cable which I often use when I am out and about with an IEM. I have reviewed it in the past if you want to take a more in-depth look at it
here.
Similarly to the Cardas Clear cable, Orlog creates a very black background. The overall impression I get when listening is that everything is very clean and detailed sounding. Orlog doesn’t make changes to the tuning, it more so improves the delivery and accuracy of notes. It is more laid back as a result, but if you like to keep your IEM sounding more faithful to the original recording, it is a good choice and would definitely be suited for more energetic music to keep everything in check.
Select Comparisons
The stars aligned for me to have some really special IEMs in my possession to demo while writing this review. Thanks to my audio friends who made that happen.
NGaudio Erebus
The Erebus is NGaudio’s flagship IEM and consists of 1 DD, 6 BA and 8 EST drivers.
“
Gotta Go” by Monoplay
What I love about this track is that it starts off simply with a heavy kick drum beat but gradually gets more complex as more instruments and vocals are introduced. That simplicity, though, means that every note can be scrutinised, and I find it a great track for testing IEMs.
Listening with Loki, that initial kick drum impacts hard. It’s a tactile hit, but it is clean and detailed. There is a distant sound of someone striking what I guess is a tambourine, and while subtle, really shows the vast dimensions of the soundstage this IEM is creating.
As the guitar enters, it is very detailed and immediately grabs your attention. The vibrations of strings and fingers moving over frets are all perfectly audible, even with the heavy kick bass continuing in the background. Then comes the bass guitar, adding another layer and now you can really feel and appreciate the impact the BCDs have here. On top of the impact you are feeling from the drums, you now have the visceral feel of the bass guitar notes vibrating, adding another tactile sensation to the overall listening experience.
Vocals are clear and detailed and, with the huge soundstage, have an almost crossfeed effect going on. It is a captivating listen created by the exceptional layering and the tactile aspect of the BCDs, which add to the sense of realism.
Swapping to Erebus, that initial kick drum hit is equally impressive from a texture and detail point of view, but you do notice the difference in tactility without the BCDs. It is still very impressive for a set I have heard described as bass light in the past.
The acoustic guitar sounds detailed and accurate when it comes in but takes a slight step back behind the bass guitar and drums as the track moves on.
It would be very hard to separate vocal quality between the two sets, but the main difference is that the instruments and vocals all seem closer together in a smaller soundstage, The result of that is that is it is harder to pick out the finer details in the track. There is no real sense of that crossfeed, and the tambourine that was so detailed and easy to pick out with Loki in the distance now seems like it is bunched together with everything else and is more challenging to hear.
Overall, I think Loki’s BCDs are the big difference between the sets. There is little to separate them in terms of sound quality, but Loki creates a much wider soundstage and gives everything a little bit more space to be clearly heard.
“
Number of the Beast” by Unami
This is another superb track for testing IEMs. There are lots of subtle sounds circulating around the track that get lost with weaker sets.
Listening with Loki, the track really comes to life as the acoustic guitars enter. They are detailed, musical and rhythmic. Double-tracking vocals quickly follow, and you feel surrounded. It is a 3D experience with the vocals sounding like they are positioned just on either side of your ears, but the different instruments are spread out in a larger space. This track again showcases Loki’s impressive layering and vast soundstage.
Listening with Erebus, the instruments are just as detailed, but the differences in stage size are again noticeable, with everything sounding like it between my ears. Vocals are, at times, a little sharper with Erebus. It isn’t sibilence, but some of the “s” sounds cut through noticeably.
Very similar to the last track, the sound quality is pretty much on par, but the soundstage sets the two apart. Erebus is intimate and close in, whereas Loki stretches everything far and wide.
Aroma Fei Wan
The Fei Wan is the latest flagship IEM from Aroma Audio. It consists of 2 DDs and 10 BA drivers.
On first listen to Fei Wan, I found it to be a bit of a wild beast. I was using the Hiby R6 Pro II, which I have since found just doesn’t really pair that well with this set. There was huge amounts of bass coming through in the tracks I was listening to and lots of treble energy, and I found it all too energetic.
I swapped to using a desktop R2R DAC with better results, and I have given my brain time to adjust, but I still don’t feel it is the ideal source for this set. While bass and treble are much more controlled, the mids can be a little too smooth at times. Unfortunately, my RS8 is still on its way back from repair, so I didn’t get an opportunity to try that as a source.
“
Tabu” by Artbat
I chose this track as many IEMs struggle to play it well. There is quite a heavy, bassy beat, which can sound muddy with some sets, and this is accompanied by a lot of ethereal sounds, which can often be lost if the bass isn’t in control.
Listening with Fei Wan, the initial beat and burst of synth sounds are clear and detailed, and as the track builds, you get a good sense of how big the soundstage is. When the track breaks at 01:04, that beat becomes quite intense, and while it remains quite controlled, the quantity of bass means it dominates. You do adjust to it though, and as other sounds and vocals are introduced into the track, it becomes more balanced.
Throughout the track, you get a sense of sounds travelling side to side and back to front, but the stage doesn’t stretch too far outside your head.
All the synth sounds that come and go in the track are detailed, and the vocals are quite melodic, but that bass line comes to the fore throughout.
Swapping over to Loki, the initial beat has less intensity, and the build-up to the track breaking is less ethereal, but when the heavier beat drops, mid-bass is much tighter, and overall it is less dominating. The other sounds in the track take more of your attention, and you can hear them travel out further within the stage.
Loki is more reserved when it comes to treble, too. There is less energy and intensity, but it’s really a matter of taste which you would prefer between it and Fei Wan’s treble presentation, as the extra energy Fei Wan brings can work well with tracks that have that ethereal sensation when listening.
Loki keeps everything in control throughout the track with excellent bass quality and a detailed sound. Fei Wan is more intense. The bass hits harder, and there is a lot more treble intensity.
Loki when paired with the Hiby R6 Pro II has a closer treble presentation to Fei Wan but at the cost of bass control. There is a greater sense of air and space, and treble notes cut through the heavy bass with more intensity, but the bass is a lot looser.
“
Cola” by CamelPhat
This has probably been one of my favourite tracks I have listened to with Fei Wan. The opening beat is more controlled than it was with the previous track. When the vocals enter, they have great resolution and detail. Similar to the last track, that beat intensifies at times, and I feel like there is a little too much quantity again, but for the most part, it works well with the track. As there is less overall bass quantity in this track though, it is easier to hear all of the other synth and drum sounds in the track, and there is an incredible amount of details presented throughout.
It is a very full-on listening experience, which I think the R2R DAC keeps in control but which I found a little jarring at times with the Hiby player. Overall, I enjoyed this track with Fei Wan, and it helped me to appreciate some of its strengths more.
Loki delivers the track with a bit of a lighter touch. It isn’t as full-on as with Fei Wan. Vocals are detailed and similarly forward in the mix, but when the heavier bassline hits at around 00:38 in the track, the texture is noticeably better and more natural sounding.
With the R2R DAC, the bassline and the vocals keep your attention with Loki, whereas Fei Wan again introduces a more ethereal sound to accompany the bass and vocals.
What you come away with after listening to both is that Loki has exceptional bass control, a larger, more 3D soundstage with its treble extension really being sensitive to the source. Fei Wan has performed best for me with my R2R source, and I have found tracks such as Cola to be quite enjoyable with it, but swapping over to the Delta Sigma based sources I have access to while writing this review has produced less desirable results for me. Hopefully, I will get to compare them more down the line.
Noble Audio Spartaqcus
The Noble Audio Spartacus competes at a different price point to Loki, but it is technically a very impressive set. While it may seem unfair to compare the sets, both use BCDs in a unique way, which makes it of interest to me to compare.
While it is never straightforward to compare an all-BA set with a Hybrid, careful selection of music makes it a more “apples to apples” comparison, and I want to highlight the similarities and contrasts that don’t stem from driver config. That driver config consists of 4 BAs and 2 BCDs for Spartacus.
“
We Don’t Care” by Habib Koité/ Eric Bibb
Listening first with Spartacus, the song is clear and detailed. Much like Loki, Spartacus excels with layering. All the instruments are super detailed and easy to hear. They all have a distinct space within the soundstage and remain clear no matter how busy the track becomes. Vocals are natural sounding and very detailed. With tracks like this, there is never a hint of thinking about what drivers are doing what. It’s just a case of sitting back and enjoying.
Swapping to Loki, Vocals are a tiny bit more laid back. The acoustic and bass guitars are ever so slightly more forward and grab your attention that bit more. The soundstage stretches more left to right and it feels like each instrument fills more of the space it is presented in. There is just that sense of a fuller, more resolving sound with slower, less aggressive notes.
It feels like there is more information being presented with Loki, but I can see people liking both presentations. I think technically, Loki is better, but Spartacus is also impressive.
“
There is Still Pain (Laolu Remix)” by Sophie Hunger
Listening to these tracks back to back on each set, there aren’t night and day differences. Both sets produce a detailed and clear sound.
The bass drum in the lead into the track is fast and hard with Spartascasu, as you would expect from its drivers. Loki is fuller and slower. The soundstage stretches about the same left and right, and the small details are as easy to pick out with both sets. Vocals are a little darker with Loki. That fuller bass takes more of your attention, whereas with Spartacus, vocals jump out at you more as there are fewer notes lingering, and everything is faster.
And that really is the stand-out difference between the two with this track. The speed and attack of Spartacus versus the warmer and slower decaying notes of Loki.
Conclusion
Loki has some of the best bass quality I have encountered in this hobby. It has a detailed, accurate and highly resolving mid-range, and its treble can cover many different genres well. The implementation of the BCD adds tactility and impact while also helping it to create an immersive 3D soundstage.
The Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald is a seriously impressive IEM, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time with it. To think this is their first foray into the high end of this hobby is almost unfathomable, and it makes me excited to see what they do next.
You can find out more about Loki on the Kinera website
here.