PHOENIXCALL: call of the Phoenix!
INTRO:
Behold the Kinera Phoenixcall: the IEM that promise an audio experience like no other. These are carefully crafted earphones, marrying new technology with elegant design in the pursuit of perfect sound. Be it a casual listener or an audiophile, the promising sound of Phoenixcall will never let your favorite tunes die. These small titans pack a strange punch, combining a dynamic driver with two balanced armature drivers and two micro-planar drivers. Attention to visual detail like this is further sweetened by the inclusion of a high-quality 8-core copper cable and a range of ear tips to fit comfortably in any user's ear.
But with so much technology crammed inside, does the Phoenixcall deliver a beautiful melody or a confusing jumble of sound? Let’s walk through …
CONTEXT:
I fall in love with it at the very first look. It’s beautiful, too beautiful. But it’s mild ‘V’ shaped tuning made me a hard stop. But I was curious and get all my courage to give it a try. After I roll the stock tips and a bit EQ (I don’t mind!) ah, it feels like a slight ‘U’ shaped sound. My unit is already fill up it’s burn in period over hundred hours. And now the drivers are in their full potential. I mostly listen to classic rock & metal with it and sometimes classic country & blues.
As usual, I swap cables but here, the stock one seems so perfect to me. And for fit and comfort (which I prefer most), I stick on the Spinfit W1. They sealed well and give me the ultimate comfort that I want on a long listening session. The following review is based on this set-up.
DISCLAIMER:
‘Kinera’ send me this IEM for review purpose. And there is no guidance by the respective company about what to write and what not. There is no monitory transaction nor any other perquisite between me and the respective company/ distributing authority. The following is my unbiased & honest opinion.
One thing more. The review is based on my personal experience and what I hear using different IEMs. Your experience may very due to personal preference and physical difference like the shape & depth of ear cannel.
[You can grab your copy from
Geek Mart if you are in Bangladesh.
For international buying
Kinera is the place for you.]
GEAR USED:
• Cowon Planue R2
• Hiby R3
• ifi Hip DAC 2
• Moondrop Dawn Pro
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION:
• Acoustic Drivers：1DD+2BA+2 Micro Planar drivers (FPD）
• Interface: 0.78 2pin
• Sensitivity: 103db
• Wearing Type: In-Ear
• Frequency Response Range: 20Hz-40kHz
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Weight (earbuds+cable): 9.8g+30g ( ± 0.2g )
• Plug: 3.5mm / 4.4mm
• Cable length: 1.2m
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
• Kinera Celest Phoenixcall IEMs
• 5N copper-Silver platted 8 core cable (Red & Blue mix color)
• Two types of ear tips, six pairs (S, M, & L for each type)
• A very nice carrying pouch
• Metal Bookmark
• Story behind the design
• User manual (what this is for?)
UNBOXING EXPERIENCE:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall comes in a slick, book-style box that calls the eye immediately. Unlike most IEM packaging, opening is akin to opening a book as a beautiful inside illustration connects with the "PHOENIXCALL" name. It's a nice touch that sets up the expectation for a premium experience. First of all, when opening the box, there they are-the IEMs themselves-very nicely designed with a transparent resin shell, showing the intricate interior of the headphones.
Inside the box, one will find that there are a number of accessories included, extending the experience even further. There's a stylish gold-colored metal bookmark and a small leather, puck-shaped carrying case for easy portability. The included cable is of high quality. It’s a 5N Copper Silver plated 8 core cable, offering good flexibility and no microphonics, which means you won’t hear any annoying rustling sounds when it moves. You also will find two sets of ear tips. As per Kinera, one is Celest 221 Vocal ear tips (S, M & L) and another one is Celest C-07 Ear tips (S, M & L). They are really not usable and make upper frequencies shouty that I don’t like.
BUILD QUALITY & DESIGN:
Kinera has something to say about their design concept of Phoenixcall. As per their description the story is -
"A hundred birds flock to was a legendary scene inspired by the ancient Chinese myth “The Legends of Mountains and Seas”. Heaven and earth stood solemnly, day and night interchange, seasons reincarnate. Mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, winds, blizzards, rain and snow, a destined force lurks in the dark, calling for the families of divine birds, appearing out of nowhere together filling the skies, filling with birds singing, flocks and flocks of them throwing themselves into the deep forest, meeting each other, depicting a harmonic grand scene of a hundred of birds flocking back to their southern home."
Now, let's come to the point I wanna discuss….
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall strikes with its build quality and good looks: a couple of earphones with a see-through resin shell that allows seeing inside the inner constructions - indicative of careful craftsmanship. The faceplates have glittering designs of birds in flight, changing color depending on the light from blue and green to purple. This attention to aesthetic detail makes the Phoenixcall not just a piece of audio equipment but also an accessory visually pleasing to the onlooker's eyes.
From a technical excellence perspective, the Phoenixcall features a unique tribrid system: one dynamic driver, two balanced armature drivers, and two micro planar drivers. Rather uncommon in this budget range, it too contributes to the reasons these earphones would sound as great as they are. Added to aesthetic beauty, the clear resin shell lends to a strong and durable build for the protection of these delicate pieces. This combination of good looks with strength makes the earphones not only handsome but resistant as well. The high-quality cable has a silver plating that makes it durable and color-matching to the IEM, adding to the overall cohesiveness in looks.
FIT & COMFORT:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall fits and is so comfortable that one could enjoy a really long listening session with it. Due to the ergonomic design and lightweight IEM shell, this in-ear monitor fits snuggly but comfortably, even after several hours into use. The smooth contours and well-thought construction mean they sit well in the ears without causing any pressure or discomfort, especially after extended time.
The perfect choice of ear tips helps the users in achieving just the right fit while catering to a host of different ear sizes and preferences for utmost comfort with great sound isolation, hence total immersion into one's music. The resin material in the IEM shells is premium to the touch and adds to overall comfort, making them suitable for extended wear without irritation.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is impressively engaging and technically okay. The earphones sport a rather unique tribrid driver configuration, coming with one dynamic driver, two balanced armature drivers, and two micro planar drivers. This setup results in rich and authoritative bass. It's full-bodied and quite well-extended, providing a strong and intensive listen without beating down the other frequencies.
The midrange on the Phoenixcall is clear and natural, though sometimes it tends to sound a little recessed due to the V-shaped sound signature. The vocal and instrumental elements come through with decent detail and good presence, never too harsh or muddy. This tuning makes the midrange easy and pleasant to listen to, although for some listeners, it may not be forward enough. The treble comes across smooth and crisp, with loads of brilliance and air without ever becoming sibilant or fatiguing. That would make the Phoenixcall suitable for long listening sessions.
One of the few shortcomings is that the upper mids and lower treble can be a bit intense at times, which may not be perfect for listeners sensitive to these frequencies.
Let’s dive into each section for a clearer view…
SUB-BASS:
The sub-bass performance of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is impressive and impressive. Indeed, it yields a deep rumbling sound adding solid foundational grains to your music. Such depth and power in the sub-bass make tracks featuring kick drums and bass guitars particularly enjoyable, where this IEM shows it can indeed produce a full and rich sound.
Sub-bass performance is satisfying with the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall on Ini Kamoze's hit song "Here Comes the Hotstepper". The stuttering bassline makes its way through this track, solid in its presence, providing a deep and impactful character without over-powering the other elements of the music. Well, the technical prowess of the Celest Phoenixcall is there for all to see, handling the sub-bass with the most finesse and keeping clarity and separation when in the most intense moments of the song.
MID-BASS:
The mid-bass response of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall isn't bad and has an overall feeling of punchiness with control, thus will remain enjoyable for the bass head. In fact, the real technical capability shows up when the bass notes are detailed with a certain texture that adds depth and richness to genres like pop, rock, and hip-hop. On mid-bass, Kinera Celest Phoenixcall does an impressive job on Dokken's "Alone Again (Without You)". The bass guitar and drumlines from this rock ballad come through satisfyingly punchy with good presence, adding in warmth and depth to the overall sound.
Overall, the mid-bass presentation of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall strikes a good balance between technical ability and musicality that can be enjoyed; thus, it is quite compelling for any audiophile looking to get a dynamic and engaging sound signature.
MALE VOCALS:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall really nails it on how it presents male vocals-clear and intimate, capturing nuances in performance with aplomb. Its technical brilliance surfaces in articulation; male voices are spot-on, the timbre sounds natural, hence allowing the listeners to enjoy its sonorous tune and emerge from an immersive listening experience. Nick Cave's "Red Right Hand" sounds great in the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall. The deep and resonating voice of Cave rings true with amazing clarity and texture, capturing perfectly the dark and ominous tone of this song. While the Celest Phoenixcall impresses with its presentation, it sometimes is missing that hint of warmth and body, especially in the lower registers, which may affect the overall richness and depth in male voices.
FEMALE VOCALS:
Where female vocals are concerned, the Phoenixcall is a delight to listen to, with its clarity, sweetness, and perceived closeness within the music making it highly engaging. Underlying the exact reproduction of the female voice is real technical finesse that shows nuances and emotion subtlety and transparency. "Mystified" by Fleetwood Mac, as listened to on the Phoenixcall, showed just how well it does with female vocals-specifically, Christine McVie's performance. Warm, smooth, and impressively clear in detail, her voice is heard to express the gentle and soothing character of her singing.
Having said that, I should note that the treble is a touch brighter. If you are sensitive to sibilance, that extra emphasis on 's' and 'sh' sounds, you might find some female vocals with a lot of natural sharpness are a touch harsh.
INSTRUMENTS SEPARATION:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall has stunning instrument separation, allowing each to stand out uniquely in the mix for a wide and exciting listening experience. Testing the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall with the Eagles' iconic rock number "Hotel California" shows quite prominently its great instrumental separation capability. The track itself is complexly arranged, from guitars to drums to bass-all sound well-separated, articulate, and nigh to precision. The interplay of guitars between Don Felder and Joe Walsh is simply legendary on this track. You can easily discern the two guitar parts, where Felder's clean picking lines are separated from the more textured and effects-laden riffs courtesy of Walsh.
However, while the Celest Phoenixcall excels in terms of instrument separation, you find sometimes, under more complex passages or more densely laid tracks, the instruments could slightly blend together to a degree that might cost clarity and precision.
TREBLE:
The treble performance of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is crispy and clear, with shimmering highs that add sparkle and airiness to music. One can tell from the way it delivers each note with the required amount of detail and articulation to emphasize each minute nuance of cymbals and strings that it's technically brilliant in the rendering of treble notes. Listening to Martika's hit "Toy Soldiers" with the Phoenixcall was commendable for treble performance. And high notes and synthesizer accents, in particular, are impressively clear and crispy, giving a light and sparkling character to the general sound. While the treble performance really impresses in this IEM, too often this IEM tends to incline towards brightness, which could give way to a slight hint of sharpness or sibilance at higher volumes.
SOUNDSTAGE:
The soundstage of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is expansive and immersive, providing listeners with a spacious and lifelike listening environment. Listening to Queen's legendary rock ballad "Bohemian Rhapsody" with the Phoenixcall reveals an expansive and immersive soundstage. The intricate layers of this iconic track are presented with a sense of space and depth, allowing each element—from Freddie Mercury’s powerful vocals to the operatic harmonies and complex instrumental sections—to occupy its own distinct place. Imaging in Phoenixcall is clear, so the different instruments and vocal parts are easily discriminated across a wide, three-dimensional soundscape.
While the Celest Phoenixcall does a great job with a wide and detailed soundstage, it often tends to be somewhat wanting in terms of depth and layering of the same when the musical action becomes complicated. But minor drawbacks apart, this IEM indeed presents an engaging and attractive soundstage that further enriches one's listening experience.
TECHNICALITIES:
The technical capability of the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is impressive, sparing nothing in the way of detail, engagement, and immersion in one's listening. It does very well technically in several parameters that include instrument separation, soundstage, and treble performance, all of which let listeners discern individual elements within the music with clarity and precision.
While the Phoenixcall is, by all means, an exceptional IEM, to some, it may be bordering on brightness in the treble area, especially when a hint of sharpness or sibilant may creep in at greater volumes. Apart from this minor Achilles heel, the IEM represents one of the best options in this price bracket, offering serious audiophiles a powerfully technical and musical combination.
EQUALIZING:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall responds pretty well to equalization, making it even more versatile for audiophiles who enjoy tweaking their sound profile. When that comes down to making adjustments for equalization, an increase in most of the aspects comprising the sound signature can properly be dialed in. A boost to the bass frequencies, for instance, gives the low end more weight and punch but without distortion or muddiness. A minor boost to the midrange pushes vocals forward and gives them warmth. Treble enhances the sparkle and detail, but great care is taken not to introduce excessive brightness or sibilant.
The Phoenixcall keeps the sound coherent and detailed even with big changes in EQ-one that shows its flexibility for maintaining the capacity to adjust to personal taste and genre.
WHO SHOULD GET THIS:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall is a great option for several types of listeners:
- Budget-minded audiophiles
- Fans of lively sound
- Listeners who prioritize comfort
MAY BE LOOK ELSEWHERE:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall might not be the perfect fit for everyone. Here's who might want to consider other options:
- Listeners with sensitive ears
- Lovers of warm sound
- Audiophiles seeking absolute top-tier sound
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall represents an enticing package toward musical and engaging sound for audiophiles on a budget. The technical execution is impressive, with punchy sub-bass, clear mids, and crispy treble that adds sparkle and detail. The surprisingly open soundstage places you right in it, elevating your music experience. One should, however, consider that the somewhat V-shaped signature of sound may yield the mids sounding a bit recessed to some listeners' ears. Added to which, bright treble may raise some concern for people with sensitive ears. If you are looking for warm and smooth, then the Phoenixcall may not be your ideal match.
