Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing

Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing
1DD
$29


Before I start this review let me thank HiFiGO for providing me with the unit for review.
I also want to apologize deeply for the pending publishing due to my poor health.

Rest assured, all of my reviews are 100% my own personal opinion.
Just in case you're interested you can get it here : https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-wyvern-qing

Unboxing
Build Quality


The Wyvern Qing looks nice in real life, the build also looks like it was made from resin, and its fully filled resin, which is spectacular for its price.

We can see the inside of the IEM. Personally, I prefer the Wyvern Abyss for the faceplate design, though the Wyvern Qing has a pretty green color on the shell.

The cable itself is just OK, functional, nothing special, not that easy to get tangled but that's it.
It uses 0.78mm and terminated in 3.5mm also on my sample, I got the mic variant, the mic itself is decent but it has a noticeable background hiss.

Comfort

The Wyvern Qing is really comfortable, just like its brother the Wyvern Abyss. It fits like a glove in my ears, one of the most comfortable IEM for long listening sessions that I have for sure.

Sound

Tested using POCO M6 Pro, FIIO KB3
Sound is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz)

Tonality in general : Harman-ish

As for the sound itself, it's pretty similar to its brother the Wyvern Abyss, there is a high possibility that the Wyvern Abyss and Qing share the same driver and the two just have a different shell.

I will pretty much copy paste my sound impression from the Wyvern Abyss on the Wyvern Qing review, because it really is very identical.

Bass : The Wyvern Qing bass presentation is just like Harman target tuning with just a tiny bit extra mid-bass boost to add more body and punch to its presentation. I found the bass of Wyvern Abyss to be all rounder for all genres.

It has decent punch and decent depth with above average speed, it can be used for double pedal music such as metal and is pretty enjoyable for EDM music too.
Though If you are bass heads, I guess the bass is not really a bass head presentation so you better off looking on other alternatives if you’re a bass head.

Midrange : Neutral, not shouty, not thin but not thick either, free from sibilance.
Wyvern Qing’s midrange is pretty good for a budget IEM in my opinion.

Its upper midrange is a tad more forward due to slight boost than true harman tuning, but it is still free from shout. I found the vocals and instruments sounds pretty natural from this budget IEM which is very good.
In fact, the midrange of Wyvern Qing is more “natural” than a lot of more pricier IEM available in the market today.

Treble : Smooth.
Its treble presentation is pretty safe for treble sensitive individuals, extension and resolution is average for its price.
On the positive side, the timbre of its treble is pretty good for its price, which some other budget IEMs struggle to have.

Technicality
Good for $29

Detail Retrieval : Average
Probably the weakest thing that I can fault on the Wyvern Qing. Don’t get me wrong, it's not that the detail retrieval is bad or anything, it’s just that it doesn’t offer something special for its price.

Stage : Very Good
The Wyvern Qing has a very grand stage presentation for its price, even above its price bracket.
Stage layering is also present and stage shape is symmetrical between its width and depth.

Separation & Positioning : Very Good
I have no complaints, in fact, I praise the separation & positioning of this budget IEM, it's very good for its price and probably can even be compared to more expensive price bracket IEMs.

Imaging : Very Good
As always, for imaging its pretty dependent from the source you use, if I use lets say more premium sources, the Wyvern Qing can sound holographic-ish, but let say if you plug the Wyvern Qing directly to your smartphone, it sounds 2.5D which is very good for its price.

Comparison

Celest Wyvern Abyss
Same 1DD, More or less same price.

Both Wyvern Abyss and Wyvern Qing I believe share the same drivers, they both use 1DD LCP, even the graph if you search the Squiglink, both pretty much identical.

The only thing different is literally just the shell. One uses black color resin with dragon scale faceplate.
And the cable. That's it.

Conclusion

Is the Wyvern Qing recommended?

YES, for its price the Celest Wyvern Qing just like the Wyvern Abyss, offers a pretty good build, comfort, and tonality and even technicality in my opinion.

The only thing I can fault from the Wyvern Qing is that the detail retrieval is just average, pretty much the same just like the Wyvern Abyss. But other than that, the Wyvern Qing is actually a pretty good budget IEM that I can easily recommend for its asking price.

Thanks for reaching this far.

Just in case you're Indonesian, or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review here


-littlenezt.

I recently had the opportunity to test the Celest Wyvern Black & Celest Wyvern Quing, thanks to Kinera and especially Kinera Thomas for arranging a review tour with Audiophiles Alliance BD. I have decided to do a comparison review instead of individual ones as I believe there are a lot of similarities rather than differences with these two IEM’s.

Non-affiliated Links: -

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007188242389.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007430836540.html


Source Used: -
Shanling M5 Ultra, Hiby R6 Gen III, Cayin RU7



️ Build Quality & Design: -

Both of these IEM’s feature 3D-printed resin shells, they have the usual Kinera premium build quality. They feel more expensive than other IEM’s in the $25 to $30 price range.


️ Fit:-

These IEM’s have very good ergonomics and the fit is excellent. It seems Kinera has taken special care when designing these two, their shape is molded perfectly to fit the human ears.



️ Accessories: -

Both have decent accessories, I don’t like the stock cable quality on these two. But that’s understandable, some corners had to be cut given the price point. Although we were provided with the type-c cable for Celest Wyvern Black, it features a mic and that can be a plus point for the gamers. They both feature a standard set of silicone tips (S,M,L),



️ Bass: -

Both the Wyvern Black and the Weveryn Quing has good quality and quantity bass. Although if you are more of bass-head and prefer more quantity the Wyvern Black should be your first choice. It offers better bass extension with more rumble and better slam.


️ Mids / Vocals: -

The Wyvern Quing features a more pronounced upper-midrange boost compared to the Wyvern Black, which makes vocals sound more forward and present. Female vocals, in particular, stand out on the Quing, while the Wyvern Black male vocals benefits from the added warmth from its richer low-end.


️ Treble: -

Treble sounds brighter and more well extended on the Wyvern Quing. It has sparkle up top and is more detailed as well. Cymbals and high hats sound crispier and lively. The Wyvern Black offers more rolled-off treble in comparison. It goes for a smoother approach, making sure the listener does not feel any fatigue.


️ Imaging: -

Imaging is slightly better on the Wyvern Quing it renders the position of instruments within the soundstage naturally. The Wyvern Black does a good job here as well, the difference is marginal and not that noticeable.



️ Soundstage: -

Honestly both these IEM have a more intimate soundstage which is acceptable for the $25 to $30 price tag. If I have to compare, the Quing soundstage seemed a bit wider and offered more depth to my ears.



️ Conclusion: -

These two are very similar, Quing offers a more energetic listen. It has livelier treble, more prominent vocals and a balanced low-end. Wyvern Black has a ore meaty and thicker low-end, smoother treble, and warm-ish vocals. Now you can pick your poison.

Celest Wyvern Qing Review​

Full Review Here

​

Celest Wyvern Qing Review​

Intro​

Hello audio fans, today I have with me another iem from Celest Audio named the Celest Wyvern Qing. Now, the Qing is another in the very popular “Wyvern” series of iems which so far has gotten some very good feedback from the audio community as a whole. Celest Audio (for those who don’t know) is actually a sister brand of the highly regarded Kinera Audio. Some consider that Celest is the “value” wing of the Kinera umbrella. The great majority of Celest iems are in fact… Budget. However, the word “budget” almost has a negative connotation, and I wouldn’t describe Celest as anything “negative” at all. It’s actually the contrary. So far all I have witnessed from this brand has been nothing but a high price to performance with very good budget iems that will please a huge swath of audio folk. Just a good brand that knows who their audience is. I should also probably say thank you to HiFiGo for providing the Wyvern Qing in exchange for a feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. Always a pleasant surprise.

One of the four celestial spirits ​

Now, one thing that Celest/Kinera/QOA will always do is name their iems after… something. Basically, they give their sets a personality. This personality or theme is how they tune their iems, how they build their iems, and how they design their iems. It’s a cool thing to see. Not many brands have the artistic capacity or imagination to drum up this kind of craftiness. If you haven’t paid any attention over the years… I’ll forgive you, but folks, Kinera has been doing this forever. Once again, each set has a theme, each set has an identity which serves as the path that Kinera/Celest/QOA uses to encompass the build, sound, design, and even some of the accessories on more expensive iems.

Qing​

In the case of the Qing, it is actually named after a dragon which was one of the four celestial spirits of heaven in Chinese Mythology. Qing which in full is “Quinglong” also goes by the names “Canglong” & “Mengzhang”. Also known as the Azure Dragon. Qing represents Spring, and the east. It also represents power and majesty. So, there is alot to unpack here which I am not going to do. However, I did some reading and income to find out that these representations are all over the media and used very often. I suppose we out in the west don’t really hear about it, but the stories are really kind of cool. I’ve learned a ton about Chinese Mythology through the process of reviewing Kinera/Celest/QOA iems and devices. Well, a ton is probably a bit of an exaggeration. More like, I’ve learned more than I ever would’ve known due to these reviews. So, as you can see by the look and design of the Qing, it is azure in color and very beautiful to look at. I won’t go any further into this, but I wanted to at least speak on the fact that Kinera/Celest/QOA does go above and beyond in how they go about creating and crafting their iems. It’s pretty cool.

Competition​

Now in each of the reviews I’ve done covering this series, I have considered each set very good against their peers. This is an absolutely loaded price point with price to performance iems all throughout. In fact, in my opinion the $30-$50 price point is probably where you see the best price to performance of any price range. Again, I reviewed the Wyvern Pro (Wyvern Pro Review), and the Wyvern Abyss (Wyvern Abyss Review) and each was slightly different from each other as far as tuning is concerned. Just narrow distinctions separated each iem and coincidentally, this is exactly what I find with the Qing. Very much alike but subtle differences. I think that Celest provides a few very good options at this low price, but I am curious to see where the Qing sits against the best of the price point. We shall see. However, I’m ready to check this set out much closer. I’ll be back in about two weeks and begin writing further ahead. The Celest Wyvern Qing everyone…

Check out my other reviews of Celest iems below:​

–Pandamon
–Pandamon 2.0
–Wyvern Pro
–Wyvern Abyss
–Phoenixcall
–Relentless

Non-Affiliated Purchasing Links:​

–Amazon US
–HiFiGo

Disclaimer:​

I received the Celest Wyvern Qing from HiFiGo as a review sample and in exchange I will conduct a full review and feature at Mobileaudiophile.com. I have not received any payment or any other form of compensation for this review. This set is a review sample iem. HiFiGo has not requested to pre-read any review and doesn’t have any control over “what” or “when” anything gets published to mobileaudiophile.com. All thoughts within this review are my own, though please take note that I will always have my own biases. This is impossible to get around. I try to be as objective as my subjective self can be, but this is an opinion piece folks. Thank you to the very kind people of HiFiGo and thanks for reading.

Gear used for testing​

–Ifi Go Blu

–EPZ TP50

–Simgot Dew4x

–Aful SnowyNight

–Fiio Q15

–iBasso DX240 with Amp8 MK2

–Shanling M6 Ultra

Packaging / Accessories ​

The Celest Wyvern Qing comes in a very small box with a picture of what appears to be lightning on the cover. There really isn’t much to speak on with this unboxing. This is a budget set and not much is included. Which I would hope everyone would expect. However, take off the sleeve and you’ll first see a card which explains the folklore/mythology behind the Qing. Under the card you’ll find a few baggies which have the Qing earphones themselves as well as the cable and the eartips inside. That’s it. For $25 there really isn’t much to get upset at. This is the first time in a long time that a brand didn’t put their earphones in cut-outs making them the first visible thing upon opening. I’m cool with it though. It’s $25.

Eartips​

The eartips provided aren’t really the best pairing eartips in my opinion. Celest provides three pairs (S, M, L) of white silicone eartips with a wide bore. Now, I have zero issue with wide-bore eartips on this set. What I don’t like is how flimsy these tips are. They just don’t seal very well for my ears. I actually agree with Celest that wide-bore tips are best. They are for me anyways. So, I instead went with the blue Letshuoer wide-bore tips which come with most of their earphones. I love how rigid the flanges are which makes getting a seal very nice. Anyways, maybe the included tips will work great with your ears, just not mine.

Cable​

The included cable is one which some of you may want to swap with another. There’s nothing wrong with the included cable at all but it isn’t the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Certainly, there are better cables aesthetically. Having said that, please don’t think I’m ridiculing it, because that’s not what I’m doing. In fact, the cable provided does a fine job of replaying my music while at the same time not being too heavy and weighing down this light set of earphones. I don’t hear any microphonics either. I just have to pair my earphones with some sort of color matching or contrasting. It’s my own weird thing. Also, I listen almost primarily over a balanced connection and so that in and of itself is a reason to swap. I actually used the KBear Expansion cable in 4.4 balanced. It is a 24-core cable, light blue/white which looks nice with the Qing in my opinion. So, the included cable isn’t bad, it’s a cable after all, and it works. Maybe not my cup o’ tea, but nothing can please everyone.

Build / Design / Internals / Fit ​

Build Quality ​

The actual build of the Celest Wyvern Qing is no different than any of the previous Wyvern series sets. The Qing is also made entirely of resin, 3D printed, durable enough, and good hard plastics. Let’s put it this way, it doesn’t feel cheap. It’s a good build especially at $25-$30. I’m telling you right now that you won’t see many all-resin sets in this price point. There’s a few though, like the Kiwi Ears Cadenza, and some others. However, I do feel that the build is very good and extremely ergonomically correct to most human ears. The nozzle is medium length and 6mm wide. Pretty much average. Should fit most people that way. I do see a tiny vent near the rear of the Shells and other than that there really isn’t much more to speak on. It’s a nice build.

Design​

Now, it’s in the design that the Wyvern Qing is set apart from other iems at this price. The actual design is bonkers good. One thing I always remark on is how remarkable Kinera/Celest/QOA are with designing earphones. Truly they are the best out there. Nobody does what they do and if they happen to, it’s a one-off thing. Kinera creates beautiful earphones in their sleep. This brand is so talented. The people they have are truly in tune with their artistic expression and clearly want to give that away. The Qing are gorgeous. They come in two colorways in green and blue. Obviously, mine is blue. However, it isn’t just blue! There is also a definite purple element to this colorway. I adore the swirling faceplates with dark blues, light blues, purples, and even a touch of pink in there too. Just a very dope looking design on these faceplates. To add to that, the Shells are semi-transparent as well. I can easily see in the Shells and peer at the inner workings of this set. That is something I’ll always be partial to. Easily one of, if not thee… best designed earphones in the price range.

Internals​

Once again Celest decided to use what I believe to be the exact same driver they used in the other Wyvern series sets. That is a 10mm LCP (liquid-crystal-polymer) diaphragm dynamic driver. Why change a good thing? It works and the sound is great. This is obviously a good driver inside and what they do is simply slightly tweak the tuning with each set. This may have to do with the acoustic cavity I suppose or slight damping. I really don’t know. I do know that the Qing does have a slightly different sound than the Wyvern Pro and the Abyss. Anyways, it’s a good driver, that much I know.

Fit / Comfort​

Once again, this set fits my ears like a dream. It’s really perfect. I have absolutely not even a slight clue how this set will fit your ears, but I’m assuming they will fit well with most people. So, they are extremely comfortable, and I can use them truly for hours. I have used them for hours actually and never once needed to take them out for adjustments. Okay, I occasionally get an itchy ear but that doesn’t have anything to do with actual comfort. That’s just my ear wondering why something is shoved in there that long. So, fitment is good, comfort is good and also, I’d say that isolation is good too. I hear a nice passive noise attenuation. Better than average I’d say.

Drivability / Pairings​

The Qing is rated with an impedance of 32 ohms and a sensitivity of 105 db’s. If that makes no sense to you then I’ll just translate…this means they are very sensitive. I found the Qing to be just fine off of even lesser powerful sources. Sources like my iPad, old Android phones, lesser powerful no name dongles. They all play the Qing with way more than enough headroom and actual volume. Now, there is some scaling with power, as with most iems. It isn’t world changing but there is a difference to me. I find this with damn near all iems. In fact, I can’t remember a set that didn’t tighten up at least a little bit due to some added zing! A little mustard! Some juice! They all seem to dial in a bit. Some more than others for sure. The Celest Wyvern Qing does improve to a slight degree. In my humble opinion. I don’t feel you need some huge amount of power to bring the Qing to its best. In fact, a decent Dongle Dac is fine. Something greater than your average smartphone maybe. The drivers inside handle a bit more power just fine. One more thing, just like the other Wyvern series sets, the Qing can handle loudness or more volume particularly well. I don’t hear undue and ugly distortions. High volumes don’t really become a problem. Just a side note.

Pairings​

As far as tonal pairing with the Qing. I really don’t feel it matters much. It’ll be what your preferences are anyways. The Qing is in that warm/neutral pocket of tonal coloration which seems to sound fine with most source tonalities. If anything, maybe a slightly warmer source I liked better. The Simgot Dew4x was a very nice pairing which made the time in my office really nice. However, even a slightly more neutral EPZ TP50 was a great pairing. The slightly warmer Ifi Go Blu was an awesome device to use with the Qing as well, same with the Qudelix 5k. As far as my daps, I liked them all. The warmer Shanling M6 Ultra is my absolute favorite device to use with the Qing. However, the neutral and very dynamic Fiio Q15 is just as nice in a slightly less rich way. Same with the iBasso DX240. All good.

Best Pairing?​

I think we go way too hard in this hobby with “what the correct tonal pairing is”. I mean, folks… It’ll be what you enjoy in the end. Not what some reviewer deems as the “best pairing”. They always say if it’s a cooler sounding set to pair with a warmer source and there is validity to that. However, mostly it’s because certain aspects of the sound gets exaggerated if you use a cool source with a cool set. Same with warm/warm. It isn’t always the case though. I just think we need to step back a moment and refresh some of the things reviewers are saying sometimes. Please understand that this isn’t a bashing of anyone, shoot… I’m the worst offender of this thinking. Look at my past reviews! Anyways, I truly feel the Qing sounds good with most source tonalities. Like I said, for me I like a slightly warmer source device, but that’s me. You may feel different.

What do you need?​

I feel that you should try to get at least a cheap dongle dac. I’m telling you folks that dongle dacs are very good at even low prices. I have a few like the EPZ TP20 and TP20 Pro, the Moondrop Dawn 4.4 and the Dawn Pro, Fiio KA11 (only 3.5 SE), Hidizs SD2 (also 3.5), Fosi Audio DS2, 7hz 71 (3.5), Kiwi Ears Allegro, even some $15 Conexant dongle dacs like the CX Pro are very good for simple listening and a bit more power than a smartphone. These are only a few too. You don’t need more than that and if all you have is a smartphone then guess what… you’ll be fine. The Qing is still sensitive enough to bring good sound quality even off of a smartphone with plenty of headroom.

Sound Impressions​

Now we finally get to the sound of the Celest Wyvern Qing. So, it’s pretty well known that Celest adopted the Harman tuning curve to tune their Wyvern series earphones to. I would completely agree with this. Quite literally these sets follow the Harman target almost to the tee. You have a sub-bass elevated low-end with a lift in the upper-mids and a sparkly treble. That said, I find the Qing to be right around warm/neutral or neutral with a spattering of low-end warmth. I find this set is especially good with female vocalists but even males come across nicely. The low-end has plenty of thump to be fun and it’s tight enough to not muddy the waters so to speak. Macro-dynamics are vibrant enough with good energy to keep things more enticing. Certainly, this is not a boring sounding set. There’s good raw energy there. As with many Harman tuned iems. I feel the Qing leans crisp past the low-end though it still maintains that mostly smooth and non-offensive sound.

Not exactly the same​

Now, I’m assuming most of you will look at the side-by-side graph of the Qing and other Wyvern series sets and likely feel they are the exact same sets. The graphs are ridiculously close. Also, the sound is pretty darn close too. However, there are some key differences that I’ll try to spell out as this review goes along. I feel the main difference is that the Qing has some more forward vocal energy. Not a lot more, but enough to sound different. The Qing simply has a titch more spice to the sound. Crispier than the other sets by a small margin. The upper treble seems to have a bit more energy too which also adds to the slightly more detailed sound. However, like the older sets, the Qing is a very well done iem with good presence, good energy, decent macro-dynamics, and is also pretty well detailed for a budget set.

Condensed Sound Between the 20’s​

I’ll quickly go through each 3rd of the mix highlighting some points. I keep it quick like an abridged version of my full review. Anyways, the low-end has some good thump, some weight, sub-bass focused, and it can slam. Nicely atmospheric with good decay. That doesn’t mean fast decay, I said “good” decay. It makes for decently realistic bass energy. The midrange has good smoothness but lean crisper as you climb to the upper-mids. I hear decent to good note weight, certainly not thin. Detail retrieval isn’t bad for a $25 single DD either with pretty good separation too. It’s a vocal forward midrange which sounds great for females. The treble has some air to it, some sparkle. It’s definitely Harman tuned. I also heard some extension past 10k. Not the most energetic and mostly non-offensive, non-aggressive, and not the most brilliant. Still the treble plays along the other frequencies just fine. Technically, the Qing has a decent detail performance except for bass heavy tracks or complicated tracks, as expected. Separation really isn’t bad either and the transient response is not some laggy and slow type of transient. Also, the imaging is rather good. Like, very good for the price. The soundstage is average I’d say. There’s decent width, height, and depth. Not class leading but good. Definitely not congested sounding.

Bass Region​

Looking at the bass, I’d say the Qing can hit pretty hard. This isn’t some concrete style bass and there is room for improvement, but it’s a fun bass with plenty to keep folks excited. I’d say the low-end has a focus in the sub-bass with ample weight in the mid-bass as well. So yes, it’s emphasized a good bit, but I also don’t feel the low-end is without good control. I feel that Celest has dialed in this region as the Qing is not overcooked or overbearing at all. The bass works nicely in tandem with the mids & treble. It’s just a well-tuned low-end. Transients are quicker than they aren’t, but there’s still some good atmosphere in this region too. Not laggy, not slow, not the type of low-end which clogs all the sound lanes. This low-end stays in its lane, never really muddy and emphasized enough to add some fun and some depth yet not enough to constantly mask over the upper regions. I feel it’s a nice balance.

Sub-bass​

The lowest of the lows holds the greatest majority of low-end beef. I hear a pretty low and guttural sound with plenty of haptic rumble. I can definitely feel the energy in the sub-bass. Especially in tracks which incorporate low droning bass lines. Bass guitar has the feels, as well as the bite to sound satisfying. It’s full enough as well. Tracks like “Nutshell (Unplugged)” by Alice in Chains have such a raw and meaty acoustic bass guitar and the Qing does not disappoint. You can hear every string reverb quite well while the vibratory feedback is there. It’s deep, fairly dense and actually quite clean sounding. Or “Mancey” by Andrew Bird is another track featuring some low and extended bass lines and once again the Qing reciprocates with a deep drone, a full and guttural body to its notes. Really a nice sub-bass amplitude without it overtaking the whole of the mix.

Mid-bass​

The mid-bass is a bit less lifted which is most certainly by design. Celest didn’t want a muddy sounding set and they didn’t want a bass heavy sound. Like I said, good balance dynamically. The top peaks of the upper-mid/lower treble equals the top peaks down low. I don’t hear a huge encroachment into the midrange either. If anything, the bass adds a touch of warmth in the midrange, but not even close to sounding veiled. Just like previous Wyvern series iems the Qing has that good and hearty slam. Only this variant has a slightly better controlled mid-bass boom. I wouldn’t say it’s some enormous difference but A/Bing these sets I do find the Qing to have a slightly more defined mid-bass note. Beyond that, the mid-bass has enough body to give kick drums that substantially good boom. Like in “Mova Along” by The All-American Rejects which begins with an earth moving kick drum. I look for the tacky edge on attack. That satisfying initial strike followed by the cavernous and ring-out resonant boom which is gratifying to listen to with this set. Though, I should also add that most sets can perform this fairly easily. However, it’s good that I hear such a resounding wham in the first place. The mid-bass is also reasonably quick for its size. Certainly not the most agile but good for a $25 single DD.

Downsides to the Bass Region​

I would think that the bass will be too far elevated for those who like a bass that never gets in the way of anything. Those who want dexterous and snappy bass similar to a tight balanced armature or a zippy planar. Not everyone desires a lift in the low-end. I could also see some wanting an even denser low-end with better note definition. The bass can at times sound a hair less pristine, depending on the track of course. I feel it’s great for what it is and considering the price but that argument lands flat on its face to the person who simply hates a bigger low-end. So, it won’t be for everyone but for those who simply want some head-bobbing elevation in the lows… the Qing has you covered.

Midrange​

The midrange on the Celest Wyvern Qing is actually a hair more forward than its predecessors. A lot of that has to do with the very small hump between 1k & 2k. I’d say that note weight is slightly leaner past the low-mids, but also very good cleanliness for the price which helps female vocals to sound full of life, with solid energy and levity. The midrange leans more organic, perhaps a little bit of coloration where the pinna rise is located, but for the most part the midrange is clean, without peaks, without glare, and with very low sibilance. I feel the best quality of the midrange is in how nicely forward that vocalists come across. They have actual presence, they’re prominent, they stand out, and the midrange carries good resolve in the process. Which… only helps. Just a very nice $25 midrange, vocal forward, energetic but not spicy. Zesty but not shouty. Beyond that, detail retrieval is better than past Wyvern sets. The illumination in this region does make for more distinct separation and imaging. Actually, Imaging is more of a right spot within the mids.

Lower-midrange​

Male vocalists are in the middle of a slight recession. I really hate to say that because it gives off such a negative air around those words. Truthfully, the “recession” is justified and probably a good thing. Still, in the same exact breath I’d also say that males do have some body to them yet are very clean for a budget single DD. Maybe not to the extent of the Simgot EW200 but very good. Males like Max McNown in the track “A Lot More Free” have such a smooth and authentically wonderful rasp to his voice. I love that the Qing highlights this rasp with solid note weight while never sounding too edgy. By the way, that solid note weight I’m referring to is not a rich, lush or syrup style note body. It is leaner in profile but also clean at the note edge which gives it a more distinct body, almost pronouncing whatever “mass” is there. Like I said, there is some warmth which helps to provide a lean-lush or semi-robust sound. Generally, males sound great for what the Qing is. Instruments also have plenty of warmth to sound natural with plenty of clarity to sound precise and accentuated.

Upper-Midrange​

Now this is the stand-out area for me. I feel females sound wonderful for the price. They sound forward yet not too loud against the rest of the mix. I feel they come across well highlighted with a touch of shimmer that adds just a glittering of sparkle to female voices. However, the actual note contour is kept in check. I hear no grain, no real sibilance and nothing piercing. Females just sound smooth with a touch of crispness when a track calls for it. Olivia Rodrigo in “Deja Vu” has this haunting type of sad teenage angst which demands some emotional playback. This is what I found with the Qing. She uses her head voice a lot in this song and the Qing helps that voice to stay very kempt, clean, and tuneful. Not sibilant. This is a worry for this song as it’s a sibilance magnet at times. Anyways, every inflection in her voice sounds emotionally gripping enough to make for rewarding vocals. Honestly, I could say this for so many tracks. The Qing is able to come across with some emotion as it isn’t dry, analytical, or papery, but instead it has a very musical flair to it. Slightly thinner than the low-mids but even more harmonious. If that makes sense. I do feel it’s a string point if this set. Also, instruments still have that more natural sound with just a slight peppering of extra coloration. Not perfectly natural but who cares, it sounds good.

Downsides to the Midrange​

I hate to even list downsides in such a cheap iem. It really is so utterly picky of me. Especially when the set I’m talking about actually sounds very good. I could say this though and it may be appropriate; the Qing is more energetic in this region than the Abyss which may be an issue for some. The sound isn’t as smooth as the Abyss either. Also, I could see those who strictly like thick, rich and lush to be turned off. This is not a very lush presentation. Certainly, more clean, pristine and more of a dynamic sound with clean not outlines, fine micro-dynamic agility for a cheap single DD and less traditionally organic than a lush set. Of course, when someone can tell me what organic actually sounds like… I’m all ears. Truthfully, Celest once again did a wonderful job with the Qing, slightly altering an already very good Abyss midrange for a fresh tuning and a more vocal forward, vocal friendly, and just downright better vocal replay than previous Wyvern models. My opinion of course.

Treble Region​

The treble is mostly laid back with a side-helping of some brilliance. Just enough lift and emphasis to offset the lows and take the bass region’s power a bit. Just enough to drowned-out some of the boom. It’s a necessary contrast if you ask me. Well, necessary if you want some resolution and less of a feeling of veil. This helps in so many regards. Details, separation, Imaging, layering, transients can be perceived as slightly tighter. This isn’t the easiest thing to accomplish in a $25 single DD that hasn’t had all the work put into it like more expensive sets. This is why it is an iteration of the same sound, same mold, same driver, less R&D (not really any), and just minor adjustments to alter the sound. This is how KZ can come out with a thousand sets a year. Because they work with the same molds, same drivers, same everything with slight alterations that come across like improvements. Same thing here and I’m all for it. The sound is good in the treble region. It won’t kill your ears in piercing highs, no huge helping of sibilance and the treble is still able to illuminate some of the subtleties in my music. It’s pretty nice folks.

Not bad at all​

Now that I’ve said that I should also add that it also isn’t the most brilliant of all treble regions and treble heads won’t even want to touch this set. You won’t get that clean edged bite like some sets. This is a smoother treble. Less punch, less glass-lined definition, less whetted at the note outlines and basically less body to fill those note outlines. Still, that does not make it bad. This is a single DD, and I hate to keep harping on the fact that it only costs $25, but… friends, it only costs $25. So of course there are some slight subjective gripes. Despite those subjective gripes it does have decent to good extension past 8k with secondary harmonics which don’t come across splashy, or tizzed-out in a bright sheen of treble. I can’t stand “tizzy”, where the treble is so thin and shrill that all you hear is that clangorous, screeching symphony of congested treble sharpness. Thankfully, the Qing is very far from that. In fact, I think the harmonics of a cymbal strike complete the sound very nicely. Maybe it isn’t life changing but at least it isn’t “tizz”. It’s well controlled too. Yes, it’s smoother and less emphasized but the treble does have some contour to notes and those notes are well controlled, shoot I’d even say detail retrieval is pretty good up top. Resolution is good too without the Qing coming across as having “forced resolution”. That’s where the brand will over-stimulate this region in a vain attempt to brighten the sound. Like a flashlight shining a light on the smaller details, sounding even more airy along with a slew of other bad qualities if not done right. Coincidentally, it’s rarely done right on a budget set.

Downsides to the Treble Region​

I feel I’ve spelled out the issues some may have with this treble. It simply isn’t lifted enough for some. Treble heads won’t break out of the woodwork to get to the Qing. There isn’t that satisfying treble body and bite that we love. I think emphasis is one issue but with that emphasis there also needs to be some tuning magic to skirt around obvious issues which arise due to a big emphasis. No, I feel that Celest tuned the Qing in a way that is not fatiguing, it isn’t the type of treble that causes one to tear them out of their ears, and there is enough extension and resolution to bring some semblance of technical ability. Having said that, what I think was Celests’ biggest win in this tuning is that they offset the bass region, added some midrange snap to percussion and to strings, as well as did a good job of balancing the Qing dynamically. For the most part. All in all, the Qing is a very reasonably tuned iem and certainly one of the better tuned $25 iems.

Technicalities​

Soundstage​

This is another Wyvern set with a roughly average soundstage, I’d say. I don’t feel it’s out of the ordinary small or large. However, I also don’t feel size is the only determiner of how good a stage can be. Sometimes it’s more about the way the iem is able to layer the stage, to place elements on that stage with what we refer to as good imaging. So, in my opinion the Qing doesn’t have the grandest and most cavernous stage. Again, probably average, maybe slightly above average. I don’t know because there is no way to quantify it, no way to measure it either. No good way anyways. That said, I do feel that depth of stage is probably better than some other single DDs within the price range. Again, everything should be taken with a reasonable amount of understanding here. This is a $25 iem and it wasn’t exactly tuned to sound like a stadium. Still, pretty good and definitely not overly congested or small. That’s the key. Celest did a nice job.

Separation / Imaging ​

I find the Qing to be the best yet of the Wyvern models in the separation department. There is a hair more air to the sound, a hair cleaner, and ultimately the Qing does come across with better instrument separation. Of course, bass heavy tracks which force focus on the bass region will sound a bit more closed in. To a degree anyways. I should also add that this isn’t always the case. Also, in highly congested or complicated songs the Qing will obviously not sound as separated with less distinct note outlines. I mean, this is a single dynamic driver earphone and so there is only so much you can do. Now, for the most part the Qing is probably better than most in this range though. Which brings us to the Qing’s imaging capabilities. I honestly feel the Qing does a really nice job of partitioning off areas of the stage making placement of instruments very well achieved. The imaging is very solid folks. Originally this series was marketed as a gaming series and if you know anything about gaming sets, they should have very good imaging. Well, this is a big bright spot for the Qing. Really nicely done.

Detail Retrieval​

I would say that detail retrieval is about average. I don’t feel that Celest set out to make this some detail monster. In fact, to me the Qing is more musical, more emotional, more fun over analytically detailed and precise. I wouldn’t say that detail retrieval is bad though. Not at all. The sound is fairly well balanced which helps quite a lot. On top of that separation is pretty nice and there is some air to the sound with decent enough resolution in my opinion. Also, average is good. That means it isn’t bad. So, for a musicality first iem I find the details to be passable and you won’t be missing much. Again, bass heavy and complicated tracks are the worst situations for the Qing, just like separation. Still, not bad.

Comparison​

Celest Wyvern Abyss ($29)​

I reviewed the Celest Wyvern Abyss (Abyss Review) earlier this year and was very pleased with its musicality, it’s warm smoothness and easy-going nature. Just like the Qing, the Abyss is using the same driver (as far as I know), the same shell mold too. Again, a 10mm LCP dynamic driver which was almost identical to the Wyvern set which came before it in the Wyvern Pro. By the way, I figured it would be a little ridiculous to compare the Qing with both sets. I figured using the last Wyvern model prior to the Qing would be sufficient for a review.

Differences​

There is almost nothing which differentiates these two out of the box. Both sets have the exact mold used to print the Shells. Same nozzle width and length, same fit, same internal driver size and material. Really the Qing was just a slightly returned version of the Abyss with a different design. Both sets are absolutely gorgeous. Truly! The Abyss has that deep and dark purple/black colorway with the dragon scales on the faceplate in purple. Just awesome looking. Next you have the Qing which also is designed so very well. Again, just dope looking and at least with the Qing you have some different color options to choose from in either green or blue depending on what you prefer. Not much separates these two folks.

Sound Differences​

I will keep this real short. The Qing and the Abyss are so close that the graphs are almost negligible side by side. However, there are some distinctions when these sets are actually in your ears. First off, the Qing comes through a bit closer to neutral whereas the Abyss leans a hair warmer. Abyss has slightly more density in its bass region but also it has a slight bit slower bass, even more atmospheric to me, not as punchy as the Qing though, slightly less snappy. I actually like the Qing’s low-end a bit more as it gets out of the way easier, less full sounding. Neither is really “better”. The midrange if the Qing is definitely geared for vocals more so than the Abyss. It is pretty evident that the midrange is more forward. However, I do find that note weight is richer in the Abyss, smoother, less detailed, less separation of instruments too. There are certainly very small and subtle differences that are noticeable of you’re looking for them. Now, the treble is similar on both, but the extension is better in the Qing for me. It sounds more energetic up top but again, small differences. The soundstage on the Qing has a touch more depth and seems wider too. I could be dreaming that up though, so grain of salt on that one. Imaging is good on both sets but the Qing definitely takes the prize in this department. It just focuses on instrumentation better with better clarity leading to better imaging, better separation and even slightly more details. It’s really all in the tuning folks and neither is necessarily better.

Final thoughts on this comparison​

Both are phenomenal for the price, and both give off a slightly different tuning. To be totally truthful, they are both equally solid of a purchase for the price. I couldn’t sit here and say that one is better than the other. It’s like anything, they are different…slightly. Very close, but different enough to warrant a decision past the way they look. I’m willing to bet that some reviewers will tell you there isn’t a difference. I would definitely disagree but to each their own. Do you like a titch more energy in the upper mids or a titch more bass fullness? Do you enjoy a snapper and ever-so-slightly airier sound, or do you like a richer and smoother sound? These are the questions to ask yourself when looking at the two of these sets side-by-side.

Is it worth the asking price?​

This is easy, of course the Qing is worth the low price of $25. Usually, I have to think this question through for a bit but not with the Qing. It’s a solid iem by most people’s standards I’d think. Even with the competition out there between $20 and $40 I find the Qing is well worth the price and an easy recommendation. So many folks sit right in this budget arena and can only choose between less expensive sets. Thankfully, sound quality in this bracket is very good and you can have an awesome listening session. The gap is closing very fast between $25 iems like the Qing and much more expensive iems. I really believe that. So yes, an easy rec, yes, it’s worth it as the Qing is a very good buy.

The Why…​

Because it’s built beautifully! All-resin, ergonomically sound, all rounded edges, and I’m assuming will fit most people very well. Also, where can you find a design this good at these prices? Look at this set folks! It’s stunning for the price. Again, Kinera/QOA/Celest are awesome with design and prove it time and time again. Still, the ultimate standard by which we declare a set good for the money comes with its sound. The Qing has a very well-balanced Harman sound that has good energy and macro-dynamic expression. The bass digs deep enough, it’s not too slow, it’s fun and clean at the same time. The midrange is very nice for vocal lovers. In fact, I’d say the midrange is the bread and butter of the Qing. Very nice timbre, more organic, tighter transients, reasonably good resolution and females sound very nice. The treble is non-offensive, still has some energy and air up top with good extension while also coming across relatively smooth. Details are decent, separation is decent, Imaging is very solid, and the stage isn’t cramped or congested. Really a solid tuning across the board.

Ratings (0-10)​

Note: all ratings are based upon my subjective judgment. These ratings are garnered against either similarly priced sets or with similar driver implementations or styles with the unique parameters of my choosing. In the case of the Celest Wyvern Qing ratings below, that would be $20-$40 iems with any driver configuration. Please remember that “ratings” don’t tell the whole story. This leaves out nuance and a number of other qualities which make an iem what it is. A “5-6” is roughly average and please take into consideration the “lot” of iems these ratings are gathered against. $20-$40 US in any configuration is an enormous sized scope of iems, and it’s also extremely competitive. It should mean something pretty special to see a rating above a “9.0”. My ratings are never the same and each set of ratings tells a different story. Each time you read one of my ratings will be unique to that review. Basically, I create a Rating that makes sense to me.

Aesthetic ​

–Build Quality: 9.2 Built very well.

–Look: 9.7 One of the best out there.

–Fit/Comfort: 9.5 Fit and comfort is great for me.

–Accessories: 7.2 Decent tips, cable.

–Overall: 8.9

Sound Rating ​

–Timbre: 9.0 Very nice timbre.

–Bass: 9.3 Big, extended, deep, it slams.

–Midrange: 9.4 Musical, engaging.

–Treble: 7.8 Non-fatiguing, smooth, safe.

–Technicalities: 8.6 Technically good for the sound sig.

–Musicality: 9.2 Very musical sound.

–Overall: 8.9

Ratings Summary:​

I never liked rating things. I just don’t like it. Here I feel that the Celest Wyvern Qing is clearly one of the best purchases that you can get for $25 and look at the end ratings… “8.9”?! This is why folks! This is why I don’t feel that ratings should ever be used as a measuring stick for how good an iem is. In my true opinion I feel that the Wyvern Qing should have an overall sound score of closer to a “9.3” against the $20 to $40 iems. It should be near the top. See, it isn’t about each individual category that the Qing establishes itself. It’s in the sum of all the parts. The whole. The Qing brings it all together very well and the end sound is very nice. It should at least be in the conversation with some of the best you can get at that price. Just like the Celest Abyss. Both very well done iems. Yeah, they don’t achieve super high scores in individual ratings but c’mon… This is a good set.

Explain Yourself!! ​

Of course, there are always ratings which will get me at least one unhappy reader. It is a foregone conclusion. Someone will be unhappy with what I chose to give the Qing and likely want to battle me. Haha. I don’t get it, but people are serious about this stuff. Anyways, I try to get most of the confusion out of the way in this section. In fact, there was a time I didn’t put an “Explain Yourself” section because I thought people were at least somewhat reasonable. Anyways, without question the “Bass” rating will conger up some good ole’ fashioned anger. Lol. I gave the Qing a very high “9.3” against a huge swath of iems. I stand by it. It’s a solid bass, good rigidity, not slow, not pillowy or fuzzy at note ends, pretty clean, defined and can take on slightly speedier tracks. I could see bassheads thinking I’m nuts of course. However, I could also see those who don’t enjoy a slightly larger bass profile also thinking I’m crazy. It’s all good though. The other questionable rating is the “Midrange”. It’s a high rating. “9.4” against a huge number of sets better mean something pretty good. I stand by it. Timbre is close to what I’d call natural, maybe not as organic as the Abyss, but very good. It’s clean, detailed nicely, good separation too and imaging is better than you’d expect. The other ratings could obviously go either way depending on your own preferences.

Perfectly content​

It’s like anything friends, you like what you like and that is the ultimate determination of my ratings above. However, what those ratings really indicate is that for $25 to $30 the Qing is a solid set that should be on some folks’ wish list. You may feel different and that’s okay and perfectly understandable. Personally, I could be stuck on an island perfectly content with the Qing. Is it my favorite? No, it isn’t, but it’s very well done and I’m happy to report that.

Conclusion​

To conclude my full written review and feature of the Celest Wyvern Qing, I first need to thank the good folks over at HiFiGo for sending this set to me. A review can only go a few different ways, and I am thrilled to be working with folks who understand that and still aren’t scared to send out a unit. Of course, it’s not all too risky as I only really review stuff that I enjoy. Still, HiFiGo has been a complete support, and I greatly appreciate them. Also, I’ve purchased so many audio devices from HiFiGo over the years and I still feel they are one of the best audio stores on the planet. So, thank you very much. Also, I always thank you, the reader, for helping to support mobileaudiophile.com by clicking the link, boosting viewership, and staying around for a while. So, to the person who has actually read this far… Thank you so very much! It really means the world for our website. We try to put out the best content that we can, and we hope to inform you as well as we can too. Thanks again.

Other perspectives​

Another thing which never escapes a review from me is my dire wish that you’d now go and read other reviews from other people. We all have our own perspectives folks. Turns out we are all very different from each other. I feel it is only a good thing for you that you read, watch, or listen to other thoughts and perspectives besides mine. This hobby is ridiculously subjective, and it only pays off to learn as much as possible from as many reviewers as possible. $25 may not seem like a lot to some people but I can assure you that a $25 purchase may be the only purchase some folks make for an entire year. I don’t want to get that wrong for you. Our greatest hope is that you find that perfect set for your enjoyment and that you can enjoy something that brings us all together… music. With that all said, I’m done folks. I hope each and every one of you is well and good. Stay as safe as possible and always… God Bless!!

CELEST WYVERN QING

Musicality for cheap….

Pros:
- Enjoyable sub-bass presentation.
- More rewarding on female vocals.
- Treble is dark but fairly detailed.
- Classic dynamic-timbre.
- Easy to listen. Non-fatiguing experience.
- Gorgeous shell.
- Comfortable, lightweight & well-built.
- Reasonably packaged.
- Easy to drive.
- Great value.
- Well in-tuned with most genres.

Cons:
- The bass can get too boomy on some pairing (Slow-Warm source)
- Male vocal is on the thinner side.
- Treble could use with more air and bite.
- Busy tracks is not it’s forte.
- Doesn’t have a 4.4 BAL cable option.
- Does't scale well on higher volume.
- Sounds underwhelming on 1st hour
( Require 200-300 for optimum performance)

[MY PERSONAL HEAD-FI GRADING]
1 ★ - Appalling! please avoid this!
2 ★★ Subpar offering, there are better options out there!
3 ★★★ Decent with some caveats! Not a bad pick!
4 ★★★★ Not perfect but solid choice! This should be in your shortlist. A nice addition to your collection.
5 ★★★★★ One the best in class! You should go right ahead & buy one! A must have!

CELEST WYVERN QING 4 ★★★★



▓▒░ SOUND-SIGNATURE ░▒▓
It sounds like a bassy, mild V-shaped that plays somewhere along the lines of Harman tuning.
The bassline is noticeably sub-bass oriented. The mid-range/vocal is slightly recessed with the treble response falls on the darker side of the spectrum.

▓▒░ PRE-BURN EXPERIENCE ░▒▓
On my 1st hour of listening to the Qing, the bass sounded rather loose and the attack on it was quite limp. There is a consistent layer of grain on vocal transient regardless of tracks. As for the highs, it exhibits a hint of hotness on the lower part of treble region. But after about 200 hours of high volume of burn-in process, those mentioned flaws are seemingly less.

▓▒░ BASS/LOW-ENDSOUND ░▒▓
The bassline is definitely boosted but it is not too overpowering to a point it muddies up the upper registry. It is more of a boomy and rumbly bass rather than a thumpy and snappy bass.

The sub-bass shows a greater dominance in the lows. The subs give off decent extension, pressure and sustain. Those rumbling, humming, droning and booming effects are well captured. It may not provide be the most atmospheric or impactful playback, but it is more than acceptable. The sub-bass kick is surprisingly addicting. It is tight and punchy while elements of bass drop and distortion are heard clean and clear. Its ghetto bass replay is not the bounciest I've heard, but it is never sounded too stiff. While, for a resin shell those reverb and overtone traits are well-perceived, thanks to its bassline having a neutral rate of decay that is not too fast upon fading.

The mid-bass presence is seemingly less, especially on the upper-bass region but it is not severely lacking. Despite lacking that sense of fullness and body, the attack on those percussion instrument that lies in this region such bass guitar, kick drums, drum-strike still carries good amount amplitude and weight behind them. So, they never come across as being muffled or blunted, just not as forward in the mix which is good.

Generally, for a bassy tuning, it is well-sorted. It rich, fast, clean enough and well-behaved for most genres. It is rumbly and punchy when it needs to. Never is sluggish. Its bassline is probably one its key strenght. For as long as you don’t expect a powerful, impactful and highly detailed bass quality, it will be more than enjoyable for most listeners which I did.

▓▒░ MID-RANGE /VOCAL ░▒▓
As expected, it is not for people who prefer an intimate or immersive vocal presentation. But on the other hand, I find the vocal and instrument placement just about right. It is well-centred, not too forward, nor it is too rearward. More importantly the vocal is well-separated from the rest of the instrument for most of the time.

Vocal and instrument are smoothly textured but decently nuanced. They never sounded dry or harsh. And that pre-burn vocal grain has been brought to lesser degree. They sounds more forgiving as we speak.

As for the downside? Indeed, there isn’t generous amount of warmth and body to fill the lower-mid-range. As a result, chesty vocals (baritones), cellos, brass instrument, organ that lives in this region can sound thinner or further back in the mix. While it is not an issue with female vocals, those higher octave vocalists seem to long for that last bit of extension up in their voice-range. They don't seem to shout or scream enough when they need to (Unless the songs is very shouty or screamy, then you might not feel it). It’s a shame because their initial energy was there just to get cut-off by that low-to-mid treble energy dip.

Truthfully speaking, there is no major flaws with its mid-range presentation, especially when considering its tuning approach. Yes, it may not be the most well-filled out mid-range (Richness/Fullness). Yes, it is not the most transparent mid-range either. Yes, it is not most the engaging nor emotional mid-range among its peers. However, to my ears, it hits just the right balance between euphony and clarity. And more importantly, despite its quirkiness, the vocals sounded clear, smooth, natural yet pleasant. And the same true can be said with its instrument replay such as pianos, strings, violins and guitars. Despite having a smoother note-edge, they have adequate amount of body and note-weight to maintain good natural timbre.

▓▒░ TREBLE/HIGHS ░▒▓
The treble performance is probably its weakest point. It is not the most well-extended nor it is the most evenly response treble. It barely has enough brilliance to cut through its bassline presence. If bright, airy, sparkling treble is what you’re looking for, please look elsewhere. However, from a dark treble perspective, it is not bad at all.

Treble elements are still present though not as prominent as one might like. Instruments like constant hi-hats or cymbal crush came across as inoffensive with precise decay and timbre. E-guitars has just about enough grunt while electronics zings and shimmers have nice ring to them. They may not sound as crisps as some would prefer, but at the very least they don’t sound too weightless. Treble definition may not be the sharpest but for the tier it’s at, it is forgivable.

Refinement wise, it’s decent. There is no grain, haze, distortion except on higher volume, those treble peaks will show up eventually. Overall, it’s smooth enough for most low-to-mid volume playback.

Despite my criticism, the treble response is more than good enough to carry this set which is a good sign.


✧ ════ •TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE• ════ ✧
- The STAGE-DIMENSION is quite ordinary. It plays more width than height with decent sense of depth. In other words, it is not that expansive but is not too cramp either.

- The SPATIAL CUES/ INSTRUMENT PLACEMENT is mostly accurate, but it is not pin-point sharp. Thanks to its darker treble response. Its left-to-right imaging was good but as for the front-to-back is decent at best

- It’s LAYERING AND SEPARATION is fine on less complex tracks. But on a busier track, it tends to struggle especially on those rock and metal genres. Anything that has multiple layers of bass and treble elements playing together with face some congestion issue. Using a well mastered tracks do helps but it can only go so far.

- The overall RESOLUTION AND DETAIL RETRIVIAL is just average for this tier. Macro-detail is good but micro-detail is wise is not the best.

- Like most single dynamic drivers, they always have this naturalness to its TONE AND TIMBRE. And this one is no exceptional. The notes are nicely weighted. They possessed decent amount of body. And the decay is never unnatural. Though, the transient could use with a wider attack for added impact.

- It’s DYNAMIC-RANGE is not that big. Partly because the treble is lacking that extension up top which takes away its ability to discern between the element loud and soft.

- The VOLUME SCALING is not its forte. It is only good up until mid-volume. Any higher, the bass will sound too boomy and the treble peaks will start to become more apparent.

- As for the DRIVER QUALITY. Its more than capable to achieve its goal. There is no driver-flex issue and it is not that hard to drive to listenable volume.

✧ ════ •POTENTIAL SYNERGY TWEAKS• ════ ✧
- EARTIPS : I’d say, ditch the stock eartips. It does open up the treble but at the expense of low-end and mid-range body. I’d recommend the SPINFIT CP100 if you want to improve the bass tactile and mid-range body and intimacy. Or you can go with PENTACONN PTM02 COREIR (AL ALLOY) eartips if wan to improve the treble definition and decrease the bass presence. If you want something in between you could try DIVINUS VELVET (narrow-bore) eartips.

- DAC/AMP: I’d recommend using something brighter, cleaner, less coloured and more technical source like the Tanchjim SPACE as it really helps to tightening it’s bass response while brightening up its treble. By using something warmer could lead it to sound too bassy, affecting its overall balance.

✧ ════ •BUILD/ PACKAGING/COMFORT• ════ ✧
- Like most Kineras/Celest, its built quality is top-notch. It is lightweight, not too big and beautifully finished.

- Its packaging is small and reasonable for the price. There is a mic option as well, but it would be great if can they provide it with a 4.4 BAL cable option. While the stock cable could be better as they are very memory prone and too thin.

- Comfort wise, it has this semi-custom-like resin shell which really helps in its ear-gonomics. There is not protruding cleave or bulge that can cause discomfort.

◤FINAL THOUGHTS◢
I’ve been using the Wyvern Qing for about a week now. And I have to say that I enjoy using it more than I’d initially thought. From a technical standpoint, it can never outclass anything higher up in the hierarchy. But what it does best is providing audiophiles with a musical experience for a fraction of the price. I’ve own multiple sets that cost way higher than this one. But with the Wyvern Qing, I don’t find myself lacking that much in terms of enjoyment. I could definitely see myself recommending this set to someone that shares similar music preference but only have 30 bucks to spent.

[IEM-SCORING-BOARD]
RATING
1: Trash (F)
2: Horrible (E)
3: Bad (D)
4: Subpar (C)
5: Decent/Average (B)
6: Good (A-)
7: Great (A)
8: Superb. (A+)
9: Masterclass/Top-Drawer (S)
10: Perfection (P)

CELEST WYVERN QING (GREEN) [1-DD]
(10MM LCP DIAPHRAGM DYNAMIC DRIVER)
MSRP : 29$ USD
Tuning : Mild V-shaped/ Bassy-Harman.
= Quality =
Bass: 5.5/10 Mids: 5.0/10 Treble: 5.0/10
Male/Female: 5.0/5.5
= Technicalities =
Detail & Resolve: 5.5/5.0
Instrument Replay/Timbre : 6.0/10
Dynamic-Range/Transient : 5.5/10
Head-stage [W-H-D]: 5.5-5.0-6.0
Layering & Separation: 5.0/10
Stereo Imaging 5.5/10
Ambience : 6/10
Clarity : 5.5/10
Build/Comfort: 7/8
Value: 9/10 [AS TESTED]
Personal Enjoyment: 6/10

SETUP (As tested)
Stock Silver-plated OFC Cable 3.5 SE PLUG (No Mic)
Spinfit CP100 (M) (Non-Plus)
Tanchjim SPACE

========================================================================
【SOURCE & GEARS】
● Native FLAC Files [44.1Khz 16bits-96Khz 24bits]
● Foobar2000 [ROG G18] [USB C Thunderbolt]
● Huawei P20 PRO [Phone][ App- Foobar2000]

========================================================================

【PLAYLIST／TEST-TRACKS】​

1977 Fleetwood Mac - Dreams ★
1982 Chicago – Hard to say I'm sorry. ★
2003 NARUTO Original Soundtrack I – Wakiagaru Toushi ★
2008 K.will (케이윌) – 소원 (Great King Sejong OST Part.1)
2009 Maksim – Exodus
2010 Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (OST) – Kokoro no Oku De Ha
2014 Grabbitz – Here with you now. ★
2014 BoA – MASAYUME CHASING
2014 Hyolyn – 안녕 Good bye ★
2015 KOKIA – I Found You ★
2015 K MISSING KINGS (OST) - New Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - Return of Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - If you die.
2017 Berry Goodman – Zutto (ずっと) ★
2017 SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:mizuki – ViEW
2017 Namie Amuro – Hope
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - In Pursuit Of
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - Lost Small World
2019 Blade & Soul (OST) – Half-Moon Lake
2019 CAROLE & TUESDAY VOCAL COLLECTION Vol.1 – Light a Fire ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – BAE – BaNG!!! ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – cozmez – Where They At ★
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – GET NAKED (Kiyoshi Sugo Remix)
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – again (MATZ Remix)
2020 premiere fleurs – プリンシパル
2020 Love Live! Nijigasaki – 朝香果林 (Karin Asaka) – VIVID WORLD ★
2020 Fujii Kaze – へでもねーよ”／Hedemo Ne-YoSeishun Sick
2020 King Gnu – 三文小説 ／Sanmon Shosetsu ★
2021 OWV – Fifth Season ★
2021 加藤 ミリヤ (Miliyah) feat. Yoshida Brothers – この夢が醒めるまで ★
2021 Aoi Teshima – ただいま★
2021 Official髭男dism – Cry Baby
2021 Chanmin BIJIN 美人 – Morning Mood
2021 門脇更紗 (Sarasa Kadowaki) – きれいだ
2021 Mirei Touyama – 美忘録
2021 SELECTION PROJECT Vol.1 – Only one yell -天沢灯ソロver.- ★
2022 Belle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Million Miles Away (ENG vers.)
2022 rei (E-girls) – Dark Hero.
2022 rei (E-girls) – IDNY
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – Bleecker Chrome - You will shine ★
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – YOSHIKI EZAKI x Bleecker Chrome - UP ★
2022 BEAST TAMER (OST) – じんわり感じている幸せ
2022 Ado – 会いたくて
2022 Ado – 踊
2023 La prière – Sweet Dreams ★
2023 Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season ED – Luck Life – しるし★
2023 UMAMUSUME PRETTY DERBY - Hat on your Head!
2023 Anna – 花のように (Hana no You ni)
2023 riria. – 貴方の側に (Anata no Soba ni)
2024 Dungeon Meshi OP – BUMP OF CHICKEN – Sleep Walking Orchestra
2024 Ernie Zakri, Ade Govinda - Masing Masing ★
2024 Paradox Live THE ANIMATION OST – 25 幻影武雷管 - Trauma ★
2024 Bartender Kami no Glass OP – Takaya Kawasaki – Stardust Memory ★
2024 Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf ED – Sayaka Yamamoto – Blue Star
2024 Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf OP – Hana Hope – Tabi no Yukue/ Destination of the journey
2024 Tonari no Youkai-san ED – Aoi Kubo – Iro no Naka (風媒花)

★ Main-Test-Tracks/ A glimpse of what listen to 90% of the of time.


Do take my words for what it’s worth. Afterall, I am just one man. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! HAVE A GOOD DAY WHEREVER YOU ARE! TAKE CARE!

Disclaimer:
- This is a review unit sent by Kinera/Celest (Kinera Thomas,Facebook). Million thanks for making this possible.
- If you like to purchase this, please click the link below (non-affiliated)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007430836540.html

EXTRA PHOTOS

A high-quality IEM with an excellent sound signature at a Pragmatic Price​

The Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing is a beautifully crafted IEM. Its name is apparently inspired by the legendary Wyvern Qing, one of the Four Celestial Spirits from Chinese mythology. It comes in blue or green and with or without a microphone, mine was the blue without the microphone.



As you will see later in the review, for the price this has an excellent tuning and a pretty high quality shell, but it’s slightly let down by the accessories.


Note: I would like to thank Hifigo for providing the Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing for the purposes of this review. It currently retails for an $25 (or $25.99 if you opt for the microphone).
Check out Hifigo product page via this non-affiliated link: Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing

But read on to see if it is the perfect IEM to add to your collection.

Packaging and Accessories​

The Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing comes in a small but aesthetically pleasing packaging that reflects its mythological inspiration.


You can read the specifications on the back of the box:



Opening the box up you get some interesting information about Chinese Mythology:



Everything is then stored in a plastic holder:





The eartips are mostly ok - though I ended up not using any of these :

IEM Shells​

I was pretty impressed with the IEM Shells, these are far better quality than they look and easily better than say the Truthear Gate or the Salnotes Zero 2, so pretty good in this price range.

So possible you can see in the pictures about that this shell is quite opinionated about your ear shape. There is an extra curve in the shell that did cause me some problems especially with the supplied ear tips, but once I switched to ’longer’ ear tip, I got a good seal and mostly it was fine. But for me, it wasn’t the most stable fit but of course everyone ears are a little different and this might be the perfect fit for your ears.

Just for a quick comparison, here are some of my other recent IEM’s with ‘opinionated’ shells, and maybe you can see that the Qing (in blue) has a slightly different it also has a slightly different angle for the nozzle:

Provided Cable​

I have probably been spoilt recently with the quality of the cables provided with these inexpressive IEM so, but I did feel this cable was a little inferior to, for example, the one that comes with the Truthear Gate:



I actually had to pull the left and right sides apart when I took it out of the bag.

Maybe it’s plastic used it its construction, but it’s not great in my opinion:



Even the typical 3.5mm connector end had a very cheap feel to it:

Subjective Listening Experience​

In my listening sessions, the Wyvern Qing impressed me with it Harman bass and lower midrange but with a nice vocal-forward tuning which enhanced of my favourite audiophile test tracks.

But let’s get into the details

Bass​

Once I had done a bit of ear tip rolling and I had a stable seal, I did find that the Wyvern Qing offered a bass response that is both controlled and precise. The bass is not overly emphasized, providing a clean and well-defined low end that complements rather than overwhelms the overall sound as you would expect for a Harman tuning. On tracks like “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson, the bass remains tight and punchy, adding depth without overshadowing the midrange or treble. This balance allows for an engaging yet non-fatiguing listening experience, making it suitable for various genres.

Midrange​

The midrange is the standout feature of the Wyvern Qing for me, with a slightly forward tuning that brings vocals and instruments to the forefront. This makes the IEMs particularly enjoyable for vocal-centric tracks. For instance, in “Someone Like You” by Adele, the vocals are rendered with clarity and emotion, creating an intimate connection with the listener. The forward midrange ensures that details in the vocal performance and instruments are highlighted, providing a rich and engaging sound.

Treble​

The treble is reasonable well-extended, offering a sense of air and detail without being harsh or sibilant. The high frequencies are crisp and clear, adding sparkle to the music while maintaining a smooth and refined presentation. In “Hotel California” by Eagles, the treble brings out the shimmer of the cymbals and the intricacies of the guitar work, enhancing the overall listening experience. The treble extension contributes to the IEMs’ ability to reveal fine details in the music.

Soundstage & Imaging​

While the soundstage of the Wyvern Qing is typical of this price range, but it is the imaging that truly shines. The IEMs provide precise localization of instruments and vocals, allowing for an accurate placement of elements within the sound field. On tracks like “Bubbles” by Yosi Horikawa, the imaging is impressive, with each sound clearly defined in space. Although the soundstage isn’t particularly wide, the excellent imaging ensures an immersive listening experience, making these IEMs ideal for both music and gaming. Vocals were clear and prominently forward in the mix, making it an excellent choice for genres where vocals are a key focus.

Specifications and Measurements​

Frequency Response​

So lets start with the frequency response:



You can see as far as bass and most of the frequency response this is very compliant with the Harman target except in upper midrange 1.5K to 3K area where it is exaggerated given that vocal forward sound signature.

Comparing to other similar well tuned and similarly priced IEMs:



You can see that the Wyvern Qing is slightly more forward in that 3K area and a little bit more recessed than the Nuo in treble area but overall very similar to the Truthear Gate. So given the quality of its IEM shells the Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing does offer a great sound signature for its price, though of course the Gate has a much better cable.

Distortion​

The Distortion is handled very well for this price:



Even as a percentage, this is minimal distortion ( I measured this at over 100 db ):

Great IEM for EQ but not needed​

Given its excellent sound signature, the Qing does not really need EQ (unless it’s your personal preference) but it will take to EQ exceptionally well since it shows it can handle playing extremely loud with little distortion, it has great sensitivty of 105db and its good channel balance.

Rating​

While priced very pragmatically especially for the quality of the IEM shell themselves, this IEM offers a slightly vocal-forward tuning that is perfect for those who enjoy a slightly vocal forward presentation.

However, while I really liked the sound signature and I appreciated the build quality of IEM Shells at this price, its opinionated shape did pose some challenges for me in terms of achieving a stable seal while out walking (one of my tests for long term comfort for an IEM). This, coupled with a pretty poor cable and other accessories, led me to rate it at 4 stars instead of 5.

If you plan to use your own cable and ear tips the Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing offers excellent value for money, even 6 months ago this tuning would have cost at least double the price, so I am probably being unfair only giving it 4-stars.

Conclusion​

The Wyvern Qing has a very impressive sound signature especially for those who like a vocal forward presentation, that with its excellent bass and good imaging makes it a great IEM at this price. I also think the IEM shell design and craftsmanship are impressive. However, the fit may not be ideal for everyone and the cable was pretty poor though at this price that is a minor quibble.

The Wyvern Qing therefore offers great value at its price point and is a strong contender in the budget IEM category.

#WTShare
#Review
#KineracelestwyvernQing

​

CELEST WYVERN QING'S PERFORMANCE: Better than the abyss?​

1. Intro

• Previously, I would like to thank Kinera Thomas in advance for making the unit for review.
• For this review I didn't use the built-in full stock, because I used eartips from epz m100 because the built-in eartips I didn't get a fitting that was pleasing to my ears for all sizes. In addition, I use the built-in cable & dac dongle shanling ua4.
• Info also that this iem is still relatively light or does not require too much power, because I plug it into my cellphone can still be enjoyed comfortably at 50% volume, but of course by using a better source the potential obtained from this iem is also maximized.
• For completeness, this iem is simple. It only consists of 3 pairs of eartips which are actually quite okay in terms of material, only for me it is too short, 1 cable that reminds me of the vermicelli cable next door & iem itself. Yes, it can be billed, the equipment is still just as rich, the abyss version is just downgraded on the cable side & eartips for me.

2. Sound quality​

• From this bass, I have a medium bass quantity. The subbass is quite deep with rumble that is still quite okay. Meanwhile, the midbass feels quite agile with the impact which is still quite okay even though it doesn't look really good. The control is also still quite good, yes, the bass is safe so that it doesn't cross into the mid.
• The mid is just enough weight & the position is quite advanced, the effect is also a little boost in the uppermid area which makes the girl's vocals a little more advanced than the boys' vocals. For the presentation itself, the mid feels clear, quite sweet, quite energetic as well & quite loose. For sibilance or peak is safe here. For the instruments, the presentation is also quite okay, it still feels loose, the details are also still good, it's just that the separation still feels a bit mixed when it comes to the crowd. For the timbre, it still feels natural here.
• For the treble itself, the presentation is actually quite energetic & quite open. It's just that the extension doesn't feel good. The sound of the cymbals feels cut so it doesn't taste good at the sound of the cymbals. For peak & grainy safe here.
• For the technical, it's standard for me, it's not bad but it's not a good one either. The soundstage is quite enough, not the narrow or the most spacious. For the separation, it's already good, only in complicated songs, it's still a little stuck. The details are still good, only for the price, not the most detailed. The clarity is also still good, it's not the clearest for the price, it's not as clear as dfi or vader hires.

3. Comparison​

- Qing Vs Abyss: This Qing makes me feel like a neater version of the abyss. The bass feels more agile and more controlled than the abyss, although the bass is not as much as the abyss. For the middle of this qing feels more relaxed, clearer & more energetic than the abyss. For the treble, both are not good, the extension is just a little more energetic, not dark kyk abyss. Technically, the qing is slightly better than the abyss, especially in its detail & separation.

- Qing Vs Wanner SE: The bass is a little bigger and more handsome, while the wanner SE feels thinner and more agile. For the mids, the weight is similar, only the qing feels sweeter and safer, while the wanner is a little clearer, more energetic, only there is a thin sibilance. For the treble, the wanner se feels more energetic & the extension is better than the qing. Technically, the presentation is also better, the soundstage feels a little wider & the details are better.

4. Who is this for​

• This IEM is suitable for beginners who don't want the bass to be too big but not too thin either.
• For those who want safe vocals, go forward clear but the sweetness is still available.
• For those who don't like aggressive treble too much, but the treble is not as bad as the one that is lost.
• For those who want to have good looking.

5. Conclusion​

The Kinera celest wyvern Qing is quite an attractive iem at around $25, bringing a slight improvement of the abyss & an attractive look. This qing can be used as one of the options to try, although for me personally this iem is not the best in its price class, but this iem can be said to be a safe choice for many people with a sound that is relatively acceptable to many people plus its beautiful appearance, this iem is very suitable to try or just be used as a collection.

6. Pros & Cons​

- Pros :

• Beautiful display
• Great bass presentation
• A better mid presentation than the abyss version
• Acceptable sound

- Cons:

• Cheap & downgraded cable from the abyss version
• Uncomfortable eartips
• Poor treble extensions
• Standard technical

Completeness that is classified as minimalist

7. Song samples​

• Yorushika - Forget it
• Yorushika - Nautilus
• Suis from yorushika - Wakamonono subete
• Kessoku Band - Chronostasis
• Kessoku Band - If i could be a constellation
• Mosawo - Koiiro
• Green Day - Wake me up when september ends

TL;DR: Competitive warm sound from a budget friendly package

Overview/History
Hi all.

The budget IEM space is filled with so many entries that it can be super overwhelming. Coupled that with new weekly Pokemon/IEM releases, it's virtually impossible to catch them all.

Enter the Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing. From my understanding, there is supposed to be some differences between the Qing and the Abyss (with some graphs showing more upper mid elevation, some not) - you're likely not going to miss out on anything if you already have the Abyss.


*Image from Hifigo*

I don't have a coupler myself (as I'm trying my hardest to prevent my impressions from being influenced too much from graphs) but here's a comparison from OB ODIO's Squig.



You're likely not missing anything if you already have the Wyvern Abyss but, for anyone looking to pick up a solid budget friendly IEM, there is enough of a difference between the two to warrant consideration.

The Qing is a 10mm LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Driver IEM. It comes in two options for colors (Green or Blue) and has options for either coming with a mic cable or a standard white cable. The official marketing/release information indicates that the Qing is following the 2019 Harman Curve though it doesn't appear like they're fully following it on the treble side and there is some liberties taken. Overall, though, it follows the Harman tuning all the way to just past 4k where it deviates a bit to likely provide an easier listen.

Kinera has also created a bit of a backstory for the Qing to give it more character.

Here are the specifications so you don't have to go looking.
Specifications:
Impedance: 32Ω.
Sensitivity: 105dB.
Frequency Response Range: 20hz-20kHz.
Connectors: 0.78mm 2-Pin Connectors.

Non-affiliate link:
https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-wyvern-qing

Disclaimers: I would like to thank Hermine from Hifigo for providing me this sample. While I did receive it in exchange for a timely review, I have received no instructions or directions on what to write and all opinions are my own.

Build Quality, Comfort and Accessories
Photo dump time!







The Celest Wyvern Qing came with a cable, some tips and the IEM. There's two versions of the cable; one is white without a mic and the other is the black version with a mic (the one I received). No carrying case but that's not an issue for me.









The Qing is actually very nice looking. The resin is a blue transculent resin that allows you to somewhat see into the insides of the IEM. The faceplate is like a cloudy blue with the 'Celest' wording on there. Overall, I think it looks great.

Tip Rolling
So, to get it out of the way, the stock tips are OK. They're not special; they fit well and don't really change the sound negatively based on my impressions using other tips. That being said...



So, I did my usual tip rolling to find the best fit to match my sound preference/fit level.



Spinfit W1: If I was looking for something to really balance the overall tonality, I think the W1 works really well here. Slight hit to the bass but really improves a lot. Not a bad combination at all in this case.
Final Type E - Clear/Red: Probably my favorite tips - these always work extremely well with the Qing in preserving the bass but also enhancing the treble without making it sibilant.
Dunu S&S: Surprisingly, I do typically enjoy what the Dunu S&S does (especially for the soundstage) but I felt like these didn't work nearly as well as my other tips.
Kiwi Ears Flex: Bass tips - Unnecessary in this case but I think the Azla Origin work better if I wanted to go full bass.
Azla SednaEarFit Origin: Basssssss tips - Only tried for a song or two but really helped with the bass impact. Not a great combo in this case.
Radius Deep Mount: Deep Mount is slowly winning me over with how well they work. Probably the 1B vs the Final Type E Clear/Red 1A. Slightly bassier than Clear/Red, small hit to vocals/stage but otherwise great.

Cable
I'm spoiled by the Truthear GATe/GATo cable. I can't comment on the non-mic version/white cable but the black one is only OK.



It's basically on par with the TangZu Wan'Er cable that I got and... it's okay. I used the mic on a single call and was told it sounded OK but not nearly as clear as just the standard receiver. YMMV.

Sound
So, how do the Celest Wyvern Qing sound?



There are a few other budget friendly IEMs that I've listened to recently and this is right in the mix with hitting a lot of the marks of something that I can enjoy.

I would classify this as warm/neutral with a bit of emphasis on the bass side while also having some elevated upper mids that are almost a -bit- too much without sauce there to make it unbearable. This does make sense since the tuning (as does the Wyvern Black/Abyss) is trying to capture the 2019 Harman IEM tuning (up to a certain point). I believe, though, that the Qing is very upfront that it's following that tuning philosphy.

Gear Tested On: Primarily streamed music via either dedicated Streamer, Laptop or Phone
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Abigail Pro
Phone chain: Pixel 8 Pro -> Shanling Onyx XI1
Streamed Music Chain Workstation: Laptop -> JDS Labs Element 3 MK2 (Boosted)
Streamed Music chain: WiiM Mini -> JDS Labs Atom DAC+ -> JDS Labs OL Switcher -> Geshelli Labs Archel 3 Pro

*My Audio Preference and Score Disclaimer*: To preface my breakdown, here's my sound preference. I tend to prefer warmer sound. I enjoy good sub-bass extension with enough mid-bass to feel the music. I prefer more fuller sounding mids to match my library. My preference is for smooth treble extension; while I'm not treble sensitive, I'd probably lean more towards 'safer' treble tuning for longer listening. I also tend to listen at either medium to louder listening volumes (reasonably loud).

In addition, all scores listed below are typically (unless otherwise stated) rated/scored as it relates to it's peers in the same price group.

Lows/Bass: The amount of bass on the Qing is actually quite impressive given the price point, the size and prior experience with the Truthear GATe/GATo (more comparisons later).

I never felt like it was lacking and the bass leaned more towards the sub-bass emphasis vs mid-bass; bass was detailed, deep, and felt cohesive with the overall sound signature.

My only nitpick would be that I felt like the mid-bass was a bit lean/too fast so I didn't get a bit more of that punch that I enjoy hearing but, overall, the Qing really satisfied without making me feel like it was tuned just for the lower frequencies.

Bass Score: 8/10 - TL;DR: Sub-bass is satisfying and deep. Mid-bass is missing a little oomph but competes amongst it's peers in this price range.

Mids: Given that the Qing is following Harman 2019, it would come at no surprise that there is some elevation in the mids. My tendency is usually towards the mids being a bit smoother/less elevated but the Qing finds a good balance between providing that boost without quite going over the edge.

What this translates to me is that the instruments are very detailed, there's good clarity and proper airiness to female vocals but male vocals have moments where they sound a bit lean/thin for my tastes. It's not every single song but it's noticable in certain tracks where that 'huskiness' is slightly subdued.

The mids are not as forward as some of the competition and they're not spaced out; they hit a very good sweet spot overall.

Mids Score: 7.5/10 - TL;DR: Great for instruments and female vocals; male vocals can sound a bit lean. Borderline shouty but not quite there yet. Points off for the lean male vocals.

Treble: Treble is present without being sharp or offensive (for the most part) to listen to. It's probably way safer than people would prefer and doesn't bring that special sauce that other IEMs can bring.

While the tuning philosophy is supposed to be Harman 2019 IEM, the Qing actually deviates from the Harman curve on the treble side.



There is a bit of a 'peak' which probably accounts for the graininess that I could hear on some tracks (very rare but enough to notice it) and it's not the most airy/open sounding but it's detailed enough and works without trying to nail that end of the spectrum.

Treble Score: 7.5/10 - TL;DR: Treble is smooth and inoffensive though there is a slight graininess that I can hear sometimes in certain songs. Points knocked off for that.

Detail, Separation, Imaging, Overall Timbre, Etc.: Surprisingly, there's a lot to like about what the Qing brings to the table. Amongst it's competition in the similar price bracket, the Qing does some things better than it's peers and some things about in line.

I think there's good detail, good imaging and separation, good soundstage and sounds overall very natural. It doesn't do any one thing great but it doesn't do anything bad, neither.

As far as an overall package for presentation goes, the Qing isn't trying to swing and hit a homerun on every mark and, instead, captures a bit of everything that works in it's favor.

Technicalities Score: 8.25/10 - TL;DR: Good separation, detail and soundstage - does not feel lacking at all for it's price segment

Library Hit List: From all my listening, I think the Qing really does well with more modern/pop/rock type of music along with songs with female vocals or less deep male vocals.

Florence & The Machine - "Dog Days Are Over"
Camille - "Le Festin"
Portishead - "Glory Box"
Stevie Wonder - "Sir Duke"
Fleetwood Mac - "The Chain"
Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"
Cold War Kids - "Complainer"
AC/DC - "Shoot to Thrill"

Comparisons: For a change, I actually have a handful of direct comparisons that I can make and this is my how they fit my preference.



Truthear GATe/GATo: No contest here. The Celest Wyvern Qing wins. Even though they're both 10mm DD, Qing provides a warmer signature while the GATe is more neutral/bright sounding. Additional disclaimer - Truthear GATe was dropped from 4/5 to 3.5/5 from my review as I felt I was too generous with rounding up.

TangZu Wan'Er: This is muuuuch harder for me to gauge. On one hand, the Wan'Er is probably the warmer of the two with a bit more oomph and smoother mids to me especially as it relates to male vocals. On the other hand, the treble/technicalities are much weaker on the Wan'Er and more claustraphobic sounding. I want to say that I would probably reach for the Wan'Er 6/10 times and the Qing 4/10 times but it's much closer and depends on the mood.

KZ Vader: Since I took a flyer on them, the KZ Vader is really, really, really good. Say what you want about this IEM/Pokemon of the week company, KZ Vader is actually nice to me. Compared to the Qing, I think the Vader does better on bass for the price segment while having more fulfilling mids/treble/technicalities than the Wan'Er and the Qing.

I think I would have to give the nod to the KZ Vader if only because it fits my sound preference a bit better. But, if you're not looking to support CCA/KZ, that's totally fine. Because, they do have a -lot- of releases and other things going on.



Other Things incl. Price & Bias:
The Qing responds well to power and source rolling. I actually found that I preferred my more neutral/clean leaning JDS Labs Element 3 vs the Shanling Onyx if only because the Qing doesn't need any additional assistance with sounding warm.

With all things considered, I'm very impressed by the lovely shell and the overall sound package that the Qing provides and wouldn't have any issues with recommending it to someone who's looking for a warm/neutral sound signature in that $30 price bracket.

Special Sauce/Personal Bias Score: 8.5/10 - TL;DR: Points taken away from the only OK cable. Tips are OK but aftermarket tips make the Qing shine. The special sauce is that it does everything very well/solid at a great price entry.

Conclusion:
I think my biggest takeaway on the Qing is that it's a very, very solid performer with doing a lot of things really well.

There are a few nitpicks on performance with the mids/treble but, in the grand scheme of things, I think the Qing does an adequate job for a budget friendly IEM that you can take everywhere as a beater and not feel like you're missing out. There are definitely other IEMs in the segment that may fit your preference more but the Qing provides a good all-around experience in an absolutely gorgeous shell.



Final Weighted Score: 7.95/10 - Super solid! Trades blows well with the competition. Given the score, rounded up to 8/10 or 4/5 stars.

Thanks for reading!

Having had the possibility to try so many different sets in a relatively short time I felt obliged to go ahead and express my gratitude by trying to help some lost souls out there, just as I was when I first stumbled upon this weird hobby about wired earphones – so yesteryear! … I thought. Possibilities are seemingly endless and only by getting to meet the right people did I manage to jump onboard the train heading the 'right' direction without getting off-track thousands of times along the way. Make sure to understand the helping person's preferences and you too can find your footing and hit the ground running in no time.

Rapid Fire 'About Me'

I won't bore you for too long with personal trivia, however my quick & short background resume goes as follows. Currently I am 27 years old and more in awe of sheer power of music by the day. I have always been moved by music just that slight bit more than average, I'd say. My spending started with a roughly 200€ Bose bluetooth speaker back in my first grade of highschool. What an extraterrestrial thing that was in early 2010s. And it keeps on playing to this day – a true testament of quality. Also sounded fantastic back then, nowadays … yeah, not so much. Lots of BT speakers, TWS, car audio speakers, IEMs, etc., later bring me to this day when I truly consider myself an audiophile. What brings me the most joy beside listening to music is singing, so I am currently participating in a choir and challenging myself with solo vocal covers (check the links in my signature to hear my projects). Unsure where all this leads, but the journey itself is marvelous and life is nothing but a journey.

Disclaimer: I have received this unit free of charge from Hifigo in exchange for a review. They had no special requests besides releasing the review within a time frame of a few weeks, and I am in no way incentivized to speak highly of this set. Should you be interested in purchasing, here is the non-affiliated link:

https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-wyvern-qing?_pos=1&_sid=26112a314&_ss=r

Let's Get Going!

This one will be different to my other reviews. The budget sector is getting overflown with choice. And what's even more impressive is the performance we are seeing from these budget offerings. So let's dive deeper into a 5-way shootout among 5 single DDs - TRN Orca, Tripowin Piccolo, Celest Wyvern Black, Celest Wyvern Qing, and an old classic that sort of started it all – the Tangzu Wan'er. As source I will be using my trusted Venture Electronics RA2B-FE + Prime DAC that is quite neutral in playback and offers plenty of power.



Wyvern Qing is another variation of the great success the Wyvern Black (originally called Wyvern Abyss) has been getting. Qing offers a more colourful selection of either blue or green transparent shells.
Packaging is way below the usual Kinera affair. The fact the IEMs come thrown into a bag is a bit sad. It is due to that 'detail' that I struggle recommending this one as a gift. Presentation is the lowest of lows. However, once you cry a river over the packaging, you get to pull out the IEMs and enjoy their visuals – as you would expect from Celest. Then you see the subpar cable that is much worse than that which comes with the Black and three pairs of eartips which is all you're getting. But that's essentially all you need to make these play. So without further ado, let's get into the interesting part of this review.

Here is the quick and rough description of how I understand various star ratings:

1 star – do not even think about it
2 stars – it has too many drawbacks and gets demolished by competition
3 stars – this item has the potential but feels a bit too bland and has multiple issues
4 stars – wonderful item with rare and mostly subjective drawbacks
5 stars – eargasmic performance with all the aspects covered at an incredibly high level

Leveling The Playing Field

To keep it fair and as original as possible, I am using stock cables and tips on all these sets, except for Wan'er whose accessories have disappeared. On Wan'er I'm therefore using Moondrop Spring tips and TINHiFi DUDU's cable which is no better than any of the other's cables.

The field is full of crowd's favourites. Celest has two fighters ready to throw punches – the Wyvern Black and Qing. But hold on, are these two any different? Specs would suggest they are not. They also have identical shells. And sound? A quick two-minute A/B is enough to come to a conclusion they are also tuned equally to the best of my hearing. Whatever difference there might be I'd put down to burn-in and cables. Therefore, I will be using the Black in my tests, since it is burnt in more.



This means whenever I'm writing about one, I'm writing about the other too. Let's just name them 'Wyverns' for the sake of simplicity.

Song Examples With Comparisons



Ayo, I'm In Love

Wyverns are a tasteful choice for this song. They offer a full low end, sweet female vocals, and just enough treble energy to make the surrounding elements not sound dull.

Orca is a calmer approach even on DDU to bring out the treble a bit more. What it excels at is cohesiveness across the range, generous soundstage and nicely separated instruments. Her voice is just a tad smokier and less bitey than on Wyverns. The whole song gets ironed out into what sounds like a completely different song at the end.

Wan'er, the old guy trying to battle the youngsters. It's noticeably less resolving, so all instruments sound worsely recorded than on Wyverns and Orca too. Bass lacks texture and heft, treble is reduced and just a tad uneventful – lacking range and roundness. What it still has is that vocal magic. And I'm struggling to comprehend why. What is the first thing to strike me is the placement which is way in front of other instrumentation. Whenever she starts singing I get caught out since where my brain would expect her to come from and where her voice actually comes from are surprisingly different. The attenuated bass shelf makes this song a bit more sterile, but also cleaner.

Piccolo is the most grown up of the bunch. Just how much of that can be down to the metallic shells I'm not sure, but it does indeed sound like the transients are better refined and more precise. The sonic balance fits the bill for this song with quite lively treble, well positioned and natural mids, and pinpoint accurate bass. Bass here is a few steps ahead of all the others in detail and cleanliness. Those notes are wonderfully separated, whereas on others they often remain one single blob of sound.

This song is best experienced via Piccolo, close second are the Wyverns.


Veronica Swift, This Bitter Earth

Wyverns are different in their low end presence to others. This song requires a heartfelt presentation of the piano, strings, and her wonderful outcry. Wyverns can present emotion very nicely. Piano is full-bodied and on the wetter side. Her voice is central and remains the main point throughout. What I could wish for are better separated piano notes and more incisive strings, but how strict can we be with budget-fi?

Orca surprises with the more open soundstage upon first seconds. Piano carries lesser note weight and feels more hollow in the midrange while the lower bassier notes are thick and unrefined – piano can skillfully show different sonic characters of sets throughout the frequency response. Despite the lower energy I prefer the way Orca does strings – they seem to have more substance. Her voice is a bit veiled in direct A/B, so it's another case of having to give it some time for your brain to adapt. Tuning is not wonky, so it doesn't take much time for that to happen.

Wan'er is so different to the rest. It just sounds unstrained with vocals. A wise tuning for certain. Possibly, Tangzu knew this driver cannot be forced to perform bass-heavily nor can it outresolve the others, therefore a vocal-centric tuning was their choice. That benefits the Wan'er here, since this song does not require too much in the bass region nor does it need to be the clearest and detailed since the recording is very stripped down. It allows for Veronica's message to reach the listener unobstructed.

Piccolo is tremendous once again. The microdetailing is unparalleled in this field. Her voice sounds breathy and much more supported while also carrying this powerful story. Piano is the most well-rounded with ample control on each single note. There is this additional sweetness to it that others cannot reproduce. Strings are silky smooth and weightless. Very close to perfection to be honest.

Piccolo and Wyverns all replay this tune to perfection, but they go about it in different ways.


Stoto, You're Not There

Wyverns are up to party! For this one I have turnt up the volume to maybe 90dB. Let's get those drivers moving. Wyverns are a very capable well-rounded set. Here any sharpness would be shown and I'm hearing none. Does that mean they're boring? No, I wouldn't classify them in that segment.

Orca is a much warmer set in comparison. This means that once the song gets going all note edges are rounded off and it can indeed be described as the boring one among this group. Bass has this satisfying texture and forms a huge layer where other sounds then dance on. I wouldn't say it's the treble that's the 'problem' here, but rather the upper mids and the softer edges that are down to the driver, not as much tuning.

Wan'er remains vocal-forward which is an interesting take on this song while the singer is along too. When we get to those electronic drum&bassy parts Wan'er is not on the level of Wyverns to present that club atmosphere, but I was still pleasantly surprised! Alright, bass is the most flabby among all these, and treble can become a bit grainy and imprecise, but the energy is there!

Piccolo's driver is a step ahead. But how does it fare with this genre? Very well. Very well indeed. It has this incisive demeanor about it and it remains clean and unbothered. Bass does lack in quantity for it to balance out the very excited treble – likely down to that 12kHz peak unlike the others. Not as tap-footy of a listen as with the Wyverns.

Wyverns take this one with their bass-leaning balance.


Animals as Leaders, Conflict Cartography

Let's test speed, resolution and sharpness in this wildly challenging song. Wyverns lack the onset of those kickdrum notes, but make up for it with their non-fatiguing upper end. Still, it all becomes just a bit of a mess. Bass and low mids are to blame. Driver seems a bit overworked. Alright, let's see how the others handle this high BPM metal.

Orca starts off promisingly. Bass notes are better controlled and just a tad less soft. Guitars establish their spot on the stage and are easily followed throughout. So bass and mids are actually way better than expected. Hihats and cymbals are lost somewhere far behind the rest of the mix, though. An interesting take on this instrumental metal craziness.

Wan'er's lightweightedness in the low end helps tremendously for it to not feel overworked, but it also means low end is uneventful. The rest of the mix lacks precision and resolution. Treble is out of place and feels like a part of another song.

Piccolo gets overwhelmed here too, but stays the most composed in this field. Following the drums is much easier than on others. That treble is coming back to bite it and it feels out of place, similar to Wan'er's.

No winners here. This song proved to be too much for our budget single DD segment. That's both sad and good, since it justifies our mid-fi/TOTL purchases, yoohoo!


Graph & Scores

To end, let's place these contenders into my graph and graphic and score the Celest Wyvern Qing.



Remember, Qing = Black soundwise, so that one would land right on top of the Qing. This line-up shows how being brighter does not necessarily equal being more technical. The main trend line without the Wan'er does, however, still follow that principle. Piccolo is well ahead of the pack in technical prowess which is partly due to its pronounced 12kHz peak - an area that is usually much more subdued in affordable single DDs. Potentially, the metallic shell allows for that resonance to occur without overstressing the driver.



To Sum Up The Celest Wyvern Qing

Summing up the Wyvern Qing is rather simple. I can wholeheartedly recommend this set to anyone who is looking for a well-built, stunning-looking, cohesive-sounding package at a low price. Who would I advise against it? Trebleheads and those whose library is mostly focused on fast-paced music. Wyvern Qing gets a bit overwhelmed then.


Thanks for reading and stay wonderful!

Intro
Pretty sure a lot of IEM enthusiasts are already familiar with the brand name Kinera as they have been around for quite a long time in the industry. With their sub-brand Celest, basically it's their identity that focuses on their budget line catering to audio enthusiasts in their core daily listening at affordable prices. Lately, they also have products that enhance their gaming experiences as well with the Wyvern Pro having a boom mic for speech and online purposes. We are taking a look at one of their more recent release which is the core package of their Wyvern series coming from the Pro and Abyss models - the Wyvern Qing. Let's find out if it's worth a distinct look from their other Wyverns, though let's make this on point.




Build and Inclusions
When I say core package, I mean the very basics. Given its budget price of $24, it's understandable but also reasonable to expect more since other budget options provide a bit of extras. The Wyvern Qing does feature an attractive slip cover though if you're already familiar with the palm-size box IEMs then you already know what to expect. You are then greeted by a product story for the Wyvern Qing then you get the essentials - the IEMs themselves (which as always looks pretty for its price given Kinera's reputation of good-looking builds) featuring the same 10mm LCP diaphragm dynamic driver used for the other Wyverns, the usual white-clear cheap cable with 0.78mm 2-pin connectors terminated in 3.5mm SE being used for the majority of chi-fi budget sets and 3 pairs of eartips. That's it. No need to check further as it's the bare essential as they come. No pouch, no case or extra tips. Nada.



Sound and Comparisons
The Wyvern Qing's sound is a nice and pleasant listen that you can have sessions for hours especially to those that are not meticulous given its price though at the same time nothing that will outright impress you. There's some energy up top in the upper mids but nothing offensive or shouty. Bass is adequate, just right but nothing remarkable and is actually a bit bordering in analytical. Mids going to treble are nice, there's some bit of graininess compared to other sets such as the Tangzu Wan'Er SE and 7hz Zero, both featuring somewhat a better balanced tonality but overall cannot complain with what the Wyvern Qing offers. Technicalities are on par with the price-tier competition as well.



Conclusion
The Celeset Wyvern Qing is a good first foot onto the door of IEM enthusiasm as well as a very nice gift for your casual friends looking for a basic set. The pretty shells will immediately gather their fancy though if I have to say, others in the same entry point offer a bit more. Even Celest's own Wyvern Pro with its boom mic, the Wane'Er with more eartips and a cleaning cloth included while the 7hz Zero 2 feels better tuned when it comes to an outright introduction to a sound upgrade. It's a tougher decision to recommend the Qing when all these other choices offer a bit of extra distinction at the same price. But overall, I do not see anyone getting offended receiving the Celest Wyvern Qing for their first dip into IEM waters, both for guys and girls out there especially given its pretty-looking aesthetics and pleasant sound with a bit of engagement without being shouty.



Sidenotes:
IEM set has been listened via the Sony ZX-707 and Onix Alpha separately using the Acoustune AET07 and KBEAR 07 eartips over the majority course of multiple genres across FLACs (16bit&24bit) and streaming (Tidal). The Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing is available for $24 (w/out mic) and $29 (w/ mic) through major outlets including HiFiGo - https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-celest-wyvern-qing?variant=45647668805871