Kinera Freya

Introduction:
Kinera is a seasoned brand from China that has produced many, and still producing, custom and universal fit in-ear monitors. They have been around for quite some time now and has a number of gears that made a mark in the audiophile community. The Freya is one of their most recent models, and shortly after its release, the Mini Freya was introduced as a limited edition, rocking a shell 20% smaller than the regular one. The Freya currently retails for 249 USD, and I got the Mini Freya by winning the recent giveaway held by Kinera.

International purchase link

Specifications:
Driver units: 7 mm dynamic + 3 balanced armature (2 Knowles and 1 custom BA by Kinera)
Impedance: 22 ohms
Sensitivity: 110 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Source:
Poco X3 paired with Cayin RU6, FiiO KA3, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1

Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.

Unboxing and Accessories:
The Freya comes in a rather large and unique looking hexagonal box. Lifting the lid up will reveal the instruction manual and cards with information for Kinera's social media accounts, the idea behind the name Freya and why they chose it, and a letter from Cynthia, Kinera's lead artist and designer of Freya. Everything else is underneath and resting on a thick piece of foam. The earphones, three sizes of silicone tips, a female 3.5 mm to male lightning adapter, a cleaning tool, a female 3.5 mm to male 6.35 mm adapter, and lastly, the round storage case that contains the cable, a female 3.5 mm to male USB C adapter, a silical gel packet, and a full set of Final Type E eartips in SS, S, M, L, and LL sizes.

Build:
The shells are made of resin with a glossy finish. The rear, bigger portion of the shell is coated in glittery paint. The right side is decorated with the "Freya" text in silver, while the left one has the Kinera logo. Both are adorned with a hand painted mountain with a starry night sky, which is unique and really a feast for the eyes. At the top portion of the shell, there is a single hole for ventilation. The nozzles are rather large in diameter, so even if it doesn't have that lip, eartips got no problem staying in place. It also doesn't have a mesh filter, but instead it has three individual holes to separate the dynamic driver, the Knowles balanced armature, and Kinera's custom balanced armature.

The cable is a 2-core twisted high purity copper. It is light but moderately stiff, and thankfully doesn't conduct a lot of microphonics. The male 0.78 mm 2 pin connectors, splitter, and 4.4 mm gold plated balanced cable are all made of metal, while the chin slider is made of plastic. The Freya normally comes in 3.5 mm single ended plug, but I requested to have it changed, and Kinera was kind enough to oblige.

Now let's get to the sound.

Lows:
The lows are rich and solid in its attack. Subbass is slightly upfront and able to demonstrate great depth with a decay that is on the average side. Midbass takes a small step back and has hints of sounding a bit soft and somewhat loose but not to the point where it feels bloated.

Overall, that small difference in the midbass can be a little hard to notice during the first minutes of listening. But as the tracks progress, I find myself kind of searching for that thud behind the thump. That being said, I don't consider this to be something bad, it's just different.

Mids:
The mids are forward with good clarity and sounds partially thin. Lower mids have sufficient weight while the upper mids have a very noticeable boost which makes the female vocals a lot more intimate. Instruments have some hints of being closed in, but otherwise have good definition.

Overall, the mids of the Freya sound the best with female singers and tracks where string instruments are the highlight due to that bump in the upper mids.

Highs:
The highs are reproduced in a bit of a laid back manner. Treble reach is slightly below average while the duration of decay is on the moderate side. Upper treble doesn't have much presence which renders cymbals and lead guitars to sound somewhat shallow and there can be occasions where they are overshadowed by the lows and mids.

Overall, the upper treble of the Freya can definitely use some lift. I tried to use an equalizer to partially boost this section, just enough to not cause any discomfort and it definitely gave more life and energy to the tracks.

Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage has a slightly below average expansion. The height expands a lot more than the width. Even though the stage is relatively small, the imaging is surprisingly great in terms of accuracy. The instrument separation and layering is just adequate. There is a very small amount of congestion especially in complex tracks.

Comparisons:
Kinera Freya (1 DD + 3 BA, 249 USD) vs. Audiosense DT600 (6 BA, 248 USD)
The Freya has the bigger sounding lows. The rumble is louder and able to reach deeper, as expected since it has a dynamic driver. Midbass is tighter in the DT600 but sounds thicker on the Freya. In the mids, the DT600 has more substance but more forward and slightly thinner in the Freya. The DT600 has a very slight edge in the clarity. With the highs, the DT600 has better reach as well as longer decay, although not that much. Instruments sound more lively and spacious in the DT600. In the soundstage, the DT600 expands more on the width, while the height is just about the same. Clarity in the imaging is very, very close but the DT600 is better.

Kinera Freya (1 DD + 3 BA, 249 USD) vs. Hisenior FE3U (3 BA, 299 USD)
The Freya has more quantity in the lows. Louder rumble and longer decay. The Freya is able to reach deeper as well. Midbass is a lot tighter and less in weight in the FE3U. The mids sound more open and have better clarity and transparency in the FE3U. Although they both sound slightly thin in this section, the FE3U sounds more natural and energetic. In the highs, the FE3U has way better reach and much longer decay. However, it does tend to be aggressive or sibilant on some tracks which does not happen at all with the Freya. Soundstage is much more open in the FE3U, expanding more on both width and the height as opposed to the Freya. Imaging is also slightly more accurate in the FE3U.

Conclusion:
There is no doubt, and it really shows, that Kinera put a lot of thought and effort in designing the Freya. From the packaging, accessories, and overall looks of the shells screams of premium and unique experience. The Freya's sound is a good choice for easygoing type of genres where you can listen for several hours without fatigue. That being said, some improvements in its technical performance is needed to make the Freya really stand out in its price bracket.

Kinera Freya - Lavish Beauty & Natural Sound











I'm doing a review on the most beautiful IEM I have ever seen, and it actually sounds really good! Kinera Freya is provided by HIFI GO, and this is priced at about 250 USD. It has 3 Balanced Armature drivers, and one dynamic driver, and will be compared to Mangrid Tea, Jomo P3 Percusion, and oBravo Cupid Planar IEMs. For the pairing part of this review, I will be going with iBasso DX300, Hiby R3 PRO, and HIDIZS AP80 PRO.

---

Introduction





If you don't know who Kinera is, that's much better for you. It is a company that has a somewhat dark history behind, as they had some models in the entry-level price range that had a really specific signature. All those models were really liked by some while other people were really against them, as they had a really colored sound. This being said, the company kept growing, kept trying and nowadays they are nailing it with the newer models. I totally can vouch for Hifi GO though. They are the kind of company that provides excellent products, and warranty to their customers, even overseas ones. There are very few companies that provide the kind of service Hifi GO do, and I totally recommend considering getting your audio dose of happy from them whenever possible.











It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Kinera or Hifi GO, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I'd like to thank HIFI GO for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in Kinera Freya find their next music companion.











Product Link





You can always get your Kinera Freya from here: https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-freya-quad-hybrid-iem-1dd-3ba-drivers-in-ear-earphone











Packaging





First things first, let's get the packaging out of the way:



































Normally, I am not a fan of unboxing of IEMs. Often we see a very bland and simple package, but then once in a while comes a company that walks more than the extra mile. Walks like half the world to bring you the best stuff right out of China.











Kinera is made in China, and I can happily say that besides being beautiful, Freya also has a really kick ass package.











We're looking at having both an adapter from Type-C , and one from Lightning (for iPhones). As far as I could tell, the one for Type-C is passive or passthrough and it works only if your phone can output audio through type-c, which is mostly limited to some Huawei and Google phones.











There are so many tips, a beautiful carrying case, and what I can probably call the most beautiful cable I've seen below 300 USD.











Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort





Starting with the build, the Freya looks like a piece of expensive jewelry. There's something about the colors chosen, combined with the exotic models that makes me wonder what type of company it would have been if it designed luxury cars.











The IEMs are on the larger side, and while they fit my ears perfectly, and literally like a glove, I can feel them while I'm wearing them. I have to use the smaller tips included, rather than my usual mediums, to get a good isolation and comfort. They leak very little and isolate well from the outside noise, up to 20 dB of passive noise isolation.











The cable is on the thicker side, and slightly tangle prone, but it is not too heavy and conducts no noise. I would have expected the Freya to be a bit sensitive to hiss, but in reality, they are perfect with most sources. They are easy to drive, and anything from the entry-level line of a company, like the BTR5 will be just perfect.





I love the fact that there's no driver flex, and their overall comfort, and while the package is rich, I actually won't give them my final thumbs up for the package, but instead do it for their ingenious design.











Youtube Video

















Sound Quality





Freya is slightly less sensitive to tip rolling than the average IEM. It is also best listened to loud and extremely loud, while quiet and medium they can sound a bit colored with a strong midrange hump, some sub-bass rolloff, and with a smooth treble. Listened up loud, the sound gets more balanced and colorful. The dynamics are actually pretty good, and the detail is fair. I will be describing their sound listened loud, mostly with rock and metal music, and with high-end sources. It takes a while when placing the Freya in and getting used to their sound, and this is not burn-in, but rather the time it takes my brain to adjust to their signature.











Starting with the bass, the strongest part is the bass and the upper bass, while the sub bass has slightly less expression and less extension. The bass is generally natural, with a natural decay, and a good punchy presentation. There's enough bass for most metal, rock and punk. It can be enough for pop and dubstep too, but rap listeners may be looking for a more thunderous presentation in the sub lows. They can move my head and make me want to dance with J-Pop and J-Rock, especially creations with thunderous sub-bass, like works of PinocchioP.





I've seen a lot of critique given to their overall detail, but honestly, the presentation was never meant to appeal to detail heads, but rather to those looking for a really smooth and easy presentation. I am in love with all aggressive music I couldn't normally listen to. Freya makes things really interesting and fun again, so I would take them for a ride after a long day, but indeed, first thing in the morning, I mostly crave more detail. The midrange is emphasized all over, compared to what we're used to in the sub-300 USD price range, as most IEMs at that price are V-Shaped. Voices are forward, and are presented with a natural to smooth texture, and everything has a really smooth texture with no fatigue.





I found the soundstage to be natural in both width and depth, and the dynamics favor rock and metal, so more compressed music. This is because their sound is forward int the mids and can compress the dynamics a bit for other music, but for rock and metal, things are simply beautiful. If you ever thought that some bands like Infant Annihilator were aggressive, you can now rest assured, Freya can make beautiful music out of Aron Kitcher's creations.





The treble is smooth, pretty soft and it is the main reason people complained so much about Freya. Basically, with a V-Shaped treble, they would have sounded like most other IEMs and would had had a better resolution, and more detail. In the current state, Freya ends up having a relaxed sound, and a safe one that works nicely for pop and most euphonic songs without ever becoming fatiguing. To get an idea, please imagine that I generally can't listen to music while writing, but this entire review has been written while wearing and blasting music through them at loud volumes.











Comparisons





The main comparisons for Kinera Freya are Mangrid Tea, Jomo P3 Percussion, and oBravo Cupid. I could go on for days, since this is the price range where there are most competitive priced IEMs, but those three should reveal fairly well how Freya sounds like.











Kinera Freya vs Mangrid Tea (250 USD vs 300 USD) - Mangrid Tea has a less interesting package, but it has a good comfort too. The overall differences in sound are in the midrange mostly, where mangrid tea is more balanced, has a more natural tonality for their midrange, and also a better sub-bass extension, with more treble sparkle. It is more engaging, more uplifting and more sparkly, where Kinera Freya is smoother, more lean-back, and easier to listen to for literally hours in a row. I would take Mangrid Tea for most of my listening if I'm not tired, but after a long day, Kinera Freya can be a really pleasing partner.





Kinera Freya vs Jomo Audio P3 Percussion (250 USD vs 425 USD) - There's something about P3 that makes me want to grab it way more often than it is healthy for me. The best part about them is their bass, impact and overall resolution, combined with their punchy and dynamic sound. The package is a bit more interesting for Kinera Freya, but sonically P3 is really punchy, thicker, warmer, and more peppy in the treble. Kinera Freya is leaner, more easy, and less fatiguing. Once again, if I just woke up and want to go hype for the day, I would pick up P3, while if I'm tired and want ro relax, I'll go to Kinera Freya.





Kinera Freya vs oBravo Cupid (250 USD vs 300 USD) - oBravo Cupid is pretty much the extremely bright and V-Shaped IEM, and comparing Freya to it is like comparing apples to other really different apples. They are both IEMs, and both have good comfort, but Freya is larger and harder to recommend to small ears. Cupid works well for all ears. Cupid has a really bright, sparkly and aggressive sound, where Freya is really relaxed. The detail is better on the Cupid, but Freya is much easier to listen to and enjoy, and really often it feels like Freya was designed for girls who want to enjoy high-end audio without all of the aggressive edge that most IEMs typically have. The aesthetic may be part of this as well.











Pairing





The main pairings I got going with Freya are iBasso DX300, Hiby R3 PRO, and HIDIZS AP80 PRO. All of those have an excellent price/performance ratio and made me realise some things about Freya.











They are generally easy to drive and a bluetooth receiver like BTR5 should do just fine, and they can typically be driven out of your average smartphone too.





Kinera Freya + Hiby R3 PRO (300 USD + 200 USD) - R3 PRO has just the right amount of bass, sub-bass, and dynamics to make Freya go hip hoppy hop. The trick here is the MSEB EQ which brings a ton out of Freya, as it has enough headroom for you to pull back the midrange and bring forward the sub-bass and the treble. There will be no distortion and happily this means that the end sound will be clean and crisp, but you'll have to make some effort and play with MSEB to find the right tuning for Freya. I would start by adding sub-bass and treble (first one or two sliders and last one or two from top to bottom)





Kinera Freya + iBasso DX300 (300 USD + 1200 USD) - DX300 has been an interesting experiment to see whether Freya would end up sounding good and nice without any EQ, as long as the source was good enough. Oddly enough, it still took me a while to get used to Freya, but I was able to enjoy it out of DX300 for more than five hours in a single go without EQ'ing the pairing at all. I actually indulge and delight in their smoother signature, but I have to admit, that was a lazy day and I felt like having a relaxing sound.





Kinera Freya + Hidizs AP80 PRO (300 USD + 200 USD) - AP80 PRO has a nice trick up its sleeve, and it is also the MSEB settings powered by Hiby. the pairing sounds nice as it is too, and after ten to fifteen minutes, I also got used to the sound, but I can jump right into this DAP and power up some settings to give Freya a more even sound, and with Hiby's Magic, I am able to enjoy this IEM with a new life in it.











Value and Conclusion





The value of Kinera Freya is not quite as good as that of other IEMs, especially those that have a more generic signature. This is because I can easily recommend something tuned for your average listener, and you know something more typical will sell well on the second hand market, while Freya is a unique personal experience.











The package alone should account for them having a fairly good value, despite the IEM being pretty specific tuned. You get a better looking carrying case, and more extras than with most IEMs in this range, and that hexagonal box is a thing of beauty by itself as well.





The comfort is great, and they fit my ears like a glove, but I can feel that I'm wearing the Freya. I am not sure how they would fit for someone with smaller ears, and I recommend them to you if you have medium or larger ears.











The sound is specific, smooth, fatigue-free, easygoing, easy to enjoy, and in my honest experience not bad with detail and clarity.











At the end of today's review, if you want to own one of the most beautiful IEMs out there, something that looks like a piece of jewelry, if you want to have a unique experience, and if you're not into listener fatigue, Kinera Freya will be happy to help with your musical experience.











Product Link





You can always get your Kinera Freya from here: https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-freya-quad-hybrid-iem-1dd-3ba-drivers-in-ear-earphone











--- Please remember to stay safe, and always have fun while listening to music!---






















Full Playlist used for this review





We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. PRaT, Texturization, Detail, Resolution, Dynamics, Impact, and overall tonality are all revealed by those songs. We recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music!





If you have a dime to spare (donate), it would make my day much brighter, as it would help me improve things around the website and increase the frequency of my posts.





Youtube Playlist





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Tidal Playlist





https://listen.tidal.com/playlist/64555551-ec3c-4279-ae44-248fdfcf6c4b

This model is kindly provided by the hifigo store 19,434. 03 rubles. / Kinera Freya Quad-hybrid IEM 3BA + 1DD hybrid Hi-Fi in-ear headphones with hand-painted case, removable 2 Pin for audiophile
https://es.aliexpress.com/item/4001266542051.html, for which I thank them very much.

The headphones come in a luxurious, large box in the shape of a hexagon.
There are many different brochures inside.
The complete set is so rich:
1 adapter from Type C to 3.5 jack (it's worth noting that it doesn't work with all devices)
1 adapter with Ligthning to 3.5 jack.
2 sets of black and white attachments of different sizes.
1 the brush.
1 adapter from 3.5 jack to 6.35.
1 case.
1 copper cable.
1 headphones.
Agree the set is grandiose, there is everything you need, and of decent quality.

Especially good is a copper cable consisting of two cores of solid thickness and good accessories.

The case is also made very high quality, tightly closed. It has a brand name.

The headphones themselves are like a work of art, made of acrylic,hand-painted, look really amazing.
Very light, almost weightless.
It is worth noting that the case is quite large and can not fit in every ear, the size of the headphones reminded Senhear SH1D2A.
The sound ducts are of medium length, do not have sides, but there is a slight thickening to hold the ear pads.
Also, the cases have an anatomical shape, so they fit perfectly in my ears.

As for the sound guys, there is information that the sound of these headphones strongly depends on the nozzles, I used the white nozzles from the set.
With these attachments, the sound seemed relatively smooth, even a little bright.
Low frequencies don't have a second testarotho, they are moderately fast, lacks a bit of physicality and weight.
The midrange is not bad, probably thanks to the drivers from Knowles. The vocals sound big.
High frequencies do not have a sick length and purity.
Attacks on headphones are simplified.
In General, I can not say that the headphones are universal, for my taste they are more suitable for listening to quiet music, for example, for rock ballads, pop music.


The headphones struck me with their appearance, probably one of the most beautiful that I have ever had, but I can't say that about the sound.

Specifications
Current Price: $249.99 (HiFiGo)
Earphone Type: Quad Driver Hybrid In-Ear Monitor (IEMs)
Driver Configuration: 3 Balanced armature drivers (BA) and a single dynamic driver (DD)
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
Impedance: 22 Ω
Sensitivity: 110 ± 2db
Color: Blue and White
Jack Type: 3.5mm
Cable: 0.78mm 2-Pin 3.5mm High Purity Copper Detachable Cable


The Freya are certainly out to awe. They arrive in a enormous, hexagonal box that's delightfully arranged. The bundling is exceptionally ladylike and painterly. There are two embeds portraying the item, its inspirations,and the method of its creation. According to the inserts, each IEM takes three hours to form from begin to wrap up. There’s indeed a letter from the craftsman that goes into detail on why each color was utilized and how it relates to
the goddess Freya. This is the kind of clarification you listen first-hand at an craftsmanship presentation and truly plays into the special plan of each single earbud.


Underneath all of that's the item plate. It’s a generous package.
In the most plate, you have got the IEMs themselves, a expansive case, a 3.5mm to 1/4-inch connector for iPhone utilize, six silicone ear tips from Last Sound (another premium sound brand), a cleaning device,
and a Thunderbolt to 3.5mm sound adapter. Interior the case is another cluster of treats, counting an extra five sets of silicone tips from Last, an great copper cable, and a USB Type-C to 3.5mm sound connector for Android.

Underneath all of that's the item plate. It’s a generous package. In the most plate, you've got the IEMs themselves, a expansive case, a 3.5mm to 1/4-inch connector for iPhone utilize, six silicone eartips from Last Sound (another premium sound brand),
a cleaning device, and a Thunderbolt to 3.5mm sound adapter. Interior the case is another cluster of treats, counting an extra five sets of silicone tips from Last, an amazing copper cable, and a USB Type-C to 3.5mm sound connector for Android.


Onto the earphones themselves. The Freya is accessible in two colors, based around white or dark. I gotten the dark adaptation and the custom paint work looks great. There’s a really firmament see to them, with the gold implying at Freya’s partiality for luxury. The white adaptation makes overwhelming
utilize of pink and purple for an awfully female see. The dark form I gotten focuses to its dark as reminiscent of Freya’s armor. I much incline toward the dark, which is likely to be the case for numerous men considering these.
This sort of extravagance isn’t for everybody, but I actually discover it exceptionally eye-catching and one of a kind.

Interior its gum shell, the Freya employments a quad-hybrid plan with four drivers for each ear: three adjusted armatures and a single energetic driver. Using an inner hybrid, it employments this cluster to part the recurrence range, limiting the scope of each driver to advance way better clarity and fine tuning of each. The multi-driver plan has ended up much more common,
indeed in reasonable cost brackets, and for great reason. We all need clearer sound without mutilation and this is an successful way to realize that whereas moreover giving the sound engineers more room to customize the in general sound.


As you'll tell from the chart over, the tuning Kinera has gone for takes after a delicate V with an expanded accentuation on the mids and highs. At the same time, we see a slight bump within the bass from 40 to fair beneath 200 Hz to give music, movies, and diversions more “oomph” and low-end drone.
This is often a reasonably secure tuning but by the chart alone, the crest at 8kHz debilitates to create the Freya's a small sharp.

Thankfully, in my tuning in, the Freya sound strikingly well The treble boost isn’t sharp but it does draw out the fine subtle elements in acoustic music and in tracks that emphasize strings and cymbals. Vocal was not Recessed


For gaming, the Freya’s are really very great. The soundstage is sensibly great for an IEM but is still more insinuate than an over-ear earphone. The layering of sounds — think of a blend in layers of covering sounds — is fabulous, so picking separated subtle elements like strides, callouts, and indeed surrounding signals like chirping feathered creatures are simple to pinpoint, indeed some time recently you see what’s making them. That high-end boost is excellent
for competitive recreations particularly.I too found that the headphones fit exceptionally cozily in my ears. The shells are molded in conventional IEM shape to coordinate the forms of a “universal ear.” They’re bigger and adhere out somewhat, but are astoundingly comfortable. The Ultimate Type-E ear tips are too exceptionally great. Some time recently attempting them for myself, I had my questions on how distinctive
they may conceivably be from the cheap choices flooding Amazon, but they fit comfortably in my ears without the submerged pressure that now and then goes with low-cost ear tips.

"Crafted with Elegance
Evolved in Perfection"
That's not my words, found on Freya's box. Surprisingly I found it to be TRUE.

Many Many Thanks to Yumu Song , the beautiful co-founder of HiFiGo for providing me this review unit.

Kinera has always chosen Goddess's Name (From Mythology) for naming their models.
Freya the word comes from a Norse mythology goddess Freya (Ancient Norse for “(the) Lady”) that is related with cherish, excellence, richness, sex, war, gold, and seiðr.

It's must have been difficult for Kinera to make a connection between love/beauty and war/gold. But I must say they were successful with their excellent skill to design the models by blooming the true meaning of Freya.





Design:
In design Kinera Freya is very unique. There are two designs. One is Purple which represents the Love and Beauty and the other one is Black version represents the war and gold with Gold power inside the Shell.

I choose the black colored and it seems to be a presentation of Earth to me with gold inside it.
Kinera's great craftsmen has used unique techniques to concentrate on the full cavity painting of each shell.

Build Quality:
Very light in weight. You can sleep wearing this on.
It is a hybrid IEM with 4 Drivers
I think excess number of drivers are not mandatory where there are quality full drivers
Consist of 3 Balance Armature and 1 Dynamic Driver.
2 Knowles balanced armature drivers RAF-32873×2 deliver incredible midrange & vocal clarity.
1 Kinera’s customized BA 30095 driver produces the well extended, balanced treble
and Kinera’s 7mm micro-dynamic driver offers a rich, deep bass reproduction.







Accessories:

This is my first IEM which comes with every necessary accessories that needs for an earphone to drive with all kind of Devices
The carrying box is very beautiful. On the first look it seems to be a make-up box but that's wrong. Freya uses the 2 core 0.78mm 2 pin connector with a 3.5mm jack stock cable
3.5mm-type-C and 5 pairs Final E series Eartips (Saves my money for buying extra eartips) .There are also a 3.5mm-Apple earphone converter, 3.5mm-4.4mm Converter pin, a nozzle cleaning tools and some extra eartips








Drivability:
The multi-driver Freya produces a frequency response of 20Hz-20,000Hz at a sensitivity of 110dB, with only 22Ω of impedance.
So high-quality sound can be experienced with any device.
An Amp is not mandatory

Isolation:
its around-the-ear design is ergonomic that provides a great noise isolation at medium to upper volume.

Sound Quality:
Now it's time for Sound Check

Sound Stage & Separation:
Sound Stage is very wide and deepth, i was able to understand where which components were giving sound



Bass:
20Hz to 80Hz: Sub-bass
80Hz to 200Hz: Mid-bass
They are not bass cannons but has sufficient Bass.
There is a rolled off situation in the Sub-Bass. Bass and kick does not mixed up.lack the ramble

Mids:
200Hz to 800Hz: Lower midrange
800Hz to 1,500Hz: Centre midrange
1,500Hz to 5,000Hz: Upper midrange
Vocal does not fade away under the bass or any other instrument, Very clear and straight forward
Female Voice is slightly shouty,Male Vocal is Fuller and recessed.Haven't experienced the harsh sound
Very Good Clarity, Can hear the sounds in details

Highs:
5K Hz to 20KHz
From the frequency response curve we can see that there is a decay approximately at 5700Hz.thats means edge has been decayed. that's also the part of sibilance
Treble is boosted. Again drop on 17K Hz. Pierce decayed. Air in upper treble is seems to be excess

Conclusion:
No doubt Freya is one of the best IEM in looks, in design, Enriched with Sufficient Accessories with a beautiful case.
But in sound quality it seems to be not up to the mark for me in some sections according to price. Some extra Sub Bass could be done here.
I feel the sound was colored sometimes. To me 150$-170$ was a perfect price with this sound quality and accessories
But there is no problem to pay extra 50$ for their 6 Hours Hand Paint Job

Kinera Freya.

Hello! Recently I had a chance to get acquainted with a number of devices, including the Kinera Freya iems. The headphones can be found here, but for now I would like to describe my impressions, as this model I liked the most recently.



Low frequencies.
The subbas quantity is not much at all, it is less than average and it for sure can be heared, but the midbass is emphasized. This adds up to tremendous control and bass speed. In addition, there is an incredible amount of information on the lower range and tonally lower frequencies are moderately saturated and very interesting.


Medium frequencies.
The bottom of the midrange is greater than that of the average V-shaped headphone. The lower range instruments are excellent in weight and even boast some "fat". The upper middle frequencies are raised, tonally "light", slightly distant from the listener across the stage and not annoying at all, although the vocals remain close to the listener.
In general, the mids are the strong point of the headphones. They are detailed, fast, versatile, slightly lightened in tonal. Vocals and instruments do not overlap each other at all (the exception is poorly recorded and mixed tracks with a very heavy load of distorted guitar and vocals at the same time).


High frequencies.
The lower part of the treble is weighty and accentuated, but the rest of the treble is laid back. The quality of high frequencies is good, there are very few far high frequencies and the length of high frequencies is not audible at all. In general, I would call this range as non-annoying and comfortable as possible, at the same time possessing an excellent weight of instruments, each strike on the cymbal is biting and distinct.


Stage.
Here I was shocked for sure, maybe because of the fact that I still have little experience in listening to multi-driver iems. The stage is much wider than average for iems, much deeper than average, and the positioning of the instruments is incredibly accurate.
Headphones require at least 6-8 hours of warm-up and will likely appear bright, harsh and dry upon first listening. However, hearing adapts quickly as the headphones are not annoying at all.


Very good headphones for my ears. It is a pity that I was able to listen only temporarily. However, in the future I will definitely buy one. Thanks for reading!

Freya the word comes from a Norse mythology goddess Freya (Ancient Norse for “(the) Lady”) that is related with cherish, excellence, richness, sex, war, gold, and seiðr.

Package/Construct

Earphones come in a enormous hexagonal bundle filled with treats.
7 distinctive ear-tips, USB-C connector, Lightning connector,
A Beautiful White case, 1 cleaning brush.

Lets talk about the Earphone, they’re slightly big in size and this can be a issue for a few of you with littler ears.
But Very light in weight. Only 5gram each
As distant as my ears go, these were a idealize fit and once I’d put them within the right position they remained there

The cable is Detached-able. The provided cable is very thick, delicate, and bent softly. It doesn’t tangle much and it’s not microphonic. Decent job.

Sound

The great news proceeds when we start talking about sound quality.
Recurrence reaction tuning is fair right to my ears without any portion being discernibly emphasized and attempting to take the appear. There’s bounty of bass roll, but fortunately it’s met with great control and deftness. This implies bass notes are profound but exact and easy to take after.
In the event that there’s anything to nitpick approximately the bassline
it may well be that it doesn’t have that much hammer and attack.

It has lavish sound in midrange. That lower midrange segment, responsible for vocal totality and instrument timbre is regularly woefully missing with in-ear models. Not with Freya, there’s sufficient juice and strength here for me to appreciate everything from the compelling male voice and testy vocal of Lana Del Rey. All disobedient sound full and display as well, showing awesome timbre and a touch of warmth. Higher midrange and highs are filled with points of interest but voiced in marginally secure and tame way that made tuning in Freya for a longer period of time a charming encounter.

The soundstage is shockingly very wide and there’s a respectable sense of space around your head. Instruments are well isolated and there’s room for each one to breathe and position itself clearly.
I got them sound sensibly uproarious and energetic indeed. In any case, some soundstage clog and a indicate of upper-region brutality were recognizable.
To get the genuine sense of their capabilities, great timbre, which roomy soundstage, you’ll have to be nourish them with a genuine source.

--KINERA FREYA REVIEW: Beautifull body with a Technical soul---

SOUND: 7.5/10
PACKAGING&ACCESSORIES: 10/10
CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN: 9.5/10
VALUE: 7.5/10

Click to expand...

Kinera (also know as Dongguan Yutai Electronics Co. Ltd.) is an earphones company from China that specialise in dynamic drivers and balanced armature production and have collaborate with other brand like QDC and Puretone for the creating of their IEM. Since 2010, they have gain experience in tuning and develop their own house sound. Far are the days where the only Kinera IEM was in sub-100$ price range, now they have widen their range of products from single-DD or BA to multi-BA hybrid that can go up in high-end audio with their Nana model using 1DD+1BA+2 electro static drivers.

Today I will review their mid-tier models, the jaw-dropping-freakin-sexy FREYA. It’s an Hybrid using 1 dynamic and 3 balanced armatures drivers. We don’t know what type of DD or BA it use, but it is most likely created by Kinera engineerr team.

Priced at 250$, the FREYA enter a very competitive price bracket in term of sound value, but it isn’t irrational to think some of this investment go into the unique artsy earphones shell you got. I will never repeat it enough in this review: these are precious art piece that will impress anybody that look at them.

But I’m not just about the look, I mean, once in my ears I don’t take selfies with my FREYA, so let’s see in this review if the FREYA is just a fashion model or if it know how to be a musician too.


The Kinera Freya can be bought from official retailer HIFIGO, an trustworthy store that permit you to pay with paypal (Aliexpress doesn’t offer this option) and offer fast shipping.

SPECS

• Earphone Type: Quad Driver Hybrid In-Ear Monitor (IEMs)
• Driver Configuration: 3 Balanced armature drivers (BA) and a single dynamic driver (DD)
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
• Impedance: 22 Ω
• Sensitivity: 110 ± 2db
• Color: Blue and White
• Connector Interface: 0.78mm 2-Pin
• Jack Type: 3.5mm(TRS/TRRS)
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-Pin 3.5mm High Purity Copper Detachable Cable
• Package Contents: 1 Freya Earphone, Multiple extension cables, three pairs of different sized ear tips (S, M, L), and an earphone storage box.

PACKAGING & ACCESSORIES

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I’m rarely impress by either packaging or accessories of IEM in sub-100$ price range, but above 200$ it should be more important to have a shown of respect for the consumer by making the presentation nice and included accessories generous enough. Simply put, Kinera exceed my expectation and might offer the primest unboxing experience ever done. This is near over the top in term of care for esthetic details as well as included accessories. If you give this as a gift to somebody, you can be sure it’s face will enlighten with a big smile when he discover the whole package.


We have a colorful hexagonal box with FREYA logo and shade of pink, blue and purple color reminescent of paiting job of the pink Freya housing. When you open this box, everything is beautifull presented and your eyes get caught by the beauty of carrying case, which is colorfull to and make of (false?) leather. In term of accessories, Kinera really think about everybody, including those who use a phone without headphones jack. YES, they include both android and apple dongle so you can enjoy your IEM with your iphone! Respect Kinera, Respect. Other accessories included are a 3.5mm to 6.4mmjack of very good quality, 3 pairs of silicone ear tips (okay, thats not enough), a cleaning tool and a nice 2pin 2 cores OFC cable that is very smooth but not of the highest quality (still step above what you found whith cheaper priced IEM). All in all, this was a very rewarding unboxing experience.

CONSTRUCTION&DESIGN

Kinera always give lot of care in the esthetical aspect of their IEM, but they take it to next level with the FREYA. In fact, Dolce & Gabana should hire their earphones designer so they can for once achieve a real beautifull fashion headphones or earphones. It isn’t a gimmick when Kinera say the Freya ‘’is more than just a product’’, as an artist myself, I consider these IEM as luxrious decorative art. If you always whish to own a Unique earphones that you will be the only one to have on planet earth,.the Freya is your answer because it’s hand painted and every specimen is unique even if they use the same paint color. I’m honnest when I say I never contemplate any other IEM as much as the Freya, it litteally hypnotize me by its beauty!



Unlike the QOA Pink Lady that have a fancy look but use rather cheap plastic material, the Freya use high quality resin plastic for it’s housing which have a universal custom organic shape. It feel very sturdy in hands and promess long durability. Shell is ultra smooth and feel like its make in one piece, craftmanship of these is out of this world. While the housing is on the big size, it’S very light and comfortable, but perhaps people with very small ears will have fit issue or find the shell too protuberant because of it’s thickness. I personally find the Freya very comfortable, my only issue is about the nozzle not have a lip for ear tips secure fit. Nozzle is very big too and the included ear tips doesnt do it justice even if it’s nice to have 5 pairs of fancy Final Audio ear tips. You need wide bore tips to get proper sound with the Freya because the nozzle have 3 holes connected to the dynamic driver and balanced armature and they need space to open. So, while I haven’t any discomfot issue with the Freya, i do encounter problem to find the right fit for proper sound projection.

DRIVEABILITY

The Freya are easy to drive and do not benefit from extra amping. It have high enough sensitivity of 110db and low impedance of 22ohm, making it in fact better suited for DAP or Phone that doesnt deliver super high amount of amping. While they aren’t problematic with powefull source (no serious distortion issue), the clarity can be affected with too much gain.

ISOLATION

Passive noise cancelation is just above average, and you will not hear outside world by listening to music at moderate volume, at very low volume it’s possible though. Sound leakage do occur due to a venting hole at it’s side under the 2pin connector, so directly exposed to outside world, still, unless you crank up the volume like crazy it isn’t a serious issue at all.

SOUND

TO NOTE: The Freya is one of those IEM that need perfect ear tips placement as well as ear tips model. In that regard, it remind me Audiosense T800 which can go from terrible to excellent sounding depending of how perfectly positioned it is in ear. This do not need deep insertion, and I highly suggest you to use a wide bore ear tips that do not cover any part of nozzle hole. Don’t use long ear tips, it compress the sound and make it more shouty. This is the ONLY way to get PERFECT sound, which is way more open and airy with more spacious imaging and less agressive treble. Lot of reviews out there will be misleading due to bad ear tips pairing.

OBJECTIVIST IMPRESSIONS

Overall tonality of the FREYA is smoothly bright, a hint cold and near neutral with slight bass boost and extra emphasis in lower and mid treble section. The first thing that hit you is a sens of clarity and near analytical instrument separation. This is only if you find the right ear tips, which greatly impact on sound rendering, especially in openess. Once done, it’s less forwards, congested and agressive. With the FREYA you do have both advantage and drawback of balanced armature, but this time the dynamic drivers act like a BA too, offeirng a fast bass attack with thigh roll off in both end, everything sound fast paced tough you have a less natural timbre that can sound thin bodied.


SOUNDSTAGE have good wideness and tallness and impressive sens of deepness, it’s sligthly tunnel-like in presentation and you will never turn your head thinking a noise came from the back with those.


IMAGING is the highlight of Freya. It’s very good in separation and quite spacious, it’s better in macro-resolution than micro-resolution and offer inferior separation in bass and lower mids where resolution is more hollow and mixed-up. For mids and treble instrument placement is crisp and precise. Again, it’s the sens of space that give you the illusion you can spot the instrument, and this work marvelously well, the Freya have a near analytical sens of separation.


BASS have notable roll off in sub-bass extension, but mid bass is thumpy and energic with just enough weight to add a bit of fun to a rather serious tonality. Articulation is very fast, thigh and accurate, which could benefit slap bass lover, because both kick and bass line are clean enough and do not mix easily togheter. For acoustic bass or cello lover that need more air in body and natural extension down to 20hz, the FREYA will be underwhelming, I think this kind of back seated thumping bass is better for rock, pop, indie and folk than jazz or electronic. For example it can’t dig low enough in the track ‘’Grey Area’’ from KAYTRANDA to render properly the lowest synth bass line which struggle and sound muffled and boxed, at least it doesn’t create distortion but it isn’t far from it. In other hand, the track ‘’What you need’’ from the same artist album sound marvelously punchy with well separated and articulated bass line, a more chunky sub bass response would have tamed the kick punch which isnt the case here and everything is crisp and clean, the female vocal being intimate and accurate with good presence. Texture is a mixed bag for me here, it’s a little dry but some instrument like electric bass can have good amount of details and even slapping ‘’euphory’’. It isn’t a warm bass, neither a full bodied one, it’s a fast agile punchy bass with a transistor like texture that isn’t neither overly boosted or tamed.


MIDS are gently bright, have typical balanced armature timbre which is slightly thin and dry and lack thick naturalness and fullness. Resolution is very clean, attack is fast but lack grip. We have a kind of strange resonance with these BA that make the female vocal a little agressive. The definition is lacking edge which is due to this strange post-attack resonance I try to explain. Male vocal sound fuller but more recessed than female vocal. Timbre as said is on the cold side, but isn’t as harsh or grainy as inferior BA often found in sub-100$ chi-fi iem, still, it do trigger some memories of these cheap BA’s. What impress is clarity, details and imaging of the mid range, but it have it’s technical limit that is shown when you play busy track with similar instrument mixing togheter like violins or electric guitar. The presentation is slightly distant, not recessed, which is a strange mix. Their an iherent contradiction with the FREYA that is hard to pin point, it’s that technicalities are pushed fowards but imperfect especially in post-attack. Transition from bass dynamic driver and balanced armature isn’t organic and more like mixed shoutyness that have not enough space to not congest too fast, but you know it will congest if you push the bunderies. Anyhow, I find the violin to sound very nice and get use to vocal even if it lack that emotionality mostly found with dynamic driver based IEM.


TREBLE is the most boosted part of FREYA audio spectrum, even if the mids too are very boosted and little agressive. You have lot of extra energy in lower-mid treble with some extra air trick in upper treble to give false sens of cleaness. Treble is crunchy and better controled than mid range, so a little bit more snappy in attack. Percussions sound realist, not splashy, but lack brilliance and sparkle. Treble is rather well balanced with rest of spectrum and percussions doesn’t feel overly pushed forwards. Acoustic guitar sound clear and well articulated but lack a bit of natural decay, still, it’s better than electric guitar or violin that lack bite and texture richness for proper definition. Timbre is on the thin side mostly, but some time you are surrprise by the snare roundness. In fact, the highs are a bit imprevisible in rendition, because sometime it dig micro-details that felt out of place. For the most part it’s flat but Freya have more of an analytical-cerebral soul than romantic-emotional one. Again, the attack is very fast and agile, and it can deal with complexe tracks better than its mid range so you have plenty of sound info at same time, post-attack doesn’t have lot of sparkle or decay, this will affect instrument like acoustic guitar, metallic percussion or clavichord, but not in a disastrous way because attack lead is snappy and clean. I found this type of treble very versatile in fact, especially in term of tonality but a bit more air and sparkly would have been appreciated.



SUBJECTIVE APPRECIATION

I’ve never been a fan of KINERA House sound, and decide to never touch their products again after having been extremely disapointed by the H3 Hybrid. Pretty sure the tuner do not listen to a wide range of music because I feel the FREYA is very genre dependant. The H3 was very artificial sounding with a strange W shape signature with bright tone and shouty treble, as if they try to boost resolution with cheap EQ gain and thanks god the FREYA doesn’t suffer from any tonal imbalance like the H3 and is head and shoulder above it in term of both tonality and technicalties.

Yep, KINERA still do follow it’s house sound tuning, whatever the fact that lot of audiophile wish they get inspire by Harman tuning target.

I don’t find the euphoric musicality in the FREYA, sometime I get hooked by its energic articulation, my head begin banging and suddenly stop when I discover It never create any emotion in me…i feel cold hearted and this is especially evident with anything that should create emotional response like a violin melody or melancholic vocal, again, the timbre is responsible for that as well as natural decay of bass and instrument impact.

Too polite it is, or let’s say formal, you know this fake smile you see, that are beautifull to look at, so clean with their bright white teeth…but you know it’s inherent artificality so it doesn’t warm your heart? Well, this is it: the FREYA isn’t soulfull. It’s a technical worker, a competent one, but without any sens of inventivity or charm. My music become anonym and athletic with the FREYA.

I’m very sensible to timbre, and this is something out of technicalities aspect and very hard to explain, but when it isnt natural enough I became snobbish. The FREYA timbre is far from the worst I heard, it isn’t particularly metallic or artificial, just dry and slightly thin. I feel the texture is a little off too, lacking refinement in micro-micro-details. But, when I use a good Litz copper cable it do gain a bit of meat and while emotionality wasn’t there for me, the timber gain a hint of lushness (Kinera Freya owner, jump on BQEYZ or FAAEAL Litz cable!).

Now, what I love about the Freya it’s his IMAGING, it really extract lot of instrument and spot on their singular presence in space. With the Freya, it happen very often that a secret sound layers became evident, it’s THAT crisp. For Indie, Classical or Folk it can be very rewarding.
BASS in another hand isn’t my favorite type, and the less well separated aspect of the sound. Too dry and grainy for me.
MIDS do not charm my heart but charm my brain, it’s quite clean and well articulated but lack a bit of finess and fullness. Too flat? Perhaps I need more color.TREBLE is a little shouty in attack for my taste, it snap but in a way that doesn’t create sparkle.

All in all, no love story happen within me and the Freya due to a lack of persona, but I confident to say they are well balanced and very competent in term of overall technicalities.

COMPARISONS

VS AUDIOSENSE T800 (300$)

The T800 is a 8 balanced armature IEM, and it’s harder to drive them properly due to low sensitivity. While I do not suggest the T800 for phone user, this isn’t a problem with the Freya.

Tonality is seriously more V to W shape and Fun with the T800, as well timbre is warmer and thicker, the Freya is more neutral and cold sounding.
SOUNDSTAGE is about same wide, little taller with the T800 while little deeper with the Freya. IMAGING is more crisp and precise with the Freya due to thicker sound layers of T800.
BASS is weightier, thicker and boomier with T800, it have more slam and give more energy to the sound, both struggle to extend down to 20hz, but the Freya having a flatter bass make it less intense in roll-off drop. While the bass is less mature with T800, it’s easier to find in the mix too and dont get overshadowed by mids and treble like the dryier Freya.
MIDS are lusher and thicker with the T800, but they are less crisp and transparent and upper mids are a bit more fowards. Freya have leaner and cleaner mids but strangely can’t deal as well with busy track as T800 (surely due to higher number of knowles BA).
TREBLE is fuller and richer with the T800 and it can dig more micro details and texture nuance but it’s slightly less well balanced than Freya, as well Freya is more airy on top.

All in all, while Freya is less fun , bassy and lively and have a more artificial timbre, it is better balanced and more maturely tuned than T800.

VS DUNU DK-2001 (300$)

This is a fair comparison here, because both these IEM are 3BA+1DD Hybrid. Here, I think the difference is more about balanced armature model, because while we know DK2001 use 3 Knowles BA, I think Kinera use their own custom BA. As well ,the dynamic driver of DK2001 is beryllium coated, Kinera doesn’t tell anything about DD they use.

Tonality is warmer and more extended in low end with the DK2001, but overall balance is rather similar though more dynamic and less mids-treble centric than Freya.
SOUNDSTAGE is wider with DK2001, but notably less deep. IMAGING have better layering but is not as spacious and precise in instruments placement.
BASS is weightier and punchier, it dig lower in extension too and have a more natural texture and timbre, but it’s less thigh in control than Freya so it warm the lower mids more, which permit a more organic transition too.
MIDS are notably lusher and fuller, with more natural timbre and better emotional immediacy, it isn’t as crisp as the Freya but doesn’t have its cold BA timbre. Both male and female vocal sound fuller and more fowards. Again, complex busy track are better articulated with DK2001.
TREBLE is more relaxed and have even less sparkle decay than Freya, percussions are less clean and well controlled but have fuller timbre. Freya dig more micro-details and have brighter highs.

All in all, imaging, soundstage and clarity go to the Freya while musicality, bass and mids go to the DK2001.

CONCLUSION


The Kinera Freya is a technical beast that deliver impressive imaging and crisp near reference tonality. With the Freya, Kinera proove they can craft an incredibly luxurious earphones that isn’t just about the look, but the sound too. While the price tag is appropriate for such a unique eye candy, the sound suffer from typical drawback of Kinera house sound which favorise clarity over natural timbre, but this time without any harshness or ovelry bright tonality.

If you are a person that put details retrieval and analytical imaging over musicality and timbre warmth, the Kinera FREYA sure will impress you with the whole package experience. You will be spoil with accessories, spoil with beauty and spoil with high resolution sonority.

Intro (Overall Score: 7.8/10)


Disclaimer: This review set was graciously lent to me by a friend and the review is written of my own accord. For more reviews like this, drop by www.perrivanaudio.com!

Kinera is no stranger to the industry. They've been around for a while, with many popular and well-built IEMs under their belt, some of them dating back to the nascent days of chi-fi. Today we take a look at one of their latest releases, the Kinera Freya. It features exquisite handpainted artwork on the IEMs and claims no two pairs are identical.

Packaging and Accessories (Score: 9/10)

Kinera has spared no expense in the unboxing experience of the Kinera. I am slightly conflicted between being impressed and wondering if a huge chunk of the price tag is going into the presentation and accessories. It has a plethora of accessories, ranging from a little brush. A ¼” to 3.5mm jack adapter, a wide selection of tips, and a round case befitting a diamond-studded necklace. More notably, it boasts the inclusion of a Lightning to 3.5mm and a USB Type-C to 3.5mm Adapters for your OTG uses. We seldom see such wide spreads of accessories coupled with the beautifully themed aesthetics and all credit goes to Kinera for that.

Fit (Score: 7/10)

The fit was mostly alright for me. However, do take note that these are on the large side. The earpieces themselves do stick out quite a bit and they have really thick bores. This is something to take note of these if you have smaller ears, as you may find these on the uncomfortable side. However, once I managed to fit the right tips on, they stayed in my ears quite comfortably. Tip rolling shouldn’t be an issue with the inclusion of Final E tips (Kudos to Kinera for that pleasant surprise)

Build Quality (Score:9/10)


Not discussing the build quality and aesthetics of the Freya would be a huge disservice to this piece of artwork. Yes, it is a literal piece of artwork in all its hand-painted glory. It comes in two colour schemes for you to choose from, namely blue and pink, just like your public washroom signs. Jokes aside, both these colour schemes present a brilliant mix of colours that would surely leave you admiring them upon unboxing and forgetting to put them into your ears, where they belong.

The colours are very vibrant and have a generous amount of gold glitter which mix really well with the other colours. These earphones were not made to be kept in a box in your drawer but instead meant to be flaunted. Take them out for a walk you are certain to attract many stares and curious glances from your fellow commuters. I especially love how the words sit cleanly in the middle of the colour swirls. Everything about it simply exudes a luxurious yet elegant beauty.

The cable is also very well made, copper 2-wire twist that feels very sturdy and premium

Sound (Score: 7.4/10)

Having established that the Freyas are absolute beauties, let’s find out if its outer beauty reflects its inner beauty or does the adage of "Do not judge a book by its cover" stand true.


Sources used

• Shanling M3s
• Fiio Q1 MkII
• Schiit Modi 3/Heresy

Music and Albums listened to

• The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning
• Børns - Dopamine
• Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible
• Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack
• Greenday - American Idiot
• London Symphony Orchestra - Beethoven Symphony No.7
• Martin Frost - Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A K.622
• Avicii - Avīci (01)

Bass (Score: 6.5/10)

Bass is one of the weaker links of the Kinera Freya. It’s emphasised in general but lacking in any form of definition. There is a mid-bass bump and it does bleed into the mids a little. However, the bass never ever threatens to take centre stage and leads into the lower mids very smoothly, serving to complement rather than overpower.

Subbass extension is not exactly impressive and it really lacks that rumble. There is also very little separation and layering. It’s listenable and marginally enjoyable in certain tracks but I certainly expected more from an IEM in this price range. The overall bass quantity is still manageable and not overpowering and would be alright if we just got a little more definition and even response.

On Chicago’s "Questions 67 and 68", the drums lacked punch and the bass lines were always lacking definition. The bass decay is very much on the slow side and while it doesn't come across as clumsy, it still lacks the minimum level of punch I would have preferred.

Mids (Score: 8/10)

Mids is probably the best suit of the Freya. The best way to describe it would be luscious, thick, and dark. Again, on Chicago’s “Questions 67 & 68”, the brass instrumentals have a nice body and texture to them. They are relatively forward but never harsh or crude. Melodies were all presented smoothly, and everything was kept very fluid. I especially enjoyed male vocals on the Freyas. Listening to Michael Bublé and Børns, I felt as though I was being serenaded by the richness and silkiness of the vocals. Listening to “Past Lives” and “Electric Love”, the way the electric guitars combine with the vocals in the midrange sent chills down my spine at certain passages.

However, the mids start to thin out as it approaches the treble. Higher pitched instruments can sound a little frail and warped. Some higher-pitched female vocals may not sound as natural as well. Listening to Beethoven on the Freyas, the timbre of the upper strings and flutes sounded thin and unnatural.

Treble (Score: 7.5/10)

The treble response on the Freya is as safe as it gets. While some may enjoy it's smooth and laid-back presentation, I found it a tad too dead and often found myself wishing for a little more "excitement" up there. The treble seems to roll off early and doesn’t give a sense of space and sparkle. Cymbal crashes and Hi-hats sound stifled and dry. Tracks from artists like Greenday sounded a little warped as the tonality is not exactly the most natural-sounding, especially with the forward and pronounced lower mids. However, the treble never got too harsh for me regardless of what track you throw at the Freyas and there definitely would be people who love the Freyas for this trait.

Overall

Overall separation and layering are nothing to shout about on the Freyas. Listening to "Tank!" from the Cowboy Bebop Soundtrack, the shortcomings of the Freya was laid bare. It has below average localisation and it struggles in tracks with many distinct complicated lines going on simultaneously. The soundstage is decently wide but certainly could be better and more realistic with better bass and treble extension.

Conclusion

It’s almost preposterous to hear and borderline blasphemous, but I would say there is value to the Kinera Freya from a pure aesthetics standpoint. Truth be told, this has been a little of a letdown. The Kinera underperforms in its price range sonic wise, but to think you are coming to own a unique handcrafted piece of art, it may yet earn its spot in your collection. It’s a heavily coloured sound signature that will not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially due to its poor technical ability. However, it’s inoffensive sound and pleasant mids does just enough to keep it enjoyable.

This is a review of the Kinera Freya. It is a hybrid 3 BA + 1 DD IEM that costs $250 from HiFiGo. Disclaimer: I received the Kinera Freya from HiFiGo in exchange for this honest review. I have not been or will be compensated in any other way.

Introduction

Kinera is one of the older, more established companies in the ChiFi space. Unlike KZ, they have a more conservative release schedule with a focus on a few IEMs rather than many. The Freya is their newest foray into the mid-fi space. Boasting hybrid quad drivers, handmade, hand-painted shells, and a fairly luxurious set of accessories, the Freya looks to market itself as a lifestyle product for audiophiles. The only question is: does it sound as good as it looks?



What's in the Box?

The Kinera Freya probably has the most over-the-top unboxing experience of all the IEMs I've reviewed. It comes in a large hexagonal box and no less than four little pamphlets with ChiFi marketing phrases. Beyond the marketing material lies the Freya, a set of S/M/L tips, a Lightning dongle, a cleaning brush, a 3.5 mm to 4.4 mm adapter, and a circular carrying case. Inside the carrying case is a 2-core copper 2-pin cable, a USB-C dongle, and a set of Final Audio tips.

The fit of the Freya is on the bulky side as it has a fairly large nozzle diameter but otherwise the fit is comfortable. Isolation is decent. I preferred the included Final tips and used them throughout this review. The cable looks like a copper-colored Tin T4 cable but it feels nothing like it. This cable is a much stiffer and has a stronger cable memory. The cable noise isn't too bad though. The shells look nice but it definitely photographs much nicer than it looks in real life I think.




Sound
Overall Impressions:

My first impressions of the Freya were lackluster. The tuning of the Freya is heavy emphasis on midbass and low mids that's balanced with upper mid presence. Treble is a little on the muted side and peaky. It's an asymmetrical V-shaped with more emphasis on the lows than highs. The coloration of the Freya's tuning initially caught me off-guard but as I spent more time with it over the course of this review, I started to enjoy it. I'm generally not a fan of this type of tuning but I can see why it appeals to certain folks. It's a non-fatiguing listen with a warm body. The Freya works best for pop and light rock but instrumental works or technical music are non-ideal.

Bass:

The Freya is certainly bass boosted. There's a subbass roll off under 40 Hz but beyond that is lots of bass that bleeds into the mids. While you can certainly feel the note, it doesn't rumble or slam. Its boomy and thumpy. This is most clearly heard in the kick, where every note has a weighty, thumpy sort of sound. In certain recordings, this type of sound can be quite addictive, especially when coupled with great bass guitar playing. The Freya does a competent job with note separation in less busy tracks but starts to struggle with clarity when push comes to shove. Timbre is... fine. It's a tad too colored and lacking texture in the thumpiness for me to rate it higher but if you're looking for that engaging live concert sort of chest pounding sound, the Freya's bass tuning invokes a bit of that. As a whole, I'm mixed on the Freya's bass. The tuning is kinda like fast food: an enjoyable, addictive little reprieve every now and then but is ultimately shallow and leaves me wanting for more substantial and nuanced.

Mids:

The mids of the Freya are undoubtedly warm owing to the bass bleed; lush, if you prefer flowery language. Despite being a hybrid IEM, I don't actually notice the crossover between the DD and the BAs. In fact, if you told me this was a single DD I would be inclined to believe you. The only place I get a sense of the BAs is in the treble. In the mids, I moreso notice the rich tone of stringed instruments while the low mids have a bodied sound that is particularly suited to moody notes of the synth and piano. I fully expected the bass and low mids boost to overshadow the vocals. Thankfully, this isn't the case. The vocals are forward enough that it doesn't sound suffocated while maintaining the aforementioned "lush" tone. I do think the overall tonality of the vocals could be fine tuned for a sweeter upper mid presence. It feels excessively warm with too early a rise for the pinna comp.

Treble:

The treble is on the muted side for a less fatiguing sound. There is a notable lack of brilliance to brighten things up and forget about airiness. The drawn out, shimmering decay of the crash cymbal quickly loses energy while the sharp, crisp sound of the hats is clearly attenuated. There are occasional splashes of treble energy giving a sense of non-uniformity to the treble. I think this has to do with a large dip right around the lower treble starting at about 5 kHz, a peak around 7 kHz, and the subsequent roll-off of the upper treble. In the grand scheme of things, the Freya's treble is barely passable. The treble makes sense with the overall tuning of the Freya to complement the low mids emphasis but it doesn't always sound right thanks to the dip, peak, and roll-off. At the very least, I applaud the Freya for not overdampening the treble for an overly safe sound like that of the Moondrop Starfield.


Presentation:

The soundstage is fairly average for an IEM in terms of height, width, and depth. Imaging is above average beyond the standard 3-blob sound and feels well suited to the soundstage though there is a lack of layering. The staging has a sense of being contained but not congested.

On the surface, the resolution of the Freya isn't outstanding. But if you listen closely, there are glimpses of micro-detail interwoven into the sound that enhances the overall listening experience. As whole, I would generally put the technical ability on the level of good budget IEMs about $50-100. Compared to great IEMs like the Tin T4 or Moondrop Starfield, the Freya is a clear step back.




Should You Buy It?

No. I find the Freya to be reminiscent of the old ChiFi tuning. It may look pretty and come with an extraneous amount of marketing material, but it is fundamentally another fairly sloppily tuned V-shaped IEM with excessive bass bloat into the mids. I find that over time as I listen to IEMs I initially dislike, I start to look past their flaws and the Freya is no exception. Once I got over the highly colored tuning, I began to enjoy the Freya more as an IEM for background music while working. The thumpy bass, warm tone, and non-fatiguing treble makes it engaging enough for long listening sessions without being too in-your-face and demanding of attention. It's an easy-to-forget type of sound for when you want to focus on different tasks.

The biggest problem with the Freya to me is its price. It just isn't much better than good $50-100 budget IEMs really. The $250 price tag is expectant of quality that simply isn't there. The tuning isn't anything special and its technical ability is middling. Maybe about $100 would be more justifiable. After all, the BGVP DMG exists and has a similar sort of tuning for about half the price. Kinera may have dressed the Freya up as extravagantly as possible, but ultimately that's all it is. A nice looking IEM that sounds OK and photographs beautifully. That said, I don't want to be too hard on it. It may not be a price-performance winner but I did come to enjoy it while writing this review. The Freya is an IEM I'll probably pull out once in a while to listen to if I'm going to be working at my desk for an extended period of time. But as a reviewer, I can't justify any reader buy it. If you already own a Freya and are happy with it, don't let this review persuade you otherwise.

NOTE: I read RikudouGoku's review just before making my own and was puzzled by his experience. He criticized the things I personally hate to hear myself and I do complain about that type of tuning every time I hear it. Not really sure what's going on here (some sort of QC issue maybe) but it feels like we are listening to a different model altogether. My unit also came from the HiFiGo (thanks for that guys). That said, I'll dig in into my own experience with Freya.
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Freya is the latest model released by Kinera. If you had asked me just a year ago, I wouldn’t have heard about the brand, but earlier this year I’ve encountered their budget-oriented model called Kinera Tyr. That one was a budget model costing just $29 but Freya is a different beast altogether, costing $250, and I was curious to find out what Kinera can do with a ten times bigger budget.

By the way, the name comes from a Norse mythology goddess Freyja (Old Norse for “(the) Lady”) that is associated with love, beauty, fertility, sex, war, gold, and seiðr.

So let’s find out if these are worth carrying the name of a goddess.

Package, Build, Fit
Earphones come in a big hexagonal package filled with goodies. You’ll find 7 different ear-tips, USB-C adapter, Lightning adapter, protective case, and a cleaning brush. You might not really need most of these but it’s nice having these small tokens of gratitude, especially at this price point.





Moving to the earphones themselves, they’re quite chunky to start with and this might be a problem for some of you with smaller ears. On the other hand, they’re balancing it out by being quite lightweight. As far as my ears go, these were a perfect fit and once I’d put them in the right position they stayed there, with me basically forgetting about them.

The cable is detachable but the provided one is of a very decent quality. It’s quite thick, soft, and twisted lightly. What’s important is that it doesn’t tangle much and it’s not microphonic. Nice job.

Sound
The good news continues when we start talking about sound quality. Frequency response tuning is just right to my ears without any part being noticeably emphasized and trying to take the show. There’s plenty of low bass rumble, but luckily it’s met with good control and agility. This means bass notes are weighty but precise and easy to follow. If there’s anything to nitpick about the bassline it might be that it doesn’t have that much slam and attack.

Moving upwards to the midrange region, I was surprised by the full and lush sound. That lower midrange section, responsible for vocal fullness and instrument timbre is often sorely lacking with in-ear models. Not with Freya, there’s enough juice and boldness here for me to enjoy everything from the mighty male voice of Leonard Cohen to the beautiful and moody vocal of Lana Del Rey. All instruments sound full and present too, exhibiting great timbre and a touch of warmth. Higher midrange and highs are filled with details but voiced in a slightly safe and tame manner that made listening Freya for a longer period of time a pleasant experience.

The soundstage is surprisingly wide and there’s a respectable sense of space around your head. Instruments are well separated and there’s room for each one to breathe and position itself clearly.




Pairing
Kinera Freya is not particularly demeaning to drive. I got them sound reasonably loud and lively even using a Hidizs Sonata HD DAC dongle. However, some soundstage congestion and a hint of upper-region harshness were noticeable. To get the real sense of their capabilities, great timbre, and that spacious soundstage, you’ll need to feed them with a serious source. EarMen TR-Amp did the job for me providing everything Freya needed to really bloom.

Conclusion
I’m not really the one to tell you if Kinera Freya punches above its price point since I’m not all that much into expensive IEMs. However, I can tell you that I liked Freya quite a lot, it’s an in-ear done right and tuned in a mature way that I can listen for hours without fatigue. Nothing I’ve already heard (including Moondrop Starfield that I really liked) can’t match these in terms of midrange fullness, tone timbre, and soundstage. That’s why I’ll be keeping these for myself and as a future reference.


I also made a video about it:

EDIT 2021-07-11: demoted the rating from 4.5/5 to 3.5/5 due to the GS Audio GD3A.
Disclaimer: I received this review unit for free from HifiGO, thank you very much.

Price: 250 usd.

Specifications:

Driver configuration: 1 dynamic driver (DD) + 3 BA drivers

Frequency response: 20Hz - 20kHz

Impedance: 22 Ohms

Sensitivity: 110 +/- 2db

Distortion: <5% @ 1kHz, 100db SPL



Accessories:

3,5mm to USB C adapter

3,5mm to Lightning adapter

3,5mm to 6,35mm adapter

Cleaning brush

Silicone S/M/L narrow bore tips

Final Audio Type E SS/S/M/L/LL tips

Carry “box”


Cable: metal divider and connectors, but non-working chin-slider. it is a decent 4-core copper cable.




Build: A picture is worth more than a thousand words, no words will describe how good it looks IRL. Resin is covering the painted body under it and feels good. It has 3 bores for the nozzle and it is a bit thicker than average so some tips might be hard to fit. It is a very big iem but it doesn’t weight a lot and I would say it is quite light weight.

Fit: It fits and stays in place very good, even though it is too big for me.

Comfort: Being too big for me, it definitely doesn’t feel good at all. Fatigue starts appearing even after a few minutes and after a short session (1 hour) my ears become sore.

Isolation: Since it is a very large iem and it covers my entire ear, the isolation is very good. Not top-tier though because it has vents.

Setup: Ibasso DX160 (low gain, volume around 30), FAAEAL Litz Copper cable 4.4mm, Final Type E LL tips

Lows: Clearly a U-shaped sound, the mid-bass quantity is pretty low while the Sub-bass is quite high. The sub-bass is the impressive part, being both powerful and clean while the mid-bass average.

Mid-bass: Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47) quantity is a bit low and it’s not very tight either. So, it doesn’t sound that natural here nor does it sound fun.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (02:55-03:01) chopper sound is very detailed and easy to hear. While the (01:11-01:52) has a clean bass (speed and tightness are good enough and the low quantity helps a lot) but the cymbals and even the male vocals are sharp.

Sub-bass: Djuro – drop the bass (01:15-01:30), extension is good and there is quite a bit of rumble.

Will Sparks – Sick like that (03:08-03:22), tightness and speed are very good along with quantity (clean and powerful) but the texture is below average for something in this price range.

Mids: Female vocals are more forward than male vocals, and they are also much more natural. Piano and violins sound natural although the violins don’t have much texture.

Female-vocals: Hiroyuki Sawano – OldToday (01:25-01:52), this song and section should have a very beautiful and energetic female vocals, but it’s not. It is sharp and too bright (unnatural).

Yuki Hayashi – MightU (01:58-02:55), the piano sounds very natural and good but the female vocals are (again) too bright which makes it unnatural. it’s also a bit sharp here.

Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), Unbearable…might be the most sibilant iem I ever heard with this track.

Exostate – Cruel (01:30-01:58), energetic and not sharp, acceptable female vocals here.

Male-vocals: Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), way too bright and thin vocals and they are somehow sharp too.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (00:57-01:17) a bit too bright.

Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17) too bright and lack thickness.

Highs: Deuce – America (03:03-03:16), the first sentence in this section “Why can't you die!?” yeah, I agree, because this treble is killing me. Unbearable.

Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42) The electric guitars are like chainsaws trying to kill my ears…unbearable.

The treble is killing the sound of the Freya as much as it is killing my ears…

Soundstage: Average width but a bit above average depth.

Tonality: U-shaped with below average timbre but the overall sound is extremely bottlenecked by the horrible treble.

Details: Average details

Instrument Separation: Average



Comparisons:

Tanchjim Hana: The treble quantity is lower in the Hana, but most importantly the treble peaks in the Hana might as well not exist when I heard it after the Freya. Hana also sounds much more natural too.

Female vocals in the Hana also doesn’t sound like it’s trying to kill me while being much more natural. Male vocals are less bright on the Hana so it sounds more natural, although warmth and thickness still need more.

Mid-bass quantity is a bit higher in the Hana but speed, tightness and texture are much better. Sub-bass extension is similar but there is more rumble in the Freya. Texture, speed and tightness are better in the Hana.

Timbre, details, instrument separation are better in the Hana. Soundstage is comparable.

Even the Hana that I can’t recommend performs better and sounds more natural than the Freya that costs more…The Hana is the so called “lesser of the two evils” in this comparison.

Shuoer Tape (NO EQ): The Freya has a much more sibilant than the even the Tape…. quantity is also much higher. If the treble in the Tape is the Death star, then the Freya is the Starkiller base.

Female vocals are more forward and also much peakier in the Freya, it sounds more natural though. Male vocals are brighter and much more unnatural than the Tape that actually has some warmth in comparison.

Sub-bass extension is better on the tape but rumbles a bit more on the Freya, speed and tightness are better on the tape as well as the texture. Mid-bass quantity is higher on the tape while speed, tightness and texture are better.

Soundstage isn’t as big on the tape but the Freya doesn’t have the holographic effect of the tape. Details and instrument separation are better on the tape. Timbre is a bit better on the Freya due to the more “exotic” driver in the tape (magnetostat).

I can’t even begin to recommend the Freya when even the stock tape performs better…




Conclusion: Packaging, accessories, aesthetics = GOD TIER, but unfortunately the sound doesn’t come close to that. It’s like they took crap SQ and tried to make it up with everything else.
NOT RECOMMENDED. The Freya could have been a good iem if they could have tuned the treble better. But as it is, I wouldn’t even spend 30 usd on it…Thanks for reading and thank you for releasing my ears from this hell.