Kinera Nanna 2.0 Flagship

I’m not much of a reviewer and so what you’re not gonna find here is a bunch of fancy words or a specs rundown or photos, those can be found elsewhere including the review here alongside mine.

I’m only chiming in because I only see one review for these listed here and don’t see much talk about them otherwise, and i think they deserve it,

The build and design on these is spectacular, i expect that from a product costing almost $1000 so they don’t get extra credit for that, but it’s on point here.

For reference, I don’t have a bunch of other IEMs to compare to nor do I have a bunch of experience to rely on with IEMs. I have a FiiO FH7, a DUNU SA6, and these Kinera Nanna 2.0 that were purchased in that order over the last couple years.

The FiiO and DUNU sound quite different to my ears, while the Kinera sounds like a more direct upgrade to the DUNU.

The Kinera Overall is somewhat warm of neutral with a nice punchy bass response, excellent mids and vocals and a great smooth and detailed high end.

Compared the the DUNU the bass is similar in quantity but I prefer the slightly more punchy bass of the Kinera. The midrange is excellent on both and very similar. The treble smoothness and detail is what puts the Kinera in a different league than my DUNU. I can get my DUNU to sound harsh on some recordings, that doesn’t happen ever with the Kinera.

That’s really all I have to say, if you happen to have a DUNU SA6 or know that IEM and want a direct upgrade I think these are worth a look. It’s hard to imagine an IEM sounding better than the Kinera Nanna 2.

The Nanna 2.0 is Kineras latest revision to its well-received Kinera Nanna 1.0. Originally priced at $899, the Nanna 2.0 offers a tribrid configuration consisting of one 7mm dynamic driver for bass, one Sonion balanced armature for mids, and two Sonion electrostatic tweeters for highs. From what I understand there were two releases of the Nanna 2.0. Kineras initial release was the “Flagship” Nanna 2.0 and is paired with the same cable (pure copper with 3.5 termination) and accessories as the Nanna 1.0. The differences are refined tuning and new faceplate art. Then, Kinera released a newer ‘’Imperial’’ or ‘’Pro’’ version of the Nanna 2.0 ($949) that comes with an upgraded cable (silver-plated copper with 4.4 termination) and more accessories but the driver configuration and tuning remain the same. The unit that I purchased is the “Flagship” Nanna 2.0.



General

- Four Driver Hybrid Setup, including one 7mm Dynamic Driver, one Balanced Armature Driver - and two Electrostatic Drivers.
-Sensitivity: 110dB at 1mW
-Frequency Response: 5Hz-50kHz
-Connector : 3.5mm/ 6.35mm
-Frequency response range: 5-50KHz
-Distortion: <0.8%
-Impedance: 60Ω
-Cable Length: 1.2m
-Detachable 2 Pin 0.78mm Connector Copper Wire



Test Tracks

Goodbye, goodnight - Andra Day
Why can't we live together - Dr. Lonnie Smith
Litmus test - Gabriel Mark Hasselbach
Two suns - Tor
Loop theory - Tor
Kora - Cornelius Remix - GoGo Penguin
Atomised - Machinedrum Remix - GoGo Penguin
Innocence - Hoff Ensemble - Polarity - An Acoustic Project
Dance - Tingvall Trio
Sunlit Sea - Brian Simpson
Montana Skies - Brian Culbertson

Gear

iBasso DX220 with AMP1, AMP8, and AMP9
ifi Diablo
ifi Zen DAC
ifi Zen Blue
Lotoo PAW S1
S21 with Samsung USB adapter



Design, Build and Fit

The multicolored faceplate of the Nanna is absolutely gorgeous having a top-tier look while not appearing flagrant or showy. The build quality of the housing is also excellent. The cable is adequate but I wish it was better. I don't like the clear plastic chin slider. It looks cheap and doesn't stay in place. I also wish they would've included a 4.4mm adapter. They do, however, offer a good selection of tips. The nozzle on the Nanna is on the larger side but I experienced no discomfort during long listening sessions. I also used the Nanna for two separate 3-hour band practices and had no discomfort. I achieved the best fit and isolation using the supplied Final tips.



Sound

The sound signature of the Nanna 2.0 is warm neutral. While there is plenty of treble presence above 10k the overall treble presentation is very relaxed. There is a notable upper-midrange presence between 2.5k and 1.5k tokening female vocals and higher stringed instruments. There is a significant elevation that starts in the lower mids and continues throughout the rest of the bass frequencies giving the Nanna 2.0 an overall warm presentation. The result is a very smooth, organic listening experience. Coherency between the three different types of drivers is excellent, among the best I’ve heard.

Treble

The Nanna has excellent treble extension and while on the relaxed side I wouldn't call it dark. Live recordings have ample amounts of air and atmosphere. Symbols sound natural, never sounding harsh or piercing. Detail retrieval is excellent, revealing the most subtle details in symbols and higher stringed instruments. Hi-hats have realistic sizzle and stick attack on drums sound woody and natural. The Nanna 2.0 manages to maintain a very good treble presence without ever sounding harsh or sibilant. The treble of the Nanna 2.0 is buttery smooth. It’s simply beautiful.

Mids

The mids are right where I like them, not too forward, not too recessed. Instruments sound very detailed and natural with good presence and physicality. The lower mids are elevated giving male vocals plenty of body and thickness. As a drummer, I obsess over accurate representation of drum tones. Deep tuned snares, toms, and floor toms sound natural, having very good tactility and realism.

Bass

There is no perceivable bass-bleed into the mids. I love the Nannas warm, full-bodied sound signature and while the low mids and bass are elevated, instruments that fall within those frequencies never sound muddy or lacking in detail. The bass and sub-bass are elevated but tastefully so. The 7mm dynamic driver has very good texture and layering while also delivering excellent slam and punch.






Soundstage and Imaging

The soundstage and imaging of the Nanna 2.0 are excellent. It has a wide 3D presentation that immerses the listener within the sound field. The three most holographic IEMs I’ve ever listened to are the Empire Ears Odin, 2020 CA Andromeda, and the Noble Sultan and while I wouldn’t say it’s as immersive as the Odin or Sultan, I would say it approaches, maybe even rivals, the 2020 Andromeda but with even greater instrument and vocal density. Instrument separation, layering, and imaging are excellent with each instrument having its own defined space within the sound field.



Mest MK1 Comparison

While doing a side by side with the Mest MK1, I noticed the Nanna fell behind in terms of technicalities. The Mest has better detail retrieval, layering and is more resolving. However, I find the overall presentation and tuning of the Nanna to better suit my preference in terms of pure listening enjoyment. And while I wish the Nanna was more resolving I find that its presentation is more substantial and adds more weight to notes giving instruments and vocals increased density and physicality. Definitely not the result I expected.



Power Requirements and Pairing

The Nanna 2.0 loves power. My DX220 with the AMP1 module and iFi Diablo powered the Nanna easily with plenty to spare. However, with my DX220, when I switched to the AMP9 module (tube amps) I found myself having to push the volume up quite a bit more even with the AMP9’s output set to high. However, I still had adequate headroom when I reached my desired listening level. The ZEN DAC and PAW S1 also had no problem powering the Nanna. As expected the Samsung USB adapter and S21 struggled to push the Nanna. I was barely able to achieve listenable volume levels. My favorite pairings were with the DX220/AMP9 and the ifi Diablo. The DX220/AMP9 provided a very organic listening experience while the Diablo was less warm and more detailed.



Conclusion

With reviews ranging from ''my favorite IEM ever’’ to “tuning barely worthy of its price’’ it was difficult knowing what to expect from the Nanna 2.0. But honestly, the “unknown’’ factor is what makes these kinds of reviews so much more interesting. In these circumstances, I set my hopes high and expectations low by default. Thankfully, the Nanna 2.0 confirmed my hopes and dramatically exceeded my expectations. Interestingly, some of the negative reviews were coming from reviewers I follow quite closely and generally align with. Regardless, my experience with the Nanna 2.0 only serves to confirm that we all hear and process sound differently. So far, my experience with the Nanna 2.0 has been nothing short of impressive. Its buttery smooth highs, warm mids, and impactful bass keep me coming back for more time and time again. And while I'm not prepared to declare it the best in it's price range, I can easily say it's capable of holding its own among the best in the $1,000 price range.