Kinera ThorKing

Kinera ThorKing Review: Force within Tranquility

One of the most popular Chi-Fi brands, Kinera, has been providing our audiophile community with a wide range of sound tuning and price options, ranging from basshead sound to reference, as well as ranging in price from as low as sub $100 to over $2k for the premium models. Kinera's premium line-up has a separate branding called the 'Kinera Imperial', where Kinera Verdandi, Baldr, Odin, Skuld, and many more fall into this premium line-up.


This year, Kinera announced its new TOTL flagship IEM - the Kinera Imperial ThorKing. Evidently, this project required extensive R&D and significant time to reach its final form, as ThorKing (previously known as Thor before its official release) had been showcased as a prototype at various exhibitions over the past few years. Given Kinera’s abundant experience crafting flagship IEMs, one might question why the ThorKing release posed such a challenge. However, after examining its form factor, driver setup, and sound tuning, it becomes clear why bringing ThorKing to life was quite a journey for them. With that said, let's now see the whats and hows of ThorKing, and compare with its competing flagship IEMs. Kinera ThorKing is priced at $2499 and uses 1DD+6BA+4EST.



Premium Packaging

ThorKing comes in with a sleek, white packaging box with a black cracking design across the lid. The packaging lid opens sideways, and opening the inner lid reveals the ThorKing earphones and carrying case. The inner side of the lid includes a letter written by Aaron, the founder and CEO of Kinera, and Cynthia, the chief designer and concept creator for Kinera products. The brief letters written by the Kinera team give a sneak peek at the whys of ThorKing - what kind of sound signature they've designed and intended for this IEM, as well as the purpose and lore-centric elements from ThorKing's design, each explained by Aaron and Cynthia.


ThorKing comes with a wide range of eartip options, including a full set of Final E-Type eartips. Apart from that, Kinera also included 3 pairs of Spinfits and 3 pairs of silicone tips with extruded lips.



Full-Metal, Copper-Nickel Earpieces

Let's first cover the outer features. ThorKing is Kinera's first-ever metal chassis IEM within Kinera's flagship line-up by utilizing copper-nickel (CuNi), or "white copper" as we also say. Kinera states that they've chosen CuNi for the material due to its nature of vibration suppression properties, as the porous material creates a muffler effect for unwanted distortions, reflections, or interferences. However, the outer surface is finished smoothly as well as being shaped ergonomically, providing a great fit. While the earpieces are weightier than conventional resin shells, the cavity is designed to be smaller than their usual flagship resin shells. The wearing experience of ThorKing was better than expected and provides quite a snug, secure fit.


Kinera offers two versions of ThorKing, depending on the surface finish - matte or glossy. All features remain the same (including the sound), and the outer appearance is the only difference. Utility-wise, the matte version provides a bit smoother feel to the touch and is noticeably more resistant to scratches. The glossy version, on the other hand, provides a shinier look but is more prone to collecting dings and scratches.



Tribrid Setup with Proprietary Techs

Moving on to the technical aspect, ThorKing is a 4-way, 11-driver IEM, comprising a 1DD+6BA+4EST tribrid setup. The dynamic driver takes care of the low frequencies with the 10mm high-polymer composite diaphragm, topped with a 3D-printed acoustic chamber for pressure release efficiency. Kinera also noted that calibrating this specific diameter of the nozzle was also carefully considered to bring out ThorKing's intended sound, and the nozzle diameter changes have to do with the bass texture and depth.


Two Knowles BAs are responsible for the mid-low frequencies, while another four Knowles BAs cover the high frequencies. The 2 low-mid drivers are placed to create a natural, seamless transition from lows to mids, whereas the 4 high-frequency drivers are coupled with the 'Gemini', a specially structured acoustic duct that reduces linear acoustic decay and improves the reverb clarity. Lastly, as expected, quad Sonion EST drivers take care of the ultra-highs, to cover the ranges that the BA tweeters aren't able to.



Custom-grade OCC Cable

ThorKing comes with a custom-grade stock cable, terminated with 2pin-4.4mm connectors. The cable is made of 7N OCC Taiwanese wires finished with black/white fabric material. The cable is very light and pliable, which is good considering the earpiece already being relatively weightier than usual Kinera IEMs. Both the plug and the splitter are made of lightweight metal parts that are durable and match nicely with the ThorKing's design factors.




Sound Impressions: In-depth, Neutral Bass

Let's first talk about ThorKing's overall sound signature. Kinera has shown many styles of sound signature across their product range, but this one strikes me differently. ThorKing shows a rather flat (though not actually flat) or, should I say, a carefully w-shaped tuning. This means ThorKing's bass is quite linear and flat, perhaps about 25% elevated from flat. The impressive part is that ultra-lows and sub-bass are extremely coherent in timbre, tone color, and presence, keeping a highly stable presentation across the low range.


Reference-IEM listeners or Etymotic-heads would surely dig this tuning, but not so much for bassheads for obvious reasons. However, ThorKing makes itself clear what it's trying to achieve - It focuses on neutrality and vibrations of bass, accurately showcasing the bass that the source music originally has. Despite its gentle bass quantity, the ThorKing bass is thick in color and has great ultra-low extension.



Calm and leveled bass - not dull or light.

Along with the thick colors and extension, there's another element that prevents ThorKing's low-end from sounding empty - the body. ThorKing's bass is surprisingly large and expansive compared to its controlled sub-bass quantity. You can feel the bass using the chamber as a soundbox, letting the bass ring in size and naturally. Prominent depth, color, and body allow the bass to properly serve as a cornerstone upon which ThorKing's sound can be built.


What differentiates ThorKing's "rather flat" bass from other flat IEMs is the strike and decay. While flat IEMs tend to have extremely fast roll-off, as if omitting a large portion of the reverbs the music source had. While this may make the lows snappy, it also makes the lows sound choppy. Unlike that, with the right rigidity for tight and agile bass but also creamy and meaty, ThorKing keeps the bass 'breathable' where the bass strikes fast but lets the bass breathe through the chamber (only to an extent that it won't tarnish the atmosphere). This also introduces natural decay for the low-end.



Sound Impressions: Vocals & Soundstage

Perhaps some of you who are familiar with different sound signatures and IEMs may have already assumed that vocals are where ThorKing is truly fascinating, which I also find to be one of ThorKing's noticeable strengths. Especially for the female vocals. For example, try listening to Seoul City by Jennie - the subtle breezes of air, vocal reverbs, and decay fully encapsulate the headroom with such an atmospheric tone and mood. The more you can tune into the smallest details, the more enjoyment ThorKing returns for you.


Sure, there are many IEMs that offer you strong airiness and transparency, like AME Raven, AME Gaia, or Campfire Audio Solaris: Stellar Horizon, though the way ThorKing does its airiness and impacts the sound is completely different from them (not that they are bad, but simply different). Let me address the core differences between the mentioned IEMs and ThorKing's 'airiness and transparency'. The airiness and transparency from the mentioned three IEMs have strong rigidity, if not stiff. This makes them sound neutral-bright, snappier in response, and extra resolving. In exchange, such sounds would eventually cause ear fatigue after prolonged listening compared to warmer-sounding IEMs.



Reference-level Clarity, but with Stunning Neutrality

On the other hand, speaking of warmer-sounding IEMs, ThorKing desires a neutral-warm tone, all while creating a breathable headroom and airy vocals. Alongside, I personally find warmer-sounding timbre is a lot more difficult to make enjoyable and charming than cooler timbre, as warmer sound is prone to sounding boring or 'too old school'. Oriolus Traillii, Forte Ears Macbeth, and PMG Audio Apx SE are good examples that managed to achieve a warm timbre while making them sound addictively charming. ThorKing is another perfect example that I'd include in this field - to keep a neutral-warm tone while making the timbre sound very delicious. The vocals remind me of a 'mini version' of Oriolus Traillii (but take it with a grain of salt, of course).


Other significant elements that make ThorKing's vocals charming are resolution and layering. Mid-range is spatial with superb separation, all while staying cohesive and harmonic. This becomes especially evident when listening to tracks that are emotional and dreamy, as ThorKing portrays stacks of vocal layerings separated cleanly. Alongside, while keeping a high-resolution sound, ThorKing has an extremely smooth and fatigue-free nature, not leaving any traces of spikes or sibilance. To prevent the possible 'stuffiness', Kinera opened up an extra bit for upper mids, introducing more shine and transparency for the vocals to keep an open-ended, airy field.



Sound Impressions: Sparkly Smooth Trebles

Trebles are slightly toned down in quantity than the other frequencies - and I mean only the quantity, as ThorKing didn't compromise when it comes to clarity and resolution. ThorKing's calm, delicate nature also continues for the trebles (just like it did with the rest of the frequencies), but less for treble technicality. Nonetheless, trebles still sound


ThorKing surprised me with how the trebles sound, as it's a type of treble I don't recall seeing from Kinera until now. ThorKing's trebles reminded me of Technics TZ700 or JVC FW10000, which are IEMs I love and are also popular due to their refined textures. For me, treble textures and timbre in particular.


The sparkly, silky textures are very enjoyable to listen to. ThorKing's trebles are highly refined and organic, as if coming from a dynamic driver. The textures are very even in quantity, texture, and density. Like many or most IEMs, ThorKing doesn't create 'clumps' for the treble, meanwhile still maintaining them tactile and tight.



Compared to Nostalgia Audio Durandal (Review link)

When it comes to comparing ThorKing, Nostalgia Durandal is a very 'colorful' IEM - not that the timbre is colored, but in characteristics overall. To first cover the sound signature differences, both IEMs are quite similar in sound signature, but Durandal's bass is thicker in color and a bit more plentiful in quantity. Durandal also has the nature of creating a silky yet smooth sound as ThorKing does, though Durandal creates a very unique soundfield that makes the sound more spatial and holographic than ThorKing (for further details about Durandal's unique headroom, I recommend reading our Durandal review). The bass is a lot more elastic, and mid-highs are crispier and faster in strike/retrieval.


Despite the clarification I've made regarding Durandal's timbre, it's nevertheless still more colorful than ThorKing. This is a matter of taste, and I think most wouldn't mind Durandal's such a sound presentation as it's tuned to sound very enjoyable and tasteful while not crossing the accuracy and neutrality. Those who are conservative in keeping that DD-friendly, organic, and neutral sound, ThorKing would suit you better.



Compared to Canpur CP74E (Review link)

Doing a side-by-side comparison with ThorKing, the major difference that hits my ears is the stiffer textures and kicks. The bass slams with higher density and penetration, which offer snappier lows and more resolving mids. However, this also means the sound is relatively faster to fatigue your ears. Alongside, the CP74E has a more BA-ish texture for lows and mids, overall falling a bit short when it comes to creating an organic, neutral timbre. Low reverbs are more reserved, and the sound overall focuses more on separation and tonal clarity.


Canpur CP74E also has a brighter timbre than ThorKing, but still within the neutral-bright range. In contrast, ThorKing has an overall calmer ambiance and flatter sound signature, with a DD-based sound that draws out more warmth and smoothness. The CP74E highlights more crispness and transparency, which makes it better for picking up the trebles with stronger clarity, though the overall phasing sounds more natural on ThorKing, which sounds very natural, phasing as if being played by a single driver. For this, I consider it to be a matter of taste as those who are used to typical hybrid sounds wouldn't mind or instead prefer them over the 'natural' phasing.



"Power Within Peace, Force Within Tranquility"

In case you've been used to listening to provocative or bombastic IEMs, the very initial contact with ThorKing may not leave an impression that is as striking as those sounds, well, because I was. However, once your ears soon get familiar with ThorKing's smooth and calm-sounding nature, that's when you'll start feeling its true authority - a long-lasting, tasteful sound that doesn't easily bore you out while it brings out the elastic dynamics and silky textures.


ThorKing's sonic characteristics reminded me of Forte Ears Macbeth, but with a flatter sound signature and smoother vocals. It's smooth, organic, and flat, yet the sound is tight, in-depth, and crisp. The drivers are tuned to achieve an exceptionally seamless connection, making this, in my opinion, the most cohesive multi-driver IEM Kinera has produced so far. If you're seeking reference-style tuning that delivers highly technical performance while maintaining neutrality and a well-extended low-mid range, make sure to give ThorKing a listen - it will demonstrate how musical power can coexist with tranquility...

Disclaimer:
A huge shout out and thanks to AudioGeek for including me in the tour of the Kinera Thorking. As usual, there has been no influence on me to write anything positive or negative about this IEM. The impressions shared here are based on my experience with the IEM over a few days.

Introduction:
Kinera Audio is known for making visually stunning IEMs that pack a solid punch in terms of sound too, and the Thorking is the latest and greatest example of their craftsmanship. Just like its namesake, the Norse god of thunder, this IEM delivers an engaging and immersive audio experience wrapped in perhaps the most intricate and sophisticated shells I’ve seen in an IEM till date.

The metal earpieces are quite large and have a significant weight. Kinera claims to have evenly distributed the weight across the shell to ensure a comfortable fit and I think they’ve done a good job. As heavy as the earpieces seem to be when placed in the hand, they don’t cause any trouble or discomfort when worn in ear.



I’m not even going to attempt to describe how gorgeous the faceplate looks, and will hope that my pic does some justice to the delicate craftsmanship from Kinera. In order to achieve this level of intricacy and detail, Kinera claims to have opted for a time-consuming procedure of electrodeposition metallurgy for the nickel alloy face plates. Each section of the faceplate was hand-engraved, reshaped and sandblasted to arrive at that refined texture that looks drop dead gorgeous.



The Thorking houses 11 drivers on each side in a special “cupronickel” cavity that is designed to reduce internal cavity vibration as per Kinera. The Thorking has a 10 mm Dynamic Driver for the lows, dual Knowles BAs for low-mid frequencies, Quad Knowles BAs for highs and Quad Sonion ESTs for ultra high frequencies, all tied together with a 4-way crossover. The earpieces have 0.78mm 2pin connectors. The IEM has an impedance of 10 ohms and sensitivity of 105dB.

The stock cable is a 7N OCC 26 AWG 4 core Litz cable with a 4.4mm gold plated brass plug. I won’t be able to comment on the unboxing experience or the accessories included in the retail packaging, as the unit I received, came in a small Kinera pouch with just the earpieces and stock cable.

For this review, I used the Thorking with Final Fusion G eartips and the stock cable. My primary source was my FiiO M23, with the Aroma A100TB as a balanced amp at times. Although I did try the Thorking with the Xduoo XD05-Pro, my impressions are based primarily on usage with the FiiO M23.



Given the specs of the Thorking, it is a fairly sensitive set that doesn’t require any additional power. It was driven easily by the FiiO M23 in low / medium gain and hooking up the A100TB to the M23, didn’t really provide any benefit as such. Basically, this is an easy to drive IEM that can be easily run off portables.

Sound Quality:
The Kinera Thorking delivers a low-end that is fairly well-extended and highly textured. There is more focus on quality rather than quantity. The bass response is natural and well controlled, it has good speed and texture—this isn’t flabby bass. The bass doesn’t bleed into the mids. Bass heads look elsewhere, at the Kinera Verdandi maybe, because the Thorking is clearly not meant for bass heads.

The midrange is the highlight of the Kinera Thorking. Clear and emotionally rich, the mids are presented slightly forward compared to the lows and highs. Vocals are textured and intimate, and instruments sound organic and resonant. There’s a bit of warmth in the lower mids, enriching timbre. Upper mids are detailed and clean, sans any sibilance.



The upper frequencies are crisp and airy without a hint of sibilance. Cymbals sparkle, violins sing sweetly, and micro-details like fingers sliding across fretboards—emerge effortlessly. There’s just enough treble energy to keep things exciting without ever veering into fatiguing territory. The Thorking has an airy presentation with the treble providing a sense of space and clarity.

The soundstage is holographic—wide and layered, with stunning instrument separation and pinpoint imaging. Whether you’re listening to orchestral scores, ambient, or progressive rock, the spatial presentation places you inside the music. Close your eyes, and you can trace every instrument’s position with surgical precision.

Conclusion:
If you’re looking for a neutral sounding IEM that can also grab eyeballs, the Thorking is made for you.

A big thanks to the Audio Geek tours for giving me a chance to check out the Kinera Thorking. Big ol' disclaimer, this is my very first formal Head-fi review and it's probably shorter than what most people expect. I hope people will find it informative and useful. Also note, I got this demo unit with any of the box or accessories.

The ThorKing is a flagship tribrid IEM hat combines a 10mm dynamic driver, six balanced armature drivers, and four electrostatic drivers in a four-way crossover system. It's not cheap: $2,499. Then again, it depends on where you sit in the IEM universe. It's a bargain if you put up against the crazy summit-fi prices these days. Coming from the other direction, there are some phenomenal IEMs at the sub-$1000 price range. But it's value for price is really the biggest ding I have with the Thorking (more on that later).

Looks that kill

I'm not gonna share any pics because there are others out there do it proper justice. This is a stunning IEM. It is under-stated, not too attention-grabbing but just very beautiful in the hand. Kinera consistently puts out gorgeous looking IEMs and they've outdone themselves here.

The King of Neutral

The ThorKing offers a near-neutral tuning with a slight emphasis on the treble, resulting in a transparent and detailed sound profile. To my ears it is a studio reference grade level of neutral. If you're looking for that sort of sound, this might be as good as it gets. Think: Softears aiming for the sky here. It has some twinkle in the highs but none of the sound signature really jumps out.

• Bass: The bass is subtle and controlled, focusing on clarity and texture rather than impact. While it provides natural decay and layering, if you're looking for any sort of wow-factor in the bass, look elsewhere. It's not a bassy set at all (not nec a bad thing but worth hgighlighting).
• Midrange: The midrange is neutral and uncolored, delivering a natural and realistic presentation. I feel like this is where the Thorking had a chance to shine with something special and instead it just lands as sort of forgettable and dry. it's just not satisfying to my ears. It doesn't seem to bother to tease emotion out of either male or female vocals.
• Treble: The treble is airy and detailed, offering exceptional clarity without being harsh. It provides a sense of openness and sparkle, enhancing the overall listening experience. I really can't stand treble that's too sharp and the Thorking goes right up to the edge but never fatigues. If anything, it's the highlight of this IEM. It's tuned very, very nicely. It shimmers in a deeply satisfying way.

If you steer away from pop, hip hop or vocal-centric music, this IEM could be a real winner for you. Separation and soundstage are impressive (not mind-blowing). If you're into classical, tamer classic rock and the like, you could be very happy here.

Comparisons

• vs. Penon Impact. This IEM sits comfortably in my top 10. It's priced the same as the Thorking but you can often find it for much cheaper on classifieds. It's a beautifully tuned 10BA/4EST IEM that delivers absolutely glorious mids. Up against the Thorking, it's a hands-down winner for me. Even though the Thorking is equipped with a dynamic driver, it's bass lands even weaker than the Impact which is all BA. And speaking of emotion, the mids are so, so satifying on the Impact. The Impact is not reference, so if you're looking to stay in that lane the Thorking lands better.
• vs. Thieaudio Valhalla. The Valhalla is a whopping 19BA $2000 set from Thieaudio. This is a very, very different animal altogether. It is a strongly-opinionated texture God like nothing I've ever heard. Every bit of sound carries a weight you very, very rarely hear with any IEM. It has a richer, more enveloping sound than the Thorking, which comes across as clinical in comparison. As far as treble goes, the Thorking sprints ahead, but the rest of the sound spectrum lands drier on the Thorking.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro. Why compare a $360 IEM with a $2500 IEM? Because it's the better IEM, that's why. When I first put the Tea Pro in my ears, it broke my brain. How in the world can a sub-$500 IEM sound this good? Stunning, cohesive and satisfying sound signature that is fun and full sounding. Again, the Thorking outpaces it in the treble region, but the Tea Pro checks all the other boxes. Good, punchy, tight bass. Solid mids that evoke real emotion. And it's a small fraction of the price. Which leads to my last point...

The Best IEM of 2021

This is going to come across as overly harsh but I think it's worth sharing as an overall observation of the IEM scene. What was awesome in 2020 or 2021 that cost over $2,000 back then is now within reach for a lot less money. Companies like Thieaudio, Ice Labs, Aful, Ziigaat and others are putting out truly outstanding IEMs for so much less money.

Does that mean there's no room for $2,000-$4,000 IEMs? Not at all. It just means you're going to have work extra hard to justify that sort of price in this market. IEMs by companies like Canpur, Vision Ears and a few others that are pushing the envelope know full well that they have to bring something special to compete. Companies like Ice Labs and Lime Ears are pulling it off at a much more competitive price point too.

And that's what makes this review so tricky. The Thorking would've knocked people out of their chairs just a few years ago. But in this hyper-competitive market, you can do a lot better for a lot less money.

Thanks to AG Brotherhood for the review unit of the much talked about ThorKing

As always, all opinions are mine and are not influenced in any way or form.

ThorKing is the current flagship of Kinera, with an impressive driver configuration of 1DD + 6BA + 4EST with a quad crossover keeping frequency splitting duties across the drivers.
ThorKing, imho, takes all the good parts from the Imperial Urd and takes it to the next level, in terms of resolution, keeping its near neutral stance with impeccable poise.


Build

Since I received the unit with the cable and carry case only, I wont be talking about the box and accesories.

The first thing that draws attention is the size of the iems. These are chonkers with a solid metal shell and an incredible faceplate that was handcrafted, according to the product literature.

From what I recall,they are just a touch bigger than the Urd.

The cable is a braided paracord unit with a 7N single crystal copper, with a 4.4mm balanced termination.

Fit

The iems, while being large, fit nicely, and quite similar to the Urd again (I will keep going back to the Urd as there are a lot of similarities in terms of the overall usage, not looks). The cables hold the iems in the ear.
As with the Urd, good fitting eartips are essential for the iems to feel comfortable. Once that is sorted, the iems set you up for a beautiful and long listening session.

Inspite of the memory wire tubing the cables sit well around the ear providing for a very decent fit in place.

Source and matching

The iems are sensitive. No two ways about it. Hence the question of providing a 4.4mm termination with the iems. They are very sensitive and hence have a little bit of hiss/rattle when connected to a fairly decent powered source.
I had initially tried the Zorloo Ztella 2 and then the Onix XL1 dac on high gain, but then reduced to low gain and a 40 volume, and the iems became very well behaved.

For the music, I used Youtube premium and Qobuz.

Sound impressions

As mentioned earlier, the iems are very neutrally tuned. No bass slam monster, but bass is present in refined quantity and quality. The mids and treble are where the iems shine, and are quite comparable to the Trailii. That good.

Bass - 3.75/5 - The bass is restrained and is present in quality, but a little shy in the quantity area. The bass is similar to the Urd.

Mids - 4.5/5 - Fantastic mids with excellent support for both male and female vocals with a lot of nuances coming through very well.

Treble - 4.5/5 - Excellent sparkle and detail without getting harsh. The string decay is fast and the iems keep pace with the fastest of transitions with authority and without feeling fatigued. Detail retrieval is fantastic and the iems resolve
very small details in the sound

Imaging - Superb imaging with excellent instrument placement and accuracy

Conclusions

For those looking for a neutral magician with budget that is inadequate to pick the bird, the ThorKing offers a fantastic standin to that neutral mid-treble focussed sound. They are not thin sounding, but offer very nice way to enjoy technical compositions such as classical, metal, rock and roll etc in a fantastic manner.