[IEMusic]

Unfortunately, I have to hit the brakes on my wanting all of these $2-300 IEMs. The Kinera Freya, Penon Orb, AudioSense T800 are all very appealing. The T800 may be my next purchase since I have so few all BA IEMs.

Maybe I need to just save up and get the 64 Audio Nio. The world of more established ”Western” brands is really expensive, but the world of Chi-Fi is just as dizzying b/c there is a new, very appealing IEM announced daily. Pick your poison I guess.

 

[baskingshark]

Unfortunately, I have to hit the brakes on my wanting all of these $2-300 IEMs. The Kinera Freya, Penon Orb, AudioSense T800 are all very appealing. The T800 may be my next purchase since I have so few all BA IEMs.

Maybe I need to just save up and get the 64 Audio Nio. The world of more established ”Western” brands is really expensive, but the world of Chi-Fi is just as dizzying b/c there is a new, very appealing IEM announced daily. Pick your poison I guess.

For sure man, there's lots of choices nowadays compared to a few years back for midfi CHIFI. And this is not budget territory anymore, so once u know your preferred sound signature, it is best to upgrade up the ladder rather than keep buying budget sidegrades.

 

[IEMusic]

Sorry for the tangent. Lately, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Chi-Fi, but periodically checking out what’s going on in the world of high-end IEMs. Most recently I’ve been interested in the 64 Audio Neo, so I’ve been going through several pages of the 64 Audio thread. There is a free silver cable offered with it right now, but largely b/c of that, I’m sifting though pages and pages of back and forth about cables. Is there always so much obsession with cables in the Summit-Fi world? I honestly would have a very hard time justifying paying more than $100 for any cable, and I do believe that they make some difference, albeit somewhat small. I guess that may why I’ve been sticking with the budget and Mid-Fi tiers. People seem more down to earth.

 

[RikudouGoku]

Sorry for the tangent. Lately, I’ve been keeping a close eye on Chi-Fi, but periodically checking out what’s going on in the world of high-end IEMs. Most recently I’ve been interested in the 64 Audio Neo, so I’ve been going through several pages of the 64 Audio thread. There is a free silver cable offered with it right now, but largely b/c of that, I’m sifting though pages and pages of back and forth about cables. Is there always so much obsession with cables in the Summit-Fi world? I honestly would have a very hard time justifying paying more than $100 for any cable, and I do believe that they make some difference, albeit somewhat small. I guess that may why I’ve been sticking with the budget and Mid-Fi tiers. People seem more down to earth.

When the iem costs over 1000 usd then the price of a cable around 100-200 usd isnt that big in comparison. And when you are using iems in the 0-300 usd range, getting a cable for 100-200 usd isnt very smart lol.

 

[IEMusic]

When the iem costs over 1000 usd then the price of a cable around 100-200 usd isnt that big in comparison. And when you are using iems in the 0-300 usd range, getting a cable for 100-200 usd isnt very smart lol.

I completely understand it in relative terms, but in absolute terms, if I don’t think it’s worth $300 to improve the sound of my $300 IEM slightly, I also don’t think it’s worth $300 to improve the sound of my $3000 IEM slightly. It’s true that better products scale up with better equipment, and are more able to reveal the subtle nuances. I guess it just comes down to logarithmic diminishing returns, with IEMs, cables, DAPs, amps, DACs, etc. BTW, they were debating the quality of a $500 MSRP cable.

 

[wayofthedawn]

Awhile ago i purchased two different cables.
One costed €120, the other €399.

Difference in sound you ask? None
The only difference between the two is that the €399 cable feels more premium. That's it.

From my experience, as long as you have a litz cable, you're good to go.

 

[wayofthedawn]

Just got a review set of the Freya.



Beautiful hand painted shell, it is huge though, slightly larger than my Audiosense T800, but quite comfortable and surprisingly very very light.

So OOTB, testing it with a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro:
- I would describe the Kinera Freya as having a balanced mild U shaped sound, with slight boosts in midbass and upper mids/lower treble.
- Bass is very well textured and accurate, with minimal midbass bleed, the subbass rumble is quite good like in well tuned DD sets, but subbass extension is not the deepest. Midbass is of more quantity than subbass, with bass north of neutral, but not at true basshead levels.
- Lower mids are very mildly recessed, but still detailed, with good timbre for a hybrid. From the specs sheet, the Freya uses some Knowles BA for the mids and it does indeed sound well rounded and clean, typical of the Knowles timbre. Note weight is moderate.
- Upper mids and lower treble are boosted slightly but within my tolerances and is not harsh unlike some CHIFI counterparts.
- Upper treble extends quite well and is not too fatiguing (I'm treble sensitive), and sibilance is mild.
- Technicalities are very good for imaging, clarity, instrument separation and details. Soundstage is quite big.

Will do some serious A/B testing with some midfi CHIFI sets, but offhand, it for sure trumps all my midfi Westones that cost more. I think the Audiosense T800 (8 knowles BA) edges the Freya slightly in the technicalities department, though Audiosense T800 is much brighter and more fatiguing for longer sessions. The Kinera Freya is more laid back in tuning, with lesser troughs/peaks in the tuning than the T800. TRI I3 perhaps has a bigger soundstage but has less clarity and details than the Freya, and TRI I3 needs amping to sound good due to the planars inside, whereas Freya is much easier to drive.

I don't give two hoots about how an IEM's looks as long as it sounds good (the Freya is very beautiful though). But I'm pleased the Freya's sound quality internally is as good as the external appearance!

Thanks for the amazing review, tempted to get them!
Could i kindly ask you if you could please take a picture of the Kinera Freya next to the T800 for a size comparison?

 

[baskingshark]

Thanks for the amazing review, tempted to get them!
Could i kindly ask you if you could please take a picture of the Kinera Freya next to the T800 for a size comparison?

@RikudouGoku and @wayofthedawn sorry for the delay, my T800 was left at work, here are some comparison pics. Both have a concha protrusion, but Kinera Freya is a tinge bigger, but much lighter and more comfortable than T800.

Freya's shell doesn't seem to be solid resin unlike the T800, so it is lighter but with lesser isolation than T800.

 

[wayofthedawn]

@baskingshark
Thank you kindly for the pictures and all the information!
I value your opinion very highly and your description of the Freya was exactly what i was looking for in an IEM.
They are also a real eye-catcher and all the stuff that's included in the packaging is just the cherry op top.
Kinera is stepping up their game!

 

[baskingshark]

@baskingshark
Thank you kindly for the pictures and all the information!
I value your opinion very highly and your description of the Freya was exactly what i was looking for in an IEM.
They are also a real eye-catcher and all the stuff that's included in the packaging is just the cherry op top.
Kinera is stepping up their game!

You probably have better sounding and more expensive gear in your signature though!

How's the JQ Hua Jiang? Read some good reviews, but it is quite unknown, so not sure if to pull the trigger.

 

[RikudouGoku]

@RikudouGoku and @wayofthedawn sorry for the delay, my T800 was left at work, here are some comparison pics. Both have a concha protrusion, but Kinera Freya is a tinge bigger, but much lighter and more comfortable than T800.

Freya's shell doesn't seem to be solid resin unlike the T800, so it is lighter but with lesser isolation than T800.

my ears are crying seeing this hopefully they have the sound to persuade me into still using them despite being too big.

 

[wayofthedawn]

You probably have better sounding and more expensive gear in your signature though!

How's the JQ Hua Jiang? Read some good reviews, but it is quite unknown, so not sure if to pull the trigger.

I honestly wouldn't recommend the JQ Hua Jiang to anyone! It's not that they're bad, but they are also not good either, and taking into account the amount of money they cost, i wouldn't be able to recommend them to anyone. If i had to sum it up, i'd say that:
The bass is weak, and on many tracks i listen to, i feel that the bass missing, you can tell the JQ uses a DD for it's bass, but it's still not very strong, and for example the Audiosense T800 has way more bass impact than the JQ. The JQ also sounds pretty harsh in the treble region. Although the soundstage is wide and they sound pretty airy i wouldn't recommend them if you are treble sensitive. For the amount of money they cost, there are better options out there. I myself actually use the T800 way more often than the JQ!

The unboxing experience of the JQ is very nice though! (But that doesn't justify the price haha)

 

[muths66]

I honestly wouldn't recommend the JQ Hua Jiang to anyone! It's not that they're bad, but they are also not good either, and taking into account the amount of money they cost, i wouldn't be able to recommend them to anyone. If i had to sum it up, i'd say that:
The bass is weak, and on many tracks i listen to, i feel that the bass missing, you can tell the JQ uses a DD for it's bass, but it's still not very strong, and for example the Audiosense T800 has way more bass impact than the JQ. The JQ also sounds pretty harsh in the treble region. Although the soundstage is wide and they sound pretty airy i wouldn't recommend them if you are treble sensitive. For the amount of money they cost, there are better options out there. I myself actually use the T800 way more often than the JQ!

The unboxing experience of the JQ is very nice though! (But that doesn't justify the price haha)

sad it didn't suit you. my set aint what you say till so bad.

 

[wayofthedawn]

sad it didn't suit you. my set aint what you say till so bad.

Yes i know, you already told me twice.

However my opinion remains the same. Two of my friends, who are also "audiophiles" agree with me on my opinion of the JQ Hua Jiang. I'm not trying to force my opinion of the JQ Hua Jiang onto others, however i feel like people only talk about the good parts with the JQ Hua Jiang (This is how i got baited into buying them) while the JQ Hua Jiang has multiple-flaws, and considering the high price-point of the JQ Hua Jiang, i am of opinion that people should be aware of it's flaws. (Which are too many to justify it's price)

However this is just my opinion.

 

[muths66]

Yes i know, you already told me twice.

However my opinion remains the same. Two of my friends, who are also "audiophiles" agree with me on my opinion of the JQ Hua Jiang. I'm not trying to force my opinion of the JQ Hua Jiang onto others, however i feel like people only talk about the good parts with the JQ Hua Jiang (This is how i got baited into buying them) while the JQ Hua Jiang has multiple-flaws, and considering the high price-point of the JQ Hua Jiang, i am of opinion that people should be aware of it's flaws. (Which are too many to justify it's price)

However this is just my opinion.

Understand. fsster sell off get better one. lol