KINERA | QOA Discussion Thread

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See whats arrived

 

[o0genesis0o]

See whats arrived

The driver configuration is also 112 like the Dunu one

How does it sound? Any good? Looking forward for impressions.

 

[PROblemdetected]

The driver configuration is also 112 like the Dunu one

How does it sound? Any good? Looking forward for impressions.

I just tested for few minutes. Package is nice, tips come in a perfect carry box... But its soon to say something about sound.

Tomorrow I will test with the q7, and let you some impressions.

 

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Well, some 1hour impression (not burned)

- Bass is delicious, got an incredible capacity to give exactly the song need. Punchier, softer, detailed... Really nice, it remember sometimes to the NORN one
- Rest of frequencias are detailed but softer, so much relaxed than the norn and more competent on the technical side
- Layering is on the same level of performance than the FA7s/Andromeda wich are the best I've ever try on my short audiophile live.

Fit and isolation are really nice as well, dont need to go high volume to get total isolation

 

[o0genesis0o]

Well, some 1hour impression (not burned)

- Bass is delicious, got an incredible capacity to give exactly the song need. Punchier, softer, detailed... Really nice, it remember sometimes to the NORN one
- Rest of frequencias are detailed but softer, so much relaxed than the norn and more competent on the technical side
- Layering is on the same level of performance than the FA7s/Andromeda wich are the best I've ever try on my short audiophile live.

Fit and isolation are really nice as well, dont need to go high volume to get total isolation

Interesting. Matching Andromeda is a high praise indeed. So I guess the EST drivers do a good job, given the detailed but soft presentation. Congrats on your shiny!

 

[PROblemdetected]

Interesting. Matching Andromeda is a high praise indeed. So I guess the EST drivers do a good job, given the detailed but soft presentation. Congrats on your shiny!

Andromeda are nice, but for me fa7s are the best BA I've tried, over SA6 as well.

But im really surprised of the tuning on the high frequencies, KINERA says that QOA is more focused on Japanese market, I can see why.

 

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QOA MARGARITA. Music & Cocktails

Airy and engaging bass / Bajo espaciado y que engancha
Holographic and sweet presentation / Escena holografica y dulcisima
Over-Average technical performance / Capacidades Tecnicas por encima de la media
Suitable for high volume listeners / Puedes disfrutarlos con la música a tope de volumen
Not a detail monster / No es un monstruo del detalle
Cable should be better / El cable deberia ser mejor

 

[PhilW]

Loving the look of the Orlog cable. special collab with EA.

 

[Leonarfd]

That Orlog cable does look premium, own it or just eyeing it?

 

[Ceilidh]

That Orlog cable does look premium, own it or just eyeing it?

yeah, the price for the Orlog starts at $699 and goes up to $999
Definitely premium

 

[Leonarfd]

Priced high for sure, never bought a cable for more than 200$. I do love the estetic part of the more expensive cables out there.

yeah, the price for the Orlog starts at $699 and goes up to $999
Definitely premium

 

[PROblemdetected]

Priced high for sure, never bought a cable for more than 200$. I do love the estetic part of the more expensive cables out there.

These are clearly too much for me

 

[shreyanshpandeytokyo]

[My Quick Celeste Ruyi Review]​

The boom mic cable, "Ruyi" means "As one wishes" in Chinese​

I spent close to past 2 weeks on using the cable as my main daily driver for my calls, games, music

Thanks to Patho for sending a review unit, however want to clarify no money changed hands for this review and is completely free of any pressure from manufacturer, the review may have my personal biases of choice though

- Overall the cable is quite good, well made, no microphonic observed
- The boom mic is the star here, well placed, also has an adjustable arm, so you can twist and turn as per your liking. The sound is clear, passively noise free, and so far no complains in any of my calls
- The central controller has a quick mute slider, however at times it gets confusing which way to mute, specially if you like to wear your cable from behind your neck. My suggestion here would be to get a dab of color in that slider that way, we know when it is muted (think how iPhones have a Do Not Disturb slider on the side)
- One more nitpick here is number of strands, maybe for the price, they could have bumped up the number of strands

Overall a 4.5/5 stars​

 

[Jarlaxle]

Celest Ruyi IEM Cable with Boom Mic Review​

Celest Ruyi


Ruyi is the third product that Celest, a sub-brand of Kinera has released. Their prior products were both budget iems with unique designs and this time they came up with a cable that has a detachable boom mic. Celest Ruyi is sold for 29$ and offers a lot for that humble price.
This is not the first cable with a boom mic Kinera has released however, Gramr, which I haven’t tried is a more premium and a little pricier product. You can also read the full review at mobileaudiophile.com.

Pros​

• Good sounding microphone.
• Good Length for desktop usage
• Comfortable.
• Doesn’t deteriorate the sound quality.
• In-line volume and microphone mute controls.
• Boom mic can be detached.
• Good value

Cons​

• A cable clip or velcro strap would have been nice to manage the extra length for mobile gaming.
• There is no splitter for microphone and headphones for desktop usage.

Celest Ruyi

Technical Specifications​

Cable Parameters​

Material : OFC
Braid Way : 2 cores manual braided
Diameter : 2.0 mm/core
Strands : 16 strands of 6*0.08 mm
Interface : 0,78 mm 2-pin / MMCX
Plug Material : Pure Copper
Plug : 3.5 mm
Cable Length : 1.5 m
Protective Skin : PVC
Metal Part : Aluminum alloy with sandblasting oxidation

Microphone Specifications​

Microphone Patterns : Omni-directional
Sensitivity : -42±3dB
Resistance : 2.2kΩ
SNR : 60dB
Frequency Response : 50Hz-10kHz
Microphone Length : 13cm

Celest Ruyi Boom Mic

Disclaimers​

Without boring you too much, I don’t necessarily have a sound preference. I tend to enjoy different sound profiles as long as they do well at what they intend to do. I try to be critic in my reviews but I might be somewhat biased one way or another (Freebies, Recency bias, buyer’s bias etc.). Please keep these in mind. Also, Celest Ruyi is provided to us by Kinera, so we thank them. I will try to be as objective as I can, but you are free to take my findings with a grain of salt. If a unit I reviewed is given or loaned to me in the future, I will say so here.

Company Overview​

Kinera’s roots extend to as early as 2011. However, they didn’t enter consumer market with Kinera name until 2016. They also created sub-brands such as Queen of Audio and Celest for different target demographics. Celest in particular, looks like they are aiming for budget segment of the market and have flashy designs for younger music lovers.

Packaging​

Celest Ruyi comes in a simple black package. You can buy Ruyi with either 2-pin or MMCX connection. You can also buy USB Type-C or Lightning adapter separately if you don’t have any suitable ADC/DAC.
Boom mic and cable are in separate smaller boxes so, even with this kind of budget-oriented accessory, Kinera has been very considerate with their presentation.

Celest Ruyi Packaging

Design​

Cable has a smoky dark grey color. Y-splitter and 3.5 mm connector are covered with metal, rest of the cable is made out of plastic. Ear hooks are not heat-shrinked and would be problematic if you want to remove them but, I would advise against it since they are essential to support the extra weight the microphone causes. Overall, Celest Ruyi is a pretty well-made, very light and comfortable cable that didn’t negatively affect my calls or gaming sessions.

Celest Ruyi’s Sound​

Output​

For sound output, there is not much to say really. Cable has decent quality and doesn’t deteriorate the sound as far as I’m concerned. It worked flawlessly with several IEMs I used it with. You should not expect to enhance your sound quality with a budget conscious cables like Ruyi whether it has a microphone or not. I will however focus on its microphone performance.

Celest Ruyi with Moondrop Aria

Microphone​

Celest Ruyi’s microphone has a pretty good sound quality. I used it with several phone and conference calls without problems. My voice reached to other side nice and clear. I also used it while gaming in more than one Apex Legends sessions. I never heard any complaints from my brother which is rare. From the tracks I recorded, I found that Ruyi’s microphone sounds clear, bassy and chesty.

Comparisons​

I’ve recorded a test track using several other microphones, namely Behringer BC12 boom mic and Epos H6Pro Gaming Headset mic. In this test I’ve found out that:

• H6Pro is louder than rest, probably because it doesn’t have a foam cover. It can also be more sensitive.
• Celest Ruyi microphone is bassier and chestier than others.
• Behringer sounds the most neutral but also a little nasally.
• Although H6Pro mic focuses on voices and is the clearest, it also sounds more digital and compressed than others.

I’m leaving the test track here so you don’t have to take my word for it. The ADC I used to record this track is Fosi Audio K5 Pro Gaming DAC/AMP. You can find my review for it here.

Celest Ruyi with QoA Gimlet

Conclusion​

Celest Ruyi is a no-frills cable that does what I’ve expected it to do and a little more. I have no problems giving it 5 out of 5 stars considering its price. Maybe the microphone isn’t as good as a +100$ Condenser microphone but I wasn’t expecting it to be. Gaming with it was a great experience and very comfortable. Ruyi helped me win games in Apex Legends, which I’m not very good at mind you. That alone is enough for me.

 

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New TOTL iem from KINERA