[glassmonkey]

thats great to hear! do post some comparisons / impressions if you manage to get the Ref cause I'm interested in these 2 IEMs but this brand isn't available anywhere near me for me to try it out.

I really liked the Ref when I heard it last year, powerful realistic bass, while still having a good balance. I need to have more listening time.

I'm hoping that Kumitate will be in attendance at CanJam London this year.

 

[liquidrats]

Sirius stands out the most I heard during canjam.. so much goosebumps...

 

[solgoodguy]

I really liked the Ref when I heard it last year, powerful realistic bass, while still having a good balance. I need to have more listening time.

I'm hoping that Kumitate will be in attendance at CanJam London this year.

From their Twitter feed it looks like they won't be attending so many audio festivals this year in order to produce more CIEMs. There's been extremely high demand for the Sirius and the Lakh and Ref models haven't been available for some months now.

The good news is that they're opening up orders again for the Lakh and Ref on 4/23. Hopefully they accept more than just 1 each, which is the quantity they had in January. I really wish they would open up orders again for their raden shell designs.

 

[LukeVivolo]

Has anyone else had trouble contacting Kumitate Lab for repairs? They dont seem to respond to my emails unless I ask them on twitter.

 

[unknownguardian]

Has anyone else had trouble contacting Kumitate Lab for repairs? They dont seem to respond to my emails unless I ask them on twitter.

Twitter might be one of the better way to contact them because the email could be buried in the numerous amount of emails they are receiving or it might sent to the spam box instead of inbox so he didn't see it.

Or you can let me know if there's anything urgent

 

[unknownguardian]

KL-REF: the chameleon that is able to adapt to multiple music genres it is being challenged with



After a long time, I finally decided to give a more detailed impression/review of the various models from Kumitate Lab, which I owned personally, to give the people from head-fi a better understanding of the Kumitate Lab lineups as it is pretty difficult for people outside of Japan (out of Asia exactly) to be able to audition it. I have owned the KL-REF for almost three years and ever since from the day I received it, it had always held a special place in my heart despite hearing multiple flagships iems over the years. So I shall start off this impression with what I love most about KL-REF, the bass.

Bass
The impactful rumble and deep vibration of the dynamic bass has a very special characteristic that makes me feel that it is one of the most unique iem. Ito-san choice of using a dynamic driver is because he felt that dynamic driver has the least distortion in the lower frequencies. And this is indeed evident in KL-REF, as the bass produced by KL-REF has an excellent depth and texture layering, making the presentation of drums to be really impressive and realistic. If you are a fan of rock and heavy pop music, do try the KL-REF at the MAX level, it will definitely be addictive for such genre. Though the bass presence can be pretty overwhelming for some at the MAX level, but rest assure it doesn’t interference with the other frequencies

Mids
The mids have a natural approach, without being too thicked or forward or veiled. I will describe the vocals to sound raw and organic on the KL-REF, giving a clear and emotive presentation (for both male and female vocals, whereas the KL-REF Type-S has an extra added aggressiveness and sweetness to female vocals – more to be discussed in my next review of KL-REF Type-S model). The natural mids result in a great separation, allowing you to clearly tell apart the various instruments playing in the track

High
The high frequencies are pretty much smoothened out, without having excessive dips or peaks above 10kHz, resulting the KL-REF free of any unnecessary sibilance, thus you will not feel any listening fatigue even after long hours of listening. The excellent high frequency extension of the KL-REF makes the overall soundstage and atmosphere very cohesive with the rest of the frequencies.

Overall
KL-REF to my ears is a reference/neutral in-ear monitor, without much coloration in any of the frequency range. Hence KL-REF might sound pretty dull during first few minutes of listening, but as one slowly get use to the sound signature of KL-REF, you will realise the amazing characteristics and performance of KL-REF. Coupled with a tunable bass volume, each individual can adjust the bass accordingly to match his preference and also suit to your mood and the nature of the song. Throw whatever music you have to it, be it male vocals, female vocals, anisong, pop, rock, metal, jazz, KL-REF will show to you that it is indeed a chameleon of strong adaptive characteristics and is able to perform at a high level across all the different music genres.

 

[solgoodguy]

Great writeup - also great Album! I'm still torn on whether I want the KL-Lakh or the KL-Ref. How did you get the raden shell? I was checking around previously and it didn't seem like they were available to people who wanted to order them form overseas.

Which other KL CIEMs have you heard? I'm curious to know more about them. There are some that have very little reviews like the various Sanka types.

 

[glassmonkey]

Great writeup - also great Album! I'm still torn on whether I want the KL-Lakh or the KL-Ref. How did you get the raden shell? I was checking around previously and it didn't seem like they were available to people who wanted to order them form overseas.

Which other KL CIEMs have you heard? I'm curious to know more about them. There are some that have very little reviews like the various Sanka types.

I think that shell isn't a Raden shell. I think it's the grinder design. It's pretty cool, and available outside of Japan. Kumitate also does heat-treated titanium, which gives a rainbow effect.

Anybody curious should check out their design book.

http://www.kumitatelab.com/images/companies/1/KumitateLabDesignBook2017-2018.pdf

 

[glassmonkey]

KL-REF: the chameleon that is able to adapt to multiple music genres it is being challenged with



After a long time, I finally decided to give a more detailed impression/review of the various models from Kumitate Lab, which I owned personally, to give the people from head-fi a better understanding of the Kumitate Lab lineups as it is pretty difficult for people outside of Japan (out of Asia exactly) to be able to audition it. I have owned the KL-REF for almost three years and ever since from the day I received it, it had always held a special place in my heart despite hearing multiple flagships iems over the years. So I shall start off this impression with what I love most about KL-REF, the bass.

Bass
The impactful rumble and deep vibration of the dynamic bass has a very special characteristic that makes me feel that it is one of the most unique iem. Ito-san choice of using a dynamic driver is because he felt that dynamic driver has the least distortion in the lower frequencies. And this is indeed evident in KL-REF, as the bass produced by KL-REF has an excellent depth and texture layering, making the presentation of drums to be really impressive and realistic. If you are a fan of rock and heavy pop music, do try the KL-REF at the MAX level, it will definitely be addictive for such genre. Though the bass presence can be pretty overwhelming for some at the MAX level, but rest assure it doesn’t interference with the other frequencies

Mids
The mids have a natural approach, without being too thicked or forward or veiled. I will describe the vocals to sound raw and organic on the KL-REF, giving a clear and emotive presentation (for both male and female vocals, whereas the KL-REF Type-S has an extra added aggressiveness and sweetness to female vocals – more to be discussed in my next review of KL-REF Type-S model). The natural mids result in a great separation, allowing you to clearly tell apart the various instruments playing in the track

High
The high frequencies are pretty much smoothened out, without having excessive dips or peaks above 10kHz, resulting the KL-REF free of any unnecessary sibilance, thus you will not feel any listening fatigue even after long hours of listening. The excellent high frequency extension of the KL-REF makes the overall soundstage and atmosphere very cohesive with the rest of the frequencies.

Overall
KL-REF to my ears is a reference/neutral in-ear monitor, without much coloration in any of the frequency range. Hence KL-REF might sound pretty dull during first few minutes of listening, but as one slowly get use to the sound signature of KL-REF, you will realise the amazing characteristics and performance of KL-REF. Coupled with a tunable bass volume, each individual can adjust the bass accordingly to match his preference and also suit to your mood and the nature of the song. Throw whatever music you have to it, be it male vocals, female vocals, anisong, pop, rock, metal, jazz, KL-REF will show to you that it is indeed a chameleon of strong adaptive characteristics and is able to perform at a high level across all the different music genres.

I was really impressed with the Ref. It is rare that a reference tuned IEM has such realistic rumble on the bass.

 

[solgoodguy]

I think that shell isn't a Raden shell. I think it's the grinder design. It's pretty cool, and available outside of Japan. Kumitate also does heat-treated titanium, which gives a rainbow effect.

Anybody curious should check out their design book.

http://www.kumitatelab.com/images/companies/1/KumitateLabDesignBook2017-2018.pdf

That's the raden shell. I have the KL-Sirius in Grinder Tattoo and can most def. say that's the Raden shell Looks like this style. I'd love to get either the Lakh or the Ref Type S in a raden shell.

I'm really curious to see what Kumitate Labs has in store for next year's design book. Mr. Ito's twitter did have some new designs they were experimenting with like this one:

 

[twocentsear]

KL-REF: the chameleon that is able to adapt to multiple music genres it is being challenged with



After a long time, I finally decided to give a more detailed impression/review of the various models from Kumitate Lab, which I owned personally, to give the people from head-fi a better understanding of the Kumitate Lab lineups as it is pretty difficult for people outside of Japan (out of Asia exactly) to be able to audition it. I have owned the KL-REF for almost three years and ever since from the day I received it, it had always held a special place in my heart despite hearing multiple flagships iems over the years. So I shall start off this impression with what I love most about KL-REF, the bass.

Bass
The impactful rumble and deep vibration of the dynamic bass has a very special characteristic that makes me feel that it is one of the most unique iem. Ito-san choice of using a dynamic driver is because he felt that dynamic driver has the least distortion in the lower frequencies. And this is indeed evident in KL-REF, as the bass produced by KL-REF has an excellent depth and texture layering, making the presentation of drums to be really impressive and realistic. If you are a fan of rock and heavy pop music, do try the KL-REF at the MAX level, it will definitely be addictive for such genre. Though the bass presence can be pretty overwhelming for some at the MAX level, but rest assure it doesn’t interference with the other frequencies

Mids
The mids have a natural approach, without being too thicked or forward or veiled. I will describe the vocals to sound raw and organic on the KL-REF, giving a clear and emotive presentation (for both male and female vocals, whereas the KL-REF Type-S has an extra added aggressiveness and sweetness to female vocals – more to be discussed in my next review of KL-REF Type-S model). The natural mids result in a great separation, allowing you to clearly tell apart the various instruments playing in the track

High
The high frequencies are pretty much smoothened out, without having excessive dips or peaks above 10kHz, resulting the KL-REF free of any unnecessary sibilance, thus you will not feel any listening fatigue even after long hours of listening. The excellent high frequency extension of the KL-REF makes the overall soundstage and atmosphere very cohesive with the rest of the frequencies.

Overall
KL-REF to my ears is a reference/neutral in-ear monitor, without much coloration in any of the frequency range. Hence KL-REF might sound pretty dull during first few minutes of listening, but as one slowly get use to the sound signature of KL-REF, you will realise the amazing characteristics and performance of KL-REF. Coupled with a tunable bass volume, each individual can adjust the bass accordingly to match his preference and also suit to your mood and the nature of the song. Throw whatever music you have to it, be it male vocals, female vocals, anisong, pop, rock, metal, jazz, KL-REF will show to you that it is indeed a chameleon of strong adaptive characteristics and is able to perform at a high level across all the different music genres.

How would you compare the imaging to other in-ears you've tried?

 

[unknownguardian]

Great writeup - also great Album! I'm still torn on whether I want the KL-Lakh or the KL-Ref. How did you get the raden shell? I was checking around previously and it didn't seem like they were available to people who wanted to order them form overseas.

Which other KL CIEMs have you heard? I'm curious to know more about them. There are some that have very little reviews like the various Sanka types.

Thanks. The KL-Lakh and KL-Ref are almost two different iems, what I feel is lacking in the KL-Ref can be found in KL-Lakh (spacious, wide soundstage) but what I like about KL-Ref is missing in KL-Lakh too (Lakh bass is slightly more dense and warm)

Yes this is the raden design, because I ordered the iem 3 years ago when the raden option was still available, do keep a lookout on their social media page (Twitter) and website because I have a feeling the raden design option might be back anytime towards the end of the year.

I heard some other models including the NEXT 5 lineup as well as the Sanka and Kanon, I think I posted a short brief impression back then, will try to dig up the posts later.

I think that shell isn't a Raden shell. I think it's the grinder design. It's pretty cool, and available outside of Japan. Kumitate also does heat-treated titanium, which gives a rainbow effect.

Anybody curious should check out their design book.

http://www.kumitatelab.com/images/companies/1/KumitateLabDesignBook2017-2018.pdf

All the designs in the design book are so gorgeous, which I believe are giving their customers a hard time to choose which design to go for.

I was really impressed with the Ref. It is rare that a reference tuned IEM has such realistic rumble on the bass.

Yes, and yet the addictive and strong bass won't overpower any of the other frequencies.

How would you compare the imaging to other in-ears you've tried?

Imaging is splendid, all the positioning sound just about right to my ears. Though the soundstaging width doesn't sound as grand and huge as other TOTL iems, but the textured layering of the soundstage height and depth is the main strength of the KL-REF.

 

[unknownguardian]

Managed to dig out a few of my older posts for short brief impression of the older models.

Introducing the Kumitate Lab “NEXT 5” series

The first lineup of the ”NEXT 5" series consists of the three models KL-CORONA, KL-METEO and KL-SIRIUS. Besides delivering CIEM at an affordable price, the "NEXT 5" series also aim to provide great sound, design, quality and service to the customers throughout the entire stage of ordering. Based off what I read from their website (through google translate), Kumitate Lab is also offering the orderer of the “NEXT 5” models a "rented demo set" of the ordered model in universal unit from the date of order till the IEM delivery date as a form of "Previewer Pre-Delivery service” for their customers. More details will come later, but I believe this will most probably be available in Japan only. This strikes me as a really top-notch customer service coming from Kumitate Lab, because CIEM order won’t have to wait through the 2-3 months long building period before they get to experience the iem. But also because the previewer demo unit is limited so the models orders will also be capped till they are able to produce more demo units. As of now the both the KL-METEO and KL-SIRIUS were unavailable for ordering on the site, while previously the KL-CORONA was “sold out” last week as well.

Moving on to my simple impression of the iems that I had a chance to experience during the FUJIYA-AVIC headphone festival.


KL-CORONA
Smooth, natural tuning and very well balanced. I think that its great for acoustic songs. Ideal iem choice for people looking for an entry level ciem with great price-performance value.


KL-METEO
I tried the first set with the default cable. Once I put this on, I was astonished by the bass. It hits really deep and rumble hard, however it does sound slightly heavy to me. Later when I head back to the booth again, I had a chance to try another set with the prototype tin-plated copper cable. This time round the highs seemed to have open up abit, with less interference from the rumbling bass. Later on, I switched to the Erde cable (Ito-san personally recommends KL-METEO with Erde cable) with 4.4mm balanced out from my WM1A. Everything is really perfect now. The bass range coming from the dual ba bass drivers is really unique and exquisite yet the same time being able to maintain and not mask the clarity of the mids-highs. Electronic, rock, techno and dance tracks all these genres performed excellent on KL-METEO. For people who crave the minute details and rumble of bass, you definitely have to try the KL-METEO out one day if there’s a chance.


KL-SIRIUS
Resolving and neutral iem, the tuning slightly reminded me of the KL-REF Type-S minus the dynamic bass. But the bass is still sufficient and generally producing a very natural clear and sparkling tuning. Perfect iem choice for treble lovers.


Bonus Pictures:
One and only KL-WRAITH (dual dynamic drivers shelled in silver housing)


24 drivers KL-THANATOS

KL-Kanon KL-カノン (Low: 2 BA Drivers, High-Mid: 1 BA Driver, Ultra-High: 1 BA Driver) / Switch Option (Low: 2 BA Drivers, High-Mid: 3 BA Drivers, Ultra-High: 1 BA Driver) - tunable 3 different set of sounds

Middle (Default/No switch option - 4 drivers): Clean and transparent sound signature. However I find this to be slightly thin, recessed with distant vocals. The high frequency performance is not slightly poor (with quite obvious treble roll off). I feel that the soundstage is not as wide as the other models as well. I didn’t spend too much time on these (despite giving these a few chances but each time they did not succeed to capture my attention span before I decided to move on to the other two tuning options)

Red mark (Bass emphasis - 6 drivers): This tuning option provides a wide, smooth sound with more bodied bass and larger soundstage. Bass is warm but non-boomy, and also laid back that doesn’t interfere with the other frequencies. Low-mid range is denser and thicker, and the vocal sounds slightly dark to me. However, I feel that the bass is a tad too overwhelming such that the details are slightly lacking.

Blue mark (Flat sounding - 6 drivers): The flat tuning provides a more high focused and crisp sounding signature. Resolution is high with wide sound stage and the treble is very delicate and refined. Unlike KL-AKARA 2014, this is less mid-aggressive and so will make it less fatiguing and more soothing for the ears to listen to. I totally fell in love with the spacious and open feeling accompanied alongside with fresh and crisp vocals. One thing that i totally wished for the well-layering ability of KL-REF to make vocals sound more emotive. Cymbal sounds imaging and positioning is great as well.


KL-Sanka KL-サンカ (Low: 2 BA Drivers, High-Mid: 1 BA Driver)
I would describe KL-SANKA as being the little brother of KL-REF, with the sound signature of being warm/organic and yet airy with great amount of details at the same time. Bass is slightly loose with sufficient quantity and rumble (sounded abit like bass performance of a dynamic/hybrid driver) and not quick and tight like usual BA iem. Being the lower priced model, it would be expected for KL-SANKA to have poorer performance than KL-REF. Soundstage is narrower than KL-REF and being a 3driver BA, the bass depth performance also loses out to the dynamic driver of KL-REF. Vocals positioning is fairly neutral, but they sounded are rich and smooth. High frequency are slightly less refined with slight treble roll off at the higher frequency but overall sound is less fatiguing than the aggressive KL-AKARA 2014. Separation between vocal and instruments are great as well, despite the lower frequency being more bodied but it does not interfere with the high frequency. However, on certain tracks (especially bass/instrumental heavy tracks) this might sound slightly messy.

In general i would say that the performance of KL-SANKA definitely exceeded my expectation of what a 3 driver iem can do. KL-SANKA will make a good choice for people looking for a well-balanced tuned monitor at the entry price level. However, if you have extra cash to spend, I will strongly recommend going for KL-REF, the bigger brother of similar sound trend.

Note: There is also the Sanka-Mk-B and Sanka-Mk-K, which has a slightly different driver configuration setup (1 Low BA, 1 Mid BA and 1 High BA). Compared to the original Sanka, the Mk-B is slightly boosted in the low frequencies (20Hz~150Hz) as well as the high frequencies (>10kHz), while the Mk-K, is even more boosted at these two frequencies range over the Mk-B. Surprisingly, these 2 models are pretty well received at CANJAM SG 2018 among the public.


KL-Akara 2014 KL-アカラ 2014 (Low: 2 BA Drivers, High-Mid: 1 BA Driver, High: 1 BA Driver)
KL-AKARA 2014 is mid-high frequency focused with great sense of speed. I enjoyed my session with KL-AKARA 2014 because of its natural, smooth and airy vocals. Notes are well layered with strong sense of transparency and there is excellent separation between the different frequencies. Bass is tight and fast however it is rather thin and lacking in quantity (also lacking depth). I find the soundstage being fairly reasonable but it may sound abit hollow (non-3d) and elevated due to the poor bass depth and aggressive sounding signature.

In overall, KL-AKARA 2014 is a monitor of energetic and aggressive sound signature. For lovers of female vocals and acoustics, the strengths of this iem will make you forgo the dissatisfaction in bass performance.

Note: KL-AKARA 2014 is currently an obsolete model, unavailable for order on the kumitate lab site

 

[glassmonkey]

Managed to dig out a few of my older posts for short brief impression of the older models.

You are a treasure! Thank you for sharing.

 

[twocentsear]

Thanks. The KL-Lakh and KL-Ref are almost two different iems, what I feel is lacking in the KL-Ref can be found in KL-Lakh (spacious, wide soundstage) but what I like about KL-Ref is missing in KL-Lakh too (Lakh bass is slightly more dense and warm)

Yes this is the raden design, because I ordered the iem 3 years ago when the raden option was still available, do keep a lookout on their social media page (Twitter) and website because I have a feeling the raden design option might be back anytime towards the end of the year.

I heard some other models including the NEXT 5 lineup as well as the Sanka and Kanon, I think I posted a short brief impression back then, will try to dig up the posts later.

All the designs in the design book are so gorgeous, which I believe are giving their customers a hard time to choose which design to go for.

Yes, and yet the addictive and strong bass won't overpower any of the other frequencies.

Imaging is splendid, all the positioning sound just about right to my ears. Though the soundstaging width doesn't sound as grand and huge as other TOTL iems, but the textured layering of the soundstage height and depth is the main strength of the KL-REF.

How does the imaging compare to something like the Andromeda?