[MatW]

Forgot to include pictures of the storage case that comes with Loki, very nice. Finally now have a glass of wine poured and ready to listen…

Very nice, enjoy!

It seems that Kinera has even more logos than faceplate variations!?

 

[Scubadevils]

I cut those plastic ear guides off mine.

Yes they extend very high up! Was it difficult to do?!

 

[GiullianSN]

As mentioned in other comments, the Vrms specs provided by A&K are under no load conditions, so very little can actually be extrapolated from those specifications. Regardless, we believe the quality of power matters more than raw quantity. This is apparent in the HiFI world as well, like with "Naim watts", referring to the driving power of Naim amps despite their lower power output ratings relative to other amps. In the desktop space as well, a Topping A90 is more than powerful enough to drive even the Tungsten, but you won't see many people sticking with an A90 if they're running flagship headphones. Getting a IEM or headphone loud is not the same as driving it well.



I’m not sure where the notion of a well-designed crossover equaling high sensitivity comes from, but having done the development alongside exchanging notes with many other industry members, the opposite tends to be more true, where extremely easy-to-drive IEMs can be indicative of overly rudimentary crossovers, reduced optimisation as a result of driver stacking for sensitivity, or, in the case of IEMs with ESTs, the ESTs basically having a negligible level of output and being included to add to the spec sheet.

Nice in-betweens can be found, like with the Trailli, for example, but it still sacrifices some sensitivity for optimal EST output and some impedance linearity for sensitivity. Due to size and power constraints, IEM design is a balancing act of optimising trade-offs. With improvements in technology, fewer trade-offs have to be made, but one of the reasons we started on STORM was realising that not much of the industry was really pushing towards that fine balance at the cutting edge.

In terms of design, for STORM in particular, two of our more important priorities were, one, making sure we pushed to the extreme limits of what is currently possible with IEMs, and two, building in a considerable level of future proofing.

To have an IEM really push the limit of what’s currently possible, it means being able to take advantage of any and every source that’s currently available on the market. Be it portable or summit-fi desktop gear, all of our designs thus far have an immense capacity to scale, with several of our clients plugging STORM into desktop stacks optimised for the most challenging headphones, like Susvara, and being quite blown away by the fact that they didn’t hit any scaling ceiling. STORM, with its emphasis on speaker-like staging and staging depth, is also one of the few IEMs well positioned to take full advantage of improvements in DAC upgrades, as one of the key benefits of higher-end DACs is improvement in stage depth and layering, an aspect that many IEMs fail to render properly. As with most devices designed for extreme performance, being at the bleeding edge often means putting up with some inconveniences. A Koenigsegg hypercar doesn't make for a great grocery shopping companion, in most cases a Prius would serve you better, maybe a BMW if you'd like something fancier. But I don't think anyone would expect a Prius or a luxury sedan to outperform the Koenigsegg on a track.

With that being said, we still believe that IEMs are primarily for portable use, so despite designing STORM to have minimal limits to scaling, we also did a lot of testing to ensure that even out of a simple dongle, STORM can be driven to a level that we feel surpasses, or is at least on par, with the very best IEMs out there on the same device. Of course, pairings still come into play, which is why we don’t recommend certain devices, especially those with limited current output. Regardless, there are many options at every tier that we recommend with STORM, even something as simple as the Hiby FC4 for a hundred bucks or so, or more portable devices like the R6Pro2 or Fiio Q15, still drive the STORM to a level of performance that we believe is comfortably ultra-flagship tier. And of course, as you feed it with a better chain, it only keeps getting better.

STORM was also designed to have a certain level of inbuilt future proofing. We believe that if you are spending this much on an ultra-flagship, it makes no sense that it will be made obsolete by the next latest and greatest six months down the line. Designing for this means creating something that is not just extremely technically proficient in the current market but also something that will be able to take advantage of improvements to chain components in the future, be it source, portable amps, cables, or tips. In our case, this means designing a crossover that is an order of magnitude more complex than most designs on the market, implementing a flat impedance design to ensure long-term compatibility with any future amps or amp designs, ensuring no driver is overstressed, and that there is a sufficient level of headroom.

I think just comparing the current crop of DAPs like the DX320max, N30, and even the R6Pro2, just to name a few, to older DAPs from a few years ago, it is evident that we haven’t even gotten close to the limit of what DAPs are capable of, not to mention the improvements in portable amplification as seen in the Tsuranagi and MK 475. Especially since we expect significant improvements in battery technology driven by electrification and the fast-growing wearable technology and portable computing (Steam Deck etc.) markets. Likewise, we expect more compact devices to continue to improve, with recent standouts for size to performance like the R6Pro2 and the M9+ coming to mind, both of which strike a nice balance of sound quality, usability and portability that would be pretty unimaginable form the perspective of someone in the SP1000/DX100/Terra Player era.

With this in mind, we find not pushing the limits to sell a design compromised around the limitations of today, just to sell you an upgrade in a year’s time when the next crop of more efficient and powerful devices appears, to be a disservice to the user. We simply don’t think improvements should be so marginal that flagships can be surpassed by the next crop of releases less than a year later, if peak performance is truly the main priority as many a marketing copy claim. This does not negate the relevance or importance of designs focused on portability, efficiency, and convenience, but I think it would also be sensible to recognise that progress made at the cutting edge also pushes forward the possibilities for designs optimised towards other use cases.

Great post that started quite technical and educative, then became an sponsored marketing opportunity and ended up like a poke to other brands.

Like other similar posts on this thread, Watercooler is a place for people to share their experiences not for brands to use it for self promotion. For that we have each brand thread.

 

[linux4ever]

Nostalgia Audio Camelot with stock cable - 100 hours done for the iem and the stock cable. Very good for a stock cable. But I took it off and paired it with with Sedna Max ear-tips & Eletech Raphael on Sony WM1Z.

This is one good chain. The 2DD comes to party fully (bass & sub-bass are excellent) and the treble has good sparkle (that would be Raphael). Raphael seems to pair well with Fatfreq MSE & Camelot.

 

[Scubadevils]

Very nice, enjoy!

It seems that Kinera has even more logos than faceplate variations!?

No idea! I had seen a black Loki with those logos and was inspired to do similar but with navy smoked.

 

[tjzurlaaa]

Nostalgia Audio Camelot with stock cable - 100 hours done for the iem and the stock cable. Very good for a stock cable. But I took it off and paired it with with Sedna Max ear-tips & Eletech Raphael on Sony WM1Z.

This is one good chain. The 2DD comes to party fully (bass & sub-bass are excellent) and the treble has good sparkle (that would be Raphael). Raphael seems to pair well with Fatfreq MSE & Camelot.

Raphael cable makes any Iem I have a little better lol

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Great post that started quite technical and educative, then became an sponsored marketing opportunity and ended up like a poke to other brands.

Like other similar posts on this thread, Watercooler is a place for people to share their experiences not for brands to use it for self promotion. For that we have each brand thread.

Interesting take. I have never perceived Chang as being someone to self promote himself or his company in any way. In fact, his reputation is just the opposite and given the quality of their products, they could use more and better marketing.

 

[MatW]

No idea! I had seen a black Loki with those logos and was inspired to do similar but with navy smoked.

Lol. I don't think they're Kinera logos..? Who knows, maybe some guy's favorite football club or adult entertainment establishment?

 

[Scubadevils]

Lol. I don't think they're Kinera logos..? Who knows, maybe some guy's favorite football club or adult entertainment establishment?

Hopefully both - soccer and porn The guy is one of the Kinera agents, I must ask him out of curiosity but my assumption was they are brand logos!

 

[GiullianSN]

Interesting take. I have never perceived Chang as being someone to self promote himself or his company in any way. In fact, his reputation is just the opposite and given the quality of their products, they could use more and better marketing.

I agree, that's a general percieved impression of the person (Chang). No problem with him at all. But this specific post has a clear different take to it. So, I'm not calling out the person, but the specific post.

 

[timeslip]

How about a desktop amp ranking list in the $1500 (preowned prices are great here) range that works with IEM’s as well?

What do you recommend based on your experiences?

If you have a HP setup with a good DAC, why not get the Cayin c9? If you need a DAC, maybe wa8. However, I would also ask why not just plug a DAP via USB to your computer?

 

[Benno1988]

Interesting take. I have never perceived Chang as being someone to self promote himself or his company in any way. In fact, his reputation is just the opposite and given the quality of their products, they could use more and better marketing.

Chang is the sort of guy you could drop into any country and he would be a millionaire within a year. He doesn't need marketing help here Bob.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Yes they extend very high up! Was it difficult to do?!

It just took a very small and sharp pair of pruning scissors and some patience snip by snip.

 

[Scubadevils]

It just took a very small and sharp pair of pruning scissors and some patience snip by snip.

Not sure I’d be that brave

Listening now to Loki, too tired to discuss other than to say they certainly get two big thumbs up!

 

[OneEyedHito]

If you have a HP setup with a good DAC, why not get the Cayin c9? If you need a DAC, maybe wa8. However, I would also ask why not just plug a DAP via USB to your computer?

Thanks for the reply and asking. I have higher end DAC’s through my system a lot as in a May or Spring 3 and just want a smaller form factor amp on my desk versus my side desk audio stand that excels with IEM’s.