The IEM market is becoming a bit saturated these days. And I’ve listened to so many up and coming brands, that it’s hard to remember them all after a while. In fact, most of these buds just blend together like a hazy dream. But at $139, the Idun is an exception. This is my first experience listening to a Kinera IEM. And considering the very affordable price, I think this is a company that will stand out from the rest. Let’s take a look at what makes the Idun so special in this Kinera IDUN IEM Review.
Kinera IDUN IEM Review
IN the BOX
FIT
Great job in this department. The ergonomics are very effective on the Idun; not only are these smoothly contoured buds comfortable to wear for long stretches of time, but the sound isolation is primo too. Thank Jesus, because my boss is especially verbose and annoying today.
DESIGN
Kinera sports a hybrid driver design. A dynamic driver powers the lows, and dual balanced armatures take care of the higher frequencies. The frequency range is a standard 20 – 20,000 Hz, while sensitivity and impedance are 112 db and 32 Ohms respectively.
The 2-pin silver copper cable is thick and very malleable. Nice quality for 140 bucks.
And in terms of aesthetics, well, I don’t have to tell you how pretty these buds look. They’re also so light, I doubt that even my cat would mind wearing them. She loves Prince.
SOUND
Lows
Though the bass shows some nice punch on pop tracks, the Idun is far from a bass-head’s IEM. And those who like a lot of warmth in the low end may want something more generous in this range. Still, coming from a reviewer who hates a stingy bass, I thought it showed a perfect amount of presence. Listening to cellos in this range, the level of detail didn’t blow me away, and the instrument showed more smoothness than it did texture. But where these buds excel is in their clean and tight presentation of sound. The low end avoids bleeding into the higher frequencies. And listening to fast bass note progressions, the separation was solid for the price point.
Mids
You’ll hear some nice presence in the mids, especially in the upper midrange. But the higher frequencies in this range avoid overkill, so you won’t experience any harshness or particularly forward vocals. And rock and pop-rock choruses have a full-bodied feel, even if it’s not thoroughly comprehensive sound in this range. At the same time, there’s a lightness to the sound profile, and it’s not an IEM for those who like their sound signature dark and meaty. But again, what I find impressive about these buds is how clean they sound even in songs with heavy arrangements. Listening to tracks with multiple guitars, for example, the layering of the instruments is extremely tidy and well delineated for an IEM at this price point. And acoustic guitars, especially, have a scrumptiously crystalized feel. So folk music sounds great on these things. The tightness of the sound also lends itself perfectly to funky tracks, and I couldn’t help but bop to the beat. I will admit that I took a few hits of my crack pipe this morning. So, certainly, the mania helped. But either way, I dig it.
Highs
Nice extension here. And the sound profile makes for one snappy IEM when listening to energetic pop tracks; percussion is crispier than a frozen cracker. And even though string instruments felt slightly “smoothed over” at times, transparency is decent, offering a good amount of detail for the price. But the Idun leans slightly on the brighter side, and folks who are sensitive to high frequencies may be bothered by the slight sharpness or sizzle on certain tracks. Still, as someone who shares this sensitivity, I experienced minimal fatigue, even after a long listening session.
Soundstage
A very spacious soundstage here…Again for the price. And the imaging makes for a fun listen. The Idun offers tons of dimension, and you’ll hear plenty of height and noticeable gradations in depth. It’s a colorful soundscape, for sure.
SUMMARY
At 140 bucks, I’m sold. This is one clean and snappy IEM. And the Idun can handle almost every genre you throw at it (even if it may be a touch bright for my fellow snowflakes out there). Add to that a shell design that Van Gogh would give his right ear for, and you’ve got a sure winner. In fact, I think these babies deserve the coveted MajorHifi Gold Award.
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