Introduction:
Kinera Celest is a brand that has been around for quite a while and their IEMs have have always maintained an aura of intrigue. And despite the brand not being as widely known as other brands like Moondrop, fans of their Kinera and Kinera Celest IEMs have seemed to like them quite a bit.
The Phoenixcall is the first of their IEMs that I have been able to listen to and going into this, I had very little to go off of as far as what to expect other than pictures and description of the driver config which had me interested.
Disclaimer: Thanks go out to Hifigo for arranging this sample for me to review! These thoughts are my own and I was not incentivized for a positive/negative review.
Available Here:
Quick Notes:
- Driver Config – 1DD+2BA+2 Micro Planar – this is an interesting and as far as I’m aware, unique, tribrid driver config.
- Overall a very engaging listen
- Very different from the run of the mill Harman tuned or Neutral with Bass Boost trend (in a good way). Taking a look at the frequency response, I was quick to assume that it would sound weird but I was wrong!
- Fun bass – very, very punchy and well textured. There is a good amount of both sub bass and midbass.
- Mids have a good amount of body without being too muddied – Phoenixcall graphs with a good amount of midbass which one would assume would bleed into the mids and make it sound overly muddy but if anything, it’s still able to maintain a semblance of a clean sound all things considered.
- Treble is slightly forward but never too much
- Soundstage is above average and imaging is decent – resolution is decent – not amazing but okay for the price.
- Vocals are very sweet sounding – both male and female vocals are forward in the mix nicely
- Build is very solid and the aesthetics are surprisingly quite nice – it’s a nice looking IEM and with two color choices, it’s bound to please a lot of people
- Box and accessories are par for course – a decent cable, with carrying case, and an assortment of tips are included as well as a gold plated bookmark/pendant
- Price: $129, available on Amazon or Hifigo
| Pros | Cons |
| • Very engaging listen • Authoritative Bass • Unique tuning • Unique Tribrid Driver Config • Smooth treble response | • Might be a little too intense • Not the most technical IEM even at this price • A tad shouty • Not an all-rounder |
Build and Accessories:
The Phoenixcall comes in a nice, solid box that includes the following:
- Gold colored metal bookmark – I surprisingly do like how this looks and wouldn’t mind using it
- A very nice and well behaved cable with no microphonics
- A small leather, puck-shaped carrying case,
- An assortment of eartips
- The IEMs themselves
It’s clear that a lot of thought was put into the packaging and the overall unboxing experience was surprisingly nice.
The IEMs themselves are smaller in size and made of what seems to be high quality resin. Depending on the color you choose the wiring and drivers will be on full display, which is a nice touch, given the unique driver configuration. Build quality is as solid as any nicer resin IEM I’ve handled and due to the smaller size, I don’t think many people will have issues with fit.
Sound:
Overall: The overall sound signature is quite lush and engaging. It’s not a very clinical sounding IEM and would be well suited for anyone who thinks the flavor-of-the-month, Harman-inspired, or neutral with bass-boost IEMs are boring and thin sounding. It’s a very unique sound that surprisingly works a lot better than expected. The tuning, as far as I know, is unique, and would be a great addition to a growing collection of IEMs.
Bass: Bass is full and well-extended with a lot of physicality and oomph. The Phoenix dishes up a very healthy dose of midbass compared to most if not all of the popular IEMs today and does so in a very refreshing way. I think a lot of manufacturers are afraid of tuning midbass into their IEMs in fear of causing bloat or mud. For this reason, I actually find a lot of popular IEMs to be thin sounding and too clinical. This is not so with the Phoenixcall – bass is authoritative and physical here. But somehow, this doesn’t have as huge an effect on mids and clarity as I would have expected from looking at the frequency response.
Mids: Mids aren’t necessarily the highlight here but they’re not as recessed sounding as one would expect. There is a valley in the frequency response but from what I could tell, most instruments and voices aren’t affected by it too much. Both male and female vocals sound fairly natural and full bodied to me, both forward in the mix. And yes, I did mention above that the bass tuning doesn’t have as huge an effect on mids and clarity as expected, but there is still a bit of that – but not offensively so.
Upper Mids and Lower Treble: This is where things can get a bit dicey and part of the reason this is a more intense IEM – there is quite a bit of elevation in the upper mids and lower treble and this makes it slightly shouty. Those sensitive to this region may wish to look elsewhere. Another IEM I love, the Elysian x Effect Gaea does something similar here and as much as I love that IEM, I will admit, it’s definitely a polarizing tuning. As with the Gaea, I am fine with this tuning but it’s not one I can listen to for very long periods of time.
Treble: Treble is decently smooth and tapers off after about 10k. This makes prevents the Phoenixcall from ever being sibilant or sharp. It’s definitely on the slightly darker side of things, and this is especially noticeable in contrast to the “upper mid lower treble shelf.”
Technicalities: Stage is above average. Imaging is okay. Details and resolution are average. Timbre is surprisingly okay – nothing too wonky to my ears.
Summary:
This new addition to the pantheon of $100-$200 IEMs is well worth a look – it eschews all notions of what is correct (cough* Harman) and does its own thing. Usually when people stray too far off the beaten path, it’s in for a rough time – not this time. No, this is not a market defining or breaking IEM. And no it’s not going to replace all the Wan’er/Hola/Hexa/Aria/Kato/you name it IEMs many of you already own. But it’s not trying to do that. The Phoenixcall set out to do something different and to provide a different flavor to complement tuning/driver configs that have all but flooded the market. While I can’t recommend this IEM as a one and only IEM or for someone’s first IEM, the Phoenixcall still gets a solid recommendation from me, especially as an addition to a collection to provide either a different tuning or driver configuration.
