Having had the possibility to try so many different sets in a relatively short time I felt obliged to go ahead and express my gratitude by trying to help some lost souls out there, just as I was when I first stumbled upon this weird hobby about wired earphones – so yesteryear! … I thought. Possibilities are seemingly endless and only by getting to meet the right people did I manage to jump onboard the train heading the 'right' direction without getting off-track thousands of times along the way. Make sure to understand the helping person's preferences and you too can find your footing and hit the ground running in no time.
A Quick Intermezzo About Me
I won't bore you for too long with personal trivia, however my quick & short background resume goes as follows. Currently I am 27 years old and more in awe of sheer power of music by the day. I have always been moved by music just that slight bit more than average, I'd say. My spending started with a roughly 200€ Bose bluetooth speaker back in my first grade of highschool. What an extraterrestrial thing that was in early 2010s. And it keeps on playing to this day – a true testament of quality. Also sounded fantastic back then, nowadays … yeah, not so much. Lots of BT speakers, TWS, car audio speakers, IEMs, etc., later bring me to this day when I truly consider myself an audiophile. What brings me the most joy beside listening to music is singing, so I am currently participating in a choir and challenging myself with solo vocal covers (check the links in my signature to hear my projects). Unsure where all this leads, but the journey itself is marvelous and life is nothing but a journey.
How The Review is Structured
I will start off by mentioning the packaging and accessories, then place the showcased IEM in my special trademarked graph accompanied with other similarly priced IEMs I own and know well. Then I continue by giving it a score on certain qualities to help reach the final star score. Those that are seriously considering a beautiful looking and driver-packed set, please read the song examples below too to get as much of a feel on what one could expect. I really try my best to cover a wide variety to paint the sonic picture of the set for as many of you as possible. For this one, I will go ahead and take the liberty of comparing it directly to two other slightly lower-priced but well received single-dynamic-driver sets, so to get an idea of what this multitude of drivers of varied technologies does differently.
I will mention some songs of varied genres and try to convey what one can expect from the Kinera Celest Phoenixcall. As sources I have been using my FiiO BTR7 on high gain and Venture Electronics RA2B-FE + Prime DAC. Certainly no lack of power and quite a different taste on both. Listening was done at a volume ranging between 80-90dB. I am using the stock cable to keep it original in that regard and Divinus Velvet small-sized eartips (had to size down due to a lengthier and thicker nozzle than usual. I always review with fresh ears – no other IEM gets any ear-time while I am desperately collecting my thoughts regarding the reviewed item.
Disclaimer: I have received this unit
free of charge via Kinera in exchange for a review. I am
in no way incentivized to speak highly of this set. Should this review tip you over the edge and you decide on this IEM as your next purchase, I welcome you to check it out here:
AliExpress Kinera official site product link
Packaging & Accessories
With stock cable and Divinus Velvet Small eartips:
Unboxing experience is pretty nice, however it is ultimately let down by rather poor eartips which means looking for an aftermarket replacement is almost a must. The stock 4.4mm cable feels good and does the job well enough. I experienced no discomfort fit-wise, but these do have a rather long and stubby nozzle, so buyer beware.
Let's Get Going!
Graph & Scores
This trademarked graph I came up with does not come with a thick user manual. All you need to know is that sets further left are warmer than sets further right, and sets higher up are better technically than sets lower down. Those little yellow lines on both axis represent where sets with average technicalities and neutral overall balance lay. I have also added two other single DD representatives to better place the perceived tuning balance of the Phoenixcall – the Simgot EA500 LM and Kiwi Ears Singolo.
Here are my scores on the Phoenixcall in individual categories. All three subcategories of each of the frequency spectrums can be rated 1-5. Keep in mind that I am scoring regardless of the price, so cheaper sets getting a 3 in any given subcategory is already good going. I had to approach this in a simplistic manner so to keep it easy to understand and compare sets. Since this is my first more complex driver setup IEM and I had nothing to really directly compare it to this was not an easy task.
3 Song Examples With Comparisons to Two Single DDs
Instead of flowing through the songs and putting down my thoughts like I did in my reviews up until now, I will try to spice it up by offering a view of how the Phoenixcall compares against three very different single DDs. This helps those of you that might own or have at least heard any of the other sets to get a better idea of the Phoenixcall. Since this is a direct A/B comparison, expect some differences to be expressed in an overemphasized fashion just to clearly depict which is better – TO MY EARS AND MY LIKING.
Song #1:
First minute of this song offers a quick sample to test piano, bass, trombone, and sax timbre as well as female vocals and the perception of stage.
Creep by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox feat. Haley Reinhart
Just the beginning of this song shows so many differences among these three sets already that this will be an interesting challenge to attempt. I am not here to moan, though, so let's go!
This song allows me to understand lots of things about sets. First moments allow me to get to grips with set's bass balance, piano&vocal timbre, vocal placement, sibilance, spaciousness, 3D-ness, … So if I try to put some of these into context, it would read something like this. Bass on the Phoenixcall is not of basshead quantities. It prioritizes midbass over subbass and it paints a decently clean overall sonic picture. No issues of bass overflowing into low mids and messing with the piano in this instance. Bass stays in this smaller bubble which is either a good or a bad thing, depending on application. Here I am not bothered by that, since it allows for the rest of performers to take charge. Piano lacks that delicious note weight I myself am very sensitive to, but remains a piano throughout, so to say timbre is not an issue. Haley sounds very convincing and wonderful as she should, I would like to see her sonic image just a tad bit taller and further forward. Sibilance is handled very aptly and there is just the right amount of bite to instrumentation and vocals that float in that risky frequency range. Always a serious challenge not to overdampen the 6-8kHz range and end up with a thick sounding vocal and various strings. All performers have sufficient space between them to really be able to focus on either one should you wish to do so – then there is the everlasting debate about what do we listen to, a single performer or the song as a whole and in my mind a good set should be able to do both. Keep the cohesiveness and flow of the song untouched while really delivering the absolute detail of whichever single part of the arrangement. Here I feel the Phoenixcall does very well actually, but do not come in expecting endgame detail retrieval nor resolution. And about 3D-ness, I would prefer a bit more depth capabilities to really round of the images since they do sit a bit flat in a 2D scene. Talking about the whole package I would happily judge this performance as an 8/10.
In a quick A/B comparison the Singolo feels a lot more bassy which in turn means the perceived mids and highs are much calmer vs Phoenixcall. It also feels much more rounded around its edges, which manifests in lesser detail retrieval and technical prowess throughout. I do not really feel it has any serious advantage in regards to cohesiveness either, despite being a single DD. Treble is worse in just about every metric, but it luckily does not come off as sibilant either. There is still no 3D-ness so it remains a flat sounding stage. Piano has a bit better note weight, so it is a bit more pleasing to my ears on the Singolo. Stage is wider on the Singolo.
And as for the EA500 LM, the first thing I notice is the vocal placement being more to my taste in a taller and more forward manner. Piano sounds clearer and just a bit more convincing here overall. The forwardness of vocals is slightly ruined by the fact the sibilance region is not as well executed as on the Phoenixcall which means every now and then the sibilant sounds come out a bit too prominently, at least for my younger ears. I would have to say it sounds a bit better connected or flowing overall too as the Phoenixcall which might be down to the reduced mids on Phoenixcall just before the pinna gain. Treble is good on both, but I'd give it to the Phoenixcall by a hair.
Song #2:
Progressive rock in all its glory. A very good indication of detail retrieval, male vocal, guitars, drums.
Depth of Self-Delusion by Riverside
What first comes to my attention is the good placement of these little sound ornaments at the start. I do get a sense of lighter note weight immediately too, and when drums join I am lacking their elasticity and heft. Hihats though, are delicately done and very pleasing. His vocal is slightly too lightly coloured overall which is down to the midrange tuning which is bound to work with some vocals while not so much with others. Guitars are done tastefully and free of veil. This tune sounds just a bit rough around the edges on the Phoenixcall with certain qualities done tremendously well while other aspects do not work well here. It becomes a bit of a messy listen and therefore a 5/10.
Singolo immediately thereafter is an interesting change of pace. Overall balance sounds much more appropriate for this sort of genre. It adds additional warmth while carefully dealing with potentially problematic areas. It is definitely not as revealing a listen as the Phoenixcall, however. His vocal is much more singular unlike on the Phoenixcall where it feels torn to different particles. I would have to give the advantage for this sort of genre to the Singolo.
EA500 LM is the most revealing of the three which is quite a feat considering it is a single driver. Tonality-wise it is a welcome awakening of the Singolo while not being as bright as the Phoenixcall which is solely down to how well the low bass balances the otherwise very prominent treble of the LM which is not the case on the Phoenixcall. Phoenixcall does a better job of calming down the risky areas than the LM, which is a messy listen when drums and guitars get going. Not as smooth as the Singolo, so for such genres it would be quite tiring to listen to the whole album.
Song #3:
Oh, welcome crazy bass lines, please make yourselves comfortable along with tasteful drops and story-telling male vocals about an ill-intentioned lady.
Love is a Bitch by Two Feet
This song has a tendency to make the listener turn up the volume to feel those low notes. Since the subbass is greatly reduced on the Phoenixcall this will be a tough task to accomplish. Nonetheless, I am listening to the other aspects as well and lack of subbass is not necessarily the final nail in the coffin. Right from the beginning the low notes are well handled and there is no sense of distortion. They feel athletic and readily available. His voice is not too bothered by the unorthodox midrange tuning and compliments the low end very wonderfully with ample naturalness to the sound and an overall enjoyable manner. The beginning rainstorm floats around the head freely while acompanied with a sweet guitar. The circumference of the raining sounds is very healthily above average and decently detailed. With other elements joining the mix the low bass becomes insufficient to really power this song home. Still, it is a very well executed and joyous listen which earns it a score of 7/10.
Soon after switching to Singolo, I can sense the rainstorm circling in a completely different elyptical shape with ample width but less forwards and backwards sense of separation. Guitar is also not as delicate and soothing on the Singolo. Oh, but then the low rumble comes and the tube of the Singolo and its large DD are in another league in that regard. His vocals are better placed here, but a bit more dim or smoky. The hihats are just a bit too pronounced here and due to the fact I feel the Singolo's worst part is the treble they become very annoying in that main part. Bass is a totally different beast, but overall I prefer how the Phoenixcall renders this tune.
EA500 LM's rain sounds the most true to life. Guitar is very detailed too, but just a bit more digitalised than on the Phoenixcall. LM is not shy in low bass, but it does not stand out as much because of the treble being even more prominent and aggressive. I would have to EQ certain areas of the LM for this song to really gel with my ears. It comes off just a bit too sharp. Perfect combination for this tune would be the LM's bass with Singolo's vocal placement and Phoenixcall's treble.
To keep it a bit more brief and readable, this concludes my song examples and hopefully you found some information that proves useful to your decision-making in the everlasting dilemma of To Buy or Not To Buy. Should you be interested in any other songs in particular, please do not hesitate to ask!
To Sum Up The Kinera Celest Phoenixcall
Phoenixcall is a gorgeous set that packs various driver technologies in an attractive shell. It boasts a nicely balanced frequency range where in particular I would say the treble is nicely done, while mids and bass are an acquired taste and need some more understanding of your own preferences before committing to purchasing. In regards to bass, one needs to prefer a lean towards midbass over subbass while the mids are a special sort and do better with certain vocals. Do keep in mind this set fits rather deep too.
Thanks for reading and stay wonderful.
Nice review, enjoying you reviews, not every IEM earns a 4 to 5 star review, exactly like it should be. Keep your honestly going in them.