Kinera Freya Review

Today I share my full review of the $250 USD priced Kinera Freya Universal IEM.

 

Disclaimer: The Kinera Freya was provided by HifiGo. You can purchase the Freya here.

Budget-Fi Hybrids

As technology becomes cheaper and more reachable each day, we see new hybrid IEMs with more affordable price levels. These IEMs offer great performance for the money. Some companies are pushing all the time to offer great value with their hybrid offerings, and Kinera is one of them. I reviewed their more expensive option around some time ago which is the Nanna, and it earned a spot on our  Best Universal IEMs page with its tremendous performance.

About Kinera Freya

Kinera operates in China under Yutai Electronics, which was established in 2010. This electronics company has the determination to develop a new generation of high – tech products for the consumer market. You can go to their Facebook page to get more information.

Our goal is to bring the most valuable earphones to the market.

I have written three Kinera reviews before, and those were of the Idun, Odin and Nanna respectively. Kinera continues to give the model names after mythology. This time, Freya represents the most beautiful goddess among the gods, in charge of love and beauty.

Freya is a hybrid IEM with one Dynamic Driver and three Balanced Armature Drivers. The setup is very common and well-known with many hybrid models beforehand, but it’s nice to see a somewhat cheaper hybrid around, compared to some other IEMs that cost twice or triple the price.

Packaging

The Kinera Freya again arrives with a hexagonal-shaped package as its other models before. The box looks like a fine Swiss chocolate package at first sight. To me, the box and its content are more than satisfying for an IEM with this price tag. A truly impressive unboxing experience. I simply loved the fact that they retain this experience for a lower-priced model.

You have much more than you expect for 250$. You even get smartphone headphone adapters for both Apple and Android users. This wonderfully rich content is extraordinary and I give it 10 out of 10 without hesitation. You get 9 pairs of silicone tips as well. 3 pairs are white and the rest are black. I think white tips compliment this color scheme nicely.

The carrying case has a base color of white and the lid has the same color tones as the IEMs face-plate. The carrying case is just as aesthetic as the IEM itself, and it’s very practical to use. It nicely completes this premium package content for securely protecting your IEMs. Very elegant and aesthetically pleasing.

The cable is the same one that comes with the Nanna, so no compromise in there as well. The ergonomics of this cable is excellent and connectors sit in slightly recessed socket areas.

Build, Design and Fit

Kinera Freya is a gorgeous looking IEM with a very impressive face-plate design. The sample I have is the white version which looks quite feminine, reflecting the associated model name. There’s also a black colored version if you find this design too pinky or too feminine. However, I think the color scheme is fantastic for female users.

The white Freya has beauty of red, tenderness of purple, and fearlessness(nobility) of gold.

Kinera claims that these shells are hand-painted which to me is even more impressive because of the asking price of this model. As I understand, these shells are 3D printed but technicians apply that marvelous paint and colors onto the shells. The result is simply great and especially the face-plate area is outstanding.

The IEM has a three-bore design just like the Nanna and the tips hold nicely on the nozzles. These tips are excellent for a rigid and secure fit. The Freya has a very nice shape for most ears. The new budget model is shaped like a semi-custom IEM which fits great to my ears. I wish the Nanna had this kind of a semi-custom shape. The package provides a lot of tips to choose from and I’m sure you will find the best pair.

The review continues on PAGE 2 with the part on sound.

4.5/5 - (35 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

3 Comments

  • Reply October 22, 2020

    Adrian

    Before i start there are 2 version of freya, the pre-production one with warmer sound signature and the mass production one which you will receive should you order one right now with brighter sound signature. i dont know which version this guy reviewing but as an owner of freya since august im obliged to make this thing right and prevent disappointment of future owners. this review, either the reviewer is so incapable or he just review the preproduction one (you can ask the kinera yourself if you dont believe me).

    the bass, while i agree there are no mid bass hump, but it bleeds like crazy. i know the bass quantity wasn’t that much, but for every time the song call for it, the bass always find a way to ruin the whole song and bleed to mid. i know it sounds weird, but when the song doesn’t require any bass presence, the mid just running clearly just fine that you wont expect the bass would be this catasthropic.

    the upper mid is also crazy, as it using 2 knowles BA on mid frequency and 1 cheap custom BA on high frequency the result is very crazy, while the mid is pretty decent and sounded very clear with good clarity because it runs by Knowless BA, the upper mid region and above is very dry and piercing, it coming from a treble head who use Campfire IO as a daily driver. The treble, while i crave for a more extended high frequency, upper mid region sounded so dry and hella piercing.

    I can feel Kinera so desprate to control the Dynamic driver so it doesn’t produce mid bass hump, but their solution to it just producing very weird bass that bleed at a certain part of the song. Since they give a lot of gimmick and excellent IEM shell, they seemed like going out of budget and push in some random cheap ass BA to run the high frequency, not only it sounds so incoherent and very rough transition from mid to high freq, it also sound very dry and piercing. not to mention you can feel the imbalance tonality quality on mid and high frequency, while the mid sounds so detail and reproducing instrument very well, but upper mid region just sucks, i mean theoretically drier sound should have better dynamic range.

    Also, the Type C DAC dongle has compatibility issue, tried to connect it to Samsung Note 9, Galaxy A50 and Redmi Note 9pro, everything came to no avail. I also tried it to plug it to Asus and Surface laptop and they don’t respond at all. i know it just a marketing gimmick, but please throw something useable on it.

    • Reply October 23, 2020

      Berkhan

      Hello Adrian.

      I appreaciate your take on this one. I don’t think I have the pre-production version since it doesn’t sound warm whatsoever. As I stated in the review it sounds bright, neutral and even cold sometimes. However, may I ask what sources did you use it with?

      There’s a little bleed in the bass but I don’t agree that it’s on a crazy level. It’s just a bit loose and it dissipates a bit too much just like I remarked in the review. Again, the source plays a role here.

      It doesn’t sound piercing or aggressive to me. While I agree that it’s bright and open, I don’t think it’s uncontrolled. This also comes down to your source device.

      The Type C dongle works fine with my Xiaomi phone.

  • Reply January 31, 2022

    Adalberto

    Adrian,

    This is a reply to an old comment-hope you are well after all the world has been through.

    I also have and enjoy the Campfire IO. I can see how back then you found the IO so superior if you got used to the IO’s unique signature. It has a bit of mids, then a bit of a “hollow” space, and finally wonderful treble and extension.

    I agree with Mr Berkhan in this review and reply above. My model is also a retail version. It is not ultra bright, or crazy whatsoever. I most certainly believe that you may need to find a better fit and tips for your ears. For my taste-which may be very different than yours-the stock clear/white tips or AZLA Crystal tips are “better” than the good , final E tips provided by Kinera. A relatively shallow insertion also works better *for me*-with some tips, a deep insertion, while possible, can sound overly upper-middy, and this is a model that already excels in this area. While the Crystal tips are well-known for mids, they actually “add” extended bass and a bit of treble extension, balancing the tonality without reducing its wonderful midrange.

    The Freya are a wonderful sounding set of IEMs beyond its superb aesthetics. Very beguiling tonal signature, addictive, and extremely good with instruments such as the violin. Please try it and make up your own mind if you have not already. Often “famous” or well-known reviewers can put too many biases in listener’s minds-for better or worse.

    My only caveat about the Freya is that if you dislike upper mids and must at all times have a tonal signature with more relaxed mids-if you find even the mildest mid-emphasis as “shouty”-these may not be the best match for you. But they sound quite “high-end” for the relatively affordable price. I love it, and am also a treble-head that did not find any issues with the upper mids and treble, but some people are used to way warmer or darker tonalities. The Freya does not follow a Harman curve, but I agree with Mr. Berkhan it is similar to-in my case-the ER4SR, with a bit more natural bass and a bit of spice on the mids. More neutral than “fun”, but also with its own, quite beautiful tonal flavor.

    Be well. Hope this comment finds everyone healthy and happy.

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