Build, Design and Fit
Kinera Hodur is a serious-looking IEM. The shape is identical to other budget models in the market, and it has a small form factor. The colour scheme is full dark blue with my sample, but you can also get the black version. Kinera & Hodur logos are printed on the shells.
Kinera claims that these shells are made by a CNC 5-axis process, and they’re full aluminium. The quality is excellent overall, with two pieces assembled. The nozzles are also unibody, and they have a wax filter on the tips. The build quality is satisfying and quite impressive with a seamless transition and an integrated nozzle structure.
These tips are quite good for a rigid and secure fit. The shape is similar to various FiiO or Sennheiser IEMs. This is a low-profile design with small shells and they don’t stick out at all. The shells are also lightweight so it’s overall a comfy experience. The package provides a lot of tips to choose from and I’m sure you will find the best pair for your ears. I recommend the Final Audio tips and I use them with almost every universal IEM.
Sound
The Kinera Hodur has a nice sound performance for the price. The sound is on the warm side, especially in terms of bass. With that, it also is an energetic monitor with good brightness in the treble region. The mid-range doesn’t have much colour but there’s good definition and musicality.
The Hodur sounds clean, full, natural, and organic. It has a good kick and punch in the bass, a sufficient quantity in the treble region with a smooth approach. The overall presentation is very warm, a bit mechanical, and resolving with good transparency.
Bass
Lows are impactful, but it’s not a bass-head IEM by any means. It is surprisingly quick with good decay and recovery though. It is heavily focused on mid-bass with a mechanical sound without much fluidity but you have a nicely controlled and textured bass nevertheless.
The bass overall is not muddy or boomy, but since the mid-bass is the heavily focused area, the sub-bass is subdued without much rumble. This custom dynamic driver does not behave like other dynamics that we’re accustomed to. The fat mid-bass response creates a congested presentation in this area, so lower mids can’t shine through that much.
The dynamic range in the bass is not great. The rumble is missing at times and bass hits feel mechanical without much texture or depth. Overall I found the bass tuning to be limited in terms of texture and depth. You can enjoy Hodur’s bass in instrumental music though, as it performs nicely in that regard.
Mids
Mids are quite neutral, but with a good definition. The instruments sound full, and the vocals sound realistic, with a creamy and smooth nature. The transparency is not the best, and it’s not the most detailed, but it makes up for it with a beautiful organic timbre. This IEM is built to give a smooth musical delivery, and it certainly impresses on that part.
Note size is quite good as well, so this is a great IEM for natural tonality lovers. It has a well-balanced mid-bass region so you have a realistic note size for every instrument. So I found the mids to be very musical. The resolution in this area is very nice as well, although not mind-blowing for the price.
Mids have good detail and a good amount of air and space. They’re also nicely defined and full-bodied. Overall a very audiophile-oriented mid-range with excellent authenticity and realism.
Treble
The treble is energetic and detailed with good definition. The extension is nice, and the treble resolution is good. But these two aspects are not hugely impressive. I think the high-frequency range is not the best part about the Hodur, but I’ve found the delivery to be quite controlled.
The whole lower treble region is not overly boosted to improve overall clarity, and it certainly is not aggressive. The treble is under control and it’s not fatiguing or prone to sibilance, but it’s still just a tiny bit bland and plain to me. This is not a bright treble performance, but rather a controlled one.
If you’re a treble-head you might find yourself a bit bored after a long listening session because it’s not bright or sparkling at all. It all comes down to the preferences here. If you’re after a warm-sounding IEM with a smoothed-out treble, then this might suit you. I liked the fact that it’s highly controlled with a good definition.
Page 1: Intro, About, Design, Package
Page 3: Technical Performance, Comparisons, Conclusion
