Many think I am spoiled by top setups. I’ve decided to argue with that and to listen to cheaper headphones. Here and there you can see Andromeda killers for 3 cents. That’s what you need to hear! Well, let’s go! Kinera Tyr. The cheapest model in the lineup and sometimes eartips cost more than those iems, you can buy them here for just 30 USD. But what will you get for such price?
Brand hexagonal box with beautiful printing. And yes, they are not showing off, but the packaging looks really attractive, expensive and striking. Not a shame to buy this one for a present.
The upper part of the box is taken off and brings internals to our attention. Hexagonal paper congratulating the owner and asking to join the social network of the manufacturer. Apart from that you will get non-practical leather pouch of round form. And yes, the IEMs are there too. And eartips. There are 2 sets of those — one stock made of grey quality silicone, the second pair resembles the ones from Dita audio but with broader and shorter nozzle.
Strange, there are no stock eartips in senior models, but there are Final audio tips. Given that they are brand, the product looks respectable.
The IEMs are of compact size. Inside there is a 6mm micro driver, so the body is made in the shape of not thick cylinder that will suit almost any ears. The build quality is good, everything is of needed quality.
The cable is of course non-detachable (and it’s a plus in this segment). It’s not thick, it is soft and almost lacks microfone effect. It’s prone to tangles and has hands-free. The jack is therefore 4-pole. Overall impression is good, the IEMs look compact but not fragile.
Now, to the sound.
There is no sense in making the IEMs of this price range neutral and monitor, since when user seeks substitution for his stock phone earphones, he wants them to play fun. So the frequency graph is V-shaped with underlined massive lows and good emotions transmission.
Lows have good weight, they are accentuated and allow to feel all the frequency range power. To my taste, those are still not pure basshead, but the accent is there. It makes recordings sound more lively and emotional, convincing and involving.
Mids are laid back a little bit, but not too much. Vocals, guitars and other instruments do not hide and sound distinctive and emotional enough. Male vocals is roaring and textured, while female vocals sound high, as the recording demands.
The highs are slightly enhanced as well, but are not disturbing. They mainly support lows and mids to create involving sound, so you will definitely hear the instruments of this frequency range, but they won’t be moved forward too much. Yes, the IEMs are not overly detailed and but still Kinera Tyr can transmit most of the recording precisely and correctly.
The soundstage is not the widest and is built around vocalist and drummer who usually get preference. Even if it’s not true every time, such presentation is very involving and emotional, so we can forgive it.
Summing up, Tyr stand very firm in terms of design, presentation and sound. They can be well paired with phone, especially if it’s an audiophile phone on Sabre, for example.
Translated by: Vadim Kolchev
