Kinera Tyr review

I was offered a pair of Tyr for a review. They didn’t look like much at first glance, but the first impression can be deceiving so I accepted the offer. Few long weeks later, thanks to COVID-19, when I already forgot about them, they arrived at my doorstep. I put them through their paces to see what are they made of.

PACKAGE, BUILD, FIT

In the small hexagonal box you’ll find just bare essentials. There’s a flat leather-like carrying case that looks stylish, ear tips and earbuds themselves. For the low price of $29 I couldn’t ask for more. The cable is not detachable, it looks thin and doesn’t tangle at all. On the bad side, it is very microphonic and you can hear every rub against your clothes. Earphones themselves look to be made of aluminum. They’re very small and light. Once fitted properly into the ear they stayed there securely.

Both tangle-free but microphonic cable, as well as small and lightweight earbuds remind me of Sennheiser Momentum In-ear I reviewed recently.

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SOUND QUALITY

I hooked them to several of my DACs including Dragonfly Black. They proved quite easily driven and not picky about the source so I settled with Hidizs Sonata HD attached to my phone.

The sound signature is V-shaped with prominent bass notes, recessed lower mids, and some prominent upper midrange and higher frequencies. What this means is that bass is pleasantly punchy and weighty. It’s not that fast and well-controlled but it is also never that bloomy and blurry to become overbearing. At this price point that is always a plus. The midrange, on the other hand, is not the kind I’m really fond of. There’s a peak around 3-4 kHz giving that hard and thin feeling to vocals. Than there’s another peak around 6-7 kHz to add some sibilance to those vocals too. Both of these are elevating that upper part of voice registers, sharpening them artificially, and leaving me wanting for more body and fullness.

EQ-ing them a bit proved really helpful in my experience. I did this inside of my Hibby player:

250 Hz + 1 dB
500 Hz + 2 dB
1 kHz + 1 dB
7 kHz – 2 dB

And the sound became much juicier and more pleasurable to my ears.

Outside of the frequency response, things are working nicely. We have decent drive and energy that are making these a fun listen. Dynamics are fine too, as good as any in-ear I heard at this price range.

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COMPARISON

I’ll just quickly compare them to two models.

Senfer DT6 – are bigger and heavier IEMs with a detachable braided cable that is quite prone to microphonics. DT6 sound juicer and fuller with vocals, more smooth and much less sibilant. I can imagine some would choose Tyr for more bass and treble boost that brings excitement. Not me, between the two, I’d choose DT6 every time.

Sennheiser Momentum In-ear – made by Sennheiser but caries some striking similarities. Tangle prone but microphonic cable, lightweight approach, and good fit are all the same. Hefty bass, recessed mids, lean and sibilant vocals… again the same. Any difference? Well yes, in styling, brand, and pricing.

CONCLUSION

Kinera Tyr will not change the landscape of the affordable IEMs market. Their sound signature has its quirks and it’s not really my cup of tea, but they do have their qualities. For anyone liking a V-shaped approach and sharpened upper midrange, these can offer decent fun. They’re small, light, and carry a reasonable price tag.

AliExpress.com – KINERA TYR Dynamic Driver In Ear

KINERA TYR – CHARACTERISTICS

Single 6mm Micro Dynamic Driver Unit Impedance: 16 Ohms Sensitivity: 105 dB +/- 1 dB Frequency Response Range: 20 Hz – 20 kHz Plug Type: 3.5 mm Non-Detachable Mic Cable