Review: Kinera Odin – Musical

Kinera Odin

Synergy

With Chord Hugo, the Odin sounds full bodied with great mid performance and imaging. The sound stage is very realistic and the timbre feels so nice and sweet. Bass has very good kick with mid bass on focus, but it overall does not get in the way too much. Treble is articulated and it’s positioned nicely. The micro detail pickup is very nice as well.

With the Sony WM1A the sound opens up a bit with wider staging and good imaging as well. The warmth and full bodied approach with musical quality is still there, but not as much as the Hugo. The vocals sound clean with good resolution, and the sound is very controlled and romantic at the same time. I think the WM1A is a very good companion when it comes to Odin.

With the Lotoo Paw Gold things are around the same as with the Hugo. Good midbass body, nicely presented vocals and tonality. The sound stage is a bit closer but the treble sounds very nice this time around with good air. The musicality and organic approach with an analog feeling is still there, especially with instruments and vocals. And again, the detail retrieval is very good.

Comparisons

vs. Kinera Idun: The Idun is a hybrid model with a price tag that is 7 times less then the Odin. So they sound very different than each other. The Idun sounds more open and it has a nice clarity for its price range. The midbass body is not that apparent and that provides a sound that feels more open and wide.

However the Odin is the more realistic monitor with great tonality and full bodied sound. The Idun feels quite thin when you listen to the flagship model. Instrument presentation is very impressive in Odin and to be honest the Idun doesn’t put up much of a fight.

Kinera Odin

Kinera Odin

vs. Oriolus MK2: The MK2 is still a relevant IEM in today’s market and I still see people purchasing the updated Reborn version. Overall the Oriolus has a better bass presentation top to bottom, and it has a larger soundstage. The mid area is the area that these two clash, and in the end it all comes to your preferences.

The Odin sounds more bodied in the mid section and it has a great tonality with a sweet presentation. The MK2 has thinner mids with less accentuation but it’s still very nice because of its airy hybrid sound with great resolution. But when it comes to timbre the Odin simply excels. So if you like to go with resolution the MK2 is the answer. If you want pure musical joy with the absolute tonality performance, the Odin is your pick.

vs. Earsonics EM6: The full bodied and dark EM6 is a close sounding IEM when I compare these two. The EM6 has a great bass performance for a BA monitor so the Odin has no chance here. However the Odin excels in the mid section again, and it overshadows the EM6 here. They both have soft treble with a forgiving approach. They have a similar staging performance as well. So the EM6 is the winner in bass department, and the Odin is victorious in mids. The other things are around the same in terms of quality.

vs. InEarz Nirvana: The Nirvana is also a warm sounding monitor. When you compare these IEMs briefly, the Odin again outperforms in mids, particularly in terms of accentuation and tonality. It also has slightly better resolution in here. Yet the Nirvana is simply better when it comes to overall bass performance and treble extension. They’re pretty close so it’s a same kind of choice like the EM6 vs Odin. The Nirvana for bass & treble, the Odin for mids and tonality. It also has a slight advantage for resolution.

Kinera Odin

Kinera Odin

vs. Hyla CE-5: Pretty much the same story. The CE-5 is the better one with it’s incredible bass performance and effortless, extending and articulated highs. The Odin again wins in the mid department with it’s great timbre and romanticism. For me this is the only area the Odin performs better than the CE-5, but that can be enough for many people depending on their preferences.

If you would like to know about different IEMs for comparison, let us now in the comment section below.

Conclusion

The Kinera Odin has flagship qualities like any comparable IEM in the market around the same price levels. Gorgeous design, perfect fit, generous package content and a nicely organic sound with good body and warmth. It could’ve ticked some more boxes, such as overall resolution and bass quality. Yet, that doesn’t change the fact that it provides a great mid reproduction. When you think about the market nowadays, it’s hard to find this kind of a sound.

In my opinion, the market now often targets the incredible bass response and tremendously extending treble, but they miss the importance of mid performance. So when I listen to an IEM like the Odin, I feel myself somewhat lucky. There aren’t too many IEMs that give this impressive tonality with sweet vocals, and realistic instrument presentation.

I especially recommend the Odin to the mid lovers.

4.3/5 - (38 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.

6 Comments

  • Reply April 9, 2019

    Ryuzaki

    can you compare it with anole v6?

    • Reply April 9, 2019

      Berkhan

      I can’t I’m afraid. I don’t have it.

  • Reply April 12, 2019

    Lord Sinister

    Thanks for the review.

    IMHO, it would be great to see at least 1 comparison of an IEM that can outperform the reviewed product. The majority of online reviews seems to be comparing closely matched items to benefit those looking at same/similar price range but I’m sure there are others who would be very interested in knowing, from your experience, the next level up…at least I do 🙂

    • Reply April 27, 2019

      Berkhan

      You can find outperforming IEMs such as MK2 and CE-5 in the comparison section.

  • Reply May 24, 2020

    Dave

    Hello Berkhan, thank you for the review.
    Could you please compare the Kinera Odin with the Empire Ears EVR and/or Noble Audio Kaiser Encore?
    thank you 🙂

    • Reply May 26, 2020

      Berkhan

      Hi Dave,

      I can’t compare it with the EVR, but I can say the Encore technically is a much better IEM than the ODIN. Not as much as musical or warm though.

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