Kinera H3 In Ear Headphones Review

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Kinera H3 Pros&Cons

Kinera H3 Specs

• Impedance: 48Ω
• Drivers: 2x Balanced Armatures + 1x Dynamic driver
• Frequency response: 20-20,000 Hz
• Sensitivity: 101dB
• Cable length: 120cm
• Cable connections: 2-pin

 

Packaging

Kinera actually did a pretty good job with the packaging for the H3. Whilst it doesn’t exactly scream “premium!”, it’s still enough to pretty much compete with that of the Dunu DK-3001 ($499). Really, how much more can we expect for a $99 set of IEMs?
However, the packaging also does give us a glimpse into some minor quality control issues. The “Kinera H3” logo isn’t quite centred on the flip-cover (slightly shifted over to the right).

Flipping up the magnetic cover reveals the storage case (which contains the H3, cable, and various eartips), 1/4″ adapter, and aircraft adapter.

 

 What’s in the box?

• H3
• Semi-hard storage / carrying case
• 3x Pairs “hybrid” silicon eartips
• 1/4″ adapter
• Aircraft adapter
• Instruction manual
• “Thank You” card

Accessories

Unfortunately, the one thing you shouldn’t expect form the H3 is for you to be spoiled with a lot of accessories. Actually, scratch that – Kinera was kind enough to include a case, 1/4″ adapter, and airline adapter. The only thing that is actually lacking are the number of included eartips. We only get 3 pairs of what seem to be Sony Hybrid-style eartips.

 Read: MEE Audio Pinnacle P1 In Ear Headphones Review

Design

One thing that takes most people by surprise is just how similar the H3 looks and feels like a proper custom-made IEM. Kinera offers the H3 in 3 transparent-coloured variants; black, red, and blue. Judging from pictures that have been posted on their Facebook page and by other reviewers, the red and blue colours look especially great, whereas the black (or smoke?) version is a lot more stealthy.
The thing that sets the H3 apart (design-wise of the shell) from much pricier CIEMs really comes down to some quality control oversights. The clear layer has a few imperfections (bubbles) and where the faceplate is attached to the main shell, the seam isn’t, well, seamless. Also, the metal filter / wax-guard in the nozzle isn’t entirely secure. This could lead to it falling out, or falling into the shell. At the $99 asking price of the H3, these imperfections aren’t a deal-breaker, should we expect better? I think we should.
However, perhaps the biggest flaw with the design of the H3 is the fact that the nozzle does not have a barb. This means that you’ll be quite limited with which eartips can be used, as they’ll need to be tight-fitting enough to avoid them staying behind in your ear canals when removing the H3. The included “hybrid-style” eartips seem to work well with the H3’s design.

One aspect which we really must compliment Kinera on is how surprisingly comfortable the H3 is. Honestly, it not only looks very similar to a CIEM, but feels like one in the ear too. It feels almost as well-designed and comfortable as the EarSonics ES3. Almost, but not quite.

Internally the H3 houses a single dynamic driver, 2 balanced armature drivers, as well as a proper 3-way crossover network.  The included 6N silver-plated cable is also pretty much on par with the cable included with the MEE Audio Pinnacle P1. Although, we should note that this cable does not include a mic or in-line remote.

 

Sound

Test Setup
Source: Shanling M2s
DAC/Amp: IFI Micro iDSD Black Label

 

Ok, Kinera genuinely took us by surprise here. For a company that is so relatively unknown (compared to others like Brainwavz, Fiio, Dunu, etc), Kinera has made a big impact with the H3.
No, the it isn’t perfect…but damn does it pack a punch.

Much like the imperfections of the shell, sound-wise there are a few things to pick at, but let’s consider what it does really well first.

Starting off in the bass region, the H3 reaches in deep and presents you with somewhat warm, and full bass notes. Whilst it certainly isn’t the most well-controlled bass presentation, it isn’t a wildly loose and/or muddy presentation either, and one which bleeds minimally into the mids.

Mids are well-placed; not in-you-face, but not overly-recessed either. Vocals are pleasantly full and present.

The H3 extends pretty darn well into the higher frequencies, and the only thing holding it back from really shining, in terms of outright clarity, are the peaks at 6kHz and 8kHz (as shown on the FR graph below).

As a result, things can sometimes come across as leaning just ever so slightly into the brighter side of the spectrum, but for the most part it is indeed reasonably well-balanced.
Really, those 2 peaks are perhaps the H3’s only genuine sonic flaw. But in the same breath, these peaks also aren’t so extreme that you can’t learn to live with them.

 

Value

Figuring out the H3’s relative value really wasn’t a difficult task at all. Every so often we come across a product which is genuinely very, very good, but more often than not are priced in such a way that it simply isn’t accessible to a great number of people.
Thankfully, this isn’t the case with the H3.
To be perfectly frank, we absolutely love it when companies do this; when they bring out a product which is, in all honestly, truly good, but doesn’t require a small bank-loan to purchase.

No, the H3 doesn’t have the most refined sound, nor does it have a flawless design. But in essence, that really sums up the H3 – it simply lacks refinement. The H3 has the basics nailed, and it’s clear in which direction Kinera are taking their products. It’s just that last bit of refinement that you don’t get with the H3. But, considering the extremely competitive pricing, would that extra fraction of refinement be worth an extra $100 or $200? Because really, that’s what you’ll end up paying in order to get things significantly better.

In conclusion, the H3 does a whooooole lotta right, and the things it does do wrong are really very minor when you consider the $99 price…except of course the quality control issues. That really does need to be fixed.

 

Rating

The TECH MERIT rating system is designed to take as many aspects of the device into account as possible. As such, we have a basic rating, as well as a final rating. The basic rating rates the product purely as a high quality portable audio device, and is generally a good indicator of how it stacks up to its rivals in terms of standard features and specs. The final rating, however, grants bonus points for any extra features and specs that aren’t quite as common, and is a great way to judge the product as a complete package.

Packaging
Look and feel: 8 / 10

Included Accessories
More than 3 pairs of eartips included: –
Protective case: YES

Build
Quality control: 6 / 10
Seems durable: YES
Microphonics: 9 / 10
Comfort: 9 / 10

Sound
Relatively balanced signature: YES
Soundstage: 7 / 10
Detail retrieval: 8 / 10
Sibilance: 8 / 10
Instrument separation: 7 / 10
Isolation: 8 / 10
Hiss: 10 / 10

Portability
Small size: 8 / 10
Relatively low power required: 8 / 10
Weight: 10 / 10

Value
Competitive price-point: YES
Relative value: 10 / 10

Basic Rating: 8.1

Bonus points
Removable cables: YES
Number of cables included: 1
Premium cables: YES
Pairs of eartips above 3 pairs: –
How premium the case looks and feels: 6 / 10
Battery life above 8 hours: –
Bluetooth: –
Apt-X: –
Volume/remote controls: –
Metal body: –
Tuning system: –
Premium look and feel: YES
Use of exotic materials: –
Bluetooth connection quality: –
1/4” adapter included: YES
Cable management: YES
Aircraft adapter: YES

Final Rating: 8.8

 

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