Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
Product Strengths
- Absolutely gorgeous design, made of real wood with meticulous craftsmanship
- Excellent selection of included tips, ensuring a good fit for most users
- Spacious soundstage with good depth and well-defined spatial imaging
- Good quality bass with good texture and impact
- Clean, smooth, detailed treble with excellent extension and energy
Product Considerations
- Tips can come off easily due to the lack of a lip on the IEM, requiring caution when removing from ears
- Bass quantity is light and recessed, not ideal for bass heads
- Midrange, especially vocals, is somewhat pushed back due to the forward treble
- Treble response can be piercing and harsh, distorting some frequencies for some listeners
- Included cable is decent but not the best, with some memory retention
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Compared to the Campfire Audio Solaris 2020, the Baldr 2.0 offers a more in-your-face presentation of detail compared to the Solaris 2020's smoother presentation
- The Baldr 2.0 is a step up in terms of treble presentation compared to the Fearless Audio Roland
- Compared to the original Baldr, the Baldr 2.0 has an extended bass response and improved soundstage and imaging, but highs may not be as smooth
Takeaway: The Kinera Imperial Baldr 2.0 is a beautiful IEM with a unique sound signature that audiophiles who appreciate detailed treble and a spacious soundstage will enjoy. These could be a good choice for those who like great sound and a fantastic look.
All
Imperial Baldr 2.0
reviews

Manufacturer details
- Model: Kinera Baldr 4 Sonions EST + 2 Knowles BA + 1 Kinera Customize DD
- Impedance: 22 ohm
- Sensitivity: 109 +/- 2 dB
- Frequency Response: 5Hz-20kHz
- Weight: 4.7± g
- Nozzle size: 6.58mm
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- Kinera's IEMs have uniquely artistic, hand-painted designs, making each pair a visually distinctive piece.
- They use a variety of driver technologies (DD, BA, EST, and even bone conduction) often combined in complex hybrid configurations, striving for a specific sonic goal which varies across product lines.
Select products
QoA Aviation 3 Knowles
- Position: An entry-level hybrid driver in-ear monitor designed for affordable high fidelity.
- Description: Features a combination of Knowles balanced armature and dynamic drivers with a meticulously designed cable. Compared to the rest of the lineup, it offers decent performance at a lower price point, ideal for buyers with tight budgets and basic functionality needs.
Kinera Imperial Skuld-5BA
- Position: A mid-range professional-grade in-ear monitor focused on precision and detail.
- Description: Uses a mix of customized BA units and Knowles drivers with a hand-painted design, ensuring a smooth flat frequency response ideal for critical listening in controlled environments. In comparison to entry-level options, it delivers superior technical refinement with enhanced build quality and deeper soundstage.
Kinera Imperial Baldr 2.0
- Position: A high-end, hybrid-driven in-ear monitor aimed at enthusiasts demanding flagship-level rigour.
- Description: Integrates multiple driver types—electrostatic, balanced armature, and a dynamic unit—with custom-tuned performance and detachable cables, providing powerful bass, detailed midrange, and open treble. Relative to the lower-priced models, it offers a richer, more nuanced sound signature along with advanced functions.
Kinera Imperial Loki 6
- Position: A premium, flagship in-ear monitor with an intricate multi-driver configuration for ultimate performance.
- Description: Combines Knowles, Sonion, dynamic, and composite drivers to create a balanced and expansive soundstage with precise frequency division, making it ideal for studio monitoring and demanding listening experiences in varied environments. Against other products in the lineup, it commands a higher price with its innovative driver mix and superior build quality.
Kinera Celest Wyvern Qing
- Position: A distinct upper-tier in-ear monitor blending Celest design heritage with innovative acoustic tuning.
- Description: Incorporates advanced acoustic engineering and premium materials to deliver a refined, immersive audio performance suitable for critical monitoring in larger, acoustically challenging spaces. When contrasted with Kinera's imperial series, it emphasizes aesthetic elegance and unique tuning characteristics.
Our take on the brand
Look inside the brand
Our interview with the brand
What are two key technological innovations or strong opinions that differ you from other brands?
What's your approach to customer support?
What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
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Used
Kinera
What if you spend more?
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Exceptional clarity and detail is delivered
- Impressive bass with a 'rumbly visceral impact'
- Well accessorized with over a thousand dollars in accessories
Product Considerations
- The size of the nozzle might be a dealbreaker
- Mid-range could be slightly recessed for some listeners, and may not have huskiness and depth in male vocals
- Soundstage may not be as large as some other IEMs
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Compared to the Kinera Balder, the Loki is nearly twice the price
- Compared to the Empire Ears Odin, it shared similar bass qualities
- Compared to the Letshuoer Cadenza, it has a similar hot and spicy treble profile
- Compared to the Noble Onyx, the Loki is clearer and more energetic in the treble, while the Onyx is warmer and smoother
Takeaway: The Imperial Loki is a high-end IEM with a unique driver configuration that delivers detailed sound and impactful bass. Its build quality and included accessories make it a compelling choice for those seeking a top-tier listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Product Strengths
- Excellent technical performance and detail retrieval, considered several cuts above other IEMs
- Outstanding imaging performance, with precise soundstage and instrument separation
- The bass response is a highlight, delivering a punchy sub-bass with texture and articulation
- Offers a warmer tonal balance that is easy to get into with a mostly 'neutral' sound
- Bone conduction enhances low-frequency extension, reverb, and detail
Product Considerations
- Large chassis that may be uncomfortable for some users, particularly those with smaller ears
- The subdued treble range may not provide enough energy and sparkle for some listeners
- Stock cable is lackluster in terms of usability due to its plasticky feel, rigidity, and microphonic feedback
- Driver flex (a harmless crinkling sound upon insertion) is present
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Legend Evo delivers a stronger bass impact, depth, and extension than the Legend X
- Legend Evo produces better constructed highs than the Legend X
- Legend Evo shows better clarity than the Legend X, and has more detail
- The Legend X can sound veiled concerning the Legend Evo
- The Legend Evo feels a touch smoother than the Empire Ears ODIN
Takeaway: The Legend Evo is a top-tier IEM with innovative bone conduction technology that creates a unique and immersive listening experience with enhanced bass. It is a great option for those seeking flagship-level performance with a warm, bass-focused sound signature.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Excellent detail retrieval, resolving with the best over-ear headphones, challenging the brain to take it all in.
- Wide soundstage with precise imaging, creating an immersive, holographic 3D image.
- Easy to drive, delivering speed and impact even with low-power sources.
- High level of craftsmanship and build quality, using premium materials like CNC-machined aluminum and Damascus steel faceplates.
- Comes with the Magnus cable, a high-quality 8-core cable constructed with graphene, monocrystalline silver, and copper-silver alloy.
Product Considerations
- Treble can become a bit hot and fatiguing over long periods, but can be mitigated by using foam ear tips.
- Bass presence is more nominal and cohesive, not dominant or overpowering like some bass-head IEMs.
- Fit may be an issue for some due to the larger-than-average size of the IEM.
- Could be fatiguing over time due to sensory overload from extreme detail.
- Some reviewers found that the upper mids/lower treble frequency range could use a little boost.
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Offers a stronger balance of detail, performance, and musicality, a fuller, richer midrange, and better texture and timbre, when compared to the Empire Ears Odin—Odin has stronger holographic separation, an intense sense of vocal performance, and more potential for fatigue.
Takeaway: The Noble Viking Ragnar is a top-tier IEM, offering incredible detail and a wide soundstage for an immersive listening experience. Its build quality and design are exceptional, making it a great choice for those who want some of the best IEMs in the market.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our summary
Product Strengths
- Tremendous transparency, offering a wealth of microdynamics and spatial cues, critical in determining positioning and layering.
- Incredibly clear sound, yet wrapped in a warm, lush, and inviting overall picture.
- Highs are extended, detailed, and wonderfully resolved, easily able to summon the ethereal or holographic when called for.
- The soundstage is quite impressive—deep, wide, with very good headroom, and holographic when called to be so.
- The shell design is comfortable with a short nozzle, and light weight.
Product Considerations
- The treble is a little bit relaxed, and some songs may not cut through the way they need to.
- Amplifiers for this particular headphone are going to matter, and they are going to make a difference between several different amplifiers.
- The bass does not bring the rumble, nor the impact, nor does it reach to the stygian depths of the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail.
- Though the Odin provides for a comfortable fit, it can be uncomfortable for people who have really small ear holes, as the stem itself is quite wide.
- The 'Bifröst' faceplate design might be too flashy for some.
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Empire Ears Zeus: The Odin smashes the Zeus all day, every day, for sound quality, with a better midrange and significantly nixed highs.
- Vs 64 Audio U12T: Odin is at least as good, if not better, in the mids and the bass, and has better punch and slam to the bass frequencies.
- Vs Empire Ears Legend X: The Odin is a much more balanced-tuned IEM.
- Vs 64 Audio Tia Forte: The Odin has a more agreeable frequency response.
- Vs Thieaudio Monarch: The Monarch has a really nice bass shelf, but the Odin has better technical performance and a better frequency response.
Takeaway: The Empire Ears Odin offers an easygoing listening experience and clear sound, and has tight bass response with a great midrange. It could be a great choice for those seeking a warm IEM with finesse.
Video review
Our take on the brand
What competes at this price?
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Airy and highly detailed treble region
- Solid soundstage and imaging performance
- Premium unboxing and jewelry-like design
- Comfortable fit due to ergonomic shape with smooth edges
- One of the most premium designs
Product Considerations
- Lean lower midrange
- Limited selection of ear tips for the price tag
- The shells are slightly larger, and the earpieces stick out slightly, so one cannot lie comfortably
- Cable build could be better, as it feels a bit flimsy
- Polished version is prone to scratches and fingerprints
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Viking Ragnar: The ThorKing is cheaper with slightly less performance, but it is a little less fatiguing in the treble range
Takeaway: The Kinera ThorKing is a uniquely designed IEM that offers detailed sound and a comfortable fit. Its technical performance is on par with its peers, making it worth checking out.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Impressive technical performance, clarity, detail retrieval, and resolution due to its planar magnetic drivers.
- Features a new, comfortable, and ergonomic shell design that's also lightweight and durable.
- Includes two upgraded Time Stream Metal cables, providing both 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations.
- Delivers a strong, extended bass response, with texture and speed, plus a nimble, airy top-end.
- Exhibits a spacious, wide, and holographic soundstage with good imaging and instrument separation.
Product Considerations
- Lower sensitivity might require a dedicated DAP or amplifier for optimal performance, and can sound anemic when paired with just a phone.
- Can be sensitive to source pairings, warmer DACs might wash out the mids and some pairings may bring out sibilance.
- Stock tips might not provide the best seal for everyone, and the stock tip selection is poor.
- Silicone eartips can make the treble sound harsh.
- The mirror-finished stainless steel faceplate is prone to fingerprints and smudges.
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs. Campfire Audio Bonneville: Astrolith has superior mids, clarity, detail and transparency, and better treble extension, articulation, and overall resolution.
- Vs 64 Audio Volür: Astrolith offers bigger bass and a more exciting presentation, as well as faster and more resolving sound, but Volür is more accurate overall.
- Vs. Oriolus Monachaa: Astrolith has a faster and more controlled bass with better texture, a more natural and realistic midrange with a fabulous timbre.
- Vs. Elysian Acoustic Labs Annihilator: Astrolith delivers a more robust and organic mid-range with realistic and natural timbre and more defined lower mids.
Takeaway: The Astrolith is a technically impressive IEM with a comfortable design that delivers a powerful and detailed sound. It could be a great pick for listeners who want high-end sound that can play all kinds of music well.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Captures the sound of the original Svanar, with a balanced tuning emphasizing bass and treble while maintaining the mids
- Incredible imaging performance, offering a wide, well-rounded, three-dimensional soundstage with excellent positioning and separation—highly competitive, even compared to non-TWS IEMs under $1000
- Has an R2R DAC which permits unreachable technical performance
- Very light and comfortable
- Excellent connectivity and usability
Product Considerations
- LDAC connectivity issues with invasive intermittence and noise cutting
- ANC and Transparency mode aren’t very useful and lack dynamic, delivering leaner dynamic, less musicality
- Plastic build might not be most durable if dropped
- High-frequencies are quite sensible to the source, making it one of the least forgiving TWS
- Hiss is also present
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- The Svanar Wireless is punchier, with better bass detail and imaging, and a wider soundstage, while the Final ZE8000 has a warmer, more neutral sound
- The Svanar Wireless has stronger imaging performance, a wider soundstage, and a better balance between separation and cohesion
- The Svanar Wireless is superior in technicalities and tonal balance, as well as timbre and tone naturalness, and ultimately musicality
- The Svanar Wireless' soundstage is taller and wider but not as deep, since clarity isn’t as sharp and clean, silence being more "noisy"
- The Svanar Wireless has better sound and performs better technically
- The Sony TWS has bloated bass that overwhelms everything else; in comparison, the soundstage and treble performance of the Svanar Wireless is miles ahead, presenting a much more detailed, natural, and sophisticated kind of sound
Takeaway: The Svanar Wireless sounds impressive for wireless earbuds, and it has great connectivity and features. For those seeking high-end wireless sound, these are worth considering.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Praised for its beautiful design
- Very comfortable, almost expected from an IEM based on resin
- Easy to drive due to its low impedance and high sensitivity
- Provides a lot of clarity
- Has a very natural tonality, even with balanced drivers
Product Considerations
- Its design might be too fragile and prone to scratches
- May lack impact and slam for music with a lot of low-octave focus
- Some amplifiers might not synergize well, needing experimentation
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Compared to the Moondrop variations, the Cadenza is preferred for its handling of transitions
Takeaway: The Cadenza is a beautiful IEM with great clarity that's also comfortable to wear. It is an easy to drive IEM, with great potential to provide enjoyable listening sessions.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Versatile sound signature, going from bassy to neutral with the use of included tuning modules
- Excellent bass response with a dynamic driver, providing strong texture, deep extension, and impact
- Very good treble extension, air, and sparkle for detail retrieval without harshness
- Expertly captures the 64 Audio character of balancing pro audio sensibilities and a more audiophile-friendly sound
- Comfortable and durable design, with a lightweight anodized aluminum shell and well-thought-out accessories
Product Considerations
- Imaging and instrument separation are decent, but not standout for the price range
- Mid-range may sound a bit thin to some, with a more relaxed upper mid-range that results in vocals being a little bit on the husky side
- The nozzle doesn’t have lip holder and is a bit problematic
- Isolation isn't exceptional due to the apex module
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs 64 Audio Neo: U4S is preferred due to the U4S being the cheaper IEM
- Vs Thieaudio Monarch MkII: The Monarch is comparatively lean sounding
- Vs 64 Audio U6T: U6T is a little more neutral overall with a stronger technicality, but the U4S injects a little more fun into the sound
- Vs Campfire Audio Andromeda Emerald Sea: The U4S offers a more natural mid-range presentation
- Vs 64 Audio Nio: The U4s effectively undercuts the Nio by a third of the price with comparable sound quality
- Vs Custom Art Fibae 5: If you want technicalities and details, Fibae 5 is superior, if you want a very capable yet slightly musical and mainstream IEM, opt for the U4s
Takeaway:
The 64 Audio U4s is a well-rounded IEM that offers a fun and engaging sound signature with the ability to customize the bass response. With its comfortable fit and excellent build quality, it's a great option for those looking for a versatile and enjoyable listening experience.
Video review
Our take on the brand
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