Kinera Norn Hybrid IEM Unboxing & Quick Review: Stunning and Spectacular!!

Kinera has got a great reputation in the industry for its well-designed, well-tuned pair of in-ear monitors. Earlier they have released many highly appreciated IEMs in the industry such as the IDUN, Seed, ODIN, and the flagship Nanna. The latest from Kinera is a five-driver hybrid pair of in-ear monitors, the Kinera Norn. Inspired by the Three Sisters of Fate from the Norse Mythology, the Norn continues the streak of brilliantly crafted in-ear monitors from Kinera. The earpieces look stunning and it was just hard to resist their charm. So I ended up getting a unit for myself. Today, I am going to share my unboxing impressions and initial impressions for these stunning IEMs.

Kinera Norn:-

Kinera Norn is the latest pair of hybrid driver in-ear monitors featuring a powerful five driver configuration featuring one 7mm micro DD paired with 4 high-performance Knowles BA drivers. The earpieces look stunning with a completely hand-painted design for a unique look doing justice to Norn, the Goddess of Fate.  It has a price tag of 509$, you can check out more details here on the HiFiGo store.

Packaging & Accessories:-

The design inspiration of the Kinera Norn is not only limited to the earpieces, the packaging also reflects the Goddess Norn with a smokey print on top of the octagonal packaging. On top, we have the Kinera Norn branding along with a quote that says “The cycle of fate continues, It is never-ending”. This thought tells us the background story of the Sisters of Fate. On the backside, we have the product specifications and package contents. Inside we have the stunning pair of Norn along with a leather carry case, connector cable, and other included accessories. Kinera has also included Final Audio Type E premium ear tips in the package.

The packaging presentation of Kinera Norn is pure class, it comes with so many accessories that it was actually hard including all of them in a single photograph haha. Do checkout my unboxing video too from the Youtube link below.

Package Contents:-

>One pair Kinera Norn IEMs.

>One 2.5mm balanced cable with 2-pin connectors.

>One 2.5mm-3.5mm connector cable.

>One 2.5mm-4.4mm connector cable.

>Five pairs of Final Audio Type-E silicone tips.

>Three pairs of black silicone tips.

>Three pairs of grey silicone tips.

>One pair of foam ear tips.

>One cleaning brush.

>Final Audio ear tips documentation.

>Kinera Norn documentation.

Design & Build Quality:-

Each and every single product in Kinera’s catalog has exceptionally beautiful looks. The latest Norn takes things even further with its stunning hand-painted ear shells. The shells are very smooth and lightweight. They are made up of high-quality resin material. They have smooth reflective back panels with a smoky combination of red, black, and white color tones on the faceplates. There is golden color Kinera branding on the left and Norn branding on the right earpiece respectively. The pair looks astonishingly beautiful and elegant. Kinera really does put its soul in designing such beautiful IEMs showing utmost craftsmanship and professionalism.

The cable here has a strong build with PVC insulation and has weight to itself. There is no microphonic issue faced during my usage. It has a 2.5mm gold-plated termination plug. There are two same quality small adapter cables to connect 2.5mm-3.5mm and 2.5mm-4.4mm terminations.

Included accessories are also of excellent quality, the leather carry case is finely built. It can easily store the pair along with its heavy cable and keep them safe. I like Final Audio Type E ear tips as they provide me a supremely comfortable fit and enhances the lower end in the output. In terms of design and build quality, I have no complaints about the pair.

Fit & Noise Isolation:-

The Kinera Norn has a universal ergonomic design and lightweight aesthetics. The earpieces sit firmly into the ears and provide a comfortable fit for long music sessions. They cover the ear canal completely providing a good level of noise isolation even outdoors.

Driving The Kinera Norn:-

Kinera Norn is a very easy to drive pair of IEMs. They have an impedance rating of just 32 Ohms at 110dB high sensitivity. I drove the pair using iBasso DX160 and xDuoo MT-602 DAC/amp. Here are my findings with both the systems:-

With iBasso DX160:-

I used the 4.4mm balanced connection with the DX160. The tonality with this combo is neutral, It is neither bright nor warm just neutral here. Both the lower and higher end of the frequency range shows good extensions.  I never had to go above 50/100 volume levels. This pairing is superb for on-the-go high-resolution music enjoyment.

With MT-602:-

With this combo I find the output to be slightly warmer than neutral. Vocals sound thick and lush, the tonality is superb with an airy, wide soundstage presentation. I find the output to be cleaner here, but it sounds a bit collared in a warmer way that makes the pair sound smooth and musical.

Sound Quality:-

The Kinera Norn produces a well-detailed, fun-sounding musical output with elevated bass, slightly recessed mids, and a sparkly treble portion. The lower end is elevated and provides powerful mid-bass slams with a well-extended rumble in the sub-bass section. The lower end is controlled within its region and doesn’t ruins the mids for us. Even though the mids sound recessed, upper mids are brought forward bringing us our vocals in the front. Both male and female vocals sound crisp and detailed with natural tonality.

Sound Signature:-

The Kinera Norn has a slightly V-shaped sound signature. The bass and treble portions are slightly elevated providing us with a powerful, lively output. The treble has a sense of sparkle in it that makes the output energetic and not sibilant or harsh. I loved the high-resolution clarity and clean background of the Norn.

Lower End:-

As I have stated earlier, the Kinera Norn has an elevated lower end producing quick, snappy bass thumps. Despite being its elevation, the lower end is controlled well within its region. Quick and snappy lower end complements the other frequencies. The sub-bass portion is rich with a powerful rumble that extends well and adds weight to the output. “Royals” by Lorde is an enjoyable track thanks to the punchy lower end of the Kinera Norn.

Mids:-

The mids presentation is slightly laid back. But it doesn’t make the pair lack in any kind of detail or airiness in instruments or staging. It is tuned to provide an excellent stage that shows a good sense of airiness and crisp instrument detailing. Upper mids are brought forward bringing our vocals up in the front for us. It produces both male and female vocals with good clarity and transparency. It complements artists like Damien Rice, Taylor Swift, Gloria Gaynor, and more.

Treble:-

Kinera Norn has a detailed and sparkly high-frequency response. It has good detail retrieval. Cymbal crashes are quite precise and well-extended, the pair complements complex heavy metal music with its well-detailed high-frequency response. The overall response isn’t harsh at all, it is not fatiguing even after long listening sessions. With high-resolution detailing, the instrument separation and clarity are superb allowing for good imaging with the pair.

Soundstage:-

The Kinera Norn has a wide soundstage presentation. It has a good sense of height and an above-average depth. Listening to Binaural tracks by Yosi Horikawa is an enjoyable experience as the soundstage feels like a huge auditorium.

Final Verdict:-

In my opinion, the Kinera Norn is one of the finest and stunning-looking pair of IEMs in and above its price range. Its looks can easily be comparable to boutique IEMs that cost thousands of dollars. In terms of sound quality, the five driver hybrid configuration presents the users with a pretty solid acoustic performance with high-resolution clarity and crisp instrument detailing. For about 500$, I would recommend these eyes closed. Check out more details on the HiFiGo Norn store page here.