Haha after I mentioned what I did this morning now I’m asking what sale is this?
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Oh we’re all definitely freaking addicts lol
Oh I don’t know, I’m avoiding such things.
But you’ll be able to graph the DB Monroe in about 3 weeks.
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Where do you even hear of or find these sets? I’ve never even heard that mentioned and had to go on a Google search.
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I don’t know how I first discovered it, but I’ve had my eye on it for what feels like 3 years or so… it has something like 1 graph weirdly scaled graph in the wild, meanwhile its more recent big siblings (Luna, Sunna) are much more expensive and look hella cool.
2DD and an analogue sound is a promising start, the one graph is too. If it’s excellent maybe the Luna would be worth a leap, but just because it’s more expensive doesn’t mean they’ll have pulled a better sound out of 1DD+3BA than 2DD. For about 3x cost. I think they look great though.
2 Likes
Kinera Celest PhoenixCall or the Deceiving Reality of Agnostic Target Practice
I’m just going to cut to the chase: Ignore the graphs on PhoenixCall and give this a chance, if you’re in search of a sub-$200 IEM option. Why do I say this so emphatically? Well let’s get into it.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Playlist
Swashers/Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa (For imaging/detail retrieval (:00-1:00 Swashers), general technicalities check (both), soundstage depth/dynamics/layering/separation (:00-:30 Bubbles))
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers (For bass elements, particularly sub-bass/mid-bass interplay, drum kits, soundstage/layering)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre, male/female vocal interplay)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage width 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
1 Thing - Sophie Powers (For sibilance, harshness/shoutiness, high volume listening check 1:28-2:01
*Wire & Guns - KID DAD (For general tonality (warmth vs. brightness) and note weight :10-35, for high volume listening 1:34-2:08)
THE SOUND
You know I never thought I was a beauty queen, and I never felt like a part of the scene; But when I look at you and you look at me, I never want you to change a thing
Broken In All the Right Places - I Am Jen
(IEM Tuning Style: V-Shape)
Why would I look at this:
(Graph Courtesy of aftersound.squig.link, normalized to 1000Hz)
And not be absolutely repulsed by what I see? The first thing to know about PhoenixCall is that the “excessive” bass boost you see, is compensating for a smaller dynamic driver, as PC only has a 7mm DD in it. So while the graph says there’s too much bass, it’s absolutely not the case in practice. It is a tight bass response that you perceive a lot of speed in; it’s definitely a midbass emphasis, but I say with the litany of Harman-styled IEMs, this is a well received tuning departure for me. If not going for absolute bass quantity, this bass is a smashing success in this price range. Thumbs up for me.
The midrange is a bit of a mixed bag for me: I think the lower-midrange is just there. It may simply be that too many sets I’ve listened/gravitated to lately have been more forward presenting in the midrange but I just feel like (at best) PC has just enough in that department; I think this is more a result of the midbass bump, but the actual lower midrange is rather de-emphasized to my ear. What this presentation does, however, is leave space for the elevated upper-midrange to not kill me. This is not an “audiophile” tuning but it’s fun AF. I get forward vocals but no harshness. I give up a little bit in the midrange details but I get less fatigue (1 Thing is bright but not harsh or fatiguing, unlike when I listen to most of the Simgot lineup, or even a warm set like Juzear 41T). The treble tuning and SPD drivers seem to help with this: There is a LOT of treble clarity and resolution, without nearly the same kind of embellished “fake” clarity from a set like Sennheiser IE600. Which is a valuable set to bring up. PC is the cheap alternative to IE600 I would say had not been on the market. I think PC has better bass than IE600, straight up, IE600 has better lower-mids, and PC basically keeps up with IE600 (from memory) with a less distracting elevation in the deep treble.
So, Goober, if this set is so great in tuning and the sound profile, why isn’t this some $300+ killer? Well, dear reader, it’s because of the soundstage/technicalities. Straight up, this has Aful P5 poo-poo soundstage. Everything is narrow, between-the-ears, without much height and only a touch of depth. If you just want to listen to music that’s great, but if you have a discerning ear for soundstage, this isn’t it. The technicals of PC are pretty good actually: I think they image very well in the soundstage you get, layering and separation are very good, and they play with a rather good dynamic range for the price point. But the lower-midrange performance and subpar soundstage put a cap on the level this set can reach.
THE GOOD
- Very good technical set under $150
- Satisfying bass for the style/configuration picked
- Great treble that plays as well as much more expensive sets
- This is an absolutely GORGEOUS set
- Earpieces are worth buying as statement pieces
THE BAD
- Subpar soundstage
- Sound is cramped between the ears
- Lower-midrange is lacking
- Helps the sound be more engaging but is less “accurate”
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- People who want engagement in their music
- This set is just fun in a way a set like Simgot EM6L did not pop me
- Anybody who wants a showstopping IEM
- @lcg842 basically drooled when I showed her the pair
- Somebody who hasn’t popped their $100+ cherry
- If I was starting from scratch this is a big-time recommendation to me
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- Mid-Heads
- This doesn’t have the midrange chops you need
- People who want a safer tuning/set
- There are options that aren’t as bold and adventurous and get the job done
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
To me, the PC is another example of being rewarded for not just judging a set off of a graph. Sets like Oriolus Szalayi or Tri i3 have completely off-the-wall graphs but are very well tuned IEMs for their configurations (i3 I have experience with, Szalayi I know by reputation). To put this another way, I think there are a lot of good choices in the sub-$200 range (6 of which that stand out are Tri Starsea, Sound Rhyme SR5, Juzear 41T, Celest PhoenixCall, Raptgo Bridge, and Simgot EM6L). In my opinion, three of these sets follow a more traditional “looks good on a graph” profile for their sound quality: EM6L, Tri Starsea, and Juzear 41T; and I think three of these sets take a more significant risk to be a bit different: PhoenixCall, Bridge, and SR5. The former three are easy recommendations in many ways, but (aside for the SR5 which I didn’t totally jive for, which kind of proves my point) I’m rather drawn to the risk takers. If I was starting from scratch, I very well may skip the three safer sets and go right for the PhoenixCall and the Bridge. Especially in direct A/B competition, the EM6L is a very good (and much more traditionally popular) IEM but the IEM I enjoyed more is PC. I wanted to hear it more, because I can find numerous sets that are like EM6L in some way or another. PhoenixCall simply is an unexpected treat that puts together a configuration I wouldn’t have thought of and executes it in a quite delicious way. So I absolutely sign off on PC if you’re looking in this price range for your next set and want to take a risk and be adventurous. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank for Kinera Celest PhoenixCall: B
Rank With Personal Bias: B+
Recommendation Level: Highly Recommended (V-Shape)
Rank As a Food: Nutella-Stuffed Strawberries
11 Likes
I might have to mod my Timeless like that. That would likely get me to listen to it more. I generally prefer the S12, so that would get it some more listening time.
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Kiwi Ears Quintet or Whatever the Opposite of Too Soon Raccoon is…
Funny how things work sometimes. Kiwi Ears makes good, solid IEMs. Even the ones I haven’t been in love with this year have been good (except Quartet. That’s a different story we’re not going to get into though). Quintet definitely falls into the good category, and in some ways probably better than just good. But it just missed the timing to be considered a truly amazing set for me. Wanna know why? Well let’s get into it.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Playlist
Swashers/Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa (For imaging/detail retrieval (:00-1:00 Swashers), general technicalities check (both), soundstage depth/dynamics/layering/separation (:00-:30 Bubbles))
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers (For bass elements, particularly sub-bass/mid-bass interplay, drum kits, soundstage/layering)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
Savior - Rise Against (For rock bass elements, male vocals, layering and imaging, treble clarity :38-1:30)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre, male/female vocal interplay)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage width 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
1 Thing - Sophie Powers (For sibilance, harshness/shoutiness, high volume listening check 1:28-2:01
*Wire & Guns - KID DAD (For general tonality (warmth vs. brightness) and note weight :10-35, for high volume listening 1:34-2:08)
THE SOUND
My heart only wants what it wants, what it wants, what it wants till it doesn’t; I can’t promise you love, it was love, it was love, it was love till it wasn’t
Heart Wants What it Wants - Bebe Rexha
(IEM Tuning Style: Harman-Neutral (Treble))
This IEM was a kind of hard one to categorize because it does sound so good but not in the way some of my other sets do. It sounds well balanced so it’s not really warm-neutral, but it doesn’t sound super Harman-y, it’s definitely not purely midcentric, and while it has some upper end focus, it’s not really bright. When a set is that hard to categorize usually you’re either really garbage or really fantastic. So which one is it?
Well the bass is good, but you may find it better if you’re a sub-bass over midbass type. If that’s the case, then this is probably very good bass for you. I’m caught somewhere in the middle; I’m not anti-sub bass but I definitely prefer a little bit more midbass emphasis so this bass falls in the “okay but just adequate” category for me.
The midrange is quite well done. The bass absolutely does not interfere with or mask the midrange, the lower-mids have good focus and emphasis and the upper mids are excellently tuned. Vocals are on point, between both male and female, and instruments are light and airy. Treble is great, is present with great clarity and avoids peakiness that could make things harsh. It’s just very well tuned. The only mis-step is the fact that you can get some sibilance and harshness in some higher toned female vocals. Quintet could not play my usual test song 1 Thing without harshness in the chorus, so if you’re sensitive, that is the one tuning drawback.
Soundstage is very nearly great but I couldn’t quite put it on that level. Quintet certainly has a better soundstage than Kinera PhoenixCall so if that is a determining factor for you, this wins that category. As for technicalities, Quintet’s reputation as a very technical set precedes it, and I will have to concur with that sentiment. Quintet is pretty awesome; it has great imaging/separation/layering. Busy jazz sounds fantastic and if you love rock this will drop your panties a little bit. For me, the only thing lacking, to keep this from being a very special set in this department is that I find the dynamic range a little bit lacking, which goes back to that bit of midbass I wish wasn’t missing. That would’ve tipped this set over the edge of greatness.
THE GOOD
- Very well tuned overall
- Extremely well balanced set that doesn’t sacrifice any part of the frequeny
- Extremely technical set
- Great imaging chops, plays complex tracks very well
THE BAD
- Lacks just a touch of midbass for my tastes
- Affects the dynamic range performance just enough to nitpick
- Doesn’t smooth out sibilance/harshness from tracks that naturally have it
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- Fans of complicated tracks
- Jazzheads/Rockheads are going to enjoy this. I think metalheads may as well but I’m not as versed there
- Someone who wants a balanced, well-tuned set
- Anyone looking for a very technical set that doesn’t murderdeathkill your ears with upper end information
- Someone who might find Simgot EM6L a little by the books but finds Raptgo Bridge a little too exotic
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- Bassheads
- This is good quality, nowhere near enough quantity bass for you
- Midbassheads
- More specifically, there’s enough sub-bass but this is not a set for midbass lovers
- Listeners highly sensitive to treble
- These could be okay but not safe enough for blind recommendation
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
What it means is that this is a very good IEM, but the timing of me trying it out is all wrong for it. Had I tried this a few weeks ago, I would’ve been caught more off guard and been more highly impressed. Unfortunately for Quintet, I got blown away by both sets being far more expensive, and by rivals at or below Quintet’s price point. Specifically, I personally found myself enjoying the Raptgo Bridge (in its silver, reduced upper energy, filter configuration) and the Kinera Celest PhoenixCall. What that says to me is that all three of these sets are going to be good and it really would come down to preference and listening requirements.
Raptgo Bridge is the most energetic in the top-end, so if you’re somebody like @hawaiibadboy, who prefers that area to not be dominant then Bridge might be out. If you’re like me and prefer a little more midbass body, you might not be drawn to Quintet, but I’d send this to @VIVIDICI_111 in a heartbeat for his take. I think he would find PhoenixCall icky, but that is my jam because I’m a midbass groupie, and it’s got fantastic clarity and resolution. But none of them actively outdo the others. It’s preference, and comfort with the price points. If you want the cleanest, most balanced set of the three, though, I think I would have to send you to the Kiwi Ears Quintet and you will probably thank me for that. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank for Kiwi Ears Quintet: B
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Recommendation Level: Highly Recommended (Harman-Neutral (Treble) Style)
Rank As a Food: Brussel Sprouts
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12 Likes
Great feedback. I have my eyes on the quintet for quite a while now, and your take on it confirms It is the 200$ upgrade over the Olina I look for.
As I don’t like Brussels sprouts, I don’t really understand your food analogy this time (they are usually spot on though, and are actually quite helpful too, oddly).
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But I think you understand better than you give yourself credit.
I found Quintet to be a perfectly good IEM that could be enjoyable for many people but I don’t personally find myself enjoying it as much.
For a lot of people, that’s VERY Brussels sprout-y lol
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Quintet is a great upgrade from the Olina 
Very similar as both are bright leaning. Just a heads up though I found it a bit too metallic in the timbre but YEMV. Lots of detail, like Blessing 3 levels 
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Would you say Quintet is an uograde to Oxygen Jay? Old king vs new king?
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Been a long time since I’ve heard Oxygen, but going based off Olina (same driver and very similar tuning), yeah
Thanks for the Quintet review. I am firmly in the who it is not for camp ( treble sensitive basshead ).
I was trying to figure out why people are raving about it, despite it looking like other things I wasn’t nuts about. It seems like Olina, which I like, but I love warmer stuff more. Olina gives me enough meaty bass to balance the spicy bits, and I tend to like IEMs where the line goes down after 4k.
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I think it is not THAT close to Olina, definitely it is not as shouty. The rave is because if is very fun (making the music very enjoyable) and technically potent (separation, details, cleanliness) set and it has cool driver configuration. Just the way it engages in music while being very detailed is very similar to Olina.
I myself haven’t heard a set this good in this price range before. Though I guess it just fits my taste very well
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I see nothing in common in FR between the two IEMs. 
Completely different. The tuning of the Kiwi is more refined, but let’s not forget that it is a different configuration.
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Well, I know what you are saying, but from experience they make you getting enveloped in music in quite similar way. They are quite “wet” (as oppostie to dry) and “colourful” if that gibberish wording makes any sens
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The graph is dissimilar but remember: BAs don’t need the same amplitude on a graph for your brain to perceive more of it.
DD upper mids (especially sized 10mm or less) that graph equal to BA upper mids tend to sound softer. Same with treble. They most often need more energy to match other driver types in perceived SPL
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At the start of all this, I brought the comparison between Olina and quintet because of the description @GooberBM makes of the quintet: it reminds me what I feel/hear with my Olina: balanced set leaning bright with great technicalities and details for it’s price range.
If the FR is different, it is even better to me: the Olina would not become obsolete 
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I also don’t think graphs are everything. I still think one of things I like about the P1 Max is that it is one of the few IEMs that reminds me of the OG Tea, and it does it at a reasonable price. Beyond being a bit flatter than most, those two graphs don’t have much in common, not to mention different driver configs, which is huge for how we perceive the sound.
@GooberBM is spot on that BAs never need as much amplitude, and it seems like planar always shows more treble on a graph than I can hear.
It seems like everyone is proclaiming the Quintet the upgrade path from Olina. Most seem to be adding the caveat that the bass isn’t as engaging as Olina. That will be ideal for many, but for me that makes it a pass.
3 Likes