Kinera Celest Relentless review

My likes and dislikes on this IEM are based solely on my personal experience. So this ‘Kinera Celest Relentless review’ is my honest and unbiased opinion.

If you’re interested in buying Relentless check out Kinera.

Design & Build Quality

The faceplate of the IEM is quite attractive and artistic at the same time. It’s of black, white and ocean blue color. I really like the combination of these three colors with the presentation. The black parts have glitter like objects that could be seen on light’s presence. The branding in the middle is somewhat eye catchy, but the silver tone of the text makes it a subtle. 

The inner side of the shell is semi transparent. On closer look, few key details can be seen. The size of the shell is on the larger side. Unfortunately the nozzle is kinda long and slippery at the same time, making it difficult for eartip rolling.

With the relentless, they’ve provided a modular silver plated cable, which can be used on both 3.5 and balanced 4.4 mode. The pin connector of the right side is indicated by red color, does the job of not breaking my head to find the right one.

With the relentless I’ve got 3 different types of stock eartips, 8 pairs to be exact. I only liked the foam tips. Tips rolling will definitely be worth it with this pair. 

The carrying case seems practical and look nice at the same time. Has a bit texture on every side which feels nice. 

I always appreciate the extra effort Kinera puts to make accessories, the bookmark looks gorgeous, it’s a blue bird like creature that has a back story, originated from a Chinese literature “Shanhaijing”. The design of the bookmark goes well with the color and tone of the IEM.

Comfort

Despite having a decently large shell (compared to average), it doesn’t feel uncomfortable in the long run. Seals well, still maintaining breathing room for my ears. I find myself wearing them for hours without any discomfort. But most of the eartips I’ve in my collection fall off due to having a long nozzle. With the right eartips, I didn’t face such issues. Although it won’t be as comfortable for people with smaller ears.

Sources

• EPZ TP30

• Moondrop Dawn Pro

• Ibasso Dc04 pro

• Fosi Audio Ds1

• HIDIZS S8 Pro Robin

I would suggest to pair a warm sounding source, which would compliment the tuning style of this IEM.

Packaging

• Relentless drivers 
• 8 Pairs of eartips (3 different types)
• SPC Cable (2 Pin, 3.5 and 4.4 modular)
• Carrying Case
• Bookmark 
• User Manual
• Cleaning brush

Specifications

• Plug：3.5 mm & 4.4 mm
• Acoustic Drivers：1 DD+6 BA
• Interface: 0.78 mm 2 pin
• Sensitivity:105 db
• Wearing Type：In-ear
• Frequency Response Range：20 Hz-20 kHz
• Impedance：27 Ω
• Cable length：1.2 m
• Cable Material: 5N silver plated copper
• Braiding: 8 core
• Diameter: 1.0mm/core
• Strands: 48 strands of 0.06mm
• Cable length: 1.2m
• Interface: 0.78mm 2Pin
• Plug: 3.5mm single ended & 4.4mm balanced
• Plug material: Pure Copper
• Metal parts: Aluminum alloy
• Celest 221 Vocal Eartips: enhance treble, pleasing vocal
• Celest 608 Balanced Eartips: Sound balanced and stereo
• Celest Foam eartips: Rich vocals and deeper bass

Pairings

Eartips:

• DDHIFI ST 35
• Final E (Black)
• Spinfit CP100+
• Tri Clarion 
• Kbear 08
• Dunu Candy 

Eartips like dunu candy and Spinfit 100+ doesn’t fit and falls off. But I was able to use it with DDHIFI ST35 and get a good sound as well as comfort.

Cable:

• Stock
• Kbear (Inspiration C) 4 core copper
• NiceHCK mixPP

Upgrading cable does changes the sound to some extent, but the sound with the stock cable is already good, if you already have an upgrade cable, it should be worth a try. But no need to buy a separate one.

Sound Quality

The relentless consists of 1 dynamic driver and 6 balance armature. It’s V shape IEM, the most common type. Initially it doesn’t feel like it, as the bass is controlled well. 4 of the 6 balance armature drivers are responsible for tuning the treble region. So it must be an amazing pair of IEM right? Well that my friend depends on your preference. Let’s see how it sounds to know whether it matches your preference or not.

Sub Bass

The Sub-Bass is less focused compared to the Mid-bass. No surprise there, as it is a V shape IEM. The Sub Bass is obviously there but somehow it isn’t obvious. I mean the sub bass rumbles can hardly be felt. The quality of the sub bass is intact. Doesn’t bleed with the higher frequencies.

Mid Bass

The Mid bass is way more noticable with better quality and quantity compared to the Sub-Bass. The mid bass is quite bold and thumpy. Has good texture and sweetness. The bass is tight and speedy, does bleed with the lower mids but never makes it overwhelming. 

Mid-range

Mid-range will not be a highlighting point for a V shape IEM, not in most cases actually. Same results here. Instruments played in this region feels a bit laid back thanks to the bold bass and shining vocals. The instruments positioning are accurate with a touch of warmth to them. Not a bad mid-range overall but I wish the instrument presentation were a bit more forward, just a bit.

Male Vocals

Out of the box vocals sound forward, whether it’s male, female or any animals or even if your go to tracks are alien’s voices. Male vocals are have that masculine power. The deep male vocals don’t sound as pleasing probably due ro having low sub bass presence. Vocals on rock and metals sound nice on them. Some people might find it sharp, as the vocals are quite bright. For male vocals, I personally didn’t feel that issue.

Female Vocals

Female vocals on them are quite powerful and forward. So don’t dare to record any screaming sound just to test how they sound. Aside from the jokes, tip rolling helped a lot to reduce that issue. After that I was able to enjoy shining female vocals without biting my lips. Sweet female vocals, where the artist focuses less on screaming and more on control, sounds the best on relentles.

Treble

As I’ve mentioned earlier, 4 of the 6 BA drivers are accused for having a nice soothing treble. Except the treble isn’t soothing or anything like that. It’s quite sparkly and extended. Treble-heads are going to enjoy this piece of art. The rich, extended and guitars sounds the best out of all the other instruments. It wasn’t really an issue for me but, if you have treble sensitive ears, you might wanna look for something more laid back.

Instruments

Instruments seperation were marvelous on bass and treble region. On the lower mids, it’s a hit or miss type of situation. Instruments positioning was precise and were handled delicately.

Soundstage & Imaging

The soundstage of the relentless are not as wide as I had expected. While width and depths are fine and appreciatable, the height seems lacking. So the overall soundstage might come as intimidating initially. Imaging wise it’s quite precise.

Mobile Gaming

In gaming, it does a pretty good job. Despite not having a large soundstage for the price, the imaging is quite accurate. I could easily locate footsteps despite the gun sound or grenade sound. If enemies are on a different height and floor than me, it gets troublesome to locate their footsteps. But if you’re looking something only specific for gaming, there are better devices for cheaper prices that you can find on the market.

Summarization

1. Location of firing sound is detectable and it’s quite precise 
2. Footsteps is difficult to locate in same building if enemies are on upper floors.
3. Can be used in competitive gaming.

Why should you consider it

• If you like Mid bass
• If you liked design 
• If you like clarity in vocals
• If you love sound of electric guitars 
• If stock accessories are important to you
• If you like sparkly treble
• If you’re a gamer

Why should you look elsewhere

• If you like Sub-Bass
• If you don’t like treble sparkle
• If you don’t plan on buying a source
• If you’re fatigued to sharp vocals
• If you’re a mids lover

Verdicts

Overall for a V shape IEM, relentless is a IEM that can a really good choice if it matches your preference. Although I personally it didn’t match my preference, I still don’t think it’s a bad device or anything. Right now there’s an on going sell for relentless. With the 41% discount it brings the price around 100$. With the discounted price, I think it’s worth it.

As always thank you for your attention! Let me know your thoughts on this IEM.

Until then,

Keep on listening ·͜·♡

For more reviews on audio gear, click here