Description
I got this product as a review unit from Linsoul. Except from the review unit I did not receive money or any other necessities to influence the review in anyway.This is my honest and unbiased opinion on Kiwi Ears X Crinacle Singolo. My likes and dislikes on this IEM are based solely on my own personal experience.If you’re interested in buying Singolo checkout Linsoul.
Build & Design
Design wise, I loved almost everything about the design of the shells. I’ve seen other reviews and photos of this unit and I’m pretty sure about one thing that Singolo has multiple design and characteristic to the faceplate. I don’t know if each and every unit have any unique design for the owner but I’m quite sure that I’ve seen multiple reviews and the differences were more than four even if I don’t include my unit. Anyways my one is the blue variant and I prefer this over the dark one. The shiny orangish accent on the blue faceplate looks really aesthetic.
I wish the logo was placed more subtly, so it doesn’t steal all the focus and could blend in more aesthetically. A cleaner, less intrusive design would make it look much better.
The inner side is transparent, the inside looks clean and you can see the driver LPC driver which is 11mm (as they mentioned). Not a fan but in my opinion brands can’t get wrong with transparent designs. And it really looks good.
The eartips we’re not that comfortable so didn’t try using them. Hurts a bit thanks to the nozzle with the stock ones.
The cable is almost the same as the KZ one’s. Except the quality and looks wise it’s better. Still, lacks resolution and organicness compared to my aftermarket cables. But I found myself using the stock ones often as they we’re pretty comfortable for long sessions.
NO POUCH!! NOT ACCEPTABLE! But unlike Kz, Kiwi at least provide carrying pouches with other IEMs and they’re pretty durable. Incase someone from Kiwi Ears is reading the review, here’s a message. I’m still using my Quartet’s pouch, for DACs only. As Quartet doesn’t fit with aftermarket cable. Even with the stock ones it’s pretty difficult to fit. So please consider providing pouch with more practical size for the user’s satisfaction.
Comfort
Comfort wise I’ll give them high 5. I’ll deduct numbers if another IEM provides better fit and comfort. It doesn’t matter whether I’m sitting or laying on my bed, I hardly feel them for being lightweight. Not with the stock eartips, as the nozzle makes my ears hurt in long sessions. So I’ve used it with CP100+. The cable plays an important role in the comfort section.
Sources
- EPZ TP30
- Moondrop Dawn Pro
- Ibasso Dc04 pro
- Fosi Audio Ds1
- HIDIZS S8 Pro Robin
I would suggest to pair a neutral or slightly bright (just a little) sounding source.
Packaging
- Singolo drivers
- 6 Pairs of eartips (3 white, 3 black)
- SPC Cable (2 Pin, 3.5mm output)
- User Manual
Specifications
DriversCustom 11mm Dynamic Driver + KIWI Acoustic Resonance System (KARS)
Frequency Response: 20Hz- 20kHz
Sensitivity: 108dBSPL/mW
Impedance: 32 ohms
Earphone Material: Resin
Cable Length: 1.2 meters
Cable Interface: 0.78mm
Plug Type: 3.5mm Mini-Jack
Inner Nozzle Diameter: 4mm
Suitable Ear Tip Size: 4-4.5mm
Pairings
Eartips
- Final E (Black)
- Spinfit CP100+
- Tri Clarion
- Kbear 08
- Dunu Candy
- Random foam tips
Except foam tips and final e (black) most others will work fine.
I’ve mostly used Spinfit 100+ with this unit, as it makes the MidBass tighter and gives it a better texture.
Cable
MixPP sounds good with this IEM. Makes it sound noticably better but stock ones are really comfortable. So I’ll leave the decision making in your hands.
Sound Quality
Here comes the moment of truth, The Sound! But let’s discuss the boring technical stuff first. The 11mm LPC driver seems to work well with the KARS. Instead of an open airflow with RC this “Helmholtz resonance” channels in its own way, leveraging air flow to tweak the tuning and use it for their own advantage. Seems like it needs a really precise design so they used 3D printing for this specific part to make. From a regular consumer’s perspective I can’t say whether it’s real or not, but The Sub bass is different than any other IEM that are under $150 mark.
Different doesn’t necessarily means better, but the Sub Bass wise it will arguably be one of the best if not the best even a bit above it’s price range. In my lifetime I have probably tried five or six Crinacle’s tuned IEMs and this is my 2nd favorite (after midnight).
But I didn’t like the rest of his tuned IEMs. Doesn’t go well with my personal preference and I don’t think the same tuning will go well with just anything. That’s why we have so many offerings in the same price category. But this is tuned well and made me wanna believe “Magic happens”.
In general, it’s a Sub Bass focused IEM with a clean, warm mid-range with good vocals and quite low treble energy. Good for most audience, seems to be a versatile choice.
Sub-Bass
The Sub Bass is good enough to make a whole review based on the Sub Bass, where I can include various instruments, music and how good they sound. Jokes apart, this is undoubtedly the star of the show. It’s sweet, emotional and quite powerful. It’s really deep and fuller sounding. Doesn’t bleed too much in the mid-range which creates an appreciable seperation.
I never talk about the texture of the Sub Bass as most of them are smooth or other aspects stand out too much to overshadow it, this is different. A really soothing texture with good details. Sound lavish and gives an immersive experience overall. I’ve really liked the Sub Bass feels and sounds.
Mid-bass
Mid Bass is good but not as pleasing and lavish as the Sub Bass. It’s impactful, well control and mostly get overshadowed by the Sub Bass. Good thing is it’s fast, snappy and decays fast. Decently tight bass presentation with the CP100+. Lacks body and depth. So the drums sound really impactful, but you don’t feel them as much for not having a good body and presentation. A bit smooth on the texture. The Sub Bass somewhat makes up for the Mid Bass so I didn’t even notice all of these before extensive sessions.
Mid-range
Mid-range is praiseworthy. Mids lovers out there would definitely appreciate how they sound. It’s warm, yet bass bleeding is noticeable but the mid-range doesn’t lose details or get blurry. It sounds sweet, natural and organic. Pianos and violins sound great. Most string instrument sound great on them, except few tracks with acoustic guitars. I personally liked the mid-range.
Male Vocals
Vocals are natural, details are there and sounds quite heavy with a lush and depth. It’s not powerful or energetic. Instead it’s more soothing just a little forwardness. As the Mid Bass is a bit laid back compared to the Sub Bass, the presentation is clean and seems that way. But it’s nothing extraordinary like the Sub Bass. You can’t go wrong with this if your preference is a clean yet rich vocal.
Female Vocals
Female vocals seems to have a bit more energy compared to male vocals. You be like “Bro obviously,technically speaking they sing and speak at a higher frequency range and volume than us men. But it doesn’t make any sense for calling all female vocals, shouty.”
Practically speaking, imagine your mom or wifey is screaming at you for not doing the laundry or come home late after partying with friends. It’s too energetic for us to bare right? You: “Yeahh”. But not with Mr Singolo. He’s polite, but let’s you enjoy the screaming shows without fatiguing. It scales great with artists with higher scale. Details on their vocals are definitely you don’t wanna miss, here you won’t. Female vocals were good, but I enjoyed the male vocals more on them.
Treble
Here it shows it’s true color. Treble is not it’s strongest point. If you’re someone who doesn’t care about detail retrieval and treble sparkle, you can go ahead and read the rest of the parts as it is completely non-fatiguing and it’s not muted either. If you care about a really detailed thrill or sparkly trebles you’ll definitely miss them. Upper treble has decent air but lower treble is quite smooth for a guy like me who kinda likes treble, it’s not an IEM I’ll buy if I’m just having one IEM (as it is laid-back).
Instruments
Instruments laying around the treble region weren’t impressive, unlikable to be precise. But Bass guitars, string instruments, pianos, mouth organ (Harmonica) sounds really good on them. Not for the best details, but for how emotional they sound. Yeah right swipe.
Soundstage & Imaging
In case you don’t remember (or didn’t read the whole review), I’ve mentioned that it’s airy and immersive, soundstage wise it’s above average. Has decent depth. Both height and weight wise it’s good. Gives an immersive experience and this is another reason why I didn’t feel the female vocals to be shouty at all. But imaging wise I wouldn’t buy it if it is important, it’s a bummer!
Mobile Gaming
If it wasn’t for the gaming, I would have rated Singolo higher. I was only able to play 3 matches on Call of Duty Mobile and I was dying every time duo to enemy infiltration (except from few sniping foes). Firing sound isn’t that difficult to to locate but not as precise as I’d like, lacks accuracy. But footsteps, especially infiltration from behind was impossible to detect.
While I was on match, a like friend of mine was calling tirelessly. But I couldn’t reach him calling after the match. After I started another match, he began to call me again and again. All these made me really frustrated so I decided to take lunch as I was about to burst out on my friend. He’s a big guy, so it would have cost me an arm or leg. After the lunch I dared to play a match in PUBG Mobile, but same results. So I can’t really recommend it even if you’re just a bit serious about your gaming skills.
Summarization
- Location of firing sound is detectable but not pin point.
- Footsteps is difficult to locate, specially from behind.
- Comfortable for long period of gaming session and fits really well.
Why you should consider this
- If you like Sub Bass
- If you liked design
- If you like clean mids and vocals
- If you love the sound of piano and harmonica
- If you’re blindly buying it without knowing your preference
- If you want inoffensive treble
- If comfort is in your priority list
Why you should look elsewhere
- If you like a quality Mid Bass
- If you like treble sparkle
- If you don’t have any intention of changing the eartips
- If you want a good accessories in the box
- If you’re serious about gaming
Comparison
KZ AS10 Pro is a similarly priced IEM with more MidBass and better treble, soundstage and imaging. Singolo has better Sub Bass, mids and inoffensive treble with better comfortable and unboxing experience. So pick wisely. As10 Pro is going to be cherished by mainstream audience where Singolo is going to be appreciated by both mainstream and audiophile folks.
Verdict
All in all, Singolo has potential to be a good partner for many audience. There are many who really likes Crinacle’s tuning style. They wouldn’t be disappointed with the sound at all. But as gaming is a must factor for many it might not be a good option for gamers out there.
So Singolo is recommended. If you’re just going to use it for music listen, it’s a great choice. Pairing with a good eartips and source will make a good improvement. Thank you for reading all the way. If you have any questions or any thoughts about this IEM, feel free to share in the comment section.
Until then,
Keep on listening ·͜·♡
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