KEFINE Klanar Planar Review – The New V-Shape King
KEFINE Klanar is a brand IEM coming as the first model of a brand new brand. The Klanar is designed with a 14.5mm large-sized planar magnetic driver.
Founded by a team with a high passion for music, KEFINE wants to provide refined earphones and portable audio products for music lovers at affordable prices and the best value. The brand name KEFINE (Warn) comes from the combination of the founder name Ke (Ka) and the word “Refine”.
High quality is not equal to high price. KEFINE did make good use of every single cent during product development with a tireless effort to meet the price target but used the finest materials and craftsmanship when the cost permitted. There are no unnecessary features or accessories for the products. The package is as simple as possible for saving money for consumers and protecting the environment as well.
The team also strived for perfection for the price and cared about every detail. They try to make the best quality product under the budget. KEFINE hopes every music lover can enjoy music to get happiness with the least spending but with the highest quality.
KEFINE has designed the Klanar with a large 14.5mm newly-developed planar magnetic driver unit. It adopts a PET composite diaphragm providing a clean sound reproduction with enhanced details and lower distortion.
The PET composite diaphragm, N55 magnet, and customized driver construction make the bass more powerful than most planar IEMs. Mid is warm and rich, but also clean and detailed, which makes it an immersive listening experience.
KEFINE Klanar has been tuned professionally to provide a natural and smooth sound response with a balanced three-frequency response.
KEFINE has achieved the smallest design with a 14.5mm planar magnetic driver inside. The pair has the thinnest housing wall which is just 0.2mm in thickness. The design is ergonomic to provide a comfortable design for most users. The shells have a rich matte finish with a white logo for enhanced looks. The earphone housing is made by 5-axis CNC precise machining which is the best craftsmanship to ensure the smallest size and lightest weight. It ensures the wearing is the most comfortable for longer listening.
The KELINE Klanar comes with a high-quality stock cable. This is a dual dual-wire cable design. It is made of OFC litz wire (brown) and silver-plated copper litz wire (black), which helps to make a warm sound and smooth treble at the same time. It makes the sound natural but with great clarity. It has with 7.8mm 2-pin detachable cable design. 3.5mm Single end and 4.4mm balanced connectors are available.
There are 4 wires for the cable. Each wire consists of 54 cores of conductors, so there are 216 (54×4) cores of conductors for the whole cable, which ensures high quality of sound transmission. It’s a mixed hybrid cable made up of high-quality Silver-Plated Copper and OFC copper wire cores braided together. It adopts universal 2-pin connectors and comes with an option between 3.5mm termination and 4.4mm termination.
Features
- 14.5mm Large-Sized Planar Magnetic Driver Unit.
- PET Composite Diaphragm.
- Strong N55 Magnetic Architecture.
- Compact & Ergonomic Design.
- Natural and balanced Sound Tuning.
- Smooth Inoffensive Sound Profile.
- Exquisite Craftsmanship.
- High-Precision CNC Machined Ear Shells.
- Rich Matte Finish.
- Premium Silver-Plated Copper & OFC Copper Mixed Hybrid Stock Cable.
What’s in the box
Specs
- Impedance: 16Ω±15%.
- Sensitivity: 105dB±3dB.
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz-40kHz.
- Connector Type: 2-pin connectors.
- Termination: 3.5mm Single-Ended or 4.4mm Balanced(Choose While Purchasing).
- Weight: 12.5 grams.
- Price: $119
Sound
With an impedance of 16Ω and a sensitivity of 105 dB @1kHz, the Klanar is relatively easy to drive, however, it does benefit quite a bit from a dedicated amplifier or even a dongle.
For portable usage, I found that the Klanar works adequately well with the Shanling UA1 Plus. It can easily power the Klanar to a comfortable volume with no distortion.
The pair delivers a smooth, engaging sound and has a complementing tone for different genres of music. It produces lovely vocals with quick, punchy lower-end, and extended treble response.
Lows
The bass of the Klanar is powerful, deep, and punchy, thanks to the tuning. It has a good impact and rumble, especially in the sub-bass region, and there is no bleed into the midrange. One of the cleanest basses I’ve heard in this price bracket. It is fast, snappy, and powerful at the same time.
Lows are tight and well-controlled. The texture of the bass notes is simply amazing for this price range. One of the best that I’ve heard regardless of the price.
I quite enjoyed the unit’s bass response. I found myself gravitating to the Klanar whenever I was in the mood to listen to hip-hop and pop music. It can deliver thumping beats, and deep bass hits, giving the music a slight warmth.
The sub-bass playback is a standout, being able to hit low notes without coming off as too overwhelming or muddy.
Mids
While the bass makes the Klanar an expressive IEM, the mids also play their part well. Between the abundant bass frequencies and the extension of upper mids, the is going to be some recession. Everything mostly falls into the right place in the midrange. Instruments have good definitions.
Mids are a bit forward but buttery smooth, and soothing while simultaneously projecting an ample amount of presence. I always love forward mids so that’s a plus for me. The forwardness doesn’t seem to bring forth a shouty character and just comes at you in a rather unveiled form.
Notes have a nice clarity with a strong attack. With more textured tracks, the Klanar performs well with though. Heavily distorted guitars and droning synths boast an energetic drive, helped by a warm timbre in the low mids. Vocals also display balance and clarity.
Treble
The Klanar’s highs can be described as balanced with very good extantion. There is a good amount of top-end extension and detail. I like the tuning of this part, there is just the right amount of treble density, neither too much nor too little.
The resolution of the highs is also quite good. This is a tuning that will satisfy both treble lovers and audiophiles with treble sensitivity, so I found this region particularly well done.
The treble quantity may be much for some listeners, especially those who prefer a smoother or darker treble. But those searching for V-shaped IEMs will be pleasantly surprised with the treble and resolution performance.
Technicalities
The imaging performance is good, with a good sense of separation, positioning, and layering. Its imaging performance isn’t class-leading by any means but it’s not something that holds the Klanar back.
The Klanar also creates a soundstage with adequate width and depth given the price range. The instrument separation is good but not class-leading, as the heightened treble and bass can mask some mid-range nuances. The imaging is clear and precise, allowing you to pinpoint the location and distance of each sound source.
Comparison
vs Hidizs MP145
The new Klanar has the most sub-bass extension seen on any planar IEM to this date. It’s a perfect example of a clean V-shape tuning. Compared to Hidizs’ latest MP145 planar it has deeper bass and also a higher pinna gain which makes it more upper-mids forward in sound, which gives some advantage on vocal-centric and instrumental tracks if it’s your taste. On the upper treble extension, the MP145 has a slight advantage if you are into this type of sound.
vs Letshuoer S12
Is Letshuoer S12 your favorite planar IEM but you prefer slightly reduced treble? Youm also want more sub-bass? The Kefine Klanar is your solution.
Sum-Up
Normally I’m not a big fan of V-shape tuned IEMs. Because they might have lows that overpower mids, or they might have some ear-piercing upper mids and treble. This is not the case with the new Klanar. Firstly, having a planar driver it is extremely well controlled on both frequency ranges and perfectly tuned. You get fast and precise bass notes plus well-balanced mids and highs. The Kefine Klanar might be the perfect V-shape tuned IEM that you were waiting for. And it just comes for 119 bucks.