Kinera BD005 Pro Review

The Kinera BD005 was allegedly a popular IEM a couple years ago, though one I never really heard of until now. That's really only because I was sent the updated "Pro" model by HifiGo for the purpose of this review I am going to go into now. 

The Kinera BD005 Pro comes in at $50 USD and can be purchased at HifiGo here: https://hifigo.com/products/kinera-bd005-pro-3d-printed-hybrid-in-ear-earphone or on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/Kinera-BD005-Pro/dp/B08YYW5RT5/in-ear-monitors/

The BD005 Pro comes in 3 color choices: black, blue and red. The unit I received is the blue color and it's a rather dark translucent blue, but looks nice with the gold flakes and Kinera logo in the faceplate. 

The unit is configured with two drivers: a 9.2mm beryllium dynamic driver and a balanced armature driver. It seems like there has been a wave of Be-based drivers out now in the IEM marketplace and this one is the latest and pairs with a BA.

Also included in this package are a set of silicone tips and a 4-core braided black cable with 2-pin connectors. The cable is pretty nice to use and terminates in a 3.5mm right angle jack which is also nice to use with phones and digital audio players.

Sound Impressions

The Kinera BD005 Pro has a U-shaped sound signature, but does not suffer from mid-bass bloat and is generally well-balanced, except for a leaning towards a brighter treble that I do find occasionally distracting and sharp. 

For $50, I do think this is one of the more resolving units out there. I think the combination of the stiffer Be-dynamic driver and a BA push out better clarity and resolution than others in this price range and beyond. Its the area I think I am most impressed with for on this unit. 

Bass is mostly tight and controlled. It could use a little punch and microdynamic impact, but it has a neutral-ish bass response that extends low and provides a reference tuning. Some may want a little more here from a dynamic driver, but for my personal preference, I am content with the amount of bass provided, which works well with a lot of the genres I prefer.

The transient response is pretty fast on this unit, which I also think is contributed by the driver selection. This helps prevent the lack of smearing and muddiness, but some may prefer a more organic and natural decay and resonance.

The midrange is on the leaner side of the spectrum with less body but clearly defined vocals and instruments. I don't have any issues with the midrange at all on this unit.

Where I find most of the issues are in the treble, which is mostly due to the lack of refinement and smoothness. This creates a bunch of peaks that will show up on tracks with harsh and stinging edginess that may not be appreciated. It also keeps the general sound signature more focused on clarity than on meat. 

Generally, though, I did find the BD005 Pro to have a good wide soundstage and solid imaging, especially for the price point, and in general, most things in this price bracket have mainly issues in treble refinement for me. 

Quick Comparisons

Tripowin TC-01

I just did a review of this other $50 IEM and I think there's some contrast here. The Tripowin is a solid V-shaped IEM where the BD005 Pro is more balanced with less bass and a better mid-range response. I think they both suffer from slightly bright treble, though I think the TC-01 is a bit smoother in this regard, even if it's boosted more.

Tin Hifi T2 Plus

The T2 Plus is also around $50 and has a very nicely balanced signature which I think is one of the better units for just plain tonality in this price bucket. I think the BD005 Pro beats it in resolution, clarity, soundstage and imaging though, so this is a battle between general tonality and timbre vs technical ability.

BLON BL03

The BL-03 is priced at $40 and is a single DD mainstay which has really solid tuning but lacks some technical strengths. Like the T2 Plus, I think this is the same situation -- where you pick tonal balance versus technical performance.

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