Synergy
The Kinera Orlog synergizes best with IEMs which focus on the mid-bass and mid-range or for those looking to add more mid-bass and improved separation and layering.
Empire Ears Legend EVO
The Empire Ears Legend EVO’s (Legend EVO) sub and mid-bass slam hard and it is meticulously textured. The midrange is forward, smooth, and highly resolving which is supported by a very large and tall soundstage.
The treble on the Legend EVO is where it pulls things back a bit and comes off as neutral sounding with a decent level of detail.
With the Kinera Orlog, the Legend EVO maintains its sub and mid-bass prowess which are still significantly elevated and forward in the overall frequency response.
The quantity of both the sub and mid-bass do not differ significantly from its default configuration and the quality within this sound spectrum is not lost. The mid-bass does become slightly boomy and continues to have its slow decay.
Timbre-wise, the Legend EVO becomes a tad warmer which impacts the mid-range. The upper mid-range is not presented as far forward and comes back slightly. Detail retrieval within the mid-range is still excellent where vocals and instruments sound lush and natural sounding. Treble detail and extension remain unchanged.
Soundstage height and width are very wide and tall however separation and layering improve. There is noticeably more spacing between instruments and vocals which gives off a better sense of stage height.
Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 Z-Tune Edition
Stock Tuning
The Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 Z-Tune Edition is a remake of the original Kinera Imperial Nana 2.0 and has had its tuning modified by audio reviewer “Z Reviews”.
The Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 features a slightly elevated mid-bass, forward lower mid-range, slightly forward upper mid-range, and sparkly treble with excellent staging.
The main focus of the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 is on mid-range clarity and resolution where it excels at fleshing out the micro details from instruments and vocals.
Timbre-wise, the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 leans slightly warm. Given that the Orlog has its roots from Kinera, this was a fitting pairing in order to see how Kinera’s cables and IEMs synergize together.
Paired with the Orlog
The Kinera Orlog increases the mid-bass presence whilst bringing the lower mid-range forward on the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1. Its mid-bass becomes more forward with more quantity, slam, and slower decay.
The lower mid-range receives more volume while maintaining the original levels of detail and resolution. The upper mid-range comes slightly back and is not as far forward. Timbre-wise, the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 becomes warmer compared to its default setup.
Treble extension and detail remain unchanged however it is noticeably less sparkly compared to its stock cable setup. The soundstage on the Kinera Imperial Nana 2.1 does not change significantly with a slight improvement in layering and separation.
Select Comparisons
Satin Audio Athena II
$599
Technical
The Satin Audio Athena II (Athena II) has a unique material composition and features a mix of Superior Pure OCC Silver, Silver-Gold Alloy, and Palladium.
The base material of the cable is silver. According to Satin Audio, the Athena II’s Superior Pure OCC technology results in a silver purity rating between 6N (99.99998%) and 7N (99.999998%) which is about the highest you can currently obtain.
The Athena II features a 26AWG gauge and comes in 4, 6, and 8-wire configurations. The Athena II subject to this comparison is a 4-wire, 26AWG cable.
Design
The Athena II sports a shiny, silver appearance which is reminiscent of its silver and palladium properties. This contrasts with the Kinera Orlog which has a silver, copper, and matte grey finish for its wires.
The Athena II is soft and supple making it very easy to use and wear on the ear. The Athena II uses Satin Audio’s advanced “SA Insulation II” jacket which improves usability, flexibility, and transparency.
Performance
The Athena II fleshes out the details in the lower mid-range and creates fizz or energy in the treble region whilst dialing back the mid-bass to make it punchier and faster to decay.
This contrasts with the Orlog which creates more emphasis on the lower end where the mid-bass has more slam and is slower to decay. The detail retrieval in the mid-range is on par between the two cables where string instruments, guitars, piano, and vocals sound lush and smooth.
Timbre-wise, the Orlog has a warmer presentation compared to the Athena II. Furthermore, the treble on the Orlog is less bright and not as sparkly as the Athena II.
The Orlog is able to create a wider soundstage however height is more or less the same. The Orlog creates more spacing and layering between instruments and vocals giving the sound more overall depth.
Effect Audio Code 23
$599
Technical
The Effect Audio Code 23 (Code 23) is an Ultra-Pure OCC Copper Litz cable with a 16.5 AWG, 2-wire configuration. Within each wire, there is a solid copper core which is surrounded by 12 multi-size Core Bundles.
Each bundle comprises of Ultra-Pure OCC Copper Litz multi-size strands that come together to form one single wire.
The gauging of Code 23 is much thicker compared to the Kinera Orlog which means that Code 23 is stiffer, less flexible, and does not sit as well on top of the ear.
To finish, Code 23 is coated in Effect Audio’s UltraFlexi Insulation material, which is similar to that used on the Orlog.
Design
Code 23 comes in two colorways – Dystopian Black and Cyber Green. The cable under comparison is the Dystopian Black version however in reality, it has a lacquered, brown color with a “strand-like” texture to it.
The combination of the color and texture described above leaves you with a smooth, timber finish. The Code 23’s Y splitter and plug come in a gun-metal finish and are very thick and heavy.
Performance
The Code 23 colors the sound similar to the Orlog where it focuses on the mid-bass and lower mid-range, however, Code 23 delivers this with much more volume. Sub-bass digs deeper on Code 23 and the mid-bass has more quantity with much more slam. Bass instruments and notes have more oomph and are slower to decay.
Code 23 pushes the lower mid-range more forward compared to the Orlog where the micro-details become more apparent with a higher level of detail. The upper mid-range is presented in the same manner between the two cables where it is not pushed as far forward compared to the lower mid-range. Timbre-wise, both cables have a similar warmth with no significant difference.
Code 23 has slightly better detail retrieval compared to the Orlog however both cables have a similar treble extension.
The soundstage on Code 23 is significantly wider and taller compared to the Orlog which gives the Code 23 a 3D listening experience. Layering and separation are similar between the two however Code 23 creates a tad more spacing given its wider and taller soundstage.
Our Verdict
The Kinera Orlog 8-wire version is a very well-designed high-performance aftermarket IEM cable that tastefully colors the mid-bass and lower mid-range. At the same time, it does an excellent job of enhancing layering and imaging.
Nothing is overdone nor under-delivered which is a nod to Effect Audio and Kinera Imperial’s pursuit of innovation resulting in a high-quality cable. As cable collaborations are now becoming more popular, both Kinera Imperial and Effect Audio can be proud of their latest achievement.
Kinera Orlog Technical Specifications
- Material： UP-OCC
- Dual Material Hybrid Design
- Golden Ratio Composite Cable Core： Multi-strand gold-plated copper & silver-plated copper core mixture
- Golden Ratio Composite Cable Core： Multi-strand pure copper core mixed with pure sterling silver core
- Braiding：4 core / 8 core three-dimensional braiding
- Cable Diameter：26AWG 4 core / 8 core
- Outer Layer： EA UltraFlexi™ ultra-soft insulation outer layer
- Interface：EA ConX™ 0.78 2pin, MMCX
- Plug： EA-P 4.4mm balanced
- Plug Material： Gold-plated brass
- Plug Internal Connection： Threaded connection structure
- External Metal Part： Aluminum alloy
- Cable Length：2m
