Submitted by nxnje t3_10mmlew in headphones
TL;DR for those who have no time or willingness to read the review:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Perfect solution for those who game with IEMs | Pre-molded hooks not comfortable for everyone |
| Interchangeable plug (3.5mm + 4.4mm) | No mute button |
INTRODUCTION
Kinera is a well known brand nowadays and many people know them mostly because of their IEMs, because they put great efforts in realizing unique sounding sets with very singular faceplates, but Kinera also sells some interesting cables and accessories.
The Kinera Gramr, which was mainly designed for gamers and people who really need a quality microphone without giving up the comfort of earphones, is among these, and in this review we’ll look a bit more into it.
Disclaimer: the Kinera Gramr was provided by Kinera for free in order to write an honest review. I do not represent them in any way and this is not promotional content.
At the time of the review, the Kinera Gramr was sold for 49$ in its standard version on Kinera Audio official website.
In the photo: Celest Pandamon with Kinera Gramr cable
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Material → Silver Plated OFC
- Braid type → 2-cores twist
- Sheath material → PVC
- Cable length → 150cm ± 2cm
- PIN interface → 0.78mm/MMCX
- Plug type → balanced detachable 4.4 mm plug + CTIA 3.5mm plug (both gold plated copper connectors)
- Boom microphone length → 12.7cm
- Microphone type → omnidirectional
Cable is available both in blue and black colors, MMCX or 0.78mm PINs and there are also Apple Lightning or Type-C adapters that can be added (for an added price) to the order.
PACKAGING
Kinera cares a lot about packaging and unboxing experiences, and the Gramr is no exception even though it’s a cable. The packaging is well designed and the unboxing experience is pleasant.
It contains:
- The Kinera Gramr cable
- The boom microphone
- A set of two microphone sponges
- 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs
BUILD QUALITY, TOUCH AND FEEL
Being a 2-twist cable, the Gramr does not feel rigid, and instead the cable is rather soft and pleasant to the touch. This makes me a tad suspicious about the longevity of the twists, but at the same time the softness makes it comfortable to wear, and there isn’t any sort of microphonics effect, nor vibrations’ conduction.
The pre-molded hooks are not the softest tried and I would have preferred them to be softer but they do the job. Those with small ears might have some trouble keeping the hooks wrapped around the ears because of the limited “flexibility” of the molded guides.
The 0.78mm PINs (on my sample, but there is also an MMCX version available as mentioned above) are slightly covered by plastic on top, so if one plans to use them on IEMs that use recessed 0.78mm PINs, it would be better using this cable with other sets or PINs will tend to slip off.
The other way around would be cutting the plastic around the connectors so that the Gramr becomes usable with practically every 2-PIN IEM, but it’s something that I’d avoid if possible.
The boom microphone can be easily detached if not used, and it’s rather flexible. In my opinion, a slightly longer microphone would have been even better but it’s really a minor complaint.
RECORDING AND USABILITY
The microphone is pretty good at recording the voice. There is no background hiss while speaking in real-time voice chat platforms nor while recording the voice through audio editing softwares.
Sure, this is not a pro-grade microphone, but this is a real game changer for those who usually play with IEMs, moreover considering that the recording quality is much better if we compare this to the “classic” microphone with remote control that we get on a stock cable.
The only thing we miss here is a “mute” button, which would have been very useful; not a dealbreaker, but still something that Kinera could add in a future (and updated) version of this cable.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Kinera Gramr really takes gaming to another level, not only thanks to the good recording quality, which is indeed good, but because this product approaches gaming from a different (and more pragmatic) perspective.
This is a valuable addition to every IEMs’ lover that also plays games, and I am sure the Gramr will make many people happy (just like me).
Bwardrop t1_j653vg6 wrote
I bought these and returned them. I strongly recommend staying away from this product. The cheap mmcx connectors pulled the center pin out of my CA Polaris 2s and I'm going to have to have them repaired.
I also had random disconnects using the 3.5 TRRS plug into the PS5 controller the very first night I used them.
The mic quality was good. The cable was nice and supple and seemed of good quality. I would have been happy had I not had problems right away. They must have used bargain bin mmcx connectors. Even the mmcx connection they used for the mic seemed finicky.
I ended up buying the Antlion Kimura. It's a much better product than the Gramr and it didn't ruin my expensive iems. I might write up a similar review to the above on it when I get the time.