Posted by Pros: Comfortable as ever with the fit
Great musical tonality across genres
Engaging bass, natural mids and controlled treble
Economics of this set are incredible
Cons: that 3.5 mic cable, that’s my pet peeve
those seeking detailed presentation and treble forward IEMs should likely skip this
Kefine has been tossing out banger after banger from its stables for a while now. I have at various points of time owned or listened to the Klean, Klean SV, Delci and most recently the Arnar and have been impressed with their way of doing things. They were kind enough to send the Loric over for an unbiased option and while I am grateful for this gesture, the review remains my opinion and thoughts.
The Loric comes in Kefine’s no-nonsense black packaging and then some ikebana, houdini type wizardry hides the cable under the foam cut-outs. I’ll be honest, I pulled the iems out without taking a picture and then spent a good few minutes struggling to get it back in the way it came to take a picture for this review.
The version I got was a 3.5mm with a mic. And maybe I have a small bone to pick here. Because that would necessitate me to get a usb dongle that can handle a mic and that is unfortunately not always the case. Plus iOS and Android and all that mess. It is a small bone but a bone all the same. Not having a mic would not stress me out and having a mic with a type c termination solves the dongle conundrum.
The cable however is a fairly nice one at this price point. The shells themselves are transparent resin showing off the dynamic driver with a moulded nozzle (that initially I struggled with Candy tips slipping off… in my ear) the faceplate is matte aluminium in the silver option that I got and beautifully shaped. At various angles it looks like a pistachio, a stealth bomber and a Jedi spaceship, specifically Obi Wan’s. Look up the Delta-7B.
It sits comfortably in my ears with no issues. I’m liking my current run of reviews with comfortable iems, I shall not lie.
I did at some point cable roll to a Openheart 4.4 cable and tips used were Sancai and Candy and briefly the HE sonic wides, when they stayed on both the nozzles and in my ears.
Tested with – Hidizs AP80 Pro Max, VE Prime stack, VE devastator pro 3.5. Tidal and local Flacs. Here’s my list https://tidal.com/playlist/3078c9b9-a1c0-4fde-8ce7-81f0e34b426c
Bass
Kefine’s single dynamic drivers have never shied away from bass. The Klean SV with the right nozzles had the same punch in the low end that to be honest, had me enjoying the thumping kicks and bass of Get Lucky by Daft Punk and on Billie Jean I actually managed to listen to bass with a level of detail that convinces me that there’s a synth bass playing the first note and a stringed bass continuing that iconic riff. The subbass is not as rumbling as other sets but still sets a reasonable foundation on tracks like Islands by The XX and Angel by Massive Attack. The bass is definitely elevated but still stays safely shy of spilling over and muddying the mids.
Midrange
The mids on the Loric are nicely tuned to be musical over detail oriented. That largely means I can spend time listening to music without really having to focus on individual notes and overlap and layering and all that and just listen. Vocals and instruments both electric and acoustic sound natural with no weird timbre. It sounds warm in the lower mids with male vocals sounding full and engaging. The upper mids are neither recessed nor enhanced. Female vocals also come off sounding natural and not shouty. Fast Car and Subcity by Tracy Chapman are great tracks that can easily turn shouty and on the Loric, they sound effortless.
Treble
The treble is well controlled and not sibilant or harsh. There is a little air and shimmer but the Loric definitely isn’t going for detail. You can still hear everything that is happening on the track but there are more treble forward sets with a little more detail at this price point. But again at this price point to get an IEM which delivers this level of musicality without a treble peak masquerading as detail is very very hard. My usual test for the cymbal shimmer is the first crash on the opening of Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and on the Loric the crash and its decay are heard well with the decay slightly more controlled than other kilobuck sets but it is never harsh. On sibilance rich tracks like Hotel California (from Hell Freezes Over) by the Eagles and Human Nature by Michael Jackson on pushing the volume up there’s only a little bit of the sharp ‘s’ in MJ’s voice.
Stage and Imaging and Resolution
Neither is the staging hugely expansive or the imaging immaculate. I would not game on these – unless you were doing a rpg through a musical wonderland. For shooters there are definitely better iems. For detail-heads there are definitely better iems. But for sheer musicality and a fatigue free enjoyable session, this is a great starting point.
Final verdict. For too long have the IEMs that usher people into this world, that will ultimately bankrupt them but leave them in rapture, been tuned to that aggressive V with a punchy booming bass and a sharp incisive treble. It’s really really refreshing to see a sub $30 IEM really stick to the basics of what listening to music really means for a lot of us – something we enjoy and feel. And the Loric does just that with an affordable package and a comfortable shell.
But please Kefine,if you are reading this, don’t do a 3.5mm with a mic. Someone will use a dac that doesn’t support a microphone and blame you guys instead.