Kinera Celest Plutus Beast: Bone Conduction for only $89!?

January 18, 2024

Pros

Unique driver configuration
Well done BC implementation
Stunning aesthetics
Small shell size, great fit and comfort (subjective)
Comes with decent and complete set of accessories
Insane sub bass rumble
Warm, lush lower midrange
Very inoffensive treble

Cons

Bass lacks tightness and definition
Shouty upper midrange
Lacks treble sparkle
Weak treble extension
Odd, unnatural timbre
Poor technicalities

Disclaimer

Huge thanks to HiFiGo for providing the opportunity for me to review the Kinera Celest Plutus Beast. I really do appreciate it. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own, and are not influenced in any way.
Please take this review with only a grain of salt, as everyone's hearing, fit, and gears may differ, so our experience may be different.

Price(MSRP)

$89.00

Source(s)

Truthear Shio
FiiO KA13
Jcally JM6 Pro

Ear tips

Acoustune AET07

Packaging

Kinera Celest Plutus Beast.
High quality hard case with a really nice texture
3 pairs of Celest 221 Vocal silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
3 pairs of Celest 608 Balanced silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
High-Purity 5N Copper Silver-Plated Cable.

Comfortable, lightweight, and not overly thin
Has some memory on it, not the softest cable but it only tangles a bit sometimes.

Metal dragon-shaped bookmark
Cleaning brush

Build Quality

Full resin shell but doesn't really feels cheap.

Have a stunning design on the faceplate. (Subjective)

Shell size is very small considering the driver setup.

It also has a springy feel to it if you tap on it lightly.

Fit

Nozzle has average width but is slightly on the shorter side.

Do note that it is a slightly shorter resin nozzle, certain ear tips may slip out.

Fit was very good, I am able to wear these very comfortably throughout the whole day without even feeling them in my ears.

Tonality

V-shaped
Warm, shouty, dark

Bass

Sounds very different from the graph based on my listening experience.
Sub bass is more prominent than the mid bass.
Sub bass has a very deep rumble and very good texture to it, as if it can be felt.

I'm guessing that its the bone conductor making this happen.

Mid bass on the other hand is more toned down, but still having decent slam and texture
However, the mid bass is on the boomy side, and it does lacks definition, as it sounds very smoothed over.
Quantity is more than sufficient, but I don't think it hits a bass head level just yet.

It is definitely on the fun side though, and it sounds more than the graph suggests.

Overall, the bass is extremely fun to listen and experience. It is definitely a highlight of the Plutus Beast to me.

Midrange

Lower midrange is quite warm and rich, but can potentially be bloated or muddy if you prefer a cleaner signature.

Male vocals sound pretty lush and very well bodied, and they are quite forward in the mix.

Upper midrange is overly energetic and not very smooth.

Female vocals sounds very forward, which pops out very well from the strong lower frequencies, but this can easily be too shouty to some. It also has some huskiness to it due to the warmer lower midrange.

Timbre is odd and unnatural due to the strange combinations of the warm lower midrange, overly forward upper midrange and downward treble slope.
Overall note weight and density is on the thicker side, most instruments and vocals have some weight and lushness to them.

Treble

Treble is on the darker side, plus it is very smooth and inoffensive.
However, treble extension is very poor, basically not airy at all and it can sound a little "dead" or lifeless.
Details can be a little hard to pick up as the overall treble presentation is already dark, and the poor treble extension made it worse.
Overall, the treble presentation is very safe and smooth, perfect for long listening sessions but it also lacks some sparkle and air in them.

Technicalities

Resolution

Resolution and detail retrieval is subpar.
Having a warm, dark-ish signature like this further hurts the detail retrieval, and transients are not as fast and incisive.

Soundstage

Staging is also average in terms of width, but it goes fairly deep.

Imaging

Imaging and accuracy is average as well, I'm able to pinpoint position but more of a stereo, left and right presentation.

Separation

Separation and layering is subpar.
Vocals and instruments get blended and congested fairly easily once the tracks get really busy.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, I think that the Kinera Celest Plutus Beast is a very unique IEM in this price range which specializes on the bass and bone conduction department.

I personally really enjoyed the sub bass rumble that is assisted by the bone conduction driver on this set, where nothing else comes close to it in this price range.

It is recommended for people who wants to try out bone conduction drivers without breaking their bank account. It is also perfect for people who are into a less conventional tuning which is on the warm, shouty and dark side.