In-Ear MonitorOverreview

Kinera Celest PhoenixCall 2.0

Celest rebuilt its bright, peaky PhoenixCall into a bass-led six-driver set — and reviewers can't agree whether the result is warm and smooth or still carries a fatiguing 5 kHz edge.

36 sourcesUpdated
$169Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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Kinera Celest PhoenixCall 2.0

The short version

What to know.

The Kinera Celest PhoenixCall 2.0 is a six-driver tribrid — two dynamic, two balanced armature and two planar drivers per side — sold for $169. Six measurement rigs agree on a sub-bass shelf at or a little above the Harman target, a recessed 1.5–2.5 kHz region about 5 dB below it, an ear-gain peak near 2.8 kHz that stops short of the target, a 4 kHz dip and a narrow peak around 5–5.5 kHz; against the original PhoenixCall it trades 5–7 dB of upper mids and treble for several dB of sub-bass. Reviewers broadly agree on deep, textured, well-controlled bass; comfortable shells that seal and isolate well, though the large 6 mm-plus nozzles and thick shells don't suit every ear; and a well-made package with a modular cable. Opinion splits four ways. Most hear a warm, bass-led V, but a minority hears a neutral-to-bright, treble-energetic set. Most find the treble smooth and fatigue-free, while others single out the 5 kHz region as sibilant or tiring. Most call the vocals clean and present, but three measurers hear female vocals recessed and thin. And at $169 it is a strong recommendation to some and a specialist tuning to others, who point to better-balanced rivals.

About this product

The 2026 successor to Celest's 2023 PhoenixCall, adding a second dynamic driver for 2DD + 2BA + 2 planar per side and a modular 3.5/4.4 mm cable. Sold in four finishes with the same tuning. Not the original PhoenixCall or the Elise Audio × Kinera Dark Phoenix.

Celest is Kinera's lower-priced sub-brand, known for hand-painted resin shells and mythology-themed storytelling. The original PhoenixCall of 2023 was a bright, sharply V-shaped tribrid; the PhoenixCall 2.0, launched in April 2026 at $169, adds a second 8 mm dynamic driver in a coaxial pair beside two balanced armatures and two 6 mm planar drivers, and ships with a modular 3.5/4.4 mm cable in four painted finishes.

Six measurement rigs and every reviewer who heard both generations agree it is a different tuning, not a refresh: far more sub-bass and much less upper-midrange and treble energy. Most of the coverage comes from Head-Fi, Japanese blogs and YouTube, nearly all on samples. They agree on the bass, the build and the fit; they split on whether the new balance reads warm or bright, whether a narrow peak near 5 kHz is harmless or tiring, how present female vocals are, and whether it beats the better-balanced sets at its price.

A good fit for

  • Listeners who want weighty, textured sub-bass with a clean midrange — EDM, rock, hip-hop, male vocals
  • Owners of the original PhoenixCall who found it too bright
  • Buyers who value a striking finish, a full accessory box and a modular cable

Think twice if

  • You listen mostly to female vocals and want them forward
  • You're sensitive to a narrow 5 kHz peak or sibilance
  • You have small ears or dislike thick, 6 mm-plus nozzles
  • You want a neutral or reference tuning

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

4 / 12topics divide opinion
buildisolationbasssoundstageimagingdetaildynamicscomforttonalitymidstreblevalue
2 Strong agreement6 Mostly agree4 Divided opinions

Common ground4

  • Deep, textured, well-controlled bass — the clearest upgrade over the original
  • A complete retune of the original: far more sub-bass, much less upper-midrange and treble energy
  • Well-finished shells, painted faceplates and a modular 3.5/4.4 mm cable

Points of contention4

  • Tonality: warm, bass-led V vs crisp, neutral-to-bright and treble-energetic — the curve has both a sub-bass shelf and a 5 kHz peak
  • Treble: smooth and fatigue-free vs a sharp 5 kHz region and uneven upper treble
  • Mids: clean, present vocals vs recessed, thin female vocals (the 2 kHz region measures ~5 dB under target)

A closer listen.

12 topics · 4 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Tonality

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment21 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split on direction rather than quality. Most describe a warm, bass-led V or U — deep low end, held-back upper mids, a darker or denser overall tone. A minority (Nealz, Lexfireview, Audio-In, littlenezt, Mezzo Soprano, Zeppmeister) hears a crisp, neutral-to-bright, treble-energetic set. The curve explains both: a sub-bass shelf and a recessed 2 kHz region read warm, while the narrow 5 kHz and upper-treble peaks read bright.

Measured

Against Harman IE 2019 on six squig rigs (500 Hz normalised): 20 Hz −1 to +2.5 dB, 200 Hz +2–2.6 dB, 2 kHz 4.6–5.5 dB under, ear gain peaking near 2.8 kHz about 3 dB short of the target, a 4 kHz dip and a narrow 5–5.5 kHz peak. Versus the original PhoenixCall on the same rigs: 3–8 dB more at 20 Hz, 5–7 dB less at 2 and 4 kHz.

vs. listeners — Both camps describe the same curve: the sub-bass shelf and the lowered 2 kHz region make it warmer than the Harman target, while the isolated 5 kHz peak and the uneven region above 10 kHz give the sparkle the bright camp hears.

Where it splits
Warm and bass-led — a V or U built on a big low end, with the upper mids held back.73%

“And this one has a lot of warmth and bottom end as well.”

ToneDeafMonk (YouTube review)
Crisp and neutral-to-bright — energetic upper mids and treble with sub-bass underneath.27%

“The Phoenixcall 2.0 adopts a crisp U-shaped tuning that occasionally ventures into mildly W-shaped territory, depending on the recording.”

Nealz (Head-Fi review)
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
In-ear monitor
Drivers
2 × 8 mm dynamic (8mm Coaxial Dynamic Driver Setup) + 2 × balanced armature (Imported Knowles BA+Custom BA) + 2 × 6 mm planar magnetic2DD + 2BA + 2Planar
Housing
high-quality resin

Electrical

Impedance
11 Ω
Frequency response
20 Hz – 20 kHz

Connection

Cable
Detachable
Connector
0.78 mm 2-pin (not recessed)community-sourced: socket depth
Plugs supplied
3.5 mm, 4.4 mm balancedmodular

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from hifigo.com. Socket depth not published by the maker — community-sourced from hands-on reviews: banjo6914.hatenablog.com, bisonicr.ldblog.jp.

Follow the evidence

Sources 36

1–6 of 36 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 5

  1. A read of where the reviews land as of October 2026, six months after launch — the crowded $150–200 hybrid field keeps moving.

  2. Almost every published review was written on a sample or loaner, and much of the coverage is Japanese or Russian; owners' own reports are still very few.

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