Sound Impressions: Bass / Soundstage
Verdandi TWS has a warm, smooth, and rich musicality. It would be classified as a gentle w-shaped sound signature that is well-balanced and tuned to cover various genres. Let’s first talk about the bass – one of the most marketed frequency ranges, as people really care that much. There are many bassy true-wireless IEMs in the market worth calling basshead TWS earphones.
However, if we’re audiophiles, we know that good, powerful bass isn’t just about brainlessly throwing in thundering low boosts. Generic and hi-res quality bass also differ in resolution, extension, timbre, and ambiance. Popular audiophile TWS IEMs, such as Noble Audio FoKus Prestige and Acoustune HSX1001, exemplify bass with all the characteristics mentioned earlier except one: the ambiance.
Thanks to the curated bone conductor drivers, Kinera hit a new record for true-wireless IEMs when it comes to bass ambiance; the realness and physically immersive bass ambiance are what make Verdandi TWS sound exceptionally immersive. Waves of bass strikes and decay, the intensity of the vibrations, and the spatial imaging. The bass is elastic with punchy yet tightly controlled.
The bass itself isn’t as strong as basshead-level strong. However, Verdandi TWS extra highlights the “bounciness” for the sub-bass with its BC drivers, making the bass sound strong in presence despite being rather calm in quantity. For this reason, the bass quantity is more than enough for the general unless you’re a proclaimed basshead. The bass snares are a bit more jumpy than your typical IEMs, which may sound a tad too spatial if you’re only keen on single-driver IEMs. However, if you could handle hybrid sounds, Verdandi TWS’s spatial bass presentation wouldn’t bother you, but would only be appreciable.
Sound Impressions: Vocals / Timbre
Regardless of being audiophile-grade or not, the biggest factor putting wired and TWS earphones in different weight classes is the mid-range, or the vocals. It’s been a long-standing impression of mine that vocals from most TWS IEMs have always had this “emptiness” compared to wired earphones.
The density, size, and front-back fullness – these were the major (if not critical) factors that often deterred me from using TWS IEMs on the go, and choosing to grab my bulky wired setup. To my surprise, Verdandi TWS is the first TWS IEM that not only closes this “gap” in weight classes but also sounds as superb as wired flagship IEMs.
Verdandi TWS has roomy, spatial, and full-bodied vocals that not only expand in a two-dimensional circle but are also packed with density and front-to-back fullness, creating proper spherical, three-dimensional headroom, as a flagship wired IEM would. Mids of Verdandi TWS have a charming timbre and spatial presentation, as acknowledged with the original Kinera Verdandi.
The overall style and nuance are very similar to the original Verdandi, though a bit more packed and tighter in control. The tone and textural consistency are great, not showing any noticeable dips, turbulence, or sibilance. Mids are neutral-dark, warm, and smooth across the entire spectrum while showing subtle sparkle and air room for the upper-mids.
Sound Impressions: Highs / Stage
Thanks to the application of unconventional drivers (at least for typical TWS earphones), Verdandi TWS sports the full-on audiophile-level performance for the trebles through its BA and EST drivers. Trebles are airy, sparkling, yet never sharp or fatiguing. The upper mids and lower trebles are exceptionally textured, adding clarity and resolution to vocals, acoustic instruments, and cymbals. The treble rolls off smoothly toward the highest frequencies, providing a natural extension without artificial shine. It doesn’t sound hollow or brittle whatsoever, which are the inevitable and most common traits found in TWS earphones when compared to audiophile-grade, wired earphones.
Upper mids maintain a gentle lift, keeping vocals present and detailed without drawing attention away from the bass or stage. Overall, the treble and upper mid synergy contribute to an extremely mature, polished, well-layered soundstage. As expected from both the earpiece size and specs, Verdandi TWS is not your typical wireless earphones, not at all; the staging is larger than average fidelity wired earphones. Verdandi TWS’s headroom expands as large as a flagship wired earphone would do.
Next Page: IEM Comparisons & Final Thoughts