Review: Lear Kaleido - Triple Hybrid (Universal fit)
Overview
The
LUF-Kaleido (or Kaleido, in short) is one of the newer models from Lear, well known
Hong Kong based audio company. A company that has been in the portable audio
market for years offering a nice variety of products, from in-ear sets (both
universal and custom fit), cables and amplifiers. The Kaleido uses the rather
popular triple hybrid setup of one dynamic and two balanced armature drivers,
with a less standard design which is also customizable in color and faceplate
options. A nice looking earphone that doesn’t compromise much with the sound
bringing a warm, rich and smooth presentation which is fun to listen.
Website – Lear (English)
Specifications
- Drivers: 7mm Dynamic & Dual Balanced Armature
- Frequency range: 10 Hz ~ 20 kHz
- Impedance: 10Ω @ 1000Hz
- Sensitivity: 109 dB @ 1mW
Price: Universal fit, HKD 1700 ~ U$D
216; Custom fit, HKD 2000 ~ U$D 255.
The Kaleido
IEM is not the first Lear product I listened to, but yes the first to get a
full review. I got it as a replacement for other of the Lear items, and while
it took some time, it definitely was worth the wait. The earphone arrives in
the usual Lear packaging which consists of a simple black color cardboard box
with minimal writing that is not trying to impress at all and is more than fine
in my opinion. The earpieces arrived securely arranged inside a foam pad with
no cables attached. The eartips selection is minimal, with only 3 pairs of
standard silicone tips (medium size already attached) and 2 foam tips. Should
be noted that the medium tips are different than the small and large for
whatever reason. There is also the Lear round case which is of very good quality
and holds inside the own Lear latest C2 MKIII cable, which is a sliver plated
copper cable. (The additional 2.5mm balanced cable is an extra)
By the way,
it’s pretty obvious, but anyway ‘LUF’ stands for ‘Lear Universal Fit’ (and yes,
the Custom option is LCM).
Design
and build quality
The Kaleido
is probably the best built of all the Lear earphones I’ve tried (haven’t tried
the upper models yet). The earpieces are designed like custom in-ear models,
made of thick acrylic material, and in this case, with a translucent blue color
that allows to see the inner drivers’ setup. The shape is not standard at all
with a custom-like design. The faceplates here are the standard ones used for
the Kaleido, but of course can be changed to any other design as well as the
color theme. The nozzle has a good angle with this custom-like universal shape
with a two bore design for each of the drivers, though it is a bit short and
lacks the grip to hold some aftermarket eartips.
Despite the
specific form factor, the Kaleido fits as any other universal IEM. The unusual
shape was not a challenge at all, though the fit can be tighter than more
rounded IEMs, and so the seal can be too strong with some tips. Isolation level
is good, at least above average for daily use, while comfortable enough and
with no driver flex issues. Getting the correct seal was critical with the
Kaleido in order to achieve the best sound results; the included silicone tips
were fine, but I opted for wide bi-flanges, wider single tips or even Spinfit.
As for the
cable, the included one is the last Lear C2 MKIII in a standard MMCX setup
which with most cables I tried had a very secure connection. From a company
that also makes upgrade cables the included cable is of good quality and can be
bought sold separately. The wire is of silver plated copper and consists of
four strands softly twisted. It carries almost no noise when moving around and
is very comfortable to wear and while not really needed, the memory wire works
fine.
Sound
Quality
With the
most common hybrid setup of single dynamic & dual balanced armature, the
Kaleido takes an interesting but not so unusual sound tuning, yet with good
technical characteristics, mixing detail, resolution and a very solid fun
factor. A strong and warmly tuned dynamic unit for lows along with smooth,
sweet and engaging mids and highs from the BA counterpart. Not the popular
lively V-shaped presentation, and does sound more laid-back and forgiving than
other IEMs on its same price range I’ve recently tried.
The dynamic
driver may not be too large with just a 7mm diameter, which can be found as
tweeter on some dual dynamic sets instead as a woofer, however, the low end is
nothing small at all. In fact, the bass is weighty, very solid and too present.
Quantity wise it is more than plenty, rather boosted at the mid-bass region
with a present lift at the upper bass blending with the low midrange. Provided
a tight seal with the correct eartips, the bass wouldn’t struggle much to
classify as heavy-bass, and some bassheads might find a nice option with the
Kaleido. It doesn’t stop in just the amount; the quality is very good too. It
has good separation, dynamics and layering, but still with a thunderous level
of rumble that may get too powerful if asked for. Sub-bass is almost as
present, but takes a bit of second place in forwardness; it has good reach at
the lowest notes, but not too much depth overall. Speed is not too high, and
the Kaleido doesn’t have an aggressive attack, but yes a smooth decay. With the
provided eartips or with Spinfit options, the bass can get more congested,
though using wider bi-flange helps to achieve better layering and tighter
low-end with wider range and depth.
Following
the strong bass response, the midrange does sit behind in the whole presentation.
However, thanks to that the midrange is rather warm and full, and not a thin or
distant as with more classic v-shaped triple hybrid IEMs. The strengths of the
balanced armature is easy to notice, having the speed, articulation and good
level of resolution. Lower instruments are a bit over darkened by the bass lift
and can sound too thick with warmer sources, and with a similar effect on the
male voices too. Upper instruments, on the other hand, have a cleaner texture
and likely, female singers are presented with a sweeter texture. The midrange
as a whole does not stand out too much, but it is smooth, engaging and carries
a nice sense of musicality.
For
reference, the Kaleido has slightly more forward mids than the Brainwavz B200,
and is more resolving and detailed too. The Vsonic GR07 Bass is more mid
forward though more linear and leaner with a brighter tonality towards the
upper mids. The LZ A4 shows a similar presentation (depending on the filters
used, of course), and even if the A4 can be set up for a more upfront midrange,
the Kaleido has more natural tonality.
Highs keep a
similar good balanced with the midrange with just half a step more forward as
to give a more lively sound effect, yet remains smooth and laid-back. Extension
is decent and there’s enough amount of sparkle, though the more relaxed nature
and slightly darker tonality limits the sense of air. The positive
characteristic is that the Kaleido has almost no hint of sibilance or
harshness, just a hidden sense of grain being more low-treble focused than
anything.
Stage is not
particularly large or wide despite being a triple hybrid IEM, even so the
presentation does not sound closed or congested. The level of detail is good in
the BA type, accurate but not far from the analytical type; yet not best in
class, probably due the more dominant low end that hides some of the treble,
but the details are still presented in a natural way.
Source
matching is not an issue with the Kaleido, though I’d pick a less warm/dark
source to reach a better balance out of it. Surprisingly, there were no real
changes taking the 2.5mm balanced output of the Aune M1s. However, the
different cables did had some effects on the Kaleido for either a brighter or
smoother tonality, but the best pick is still the included Lear C2 cable.