Kinki Studio is a small Chinese manufacturer of hifi DACs, amps and pre-amps. The company was established in 2008, but just recently got international attention. The THR-1 is a quite powerful headphone amplifier with pre-amp functionality. It has three headphone outputs: A 4-pin XLR and two 6.3mm TRS outputs. The TRS outputs are optimized for higher and lower impedance headphones and thus labeled “High” and “Low”. You can, of course, use the headphone output you find to sound the best. On the back there are XLR and RCA inputs and outputs. There is no remote control. The Kinki THR-1 feels solid. It looks great, is reassuringly heavy, and the buttons and knobs are nice to use.
In the following, I compare the Kinki to some relevant amplifiers in and above the price range of the 1100 USD (ex VAT) Kinki THR-1.
Amplifier Comparisons
Kinki THR-1 vs Violectric V200
Hifiman Sundara
I tend to favor the Kinki: It is warmer, fuller and more pleasant sounding. Voices have more weight and body. Even though the V200 is not dry or bright sounding, it lacks the midrange weight of the Kinki.
Oppo PM1
I feel similarly as above, the Kinki is simply more charming, more inviting and enveloping. They feel equally snappy and detailed, but the Kinki infuses a dose of charm to all the music I play.
Focal Elear
The Elear sounds better with the Kinki. It has a more organic fluidity, the V200 can become a bit dry. The detail level feels similar.
Hifiman HE560
Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 3 & Piano Quintet – Belcea Quartet: This track is quite different with the two amps: The strings have more texture with the V200, which has a drier presentation. The Kinki is a bit more laid back and feels a bit more organic.
Faces – T. Stanko: The V200 sounds more transparent and detailed. The Kinki is nice but makes the HE560 less open sounding.
Mars – Soulfly: Playing some metal, the difference is obvious. The V200 is quite a bit tighter sounding with the HE560 than with the Kinki.
I Do – S. Slettahjell: With toned down female vocals, it is the Kinki´s turn to show off. It does indeed have some seriously smooth midrange capabilities.
I struggle to make up my mind about which I really prefer with the HE560. The Kinki has a richer tone, but sometimes the V200 feels cleaner and more effortless in its presentation.
Sennheiser HD800
Montague Grant – Prins Thomas: The amps perform quite similarly on this bass and drums oriented track. The Kinki sure doesn ́t stand back to the V200.
Terminal 7 – T.Stanko: They are equally spacious sounding, but the Kinki has a sweeter and more appealing sound signature. Especially the midrange is nice, but also the treble feels more organic. The resolution feels similar.
Nevermind – L.Cohen: Again, the extra level of sweetness of the Kinki makes me a bit more happy than the V200.
Can´t See You – Susan Wong: Here, the crispness of the V200, with the extra texture it gives the vocals, feels more desirable to me than the Kinki´s fullness.
Grålysning – T. Thonstrup: Here, I find the V200 to be more effortless, the Kinki a bit less controlled.
Mostly, I prefer the Kinki to the V200 in side by side comparisons, and I definitely prefer the Kinki for longer sessions. It has a much sweeter and more pleasant sound signature.
Beyerdynamics T1 mk2
Although the T1 mk2 sounds quite alright with the V200 it takes me a very short while to conclude that the Kinki is superior. It is sweeter sounding, with a more lush and inviting, yet clean and transparent presentation. There is nothing negative to say about the Kinki/T1 combo. It is simply delicious.
Bryston vs Kinki THR-1
Sennheiser HD650
Quite similar performance, but the Bryston is a tad crisper.
Focal Elear
Both are dynamical and feels well articulated. Again, the Bryston is a tad thinner and crisper, but not much. The Kinki has a nice extra dose of warmth to it.
Sennheiser HD800
The Kinki holds up very well against the Bryston. They have different characters. I occasionally, like with Phanta du Prince´s “Photon”, find the Bryston to have slightly better bass control and separation, but mostly the difference is about presentation rather than one being objectively better. The Kinki is generally warmer and fuller sounding. I tend to prefer the slightly toned down presentation of the Kinki for the HD800, but trying to be objective, I can imagine others would prefer the extra clarity of the Bryston. Still, they are not that different.
Hifiman HE560
Nevermind – Leonard Cohen: The Kinki has more presence in the mids here, it is slightly warmer and feels richer and more present than the Bryston, without losing any noticeable fine detail.
Tres Notas Para Decir Te Quiero – Vincente Amigo: Also here, the Kinki offers that needed dose of warmth, making the Bryston feel a bit thin.
The HE560 has a slightly drawn back midrange and can benefit from a dose of mid range presence. Even though the Kinki feels quite neutral, it indeed brought out the goodness a bit more than the Bryston with the HE560.
Hifiman HE1000 v2
Here, I experience the same as with the HE560, but my preference is not as one-sided. The Bryston offers a thinner, but also slightly more transparent sound, making it more of a trade-off. Also, the bass is a bit tighter with the Bryston. Both amps are doing a good job, but with different advantages.
Audeze LCD-3
With the LCD-3 they perform quite similarly. They sound more alike than with the other headphones, but I notice that the Bryston delivers slightly tidier bass performance, like on Smashing Pumpkins´ “Cherub Rock”.
Fostex TH900
The Kinki sounds great with the TH900. It has a dose of warmth that the Bryston lacks. The Kinki has a tad less precision but a bit thicker bass and midrange. Now, the TH900 does indeed usually benefit from some extra fullness in the mids, so a very neutral amp like the Bryston might not be the best choice.
Beyerdynamic T1 mk2
My first impression of the T1 mk2 with the Kinki was mesmerizing, and to be honest I did not listen to anything else for weeks. The Bryston does a fine job, but to me, there is a special magic in the Kinki/T1 combo. The Kinki delivers a spacious, yet enveloping and full-bodied sound. The Bryston is sharper, brighter, and a bit thinner sounding. Compared to e.g. the Auralic Taurus, the BHA-1 does great with the T1, but it cannot match the Kinki.
Concluding, both amps are capable performers with all headphones tested. The Bryston is a bit crisper sounding with a bit more resolution and dynamic capability, but the Kinki often weighs that up with a smoother and warmer sound signature.
Kinki THR-1 vs WA22
Beyerdynamic T1 mk2
Ting – IPA: The two amps share many great qualities, but the Kinki is (unsurprisingly) not on the same level as the twice as expensive WA22 (when tubes are included in cost). However, the Kinki holds up very well. They are both organic, spacious and dynamical sounding. However, the WA22 is even more so than the Kinki. In terms of tonality, they are not far apart though.
Edmond – Prins Thomas: They are quite similar here, both hits hard with a nice litlle dose of bloom in the bass region, both feel snappy and spacious.
Violin Concerto in D maj. op. 35: 1. – Hahn/Tchaikovsky: Both sound good, but there is more liveliness with the WA22.
I do – S.Slettahjell: Both render the delicious female vocals nicely, but there is more intensity with the WA22 presentation.
Hifiman HE560
Atoms for Peace – T. Yorke: The amps perform quite similarly here.
Terminal 7 – T.Stanko: The WA22 is a bit more upfront, it feels more dynamic and spacious. However, Kinki keeps up very well.
Beethoven: Chamber Music for Winds – Les Ventes Francais: The WA22 offers a bit more edge here, the Kinki feels more polite. Still delicious, but a bit less intense
Oslo – IPA: The WA22 is a bit more dynamical, but they feel otherwise quite similar.
All in all, I always found the WA22 to be great with the HE560, and the Kinki is not too far behind. The tonality is quite similar, but the Kinki is not as snappy and spacious.
Sennheiser HD800
The WA22 is a bit more snappy with the HD800 as well, but I really think the Kinki is a solid performer – especially considering the price. They have similar sound signatures, and apart from that extra little dose of intensity in the upper mid range, the differences are small by most standards. I feel the WA22 is a bit more dynamic and offers a bit extra sparkle, but they are surprisingly close.
Audeze LCD-3
The LCD-3 is another favorite with the WA22. It does sound a bit flatter with the Kinki: As with the previous headphones, the WA22 is livelier, but the Kinki holds up very well, with a similar and very pleasant sound signature.
Hifiman HE-1000v2
I experience the same with the HE1000v2. The WA22 offers more dynamics, more sparkle, and also a better specified soundstage. The Kinki does quite alright with the quite picky HE1000v2, but can´t match the WA22.
Focal Elear
Also, the Elear follows in the pattern described above. The Kinki is a bit more polite, a bit less dynamic, but otherwise it sounds similar to the W22.
All in all, considering the WA22 is double the price, the Kinki performs very well. It has a similar sound signature, but feels a bit more polite. Of course, the character of the WA22 changes a bit with various tubes, but the tubes used here is my favorite (reasonably priced) setup.
Kinki THR-1 vs Auralic Taurus
Focal Elear
Seven Deadlies – Medeski etc: The difference here is quite large. With the Kinki, the bass is more prominent and it has generally a warmer and slightly thicker feeling sound. The Taurus sounds a bit too dry, thus I prefer the Kinki.
Azzaharat – Epler Trio: Also here, the Kinki has more body and fullness – in a preferable way. The sense of detail, imaging, and dynamics are otherwise quite similar.
Wild is the wind – S.Slettahjell: Also the voice of Solveig Slettahjell has more body with the Kinki.
Rocket – Smashing Pumpkins: Here, the dryness of the Taurus becomes an advantage, making the fuzzy guitars sound tighter and more textured. The Kinki elevates the mid-bass a bit. Curious, I switch outputs and find that the “high-impedance” output on the Kinki elevates the midbass a bit less than the “low-impedance” output with the (low impedance) Elear.
Spring 1 – Vivaldi Recomposed – Max Richter: The dryness of the Taurus renders the strings with lots of texture, but the warmer and more enveloping sound of the Kinki is equally nice.
Oppo PM1
As with the Elear the Kinki is a bit richer, the Taurus a bit drier, although not quite to the same extent. The bass of the Taurus is a bit tighter and more textured, the bass of the Kinki is a bit more prominent and rounded. Cymbals feel a bit more liquid with the Kinki, a bit more textured with the Taurus.
Sennheiser HD800
Diamondback – J.Tillman: Tillman´s vocals and guitar sound a bit bolder and delicious on the Kinki. The Taurus might present a bit more dry texture, but the overall feeling is a lot warmer and intimate with the Kinki.
Winter 1 – Vivaldi Recomposed – Max Richter: Both amps do a great job, the Kinki again a bit richer and liquid sounding, the Taurus a bit drier an textured.
Of the girl – Pearljam: Again, the Kinki feels tuned a bit to the warm side.
All in all, the Kinki does a really fine job with the HD800. I always liked the Taurus with the HD800, but the Kinki feels just as good, but different in a different manner with its delicious tube-like presence.
Hifiman HE560
Lucky – Radiohead: Again, the Kinki is fuller-bodied and warmer sounding. The Taurus is drier and sharper. I prefer the Kinki.
Inside and Out – Feist: The Kinki has a nice touch to the female vocals
Beethoven String Quartet No. 6 – Belcea Quartet: The Taurus still dryer and less present in the mids. The Kinki has more of a glowing presence.
Kinki vs Master 9
HE560
The Master 9 and the Kinki performs very similarly with the HE560, and both do a very nice job. The neutral-to-warm sound signature along with the sheer power of both these amps does the HE560 good.
LCD-3
The LCD-3 plays wonderfully with both amps. The master 9 might be a tad crisper sounding, but most of all they sound similarly great.
HE1000 v2
The HE1000 v2 sounds a bit clearer and more articulated on the Master 9. Not many amplifiers bring out close to all the goodness from the HE1000 v2, but the Master 9 is one of them. Although it is doing a nice job, the Kinki is not all the way there, sounding a tad too flat.
Fostex TH900 (unbalanced)
The Kinki sounds more open, clearer and more dynamic. The Master 9 is not bad, but the Kinki is definitely better.
Sennheiser HD800
The Kinki and Master 9 are very comparable and performs very similarly.
Beyerdynamic T1
The Kinki is better than the Master 9. It is snappier and generally clearer, without sounding brighter or sharper.
All in all, the Kinki THR-1 and the Master 9 have quite similar neutral-to warm sound signatures, but which is the better performer depends on the headphone.
Kinki vs Beyerdynamic A1
As the Kinki continued to impress me with the T1 mk2, I wanted to compare it to the Beyerdynamic´s own A1. The A1 has a 100 ohm output impedance and was built specifically to match the T1 mk1. It has since been replaced with the very similar A2. Anyway, the A1 sets the bar, and the Kinki passes. The A1 is great, but the Kinki is a nudge or two greater. It is a tad snappier and a tad clearer, but with a similarly delicious sound signature.
The HD800 sounds better with the Kinki than the already quite capable A1. Tonally similar, but a bit clearer and with better articulation. I get the same result with the Sennheiser HD700, HD650, and HD660S, but with a lesser margin.
Conclusion
The Kinki THR-1 plays well with all headphones tested: High or low impedance, high or low sensitivity, the Kinki delivers. However, there are some synergies I want to highlight: I found the THR-1 to pair insanely well with the Beyerdynamic T1 mk2, and also the Sennheiser HD800 finds a great companion in the Kinki THR-1. Other matches I want to emphasize is the Hifiman Sundara, the Audeze LCD-3, and the Fostex TH-900.
The Kinki performs admirably for its price, but compared to some of the significantly more expensive headphone amplifiers in this test, the THR-1 doesn’t go all the way in terms of crystal clear detail and ultimate dynamics. However, it compensates largely with a highly involving and musical presentation. In short, I was truly impressed with the Kinki THR-1. It is a great all-rounder and has a very appealing sound signature that gives a touch of that rich and organic presence which often is associated with good tube amplifiers.
Comments: Sources used were Audio-gd Master 7, Violectric V800 and Hegel HD25,
Manufacturer Specifications:
Frequency Response: 20-300kHz (±1dB)
THDN: 0.0014% (80dB)
S/N Ratio: >98dB
Dynamic Range: >115dB
Input Sensitivity: 2.25Vrms – 3.6Vrms
Input Impedance: 50Ω
Input Connector: RCA x 1, XLR x 1
Headphone Output
Output Voltage: ±70VAC
Output Connector: 6.3mm x 2, XLR 4Pin x 1
Preamp Output
Output Voltage: 2.25Vrms – 3.6Vrms
Output Connector: XLR x 1
Dimension: 270mm W x 100m H x 210mm D
Weight: 6 KG
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The review unit was kindly lent to The Headphoneer by Moiz Audio of Norway
