Antlion Audio Kimura Solo

The manufacturer Antlion Audio is known for its innovative headset solutions such as the ModMic USB or ModMic5, which allow microphone-less boom systems to be retrofitted with a microphone arm. In addition, the “Kimura” product line covers the in-ear sector, which has the Kimura microphone cable at its core.

If you already own good IEMs, you can also convert them to headsets by purchasing just the microphone cable. There are two versions to choose from, either with MMCX or 2-pin connectors. In addition, the series includes two complete solutions, the Kimura Solo and the Kimura Duo, which are equipped with different sound transducers. The Solo uses one dynamic driver per side, while the Duo in-ear headset uses dual driver technology that combines a dynamic driver with a balanced-armature driver.

Comfort

The Kimura Solo’s IEM design means there’s a fair amount of shielding from the outside world, and the housings are moulded from resin which allows you to see inside. However, the rather stiff cable routing behind the ear makes it a bit awkward to put on, especially as the cable can get tangled in the flexible microphone boom on the right side. If you can overcome these hurdles, however, the system fits snugly and securely in the ear.

Kimura microphone cable

The Kimura microphone cable is two metres long, weighs 27 grams and has separate connections for the earpiece and the microphone. According to the manufacturer, the two 3.5mm jack plugs ensure low noise and minimal crosstalk, while a 3.5mm Y adapter is included for common headset connections (TRRS) with computers, laptops, game consoles and mobile devices. We noticed that above the splitter for the IEM connections, there was a rather high tendency to cable noise. So the use of the supplied cable clip is recommended, as this can reduce the microphonics effect. Otherwise, the microphone cable appeared to be decently manufactured and robust, especially as many other IEMs can be used thanks to the MMCX connection.

However, the Sennheiser IE 100 Pro is not compatible, as it uses a different, longer plug connection, and this also applies to Sennheiser’s other in-ear monitors.

Speech quality

Kimura products use an omnidirectional electret condenser microphone that, according to the manufacturer, reproduces a frequency range of 100 Hz to 10 kHz and offers excellent speech intelligibility. At the same time, one’s own voice did not sound at all unnatural and was perceived neither as too obtrusive or close, nor as too thin or indirect. On the contrary, the reproduction was just right in all respects, especially since ambient noise was muffled. When used outdoors in the garden or on the balcony, for example, the wind had comparatively little effect on the quality of the conversation and could be heard by the other party only as a slight whisper in the background. In contrast, intelligibility was impaired by a noisy environment, even if communication remained possible because one’s own voice was transmitted superficially. Apart from a noisy background, however, communication with the in-ear headset was flawless.

A mute function is missing, as the microphone cable does not offer one. And it is somewhat impractical that the microphone boom has to be bent sharply if you want the complete system to fit into the transport case.

Sound

Compared to the Kimura Duo, the Kimura Solo headset provided a more compact, smaller listening space and conveyed a more direct, fuller and somewhat more subdued sound impression. At the same time, the powerful bass reproduction reached quite far down and reproduced rumbling thunderstorms with the desired emphasis without seeming to be overloaded or floundering. Modern music styles revealed that the depth could have had a bit more precision, but this did nothing to dampen the fun.

In addition, the lush and quite dense midrange succeeded surprisingly well in clearly bringing out details and clearly delineating signals from each other. Despite the sonority, individual sounds such as gunshots could be localised without difficulty, while the movement of flying objects or footsteps in the stereo panorama could be realistically estimated and tracked.

Voices were reproduced with a pleasing warmth, full-bodied but mellow. At higher playback levels, incisive sibilants could be perceived. Overall the upper registers were not lacking in energy, this came across as lively and agile, but it could also sound a little bit cheeky and spiky when turned up a bit louder.