Let the games begin! This should be a fun combo to work through my playlists for a few days…
Coming in a few hours later to drop off some first impressions. Run single-ended out of the N5iiS does require a pretty severe adjustment period in comparison to even the Tin T2 Pro, it seems. Granted, I’ve tape-modded the T2Ps, but the KP sit much closer to what I’ll call a “Harman-neutral” signature. Where I get a better sense of punch and dynamics out of the T2P, the KP present themselves in a more mellow fashion.
That wasn’t, however, an invitation to reach for the volume wheel and boost the gain. Doing so rewarded me with a great amount of fatigue and minimal improvement in “fun factor.” Kanas Pro is serious…and it doesn’t appreciate being called Shirley. It’s quite an enjoyable experience with jazz and classical, but tracks that fall victim to brickwall compression will stick out like a sore thumb here and result in fatigue much earlier than I’m used to with more traditionally V-shaped IEMs. I don’t mind brutal honesty in a sound signature, but it was something I didn’t expect out of the KP as quickly as it was received.
Tl;dr - Be gentle with the KP’s gain, don’t try to make it play like an IEM it’s not, and feed it well-recorded tracks for the best chance at enjoyment. I’ve still got to spend some time with them to get a better feel for technicalities, but I’m very happy they fill a niche that not even their more budget-friendly Tin brethren had fully locked down.