While it is hard to stay away from the magic that a good IEM paired with a capable DAP can deliver, I decided it was time to explore something a little different and spend some time in the TWS world. This also coincided with me lending my beautiful HEX to my friend Luc, leaving me with a good excuse to put my wired setup bias aside for a while.
As luck would have it, Kinera released the Nótt Strider around exactly the same time. They were kind enough to send me one of the first production units to try out and share my impressions.
I started listening almost immediately after receiving them. However, since I didn’t have a streaming device capable of LDAC or aptX, I decided to pick up a Questyle QCC dongle Pro as well, giving the Nótt Strider a proper opportunity to show what it could do.
And it was definitely worth it.
What I ended up with was a TWS set featuring beautifully designed shells, intricate faceplates and, perhaps most surprisingly, a fit that feels much closer to wearing a custom IEM than a conventional wireless earbud.
Sonically, the Nótt Strider delivers fast, well-controlled bass and some of the best vocals I have heard from a TWS. Its presentation is natural and relatively neutral, without adding the unnecessary warmth or weight that many TWS offerings tend to rely on. I suspect this is partly a way of creating a more immediately engaging and forgiving presentation, while also compensating for some of the technical limitations that wireless solutions inevitably face compared to their wired counterparts.
The midrange is particularly impressive, with vocals sounding natural, well-defined and nicely positioned. The treble remains smooth without sacrificing information or definition, retaining plenty of detail across both the upper frequencies and the midrange.
Beyond its tuning, the Nótt Strider also offers a surprisingly generous soundstage. It is marginally narrower than what I get from something like the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 5, although depth feels quite comparable. There is a convincing sense of space, without the presentation feeling artificially expanded.
Bass punch is another particularly strong aspect. Despite having less mid-bass emphasis, the Nótt Strider delivers an authoritative and accurate low end, with hard-hitting sub-bass and clean, well-controlled mid-bass. There is enough physical impact to make the presentation engaging, but the bass never gets in the way of the vocals or adds unnecessary weight to the lower midrange.
Did I manage to spark your interest? If so, head over to the full review of Kinera’s latest TWS release, the Nótt Strider, where I dive deeper into what makes this little gem stand out in an increasingly crowded market!