01/09/2025
Kinera Celest WYVERN BLACK REMASTER: - Perfectly Balanced
DISCLAIMER: The Kinera Celest team sent us the CELEST WYVERN BLACK REMASTER free of charge for review purposes. We would like to thank the kind folks at Celest Audio for their continuous support of Aural Cafe.
Introduction: -
Today at Aural Cafe, we are reviewing Celest Audio’s latest budget Single-DD offering: The Celest Wyvern Black Remaster featuring a single 10mm LCP type Dynamic Driver.
Celest Wyvern Black Remaster is the latest budget Single dynamic driver IEM offering from the Celest Audio stable, featuring a single 10 mm Liquid Crystal Polymer Diaphragm Dynamic Driver. However, before we delve further into the Wyvern Black Remaster, we would like to first introduce our fellow audiophiles to the brand Celest Audio. Celest Audio is a subsidiary brand of Dongguan, China-based Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics. Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics is a Dongguan, China-based company that started its journey with the launch of the Kinera brand way back in 2011. In 2012, Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics had the honour to launch the world’s first high-resistance 5mm micro dynamic speaker for military hearing aids. In 2013, Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics began mass manufacturing of quality BA drivers at competitive pricing, due to which Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics became an internationally and locally renowned supplier of BA drivers. From 2014 to 2015, Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics developed several patents for various driver tech, but it was in 2016 which is a landmark was reached in Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics' history, as it was in 2016 when the “Kinera” brand came into existence with the launch of BD005, an entry-level hybrid driver IEM to cater for the needs of the price-sensitive audiophiles. In 2018, when we at Aural Cafe had just started our audiophile journey, Kinera released a series of items such as SEED, IDUN and ODIN, but it was after Kinera Odin, an 8-BA-based IEM, that we at Aural Cafe started closely following the Kinera brand. Fast forward to 2025 in six years, Kinera has become a leading premium brand, and Yu Tai Electronic Acoustics ended up launching two more sub-brands, Queen of Audio (QOA) and Celest Audio.
Celest Audio was established in 2021 to explore innovative ways of creating monitoring earphones through which bands, singers, musicians and stage performers can come up with more real, authentic, and true-to-life sound performances. Celest Audio primarily aims to come up with unconventional, innovative IEMs and audio accessories through independent research and development of planar magnetic, dynamic drivers, balanced armatures and other driver technologies. Celest has a unique house sound tuning and design style that not only injects elements from Chinese mythological legends in the Legends of Mountains and Seas but also constantly aims at integrating new technologies to explore the beauty of every detail in music and to showcase the infinite possibilities of Chinese sound ‘Art’. Very recently, Celest Audio has also tried its best to cater for the demands of the newbie young audiophiles who are not only music lovers but are gamers and into Bluetooth-based IEMs and gaming headphones with the launch of hi-fi cables and gaming headsets such as Celest RUYI and Ogryn, respectively. Overall, we at Aural Cafe feel that Celest Audio is a young, dynamic, fluid brand that not only aims to cater for the evolving needs of mature musicians and singers but also young audiophiles who are very demanding and price-sensitive at the same time. Well, this isn’t the first pair of Celest IEMs that we have reviewed at Aural Cafe. We had previously reviewed and loved the Celest Yaksha (attach review link here) and Celest IgniteX Beast (attach review link here), and many more items at Aural Cafe, which was a very fun and learning experience, so we are quite excited to review the latest budget offering from Celest Audio- The Wyvern Black Remaster.
Celest Wyvern Black Remaster is the latest budget offer from Celest Audio, featuring a single dynamic driver setup. The Celest Wyvern Black Remaster is equipped with a single second-generation 10mm full-range Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) diaphragm dynamic driver. The LCP diaphragm is made from liquid crystal polymer, which is known for its lightweight, reliability, and high-frequency response aided by low distortion. Due to the efficiency of the LCP diaphragm, many budget and mid-budget IEMs these days feature LCP diaphragm-based dynamic drivers. In ancient Chinese mythology, the Wyvern is known as the dragon who is the god of Creation. According to Mythology, Wyvern created the Earth after coming from heaven. The faceplate is designed in a way to replicate the scales of the Dragen, in this case, Wyvern, we can assume. Celest Wyvern Black Remaster comes in two faceplate variants — Moss, with turquoise hues, and Tide, with black hues. It is available in three versions: the standard version with a 3.5mm cable, a version with a 3.5mm cable and a microphone, and a version with a 3.5mm cable and a detachable boom microphone, which can be of great help for audiophiles who not only love music but also gaming and lastly with a 4.4mm cable. Our review unit of Wyvern Black Remaster arrived in Tide colour, along with the 3.5mm cable, which officially retails for 33 US$. The Tide variant with a 3.5mm cable, along with a detachable boom microphone, will cost 37 US$.
Specifications: -
• Driver Configuration: Single-LCP 2.0 Dynamic Driver
• Impedance: 32Ω ± 5%
• Freq Response: 20Hz-20Khz
• Connector Type: 0.78mm 2-Pin
• Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
• Termination Plug: 3.5mm or 4.4mm
Packaging & Accessories: -
As you can see from our unboxing video (https://youtube.com/shorts/8FDN1Wpfkfs?feature=share), the Celest Wyvern Black Remaster arrived in a small and compact purple with a turquoise-hued coloured box. The front of the box depicts an anime girl character with the help of a beautiful artistic illustration, along with the name ‘Wyvern Black Remaster’, which is engraved in white in English and Chinese languages. The brand ‘Celest’- to perpetuate the myth of music is also engraved in white, shining brightly at the top of the front side of the box, while the IEM specifications are printed in white colour at the back side of the box. On opening the box, we are welcomed with a leaflet exhibiting the beautiful illustration of the Wyvern Black Remaster, along with a brief background story of the making of Wyvern Black Remaster. On removing the leaflet covering, we are greeted with three small zipper packets and one big zipper packet. The first small zipper packet consisted of three pairs of Celest Custom 221 Vocal grey colour silicone ear tips in S, M, and L sizes, which are supposed to help in enhancing high frequencies and making vocals sound pleasant. On opening the big zipper pack, we were welcomed with beautiful shells of Wyvern Black Remaster along with the stock OFC cable of 4 cores twisted braiding, which in our cases came in 3.5mm single-ended termination.
Build & Design Concept: -
The Wyvern Black Remaster IEM shells are ergonomically designed using medical-grade resin with the help of 3D printing technology, featuring a solid black finish. When it comes to the faceplate, the Wyvern Black Remaster faceplate is one of the most beautiful faceplates we can see in this price range. While our unit of Wyvern Black Remaster came with Tide faceplates, this gradient effect basically aims at capturing the appearance of the waves. When it comes to the stock cable, the stock Oxygen Free Copper cable adopts a hand-woven design with a dual-strand configuration. Each core is 2.0mm in diameter, combined with high-quality OFC wires. This build structure helps transmit high-fidelity audio signals while minimising external electromagnetic interference. The cable features sandblasted aluminium alloy metallic components on the Y-Splitter and termination plug. The cable, while being quite lightweight, has a black colour skin-friendly PVC outer covering which gives it a comfortable and flexible build. The upgrade cable also features a detachable boom microphone for the selected variants. It’s an M49-Mute microphone, which is a high-fidelity audio pickup receptor with high sensitivity and wide frequency response. Voice transmission is clean and crisp, as per our past experiences with IgniteX Beast. It can be of big use for audiophiles who are not only into music but also into gaming. We at Aural Cafe just loved the addition of this option by the Celest Audio team in the ultra-budget IEM options as well. This cable variant makes your life easier while listening to music on the go and also helps a lot during professional gaming. When it comes to the Wyvern Black Remaster shells, the shells are lightweight, and the ergonomic design helps us achieve a decent level of passive isolation.
We at Aural Cafe are truly impressed by the overall unboxing experience, design, fit and build quality of the Wyvern Black Remaster, the stock cable and the silicone ear-tips. Although it is just a 33 USD IEM, the Celest Audio team has focused on each aspect, starting with minimalistic functional packaging, the 3D printed ergonomic shells, the beautiful artistic faceplates and finally the option to include the cables as per one use case.
Sound Analysis: -
We would like to state here that the sound impressions are based on our usage of Celest Wyvern Black Remaster after the burn-in time of more than 50 hours with a solid clean source, along with stock ear tips. The effect of the dongles, portable and desktop sources, aftermarket ear tips and cables on sound impressions has been dealt with separately in the Synergy section, so we would request every audiophile to go through that section for sure.
• Tonality: - After listening to different genres of soundtracks on Celest Wyvern Black Remaster for quite some hours, we at Aural Cafe can say that the Celest Wyvern Black Remaster beautifully embraces a very balanced tonality. The very capable second-generation 10mm Liquid crystal polymer (LCP) diaphragm dynamic driver, masterfully tuned by the Celest Audio team to achieve a balanced tonality. The subtle tint of warmth added to the instrument's timbre and vocal texture makes them sound genuine and life-like. Due to the balanced tonality, we at Aural Cafe feel that Celest Wyvern Black Remaster can go with almost all genres of soundtracks. The tonality is much smoother and mature than the original Wyvern Black that we had the privilege to review on Aural Café as well. This really aids in long listening sessions. The overall presentation is a lot spacious and airy than the previous version, which is a welcome change. We at Aural Cafe especially loved listening to vocal-centric soundtracks such as ‘Billy Jean’ by Michel Jackson.
• Lows: - The lows on Wyvern Black Remaster are taken care of by the very capable 10 mm second-generation LCP Diaphragm dynamic driver. When it comes to the overall experience in lows, the quantity of bass takes the lead over quality. When it comes to the sub-bass, we at Aural Café think the sub-bass of Wyvern Black Remaster is average at best. The sub-bass in the previous version showcased a better sub-bass quality. The sub-bass is tuned in a very controlled manner. The mid-bass on Wyvern Black Remaster takes over the sub-bass in terms of both quality and quantity. The mid-bass is very engaging with decent punch, which we love thoroughly while listening to ‘Lose My Mind’ by Don Toliver ft. Doja Cat from the movie ‘F1’. The mid-bass has better definition and clarity when compared to the previous generation. The transient response is on the faster side. We also loved listening to ‘Might Not’ by Belly ft. The Weeknd, but yes, we at Aural Cafe would love to hear a thicker and extended sub-bass response on Wyvern Black Remaster.
• Mids: - The Mids on Wyvern Black Remaster are again tuned with the help of the 10mm LCP 2.0 Diaphragm dynamic driver and are definitely the star of the show of Wyvern Black Remaster. The mid area of Wyvern Black Remaster sounds very airy and spacious when we compare it with the previous generation of IEMs. We at Aural Cafe are deeply impressed by the Celest Audio team and how they have tuned the 10mm LCP 2.0 Dynamic Driver Unit to come up with emotional and soulful mids without compromising a bit on clarity. The Mids on Wyvern Black Remaster is precisely balanced in terms of positioning without being too forward or recessed. Both the male and female vocals showcase top-notch clarity, note weight and smoothness, but we felt that the female vocals exhibited a better and real note weight and emotions. The vocals come out clean even in complex metal tracks. We especially enjoyed listening to ‘Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby’ by Ci******es After S*x. The lower mids showcase better stability and clarity in comparison to the previous generation. The upper mids on Wyvern Black Remaster are the soul of the IEM, made listening to the last part of the soundtrack from the Weeknd's ‘In Your Eyes’ feat Kenny G, where the saxophone of Kenny G takes centre stage, an experience in itself. The upper mids showcase top-notch clarity and smoothness with a hint of warmth. The upper mids hit the sweet spot on the upper ranges of the frequency to add just the right amount of fun and energy without any hint of sibilance and shoutiness. We definitely loved how ‘Sunset’ was sung by Caroline Polachek sounds in Wyvern Black Remaster.
• Highs: - The highs on Wyvern Black Remaster are smooth and decently airy without any harshness, thereby making Wyvern Black Remaster suitable for long listening hours. Treble stays crisp and has the right clarity and thickness. The micro details are not on the face but come in a much more organic way while listening to different genres of music. The overall high is quite resolved and merges beautifully with the overall tonality of Wyvern Black Remaster. The lower treble has a beautiful texture and body, while the upper treble is much more airy and smoother than its previous generation. The guitar notes and while listening to Sidewalks by Weekend feat Kendrick Lamar, are exciting and engaging; we would love to have a better extension at the upper treble region. We thoroughly enjoyed listening to ‘Breathe’ by Pink Floyd due to the smooth and resolving highs of Wyvern Black Remaster, but a more extended upper treble would have been a bonus for the ever-demanding audiophiles.
• Soundstage & Imaging: - The soundstage on Wyvern Black Remaster is decent both in terms of width and depth, taking the immersive and engaging soul of the Wyvern Black Remaster into consideration. The Wyvern Black Remaster exhibits a better soundstage width in comparison to depth. We at Aural Cafe believe that Celest Audio has done a wonderful job in achieving an immersive soundstage. So overall, the soundstage on Wyvern Black Remaster is not holographic but immersive and intimate in presentation, which we really enjoyed while listening to progressive rock soundtracks such as “No Surprises” by Radiohead from the album OK Computer. The separation between instruments is above average, which helps a lot while listening to complex tracks. We at Aural Cafe loved the way Wyvern Black Remaster retrieved micro details in a very effortless manner. The Imaging on Wyvern Black Remaster is the star of the show and surprisingly precise and solid, which we have rarely experienced from an IEM in this price range. Precise imaging should especially help professional gamers while competing at different levels. We at Aural Cafe can comfortably understand the placement of instruments while listening to ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith on Wyvern Black Remaster. When it comes to layering, the layering is also above average and would help the gamers. We also like to add here that Wyvern Black Remaster showcase a beautiful tonal balance, which was so damn fun, especially listening to blues, progressive and ghazals on Wyvern Black Remaster.
• Synergy: - We at Aural Cafe would suggest at least 50 hours of burning in a period to get the best out of Wyvern Black Remaster. After the burn-in period, the dynamics, Transient response and depth in the lows have considerably improved. When it comes to driving ability, we are happy to communicate that Wyvern Black Remaster, with 105db of sensitivity, is easy to drive and can be driven easily from a smartphone, but performs better when it is used along with a hi-fi dongle.
When it comes to source matching, we at Aural Cafe believe that source plays a big role in extracting the best out of the IEMs. Due to the balanced tonality of the Wyvern Black Remaster, we feel it would merge well with warm sources. After listening to music on Celest Wyvern Black Remaster with several hi-fi dongles, portable and desktop sources, we at Aural Café recommend a warm and musical hi-fi source. In our case, it really went well with hi-fi sources such as Aune M1p, Dethonray DTR1+ LE and dongles such as iFi Audio GO-Blu, Celest CD20 portable DAC/Amp. We also like to add here that we tested Celest Wyvern Black Remaster with a number of aftermarket ear tips. After using different types of ear tips, we at Aural Cafe feel that Wyvern Black Remaster sounds best with Stock silicone ear tips and would not suggest using any other upgraded tips because of the value addition. We would definitely like to add here that Spinfit CP145 makes the highs a bit airier and more spacious, while Divinus Velvet adds body and depth in the sub-bass region. When it comes to cables, we are happy with the stock cable, but since we had lots of other cables in our library, we loved Celest Wyvern Black Remaster with a solid SPC cable, which was Linum DualBax zebra in our case.
Conclusion: -
We would like to start our conclusion by stating that we at Aural Cafe had the honour to review the younger sibling of Wyvern Black Remaster, The Celest Wyvern Abyss. We at Aural Cafe feel that we won’t do justice to the review if we inform our readers and fellow audiophiles about the improvements in Wyvern Black Remaster in comparison to its younger sibling. The Wyvern Black Remaster is more mature in tuning in comparison with its younger sibling. It provides the perfect balance between the frequencies, making it a versatile option. Moreover, we at Aural Cafe feel that the Wyvern Black Remaster is technically superior when it comes to imaging and layering in comparison to its younger sibling. We at Aural Cafe feel that our version of Wyvern Black Remaster is a solid choice at the price of 33 USD. The 3D printed shells of Wyvern Black Remaster are very light in weight and provide good passive isolation, which makes listening to hi-fi music in noisy places a reality. The boom mic options and the layering and imaging ability of Wyvern Black Remaster will not only help the audiophiles but will surely help the gamers while competing at different professional levels. We at Aural Cafe definitely yearned for a much punchier sub-bass and an airier upper treble extension but finally, we like to conclude this review by saying that if you are in a market in search of an IEM under 50 US$ then Wyvern Black Remaster is a formidable consideration as it is hard to find an alternative at such price point who merges balanced tonality with the smoothness in a such a solid manner. If anyone is willing to purchase, it is available for purchase globally through the following links (Non-Affiliated link is given below).
- https://kineraaudio.com/products/celest-wyvern-black-remaster?variant=46821393039412
- https://www.linsoul.com/products/celest-wyvern-black-remaster?variant=46746982351065
