Short answer: the Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald. Both are rated 3.8/5 for sound quality (#554 and #620 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald costs $3,099 against $3,200 for the AME Gaia, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
Why pick the AME Gaia: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 71 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: An uneven response, 2.1 dB standard deviation from target.
What the Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 72 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: Treble about 3 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Buy the Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $101 less than the AME Gaia.
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A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 71 against the Harman target.
AME official store $3,200 eBay
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 72 against the Harman target.
Kinera $3,099 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| AME Gaia | Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3,200 | $3,099 |
| Ranked | #620 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #554 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 71 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 72 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.09 dB standard deviation | 1.95 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.21 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.45 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.0 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.6 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired (3.5mm / 4.4mm) | Wired |
| Driver Type | Tribrid | Quadbrid (1 dynamic + 6 balanced armature + 4 electrostatic + 1 bone conduction) |
| Drivers | 1 Dynamic, 4 Balanced Armature, 4 Electrostatic | 1 x dynamic + 6 x balanced armature + 4 x electrostatic + 1 x bone conduction |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the AME Gaia from dchpgall, eliseaudio and jaytiss; the Kinera Imperial Loki Emerald from animagus, dl, eliseaudio, hbb and tedthepraimortis, all via squig.link.
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