Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite’s Review

 

General/Build/Packaging/Comfort

Kiwi Ears released their flagship IEM last year which is the Orchestra. Today, we have the Orchestra Lite, which shares the same driver configuration (8BAs) as the Orchestra, but at half of the asking price, i have not auditioned the Orchestra before so i am not able to do a comparison to it. 

In terms of build quality, the shell is slightly big which is expected because it houses 8 BAs, faceplate is nice, it has a good and solid feel to it. It doesn’t have any vent on the IEM itself, so pressure build up might be an issue for some, I do not have any issues with the pressure build up fortunately. In terms of fitting and comfort, they do fit well and have a very good seal as well. 

The packaging is quite straightforward and eye-catching, however, I am a little bummed to see the bundled accessories, the eartips are the normal kind of ear tips which can be found from various budget IEMs, same goes to the carrying case. It doesn’t really matter for me because I have many other cases, but I would at least expect a better looking case and accessories for the asking price.

Gears used for this review

• Earmen Angel Dac/Amp

• iFi Gryphon

• Macbook Air M2 3.5 Out

• iPod Touch 5th Gen

• Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite Stock cable and Eartips

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression

Orchestra Lite sounds a little warm to my ears, well bodied overall and the bass response is just nice, not overly emphasised or lacking. The treble however is the achilles heel in my opinion, slightly dark to my ears, but it is smooth and easy to listen to. Sporting 8 BAs, there is somehow some slight BA timbre there, but not to the point where it’s really bad and noticeable right away, but nothing overly distracting and fairly natural to my ears

Bass

• Orchestra Lite’s bass response is quite linear, or rather precise

• Sub bass does rumble when the track calls for it, but slightly lacking in terms of extension, still offers sufficient enjoyment for EDM unless you are looking for basshead kind of bass response

• As is to be expected from BAs, the speed is very good and it has no issues handling complex tracks, my favourites go to whenever I want to test the bass’s speed, Metallica’s Lux Aeterna and Slipknot’s People = Shit! All performed very well

• Mid bass has enough punch to it but of course it can be better

Mids

• Mid range is detailed and lush to my ears, sufficient warmth to it

• Instruments which resides in the mid range has good note weight to it and full sounding

• Upper mids are never harsh or shouty and they’re tuned rather safe

• Vocal presentation is neither too forward or recessed

• Both male and female vocal has good texture, female vocal is a little bit more forward compared to male vocal

Treble

• Treble on the Orchestra Lite is well done, some might find them lacking (dark), some might prefer this sort of tuning, for me personally, i’d prefer a bit more sparkles and air

• What do you get from this sort of tuning is that it is smooth and never offensive, also no where near sibilant

• Detail retrieval is good and the nuances can be picked up easily (in Hans Zimmer’s  Why So Serious, there are something that sounds like a rattle, it can be heard easily), but do not expect it to be very analytical

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is good but not exceptional, slightly out of your head with good depth, a little lacking in terms of height but good overall

• Imaging is the strong point for a full BA set, instruments can be pinpointed easily and very good separation and layering capability

Driveability

• Orchestra Lite is not hard to drive, but it does scale with power despite being a full BA set

• It pairs well with a neutral source like the Earmen Angel with relatively low output impedance

• Source with high output impedance will cause it to hiss, i experienced no such issue with both xDSD Gryphon and Earmen Angel, even Apple’s Dongle

Final Thoughts

The Orchestra Lite no doubt is a good product, when I first listened to it, I have to admit that nothing really stands out, but as I listened longer with it, it started to grow on me and appreciate the way it is. Orchestra Lite is not for basshead nor trebleheads, it is for someone who want something in between, it works well for most of the genres out there, I have listed to Slipknot, Metallica, Billie Eilish, Faye Wong, Joji, Beatles and a lot more with the Orchestra Lite and they turned out alright with it. Recommended set!

*Orchestra Lite is being sent over for the purpose of this review. I thank LINSOUL for the opportunity. I am not influenced in any way to produce this review nor do I receive any monetary compensation.

Head over to the following link if you are interested in getting a pair!

Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite - Non affiliated