Kiwi Ears Quartet’s Review

 

General/Packaging/Build/Comfort

I’m sure Kiwi Ears is no stranger to the community I believe, they released several IEMs over the past few months, the budget Cadenza and mid tiered Orchestra Lite, i have tested both of them and they are actually very good, not to mention they are all well received. I have the Quartet with me today, a hybrid setup which consists of 2 DDs and 2 BAs. 

The packaging is similar to both Kiwi Ears products that I have tested previously, two types of eartips, a hard storage case, the IEM itself and cable. Personally I find the case a little too small, but that’s just me nitpicking as I have various other cases, so not really an issue for me. In terms of comfort, the size is slightly smaller than Orchestra Lite, fitting is very good and there’s also a vent, hence pressure build up will not be an issue as with Orchestra Lite.

Gears used for this review

• Earmen Angel Dac/Amp

• Earmen ST-Amp

• Hiby FC6

• Sony WM1A

• Kiwi Ears Quartet 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 (Switches UU)

The listening session is done with the switches set to both up.

Quartet is warm sounding to my ears, overall very natural sounding and the timbre is quite natural to my ears, BA timbre is very minimal but noticeable if you really focus on it. It is a very fun set if you ask me, in terms of technicalities, it’s not going to blow your mind but still good for the price.

Bass

• The bass on Quartet is fun, punches hard and has very good slams

• Sub bass rumble is there but lacks extension, focusing more on mid bass

• Speed is quite good with good texture overall

• Although not basshead kind of bass, but it provides a very satisfying experience overall

Mids

• Mids are forward but not in your face

• Very clean overall

• Female and male vocal has very good texture and doesn’t sound thin at all

• Despite sounding forward, the upper mids are nowhere near shouty territory, listening to Jpop from Lisa, Millet, none of them sounded shouty to my ears

Treble

• The treble on quartet is slightly dark to my ears, lacking a little air and presence

• Overall it is very easy to listen to, non sibilant for sure and comfortable even when you turn up the volume

• Detail retrieval is quite good surprisingly

Soundstage

• Soundstage is average in my opinion, slightly out of your head but nothing exceptional, it’s not bad but not great either

• Imaging is good, instruments can be pinpointed easily

Switch Config (DU)

• In this config, the mids are not as forward as UU’s config

• To my ears, it sounds more balanced in this config, and also contributes to a slightly bigger staging compared UU where the staging sounded a little in your head

• The mid bass doesn’t punch as hard compared to when its on UU’s config, smoother transitioning from sub bass to mid bass to my ears

• Treble has a bit more air which contributes to a slightly bigger staging, detail retrieval is more or less similar to my ears

Driveability

• Quartet is not hard to drive, a normal dongle is sufficient for it to sound good

• However, based on my listening experience and observation, it does favours some power, when paired with ST-Amp and slowing feeding it with more power, it gets even more dynamic, the characteristics is slightly different compared to when it’s being fed with lesser power

Final Thoughts

Kiwi Ears is on fire recently and this is my 3rd time testing out their products and it’s safe to say, i have very good experience with all three of them, from the Cadenza, to Orchestra Lite, and this Quartet, Quartet is well executed in my opinion, the inclusion of switches makes the IEM versatile, although personally i wouldn’t be fiddling with the switch most of the time, it’s good to have for sure. The treble might sound a little dark for some, but overall I find it to complement well with the overall tuning, a bassy and smooth sounding IEM. Recommended if you are looking for a fun and musical set, if you are looking to analyse every single detail in the music, this is not for you then. Till next time!

Kiwi Ears Quartet was sent over by Linsoul for this review. I thank them for the opportunity as always.

Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair

Kiwi Ears Quartet - Non affiliated