KIWI EARS CADENZA: The Virtuoso of Naturalness

Cadenza is a section in a movement within a concerto where the soloist performs a virtuosic display of technical capabilities and prowess on musicianship.

Kiwi Ears is a new audio company in China and it is exclusively distributed by Linsoul. They aim to create IEMs specifically for audio professionals and audiophiles alike. The Kiwi Ears Orchestra was the first product that I've encountered from them around 2021 when doing some searching on new audio products and it is a midrange set that cost around US$500/£415.

And this is their first product in the entry-level segment, The Kiwi Cadenza. The Cadenza is a single dynamic driver IEM with a 10mm beryllium diaphragm on its transducer. The typical characteristic of Beryllium-coated diaphragm driver is a malleable, durable and lighter that delivers a nimble response that will result in less distortion, precision and superb clarity performance. It was encapsulated in an aesthetically eye-catching 3D printed resin chassis in a custom, UIEM form factor. It uses a proven 2-pin connector for ease of doing a cable replacement.

As for fitting, Cadenza rests well into my lug holes comfortably. It has a good passive sound isolation that blocks external noises from the surroundings. With light weight and smooth contours of the shell provides a very cosy feel that I can use for a long listening session.

Another impressive feature of Kiwi Ears Cadenza was its product packaging. It was packed in a small purple box with a product picture and a small print of international address at the front and back and a basic information of product specification at the side.

Here are the following inclusions inside the box:

◆ Kiwi Ears Cadenza IEM

◆ A four-core braided SPC cable with an L-shaped 3.5mm termination plug.

◆ (3) three pairs of grey, narrow-bored ear tips in different standard sizes.

◆ (3) three pairs of white, narrow-bored ear tips in different standard sizes.

◆ (3) three pairs of matte black, narrow bored ear tips in different standard sizes.

◆ Instruction manual.

Driveability-wise, Kiwi Ears Cadenza scales enough on decent power output from multi-media devices sources like smartphones, tablets and laptops. But scaling them with devices with better DAC/amp will even improve its performance like better dynamics and handling its resonances.

When it comes to tonal quality, Kiwi Cadenza takes a mild U-shaped sound profile with some warmth and smoothness but there are some caveats on which I will explain later.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass of Cadenza seems to have just enough punch and depth but not that tactile and impact that a basshead would really appreciate.

It has a sub bass presence that I was able to hear some rumble from instruments like synthesisers, low tuned bass guitars and electric drums. Mid bass is rather more prominent that the sub bass but despite being more protrusive in the bass region, it has a lack of texture that gives bass instruments a more transparent sound. Bass guitars sound a bit hollow and dull while bass kicks seem to be soft and less pound sounding. And bass baritone vocals seem to lack depth and density to sound a bit more guttural.

It is quite evident that it has some occurrences of bass bleed that smudges the midrange. And probably not for upbeat and uptempo

MIDRANGE:

Midrange seems to have some warmth to add a sense of lushness and at the same time it has this some sort of transparency. It gives at least a decent note weight on male vocals but it gives rather less energetic female vocals. Male voices have a decent firmness and orotund on it in any vocal range while females vocals have these euphonic, sweet and velvety quality but hitting on soprano range is rather lacklustre in my opinion on Cadenza as it has lack of crisp and bright to make it more captivating.

As for instruments, both percussive and woodwinds seem to have a more organic sound but on a softer and translucent side.

Snare drum takes a more rustling and soft sound and it has lack of penetration on every strikes, Field drums sounds quite sonorous and sombre but has an inadequate fullness and Glockenspiels have lustrous and yet thin sounding . Woodwinds like flutes and saxophones sound rather mellow, vapid and light. Strings ones like acoustic and rhythms guitars sound a bit buttery rather than crisp and lingering then violins sound a bit dark and austere in my liking. Brass instruments like trumpet and trombone sound rounded and soft as they lack brassy and blaring characteristics. Pianos takes a warmer and richer sound rather than vivid.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

Treble of Cadenza takes a smoother and relaxed approach; it sounds a bit laid back in my opinion. With smoothen upper mids up to presence, it doesn't exhibit any sibilance and harshness but at the expense of clarity and detail which I will explain later on the technicalities.

Sounds of cymbal strikes have just enough shimmer and sizzle on it while high hats have that distinct shortened "chicky" sound. air seems to have a moderate extension compared to most single DD IEMs which is quite commendable but harmonics are tad clogged as it is still less accentuated.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & TECHNICALITIES:

The proportion of Cadenza's sound field is rather in the balance as it has an average width, decent height reach and sufficient depth which is enough to fill up your head room. Imaging is presented in a linear and flat manner with a typical stereo panning as I was able to locate the placements of vocals and instruments but not that precise. Separation seems decent with a reasonable spacing but layering isn't that well-defined on how the dynamic and frequency of specific instruments as they aren't in order as it will be an issue if a more complex tracks like orchestra will sound congested and muddled on the mix.

Coherency performance seems to be good on how the drivers perform very cohesively and quite fast that it can sustain a good attack and decay.

Regarding its resolution capabilities, it has decent micro-detail retrieval though it has a softer and less edgy definition. Macro dynamics have adequate firmness to render its texture.

Its timbre takes a very natural sounding with a hint of warmth to make it more pleasing to listeners.

PEER COMPARISONS:

TRIPOWIN CENCIBLE

● From build quality, choice of materials, and inclusions (except that Cencible has a hard bound IEM case), both IEMs are eerily similar or rather identical, the termination plug of the stock cable of Cencible is straight one.

●  Both have U-shaped sound signature although Cencible has a more shimmer and crisp compare to a smoother and relaxed tuning of Cadenza. Cencible's bass has more impact and texture. When it comes to midrange, female vocals on Cencible are more energetic and gleaming yet there are some instances of a bit shouty and shrill sound. String instruments on Cencible are more vivid and more engaging sounding. On Treble, they are contrasting on one another, smooth and laid back on Cadenza, bright and intense on Cencible.

● Both have similar technical performance, but evidently Cencible has a sharper definition on detail retrieval.

TINHIFI T2 DLC

● T2 DLC uses the same chassis with the original T2 and is made of aluminium alloy, while Cadenza is made of resin shell. Both have decent inclusions.

● Both have U-shaped sound signatures but in different flavours. T2 DLC tonality tries to be more neutral sounding and yet retain its balanced tuning aspect while Cadenza is more of warmer and relaxed tonality. T2 DLC has more air in brilliance treble region.

● As for technicalities, T2 DLC has a bit wider soundstage with more crisp and detailed resolution. Imaging, Separation and Layering of both sets performs similarly.

To end my assessment on Kiwi Ears Cadenza, how does it place itself in an intended price range segment where there are a lot of competitors that also offer similar tonal quality and quantity of inclusions? In my opinion, Kiwi Ears Cadenza has a chance to be a very sellable merchandise as it has likeable tuning, adequate inclusion but it has a bit lacklustre technical performance in which Kiwi Ears should look upon. It is also noted that Kiwi Ears Cadenza has good pairing on a specific instrument in classical music genre rather than an upbeat and intense modern pop genre.

Despite the shortcomings that I aforementioned regarding technical capability, I certainly recommend these sets to some listeners who are treble sensitives and can enjoy a long listening session with its natural tonality and a very pleasant organic timbre.

Kiwi Ears Cadenza is available in LINSOUL, you can check it out HERE if you are interested to purchase it.

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KIWI EARS CADENZA

IMPEDANCE: 32Ω

SENSITIVITY: 110dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz-20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER

PROS:

● Lightweight resin shells.

● Natural sounding and adequate textured note weight along with smooth and pleasant tonality.

● Impressive timbre quality.

● Treble sensitives will enjoy this type of tuning

● For a single DD set, it has modest amount of air.

● Beryllium-coated driver really delivers a cohesive and purposive performance.

● Decent quality and quantity inclusions.

CONS:

▽ Average sound/speaker stage width. 

▽ Detail definition is rather softer and blunted a bit.

▽ Mediocre imaging performance.

▽Might be too laidback sounding to some detail maniacs and treble heads.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to KIWI EARS nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly. 

Once again, I would like to MS. KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity towards me and other reviewers.