WATCH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW HERE: https://youtu.be/BDNhlyzAeH0
Come with me as I share my first impressions on the Kiwi Ears Quartet, Kiwi Ears’ first hybrid dual dynamic drive set priced at $109. It boasts a isobaric dynamic driver positioning that can theoretically further improve the dual dynamic driver set-up, but is it all talk and no bite? Let’s find out!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
- Very clean, minimalist unboxing with decent amount of accessories
- Somewhat disappointing cable but a very solid, lightweight and one of the most comfortable IEM I’ve tried under $150
- Warm, V-Shaped sound signature with a lush, bodied low end and a sparkly, occasionally sibilant treble
- Not the most technical-sounding set for $109, but has pretty decent depth
Kiwi Ears have entered the 2DD wars and in all fairness, they stayed true to the essence of what 2 Dynamic Drivers represent; big woofy bass dressed in a lavish purple coat.
And does the Kiwi Ears have the BASS. It’s thick, it’s rich, and soothing perfect for tracks that call for a sense of warmth without messing up the vocal timbre. However, it lacks in that low-end tactility and slam which I found to be quite odd for a bass-centric set until I remembered another 2DD set with big bass but not a lot of tactility. The 7hz Legato.
In more ways than one, the Legato and the Quartet have very similar qualities. Big, woofy bass that is smoother than punchy, an odd spike in the treble, and not the best detail retrieval nor the cleanest separation.
What the Quartet has over the Legato, in my opinion, is the superior vocal presentation and detail retrieval due to the much cleaner bass presentation that doesn’t bleed as much into the midrange. The mids of the Quartet are still quite clean and open with male vocals and low octave instruments having warmth without sounding muddy or bloated. Female vocals and higher frequency instruments are still quite nuanced, but a little bit of clarity is lost due to the bass being masked.
However, I would like to point out that this was my experience with one tuning mode, namely the Down Up configuration as I found this to be the most balanced tuning out of the bunch. The rest of the tuning modes are, unfortunately, less than stellar as all of them cut down the upper mids too much and makes the overall sound to be bloated and muddy. The tuning at Down Up is already borderline muddy and the rest of the tuning modes just breaches that border.
But for what it does, the Quartet is a solid warm v-shaped set with a thick and smooth low end that doesn’t meddle with the midrange too much and a more than decent treble presentation for its tuning philosophy. It, unfortunately, lacks in giving the bass character and just throws you a ton of bass and that treble can occasionally stab. But who can resist that beautiful purple allure?
STAY TUNED FOR THE VIDEO REVIEW!
Thank you for reading my impressions on the Kiwi Ears Quartet. Big thanks to Linsoul for sending over the Quartet in exchange for my honest thoughts. If you would like to order one, consider using the non-affiliated link below: https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-quartet
If you have any questions or concerns, contact me on my Facebook page or my email at obodioreviews@gmail.com
