When I used to sell smartphones many years ago, my “mentor” taught me never to just give someone any smartphone when they approach me asking for advice. I should inquire about the purpose of the smartphone first. Then discuss the budget and personal preferences. But the purpose is crucial. I always adhere to this philosophy when reviewing tech. Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite are unrealistically affordable IEM (In-Ear Monitor) earphones, especially considering that they aren’t even a headset, just earphones. If you consider them for the wrong task, they might seem terrible. Look at them from the right perspective, and they become invaluable. For me, considering my work, they are even priceless.
I’ll warn you upfront that I won’t be examining them as an audiophile. I don’t plan to delve into the intricacies of the drivers – they are well-balanced here. I won’t go on about the design – even though it’s unbelievably cool. I won’t dwell on the lack of oxygen-free copper in the cable – because it’s absent here but present in the older model Orchestra. What matters to me is practicality, comfort, and versatility.
Composite-type earphones are extremely rare. However, I will primarily discuss the ecosystem. Because in composite earphones, it goes deeper than the abyss.
Video review of Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
Market positioning
However, let’s start with the cost because Kiwi Ears is considered a premium brand. The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is priced at $250, making them premium earphones. The company also offers budget-friendly earphones, such as the Cadenza model, but it comes at a price of $35.
Read also: Kiwi Ears Quartet Review: Impressive IEM Headphones With Built-in Tone Switches
And anyone familiar with composite, or as I mentioned in the video review, “epoxy” type earphones knows that it’s a relatively high entry threshold. Even five years ago, on AliExpress, you could find branded alternatives for $20.
Brand and company
Kiwi Ears is a brand owned by Linsoul Audio, a company headquartered in New York. Therefore, they are not “Chinese” per se. While they may not assemble everything by hand in their own workshop (as artisans from Grado do), they collaborate closely with Chinese manufacturers. They are part of the so-called Chi-Fi sector, or Chinese Hi-Fi.
They have a HUGE number of brands under their wing, but for most of them, Linsoul serves as a reseller. Finding information about this is extremely difficult, and the maximum I dug up is that Linsoul is responsible for the direct production of the brands Letshuoer, ThieAudio, and Kiwi Ears. The latter is the most affordable among them.
Just for comparison, the flagship LETSHUOER Cadenza 12 costs $2300, the flagship Thieaudio V16 Divinity – $1500, and the flagship Kiwi Ears Orchestra – $500. And if you think that Kiwi Ears is a budget brand, even for audiophiles – essentially, it is.
Package contents
In the box with the earphones, you’ll find… the earphones themselves, separately from the cable, the cable, a vast number of ear tips, and even a carrying case.
I will have positive things to say about the cable, as it is one of the reasons why I have been using the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite every day for many weeks now, unlike the analogs from five years ago.
Customization options and 2Pin
Here, it’s worth mentioning modularity. The connector on the earphones is called 2Pin (or 0.78mm 2Pin), and I first encountered it about five years ago when I bought the KZ Pro for a few pennies. The advantage of 2Pin is that it’s a universal connector. I’m writing this paragraph now, having connected one Kiwi Ears earphone with one KZ Pro using the same cable. This Frankenstein combination sounds very odd, but no one will blame you for it.
This doesn’t mean that 2Pin is the only connector with such a purpose. There are also MMCX, IM50-70, A2DC, IE80, and several more. But most of them are almost proprietary and fit under two, if lucky, three earphone models. 2Pin fits hundreds. And the compatibility is absurd. Five years ago, I bought a wireless module for KZ, and it perfectly fits Kiwi Ears now.
Actually, you can buy modules on AliExpress for $50 that will knock the socks off almost any TWS model, even those priced at $100. And for $75, you can get a module with Bluetooth 5.4. Yes, this version is already available for purchase. Moreover, this module provides up to 120 (!) hours of music playback on a single charge, supports dual connection, AptX, and LDAC.
In theory, you can even find headphones with ANC that would work with such a module. However, this is not the focus of the current review, and ANC models won’t be appearing in Kiwi Ears anytime soon. Also, don’t expect any module to work perfectly with any headphones.
I connected the wireless module from a five-year-old KZ to the Kiwi Ears, and the Kiwi Ears started to sound like a cheap Chinese imitation of the Sennheiser MX 300. For new headphones, you need a fresh module!
Appearance and convenience
You, I believe, would find it useful to understand one thing. Almost all Chi-Fi multi-driver earphones look nearly identical. The earphone itself is ergonomic, cast in resin or plastic, transparent or colorful, has a visible or discreet 2Pin connector, and on the back end – a logo or decorative surface. This is present in earphones priced at $15 as well as in those costing $2000..
I’m not saying it’s bad. In fact, I would never say it’s bad. Even if you think it’s monotonous, all earphones of this kind are beautiful. Like amber treasures, but instead of a scorpion or cockroach, which recently exchanged a million years, here we have drivers and microchips. I also note that the soldering is done manually, and the epoxy resin used is medical-grade.
I’ll immediately point out the only structural flaw in the Orchestra Lite and, in general, Kiwi Ears. There’s no guide for the 2Pin, which helps keep the cable in place. Knowledge Zenith has it, and it would be cool to see it in Linsoul representatives. However, I’ll be honest – it’s not a significant issue, and for the safety of the earphones, there’s no need to worry if the cable is pulled sharply. The cable will simply detach, and the earphone itself is almost guaranteed not to be affected.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite cable
I’d also like to point out the difference in the cable. I have not used and do not use KZ for a simple reason – the cable was not convenient. Neither in the wired version nor in the wireless module. The cable was stiff, so it was unpleasant and time-consuming to put on and take off the headphones, and the sound quality did not save me from the negative ergonomics. In Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, the cable is gorgeous. It is soft, high-quality and almost does not get tangled.
Also, don’t forget that if something happens to it, you can easily buy an analog without any issues, and it doesn’t have to be a branded one. Whether it will be as sturdy is not immediately apparent, but visually, it’s usually noticeable.
I found a very similar cable for $13 in a matter of seconds, but there are options for $5 and even $270. There are also wireless modules that turn the headphones into honest TWS. But more on that next time.
Read also: Kiwi Ears Quintet Headphones Review: Symphony of Balanced Sound
Experience in operation
I didn’t say without reason that reviewing the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite should be done with a specific task in mind. Take a look at the frequency response graph. It is extremely natural and balanced. The tuning of the Orchestra Lite was done for studio work, taking professional monitors as an example. Therefore, this model is aimed at musicians, audio engineers, and those who appreciate the most neutral sound possible.
I note, however, that there are two types of “dry” frequency responses. There is a simple straight line, and there is the so-called Harman curve. The latter gives slightly higher volume in the bass and high frequencies because most budget headphones, through which 90% of the audience will be listening to you, tend to have those frequencies elevated.
And if you’re used to the vibrant boost in bass, the ringing high frequencies, or just the unbalanced frequency response of overtly cheap Chinese earbuds – these headphones will sound like cardboard. Primitive, indistinct, and dry. Many will listen to the Orchestra Lite and say they sound like they should cost $2.5 instead of $250. But that’s not the case.
Any professional equipment costs a fortune and provides features that are unnecessary and even obstructive to the average consumer. If you want to buy a recorder for recording lectures, you won’t be getting the Tascam DR-40X with a four-channel recording mode; you’ll buy something much cheaper and simpler. Or you’ll just use your smartphone.
For me, these headphones are absolutely invaluable because I work on audio editing, and I’ve always had the most trouble with sound. The more neutral the headphones, the better I understand frequency issues. There are very few in-ear headphones of this quality and performance worldwide.
Full-size over-ear headphones – there are a huge number of them. However, they can be cumbersome. There are also models like the Takstar WPM-400, and there will be a separate review for them because an incredibly cool idea collided with an unclear implementation. Therefore, Orchestra Lite turned out to be the most comfortable and useful among all that I have had and gone through.
Advantages in sound
Of course, you can get used to the dry sound. Moreover, very few headsets will be able to convey the quality mastering of a song as Kiwi Ears does. They don’t even need an amplifier because their impedance is only 16 ohms. Also, for audiophiles, I’ll mention that there are 2 proprietary drivers for high frequencies, four for mids, and two Knowles drivers for lows.
Certainly, for this class of headphones, it’s advisable to have FLAC versions of songs. I haven’t listened to FLAC for a very long time, but I’ll be honest – my ears were pleasantly surprised by how clearly, impressively, and faithfully songs with studio mastering worth millions of dollars were reproduced. When in a three-dimensional scene you distinctly hear that one instrument is ABOVE another – it means that your headphones are of a higher quality category.
Orchestra Lite is also very loud—extremely loud, to be precise. At the highest volume, they are not comfortable even for a second. I use a Focusrite Scarlett Solo as an amplifier, and the volume on the dial is set to the first 20%. Additionally, you’ll understand how much worse YouTube videos and even games sound compared to professionally mixed music. By the way, for those who need to find FLAC samples, the Musopen Collection website offers almost 9 GB of classical compositions for free.
Conclusion
These are professional studio in-ear monitors. At $250, they are a treasure and almost the only option if you want to mix sound for a music video in the evening and watch a movie wirelessly using the module at night. I can’t find any drawbacks other than the price, and I don’t really want to criticize the price either. However, it’s evident that the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is a model not suitable for everyone. Nevertheless, I highly recommend it.
Where to buy