- Disclaimer
- Recommended for people like this
- Overview of Kiwi Ears Orchestra
- Features of Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
- package
- Build quality
- Fit
- Sound quality
- General comment
- Purchase link
Disclaimer
- This review is based on a sample provided by Linsoul to convey a sincere quality review to our readers.
- No remuneration or compensation, such as a manuscript fee, has been received for publishing this, and it is an honest evaluation based on measurement data from personal testing and personal opinion.
- Please read the privacy policy of this website.
Recommended for people like this
- People who care about the texture of instrumental sounds
- People who are detail-oriented
- People who are looking for excellent studio monitors
- People who like speaker sound
- People who care about the appearance of their earphones
- People who want earphones with excellent cost performance
Overview of Kiwi Ears Orchestra
This review will give an overview of Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite.
. A complete review of this product can be found here.
audio-sound Score
- Total Score: 8.9 / 10.0
- Package: 7.0 / 10.0
- Build quality: 8.5 / 10.0
- Fitment: 8.5 / 10.0
- High range: 9.5 / 10.0
- Mid range: 10.5 / 10.0
- Low range: 8.0 / 10.0
- Less distortion: 6.5 / 10.0
- Cost performance bonus: 12.5 / 10.0
- Want to see the score ranking? Click here!
Basic Specifications
- Frequency response: 20Hz to 20kHz
- Impedance: 16Ω
- Sensitivity: 112dB
- Cable connector: 0.78mm 2pin
Features of Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
- Driven by the pursuit of extraordinary audio reproduction.
- Handcrafted each unit using custom Kiwi Ears balanced armature drivers.
- Three-way passive crossover strategy to achieve intricate layering and reduce total harmonic distortion.
- Paired with 4-core 7n oxygen-free copper cable for best enhancement.
- Each unit undergoes two separate rounds of quality control inspection.
The original Kiwi Ears Orchestra model was an instant success in the industry, having been awarded numerous acclaim by international reviewers.
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite was built on the same foundation as the original Orchestra, yet redesigned to be more efficient, both in performance and cost. The Orchestra Lite features the same 8 balanced armature driver configurations and the famed tonal balance as its predecessor. With close partnership with the driver manufacturers, we have been able to develop custom Kiwi Ears balanced armature drivers that deliver a more efficient performance at the same specs.
Using our custom drivers, the Kiwi Orchestra Lite features two custom ultra tweeters for the treble, four custom midrange balanced armature drivers for the mids, and two large subwoofer drivers for the lows.
A Natural Sound - Tonal Balance
The most important factor of the Orchestra Lite was to preserve a natural and balanced tonal signature as its predecessor. The Orchestra Lite still had to perform at studio monitor-like calibers in order to be suitable for professional musicians and audio engineers. For this reason, the Orchestra Lite utilizes a three-way passive crossover strategy using 5 independent passive components to achieve intricate layering and reduce total harmonic distortion. The bass has been restricted to sub-bass frequencies, with a peak of 8dB volume from 20Hz to 200Hz.
The mids region is retained at neutral, with only a 2dB difference from 200Hz to 800Hz to provide an ever slight hint of warmth without muddying. The treble has been perfectly matched with the human ear’s pinna perception, with a 7dB peak at 2.5kHz and a slow natural decay towards 10kHz. This precise treble engineering allows every detail and nuisance to be heard, while remaining comfortable and free of any harshness. In short, the Orchestra Lite perfectly reflects the sound of professional studio monitors and is the perfect companion to stage musicians, audio engineers, and music enjoyers who want to listen to music as it was intended.
Premium Audio Cable
The Orchestra Lite has been paired with a 4-core 7n oxygen-free copper cable to best enhance its sound. The cable was intentionally designed to be light and comfortable for stage or portable use, and is fitted with a removable 2-pin connection for cable-swapping. The stock cable comes standard with a 3.5mm plug suitable for any modern electronic device.
package
The package seems a bit short considering the price.
Package contents
- Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
- Eartips
- manuals
- Carrying Case
Build quality
Build quality meets the price standard.
The beautiful transparent shell and face plate are attractive.
Fit
The fit is good.
Sound quality
REW Frequency Response
audio status
Sound quality description
In this review, I use the standard eartips size L and drive it with the FiiO M15.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite has a near-neutral sound signature.
Please see here for detailed reviews on sound quality.
Lows / Bass
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite's low frequencies are almost balanced with the midrange on presence or slightly weaker.
Drum kicks are weighted, but shallow kicks and rumble are weak and lack realism.
The electric bass also lacks downward sink and sounds a bit bright.
Basically, the bass is somewhat expansive, shallow, and not tight enough, and there is a lot of distortion and not a good sense of perspective, so judging by the reviewer's principles, there is little to see in the low frequencies.
Mids
The midrange of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is almost perfectly balanced to neutral, but with the added harmonic seasoning of high distortion characteristic of multi-BA models.
This results in a marked lack of transparency, and it is not, to say the least, suitable for audiophiles with a penchant for original sound fidelity. But that does not make the Orchestra Lite's sound any less appealing.
Kiwi Ears uses very high distortion in the low and mid frequencies to create harmonics that are almost excessive, but this results in a significant loss of separation between the instrumental sounds and the background. As a result, this region is enveloped in a very warm, harmonic atmosphere in which the tones seem to color and spread into the background.
There is a warm, sunny space, and a unique comfort that allows you to blend into the music as if you were slumbering.
What is exquisite is that the upper midrange and mid-high range are conversely low distorted and very clear, and this gap makes the edges of electric guitars, pianos, cymbals, etc. very impressive, vivid, and freshly drawn. Even though the midrange is almost dry, a moist coloration exists in the contours of the sound, and a sense of moisture is strongly felt. It creates an atmosphere as if one were listening to music in the morning mist.
If you are familiar with the smoky, yet lush and moist sound of tube amplifiers, you will find the same richness in the midrange of Orchestra Lite. For example, when listening to a song like Tabiji by Kaze Fujii, vocals and instrumental sounds are harmoniously harmonized and very rich, and this nostalgia is further enhanced by the sound of the midrange, which, for me at least, is an excellent musical midrange.
Kiwi Ears utilizes distortion in the 8BA multi-configuration to create a nice midrange that makes music magical. You can even sense that the low frequencies are intentionally suppressed so that you can enjoy these midrange frequencies. It is an outstanding tuning. It is a bit expensive, but it seems well worth the price.
Highs / Treble
The high frequencies of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite are very smoothly calibrated and carefully tuned to produce natural overtones and ample definition.
Extension may be at a level that is somewhat lacking for the high-end, but given the focus on the midrange to make it look attractive, this balance may have been a deliberate choice. Either way, the high end is very smoothly extended and attenuated.
The sense of detail is adequate, although it may lack a bit of subtlety. The cymbals sound very fresh and beautiful, which is very pleasant.
Sound quality general comment
- Original Sound Fidelity: A
- Recommendation: S+
- Personal preference: S+
Do you like the bright and cheerful world of Claude Monet's paintings, with their emphasis on color rather than three-dimensionality?
What Kiwi Ears has done with Orchestra Lite is to bring the impressionist concept of painting to earphones.
Put the Orchestra in your ears and you will have a vivid experience as if the entire space is colored with music.
Claude Monet Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe
Sound quality features
Pros
- Excellent texture
- Good original sound fidelity
- Rich harmonics
- Excellent sound image consistency
- Resolution beyond price
- Frontally localized
- Lush
- Good sound balance
- Good detail
- Lustrous
- Bright and cheerful
Cons
- Lacks low-frequency depth
- Lacks transparency
- Slightly habitual
General comment
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is IEMs that has been magically created by the brand to achieve a colorful, harmonic, and beautiful worldview. It has the sound of a maestro who makes you hear music with a more pictorial and vivid impression, rather than the original sound fidelity-oriented sound of imaging music like a photograph.
Purchase link
