Kiwi Ears Orchestra II IEMs – Honeycomb Of Music Sweetness
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is a $349 USD pair of IEMs or In-Ear Monitors with a beautiful honeycomb design on the shell, 10 balanced armature drivers per ear, and a deep bass, clear mids and smooth treble, per the marketing materials provided by Kiwi Ears. Today we will review the Orchestra II and also compare them with other IEMs from this price range including Sivga Nightingale Pro (296 USD), ZiiGaat Horizon (329 USD), and Kiwi ears Punch (449 USD).
Introduction
Kiwi Ears is by now one of the most popular IEM designers in the Chifi price and style range, with multiple offers, multiple tunings, but a core concept of offering a really high price performance ratio, and exceptional package quality. Kiwi Ears products are sold by Linsoul through all of their storefronts, including Amazon, Aliexpress, directly on the Linsoul Website and also on the Kiwi Ears website.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4aJVz7z
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3cPzEc7
Build Quality And Design
At the core, Orchestra II is a powerful pair of IEMS with a high number of drivers, Performance 10 Balanced Armature Drivers to be more precise. OrchestraII is precision engineered for superior noise isolation, and they also feature a detachable cable for customization and durability.
Housing of those drivers is made from precision-tuned acrylic housing, which minimizes resonance and offers a clearer sound. With an exquisite package, Orchestra II offers all that you might need, including a 2-Pin 0.78mm connection at the IEM side, and a modular cable that comes with both a 4.4mm balanced plug and a 3.5mm single ended plug. Inside the main package you will also find a transport case, manuals and a selection ofd 12 pairs of eartips, 4 styles, 3 sizes.
Technically, Orchestra II has a SPL or sensitivity of 110 dB, an impedance of 15 OHMs, and a cable length of 122 cm. This makes them quite easy to drive, and also theoretically sensitive to source noise, effect which is exaggerated a bit by the usage of Balanced Armature Drivers.
Subjective Usage
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is immediately comfortable, the seal and fitting is always perfect. Even with larger and heavier shells, the heavier and thicker cable helps balance things out, which gives Orchestra II a really comfy and snug fit. Depth is medium-shallow, and eartips are of an excellent quality, while cable has zero tangle and zero kinks rendered after being stored.
Passive noise isolation is excellent at around 20 dB all across the EQ band, and it overall feels nice to wear and looks beautiful while on my table as well. Great deal in general, Orchestra II is a pair of IEMS I can easily recommend to anyone who wants a high-performance pair of earphones. If anything, there’s a bit of void at times, which is to be expected from the all-Ba design inside. It is good to keep in mind that there cannot be any driver flex since there are no dynamic drivers inside.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II IEMs with a collection of sources, including FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9.
It feels like Orchestra II is even easier to drive than most of the affordable Chifi IEMS, even easier than Noble Knight and Punch Audio Portazo. It has a higher impedance, and the SPL is not the highest in the world, but it gets louder much more easily than most alternatives, and it is also a bit sensitive to source noise, which is rather usual for the all-Ba design it has.
Overall Signature – Kiwi Ears Orchestra II sounds super enjoyable, dynamic, vivid and has a balanced tuning that is natural. It has a low coloration and high transparency with outstanding resolution, with the technical detail jumping right at you, and despite the only balanced armature design for the drivers, they sound rather controlled and have an ultra low distortion, plus a rather high dynamic range for the price range. Overall, performance is top notch for the price and this will be a recurring theme, it is impressive what Kiwi Ears delivers for the rather pocket-friendly price with their Orchestra II IEMs.
Bass – At the bottom end, Orchestra II climbs down to 20 Hz, with most of the energy being between 30 Hz and 80 Hz, creating a rather tight, fast and healthy bass. It feels like the bass reveals a natural amount of detail, and has a natural-fast decay, which gives music a fast and rhythmic presentation.
Midrange – Vocals are sweet and fun with the Orchestra II. It does not really emphasize male vs female in either way, but it does render a rich detail and just a rich midrange in general. This makes music quite fun and enjoyable, with an organic presentation of textures. Orchestra II works universally well for all music styles, from rock to pop to EDM to downtempo, classical and also orchestral. I remember that the original Orchestra from Kiwi ears was quite colored in the midrange, which made them rather odd sounding, but Orchestra II hits the spot for me vocally, transparent and coloration-free.
Treble – At the top, Orchestra II is rather relaxed, but not in a colored way, rather it extends up to 20 kHz, but has no coloration, no brightness, and no sonic character that I can describe. This is ideal, and it means that the sound is neither wet nor dry, but instead natural and all resonance, cymbal crashes and air sounds simply natural.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is rather wide and compression-free, which is shocking considering that Orchestra II uses only balanced armatures, which are technically the most compressed type of driver. Textures are natural, rich and organic, which is also not the usual for BA-only designs, but it is what Kiwi Ears manages to deliver with their Orchestra II IEMs.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Orchestra II gets very loud really easily. This is not an issue, it has a low THD, but best sound is at low and medium volumes, as there it is already at max detail, highest dynamic range, and best overall presentation. If taken loud and extremely loud, dynamic range contracts, and sound gets a bit more aggro, while THD increases slightly, but it will still sound great.
Soundstage – Orchestra II has excellent layering, and top notch instrument separation. Soundstage size is natural, towards intimate, it does not extend a lot laterally, but depth is great and it does an excellent job at separating instruments from each other. Overall, a great little combo for precision and a bit of a studio-like tuning.
Comparisons
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II vs Sivga Nightingale Pro (349 USD vs 269 USD) – Nightingale Pro is an excellent other choice with a similar sound, but Orchestra II has a more transparent sound with less coloration, while Nightingale Pro sounds bigger, wider but also warmer, and less transparent. This allows Orchestra II to sound more detailed and more technical, while Nightingale Pro is less technical, but warmer and bloomier. Overall, the choice is rather simple, both are mostly natural-neutral, but Orchestra II is more transparent and less colored, Nightingale Pro still has a bit of warm extra effect and bloof, which will be pleasing to some listeners.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II vs ZiiGaat Horizon (349 USD vs 329 USD) – Horizon is a great alternative, with lighter shells, a beautiful shell design too. The cable of the Orchestra II is prettier and more reliable, the transport case of Orchestra II is top, and they offer a higher passive noise isolation with a more comfortable fitting. Sonically, Horizon is more atmospheric, wider, less focused and has a higher scatter effect, while Orchestra II has a very low scatter effect, it is focused, clear and rich, organic. Horizon is a bit brighter, colder, airy but not as universal. Choice is simple, soundstage size goes for Horizon, while precision, richness and naturalness of the sound goes to Orchestra II.
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II vs Kiwi Ears Punch (349 USD vs 449 USD) – Punch is also made by Kiwi Ears, and it sounds, well, punchy. Orchestra II is more affordable and less expensive, but also sounds pretty similar to the Orchestra II, both balanced with a bit of extra punch. While Punch is not necessarily a basshead IEM, and both have excellent extension,. Orchestra II has a higher resolution, more precision, but also a smaller soundstage and more focused sound. Choice should go with soundstage size, for a wider sound, Punch, for a more intimate sound, Orchestra II.
Value and Conclusion
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II has outstanding value, it comes with a rich package, excellent cable, good comfort, and it is one of the best pairs of IEMS I can recommend with a balanced – natural – rich tuning and signature. While not bearing any particular coloration, it is a top universal pair of IEMs that will match well with all music styles.
You can have one pair of IEMs that will actually emphasize with your entire collection, adn I feel like starting 2026, Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is a top choice for this. The company managed to fix all the irregularities in the tuning of the Orchestra series and make the Orchestra II a top choice I can easily recommend to any music lover looking for a sweet and enticing time.
PROs
- Beautiful design
- Excellent comfort
- Strong passive noise isolation
- Thick and reliable cable
- Ultra nice transport case
- Detailed and rich sound
- Excellent resolution
- Natural and transparent without any particular colorations
- Incredibly easy to drive
Cons
- Color-free sound means it doesn’t pander to any audience in particular, all in one sound is easy to recommend, ideal to someone with a bit more experience
- Sensitive to source noise and hissing
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4aJVz7z
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3cPzEc7
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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