Kiwi Ears Halcyon IEMs Review – MEMS, DD and 3 BA For A World’s First
Kiwi Ears Halcyon is a $259 USD pair of IEMs with a complex, world’s first MEMS + Dynamic Driver + 3 Balanced Armatures Hybrid combo. Today we review the Halcyon and explore how they sound and whether they’re a good option for the kickstarter preorder right now.
Introduction
Sometimes I just wonder what does someone have to gain, like in the case of Linsoul, they’re doing a brilliant job helping Kiwi Ears although right now Halcyon is only available on Kickstarter and will only later on be available on the main Linsoul Website. Kiwi Ears products are all available on Linsoul but also you can purchase from from Amazon, Aliexpress and a couple of other HIFI and Chifi niche shops, being one of the best brands to start your hifi journey with as they have a high price performance ratio and generally an agreeable and pleasing sound.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to Linsoul and Kiwi Ears for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/49CyjHk
Build Quality – Design
Kiwi Ears Halcyon is a development wonder for Kiwi and Linsoul as it is the first in the whole world to combine an Innovative USound MEMS Driver, with a 10mmm composite dynamic driver and Three Custom Balanced Armatures in one IEM. Halcyon was designed for technical performance, but also for tonal balance. It is meant to deliver studio, monitor-like neural tuning, but with a 8dB Bass Boost, which ends up at 200 Hz for upper bass control.
MEMS or micro electromechanical systems is a solid state speaker driver, using silicon based drivers from USound, leveraging the Piezzoelectric effect. MEMS drivers do not require the acoustic components such as coils and diaphragms, so they can achieve far faster speeds, higher resolution, especially in the treble frequencies. When combined with traditional balanced armature drivers, you can expect to hear a really detailed sound.
Technically, we are looking at a 1DD+1MEMS+3BA(2DEK+1WBFK) pair of IEMS, with a 29 OHM impedance, 109 dB Sensitivity, and a THD lower than 1%. Channel balance is guaranteed up to 1.5dB, and the connector of the cable is a 0.78mm 2Pin detachable cable.
Subjective Usage
Halcyon has a very similar feel compared to most entry-level IEMS that use a similar cable. It has a thick cable that is flexible enough to avoid handling noise and discomfort, but it is a bit heavy. Shells are lightweight, while the fitting is a medium that wants to go deeper inside your ears. Not quite at the Etymotic level of depth, it is deeper fitting than most IEMS in the price range.
This allows Halcyon to have a good passive noise isolation, so it also allows you to enjoy music at lower levels than you would with IEMs that have less passive isolation. It does have an ergonomic shape to the shells which feels really nice and in general I feel zero discomfort as it has no void, no driver flex and no wearing issues I can call out.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the Kiwi Ears Halcyon with a collection of sources, both FiiO K17, Argon Audio SA-2 Amplifier Driven by FiiO Warmer R2R, Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), iBasso Kunlun, FiiO Snowsky Echo DAP, Orchard Audio Valencia driven by Musician Pegasus III and Luxsin X9.
As Halcyon has a somewhat normal impedance and high SPL, I was expecting it to be more sensitive to source noise, but it is actually almost immune, and you can use them with sources set at max gain and max levels with zero background noise or hissing. Control is excellent with all sources I tested, but Halcyon prefers a medium or low power output that does not saturate too much power with a low voltage, liking a balance of both. It will thus sound best with a good source and scale nicely with a better source. Halcyon is hard to drive, despite the high spl and not very high impedance, and the thinking here is that I assume the company made them eat a lot of power through compression so that all drivers reach the same volume. You are best off using the balanced output of your source and a pretty powerful source with good control too. Even out of the balanced output of most sources, it has no audible distortion or noise floor.
Overall Signature – Kiwi Ears Halcyon is a fairly natural sounding pair of IEMS with less coloration than anything Kiwi Ears done before. You can hear that there’s a difference in character between the drivers, as each driver has its own unique tuning, but in general it is natural as a result, it has a good overall resolution and detail, feeling better than what you can generally get around this price point.
Bass – Bass starts at around 35 to 45 Hz, depending on the song, and you will notice the roll-off a bit with most music, but at the same time Halcyon renders quite a bit of mid bass between 50 Hz and 80 Hz with a bit of a roll off above 90 Hz, so it avoids sounding boomy or dark, bloated or veiled, but it does not extend the sub-bass down to the lowest registers, creating a sound that is a bit limited, but also fun for most EDM and Pop songs, with a realistically good tuning for this price range. It has a slightly higher THD in the bass compared to the midrange and the treble.
Voicing And Midrange – Halcyon has a bold, contrasty midrange with a strong resolution and detail, more natural speed compared to the bass that felt a bit accelerated. While texture in the bass is a bit too plentiful, it is just right and perfect in the midrange, Halcyon sounds a bit more happy than it does sad and serious, so the tuning works best for rock, edm and male voices, especially deeper male voices. It seems to have a bit of extra bloom and badda boom impact for EMD also, creating a really nice amount of impact and depth for psy trance, dubstep and aggro edm music. Male voices are louder, more present and more detailed than female voices, and this is obvious in rock, j-rock, j-pop, pop and most music styles. It emphasizes chugg guitars in djent and most modern metalcore styles heavily.
Treble – Top-end has a rather strong peak around 9 kHz, which lasts until 11 kHz, above which it rolls off slowly and gently. This means that Halcyon has a lot of energy for rock and metal, rendering a sharp pick in the treble range. Treble character is fast, right in the middle between wet and dry, balanced for all styles to be audible but not overbearing or grainy.
Dynamics And Textures – It feels like Halcyon has a compression effect applied on the sound, an effect which I noticed with all MEMS based IEMS, and to some degree with some balanced armature driver IEMs. Basically, what I feel Kiwi Ears has done is that they compress the dynamic range fo it to be fed to all the drivers inside of the Halcyon, making them really good if you want to hear quiet passages as loud as the lead instruments and this brings resolution to be much higher than a wide dynamic range would around this price point. Texture is different across the drivers, MEMS has a really fast sound, can be a bit too fast for some music and feel rushed, while the BA drivers used here sound crisp and detailed. The only surprise comes from the dynamic driver inside of the Halcyon, which sounds really fast and does not create a big bass, instead creating a rather fast and snappy bass.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – You will reach a more balanced, more natural sound by driving Halcyon at louder volumes, with more power and with a better source. It can be a bit easy to underpower and also overpower it, as it prefers a middle-of-the-road voltage / power saturation curve. Considering the price point, you will do really well with a portable DAP or DAC AMP that is around the same price as Halcyon, or something more high-end. The tuning is darker and smoother at lower volumes, and it gets more aggressive and more compressed at higher volumes, where the MEMS and BA drivers seem to get closer to their max potential to produce sound.
Soundstage – Halcyon has a natural soundstage with a natural width and depth, and a natural instrument separation. This means that it does not feel tight or narrow, but it does not feel wide or big either, it feels just right, a middle-of-the-road pair of earphones.
Value – Conclusion
Considering the 259 USD price point of the Halcyon, they have an outstanding performance, and are currently one of the best sounding IEMS you can get around the price point, if you want a darker, more male voice driven pair of IEMs. With a good cable, good build quality, Halcyon most certainly has a good value, but it will be a real gem for those who want this type of sound that no one else does.
I feel like if you’re into rock, edm or pop, and if you like to hear all the details, a fast sound and good resolution, you will love the Halcyon and the way it renders chugg djent guitars as well as a fast bass that renders all details and micro textures. The more time I spent with Halcyon, the more its unique and quirky signature grew on me.
PROs
- Really nice package that includes a good transport case
- Good eartips straight from the factory
- Good comfort with a strong passive noise isolation
- Medium-deep fitting that feels secure and creates a good seal
- Lightweight shells
- Modular cable that can go both balanced and single ended
- Strong male voices and high resolution
- Good mid bass that gives music impact and a tactile feeling
- Sharp treble spike between 9 kHz and 11 kHz that gives rock and metal cymbal energy
- Unique tuning but a good one that works well for most modern music styles
Cons
- Quite hard to drive and fussy about the source
- Dynamic compression effect making it better for modern and new music
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/49CyjHk
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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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