Kiwi Ears Cadenza II IEMs Review – KARS Titanium Drivers For Your Music
Kiwi Ears Cadenza II is a $49 USD pair of IEMS or in-ear monitors with a 10mm titanium dynamic driver at the core, and the star of our review today.
Introduction
Kiwi Ears have always been a big player in the entry-level range, but today we explore the most affordable pair of IEMS that I reviewed from them so far. Cadenza 2 is designed to be fun but affordable, connected to a source with a 3.5mm jack port, or to phones, as they can come with a type-c port and a microphone instead of the 3.5mm jack.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3U0rtq8
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Tx1LKJ
Build Quality – Design
At their core, Cadenza II is a very simple IEM and while Cadenza 12 is my favorite all-time IEM for gym, Cadenza 2 is made to be the best budget IEM the company made so far, having one dynamic driver at the heart, and including the revolutionary KARS 2.0.
That KARS 2.0 is a funny thing, because it stands for Kiwi Acoustic Resonance System 2.0, basically offering a 8dB bass boost that cuts off at 200 Hz, delivering a subwoofer bass that should stay controlled. Before I even hear the IEMS, 200 Hz is a very high cutoff point and this will be a lot of mid bass, if it ends up sounding as promised.
The driver used inside of the Cadenza II is not made of titanium but titanium coated, and we have a <1% THD and a 106dB SPL sensitivity. Combined with the 18 OHM impedance, Cadenza II should be easy to drive, but sensitive to noise and also they look like they would be quite V-Shaped from the graphs offered by the company.
Subjective Usage
Cadenza 2 is a fairly comfortable pair of IEMS with a natural-deep insertion. Default eartips are the run of the mill stuff, but they work well for the somewhat smaller bores of the Cadenza 2. Cable quality is great as C2 comes with a flexible, but braided cable that feels trusty and is detachable also.
Passive noise isolation is not very strong as C2 does not isolate much, even with music playing, the music only covers up the noise and they do not pressurize internally. This means that for the most part you will have a 10 db – 14 dB passive noise isolation with some sound leakage also.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Although Cadenza II is a super entry level pair of IEMS, I like to give a fair chance to every product I review, so I have paired it with multiple sources including FiiO K17, iBasso DX320 MAX Ti, Hiby W4, HIDIZS AP80 PRO MAX, FiiO M33. Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Luxsin X9.
C2 is easy to drive and does not require much power, but rolls off at the bass end, and will work better with sources that can compensate for it either via EQ or by having a bassier tuning. They are quite bright so it is best to avoid neutral and bright sounding sources. Cadenza II is not sensitive to source hissing as much as I expected, so you will be fine with most sources noise-wise.
Overall Signature – At their core, C2 follows a very basic version of the Kiwi Ears tuning, but on a budget. With a bright treble, pumped up bass that rolls-off and a detailed midrange, C2 can come off as being a bit grainy and too textured, but that’s their bet on detail and resolution. There’s a good sense of lateral separation although the soundstage is not deep nor very wide, rather being intimate and personal with CII. The overall tuning is just mildly V-Shaped, not overpowering the top or bottom, but there’s a depression in the lower midrange that’s quite noticeable.
Bass – At the deep end, C2 can climb down to 40 Hz, with a good amount of punch down to 45 Hz, but the rolloff below 40 Hz is quite strong. Bass has less texture than the midrange and treble, which makes it sound correct, smooth and enjoyable and they do not struggle with volume, so sound will be enjoyable with bass heavy music even very loud.
Voicing And Midrange – Vocal range is slightly bright as the bass does not increase in amount in the upper bass and there is no bass bleed into the midrange, so male voices can be a bit thin and relaxed compared to the fmela voices which are very sharp and even forward at times, and in-your-face. This whole tuning is a glove for ACG , J-Pop, J-Rock and Chinese Pop, but it is aggressive and grainy, lacking substance for male voices in rock and metal.
Treble – Treble is sharp, extends up to 11 kHz, with most of the energy around 8 kHz, sounds very textured and aggressive, but not overly bright. This means that although it exists, the quantiy of treble is not enough to be a problem.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is medium. While it does not compress that much, C2 is not an overly dynamic pair of IEMS and can struggle with dynamically compressed music and especially with aliasing / clipping, where something with a higher dynamic range can keep control. Textures are a bit grainly, and in a bid to sound more detailed, CII sounds a bit extra textured and extra spicy.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – C2 has good control across all volumes, from very quiet to very loud and Kiwi Ears is good with having a low distortion in general. Although the bass does not climb down to 20 Hz, where it does climb down, it has control and even at 110 – 120 dB it will still be enjoyable.
Soundstage – Staging is a bit intimate and forward with a good lateral separation and directionality. This means that you quite clearly hear where a sound is coming from but you don’t hear a lot of layering or depth. It is good for most pop and commercial music as well as ACG tracks.
Value – Conclusion
Given that C2 is one of the cheapest IEMs I reviewed, it sounds great for the money and is a good buy. Entry-level products always make a sacrifice somewhere, and C2 is great if your main styles are ACG, Pop and commercial music.
Kiwi Ears Cadenza II is a good option for an affordable pair of IEMS with a good cable, good lateral directionality for the sound, and a mildly V-Shaped tuning that is well-behaved.
PROs
- Mild V-Shaped tuning that is fairly versatile
- Good resolution for the price range
- Not very hard to drive and not very picky with the source
- Good comfort
- High quality cable
- High expected lifetime, considering how reliable Kiwi Ears IEMs are in general
Cons
- Low passive noise isolation
- Bass and treble roll-off
- Very limited package with no transport case
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3U0rtq8
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Tx1LKJ
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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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