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Kiwi Ears Cadenza - IEM Review

Earfonia

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2019
Messages
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Location
Singapore
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored review. A friend kindly loaned me the Kiwi Ears Cadenza IEM for a week. After spending time with it, both through listening and measurement, I found it to be quite impressive and wanted to share my one-week experience.

01 20250509_182828.jpg 02 20250509_182640.jpg 03 20250509_182605.jpg 04 20250511_100132.jpg

In its price range, the Kiwi Ears Cadenza stands out as a solid all-rounder. It features a well-tuned V-shaped sound signature that leans toward the Harman target. The most striking aspect of its sound is the clarity, but it’s the bass that truly steals the show. The Cadenza delivers impressive detail and clarity, paired with outstanding bass performance.

As expected with V-shaped tuning, the midrange is recessed—just slightly more than I’d prefer. I would have appreciated a fuller, warmer midrange. This recessed midrange, combined with the high level of clarity, can lead to listening fatigue, especially with high-energy recordings at high listening volume. The overall sound presentation is forward, lively, and energetic. While this brings music to life, it can be borderline aggressive depending on the recording.

During my time with the Cadenza, I found myself gravitating more toward instrumental and classical music more than vocal. The IEM appears to use a high-quality dynamic driver—transients are fast and snappy, and detail retrieval is excellent. Vocals sound good but slightly recessed in the lower mids. To me, the bass is the highlight: deep, clean, tight, and punchy with just the right amount of power without overwhelming the rest of the frequency range.

I need to mention that I didn't use the stock ear tips. The stock white ear tips sounds pretty bad, very thin sounding bass, like the seal was leaking. I used generic cheap ear tips with 3.8mm bore diameter for measurement, and later on I prefer to use the DUNU Candy ear tips.

Comfort-wise, I had no issues. I found the fit to be quite good, and using smaller bore ear tips like the DUNU Candy helped tame the treble slightly (-0.7 dB at around 7.3kHz).


Comparison
When compared to one of my favorite sub $50 IEMs, the Kefine Klean, I slightly prefer the Klean’s warmer and more balanced tonality. It’s less V-shaped and easier to recommend as a general-purpose IEM. However, the Cadenza offers superior bass quality, detail, and clarity—provided you don’t mind the recessed mids. Both are excellent in their own ways. The Cadenza can be fatiguing with high-energy music at louder volumes, while the Klean is smoother and better suited for longer listening sessions. If you value clarity and detail, the Kiwi Ears Cadenza might be the better choice.


Subjective Scoring
Treble: 7/10
Although not exactly a brightly tuned IEM, but the lower treble is somewhat emphasized, which might not suit treble-sensitive listeners. While the upper treble isn’t particularly extended, leading to average perceived airiness and spaciousness. The overall treble presentation is lively and sparkly, and so far I had no issues with sibilance, which is well-controlled.

Mids: 7/10
The mids are crystal clear but slightly recessed, lacking some warmth and body. Vocals, particularly female vocals, can sound a bit too forward due to the emphasis in the upper mids. Male vocals, affected by recessed lower mids, can sound rather thin. That said, the timbre is natural and free from unpleasant coloration.

Bass: 9/10
The bass is excellent—definitely the strongest aspect of the Cadenza's tuning. The level is just right. It strikes a great balance between sub-bass and mid-bass, delivering depth, punch, and texture without bleeding into the mids. It aligns well with Harman-style tuning and sounds clean and controlled.

Clarity, Transparency, Detail, & Spaciousness: 8/10
Dynamic & Liveliness: 8/10

Subjective sound quality score: 7.8/10
Do I like it? - YES
Value in sub $50 category: Excellent
Recommendation: Recommended as an All-rounder IEM


Graphs:


Left and Right drivers compared to Harman Target:
01 Kiwi Ears Cadenza - Left - Right - Harman Target IE2019.png


Average frequency response compared to Kefine Klean and EITC-2021 (my target curve):
02 Kiwi Ears Cadenza Average - Kefine Klean - EITC-2021.png


Left Driver THD at 94 dB SPL:
03 Kiwi Ears Cadenza Left THD at 94 dB SPL.png


Right Driver THD at 94 dB SPL:
04 Kiwi Ears Cadenza Right THD at 94 dB SPL.png


Impedance 20Hz - 20kHz:
05 Kiwi Ears Cadenza Impedance.png
 
Last edited by a moderator:
This is not a sponsored review.
Sure, but you're a reviewer yes? :)


JSmith
 
Sure, but you're a reviewer yes? :)


JSmith

Yes occasionally just as a hobby.

That website is not my website. I don't have or maintain any website at the moment.
 
Yes occasionally just as a hobby.

That website is not my website. I don't have or maintain any website at the moment.

As you produced a pretty polished review, can see why others might question your intentions. The youtube video is commercial interest and so more clearly violates ASR policy. You need to need to decide your direction. If you want to be a reviewer, then you should apply. In any case, the video has to go.

Please start a conversation with me and clarify your plans.
 
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When a review starts with the overused "In its price range...", and especially talking about IEMs, I just disconnect, sorry.

Thanks for the content, anywyay. ;)
 
As you produced a pretty polished review, can see why others might question your intentions. The youtube video is commercial interest and so more clearly violates ASR policy. You need to need to decide your direction. If you are want to be a reviewer and should apply. In any case, the video has to go.

Please start a conversation with me and clarify your plans.

As conversed in PM, my stand has been clarified.

When a review starts with the overused "In its price range...", and especially talking about IEMs, I just disconnect, sorry.

Thanks for the content, anywyay. ;)

I can clarify the intention for using "in its price range". Price or price range is used only to asses the value for the recommendation. For the same sound quality, in this price range of sub $50, it is an easy recommendation. But if it is priced let's say $300, it is not an easy recommendation.

I don't use price for sound quality assessment and scoring. Sound quality scoring is not price related.
 
Looking at the graphs you posted, where is the V-shape you are talking about, especially in comparison to the Kefine that supposedly is less V-shaped, yet measures nearly identically, except for the lower treble region, which is well outside the V.
Do you consider the Harman IE target to be V-shaped?
 
Looking at the graphs you posted, where is the V-shape you are talking about, especially in comparison to the Kefine that supposedly is less V-shaped, yet measures nearly identically, except for the lower treble region, which is well outside the V.
Do you consider the Harman IE target to be V-shaped?

Yes, that's correct! I consider Harman target as V-shape or mildly V-shape tuning.
The recessed mids and the sparkly treble are the areas that I feel make it sounds V-shape to me.
While for the bass, I love it!

Basically I like V-shape tuning, it is not a bad thing for me.
But what sounds balanced to me has less 3kHz ear gain. I'm in the process of fine tuning my target curve, it seems my preferred ear gain is now closer to around +9 dB from the midrange dip as compared to Harman target which is around +11 dB.
 
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