KiwiEars Quintet

Disclaimer: Kiwi Ears provided me with a review unit. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Introduction​

It seems that when Kiwi Ears Quintet ($219) was released back in 2023, I think many overlooked it due to some stiff competition from their own lineup (e.g. Orchestra Lite) and other brands. To be fair, I was never a big fan of piezoelectric/bone conduction drivers from the start, plus the understated design, especially next to its flashy sibling, the Orchestra Lite, made me skip over this model for a long time. However, now that I got the chance to properly review it, I’m so glad to give this another chance, especially in late 2024 and early 2025 where piezoelectric drivers have been better understood as well.

Packaging, Build & Specifications​

Driver configuration:

• 10mm dynamic driver with diamond-like carbon (DLC) diaphragm
• 2 custom balanced armatures
• 1 micro planar magnetic driver
• 1 piezoelectric bone conduction driver

Impedance: 32Ω
Sensitivity: 108dB (±1dB)
Connector: 0.78mm 2Pin
Cable: 1.2m oxygen-free silver-plated copper cable





As far as packaging goes, Quintet went for a simplistic route: the IEM itself, eartips, a hard carrying case, cable with 3.5mm termination, and usage manual. There is no option for 4.4mm or modular termination sadly. Now that I have reviewed a few Kiwi Ears IEMs, this is pretty standard for them.

The carrying case is the standard zippered hard case that was included in other Kiwi Ears models, so it is pretty okay to me. The 3.5mm cable is decent, nothing really special about them. There are 2 different types of included eartips: standard and wide bore. I personally prefer the standard eartips, so I will proceed with the review with that eartips. I would say the accessories are overall decent, but certainly the focus is the IEM itself.

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Sound Impressions​

Sources: L&P W4, Hiby R4 Evangelion, FiiO M23, SMSL HO150X+D6S stack, Schiit Magni+, Quloos MUB1, Kiwi Ears Allegro, Allegro Mini
Setup: Stock standard tips, stock cable, YongSe WhiteBear 4.4mm cable (for testing with balanced)
Music Sources: Youtube Music, Tidal, Lossless FLACs

The IEM has undergone a 24-hour burn-in at a medium volume prior to the review. Listening impression is a very subjective experience depending on individual ear shape, choice of eartips, music library, and personal preferences, so your experience may vary. I personally listen mostly to pop, jazz, some rock, and very limited metal.

Briefly described, I would say the Quintet is tuned bright U-shaped with lighter tonal weight in mids and treble. There is a slight ‘zing’ that’s common with piezoelectric driver implementation around the time when Quintet was released, but I have to say that this is relatively minor.

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Quintet’s bass is punchy, thick, and open. Following the initial impact, there is a sense of effortlessness to how the bass renders, leaving an open and ethereal sensation. The bass texture is quite smooth but I can still catch the subtleties of deeper rumblings. Listening to “Dream of Arrakis” from the Dune OST, I can sense the grandness and openness of the background rumbles throughout the track very well, but without drawing too much attention to it.

When it comes to mids, Quintet is pretty much a textbook definition of “neutral”. Clean, detailed, textured, and forward enough to not be overshadowed by the other frequency ranges. If I have to nitpick here, the tonal weight here is slightly thinner than the bass, making a slight incoherence if I listen very critically. Otherwise, it is excellent with most vocals, both male and female. Instruments are rendered very naturally with neat imaging. I think it is one of the strong points of the Quintet.

Treble is where the Quintet shines the most. The piezoelectric driver seems to do much of the heavy-lifting and yet remains mostly controlled throughout. The slight spiciness is still there for those who are sensitive to it, but I personally find that it added character into the Quintet’s tonality and certainly a boost for its resolution and texture. It is never sharp to my ears.

Technicalities-wise, the soundstage is quite decent, not the most open-sounding IEM I’ve tried, but wide enough to have an excellent layering and pinpoint imaging. There is a slight incoherency in the mids, which is understandable for most hybrids, let alone quadbrids like Quintet, and I generally don’t find it bothersome in actual listening sessions. Resolution is the stand out aspect here, rivaling many expensive IEMs even in the kilobucks range. That alone is quite an achievement in my book.



Bass: punchy, thick, effortless
Mids: neutral, relatively thin, forward vocal
Treble: textured, bright-leaning, not sharp
Technicalities: decent soundstage, excellent layering and imaging, exceptional resolution, some mild incoherency

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Power Requirements and Pairing Suggestions​

Quintet is relatively easy to drive, even from lower powered dongles like Kiwi Ears own Allegro Mini on single-ended. I personally found myself preferring warmer sources with smoother treble to tame the piezoelectric zing.

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Select Comparisons​

Simgot SuperMix4 ($150):
The SuperMix4 is probably one of the IEMs with the closest configuration to the Quintet (only 1BA difference). Comparing the two head-to-head, to my ear, the SM4 sounded more subdued compared to the Quintet. The SM4 did maintain a very coherent tuning across the 4 different types of drivers, but in doing so, it seems that the dynamics were damped quite noticeably. While it resulted in a more refined tuning, SM4 did feel less aggressive compared to the Quintet. Meanwhile, Quintet did sacrifice a bit of coherency and timbral accuracy, but made it more exciting in tuning and unrestrained in dynamics. I think Quintet is quite a step up from the SM4, but of course we should also factor in the price difference. Both are strong performers at their own prices, but if you can get Quintet at a sale, I think it is a worthy consideration if you’re looking at SM4 too.


Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite ($249):
The Orchestra Lite is a very technically capable IEM, with a very pleasant tuning and great musicality. It also has a natural timbre for an 8 BA IEM, quite a rarity at this price point. But the same issue shows up here: compared to the Quintet, the Orchestra Lite felt more subdued. Orchestra Lite’s bass is not as punchy and its treble is more reserved. I find the Orchestra Lite is more suitable for a more serious, long-term listening session, while the Quintet is going for a more fun listening session. I think they served different purposes here, but I feel both of them are excellent choices for what they aim for.


Kiwi Ears KE4 ($199):
Of course, the “new meta” KE4 has to be added into the discussion here. I think the KE4 has an excellent tonality for most genres and listening scenarios, while maintaining decent resolution, soundstage, and layering. However, it does lack some of the excitement factor that Quintet adds into the audio experience. Quintet’s brighter U-shaped tuning does add more zing in the treble while giving more bass presence compared to the KE4, leaving a more striking impression. While I can see the merits of KE4, I personally prefer the Quintet over the KE4.

Conclusion​

Kiwi Ears Quintet is a very enjoyable IEM that stood the test of time. Even months after its release, I think it’s still a compelling option. Having tried most of Kiwi Ears’s offering so far, I would say that Quintet is easily its best release so far. I wholeheartedly recommend it and an easy 5-star from me.

Kiwi Ears Quintet

For the non-readers, here's a video version of this review

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Disclaimer & Introduction

Kiwi Ears generously offered me a Quintet for the purpose of this review, but of course I’ll try not to let that influence this review too much.
For everyone’s sanity I will mostly be comparing these directly with the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite, KE4, and later the Simgot SuperMix4.

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Build, Design & Ergonomics

The 3D printed resin shell and nozzle of the Quintet is the thinnest of the bunch, featuring individually milled aluminium faceplates, two forward facing vents and a thin dust cover over the nozzle which splits into 3 tubes internally; always a good sign.

The shell has a more extreme curvature compared to the others, but I found that it’s overall smaller size made it just about as comfortable, if not more than the KE4, and also not quite as snug as the Orchestra Lite.

At 5.15g each, they’re on the lighter end of the scale which can contribute to longer wearing comfort.


The overall design is more formal and understated with faceplates that I would argue are also a more regular than irregular shape, which I think suggests a more serious kind of product.

In case you were wondering where the Quintet gets it’s name from, inside the shells is an ensemble of 5 drivers per side.

• 1 'DLC' (diamond-like carbon) dynamic driver for bass.
• 2 balanced armatures for mids.
• 1 planar for treble.
• And 1 piezeoelectric bone-conductor driver handling ultra-treble.



The Quintet comes with 2 sets of 3 sizes of silicone tips.
One set of 3 narrow-bore tips with soft cores, and a set of 3 wide-bore tips with harder cores.
I found the wide-bore tips with their hard cores more difficult to put onto the nozzles, but overall I thought they also had the superior wearing comfort and musical performance.


The cable is exactly the same as that paired with the KE4, so it’s a touch thinner than I like, making it slightly prone to tangling along with it’s overly weighty y-split hardware, although it is finished well and appears to be very well built.

The Quintet also comes with the standard Kiwi Ears carry case.

As usual, the list of accessories and packaging makes for quite a spartan experience; let’s see if Kiwi Ears keeps up the tradition of putting most of the cost and effort into the acoustic tuning and performance of the IEM.

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The Sound

Let’s start by talking about Simgot.
In case you’re not aware of the other IEM powerhouse that is Simgot, most will agree that they have quite a specific house-sound that is catered more towards the average ear-gain or pinna-gain enjoyer – meaning, their IEMs can and do have a stronger than neutral presence in the upper vocal range, which is especially jarring if your specific ear-canal anatomy, like mine, is particularly averse to it.

On my first listen, I was immediately assaulted by a significant and distasteful amount of pinna-gain and excessive low treble, which I found even more striking than the average Simgot, which really took me by surprise considering the last Kiwi I reviewed was the KE4!

(miniDSP EARS strongly over-emphasises treble)


So, I thought to myself, ‘here we go again’.

In part, because I started out with the narrow-bore tips.
I went with these first because in my experience narrow-bore tips don’t have quite as good staging and can do weird things to the bass, so I decided to get them out of the way quickly.
After switching to the wide-bores, I noticed a slight improvement in airiness and staging and also a bit of a bass boost, but it wasn’t a miracle cure either.


It seems more often than not, IEMs, particularly those with a mix of various driver types can suffer from limited versatility or flexibility, especially with regard to it’s imaging, staging and it’s responsiveness to EQ.

I’m always happy to have my expectations subverted for the better!

Despite having to apply quite a significant bit of tone correction, the improvements were immediate and responsive.
(Quintet + this EQ profile sounded VERY close to my ideal preferred sound)
Of course, my preferred sound won’t be the same as yours, but after applying these corrections, the more subtle aspects like soundstage, imaging and timbre all became fully apparent and appreciable.
- Imaging -
The good news is that the Quintet has excellent imaging and presents an accurate stereo image that also translates to above average accuracy in pin-pointing sounds in 3D video games and greater than average sense of space, air and spatial separation.
- Timbre -
The timbre (after tone correction) is extremely accurate and I found that even the boost applied in the bass is taken by the Quintet completely in it’s stride, without adding any obvious bloat or distortion.



- Midrange -
One area I do remain on-the-fence about is the midrange presentation, which lacks percussiveness. You could take this as it being inferior to other IEMs with a more vivid midrange presentation, or you could simply accept it as being closer to the presentation of average bookshelf speakers in a mid-sized room from a distance, which can be more relaxed and is just one of many flavours that also lends itself to less ear fatigue.

So overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag.
On one hand, it has fabulous detail and texture, solid imaging and a full spectrum response which is very monitor-like in it’s performance and presentation.
- Isolation -
It even has a small cherry on top, with above average isolation, which is always welcome especially in a vented IEM.
And on the other hand, it’s tuning is kind of dated, taking one big step backwards into the realm of thin and aggressive.

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Quick Comparisons

• Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite sounds fuller, with an overall more competent and musical, euphoric performance with a hint of slightly dulled upper treble, which was more than made up for with a more layered midrange performance and superior separation.
((this graph quite clearly shows why my ears dislike how bright the Quintet is compared to my favourite IEM - the Orchestra Lite))


• Kiwi Ears KE4
After the Quintet, the Kiwi Ears KE4 felt like sinking deeply into a plush sofa with it’s thick, relaxing, enveloping sound. The Quintet clearly being more technicality oriented and more spacious in it’s presentation, the KE4 is almost the antithesis of the Quintet and immediately easier to enjoy.
((despite measuring so similarly, they sound VASTLY different - another great example of why you SHOULD NOT trust Frequency Response Graphs!!!))


• Simgot SuperMix4
Finally the one I thought could be the main competition: The Simgot SuperMix4.


Being about 70 Euros cheaper than the Quintet, the SuperMix4 has a better cable, apparently similar or perhaps better build quality and with about equal design and ergonomics; the only thing it’s apparently missing is one balanced armature driver.

Comparing the two side-by-side, the very first impression is that the SuperMix4 is the better tuned of the two, with a more impressive sub-bass performance.
I would forgive you if that was your conclusion, because you’d be wrong.

Beside the Quintet, the Supermix4 sounds almost too strident in it’s treble presentation.
- Treble -
Both of them are absolute giants of treble-presentation, with the Quintet being the more refined and slightly reigned in of the two.
Both are equally competent in the midrange department, with the Quintet edging out in the lead, not just technically but with a more spacious presentation.
- Bass -
Finally, the bass is where Kiwi Ears continues to prove it’s dominance in the higher-end-budget price range.

Of course, in stock form things are almost backwards, at least for my ears, but after correction, even if you’re a bit of a basshead and you want to go well over the top, the bass tone and texture is awesome, easily overtaking the KE4 in texture and slam and rivalling the likes of the Rose Technics QT-X, another IEM that can take a bass pounding.

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Conclusions

Straight out of it’s little box, the Quintet sounds a bit poop, but don’t let it fool you. (obviously not poop, I just don't like it).
Invest some time to tune it properly, and it will prove itself to be one of the more flexible, technical and well-above-average-performing IEMs in the market.

The Quintet is not an easy recommendation.
In fact, I’m not sure I can recommend it.

Not everyone has the time or energy to tune their listening gear.
However, most critically, for anyone with the patience or experience to invest just a little time into the tuning of this IEM, you will be rewarded with a sound that easily rivals, and in some cases outclasses that of other flagship models out of the box.

In such a case, the value for money proposition is extreme and cannot be ignored.

I hate that I can’t just stick these in my ears and enjoy them, but I also adore how they sound after putting in the work, after which they get very close to being a true reference monitor (no hyperbole).

At this price point, they are to me, synchronously one of the best and worst IEMs (hyperbole for dramatic effect!!).

KIWI EARS QUINTET

KIWI EARS BEST!

Pros:
- Warmish yet bouncy bassline.
- Clear, smooth and lush mid-range/vocals.
- Performs better with male vocals.
- Crisp yet smooth treble response.
- Wide head-staging.
- Good detail retrieval.
- Great separation level.
- Great performance value.
- A good all-rounder for a variety of music.

Cons:
- Bass attack is not the deepest.
- Female vocal can sound abit too safe.
- Treble may lack some air or sparkle to some.
- Image definition is not its strength.
- No 4.4 balance Option.
- Mundane unboxing experience.

[MY PERSONAL HEAD-FI GRADING]
1 ★ - Appalling! please avoid this!
2 ★★ Subpar offering, there are better options out there!
3 ★★★ Decent with some caveats! Not a bad pick!
4 ★★★★ Not perfect but solid choice ! This should be in your shortlist. A nice addition to your collection.
5 ★★★★★ One the best in class! You should go right ahead & buy one! A must have!

KIWI EARS QUINTET 4½★★★★​

▓▒░ SOUND-SIGNATURE ░▒▓
It is tuned with a mild V-shaped sound profile, where the bass is enhanced to add warmth to the tone. The mid-range is both rich and smooth, while the treble extends well without overbearing brightness. This creates a well-balanced sound, making it suitable for a wide range of music genres.

▓▒░ BASS/LOW-ENDSOUND ░▒▓
- The bassline takes a more balanced approach, rather than a bass-heavy tuning. The low-end is consistently tight, punchy, and well-controlled. There is minimal bleed into the mid-range, which helps preserve clarity across the sound.

- The low-end emphasizes the sub-bass, offering sufficient extension and density. The rumbling, humming, and droning elements have a strong presence and sustain, creating a subtle vibration and texture without becoming overly bloomy. Ghetto bass playback maintains a lively bounce while accurately rendering bass-drop elements.

- Although the focus is on the sub-bass, the mid to upper bass is far from deficient. Its linear and consistent presence adds warmth and body to instruments like drums and bass guitars. Kick drums in particular, have a satisfying airy depth to their "thud," adding a sense of air movement. As a result, the punch and slam are impactful, delivering a tactfully satisfying replay.

- In terms of quality, it's one of the best I've heard in its price range. The bass is present but not overpowering, with good depth and layering that enhance its overall texture. It remains well-controlled, even on bass-heavy tracks. It is quite a fun bass to listen to. That sense of bounciness coming from its 10mm DLC makes it quite addicting to listen. This particular trait has been missing on most recent sets I've tested.

▓▒░ MID-RANGE /VOCAL ░▒▓

- The mid-range without a doubt is one of its strongest assets, with its clear, smooth, lush and natural vocal presentation, be it male or female. The tonal balance allows it's mid-range to appreciate nuances, giving it a good level of transparency without sounding harsh or gritty.

- The slight warmth coming from the lower harmonics gives extra oomph to male vocals and instrument (guitar, piano, strings) the fundamental body that it needs. It is done well without sounding too thick or veiling higher pitched instrument and vocals too much.

- Meanwhile, the female vocals, violin, and electric guitars maintain enough energy and presence without sounding flat or dull. They avoid becoming shouty or screechy. However, this can result in the higher-pitched vocals sounding a bit too safe on the vocal transients, lacking that final burst of emotion, especially compared to a set with more precise vocal intonation.

_ Overall, for a balanced armature driver, the mid-range timbre is natural and pleasing to the ear. The attack is neither dull nor overly sharp, and both the sustain and decay are rather precise. The notes have a pleasing weight, with a noticeable presence of reverb. All of these factors contribute to vocals and instruments sounding authentic and distinct.

- Despite the minor critiques, to my ears, this is where the musicality factor comes. Most audiophiles will likely appreciate this set most when listening to vocal-centric music.

▓▒░ TREBLE/HIGHS ░▒▓
- This is my 1st encounter listening to a micro-planar transducer (MPT) combined with Piezoelectric Bone-Conductor driver (PZT) handling the highs. To my surprised, It is quite impressive. The treble has a proper extension. It is crisp yet very smooth in its response. The air-extension is not abundance but plentiful which gives off spaciousness or airiness to the stage. While it is clear and has a noticeable presence, it is not overly sharp or harsh on its attack.

- For high percussion instruments like constant hi-hats, cymbals, and drum brushes, the shimmering elements are neither metallic nor harsh, yet they maintain a solid weight on the transients. They feature precise decay and excellent sustain, allowing high notes sounds complete from end to end without masking other elements in the mix. The same applies to the snare drum, where the hits don’t feel overly sharp or intrusive. Electronic sounds like zings, rings, rattles, and ticks come across as natural and unobtrusive.

- The defining treble elements are well laid-out. It is clear and well-articulated. None of the treble detail sounded forceful. It is bright and detailed, but it doesn't cross the line of sounding harsh or fatiguing territory. There are no undesirable treble qualities like peaks, graininess, haze, or sibilance. The MPT and PZT drivers responsible for the highs have done an excellent job preserving transparency without excessive brightness, making it enjoyable for most audiophiles.

✧ ════ •TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE/ASPECT• ════ ✧


- The HEAD-STAGING is fairly wide. Headroom is not that tall but there is a good sense stereo depth which allows for a proper front-to-back layering. Vocals are well-centralised that is slightly to the fore, surrounded by images of instrument.

- IMAGING PROWESS is mostly accurate but in terms of image definition is not the sharpest in class. Regardless the localization or positioning of sound between channel is clearly presented.

- Due to its spacious stage and darker background, the INSTRUMENT SEPARATION is excellent, especially in dense or busy tracks. It does a great job of keeping elements distinct without them overlapping or blending together. They have good spaces between them without sounding congest or compress. The clarity across all frequencies allows for easy distinction of instruments, even in busy tracks. This is particularly beneficial in genres like progressive rock or symphonic metal, where complex arrangements demand great separation and detail.

- When it comes to DETAIL RETRIEVAL it is nothing short of competent. With the works of five well-implemented drivers, it is quite capable of resolving intricate details in the music without breaking a sweat. Micro-detail such as the breath or coarse texture on vocal phrasing, the subtle decay of cymbals, or the fine overtone on string instruments can be captured. It is capable of presenting details in a way that feels refined and defined.

- DYNAMICally, it is not tuned to sound super energetic or aggressive in its nature, but it is not relax either. It sounds more than lively to keep your music alive. It manages to distinguish the elements of soft and loud in the mix rather well.

- When it comes to TONE & TIMRE, to my surprise, despite having 5 different drivers on each side, the word "Unnatural" not once has passed my mind. It is certainly unique. It can sound fast yet warm at the same time. The attack is subtle but impactful, the rate of decay is mostly accurate, the notes have good sustain and are nicely weighted. Sure, one could nit-pick that its vocal rendering could use with more body to sound more natural but that’s about it.

- It SCALES with VOLUME really well. Thanks, its well-balance yet evenly response tuning. One could really crank-up the volume if they want to. I didn't notice the any distortion with my highest listening volume.

- Through-out the assessment, there has never been a sign of cheap DRIVER. The implementation is nigh perfect. Those 5 different drivers truly work in harmonic. There is a slight timbre-contrast when transitioning from the bass to mid-range, but it is very minimal. There is no driver-flex or pressure build-up issue which is great.


✧ ════ •POTENTIAL SYNERGY TWEAKS• ════ ✧

- EARTIPS : The stock ear-tips works just fine but if you want a more open listening experience. I'd recommend using a medium-bore ear-tips. Such as Kiwi Ears Flex Silicone or Hillaudio MS400 (if you're a Malaysian). It does make it more open and more balance sounding.

- DAC/AMP: Mercifully, it not that picky on sources. Due to its well-balance sound, It can runs with pretty much anything.

✧ ════ •BUILD/ PACKAGING/COMFORT• ════ ✧

- Though the build quality is not the most premium, but it sure feels solid and durable to the touch. The design is very minimalist with simple looking metal grey satin faceplate.

- Like most Kiwi-Ears, the unboxing experience is nothing to talk about. There is no 4.4 balance cable option. But it does provide you with small usable carrying case and with 6 sets of silicone eartips, ranging from small to wide bore with 3 different sizes each. For a $219 it could be better. But I have no major complaints as it gets the job done just fine.


SHORT COMPARISON
vs KIWI EARS QUINTET (STOCK) x HillAudio MS400 eartips.
- ORCHLITE sounds more mid-bass oriented vs the sub-bassy QUINTET.
- QUINTET sub-bass has better presence and texture.
- ORCHLITE mid-bass hits deeper and harder.
- ORCHLITE is more vocal-centric. Vocal sounds richer, fuller, and more intimate.
- QUINTET has a slight edge on highlighting nuances on vocal texturing.
- QUINTET has greater treble-extension. It sounds crispier, airy-er and more energetic up top.
- ORCHLITE inoffensive treble is safer for treble sensitive folks.
- QUINTET is a wider stage while ORCHLITE plays with more depth.
- QUINTET stereo-imaging is sharper and more accurate.
- QUINTET separation prowess ability is a class above.
- QUINTET detail retrieval is a smidge better.
- ORCHLITE will deliver a more cohesive sound.
- QUINTET have a slight advantage on timbral accuracy.
- QUINTET is more versatile for variety of genres.
- QUINTET has smaller shell which makes it more comfortable for most user with no pressure built-up issue.
- QUINTET offers a greater price-performance value.
- ORCHLITE shells are better build, it feels sturdier and more durable.
- QUINTET is slightly cheaper to own.
- BOTH are equally easy to drive.

"If you're looking for a mid-centric set that is warm, lush with great intimacy, the Orchestra-Lite is an easy pick. But if you value, technical performance, engagement and timbral accuracy, the Quintet is the one."


◤FINAL THOUGHTS◢
This sets have been around for quite a while but it got overshadowed by endless released of Chifi-products which is a shame because the Quintet is definitely one of the Kiwi Ear's best. With its uncommon driver configuration, it is certainly unique on its own. But more importantly, it seems to work. If you're looking for this sort of sound-signature, for the money, I’d recommend it wholeheartedly, I'm pretty sure you won't disappoint. Because to my ears, it is my favourite KIWIEARS to date.

[IEM-SCORING-BOARD]
RATING
1: Trash (F)
2: Horrible (E)
3: Bad (D)
4: Subpar (C)
5: Decent/Average (B)
6: Good (A-)
7: Great (A)
8: Superb. (A+)
9: Masterclass/Top-Drawer (S)
10: Perfection (P)

KIWI EARS OCHESTRA LITE
[3-CS : 8BA]
MSRP : 249$ USD
Tuning : WARM-NEUTRAL
= Quality =
Bass: 6.5/10 Mids: 6.0/10 Treble: 5.5/10
Male/Female: 6.0/6.0
= Technicalities =
Detail & Resolve: 5.5/5.5
Instrument Replay/Timbre : 5.5/10
Dynamic-Range/Transient : 5.5/10
Head-stage [W-H-D]: 5.5-5.5-5.5
Layering & Separation: 5.5/10
Stereo Imaging 5.5/10
Ambience : 5.0/10
Clarity : 6.5/10
Build/Comfort: 7/4
Value: 7/10 [AS TESTED]
Personal Enjoyment: 6.0/10

SETUP (As tested)
Stock Cable 3.5 SE PLUG
Moondrop Springtips/ Tangzu Sancai Balance (M)
Tanchjim SPACE/ LUNA Asano Tanch.

KIWI EARS QUINTET
[3-CS : 1DD-2BA-1PZT/1MPT]
MSRP : 219$ USD
Tuning : Mild V-Shaped.
= Quality =
Bass: 6.5/10 Mids: 6.0/10 Treble: 6.0/10
Male/Female: 6.0/6.0
= Technicalities =
Detail & Resolve: 6.0/6.0
Instrument Replay/Timbre : 6.5/10
Dynamic-Range/Transient : 6.5/10
Head-stage [W-H-D]: 6.0-5.0-6.0
Layering & Separation: 7.0/10
Stereo Imaging 6.5/10
Ambience : 6.0/10
Clarity : 7.5/10
Build/Comfort: 7/9
Value: 8/10 [AS TESTED]
Personal Enjoyment: 6.5/10

SETUP (As tested)
Stock Cable 3.5 SE PLUG
Hillaudio MS400/ Kiwi Eears Silicon FLEX (M)
Tanchjim SPACE/ LUNA Asano Tanch.

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【SOURCE & GEARS】
● Native FLAC Files [44.1Khz 16bits-96Khz 24bits]
● Foobar2000 [ROG G18] [USB C Thunderbolt]
● Huawei P20 PRO [Phone][ App- Foobar2000]

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【PLAYLIST／TEST-TRACKS】​

1977 Fleetwood Mac - Dreams ★
1982 Chicago – Hard to say I'm sorry. ★
2003 NARUTO Original Soundtrack I – Wakiagaru Toushi ★
2008 K.will (케이윌) – 소원 (Great King Sejong OST Part.1)
2009 Maksim – Exodus
2010 Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (OST) – Kokoro no Oku De Ha
2014 Grabbitz – Here with you now. ★
2014 BoA – MASAYUME CHASING
2014 Hyolyn – 안녕 Good bye ★
2015 KOKIA – I Found You ★
2015 K MISSING KINGS (OST) - New Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - Return of Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - If you die.
2017 Berry Goodman – Zutto (ずっと) ★
2017 SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:mizuki – ViEW
2017 Namie Amuro – Hope
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - In Pursuit Of
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - Lost Small World
2019 Blade & Soul (OST) – Half-Moon Lake
2019 CAROLE & TUESDAY VOCAL COLLECTION Vol.1 – Light a Fire ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – BAE – BaNG!!! ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – cozmez – Where They At ★
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – GET NAKED (Kiyoshi Sugo Remix)
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – again (MATZ Remix)
2020 premiere fleurs – プリンシパル
2020 Love Live! Nijigasaki – 朝香果林 (Karin Asaka) – VIVID WORLD ★
2020 Fujii Kaze – へでもねーよ”／Hedemo Ne-YoSeishun Sick
2020 King Gnu – 三文小説 ／Sanmon Shosetsu ★
2021 OWV – Fifth Season ★
2021 加藤 ミリヤ (Miliyah) feat. Yoshida Brothers – この夢が醒めるまで ★
2021 Aoi Teshima – ただいま★
2021 Official髭男dism – Cry Baby
2021 Chanmin BIJIN 美人 – Morning Mood
2021 門脇更紗 (Sarasa Kadowaki) – きれいだ
2021 Mirei Touyama – 美忘録
2021 SELECTION PROJECT Vol.1 – Only one yell -天沢灯ソロver.- ★
2022 Belle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Million Miles Away (ENG vers.)
2022 rei (E-girls) – Dark Hero.
2022 rei (E-girls) – IDNY
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – Bleecker Chrome - You will shine ★
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – YOSHIKI EZAKI x Bleecker Chrome - UP ★
2022 BEAST TAMER (OST) – じんわり感じている幸せ
2022 Ado – 会いたくて
2022 Ado – 踊
2023 La prière – Sweet Dreams ★
2023 Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season ED – Luck Life – しるし★
2023 UMAMUSUME PRETTY DERBY - Hat on your Head!
2023 Anna – 花のように (Hana no You ni)
2023 riria. – 貴方の側に (Anata no Soba ni)
2024 Dungeon Meshi OP – BUMP OF CHICKEN – Sleep Walking Orchestra
2024 Ernie Zakri, Ade Govinda - Masing Masing ★
2024 Paradox Live THE ANIMATION OST – 25 幻影武雷管 - Trauma ★
2024 Bartender Kami no Glass OP – Takaya Kawasaki – Stardust Memory ★
2024 Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf ED – Sayaka Yamamoto – Blue Star
2024 Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf OP – Hana Hope – Tabi no Yukue/ Destination of the journey
2024 Tonari no Youkai-san ED – Aoi Kubo – Iro no Naka (風媒花)

★ Main-Test-Tracks/ A glimpse of what listen to 90% of the of time.


Do take my words for what it’s worth. Afterall, I am just one man. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! HAVE A GOOD DAY WHEREVER YOU ARE! TAKE CARE!

Disclaimer:
- This is a review unit sent by @EvelynZ (from kiwiears)
- Million thanks for making this possible. Looking forward to try more Kiwiears product in the future.
- If you like to purchase this, please click the link below (non-affiliated)
https://kiwiears.com/products/kiwi-ears-quintet

If you like me to review your gears, please do send me a message! I'll try to respond ASAP!


EXTRA PHOTOS

Introduction

Kiwi Ears again. After reviewing several new models from the brand, I was keen to try one of their previous successes: the Kiwi Ears Quintet. The Kiwi Ears Quintet are a quabrid, as they use four different types of drivers. They are called Quintet because there are five drivers in total: 1DD + 2BA + 1 Planar + 1 PZT. For the dynamic driver a 10 mm DLC (Diamond-likeCarbon) diaphragm is used. The two BA drivers are made by Knowles and take care of the midrange. The planar driver uses the new Micro Planar Transducer (MPT) technology and is responsible for reproducing the treble. Finally, the piezo driver is used via bone conduction and is responsible for reproducing the higher treble, the micro-detail and the air area. The capsules have a semi-custom shape and are 3D printed. For the outer side, a metal plate has been used. The interface is the classic and popular 2-pin 0.78 mm connector. From its frequency response, it looks like the predecessor of the latest model, the KE4, but with a more classic frequency response and bright upper mids. Let's take a closer look at this fine model from last year.



Specifications

• Driver Type: 1 dynamic diamond-like carbon (DLC) driver, 2 balanced armature (BA) drivers, 1 planar magnetic driver and 1 piezoelectric bone conductor (PZT).
• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 30kHz.
• Sensitivity: 108dB (1kHz/mW).
• Impedance: 32Ω
• THD: <1% (1kHz).
• Nominal power: 5mW.
• Maximum power: 10mW.
• Jack Connector: SE 3.5mm
• Capsule Connection Type: 2Pin 0.78mm
• Cable: high quality oxygen free silver plated copper.
• Cable Length: 1.2m.
• Starting price: $219.

Packaging

The Quintets come in the usual Kiwi Ears packaging, measuring 112x131x65mm. On the front is a realistic photo of the capsules. The brand logo is on the top left. To its right is the brand slogan. At the bottom, the model. On the back of the box there is hardly any information, apart from the brand name, while the specifications are on the side. The entire outer cardboard is grey and the tone is black and white, and the lettering is white. The inner box is black with the logo in silver. When you lift the lid, you see the capsules in a foam mould lined with black cardboard, with the white logo on the bottom right. Behind this layer is the classic zippered case. Inside are the rest of the accessories. In a nutshell:

• The two Kiwi Ears Quintet capsules.
• One 4-strand cable.
• One set of narrow channel black silicone tips, sizes SxMxL.
• One set of wide channel black silicone tips, sizes SxMxL.
• One black zippered carrying case.
• One instruction manual.

Two sets of tips are not bad, but for a price of more than 200$, it can be improved. The cable is not bad, but I still miss a balanced connector, or at least the option. I like the zippered case.



Construction and Design

The capsules of the Quintet are 3D printed in black resin. The outer plates are metallic and grey. The brand logo is inscribed on the right capsule and the model name on the left. The shape of the capsule is semi-custom, but the outer face is more triangular and elongated than usual, with nicely rounded corners, but without that African continent shape. The connection interface is fully assembled on the edge of the capsule, almost flush. There is a small hole next to this connection plate and there is another one beyond, in the curve. The inner face is smooth and shiny, with a bulge at the edge and the nozzles are well projected and raised. They have two diameters: the inside is 5.55mm, while the crown measures 6.4mm. The grille protecting the interior is black and metallic.
The cable is the brand's classic. It has four intertwined strands, each of which is a dark copper colour. The plug sleeve is a smooth, shiny metal cylinder. It has a recessed ring on the side of the 3.5 mm SE gold-plated connector, while the other end has two and a transparent plastic protecting the cable outlet. The splitter piece is of the same type, but half the size. The pin is a shiny metal disc with two holes inside that does a good job of fitting the cables, as it is not easy to slip. The sleeves of the 0.78mm 2Pin connectors are smooth, shiny cylinders with two slots near the cable outlet. In the continuation of these, their shape becomes slightly conical. The two pins are mounted on rectangular black plastic bases. The cable has over-ear guides.
Ultra-lightweight capsules, slim and simple design. It's a good cable, but I still miss the balanced plug option.



Adjustment and Ergonomics

The Quintet capsules are somewhat slimmer and have a semi-custom design, but are more triangular and elongated in shape, which seems to improve ergonomics. The mouthpieces are more projected and, when coupled with suitable tips, the fit is superior, very snug, durable and occlusive, allowing a high level of isolation to be achieved. Only the protrusion of the rim that serves to anchor the capsules to our ears might compromise comfort. However, the thinner, slimmer and more streamlined shape of the earcups allows for a better fit and ergonomics, without allowing for movement. It's a shape that's well-suited for hours of outdoor use, even for sports, thanks to its durable fit and low weight.



Sound

Profile

The Kiwi Ears Quintet has a similar profile to the Harman Target 2019. It is a U-profile with upper mids and first highs that are pronounced and full, but without being bright. They show a good level of balance, with a 10 dB deviation from 20 Hz to 8 kHz, without significant peaks, which gives an idea of their homogeneity. It is focused in the sub-bass and also in the first treble range, generating a clean, vibrant, informative and bright sound. The Quintets move away from the darker profile that is a current trend, like their KE4 siblings, where the energy level is significantly reduced from 1000 Hz onwards. They may not have as full mids as those KE4s, but they definitely have more light, transparency and brightness, with a similar amount of bass. In my opinion, the Quintets are more neutral than the KE4s, with less warmth and more of a regular tone throughout the frequency range.



Bass

I find it increasingly difficult to say anything different about the bass of the IEMS I review, I have to admit. The Quintet uses a dynamic driver with a 10 mm DLC (Diamond-likeCarbon) diaphragm. This type of driver is known for its high responsiveness, tensile strength and fast decay rate. This results in agile, fast, low-damping, dry and tight bass. Its colour is not too dark or deep. It tends to be more clean than full and the amount of volume is not very extensive. It is not a bass that floods the low end, but rather focuses more on the sub-bass, though without being definitely too noticeable. It has a certain level of texture and is not characterised by being blatantly smooth or dense. As it is not very present in the mid-bass, its extension, weight and quantity are not perceived as very high, and it is very permissive with the rest of the frequencies. It has a good level of impact, but will not be remembered for its punch, presence or energy. Despite the increased sub-bass, the level of cleanliness and ability persists.
In the very low-frequency pure tone test, a very sensory first tone stands out, barely audible and with an excellent physical behaviour, which implies a sensation of colouration that is practically null. The vibrational character is low and does not influence too much, so the reproduction is quite natural, although it lacks a little more darkness, depth, density and volume.
In the dirty, complex and unfiltered bass test, the cleanliness and focus in the sub-bass is noticeable. The bass is never dense and gives way to the upper frequencies. It is neither invasive nor predominant. The lines are well marked, but very sub-bass oriented. A presence persists that is neither dark nor too deep, but shows a great ability to follow and reproduce the dirtiest and most complex bass with great ease and fluency. The representation of the bass lines is crisp, somewhat thin, very well delineated, with an excellent level of resolution and precision. Bass drums are very concise, but have a good sense of texture that prevents them from being too dry or sterile. Speed and very low decay are obvious. Thus, stratification, layering and separation between the dirty bass lines and the kick drums are evident. Without a doubt, this is a technically very good low end, albeit somewhat tighter in presence, volume, energy and power.



Mids

The Quintet's excellent bass cleanliness allows the midrange to unfold clearly and prominently. There is no intrusion or bleeding in the treble. The sense of warmth is relatively low. The mids are not distinctly bright, but there is a remarkable sense of balance that generates a perception of neutrality in tone and timbre.
Starting with the male voices, their portrayal falls somewhere between thinness and a more physical feel. The first part of the mids is not very warm, nor thick, nor dense, nor physical. But it's not completely lean either, hence that neutral feeling. Admittedly, I like it to have more body in this zone, but the level of cleanliness, crispness and clarity is very well achieved and offers a sense of air, separation and space in the early mids. The instrumentation in this zone is perceived as very well defined, with a very measured and tight physical part, with a presence two steps away from the listener, but very well represented. But, perhaps, the most remarkable thing about this part is the control and timbre: everything is very well defined and shaped, so that it sounds remarkable, without being remarkable in presence, and, most importantly, without having an analytical profile at all. In this way, the best way to define this first half of the mids would be to use the word ‘purity’. I certainly think it is a neutral, measured, clean, concise, harmonious and rather rich purity, which manages to avoid sounding dry, austere or sterile.
In the upper mids, that sense of clean neutrality is maintained, despite its greater excitement. A low physical presence persists, but with a very controlled level of brightness. There is undoubtedly a higher amount of energy in this second half, albeit without a predominance of detail over base. And this is another of the Quintet's strengths: how it achieves great balance throughout the harmonic range. Here there is no sense of forced excitation of the details, but they form part of the sound in a more organic and natural way, much more homogeneous and cohesive. In this way, the level of neutrality and purity is reaffirmed, and the musicality is enhanced, as the notes are projected from their base to a very well extended harmonic end, always under a level of energetic restraint that is sufficiently restrained so as not to sound excited, vivid or too splashy. Another good virtue is how it sounds transparent and luminous, without being too sibilant. Again, it fully exposes the great control over the range drivers and the great tuning of the BA's to sound quite natural and very rich.



Treble

One could say that the Quintet's treble is crisp, but in moderation. I can't deny a remarkable level of energy and brightness, but under an umbrella that prevents it from being too penetrating or subtle. It's all about power under control. The first part of the treble is very explicit, then there is a clear zone of control, very well calculated, that prevents the high end from sounding clipped or unnatural. Later on there is a quick recovery in the air zone, which justifies that fuller, naturally bright and cautious sonority. Kiwi Ears has undoubtedly managed to enhance the virtues of each driver used for each frequency range. Here, the micro planar driver (MPT) brings out its full potential, generating a high end that is full of energy, but very finely tuned and limited at just the right point of neutrality, a little brighter. The PZT piezo driver then takes care of the ultra-high frequencies.



Soundstage, Separation

The Kiwi Ears Quintet have a somewhat thin presentation of notes. From bass to treble, the elements are fine, moving away from dense or bushy exposition. This creates a rather noticeable sense of separation, with concise, well-defined elements and a high level of resolution. I don't think this is a purely analytical sound, but the level of precision of all the transducers used is unquestionable.
The sound has a fairly rounded sound stage, with a semi-spherical impression in which nothing seems to stand out (depth over width, although the height is somewhat less). The certain dryness of the sound makes the notes feel attached to their development, something that makes their definition very marked, precise, very well outlined and limits the sensation of volatility of the whole. Thus, the image of the elements is very well focused, with a clear perception of their origin.
Macro detail is very good, without sounding overwhelming or forced, but quite natural. Micro detail is less than excellent, perhaps because of the easy and quick perception at the macro level that can obstruct or overlap the smallest objects. However, so much separation and such well-defined definition provides a very discernible background that favours the advantageous display of much detail.



Comparisons

Simgot SuperMix 4

It was clear that the Quintet's most direct competition is the Simgot SuperMix 4, another quabrid but newer. Both have 1 DD + 1 BA + 1 Planar + 1 PZT, but the Quintet has one more BA, and the Simgot costs $150, compared to $219 for the Kiwi. Both models are simple in terms of accessories. The Quintet has two sets of silicone tips, versus just one set for the Simgot. I prefer the Simgot's cable and case, although the Quintet is fine with both. However, the SuperMix cable is thicker, compared to the softer and more manageable cable of the Quintet. The Simgot's larger and roomier oval case also seems superior to me.
The construction of both models is similar: resin on the inside and metal on the outside. The Quintet looks more streamlined and a little less thick. The Simgot are slightly rounder and with a more pronounced inner shape. There is a noticeable change in the inner ergonomics and the angle of the mouthpieces, because the Simgot seem to fit a little deeper than the Quintet, which seem to float a little more. As a result, the fit seems to be a little more perfect on the Simgot.
The profile of both models is very similar up to 1000 Hz. Thereafter, the Simgot has a more pronounced rise, while the Quintet maintains a higher energy level in the initial high frequencies. At that same point, the Simgot is softer and offers a more sedate and relaxed treble, but with very good extension.
Both models generate a very similar amount of sound pressure at the same power. But the Quintets are slightly easier to move.
As I said in my review, the Simgot's bass is cornered in the sub-bass. I haven't commented on that about the Quintet. It is clear that sensations change over time, even within weeks. It is possible that my comments about the SuperMix 4's bass might have seemed negative. That was not my intention. It was just a sense of frustration, as if the bass, so capable, fell short of something better for my taste. With the Quintet, on the other hand, I have been somewhat more positive. But now, face to face, I find many similarities between the two models. The technical level of the bass is very similar, and the sub-bass orientation makes them very clean and with little volume. I miss a bit more darkness in both models. In the very low-frequency pure tone test, the resemblance is tremendous; they sound the same. However, I would say that the Quintet's bass has a little more texture, a little more impact, while the Simgot's have a little more darkness and depth. But the differences are subtle.
The first half of the mids is also perceived in a similar way. The difference is in the harmonics and, perhaps, in a greater clarity and precision in the Quintet. The Simgot's sense of darkness makes their sound more cohesive, more compact and somewhat denser. The Quintets are a little more volatile and that gives them a little more projection, generating a little more space on the stage, as well as a point of greater freedom.
The earlier elevation of the upper mids of the Simgot gives them a point of more liveliness and grounding in the female voices. However, the Quintet offers a higher projection, more light, more clarity and a point of brilliance. Thus, the notes sound a little thinner, but more defined and precise. The Simgot, on the other hand, have a point of warmth that brings a calmness and a differential musicality. These are two slightly different tastes.
The Quintets have a more energetic, expressive, fine and crisp treble that will delight treble-heads. The Simgot, on the other hand, are softer, less bright, somewhat thicker and more controlled, but with very good extension, definition and informativeness.
There is more separation, resolution, transparency and precision in the Quintets. This gives them an advantage in terms of scene size and micro-detail. The Simgot's sound is a little denser, a little warmer and more cohesive, less volatile and a little drier. Those looking for a softer, less sharp and somewhat more neutral, slightly heavier sound will find the SuperMix 4s an advantage. Those who want a slightly more analytical, expansive, bright, transparent and thin profile will enjoy the Quintet.



Conclusion

There is no doubt that, with models like these Quintets, Kiwi Ears has a hard time surpassing itself. While it is true that the Quintet is a model from last year and the KE4s are recent, the level they offer in this price range is very high for such a relatively new brand. The Quintet is a five-driver quabrid with a very clean, technical, low-end oriented bass. The mids are of excellent transparency, very well separated, crisp and clear. There is a slight excitation in the upper mids, which is more noticeable in the upper mids, an area that will be very welcome for the treble heads, thanks to its delicacy, finesse, informativeness, energy, extension and, of course, crunchiness.
The Kiwi Ears Quintet are based on capsules that keep in line with their great and previous creations, without too many surprises, with a combination of resin for the inside and metal for the outside, with a semi-custom design, excellent ergonomics and low weight. The accessory set is as usual, perhaps a little fair for the price, but totally adequate, except for the absence of a balanced plug.
Without a doubt, the Kiwi Ears Quintet is a brighter and more luminous alternative to the new META trend.



Sources Used During the Analysis

• iFi GO bar Kensei.
• Tempotec V3.
• Burson Audio Playmate 2.
• Aune X8 XVIII Magic DAC + EarMen ST-Amp.

Purchase Link



You can read the full review in Spanish here

Hi everyone. today I want to add my opinions on to me the best sub 250 dollar IEM on the market.
I wont be adding any pictures because why bother? I want this review to be a little bit more on the deep brain storm side rather than an buyers guide.
BUT if you are a potential buyer: go ahead, but this IEM, yes its old in chifi standards but its better than most options under 250 bucks. very detailed and resolving. only thing that I can think as a matching alternative is the Letshuoers planars. but even than quintet has the advantage of having a dd for bass. just make sure to get a better eartip than ones on the box because they suck ass.
Kiwi Ears PLEASE put better eartips on the box next time: preferably good quality stuff like BGVP's type W01 tips.
aside from the eartips nothing really bothers me that much, well except cable maybe; its too lose. I like that its light and really comfortable but they get tangled rather easily.

lets focus on my main point now: the sound.
To me quintet sounds neutral with emphasis on bass. treble does have some extra presence bot its not to the point of being V shaped. its just slightly emphasised. enough to give it some extra bit of reolution.
heres the FR from uncle Crin:
I have NOTHING bad to say about the Quintet: its a great set for any begginer. just fire and forget.
BUT I do have some opinions on how it can be even better.
to me it has 3 minor characteristics that I'd change.
slight dip at 400 hz: see that small dip? that range makes the quintet somewhat thin. its nowhere near ar problematic as a traditional harman IEM but boosting that range by 2 db really gives a more organic timbre. but this is not mandatory.
my second issue is everything above 6k.
theres a peak at 7k and another at 9 and another at 14k
now this much deviation from graph is not an issue. in fact I really like it. but I wish these peaks were at 8, 10 and 16 k regions.
as it is these peaks make quintet very resolving but also rather intense. if you reduce the 7k peak by 2 db's intensity goes away and youre still left with a very detailed IEM but I wish this was out of the box.
aside from these minor inconveniences I think Quintet is the best option at its price range.
its more detailed than any IEM below its price range. maybe with the exception of letshuoer s12 brothers. but still I had to EQ the s12's to get a desirable result. quintet is this good out of the box.
wayy better than Chopin ( to me) its more open, has better dynamics and better comfort too.
chopin feels like a cold monitor compared to Quintet.
and thats it.
honestly I'm having so much fun with this IEM I'd love to see an upgraded version: Kiwi ears doesnt have to change too many things; just try to shift every peak after 6k towards a little bit more higher frequencies: lower the 1.5k and fill in the 400hz region. and IDK? maybe experiment with the stacked DD setup instead of a single one? but keep the bass characteristics for the most part.
keep the same spacious shell design because I believe it has a role in why it sounds so spacious: during my review period I have compared the Quintet aganist the chopin, hexa and S12 pro.
I feel like IEM's that have higher internal air volume tend to sound more dynamic even if they were eq'd very closely. hexa and chopin sounds rather blunt compared to S12 and Quintet.

overall: 8.5 out of 10: just make sure it has a good seal and maybe lower the 7k a little.
it can be better but as it is its still a great choice.

Kiwi Ears is a relatively new brand formed around a team with great experience in designing and tuning earphones for some very popular brands. Their aim is to produce earphones that are both suitable for critical music listening and professional use while keeping a friendly price policy.

Kiwi Ears Quintet

The Kiwi Ears Quintet is a hybrid earphone that utilizes a unique combination of four different types of drivers. One diamond-like carbon dynamic (DLC) driver, two balanced armature (BA) drivers, one planar magnetic driver, and one piezoelectric (PZT) bone conductor.

The large 10mm DLC driver was selected as the subwoofer due to DLC’s high responsiveness and tensile strength, which pumps out impactful bass with fast decay speeds. Two Knowles balanced armature drivers deliver natural and resolving mids. The novelty in the Kiwi Ears Quintet is the use of a new planar tweeter system that features the classic planar magnetic driver circuitry but with a smaller footprint for use in hybrid designs. With an extremely low noise floor and high output capacity, these planar magnetic drivers deliver a treble that is unique from typical BA or EST (electrostatic) tweeters that are used in most IEM’s. Finally, a piezoelectric driver was utilized to deliver ultra-treble micro-detail and air.

Non Audio stuff

The ear-shells of the Kiwi Ears Quintet are made from 3D printed resin compound with a separate aluminum faceplate. They are anatomically shaped, lightweight and relatively small thus offering a comfortable wearing experience. They fit tight inside the ear and seal well without causing any kind of annoyance. The design of the Quintet is plain and minimalistic while they are very well made.

The Kiwi Ears Quintet comes with a 2-pin detachable cable made from oxygen-free silver-plated copper in four strands. It is a well made and soft cable with aluminum plugs that has low microphonic noise but it gets a little tangled. Unfortunately it is not modular and is terminated with a 3.5mm plug. Furthermore you don't have the option to order it with a balanced plug thus making buying an aftermarket cable a necessity if your sources are balanced.

The package also includes a nice carrying case with a side zipper and two sets of silicone ear-tips with wide and narrow bores. Some more ear-tips should have been included to make the package more competitive.

Power requirements and associated gear

The Quintet is rated at 32Ω/106dB so it doesn't need anything special to drive it. A DAC dongle like the Kiwi Ears Allegro would suffice. You can also use something even better, like the FiiO M11S as the Quintet is very transparent and scales pretty well.



Audio stuff

Let's cut straight to the chase, the sound performance of the Kiwi Ears Quintet is absolutely fantastic and definitely much better than the price would suggest. This is an exceptionally balanced and naturally tuned set of earphones. The Quintet combines stellar technicalities with excellent tonal accuracy and plenty of musicality. It is the perfect choice for critical listening and reference applications, like a studio monitor but it doesn't sound clinical and sterile as it usually happens with studio monitors.

The tonal accuracy begins straight from the deepest low-end and smoothly transitions up to the highest treble. The Kiwi Ears Quintet has strong sub-bass extension, without over emphasis, and neutrally tuned bass with just a hint of mid-bass warmth. The tuning of the low-end is almost perfect, natural and clean with a studio-like quality. Instrumental pitch is very accurate, all bass instruments are reproduced as close as possible to reality. Clarity, definition and layering are phenomenal for the category. Few earphones of the same category can reproduce very demanding symphonic works as effortlessly as the Quintet.

The bass is tight and controlled, the low-end discipline is just amazing while the recovery of the driver is lighting fast but still with a decay natural enough to capture the physical acoustic reverb of a concert hall. The bass is impactful and dynamically contrasted without any muddying or bloating nor artificial echo or cup reverb. The only point of criticism has to do with the rather lean and slightly dry textures, the Quintet is not that visceral and weighty, the low-end could use some extra body but then again, nothing is perfect, is it?

The transition to the mid-range is smooth and seamless, the mids are crystal clear, transparent and well defined, free of any mid-bass bleeding. The tuning is still very even and balanced, lower-mids, mids and upper mid-range are reproduced with the same gravity and intensity. There is not any significant upper mid-range emphasis or lower-mids scoop, as a result the timbre is stunningly natural and lifelike. The tonal balance might resemble a studio monitor but the textures do not. The Quintet has plenty of liquidity and colorful harmonies, it excels in reproducing diverse overtones and it manages to sound musical and organic, albeit somewhat lean and not that weighty.

Despite the use of two BA drivers, the Quintet doesn't suffer from the usual balanced armature timbre and artificiality as are to be found in a lot of competitive earphones. And it gets even better in the treble where the planar magnetic driver kicks in. You have to listen by yourself to understand how resolving, articulate and refined is the treble of the Kiwi Ears Quintet. The timbre is natural without any hint of artificiality or metallic sheen. Such kind of smoothness and refinement must have to do with the use of the piezoelectric bone conductor which does miracles in shaping the overall quality of the highest frequencies.

The Quintet has an airy and extended treble, it is sparkling and energetic, with plenty of luminosity, able to reproduce all the contrasted gradients, but miraculously devoid of any sharpness or harshness. The treble is crystalline and detailed but not analytical or clinical, ideal for listening to the faintest notes and the most tiny nuances but without getting distracted from the actual musical event.

The Kiwi Ears Quintet has a mirror-like fidelity when it comes to the source behind it as it is very transparent and will not add any character of its own. Such source transparency can sometimes become a negative point as the Quintet is rather unforgiving and will expose any sonic flaws of the source and the recording. The implementation of the five different drivers is almost perfect, the transition from one frequency range to the next is seamless without audible discontinuity. I was never expecting such a diverse combination of drivers to sound as coherent and natural as in the Kiwi Ears Quintet. The sound engineers must have spent hundreds of hours to achieve such a successful matching.

The soundstage is wide and open with ample width and plenty of air around the performers. The Quintet images very well and sounds bigger than expected but don't expect anything special when it comes to depth layering and holography.



Conclusion

Well, what more to say than that I am totally speechless by the performance of the Kiwi Ears Quintet. I was never expecting such kind of sound quality from an earphone priced that low. The Kiwi Ears Quintet is one of the most balanced and tonally accurate earphones that is also backed by strong technicalities while it manages to sound realistic and organic enough as not to remind a studio monitor.

The Kiwi Ears Quintet is a studio-grade earphone that is suitable for critical listening without skipping in musicality and engagement. If you are after a reference earphone that is not clinical or sterile, then the Kiwi Ears Quintet is a solid choice at a bargain price as you will have to spend two or even three times more to buy something better.

The review sample was kindly provided free of charge.

The price of the Kiwi Ears Quintet is $219 and is available from Linsoul.

Disclaimer: The Kiwi Ears Quintes was sent to my by Linsoul in exchange for an unbiased review.

NOTES:

The Kiwi Ears Quintet isn’t anything if it not ambitious. Retailing for Disclaimer: The Kiwi driver technologies into an overall surprisingly cohesive package of form and function.

The Quintet boasts a driver compliment of five drivers per side. A single dynamic driver, two balanced armatures, one planar and one PZT driver. This is a mouthful for sure and a recipe for disaster unless there is a high level of skill behind the implementation and tuning.

Thankfully Kiwi Ears have pulled it off and the Quintet does not just sound good, it’s sounds very good.

The tuning leans towards more of a balanced-v-shape if that makes sense. Sound is full bodied and articulate yet analytical with good resolution. Fairly easy to drive the Quintet does benefit from better sources and tip rolling is a necessity. I settled on a short stemmed wide bore tip with great synergy. I felt that the Quintet also synergized better with a warmer source as opposed to a more neutral or cold one.

Read on to find out more.

SPECS:

DRIVERS
1 Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) dynamic driver, 2 balanced armature (BA) drivers, 1 planar magnetic driver, and 1 piezoelectric (PZT) bone conductor
CABLE DETAILS
1.2 Meters, High-quality Oxygen-free Silver-plated Copper Cable
CABLE CONNECTORS
2-pin 0.78mm
CABLE TERMINATION
3.5mm Stereo Cable




BUILD, FIT & QUALITY:

The Kiwi ears Quintet is very well built with an understated design. The 3D printed resin shells are adorned with a metal faceplate with etched branding. The shells are on the larger side but are ergonomically designed so as to fit well. The shells and the faceplates combine to form a smooth and high-quality minimalist look and feel. They did fit well in my ears with little fatigue noted even after a three-hour listening session.

The included accessories are sparse, despite the impressive retail box, but of good quality. There are six pairs of eartips included and a good quality four core SPC cable with a 3.5mm termination.





SOUND:

BASS:

The bass on the Quintet is balanced and goes deep with good speed and detail. Textures come through clearly as heard on “Angel” by Massive attack. Impact and rumble are all present in adequate quantities as dictated by the track. This is not an overblown bass, but one that has ample power, yet is more articulate than most. There is a pleasing thickness and warmth to the low end while still remaining tight and controlled.

There is some warmth from the mid-bass that touches the lower midrange adding a richness to the sound without any veil. Bass quantity I found spot on mostly and I never felt for more. I find the bass of the Kiwi ears Quintet to be quite satisfying and enjoyable to be honest.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange of the Quintet is open with solid detail retrieval and resolution. Technicalities are also where the Quintet shines. The lower midrange has that added warmth and this was heard on “Tenderhearted Lover” by John Stoddart. The richness of his tone coming through with authority.

Upper mids have a touch of added energy and do sound alive without being harsh. “Protection” by Massive Attack had Tracey Thorn’s vocals coming alive yet with great clarity. The only downside is that comparatively the upper midrange can sound a tad thin as compared to the lower midrange. This is not distracting though but can be heard occasionally when critical listening.

On “No Worries” by the Robert Glasper Trio, I was impressed the layering and separation offered by the Quintet as air around each instrument was easily discerned with each being distinct. Listening to “Vanston Place 12am” by Ronny Jordan continued this trend.

Timbre is well done coming through as natural. Dynamics are handled well and transients follow suit with great snap and natural falloff.

Overall, the midrange of the Quintes is win in my books.

TREBLE:

The treble is well extended with ample amounts of sparkle and air. Cymbal brushes and strikes sound great with a natural decay. Detail retrieval is also well done without sounding clinical. Rarely I did hear some sibilance but this was always with tracks known to suffer from that. Such is the trade-off of extended treble response it may seem. Again, this was rare and only in tracks that are known to have this issue.

Treble with all its clarity is still articulate and expressive. Treble sensitive people may take offence but I for one appreciate extended treble and the Kiwi Ears Quintet did not disappoint.

The brushed cymbals on Ronny Jordan’s “Vanston Place 12am” were so smooth and cleanly reproduced it was definitely engaging. Well done.



IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE:

The Quintet puts out a wide soundstage with lesser degrees of depth and height but still enough to make instrument placement easy. Sound is open never coming across as congested. The Quintet’s layering and separation abilities are really showcased here giving space around each instrument. This was highlighted on “Stimela” by Hugh Masekela, the venue dimensions and instrument placement being precise and the track pulling you in.



VERSUS:

-Hisenior T4-

The T4 is a 4x BA per side iem with no dynamic driver in sight.

Bass power and slam are more prominent with the Quintet, T4 in balanced mode, but comparative with the T4 in “Bass+” mode. The T4 may offer somewhat more detail retrieval in the low end but the organic weight of the bass on the Quintet makes it a serious contender.

In the midrange the T4 takes a decidedly balanced approach while the Quintet offers a more energetic presentation, T4 in balanced mode, while with the T4 in Soundstage+ mode the energy level is comparable. Detail retrieval is where the T4 gets a nod, but just.

Treble is more of the same where the T4 is more balanced with arguably better detail retrieval though air and sparkle are just slightly more prominent on the Quintet which has also better extension.

This is a tough one as the Hisenior T4 is one of my reference sets. If anything, I find the T4 just a bit more engaging in particular for longer listening sessions, but still on more than one occasion found myself pulled into the music whilst listening to the Quintet. It’s a good thing I get to keep both as they are both keepers. The T4 though is better at being what I call a “Reset” iem. Something I like to listen to in between critical listening sessions with others.



CONCLUSION:

Kiwi Ears have done a great job with the Quintet. Pulling all that tech together could not have been easy. The Quintet offers a sophisticated sound in a low-key package which belies everything that is going on in each shell.

No iem, regardless of price, is for everyone. The Quintet has a clean crisp sound that many will like, and some may not. What isn’t up for dispute is how controlled the sound is with good technicalities. The longer I listen to the Kiwi Ears Quintet the more I appreciate what it brings sonically.

It has allowed me more than once to get pulled into the music. This in of itself is praise in my book.

If you are in the market for a well built iem with strong technical performance and a mature sound, the Quintet should be on your shortlist.

The Kiwi Ears Quintet gets a strong recommendation.

A few months back, I reviewed the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite. They seemed to have a safe, no-frills tuning that veered towards “too smooth” at times.

Nonetheless, what stood out about them was the driver configuration given the price point. Similar themes re-appear with the Kiwi Ears Quintet that sport a quad-hybrid (also known as Quadbrid) setup for midrange pricing. In recent years, such driver setup has been exclusive to the TOTL or kilobuck IEMs, so the Quintet have already won the spec-sheet war.

Sound quality is not proportional to the driver count though, so the Quintet have a lot to live up to if they want to carve a spot in this hyper-competitive market.

Note: Thanks to Linsoul for sending the Kiwi Ears Quintet for evaluation. This review originally appeared on Audioreviews.

Sources used: Questyle CMA Twelve Master, Cayin RU7
Price, while reviewed: $220. Can be bought from Linsoul.

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES​

The packaging is minimal, while the accessories are fairly good. The stock tips were good enough for me, and the stock cable seems fine so I assume a replacement will not be essential. The sheathing is a bit on the stiffer side but it also adds some durability, so a fair trade-off.

BUILD QUALITY​

Kiwi Ears opts for a pseudo-custom shell design, with 3D-printed resin on the inner shell while a metal faceplate adorns the outer part. There are two vents beside the (flush) 2-pin port. The nozzle is on the thicker side, so third-party eartips might need some compatibility check.



Overall, a no-frills design that’s practical without being a highlight.

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT​

Despite the thicker-than-average nozzle, the Quintet are comfortable for me even during long listening sessions. I did not notice any driver flex. Isolation is average, likely due to the dual vents.

SOURCE AND EARTIPS​

For this review, I used the stock narrow-bore eartips and the stock cable. Cayin RU7 was used as the source while on-the-go, and the Questyle CMA Twelve Master was the source when using on the desk.

KIWI EARS QUINTET DRIVER SETUP​

Driver configuration is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Quintet. They have a grand total of five drivers (apt model naming) of four different types: 1 DD (DLC-coated diaphragm), 2 BAs (dual-BA configuration), 1 micro-planar, and 1 piezo-electric bone-conduction (BC) driver.

The BC driver is placed atop the dynamic driver, whereas the other four drivers are placed in various parts of the shell. There is also a damper in front of the Knowles driver to keep resonances in check.

All in all, a very interesting driver configuration and perhaps the Quintet are only “quadbrid” IEMs under the USD$300 mark.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES​

The tuning of the Kiwi Ears Quintet is close to that of the Harman 2019 target, but with a subjectively better bass shelf and more extended treble.



Kiwi Ears’ take on the Harman target has its perks: the mid-bass is not as “hollow”, resulting in superior and more realistic rendition of percussive hits. Moreover, the added brilliance in the upper-treble makes the perceived stage wider, due to the added airiness, alongside increasing resolved details.

All is not fine, however, as the sub-bass is still too overzealous at times and can cast a shade over the lower-midrange, making male vocals sound hazy and lacking articulation in bassy tracks.

Moreover, the upper-mids are pulled back lower than the sub-bass shelf, resulting in certain female vocals being pushed back in the mix. This might be a boon for those who prefer their vocals pulled back and are allergic to shout. On the other hand, those looking for every minute detail in vocals and string instruments will be left wanting.

I found the treble tuning right up my alley. There is a distinct change in timbre when moving from the mid-treble to upper-treble, as the piezo driver adds a distinct “sheen” to the trailing end of notes in hi-hats and cymbal hits. However, I found the coloration mostly inoffensive and the added sense of air and resolution far outweighed the con of incoherence for me.

Finally, staging is better than average, while imaging was mostly accurate despite having some issues in locating instruments that are placed in ordinal directions. Microdynamics could be better to further highlight subtle shifts in volume, while macrodynamic punch is well rendered.

SELECT COMPARISONS​

The Sennheiser IE 200 are single dynamic driver IEMs, and so loses immediately in terms of driver count. Also, the stock accessories are plain better on the Quintet.

However, the IE 200 gain back points due to their more natural timbre and excellent coherency. I also found the bass and mids to be better tuned on the IE 200, with bass notes having superior texture.

In the end, the choice is between a more natural and balanced midrange and bass tuning (IE 200) vs a more resolving pair of IEMs with better treble extension (Quintet). The listener’s preferences will determine the ultimate winner.

CONCLUDING REMARKS​

For me, the Quintet are the most well-rounded product Kiwi Ears has launched so far. While the Orchestra Lite had their merit, and the budget IEMs are competitively priced and mostly well-tuned, they all lack the “X-factor” that makes a product stand out.

The Quintet have that X-factor in the form of class-leading upper-treble extension. They also significantly lower the barrier of entry for a pair of quadbrid IEMs.

These days, most releases fall by the wayside, failing to capture even the slightest attention and ending up as flavor-of-the-month at best. The KiwiEars Quintet are genuinely interesting for a change, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone pining for good treble and an otherwise inoffensive tuning.

Intro​

Disclaimer: The Kiwi Ears Quintet was provided to us at no charge courtesy of Linsoul. However, this was done in understanding I was to give my honest thoughts and opinions of the Quintet. For more of our reviews, visit perrivanaudio.com

I’m coming to review the Quintet right after the Quartet. The Quartet was a rather bass-heavy warm-sounding IEM that tries to be a jack of all trades at its relatively budget price point. The Quintet, based on price point, is a step up from the Quartet and switches things up in the driver configuration. It’s now a quad-brid with 4 different types of drivers in a relatively small package. Without further ado, let’s take a look at how it fares.

Accessories​

The packaging is almost identical to the Quartet. It also has the same zippered hard case encasing the 4-wire braided cable. The cable quality is a step up from the Quartet, aesthetically and build-quality-wise. The entire package isn’t anything to scream about at this price point, but I’m not too fussed about it, as long as the IEM and cable quality aren’t compromised.

Build Quality and Fit​

The Quintet takes on a very different vibe from the design language of the Quartet. It has a very mature, serious and some may say boring design and colour palette. It has a matte silver metal plate sitting above a black resin shell shaped to fit snugly inside the ear canal. This is in contrast to the bright colours and pattern of the Quartet, seeming to symbolise the difference in tunings for the 2 IEMs. The fit of the Quintet sits much deeper and snugly than the Quartet, and while I really liked it, people who don’t like their IEMs to be too intrusive in the ear may want to take note.

Sound​

Sources

• Lotoo Paw S2
• Fiio BTR7

Bass

I found the bass very tastefully done. It was palatable in quantity and clean in the mid-bass. It packed a nice punch and a very crisp texture, which was how I usually like it done. It is by no means near bassy and some might find it a bit lacking in note weight due to the more subdued midbass. The sub-bass extension was nicely done and does a good job playing a supporting role to the rest of the sound, ensuring it provides enough warmth to support the rest of the tuning. Listening to songs by The Fat Rat, it had nice transients in the percussions and packed a nice punch to keep the music really fun without muddying the more complicated/busier sections.

Mids

I really enjoy the layering of the mids, and how the soundstage gives. The speed and clarity of the Quintet’s sound make the instruments come across very clearly. I especially enjoy listening to saxophone and guitar lines in songs by The Carpenters, The Eagles, and many other bands. Well-recorded tracks shine with the Quintet, especially those with multiple musical lines and layering of instruments. One weakness of the Quintet’s mids would be the vocals. Compared to some other tunings, the clinical nature of the Quintet’s tuning can make certain vocals come across as overly digital or “emotionless”. This is a bit of a nitpick on tonality though, The vocals do come through clear and forward enough and remain relatively enjoyable otherwise. One thing to note is for poorly recorded tracks, it would be very apparent on the Quintet.

Highs

Combining the Micro Planar Transducer (MPT) driver and the Piezoelectric (PZT) driver contributes to the unique timbre of the upper mids and the highs of the Quintet. What I really enjoyed was the preciseness of the highs and how the decay seems to be pinpoint accurate on the high hat hits and snares. The treble extension is executed very well, and the Quintet has very good microdetail retrieval and gives the percussive notes the air and sense of space. What is potentially the Achilles heel of the Quintet is that some might find it borderline sibilant. Personally, I find it to hit a sweet spot, but I can see that it can be a little fatiguing for longer listening and it wouldn’t be my first pic if I had a longer, chill, listening session.

Overall

The PZT driver is said to be able to add to the overall soundstage of the Quintet. I am unsure how much of it can be attributed to the specific inclusion of that driver but I do acknowledge that the staging on the Quintet is on the wider side for an IEM and I really enjoy it for that. It makes the sound much more sophisticated and less congested for the individual layers to shine.

Conclusion​

The Kiwi Ears Quintet doesn’t attempt to win favours through flashy looks or gimmicks. Despite its stacked specs and a seeming mish-mash of drivers, everything comes together and plays its role as though in a real quintet, and puts out a beautiful, elegant, and precise performance where each member of the quintet plays their role perfectly and does not attempt to outshine each other. To complement the technical excellence of the Quintet, the price point is a rather attractive one in retrospect, proving to be an earphone with strong technical capabilities without breaking the bank. While it will not be everyone’s cup of tea with its crisp and sharp tuning, it was certainly something close to what I looked for in an IEM, and with reliable build quality and shell, topped off with an excellent fit, the Quintet easily makes it into my personal list of favourite IEMs.

Overview
This is a quadbrid iem oacking 1DD+2BA+1 Planar+1 PZT bone conductor. This has an impedance of 32 ohms and sensitivity of 106db.

Box contains:
6pairs of eartips (3pairs medium boar and 3 pairs wide boar)
Cable (2 pin 3.5mm), better than avg
Carry case (mid size), simple but gets the job done
Iems itself



Build, looks, fit
The shells made of resin with a aluminum face plate. The face plate has matt finish, so no fingerprints. The shells are light weight. The shell size is a bit on the larger side but its pretty comfortable.
Fit stability and breathability is good, thus I did not find any ear fatigue in longer lustening sessions.

Testing:
Source used: Cayin ru7, questyle m15 (best pairing), hidizs ap80 pro, fiio btr5 2021, apple dongle
Eartips used: stock tips, spinfit cp100+, spinfit cp145 (best pairing), spinfit w1, Final E.
Cable used: stock cable,letshuoer chimera, kbear black blade
Tested with versatile music genre



Sound:

Bass:
Bass performance overall is ok. It is handled with a single DLC dynamic driver. Quality and quantity of sub bass and mid bass is sufficient when the price and other frequency range is concerned. Both sub bass and mid bass has ok rumble and slam. They are well textured and mid bass separation from the mids is done well, transition is smooth. Overall bass depth is lacking. Score 3.5/5

Midrange
Its neutral and clean. The 2BA drivers are responsible for the mids and I must say its done quite well. Vocals, specially female vocals are crisp well extended without any hot spots. Male vocals are a bit subdued compared to female vocals but it does not impact the Transperant characteristics. String instruments have a sense of sparkle. Overall mids is nicely detailed without any fatigue or shout. Score: 4.75/5

Treble/ highs:
Treble is handled by the micro planar and pzt bone conduction drivers. Quintet’s treble is bright, airy and has really good energy. The transition from upper mid range is well tuned. It has good resolving capability with good body. But this might come off as too bright for treble sensitive listeners. Score: 5/5



Technicalities (score:4/5)
Soundstage is slightly better than average. It has good depth.
Imaging is pretty good for the price
Resolution and detail retrieval is also pretty good
Separation is good



Conclusion
Overall the Quintet is a great set for the price. If you like analytical sound with good technicalities, this will be right up your alley. Honestly from a value perspective I can not think of any other set this good at this price. Must say the kiwi ears team did a great job.

Kiwi Ears Quintet
1DD + 2BA + 1Micro Planar + 1 PiezoBone Conduction
Linsoul - $219

Firstly, I want to thank Linsoul for providing me this unit for review purposes, rest assured my review is 100% my own personal opinion and Linsoul has no input on this whatsoever.

Just in case you're interested on getting the Quintet, you can get it on Linsoul links below
https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-quintet

Unboxing
Inside the box you get :

• IEM
• Cable
• Pouch
• Eartips
• Manual

Build Quality

The faceplate is made from some type of metal, though sadly on my unit on the right side of the faceplate has a scratch out of the box, I assume it is some kind of soft metal (?), while the main body part is made from resin.

I do wish Kiwi Ears made the entire IEM from resin compared to the combinations of metal and resin so it would be more durable in the long run (no scratch on the metal part or dent).

Cable is pretty good for its price, it is very supple and have minimal microphonic effect and not easy to get tangled.
Though sadly Kiwi Ears Quintet only has 3.5mm single ended termination for the cable.
I do wish they have options to choose like 2.5mm / 3.5mm / 4.4mm.

Fitting
is very comfortable thanks to its lightweight and ergonomic and compact size.

Sound
Tested using FiiO K7BT, BTR7, Stock Cable, Moondrop Line T Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, RAP, Jazz, Metal)

Tonality in General : Bass Boosted Neutral

Bass is handled by a 1 DLC DD that has decent punch, it has a very agile presentation but not the most rumbliest and deepest / grand sounding bass.

Bass shelf is pretty clean and generous, that ranging from sub bass to around 300hz, so it does not color the midrange in any way, and bass texture is very good for its price.

Midrange is pretty neutral, the midrange here is handled by dual knowles BA, it has normal note weight, very good resolving capabilities and free of sibilance and shout, the decay of the midrange is also agile just like its bass.

Treble is handled by micro planar transducer and piezo bone conduction driver, it has sparkly airy with excellent resolving capabilities for its price, but again the overall presentation of the treble is very agile.

For example, cymbal here sounds pretty realistic but with a slightly faster decay than normal.

Personally myself would describe the Kiwi Ears Quintet sound presentation as very agile and analytical without sounding dry, by that I mean it has snappy transient and fast decay, listening to metal tracks on the Quintet is pretty enjoyable, but not only metal, the Kiwi Ears Quintet is an allrounder set of IEM, you can pretty much throw any genre to the Quintet and find yourself enjoying the music easily.

Technicalities

Stage is just average for its price, not the widest but not small either, it has exact wall placement and symmetrical in shape (width –depth).

Imaging is very good for its price, its almost sounds holographic but not there yet, you can feel the sound has dimension but it do lacks the “holographic pop up” that I used to hear on a holographical IEM.

Separation & Positioning is excellent, probably thanks to the 4 combinations type of driver used.
I'd say its definitely the strong point of the Quintet, you can easily pinpoint with razor sharp quality what instrument / sound is playing and where it comes from.
This set is also superb for gaming.

Detail Retrieval is excelent for its price, it has plenty of micro details all across the frequency and is very resolving for its price.

Comparations

iKKO OH10S

The OH10S only has traditional 2 drivers setup, 1DD + BA, it sounds more V-shaped compared to the Quintet.
Bass presentation of the OH10S is more punchier, deeper and has more rumble and more mid bass punch compared to the Quintet,
Midrange on the OH10S is more recessed and treble is more sparkly but with less definition compared to the Quintet.
Technicality wise, the Quintet pretty much beat OH10S in every aspects,
BUT that doesn't mean the OH10S is a bad set, it just that the OH10S has a more musical and fun engaging sound compared to the more analytical agile sound of Quintet.

Moondrop KATO

Slightly cheaper compared to the Quintet and it has just 1DD.
Sound on KATO is more your typical Harman modified with extra mid bass a'la Moondrop
KATO has more emphasize on the Midrange rather than balanced just like the Quintet.
So if you want amore midrange focused IEM, KATO might be the one for you,
BUT if you want more balanced sounding IEM, the Quintet is the one to pick.
Technicality wise, Quintet pretty much beat KATO in every aspects.

Conclusion

Do I recommend the Quintet?

Sound wise? ABSOLUTELY ! It is pretty much a steal on this price, it has top quality tuning with very good technicalities for its price that can easily competes with higher priced IEM.

Though if I had to nitpick about the Quintet is that I wish Kiwi Ears should've choose to use full resin body rather than Metal & Resin Combinations.
Why so? Because the Metal faceplate on my right side unit has scratch out of the box, so I assume it would be easy to scratch and might not look pretty for the long run.

AND I do wish they have options for 4.4mm balanced cable rather than only 3.5mm single ended.

Thats all from me for now, thanks for reading !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the review video of Quintet here


-littlenezt

I buy pretty much all my iems so my review is 100% my subjective opinion not influenced by anyone else.

I'm a guy who wants to like what he's bought and will put the work into finding the best synergy to make an iem work for me.

My scoring system is as follows

1. Meh
2.Average
3.Good
4. Incredible

(With space within this to wiggle)

Spoiler alert: The Quintet are upper Good nudging Incredible with the right synergistic components.

I think a warm dap is essential the Shanling M6 Ultra, Sony Nw-WM1A sound superb. Hidiz Ap80 pro X and iBasso dx160 were murderous making me rip the Quintet from my ears.

A nice good quality copper cable to nudge the warmth I used not too expensive £30 off
Ali. FENGRU 610 Core Litz Type6 Pure Copper Silver Plated 2Pin 0.78 Upgrade Cable

The final and most important the correct tips

The Kiwi Ears Quintet utilizes 4 different types of drivers, consisting of :
1 Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) dynamic driver,
2 balanced armature (BA) drivers,
1 planar magnetic driver,
1 piezoelectric (PZT) bone conductor.
With a total of 5 drivers per each ear, hence the name.
So what do they sound like?

To simplify... All the DETAILS! with adequate bass (tips dependant) Do you want here everything that's going on in your music for £200 instead of paying silly money then the Quintet is your answer.

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves, this isn't the iem for everyone.

I favour a warm bass heavy signature with a lush midrange and lively treble and the Quintet are not this.

I can still enjoy a good 4 hour session with the Quintet and appreciate their very much above average technical performance with slightly thin mid range and lower treble.

The clarity of the music is supreme to the point if you're listening to poorly recorded mastered music they can make you wince as its all layed bare.

So earlier I made reference to tips this is really important

I tried loades of different tips before I was satisfied with the bass and trebleI. I really didn't like wide bore(my usual first choice on any iem) tips, the bass was anemic the treble bordering on murder treble the whole signature was thin and sharp.

I have large ear canals so I struggle to find big tips needed to seal correctly. The saviour to my woes?

The black Final E tips. Everything fell into place balancing out the frequencies perfectly to the point I kind of fell in love with the Quintet and it's unveiling qualities, the way they dig into the music, present space between instruments in a wonderful expansive stage where you can pick out positioning of individual instruments.

The really detailed treble without sibilance is a marvel.

The bass is not the star of the show it is balanced has a good sub bass presence while a sufficiently textured mid bass. It gives a clean, precise and incisive bass response that is quite well-separated from the other frequencies it has OK subase and decent midbase attack, it can come over slightly hollow but it's a minor quibble when taken as a whole with the rest of the frequency range.

The Quintet unboxing is minimalist to say the least. You get iems and OK 3.5mm copper cable and a zip up case (it's small and pocketable) and some inadequate silicone tips. All the money went in the iems and it shows.

You might read this and think I don't really love the Quintet. I really do appreciate the things it's good at and in the right mood with the right music it incredible.

Quintet is a set of musicians consisting of five members in a musical group. The prime examples of famous quintet acts are the Jackson 5, The Temptations, Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls. Quintet is also a typical set-up for rock and metal bands like Anthrax, Scorpions, Avenged Sevenfold, Malice Mizer (a 90s to early 2000s band act from Japan) and Twisted Sister.


This is Kiwi Ears Quintet, a follow-up product from their previous model, The Quartet. Unlike the Quartet which has a usual hybrid driver set-up, the Quintet takes another level for a hybrid driver configuration as it added another two types of drivers, a piezoelectric driver and a "micro-planar" driver which makes it a "quad-brid" set.



The number of drivers that were implemented to the Quintet's transducers on each side consists of a single dynamic driver, two (2) balanced armature drivers, a MPT (micro planar transducer) driver and a single piezo-electric driver. The dynamic driver is a 10mm size with DLC (diamond-like carbon) diaphragm and it has good ductility properties to deliver speed, precision, slam and more responsiveness on the bass part. The two Knowles balanced armature drivers handles the midrange part to deliver a natural and better resolving on both vocals and instruments.The " 'MPT (micro planar transducer)' " or Flat Panel Driver which is more flexible to integrate with other drivers as it gives a better efficiency on extracting a full range frequency on the treble region, while the piezoelectric driver will added more air and stereo spatiality.




These drivers were encapsulated in the shells made of composite materials composed of aluminium alloy in a silver coating with matte-like finish and a black-coloured acrylic resin on its cavity base. The shell chassis of Quintet takes an archetypal UIEM (universal in-ear monitor) form factor for wearing versatility to all ear sizes. Like all Kiwi Ears products, Quintet has a 2-pin connector as its detachable mechanism for straightforward on doing cable replacement.



As for Quintet's fitting and comfort, With its pretty light shell chassis with smooth contours and a stabilising fin for better insertion, it rests well in my lugholes as I can wear it for long listening sessions. Passive noise isolation seems to be fine as it was able to block some noises for the outside.



Kiwi Ears included a stock cable for Quintet of decent quality. It has 4-core High-quality, Oxygen-free silver plated copper wiring with 3.5mm as its termination plug.



The product presentation of Kiwi Ears Quintet seems pretty simple but with its basic inclusions, it does fine for its usage.



Here are the following contents inside:

■ Pair of Kiwi Ears Quintet IEM.
■ A stock cable.
■ IEM storage case.
■ Six (6) pairs of black-coloured ear tips.
■ Instruction manual.



Regarding its amplification, Kiwi Ears Quintet is easy to drive as it only needs a sufficient power output from a multimedia source like smartphones, laptop and DAP. A decent power output will deliver an optimal performance on Quintet to have a full range sound.



The tonality of Kiwi Ears Quintet has a mild u-shaped sound signature which is quite balanced. It has an elevated low and high frequencies with a pretty linear and neutral midrange.


(This graph was provided by @koyawmohabal , credit to his effort on this one)


LOWS/BASS:

It seems that the bass quality and quantity of Quintet is fairly balanced as it has a good sub bass presence while a sufficiently textured mid bass. Therefore, it gives a cleaner, precise and incisive bass response that is quite well-separated from other frequencies.

Sub bass can be relatively felt in the sonic spectrum as I discerningly felt those reverberations and rumble from synthesisers, drum machines and low toned bass guitars. On mid bass, as I mentioned a while ago, it has sufficient texture but I also notice that it has a depth to a lesser degree and less darker pitch that would affect some tonal colours on some instruments and male vocals. Bass guitars have a rather sombre and resonant sound though there are some instances that it sounds a bit hollow. Bass kick drums have a thudding and eerily sound while bass trombones have a rounded and soft sound from them though it is quite lacking on fullness and darker tone. Bass-baritone has a sufficient woolly and density but it isn't that gravelly nor has a darker tone due to lack of depth on it as I noticed on the vocal quality and texture of Andrew Eldritch, Louis Armstrong and Barry White.


MIDRANGE:

The midrange of Quintet appears to have a neutral, clean and translucent with bright characteristics that will be beneficial more on some female vocals, strings and woodwinds. Although I noticed a slight notch presentation on its overall frequency range spectrum.

As I noticed that male vocals especially on most baritones and tenors are quite lacking in strength, weight and volume but it manages to give a flexible and bright tone on leggero tenors, some lyric tenors and countertenors. Baritones have milder and less warm tone as I'm listening to Billy Idol, Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie, Don't expect a steely, fuller and strength on Kavalierbariton and Verdi baritone as they sound rather sweeter and way too smooth as I listen on both Dmitri Hvorostovsky's and Robert Merrill's vocal qualities. Countertenors sounds excellent on Quintet as they have a smooth, agility and fiery style as they are hitting with their highest modal range. Andreas Scholl, King Diamond and Geddy Lee are few exceptional countertenors singers that I'm for volume and texture on vocal quality of this particular vocal type. Contraltos seems to have decent warmth and power but I also noticed that they don't have depth and volume to give a fuller and rich tone on singers like Annie Lennox, Anggun and Toni Braxton. Mezzo-sopranos and sopranos somehow sound better as the former vocal type has a smoother and tender while the latter one has more silvery and shimmering that benefited on how this set was tuned. Florid and rapid vocal passages along with an energetic and volatile tone on coloratura sopranos was almost perfect executed on how I enjoy to listen to Olga Pereyatko and Diana Damrau with their sweet and provocative vocal qualities although there are some pitfalls in which I will point it out later.

On instruments, string instruments like acoustic or electric guitars have this bright, crisp and lingering sounds as I hear those plucking, strumming and fretting on their string notations while violins have a bright, clear and metallic sound. Woodwinds like flutes have brilliant, silvery and bright though sometimes there's a shrill on it. Piccolos have a brilliant and penetrating sound from them while both clarinets and saxophones have incisive, bright and reedy sounds. Percussive like snare drums seems to have dry and sharp sound from them, field drums and toms have resonant and hollow sound, and then kettledrums seems to have a resonant and dry sound from it. Brasses like trumpets have a vivid and metallic tone while trombones have sinister, intensity and overpowering sound that somehow doesn't blend well with other types of instruments. Pianos relatively sounds more balanced to bright tone that gives an even and sparkly sound.


HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble response of Quintet is definitely on the brighter side tuning as it has shimmer, crisp and clarity due to the perceptible elevation on the upper midrange and presence part of the treble region. But there will be some trade offs on that in a long listening session, it might give some treble-sensitive folks a listening fatigue due to some minor occurrences of sibilance on sibilant-laden tracks particularly on female voices with high vocal range.

It gives a more precise tone and attack on some instruments like cymbals, hi-hats, glockenspiels and celestas. Cymbals have a glistening and metallic sound on every hit, glockenspiels have a bright and penetrating sound and celestas have that ethereal and shimmering sound, and then on hi-hats, they have a shortened buzzing to give that distinctive chick sound. When it comes to brilliance treble quality and quantity, Kiwi Ears Quintet is one of the few sets that is quite excellent on sparkle and treble air. It has a good amount of harmonics and a remarkable quantity of air.


SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

While it has an impressive lateral span on its perceived sound/speaker stage with good height ceiling, its depth was its chink of its armour as I definitely notice its inadequate texture to give a rather flat and linear presentation but in my opinion, I think its fine as there are times that my listening mood wants a more neutral, flatter and clinical presentation. So far, it gives me a good spacious head room within my aural sphere.

The imaging presentation of the Quintet has a concave-like sound field that gives me that almost atmospheric-like impression as I was able to pinpoint the position of vocals and instruments with good separation and decent arrangements of each tonal and frequency layers of instruments and vocals in a black sonic canvas. With good projection of its imaging aspect, playing some complex tracks will be easy-peasy for this set.

On cohesive performance of its quad driver set, it has a good transient speed on its dynamic while the balanced armature drivers, piezoelectric driver and MPT driver able to deliver a resolving and good output capacity for seamless sonic performance.

Regarding its resolution capabilities, it has good micro-dynamics due its sharp definition on retrieving a substantial amount of details and nuances of datas from an audio track. But on the macro-dynamics, while it has solid fundamentals, you will also notice a tad leaner on its note weight but at least it doesn't have that mushy nor too smoothen characteristic that will be detrimental on its overall resolution.


PEER COMPARISONS:

CELEST AUDIO PHOENIXCALL

■ Like Quintet, Phoenixcall also has a hybrid driver configuration albeit it doesn't have a piezoelectric driver. It also has a resin shell but on its form factor, it has a modified UIEM-style but still gives a good fitting and comfort. Both have good product packaging but Phoenixcall has better product presentation and more ear tips and other paraphernalias. And it should be noted that Phoenixcall is way cheaper when it comes to its asking price.

■ Phoenixcall has a warmer V-shaped sound signature which is quite contrasting to a mild U-shaped with a more balanced and neutral sound of the Quintet. It has a more pronounce bass response with more bodied mid bass, a recessed midrange but somehow it has more texture on male vocals and instruments like percussion and brasses and similar treble response but Phoenixcall have less airy treble compared to the Quintet.

■ On technical performance, Phoenixcall projects a smaller sound/speaker stage compared to the Quintet but its depth is more substantial compared to the sparseness of Quintet. It has a similar imaging which projects a concave-like sound field presentation. While Quintet has better detail retrieval, Phoenixcall has more solid macro-dynamics.


SEE AUDIO RINKO

■ In an IEM which has similar driver configuration and also has a new type of driver which is a flat panel driver that is also marketed as "micro-planar transducer". But the difference was that Rinko doesn't have a balanced armatures nor piezoelectric driver. It has a 3D-printed shell chassis. On product presentation, both have its own strengths, while Quintet has more ear tips to choose from, Rinko has better quality on stock ear tips and a more premium-looking IEM storage case and other quality goodies. And Rinko is more cheaper than Quintet, like over half its price.

■ Rinko has a more V-shaped sound profile that makes it a fun sounding compared to the Quintet. It has a more punchy bass response, a noticeable notch on its midrange presentation especially some instruments and vocals are either laid back or less pronounced in the overall presentation and similar treble quality as they both have a brighter response but Rinko has only a moderate treble air.

■ On technical aspects, Rinko has only an average sound/speaker stage proportions but at least it has better depth compared to Quintet. Rinko has a more solid volume and density on its macro-dynamics while its detail retrieval is above average as it able to extract some nuances and details from an audio track.


To summarise the overall facets of Kiwi Ears Quintet, it is definitely an improvement compare to the Quartet as it has newer driver set-up, more compelling design of its shell while removing the toggle switches and better tuning and more improvement on its technical capabilities over its predecessor. Kiwi Ears Quintet is truly a well-polished and all-performer set despite minor noticeable drawbacks on some of its capabilities.

Kiwi Ears Quintet is a product testament on what Kiwi Ears can do on their continued refinement of their products. This is actually the first "quadbrid" configuration in under $US300/£242 price range and its a very compelling product that portable audio enthusiasts should try.

Kiwi Ears Quintet is now available in LINSOUL, check out the unaffiliated link down below.

★★KIWI EARS QUINTET - LINSOUL★★


And also checkout my reviews on other Kiwi Ears products:

● KIWI EARS CADENZA

● KIWI EARS QUARTET

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: KIWI EARS QUINTET
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 106dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 30KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (2) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS + (1) PIEZOELECTRIC DRIVER + (1) FLAT PANEL DRIVER.


Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
Type O Negative - Black No.1 *
Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **
Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *
Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to KIWI EARS nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit as a loaner unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.

Review OF The Kiwi Ears Quintet​

Introduction​

I am amazed at how Kiwi Ears is able to create exceptional IEMs one by one, especially the one I will be reviewing today, the Quintet, which has already become a favorite among many audiophiles who have tested and vouch for them. The Kiwi ears has been producing a lot of IEMs, whether they are inexpensive or exorbitant and each one of them has met many audiophiles' needs. One of them is myself, who is a huge admirer of their IEM and has tried every single one, except their OG Orchestra. Let me clarify a few topics before proceeding.

Disclaimer​

*Since this unit tour was organised by the kindly people at Linsoul, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as "Quintet."
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the Quintet based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

The Quintet has five drivers: a DLC dynamic driver, two balanced armature drivers, one micro planar driver, and one piezolecetric driver. The treble area is handled by the micro planar speaker, namely frequencies between 4kHz and 40kHz. The dynamic driver is in charge of the bass, while the two knowles BA are in charge of the midrange. The PZT driver is used to improve audio resolution, texture, and sound quality. The shells are composed of resin, and the faceplate is made of metal. It feels extremely light in the hand, and it is also quite comfortable to wear while listening for extended periods of time. It comes with a high-quality oxygen-free silver-plated copper cable that feels premium in the hand. Other accessories include a travel case and 6 pairs of silicone ear tips in various sizes. The impedance is 32 Ohms, and the sensitivity is 106dB, according to the technical specifications. The frequency response ranges between 20Hz and 30kHz. Total harmonic distortion is less than 0.5%, and the rated and maximum power are 5mW and 10mW, respectively.

Sound​

I was astonished when I heard about the Quintet since I didn't expect them to release this fantastic IEM. To be more specific, this is the first time I've heard a 5 driver IEM for less than $250 USD with a unique driver setup. Though I was suspicious for the reasons stated above about whether they would sound well based on what I observed on the graph. But, boy, did Kiwi Ears surprise me again with this beast. The sound is well balanced, with a strong bass presence and the clearest midrange and treble you'll find in a 200-300USD IEM. Although the bass feels like it influence the response overwhelmingly, but it is done very considerably, so that the listener can enjoy both the bass presence and smooth details of the higher frequencies. I am in awe with such a response from an IEM which cost the fraction of any TOTL IEM. The mid range is forward enough to keep the vocals in centre of the mix and the instruments complimenting them effortlessly. The treble is super extended which sounds so expansive and airy which brings around the subtle details and nuances made audible. I should also point out that this is not a detail-oriented IEM; they sound detailed enough, but the sharp and edge sounds are missing. Let's go further into the sound.

Treble​

I was really delighted to listen to them after viewing the graph because of how the treble is depicted on the graph; the treble sounds precisely like it, which is tonally balanced and incredibly silky and smooth in presence. When I listened to IEMs, whether a 1000USD IEM or a 100USD IEM, they frequently made me feel incomplete. Nonetheless, the treble has a really smooth and silky texture, and while the reaction is a little muted since the details aren't too engaging, it hooks you up for an overall ride with a genuine feel. The notes aren't jagged or crisp, and the voices and instruments aren't particularly appealing, but their presence is audible enough to keep the engagement going. The vocals stretches out which makes it sound very clean and airy, thus providing a delicate and unique quality to the response as it not even distorts or degrades stretching over higher frequencies. I am surprised to hear how well and revealing the quantity of the vocals and instruments can be above 10kHz. The instruments sound rounded which makes them soft in texture but perfect for smooth response. The cymbal crashes sounds spicy enough to not sound offensive but like mentioned before they’re not sharp or edgy notes. The lower treble holds enough energy to bring out the best of vocals or instruments, they tend to bring out the best details out in the overall mix as the approach of vocals and instruments is invoking and clear. There are subtle variations that makes it sound catchy and a little clear overall. The vocals sounds forward and retains that smoothness and natural feel to the notes where the instruments compliments them effortlessly. The response is not very energetic or in your face but balanced out so well which brings the harmonic presence of the overall notes to peace. This response doesn’t cough up any offensiveness in the mix whether it is the upper treble or the lower treble. From what I can tell is that this is the smoothest and cleanest treble I have ever heard out under a 300USD IEM. So the overall presentation of the treble region is silky smooth, nicely extensive and the cleanest one can offer.

Mid range​

Aside from the slight variations, the mid range sounds precisely like the mid range of my beloved monarch MKII, albeit with a bit more vitality around 2-3k kHz. Though I kind of anticipated it to sound like that, the quintet does a good job of fixing the lean tone of the midrange. The vocals have greater note weight and richness than the Monarch MKII, making them sound more richer and realistic. The details aren't as revealing, but they sound crisp around higher frequencies, whether it's the voices or instruments. The upper midrange has the same amount of vitality as the lower treble, but it sounds more deep and satisfying. The upper mid range sounds open and airy where the vocals sound as expansive as they can with their naturalistic tone. The male vocals have that girth and weigh in the notes which makes it more intense to listen to, on the other hand the female vocals have that light, beautiful and appealing. The instruments on the other hand sounds rounded and natural, especially the guitar strums. The details that comes across feels the same as revealing as it is in the lower treble. The lower mid range comes across dense and thick, though the response is not mumbling or wobbling as the vocals and instruments doesn’t sound as vague as I thought at first. The organic tone which is resonated all over the higher frequency comes from this region as I can feel how natural sounding it is. The mid bass does leak into the lower mid range but doesn’t mess with the vocals or instruments presentation. Because of how natural it sounds, the organic tone that resonates across the higher frequency emanates from this location. The mid bass does seep into the lower mid range, but it does not interfere with the presentation of the singers or instruments. The bass guitar smacks strong and heavy without compromising any subtleties. Whether in the higher or lower midrange, the smooth response retains and maintains tonal balance. The mid range's overall response is melodic, open, and natural sounding.

Bass​

The bass response is heavenly, but controlled and authoritative. The significant amount of bass exhibited on the graph led me to believe that these would be bass-heavy IEMs with a somewhat muffled mid range, but I was mistaken. Most people do not understand how the bass reacts to how the overall tuning is, and I was firm in my beliefs as well, but the truth is that the overall response determines how the bass will act, and while not everything is a graph, people believe that what they see on a graph is the truth. To be honest, the bass response from the quintet has a powerful well-established while neither dominating or affecting the higher frequencies. The bass pulsates and has more than enough punch to keep the tonal balance in place. The bass concentration is in the sub bass range, although the mid bass is there as well. The sub bass dives deep and sounds echoing inside the ear canals, creating a slight rumble. The impactful punches pound on the eardrum while retracting as quickly as possible, giving the notes a natural and organic feel. The same can be said for the mid bass, where the slams and thumps hit you hard enough to sound as realistic as possible, especially when listening to old school hip hop. I had a lot of joy listening to the beats hit hard while keeping the mix clean. The kick drum has a strong response, and the tom's tone is immediately discernible. The mid bass bleeds into the lower mids just enough to make it seem as warm and genuine as possible. Not only the bass area, but the entire mix, is so precisely tuned to sound smooth and natural that I was caught aback by the reaction. The bass texture and intricacies are also pretty outstanding, with the notes' impacts making it seem more captivating and intelligible. As a result, the entire presentation of the bass area is forceful, hard-hitting, and extremely well regulated, resulting in a satisfying and natural reaction.

Technical Performance​

The Quintet's technical performance under $250USD is really fantastic, as it sounds well detailed, spacious, and open while providing such a stage that the distinction between parts is immediately discernible. Not only do the notes strike rapidly, but they also dissolve quickly.

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

The soundstage is fantastic; in fact, the holographic approach is so vast that the singers I hear seem to have no limit and still sound lovely. The separation of the pieces allows me to easily determine where the music is coming from, and the different character of the elements makes it much better. The image is bright and sharp, with just enough contrast to keep the balance between offensive and non-offensive. The integrity has been preserved.

Speed & Resolution​

Because of the large size of the stage, the details aren't too upfront or in your face, but they do bring out enough to imagine a larger presentation, which shows how amazing the resolution is. One thing the Quintet may lack is micro-details, but altogether, the Quintet is an incredible beast. When it comes to the assault and decay of the notes, the resolvability is really rapid. In my perspective, the notes hit and recede at the exact time.

Sound Impressions​

Sources​

Tempotec V6 - The sound was smooth and balanced while listening with the V6. The treble was expansive and airy, and the midrange was broad; with the voices seeming alive and fascinating. The bass seemed robust and resolving, which means it's well-controlled and had adequate presence. The technical performance was consistent across all sources, and I never noticed any offsetting effects, with the exception of the soundstage, which was likewise unaffected. To be honest, if any exist, they are few and far between. I truly enjoyed using any and all sources I could get my hands on.

iFi Hipdac - The sound was enjoyable and intriguing while listening with the Hipdac. Of course, the treble was more lively, but the midrange was more front in the mix. The bass felt the most powerful, with a stronger mid-bass presence. The thumps and smashes were more audible. The stage felt more rounded, or should I say less airy and spacious, but other than that, I didn't notice any technical improvements.

Tracks Used​

Luna Haruna - Glory days
Luna Haruna - Overfly
Rokudenashi - The Flame of Love
LMYK - 0 (zero)
ORESKABAND - Jitensya
Marina Horiuchi - Mizukagami no Sekai
RADWIMPS - Suzume
Indila - Love Story
Indila - Tourner dans le vide
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Blue Oyester Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Guns 'N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Gojira - Amazonia
TV on the radio - Wolf Like Me
Bring Me To The Horizon - Can You Feel My Heart
Bring Me To The Horizon - sTraNgeRs
Avril Lavigne - Dare To Love Me
Travis - Love Will Come Through
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
DJ Shadows - Six Days (Remix) [feat. Mos Def]
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Flo Rida - Low
Sebastian Lopez & Flug - Electronic Measures
Federico Mecozzi - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Wayve - Not Enough
Kai Wachi & TeZATalks - Ghost
NGHTMRE, Zeds Dead & Tori Levett - Shady Intentions
Zeds Dead, DNMO & GG Magree - Save My Grave
Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic
Skrillex & Nai Barghouti - Xena
Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo - RATATA
Kaifi Khalil, Eva B & Wahab Bugti - Kana Yaari
A.R. Rahman, Javed Ali & Mohit Chauhan - Kun Faya Kun

Conclusion​

To summarize my evaluation, I believe they are the greatest sounding IEM at this price point. The most balanced sound available in this pricing range. The IEM is highly polished and sounds incredibly smooth, with superb technical abilities and tone that relaxes and envelops you in its pleasant response. This IEM comes highly recommended by me. So I'd at least encourage you to give these a shot. These will undoubtedly astound you as they have me.

TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Kiwi Ears Quintet

The Kiwi Ears Quintet have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. Linsoul have not made any requests or comments and I will do my best to be as unbiased as humanly possible, although it is always good to take into consideration that these IEMs have not cost me anything.

You can find a link to the Quintet via Linsoul by visiting the version of this review published on my blog, link at the end of this post.

As always, it is a non affiliate link, meaning I do not receive anything in exchange for clicks or purchases made through said link.

To avoid being repetetive in my reviews, you can find all the info about how I create the reviews, equipment used, how I receive the products and how to interpret my reviews by visiting: About my reviews



Intro…

I recently reviewed the Quartet, a quad driver IEM by Kiwi Ears, and mentioned that there have been quite a few releases from them lately. The Quintet is the latest of those releases, featuring 5 drivers (as the name would imply) and coming in at just over 200€, from Linsoul, at the time of putting this review together. That places it just a little cheaper than the Orchestra Lite and leaves 2 cheaper models (plus a more expensive Orchestra, which is the TOTL from Kiwi).

The drivers featured in the Quintet are a DLC dynamic driver, 2 balanced armature drivers, a planar magnetic driver, and a piezoelectric bone conductor. This makes for quite a complex setup that is very easy to get wrong. The planar magnetic driver is something they call an MPT (Micro Planar Transducer) and there is some debate as to whether this should actually be referred to as a planar or not. However, I am not here to debate the technology, I am here to tell you what I think about the performance of the IEMs, and let me say that I am impressed.



Presentation…

There is really not much to say about the presentation that I haven’t already said in my last 3 reviews of Kiwi Ears IEMs. The packaging is the same as the Cadenza, which is the same as the Orchestra Lite, which is the same as the Quartet… just the image on the cover and the name of the model changes.

Inside the box there isn’t much that differs from the other 3 models either. Compared to the Cadenza, we get a transport/storage case (which is the same as the one included with the Orchestra Lite and the Quartet). In comparison to the Quartet, we don’t get the little tool to move the DIP switches, which is to be expected, as the Quintet doesn’t have any switches to move.

I will say that I prefer the cable that is included with the Quintet. It is similar to the cables included with the other models but in a greyish brown colour which I am a fan of.

In general the presentation is good, the contents are decent and I have no complaints about them.



Build and aesthetics…

The build and aesthetics are something that sets the Quintet apart from the other models in the brands line up. Where the others all featured a resin shell with a marble effect finish, the Quintet goes for a more discreet metal faceplate mounted on to a plain black resin shell.

To be honest, I really like the marble effect finish but the simple design of the Quintet is not something that I find ugly either. It is certainly more discreet (although the marble effect I didn’t personally find to be too “loud” anyway) and shouldn’t be a turn off for anyone, unless they have a dislike for simplicity.

The build is just as good as on the full resin options, with the faceplates seemingly well attached and no sign of any flaws, but only time will tell in this regard.

While I don’t think the Quintet are anything special to look at, I certainly have no complaints about their build or aesthetics either.



Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.

Here is where things get interesting and where I found myself enjoying the Quintet very much. Before getting into my usual description of how the IEMs perform sound wise, let’s take a look at the frequency response in comparison to my usual preference curve for reference:



While on the subject of graphs, let me mention something that I find interesting. If you have been following my reviews, especially in the budget section, I have said multiple times that the Kiwi Ears Cadenza are one of my top picks in the under 50€ segment. In fact, they are probably only second to the Zero: Red in this regard.

Well, here is the graph of the Quintet in comparison to the budget Cadenza:



As you can see, the tuning is very similar and to the ear, the Quintet do actually come across to me as a refined and improved Cadenza, with better technical performance and some very slight changes in the FR which I have to say I like.

(By the way, if you want to compare the Quintet to the other Kiwi Ears models, or any of the IEMs I have measured, you can do so here: achoreviews.squig.link)

But let’s go through the usual procedure and start in the lowest of ranges, using my obligatory “Chameleon” bass work out test track. There is plenty of subbass to create those low rumbling notes that are present in this track. Yet, while the presence is there, I did find that there is a clarity that takes away from the background vibrations that are so often present when listening to “Chameleon” on a subbass heavy set. To put it into context, it is like having a couple of small and fast subwoofers, rather than a large and rumbling subwoofer. I say this because, while there is certainly a boosted presence in subbass, I wouldn’t say that, upon listening, that these are focused towards a basshead market.

“Royals” is a better way to showcase what I mean, where the subbass is certainly present and clean, showing that dirt that I associate with this track in these regions, yet staying out of the way as far as the low end rumble. I can’t say that it is the best subbass I have heard but it is certainly on the good side of things.

As we move into the midbass, there is a slight boost but it is very well done and works well for things like “Sun Is Shining”, where the bass is very nicely presented in a clean and precise way. My fatigue test with “Crazy” proves to give the guitar a nice body to it without being overly boomy, making the track enjoyable. Yes, there is a noticeable presence but it is not something that I dislike.

John Paul Jones’ bass guitar in “Whole Lotta Love” has a very nice thump to it, making its presence felt and not just heard. I did find that Prince’s bass in “Black Muse” was a little more boomy than I expected but that is a minor thing, it still sounds very good.

The mid range is very nicely balanced, with good presence throughout, climbing smoothly to a presence peak just under 3kHz in the upper mids, bringing vocals forwards into the light. There are tracks which have an overly present midbass range in their recordings that can overshadow the mids slightly, yet with good recordings, I find the balance to be pleasant and natural.

For vocal and acoustic based music, which accounts for a lot of my listening time, I find instruments to have a very nice timbre to them, with a little bit of extra warmth in the lower ranges which I would live without but don’t dislike by any means. For example, the lower percussion in “Hotel California (Acoustic)” does have a bit of boom to it but does not overshadow the guitars or vocals.

Vocals I find to be rather natural, although I do find that on occasions that some female vocals, such as Alison Kraus in “Down to the River to Pray”, can seem to be lacking just a little excitement. As with the slight boomyness in Prince’s bass, this is a very minor thing and is much more of an observation than a complaint from my side.

Moving into the upper ranges, I find them to be very coherent and fairly neutral as far as peaks and sibilance is concerned. Patricia Barber, in my usual “Code Cool” scoring, would be placed around a +1 in my opinion. That is, just above what I would consider neutral but only slightly. In the case of Paul Simon in “Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes”, I would again place his voice around neutral as far as sibilance is concerned.

Detail in good, with instruments being nicely separated and lingering effects such as the echoes in “All Your Love Turns to Passion” being easily identified. I wouldn’t say the details are amazing but are certainly above average, especially in this price point.

Soundstage is decent, at least above average for a set of IEMs, although they don’t provide a huge soundstage (not many IEMs do). When listening to the binaural recording of “La Luna”, I find that the instruments are slightly closer than I would prefer, with the right front guitar seemingly more centered than on other “wider” presentations, without as much depth towards the front as on other sets.



Conclusion…

I really like the Kiwi Ears Quintet. I would say that they are my favourite IEMs from the brand to date (note that I haven’t heard the original Orchestra, so I cannot compare there). I still feel like the Cadenza are the biggest bang for buck from Kiwi Ears (and a lot of other brands) but in the price range that the Quintet sits in, they are certainly a great set of IEMs. I think I would even go as far as to place them in the top 10 of IEMs I have most enjoyed out of those that I have reviewed, although I would need to decide that after a longer term relationship.

There are a few things that are not perfect but they are minor things, in my opinion, and would have absolutely no doubts about recommending people check them out if they are looking for a reasonably priced, good all round IEM. Especially if you are someone who listens to more modern, well recorded, music.

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As with all of my reviews, this one is also available in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link

All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation

General/Build/Comfort/Packaging
Everyone should know Kiwi Ears by now, adding Quintet into the count, that makes a total of five Kiwi Ears IEM that I have reviewed to date. Having good experience with the previous models, naturally, the expectation on Quintet is high, and it does not disappoint in fact. Build quality is good, with a good track record, Quintet’s build quality is consistent with the previous releases as well. Packaging is the usual Kiwi Ears style, a black storage case, two types of eartips and a high quality OFSPC cable in 3.5 termination, if only they were to offer a balanced 4.4 termination. Good unboxing experience and packaging overall. It is also comfortable to be worn for long listening session, i have it in my ears for approximately 2-3 hours when i’m testing it, i did not encounter any discomfort or pressure build up as it has two venting hole.

Gears used for this review

• Earmen Angel Dac/Amp
• Earmen ST-Amp
• Earmen Colibri
• Earmen CH-Amp
• Hiby RS2
• Kiwi Ears Quintet Stock cable and Stock Eartips

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression
The Quintet is impressive sounding in many ways, amazing technicalities and good treble extension, not to mention fast and deep punchy bass. Despite sporting several different driver configurations (1DD+2BA+1 Planar+1 PZT), they sounded very coherent and I'm really impressed. Timbre sounds natural to my ears, with very minor BA timbre. Tonality is slightly warm to my ears and very balanced sounding across the frequency range. Let’s take a look at the breakdown below:



Bass

• Bass is very fast and punchy with good textures all around
• When i’m listening to Metallica’s Lux Aeterna, all the fast drumming has very good punch and impact to it, very satisfying and it doesn’t sound bloated at all
• Sub bass has good rumble to it but it doesn’t go very deep, suitable for EDM based on my preference, but definitely not basshead kind of bass quantity
• Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids
• Very good speed and good control especially when amped

Mids

• The mids are not recessed by all means yet not too forward to the point where it’s in your face
• Male and female has good textures, but Quintet seems to favour female vocal as it has a bit more energy compared to male vocal, but rest assure, the pinna gain is rather safe and certainly not shouty at all (but do take into consideration that we might have different tolerance)

Treble

• This is the exciting part about Quintet, the treble response is just amazing
• Despite sporting a piezo, it doesn’t have the usual piezo “zing” that i heard from other brands, possibly due to the implementation and tuning as well
• Treble extension is excellent and the piezo does add quite a bit of sparkles on the top end, transient response are very dynamic to my ears
• It has plenty of air as well, contributing to a good soundstage, due to the implementation and tuning of the treble, switching over to Final Audio’s Type E eartips gives the soundstage a lift, as well as more body overall
• Very good detail retrieval as micro details can be picked up easily

Imaging/Soundstage

• Imaging is good with precise positioning of instruments coming from various directions and also good layering
• Soundstage on stock eartips is slightly out of your head, but when i swapped to Final Audio’s Type E eartips, the overall experience is different, it sounds more 3D-ish with better width, depth and height perception

Driveability

• Quintet is fairly easy to drive, however it does scale with a better source
• Pairing it with Hiby’s RS2 DAP gives a very dynamic listening experience with R2R tonality
• Doesn’t really need amping, but when amped, bass does exhibit better control and also slightly larger soundstage

Comparison with Orchestra Lite

• Decided to make this comparison because the price point is quite similar with Orchestra Lite costing a little bit more
• Orchestra Lite is all about smoothness and well bodied sound, very smooth overall and has good body and detail retrieval
• The tuning is different compared to Quintet, in terms of tonality, Orchestra Lite is leaning towards the warmer side while Quintet is neutral with slight warmth based on my listening experience
• The technicalities on the Quintet is way ahead of Orchestra Lite, this is not to say the Orchestra lite has bad technicalities, it’s just tuned differently for different audiences
• Orchestra Lite has no vent, hence some people might experience pressure build up and discomfort after a while, also, the shell size is slightly bigger for Orchestra Lite

Final Thoughts
Having tested several Kiwi Ears IEM, it is safe to say that Quintet exceeded my expectations as well. Unique driver configuration coupled with the right tuning, this is definitely the recipe for success. The tonality sounds natural, good technicalities and treble extension, snappy and punchy bass, and right pricing, at the time of writing, Quintet is priced at 219$, which in my opinion is definitely a steal considering the unique driver configuration coupled with good tuning, not to mention despite sporting several different drivers configuration, the coherency is just amazing. This will definitely be an easy recommendation from me. They definitely deserve more attention.

*Quintet is sent over by Linsoul for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the opportunity and support as always.

Head over to their store if you’re interested in getting a pair
Kiwi Ears Quintet - Non affiliated

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Linsoul for providing this review unit. The Kiwi Ears Quintet can be gotten here (no affiliate links): https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-quintet




SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 1 x 10 mm diamond-like carbon (DLC) DD, 2 x Knowles BA drivers, 1 x 5 mm MPT (micro planar transducer) driver, and 1 x piezoelectric driver
• Impedance: 32 Ohms
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 30 kHz
• Sensitivity: 106 dB
• Cable: 2-pin 0.78 mm; 3.5 mm oxygen-free silver-plated copper cable
• Tested at $219 USD

ACCESSORIES

Apart from the IEM, these are included:
- 3 pairs of wide-bore silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- 3 pairs of narrow-bore silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- Cable
- Semi-rigid carrying case



For a $200ish set, the accessories are arguably on the spartan side. A modular cable or even foam tips would not have gone unappreciated.

The wide-bore tips boost treble and soundstage, whereas the narrow-bore ones increase bass, though at the expense of a smaller soundstage.

The stock oxygen-free silver-plated copper cable is a touch disappointing. Though it is well-braided and of sufficient heft, it is quite tangly with microphonics present. There's a chin cinch for added stability during usage.

The semi-rigid zipper case with soft internals and webbing is a nice addition, to keep the Quintet with space for accessories.

The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock narrow-bore tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT

Fashioned from 3D-printed resin, the shells are quite solid. The front of the housing features silver faceplates with Kiwi Ears' logo and the "Quintet" word emblazoned on them.

The shells are on the larger side. However, they are light with a concha protrusion for added grip. There are no awkward protrusions on the inner aspects. Personally, with my average sized ears, I had no discomfort despite using the Quintet for hour long sessions.




I did not encounter driver flex, though this is partially dependent on individual ear anatomy and eartip choice, so YMMV. Isolation is above average, even with the Quintet having multiple vents on each earpiece.

A 2-pin housing is always welcome in my book, as I've had bad encounters with budget MMCX connectors that failed with repeated cable changes.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the Kiwi Ears Quintet with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Colorfly CDA M1 DAC/AMP dongle
- Creative Sound Blaster X5
- E1DA DAC/AMP dongle
- Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Khadas Tone Board -> Topping L30 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone

This IEM is extremely easy to drive, and amplification is not 100% essential. Weaker phones should adequately power the Quintet.


INTERNALS

The Quintet lives up to its namesake, as it packs 5 drivers per side.

- A 10 mm DLC DD pumps the bass frequencies.
- 2 Knowles BAs settle the midrange.
- A 5 mm MPT (micro planar transducer) driver handles the treble - this driver is smaller than a traditional full-sized planar, but is marketed to have similar low distortion and controlled noise floor. Classic BA or EST drivers may have treble roll-off after 8 kHz, but this MPT driver purportedly can extend to 14 kHz according to Kiwi Ears' data.
- 1 x piezoelectric driver takes care of the upper treble, to increase air and sparkle.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

Graph of the Kiwi Ears Quintet via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz area is a coupler artefact peak.

The Quintet sports a balanced U-shaped tonality, without too much of a dip in the midrange. This tuning is quite stage monitor-like, though some consumers may find it a hair lacking in dynamics - if that is so, one might need to consider alternative tunings that are more "fun" or bass-infused. Otherwise, this U-shaped signature should fair well with most music genres out there.

This IEM is a technical masterpiece, boasting one of the best resolution for a $200ish range IEM. Imaging and instrument separation are well done, aided by an expansive soundstage to let instruments be layered well on a dark background. Micro-detailing and clarity are likewise excellent.

Unfortunately, timbre isn't a strong point - there are some metallic overtones when acoustic instruments come out to play, though vocals are still decently portrayed. Like most piezoelectric containing IEMs, there is a piezo zing heard in the higher treble at the tail end of notes, but by-and-large, the Quintet is probably a piezo-containing set with the least zesty ringing.

Note weight lies on the thinner side, though this gives the Quintet little flab, and hence allows rapid transients. Even though the Quintet crams an assortment of heterogeneous transducer types, coherency is surprisingly decent, with the DD keeping up well with the other drivers (which are traditionally touted to be faster).

The Quintet is sub-bass focused. The bass is north of neutral but not at true basshead levels. Sub-bass extends deep with authority and a visceral rumble. Bass texturing is up-to-the-mark, bass speed is rapid and there is minimal mid-bass bleed.

There's just a slight recession in the lower midrange. This region is very clear and transparent, assisted by the stellar technicalities, without bass bleeding. With an 8 dB ear gain, the upper midrange is very finely balanced, pushing vocals slightly forwards without shoutiness - this is a difficult equilibrium to get, and is an area where CHIFI frequently overboost or underdose, to their detriment.

The added piezos and micro planar drivers oblige in furnishing a very well-extended treble, with great air and sparkle. There's some sibilance now and then, and the treble may lie on the slightly spicier side for our treble-sensitive brethren. Treble perception however, varies on individual hearing health, ear anatomy, eartips and volume played at (Fletcher Munson curve).

Personally, I fall on the treble sensitive side, and can still tolerate the upper frequencies on this IEM. In my book, the Quintet boasts superior resolution without the typical cheat sheet of a steroid-infused treble to accord fake details. When used at very loud volumes (Fletcher Munson curve in action), the treble and piezo splashiness can be overemphasized, but at low to moderate volumes, the Quintet's treble is decently extended to equipoise resolution without veering too much to fatigue.


COMPARISONS

Comparisons were made with other $100 - 200ish range tribrids. Planars, single DDs and pure BA types were left out of the equation, as the different transducers have their pros and cons.

Geek Wold GK100

The GK100 is a hodgepodge of 2 BAs, 4 piezoelectric and 3 DDs. It is a neutral bright pair with lesser bass, and a more zealous (and fatiguing) upper midrange/lower treble.

The GK100 has an even thinner note weight and worse timbre than the Quintet. The GK100 sounds very sterile and overly analytical.

In technicalities, the GK100 is ahead in clarity and micro-details, though this is partially a function of a bigger treble/upper midrange boost. The GK100 however, has a smaller soundstage and worse imaging.

The GK100 comes with a modular Hakugei cable that has various terminations, whereas the Quintet's cable is non-modular.



NiceHCK NX7 MK4

The NX7 MK4 is the fourth iteration of the NX7 series. It has 4 BAs, 1 beryllium-plated DD and a seven-layer piezoelectric driver. The NX7 MK4 is a tunable IEM that has 3 different signatures - we will be installing the "balanced" tuning nozzle for today's comparison - so it is more versatile than the Quintet.

The NX7 MK4 has a thicker note weight, though it is a league behind in technicalities, with inferior soundstage, micro-detailing, imaging and instrument separation. In particular, the NX7 MK4 sounds claustrophobic and congested, with a very intimate soundstage. On this "balanced" tuning nozzle, the NX7 MK4 has less bass and treble extension too.



BQEYZ Winter

The BQEYZ Winter is a 12 mm PAR (polyarylate) DD + 11.6 mm bone conduction/piezo setup. It is neutral bright in tuning.

The Winter is much weaker in imaging, micro-detailing, resolution and soundstage.


CONCLUSIONS

Kiwi Ears took a risk by employing disparate driver types, but it seems that this has paid off in the Quintet. Loading 4 different driver types - a DD, 2 BAs, a micro planar and a piezoelectric transducer - coherency is surprisingly well-blended, and the various drivers perform their tasks pleasingly as individuals, yet combining seamlessly as a whole.

Like a string quintet featuring violins, violas, cellos and double basses, each member of the chamber performs their parts with aplomb - the tight bass and transparent midrange harmonize well, supplying a stage for the violinists to showcase their complex treble solos.



Build and easy drivability are plus-points, and the Quintet's all-round technical prowess is one of its crowning achievements. Soundstage, imaging and micro-detailing are excellent, without resorting to the usual CHIFI parlour trick of overly boosting the higher regions for "fake resolution".

The Quintet does have some flaws in timbre, and treble-sensitive folk may find instances of treble sibilance/spiciness. However, treble sensitivity is quite a subjective area (as detailed above). For my treble-sensitive self, I actually find this region to be quite tolerable - the Quintet confers good resolution without overly veering to harshness, when played at sensible volume levels. Some may also find this IEM to be on the boring or undynamic side, but that is a function of its frequency response, which actually may be someone else's cup of tea.

In closing, the Quintet is a technical powerhouse, yet without losing musicality (which is a common transgression that other overly technical competitors commit). For folks searching for a resolving diamond, the Quintet is one of the stand-outs at the competitive $200ish range to consider.

*WARNING THIS REVIEW USES HUMOUR*




Kiwi Ears Quintet, a nice little iem for $220 dollars. Should you buy it, maybe… Let’s find out why! I’ve had a hard time describing this iem, but I’m going to try. This is the most Ultalitarian iem I’ve ever heard, meaning designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive. I’ve spent some time in Russia and can say this reminds me of the large apartment buildings of Russia. Practical and serviceable and adequate, but not something that you want to retire with.

First off, I bought this iem with my own money, and I paid full price from Linsoul. (non-aff link)

200 dollars is a cursed spot for audiophiles for many reasons. People see it as overpriced but not quite hi-fi. Maybe I’m wrong but many people and tier lists will oftentimes not have a good 200-dollar option that is viable. This is a space that is unique and for many is void of a good solid recommendation. Let’s look at this iem from a company that is producing great iems for a reasonable price, and see if it delivers.





MUSIC

I am going to share a larger list that I have of songs that I like in this review. 61+ songs Here
This list is my go to test songs for the first go.
Top 10 Tidal list here:
I listen to a wide variety of music. I pick the songs because of various reasons. But I picture myself locked away like Andy Dufresne from Shawshank blasting music and shut off from the world. It’s a blissful image.
The Marriage of Figaro -The opera song from Shawshank Redemption, terrible recording but fun and gets me in the mood to listen to music. The sounds quality on this track sound great and smoothe, sometimes it can come across harsh.
O mio Babino caro -This is a modern less operatic version but a song with great female vocals. Vocals sound impressive here, everything is right.
Video Rigoletto - “La donna e mobile” Sung by one of the three Tenors, great song for high-performing male vocals. Instruments sound right, like I’m in person. It’s fantastic.
Iron man - The sound at the beginning is hard to make sound great, great drums, and cymbals, and if done right it feels like an old-school band. Drum beat on this song is great and natural. Starting sequence sounds right and not plastic. Timbre sounds good on this track.
I Will Survive (1981 recording, I like her voice, and the old vocals, the drums, and various natural instruments really make this a favorite for me. Female vocals are great on this track with support and not too much air. Natural classic, and firm sound that is wonderful to hear.
There is a light That never goes out - Smiths Vocals are nice, atmosphere is also great. This definitely plays this song great.
Jump Initial electronic are perfect. They feel right and solid.
Star Child The funk shines through here.
Dicke Titten Ramstein German vocals hit hard, it’s a good track to test male vocals and beats, and while the timbre comes through slightly plastic it is still really good.
Master of Puppets: Very fast song. Helps me determine if the driver can keep up. Driver seems to slip a little behind technically here, but it is still a solid set.


Shell -
The shell is great. It fits my ear well and I have no problem with it. They are light shells and easy to work with. They don’t feel too small or too large in my ears in long sessions. The metal faceplate is a little boring, but the black shell is very comfortable. I think this is one of the better shells that I’ve used. Maybe one of my favorites, as the nozzle isn’t too large, the fit is ergonomic and easy to have in my ear. It even has the Kiwi Ears' name etched on it. Practical. This picture is too flashy, imagine it with grey tips, and on cement.


Case- Normal Kiwi Ear’s case. Fairly boring, but at least it is a case to protect your iem. When the 7HZ Dioko and Legato have their fancy cases, this case seems weak in comparison. It doesn’t really add value to me, as I think it needs to be replaced. The case is good. It will protect your iems and fit in your pocket. It will keep your iems dust free. Very utilitarian. Great grey, and black. Nobody will make fun of you or call you a sissy for having a pretty pouch for your iems. This is a good case, it won't stop a bullet or a knife, but what iem case will?

Cable- The cable is nice and feels good. I really like it. I’d use this cable for other iems. This is something that adds value. My only thing is it might be nice to have red and blue hooks on the tips of the iem. But the fully metal top of the connectors works for me from a thematic so all in all, the cable adds a ton of value to this iem. It’s fantastic. But with my Ultaltarian theme of this iem, it fit. Cable good, cable make nice sound. It’s light and makes you forget where you are. If you were in a Russian Gulag, this would be a good cable as it would allow you to do more work, and nobody would steal it from you as from afar it looks cheap, but up close it is very nice and easygoing.

Tip Selection - I use Spin fits. But I feel this iem is a bit drab and could use some color. All the tips are grey and a tiny bit dull. Fits the Ultalitarian theme of Mother Russia of this iem. Some of the tips are grey and somewhat clear, making this even more utilitarian and bland.




Quick-Fire Comparisons

In this section, I'll quickly compare the

Truthear: Kiwi Ears Quintet VS. Kiwi Ears Quartet
Overall Tuning: Kiwi Ears Quintet
Details: Kiwi Ears Quintet


Truthear: Kiwi Ears Quintet VS. Kiwi Ears Orchestra lite
Overall Tuning: Kiwi Ears Quintet
Details: Kiwi Ears Quintet

Truthear: Kiwi Ears Quintet VS. Aful Performer 5
Overall Tuning: Aful Performer 5
Details: Kiwi Ears Quintet slight Edge


Graph:
The graph is a solid near neutral tuning that is fair. I really like Performer 5 and find this iem is similar to the graph of that.



Sound - Final Impressions

While I think this is a good iem, I think the way to say it lacks some technicalities and a wow factor to it. It sounds good from a tuning perspective almost perfect to my ears, and it has good details. The treble is inoffensive, base is strong. It’s hard for me to get deep into the sound other than to say it is passable for the price.

Recommended EQ: I’ve been messing around with Peace APO as I further level up my audio game. I’ve been enjoying my time with it. This is my current eq for the Kiwi Ears Quintet. This iem doesn’t really need eq, but it is good to note that it takes EQ well. I EQ'ed this to the Dusk and found it delightful, when other EQ was taken it was off a tiny bit.




Gifting/who is it for: I think this is a nice hifi iem to gift to someone. If I was giving it to my Dad or a father figure I’d probably give them something a little flashier for the price, or to my wife, I’d give them something a little cuter. But sonically… this thing is amazing, so if they will appreciate the sound it would make a great purchase for them. It’s a nice set, but the packaging isn’t insane. It’s more of a sonic set than a sonic set with intense packaging. For my uses the Aful 8 still comes through in packaging as King.

Pairing: I used a Quidelix 5k and a my new JDS Labs element III MK 2. This iem isn’t too hard to drive and is lovely.


Summary

While I give this a recommendation, it’s hard, as you need to dig deep into your soul to find out what the true you is. Look in a mirror: Do you value a pretty iem with spink sparkles, or a manly iem that feels like you just broke rocks with Red Guardian (See pic above) in the Goolag of Russia? *Russian Acent* “This iem make good sound, and make you feel like man.” This will do for you if you want the later.

Do you want a pretty iem? Not for you, it’s the price of 6 Cadenzas. Cheaper iems can be had for this price.

Technically, it’s very strong. I’m giving it an A+ for technicals, and an A for Technicality. For its price it’s worth it and a strong iem. Of the 50+ iems I've tested this is easily one of the better ones. I could easily daily drive this iem.

200 dollars is still a cursed iem. If you want that great sound I think this is a solid option and interesting with the drivers. It’s still hard for me not to push someone to pay a little more and get a Dusk 2, Aful 8, or something else. Save your money and get a few cheaper iems like maybe Red, or Hexa. This is a solid iem, and it’s hard for me to describe other than to say I like it, but it doesn’t seem to give me a major wow factor. It’s not as good as more expensive iems that I’ve tried, but it’s still very strong and a contender for an iem. It might just hit the sweet point of details vs tuning and price for many users. Very solid choice at it's price, and impressive driver configuration, but I feel lacks some details and technicalities of some other iems. If you have multiple iems more expensive than this.. save your money, if you are starting out in the hobby with exactly 200 and can afford this for the daily driver iem, sonically it's a good choice for sure. I find no major fault, no major pro, but it's neutral and fun.

Thanks for reading. Jokes, memes and silliness aside, this iem is solid AF, and is an easy recomendation. Any feedback to the review is welcome.