New 1DD+6BA Hybrid Kiwi ears Astral $299.00

[Redcarmoose]

 

[IceIceberg]

Kiwi Ears decided to go ahead and release hybrid IEMs with 6 balanced armatures. This is a very bold decision and I hope it pays off.
A very promising set and I hope it lives up to our expectations

 

[avishifi]

This set seems very promising

 

[Vonbuddy]

Timmy does not like the treble on these, but said the others aspects of the signature were fine. As you learn reviewers you kinda figure out where your interests are compared to theirs. Hope it isn't as bright as the Pilgrim OG was for me.

 

[Redcarmoose]

First impressions:

At $299.00 the Astral is promoted by Kiwi ears as being for Audiofools and music professionals.
Comes in two colors a "yellow" and blue.

Kiwi ears marketing script
1DD+6BA Hybrid IEM for Studio-Grade Sound:

Kiwi Ears Astral combines a 10mm bio-ceramic dynamic driver with six balanced armature drivers to deliver an impeccably balanced audio signature. It offers a controlled sub-bass that merges smoothly into a clear midrange and refined treble, ensuring every detail is faithfully reproduced.

Professional Design and Performance: The Kiwi Ears Astral is a high-end in-ear monitor developed for music professionals and astute audiophiles. It is engineered to deliver accurate audio resolution and a balanced tonal response. The design focuses on clarity and precision, ensuring that each component works together for faithful sound reproduction.

Dynamic Driver Subwoofer: The Astral features a 10mm bio-ceramic diaphragm dynamic driver designed to reproduce low sub-bass frequencies. The driver produces a firm sub-bass thump that transitions smoothly into the bass range. The tuning of the bass includes a rolling cutoff at 300Hz to allow a natural flow into the midrange.

Balanced Armature Driver System: The device incorporates six balanced armature drivers, arranged as two dual midrange drivers and a dual ultra-high frequency tweeter. The custom midrange drivers are designed to provide a neutral frequency response with a specific emphasis at 2.8kHz to match natural hearing. The tweeter has been modified to achieve a smoother ultra-frequency response that integrates seamlessly with the midrange.

Tonal Signature and Tuning: The tonal profile of the Astral features a 9dB sub-bass shelf that transitions into the low-midrange with a cutoff at 300Hz. This design maintains a flat and neutral midrange, ensuring accurate sound reproduction. The treble is defined by a peak at 2.8kHz, which gradually rolls off up to 15kHz, extending the upper frequency range while avoiding harshness.

First impressions:
Anyone who has seen the Kiwi ears factory tour knows the company is doing their magic the old fashioned way. They are working for it to happen. Big IEM output yet super high quality and attention to detail. Not to mention some of the highest technology used to design and build IEMs today in 2025. They are successful by catering to the masses with a true sound value……and whatever that brings to the table.

Astral:
Here we are shown 6BAs showcasing a little more brightness than the first impressions of the Kiwi ears Étude I just did. Then there is a 10mm bioceramic which produces a 9dB bass shelf which then cuts off at 300Hz. What this does is open a splendid window for the vocals to arrive at, never clouded over or in competition with the bass energy. In fact after a half hour I’m experiencing this bass as maybe not as dramatic as the Étude with its BCD and 10mm Beryllium driver, but a more detailed and provocative reserved affair that still totally kicks. Yep, there is an extra level of bass sophistication here, where it is a little more in the pocket and careful competing with the 6BAs. This treble peaks at 2.8kHz and takes a downward drop to 15kHz. Such a tune then reinforces a flat midrange to carefully show just what is up if being used as a professional mixing monitor, or the transparent tune wanted by audiophiles.

Size:
Size is perfect and they fit slightly better than the Étude, still both are splendid in form and fit. You get an extra set of filters for the aluminum nozzles, and strangely only 3 sets of ear-tips.

Probably they had to account for the cost of the best cable ever for Kiwi ears. Yep, they did it this time. Finally Kiwi ears are keeping up with the Joneses here. Offering a modular cable with a 3.5mm and 4.4mm termination. Not only that but the cable itself is the bomb!

Overall sound impressions:
Here we are shown a nice medium wide stage that is filled with extra details like you would expect from 6BAs. The timbre is really good here, as expected now in 2025. Probably my favorite aspect of this tune is how it is a little more vibrant than the Lush, and offers better contrasts and imaging than both the Lush and the Étude. While a little less romantic than the Étude, we are now here inside a clear yet very much all business tone. No bass lumbering, and a full-on balanced idea of how you should do midrange and treble. This is brighter than both the Lush and the Étude, brings about those details that arrive hand and hand with the extra action and energy from 6BAs!

Ziigaat Lush, Kiwi ears Étude and Kiwi ears Astral.

Full review here below.........

Pros:
The Astral is not of bad timbre
The Astral is not showy or garish either in sound nor in looks
The Astral is not expensive for what it does
There is nothing outlandish or experimental with the Astral design of 6BAs and 1DD
The Astral is not big or small, it fits most due to the semi-custom form factor
The Astral walks that thin line between boring and exciting, between carefulness and pizzaz

What the Astral has:
Exceptional tonal balance
Seamless gap between bass and midrange
2X dual midrange in-house BAs, maxing-out at 2.8kHz energy
10mm technical bioceramic dynamic driver
2 BA ultra-tweeters

Cons:
Included modular cable (while nice) may add to slight Pinna Gain extras for some
Extra Pinna Gain heat with some files and/or sources

The Kiwi ears Astral Universal IEM
Redcarmoose Labs May 28th, 2025

Summery:
This is a kinda a long review. And when I got done writing it I thought really it is a write-up for just as much what the Astral is and what the new Astral is not!

What not is it...........you may wonder?
The Astral is not of bad timbre.
The Astral is not showy or garish either in sound nor in looks.
The Astral is not expensive for what it does.
There is nothing outlandish or experimental with the Astral design of 6BAs and 1DD.
The Astral is not big or small, it fits most due to the semi-custom form factor.
The Astral walks that thin line between boring and exciting, between carefulness and pizzaz.

What the Astral has:
Exceptional tonal balance.
Seamless gap between bass and midrange
2X dual midrange in-house BAs, maxing-out at 2.8kHz energy
10mm technical bioceramic dynamic driver
2 BA ultra-tweeters

Who’s it for?
The regular Head-Fi audiophile who is searching for a transparent and careful tune, or audio professionals seeking correct monitoring duties done.

Lets get on to the review!
The Kiwi ears company is no stranger around here at Head-Fi. Then just when you think Kiwi ears have put out enough stuff to cement their presence in the community, they come out with handfuls of more gear! Yep, recently 5 new full-size headphones, a Dongle then a whole slew of IEMs becoming one (if not the most) of the prolific manufactures of 2025.

The message held in this review is that even though this Astral Universal IEM has the Kiwi ears logo, and may hold slight characteristics like its brothers in production, the Astral does a unique job and should be looked at as a stand-out release both for Kiwi ears and the IEM community in general.

As of late:
The Kiwi ears Astral 1DD x 6BA Hybrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears Étude 1 Beryllium DD x 3BA x Vibration Transducer Hybrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears Aether 15.3mm Planar Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears Septet 1DD x 4BA x 1Planer x 1 PZT Quadbrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears Canta 1DD x 2 Planar Hybrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears x Crinacle Singolo 11mm DD Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears Airoso 1DD x 4BA Hybrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears KE4 2DD x 2BA Hybrid Universal IEM

There is the Division full-size, the Ellipse full-size, the Ardor wireless full-size, the Aventus wireless full-size and the Flagship TOTL Atheia full-size headphones.

Even the full-size headphones share the Kiwi ears house sound, especially the Atheia!

Now the crazy part is all these newer IEMs just came out and showcase slightly different ideas of replaying music, yet it is undeniable they all still share the Kiwi ears sound. Past IEM manufactured ideas are still valid and could even be your current destination of how to design and build an IEM............like the older Quintet, the Quartet or the original Kiwi ears Orchestra/Orchestra Lite.

Let’s not forget the 1DD x 2BA x 2 EST Kiwi ears x HBB Punch or the two new TWS offerings; the OWS Attiva ear-buds and sport OWS Spark ear-phones!

Kiwi ears make the Allegro DAC/Amp, the Allegro mini DAC/Amp and the Allegro Pro.

Kiwi ears makes a set of great custom “FLEX” ear-tips too! Just saying.....

Kiwi ears:
Kiwi ears make over 40 different retail items at this very moment. You would be forgiven for forgetting a few products here. Take the Kiwi ears Melody a 12mm Planar Universal IEM, or the Kiwi ears Forteza 1BA x 2DD Hybrid IEM. What about the Kiwi ears Dolce, a 10mm LDP DD and the 10mm Beryllium Cadenza?

All this production may seem like all too much, and it's easy to criticize the company for playing a game of chance, hoping to find a classic. But in reality there are quite a few solid releases that stand-out. In fact looking at the new factory tour video it shows them manufacturing the 2023 edition of the Kiwi ears Quartet, a very classic IEM in the marketing sense and popularity sense!



I will admit Kiwi ears have sent me out a bunch of their gear. Since January of 2023 I have reviewed 19 of Kiwi ears production line, with the new the Kiwi ears Septet Universal IEM coming next after this review, to make an even 20 products!

The Hybrid idea:
The idea of mixing a DD and BAs has been around for awhile. The first was 2006’s Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10, the AKG K3003. Then in 2016 there was a resurgence in interest in blending two different styles of drivers together. Technically the use of more than one style of driver is called a “Hybrid IEM”……….no matter how many of these new driver mixes manufacturers use (the term Quadbred is an example) that technically it is still a Hybrid IEM in the end.

This mixing PZT “piezoelectric” and mini-planars, ESTs “electro-static”, mini DDs…………….all combined with the standard “hybrid’ ideas of a BA and a DD seem to allow manufactures to study new ways of skinning the cat, more ways to get this job done of replaying music out of a tiny in-ear monitor.

Audio engineering:
In the end there is still no perfect IEM, only examples of the art which are closer to correct and other examples which detour into a style of character, or tonal sections of that replay in special character. You can almost see the audio engineers in their laboratory making or buying a new style of driver and hearing it for the first time, then wondering where it could be applied and how.

It is this quest for innovation, along with marketing sizzle that keeps our buying audiophile imagination afloat. How many times have you wondered about some new driver, some PZT, or EST addition, then the reviewer tries to describe how this new driver has a distinct personality different from the Plane Jane BAs and DDs that we have become used to.

So the question of the day is have the ideas of just using BAs or DDs only been played-out.

Meaning is this technology of just using BAs and DDs going to be boring? Are simple advancements in DD technology and advancements in BA technology still going strong, even though the naming of them seems to have run its course?

Facts:
I have spent a good while auditioning the Kiwi ears Astral. One of the very first things I noticed was just how good this new in-house 10mm bioceramic DD was. In fact after doing side-by-side comparisons I found this clarity in bass personality to stand out. This extra realized bass texture has a way of tricking the listener into believing there is even more bass than graphically represented.

Meaning this dynamic driver actually put-out bass textures and placed them into specific placement into the stage when called for…….call it realism! It was this 9dB bass addition of imaging contrasts which were that much more noticeable next lower midrange to specifically illuminate the bass character without messing with the mids.

The way Kiwi ears do this is by dropping this bass energy at a specific 300Hz. Into which 4BAs (a side) take over to showcase a 2.8kHz Pinna Gain to carefully reproduce the most sensitive part of our hearing, the Pinna region. And finally the treble showcases a smooth extenuation to 15kHz before rolling off. These 6 BAs a side are not messing around and show an increase in detail “fill-in” upon auditioning.

Custom BAs:
Not buying from name brand companies like Sonion or Knowles allows for manufactures to custom make BAs more to their specific needs as well there being no middle-man reach a new level of value.

This BA value for me is probably most noticeable in the fact that driver implementation, meaning tuning……can be just as important and the actual driver timbre response in gaining realism in tone.

And……………it goes almost without saying that these “custom drivers” used to be looked at with contempt and suspicion due to their unnatural timbre found in the past. So manufacturers can do two things to fight the off-timbre. One, they can bury the tone, or mix the tone keeping it low in the overall sound presentation mix to subdue the effects of off-timbre, or Two. They can use moderate tuning and showcase this correct timbre by having the BAs sit forward in the mix. This moderate tuning also allows for smoother clarity and 6BAs add detail due to the sheer amount of drivers used.

Simply speaking the better made custom BAs don’t have to hide anymore, and still reach a competent level of detail by using BAs in number.

In fact it is this added darkness (bass notes) in contrast to this white (treble and midrange notes) that makes the Astral both contrasty and entertaining, while still keeping its tune correct to the Kiwi ears house sound.

Testing:
That in so many ways the Astral ends being simply competent due to the values of correctness, evenness and completeness. This I will now show in the side-by-sides.

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating."

Left to Right:
The 1DD+6BA Hybrid Universal Astral for $299.00, the ZiiGaat Lush 1DD x 4BA Hybrid Universal IEM for $179.00.

I’m using the SIMGOT AUDIO Black donuts ear-tips and SIMGOT AUDIO LC7 modular cable in 4.4mm with the Sony WM1A with MrWalkman’s software and no EQ.

Kiwi ears Astral Universal IEM verses ZiiGaat Lush Universal IEM:
I’m not going to be the very first reviewer to say the Lush could possibly be the better tune here........due to it being just smoother!

It is going very much along the same tuning ideas, though the exact character of bass does not hold the stature of the Astral. The Astral just has a better bass DD no two words about it. But bass is bass, and what can be of way more importance is how the Lush walks a smoother, more romantic and lower Pinna Gain style of livability. Yet, the Lush can be more your friend costing less and having less BAs and (while still) being a lesser bass provider. Lol

Side-by-sides continued:

Left to right:
The Kiwi ears 1DD+6BA Hybrid Astral Hybrid Universal IEM
The Kiwi ears 1+10mm Beryllium+3BA+1 BCD Étude Universal IEM
The Apevoix 1 BCD and 4 BA Grit Hybrid Universal IEM
The ZiiGaat 1DD x 4BA Lush Hybrid Universal IEM

Now I did these comparisons before for my Étude review just last week. But, the Kiwi ears new included cable had not had a full six days of burn-in, nor the Kiwi ears Astral fully burnt-in then.

So out of the goal of completeness I’m completely redoing the comparisons here. Sure I could have copied and pasted the whole comparison section here, but short-cuts are not what Redcarmoose Labs are about.

At $299.00 USD Astral is the most pricy, with the Étude at $119.00 USD, the Apevoix Grit at $229.00 USD….......but there is enough difference here to find what I’m looking for, to help delineate the differences and show specific Astral IEM character. Heck, I like this newly done comparison set-up so much I rephotographed the opponents alongside the Astral.

The Étude Universal IEM verses the Astral Universal IEM:
The first thing that surprised me was the slight physical tickling of the Étude BCD mid-bass in my hands.

I mean come-on I just did the Étude review last week. I should not have been that surprised by that, but I was. Here we are focusing on a different stage, a lower stage holding a perceived (due to detail) less Étude sub-bass, but more mid-bass and lower-midrange girth.

It has been a week since the Étude review and technically sure the upper Pinna Gain is smoother than the Astral, and that in itself makes the Étude probably easier listening for longer times, yet both the Astral and Étude reacted the same when I started out using the Kiwi ears Astral cable with them, this was prior to full Astral burn-in (which made the Astral smoother) but we still were not out of the woods so to speak.

I mean something cool happens when you return to an IEM like the Étude and find out you don’t know it still 100%,, even though you wrote a full review on it! Meaning yes, the Étude does do vocals well, they just aren’t projected into the same average location that a more orthodox (Astral) IEM would do. Everything with Étude slightly downplayed, plus warmer.

In that regard the Étude and Astral are in-fact opposites. Take 6BAs and try to tame them, try to make them slightly smooth, though the Étude already has that smoothness working, literally the character is already there steadfast and real, to where the overall tone is more congealed and offering longer listening sessions, but lacking the critical imaging and contrasts the Astral simply does with its eyes closed. Better bass, more defined bass, faster bass and clearer bass than the Étude.

Though there is this Étude bass stage that is fun and big, while offering not quite the regular sculpting of bass the Astral has, and in part due to the Astral having a deep controlled sub-bass. Probably heard as more bass than the Astral graphically shows because cleaner bass is psychologically heard as more bass.

The Apevoix Grit Hybrid Universal IEM:

The Apevoix Grit Hybrid Universal IEM verses the Astral Universal IEM:
Here the Grit holds that extra BCD punch, yet beyond that punch the Grit has unmistakable mid-range attitudes. Looking at the graph it shows a prominent 3kHz to 5kHz peak showcasing vocals and whatever else in your music lives there. This careful bass setting leaves us with way more than we could grasp from the graph, while still maybe needing the BCD for physicalness.

This bass is generally big…..and in fact the whole darn imaging is so stupidly big……this imaging way outdoes the Astral in pure size. And yep, you guessed it, the stage is much bigger to the Grit. Do I like the Grit better?

I kinda do. It is just this stage giantess has a way of milking out more detail, a provocative sway……things that are bigger in size make more of a feeling of movement and emotion, like a semi truck passing by on the highway.

Still when we really look into this, the Astral has a more sophisticated and careful tuning, still I don’t care! The Grit has this funny big entertainment size, like going over to a friend's house and seeing his big screen for the very first time!

BIG! like a teddy bear!

Now going back to the Astral it is clear, offering a more real (cleaner) and put together idea of the song, a more detailed idea with a more balanced and even placement of instruments filling in a lesser size stage. But we all know that both careful clarity while a good mixing tool, is not always offering the musicality found with other IEMs. That you would think Kiwi ears thought adding this wonderful controlled and dramatic bass to the Astral would add musicality, and it does. It is just the bigger stage of the Grit grabs my emotion, and in the end the Grit also offers a smoother Pinna Gain, even though it may not stand-out as such when looking at comparison graphs.

Test music:
After the side-by-sides I was curious as to what would be the very best ways to do the music section? I have done burn-in on the Astral and spent 11 days on and off listening to it.

Though-out the burn-in process the Kiwi ears cable and Astral smoothed out a tad. That while really good I felt the SIMGOT AUDIO LC7 brought a tad more smoothness and stage expansion to the table.

I varied between my SIMGOT AUDIO Black donuts and the included blue and clear silicone ear-tips. Because they only give you three sets of ear-tips with the Astral I thought maybe they were an upgraded ear-tip?

And again after 11 days of use, and trial and error I am going with the SIMGOT Black donut ear-tips here, for the same reasons as the SIMGOT LC7 cable, the ear-tips brought about a nicer stage and a lower midrange expansion that was a style of success with the Astral.

The differences here are small and I don’t want to come-off as too critical, as if you were on a deserted island, the included cable and ear-tips would still be the cat's meow!

Here I’m using the Sony WM1A with MrWalkmans software with zero EQ.

DCD
Anastasis
All In Good Time
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.

The first thing that is heard is this bass. Yes, it is rich in sub-bass constituents. Though again just like first describing the Astral, it is the contrast that occurs at 00:29 that makes Brendan Perry’s vocals become that much more of a standout. Meaning it is the extra BAs for the midrange simply make more sound. This vocal presence is pristine and showcases both all the reverbs used in production........and possible multitracks.

And just like how the Astral is, this bass at the beginning is profound, profound in its stance and drama.

Though like life, when a new stimulus comes about, meaning the vocals……..they overshadow this bass to become the correct focus of the music. At 01:19 the strings come in and find their placement again in a different part of the outer stage.

The thing is I use this song for very first impressions and coming back to it all I can say is the Astral responds to burn-in really well. The bass energy has become louder and bigger, the vocals now showcase an effortless stance, and everything is more cohesive and together.

This song must have some bass to it, as after listening again I questioned how the Astral could have so much bass, in that I didn’t always remember it as so omnipresent? A quick run over to In Dub We Trust by KMFDM’s 2022 album Hyena and we find that remembered bass balance. What I’m trying to say is yes we have ample doses of bass, but at the same time a careful and well done bass amounts.

All In Good Time:
There is a quality to this bass that shows detail, inside detail and still the texture which before allowed the Astral to jump ahead in the side-by-sides.

Then the way the vocals get placed on top allows for the feeling of getting it all, if positioned into the correct stage imaging, and we of course have that with 6BAs. So again the value here is 7 drivers total all in a very careful tuning, and innate make-up of realization.

The single giant air-flow vent on the side must be taking part in this magic? To where at 04:58 there is a nice expansion to those outskirt violins. Such instruments are the very tester of timbre. Yep, the sound of the violin can have many different ideas of playback, some closer to correct and some farther away from real life. Lucky here these custom BAs are equal to Knowles now or Sonion. ESTs……..you ask what about ESTs? The thing is it is all about tuning and correct implementation, meaning it doesn’t always matter tremendously to get ESTs, it is more about tuning. IMO

Plus remember ESTs are normally secondary provider products, not manufactured by the brand, which means normally the product will always cost more. Sure ESTs offer a different style of detail, but BAs if tuned right they can be providing very close to the same overall quality of treble, especially that we have 2 ultra-treble BAs, in support of (4) 2X dual midrange BAs!

What the treble after effects are shows up as small glistening imaging.........like the panning effect that sounds like paper being torn at 02:59. It is the small details that take precedence here and award with the entertainment.

And that's just the thing, these are not fully broadcast hyper bright details, but careful and useful images in the provided stage that make use of what sounds are there and delineate them according to where they should be.

This also goes hand and hand with imaging movement, in that the small unique sounds to a song may travel across the inner head playback area and create basic audiophile charm…….and especially if timbre is correct.

Kaveh Cohen, Michael Nielsen
Forza Motorsport OST
Brotherhood
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.


Look, I have used this song for years and years as a good test track example.

Here it takes the cake once more highlighting what we have. At only 02:23 in length it is really a short attempt at being a tool used fr background game music. Not having vocals or many of any microphone recorded sounds, these styles of game music are made direct to the mixing board in recording studios, and while maybe slightly boring to only listen to as music, they play an important role at understanding sound playback. Sure there are other songs on this album that have regular real 4 string bass, but here is a more paced affair of synth bass multi tracked and multilayered.

At 00:09 we are witness to a great example of how to do percussion sounds correctly. This beat is almost throughout the entire song with a small nice recess of the beat left out. The sound actually sounds fully natural and in-place. I have heard this tone a multitude of ways, some better, some not.

BAs still do not arrive at the fully organic tone of full-range drivers, but offer instead faster attacks and faster decays.

Here this beat metronome pace finding the perfect location in the mix, leaving way for that sub-bass to be heard and almost felt. But it is not until 00:42 that the next level lower midrange synth washes take hold of our emotions.

The other cool additive with this song takes place right before at 00:26. Such an add is simply an extra bass accent created only with the use of volume here. And sure they do it more times before the song ends, but it is the quick transient edge of the attack and the thorough sub-bass heard that makes my day.

As such the music producers know they can alter the volume of certain musical tracks in this recording and such creativity is welcome, anything to drum-up emotion here. Only this electronic bass is so special sounding with the Aerial, the bass size, the tone, and the inside tones heard.

Hans Zimmer
Wonder Woman 1984 (sketches)
No Hero Is Born from Lies
44.1kHz - 24bit
Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.


I could have chosen 4 other Zimmer OSTs to exclaim the same processes and qualities, only this song does it slightly better.

Here we are awarded with real instruments recorded on a soundstage. As such it is another level of sophistication, the reaching of a new and exciting level than a direct to mixing board example.

And sure the budget is here for such an accomplishment to occur. Due to this it could maybe said this is more audiophile in nature? Maybe not, but here now we have important playback demands. More crucial stage placement demands, more intense timbre demands, because these are real instruments there is no way to get around it.

After that......lol.....this synth bass is the first thing we hear. But to reinforce the drama of real instruments, there is also a chime right at the start as well as a set of real strings welcoming us to this musical event.

The important thing is that every aspect is heard without any nonsense getting in the way.

But what takes it to the next level is the sub-bass density here. Yep, even at 00:04 we can hear stereo mixing of such bass having it sway to the middle right and left. Then……..what sounds like deep kettle drums (timpani) and the ringing of chimes, then just like the last song an additive of bass volume in specific places. I mean sure emphases can be used with extra volume and that volume gets us just a little bit closer to the instrument and in a way it is like using the extra volume as a rhythm tool.

These two examples of mega bass are held in the 00:28 and 00:31. But then we find a quick movement into actual song progression, to where there are both a lot of hanging chimes and (different high-up toned) energetic violins.

Now this is a perfect example of balance, and maybe one of the most important realizations of this review.

Sure I have heard this more treble laden, there are extra hyper treble IEMs that are tuned to showcase this imaging and texture better, though here the strange part is there is just enough detail to show the true nature of the sound, only nothing is overboard, nothing is too dramatic or too subdued.

If anything this song exemplifies Kiwi ears goal for the Astral, not only the goals but the true achievement of those sound design goals. And just like always this Pinna Gain walks a careful path, to where it is surrounded on one side where it is maybe too intense, and on the other too boring with not enough spice. In this case I did a few source switches and landed on the Sony WM1Z. Here we are shown a deeper more physical bass, a broader treble holding a bigger stage placement and best of all a basically more real style of playback. The midrange energy is less too with the WM1Z.

Sony WM1Z Playback:
Pink Floyd
TDSotM 50th Anniversary Edition
Breath (In the Air)
192kHz -24bit

Timestamps only pertain to digital file, not video.

Pink Floyd for the win!
Such a classic song. Truly the test of any IEM ever made and those to be made far off into the future. We hear a Rhodes piano set of keys and chords arrived at.

Teamwork!
It is agreed upon as Pink Floyd understand this comradely needed amongst themselves, it is a band and a song, with maybe more chemistry than any other recording........... showing union of thought. The drums are so in the pocket, the slide guitar. And finally the bass to be heard, round and thoroughly fashioned into the best of moods……….those bass moods, you know the feelings I’m talking about.

Bass isn’t just a sound to be heard, no, it is a feeling of a sound…to be felt. At 01:18 the vocals finally make themselves known. David Gilmore now has our attention after all that musical lead-up.

Verse 1) Breath, breath in the air! Don’t be afraid to care, please don’t leave me, look around choose your own ground.

Chorus) For long you live and high you fly, And smiles you’ll give and tears you’ll cry, And all you touch and all you see, Is all your life will ever be.

Ever so quickly such words release their momentary thought processes into pure musical effects in the proceeding songs like On the Run. We are witnessing a message about what a lot of the 1960s counterculture movement was as Timothy Leary once wrote…..Turn on, tune in, drop out.

But to get to the bottom here the Astral has this song's DNA in it, it has most songs DNA, in that they sound both correct and natural, never too bright or boring, holding those drum accents at 01:01. Laughingly moving a drum accent around the panning soundstage was quite the accomplishment when The Dark Side of the Moon came out. And still to this day the effect is unique and sincere in its approach with the Astral. The drum sounding slightly wooden and holding correct timbre and volume.

There is the slight echo is heard and the bass tone departs.

Such a bass goes perfectly along with the drums, offering this marriage of sorts. Bass and drums are always supposed to have this intermingling of conversation, only here it is legendary! Listen on…………….

Overall sound:
Bass:
Why did I just start out with describing the bass? Well it is the easiest thing to recommend this IEM for. You see monitors can have a dramatic bass if it doesn’t interfere with the mids, and the Astral has that. Clear, punchy, fast and surprising due to these features.

Midrange:
The midrange is fairly complete..........except as the actual creation of BA drivers and their inherent tonal weakness makes full-range DDs that much better. Meaning nothing is perfect and the DD trade-off is slower transients, though the DD has better overall tone, better timbre normally. Though at times the Astral upper mids and treble can walk the near the line of too hot.

Still those concerns were very much taken to heart with the making of the Astral, keeping correct timbre somewhat in balance while still becoming forward enough that you can hear everything. This is the result of 4BAs (for mids) a side and not any BA but custom in-house BAs doing just what the invention was designed to do, making the most correct and clear idea of the musical replay within the constraints of price-point.

Treble:
The treble holds Kiwi ears signature sound, that sound walks the line of being well rounded and smooth. While still finding the details and projecting those same details into the stage, these 2 custom BAs a side allow for critical positioning of images, while never being too hot or strident.

Timbre, pace and decays:
The timbre is good, and on the best side of what is possible today. This due to the very nature and limitations of BA sound offers us a two sided sword. One side is the positive and holds the fast take-off and return of this close to microscopic piece of vibrating metal reed noise maker. The other side of the coin is the fact that a BA will never quite reach the timbre of great full-range DDs. There is a DD decay that is found that is more true to life with that aspect. As such we have great pace here, with good note weight that is reinforced by the added decays of the 10mm DD. Still it needs to be noted stuff like 6mm (non-full range) DDs have better decays, slower decays when added in unison to a 10mm DD.

Still there is a slight bit of timbre that could be improved upon, and no one is denying that, it is just what comes with this package.

Stage:
Here the stage is also dependent on the stage of the source and stage of the file. But it is both farther out to the left and right with a little thickness from bottom to top, and a little thickness from front to back. When finding the right file and source the stage walks outwards in all directions, grasping hold of the top and bottom position, then carefully asking for front to back, with an added realm of left to right. Yet even with the very best feeding the Astral the stage is big but not the very biggest in IEM land but truly nothing to ever worry about.

And this stage size characteristic is probably that imaging goes so well in how it is correctly separated and positioned and well as where it is originating from. Still doing direct comparisons to the Astral with many different IEMs it was found the stage is simply average, and that while able to be enlarged due to file and source really it has better imaging than anything, which kinda makes-up for the stage technicality. Also IEMs with better upper midrange and treble seem to naturally provide an efficient center wide stage and that is what the Astral does when given a quality signal.

Build:
At just 5 grams each the Astral is a work of modern day art. Why even the 2Pin holes are flush against the IEM sides. The universal custom back panel shows how it is done to allow such a combination of drivers to be joined that much farther into your ears. Such a big port off to the side for venting, the sound occlusion is just OK.There is only single vent off to the side of the Astral.

Though probably the best thing about fitment is they never move out of place or need adjusting, for me anyway. The Astral can come as Yellow (as shown) faceplate or Blue, and shows an individual serial number (along with the name “Astral”) for each set.

The included cable:
This cable is both a joy and a slight issue. It took a while to reach this conclusion, but at the early stages of the Astral investigation I thought the slightly peaky Pinna Gain was the result of the Astral themselves.......and that gain is still true to be from the tuning of the Astral. Though using various aftermarket cables that slight peak in the Astral could be dealt with accordingly.

That Kiwi ears need to be awarded for finally giving us modular cables and keeping up with the Joneses. Only using the included cable and Astral together was slightly more energy at times for this listener.

Only I wonder if the Kiwi ears Septet Universal IEM included cable will have this same slight boost in upper energy as the included Astral cable?

This energy can be good for some as it boosts treble and midrange detail, while I still feel a more pure OCC cable would have been a clearer success here.

Kiwi ears doesn’t say exactly what the make-up of the cable is, only I’m guessing it is not 100% copper. Including a 3.5mm and a 4.4mm plug such a cable has all aluminum hardware such as splitter and chin-cinch. The overall physical texture and feel of the included cable is super nice, the braiding and color tones are just beautiful, and truly maybe some will like the character, though I found the cable to be on the peaky side of town?

One of the most entertaining things about this review came when I decided to try out the Modular Astral cable on the ZiiGaat Lush. Yep, there was room in the Pinna Gain area of the Lush to make it really really good, to where I went and listened to Metal, and even bright EDM with a super focus on cymbals, and the Lush was so very smooth it made the Astral cable a keeper. I have not done the ZiiGaat Lush review yet, but definitely the Astral cable will make its way into that review! So there is a good chance you have other IEMs this fantastic cable will work with if you don’t find it the best cable in use for the Astral IEM.

The SIMGOT AUDIO modular LC7 cable and Kiwi ears included cable. I left out 3.5mm LC7 adapter.

The included ear-tips and the SIMGOT AUDIO Black wide bores.
Package:

Conclusion:
Well there you have it. The Kiwi ears Astral is very much down to business, and trying to be clear as a bell. Though keep in mind it still has a little Pinna Gain energy that could be a little much for some, and at times for me personally.

The included cable enhances this Astral Pinna Gain energy and does not smooth it out. For those into this style of energy it means extra light is shown on top of vocal and instrument tonal ideas. This simply blends more detail in, causing it to prosper and find life.

There are more contrasts due to this tuning and more drama when you add the included inherent bass talent.

The Astral is a musical tool for those trying to get closer to the file or the mix feed. The Astral is very much replaying music the way it is, clean and pure.

Some may find all business idea boring, and choose to live in a more colored world where certain aspects are boosted and slanted. And because this is music replay there are many different ideas as to the right way or the wrong way.

I wouldn’t exactly call the Astral dry, but it has some BA dryness as part of the proof it is replaying. I wouldn’t call the Astral totally fun sounding, but it is fun none-the-less especially due to how great the sub-bass is. Truly the ZiiGaat Lush is more reference maybe?

Even with less BAs and less heat in the kitchen the the ZiiGaat 1DD x 4BA Lush Hybrid is special. So special that I have had it for a while and have not finished the review it yet. But once in a while I wanted more sparkle to the Lush playback, and now we have that with the Astral!

You can’t ever totally win here, there are no perfect IEMs, only perfect listening moments. With that said many are going to find a home in the Astral, as it is a lot of sound for under $300.00. Probably the provocative way the bass can come about and just as fast leave the stage, taking truly a good size of that stage with it. The fact that the Astral does vocals well, and the fact that it has a well done treble, that while detailed is careful and complete.

Anyway, this review was fun and made me a better writer due to the intricacies and manor I needed to convey to where which way was up! I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Cheers!

$299.00 in Blue or Yellow
https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-astral

Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C

Disclaimer:
The Kiwi ears Astral Universal IEM has had 6 days of burn-in.

Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kaitlyn of Linsoul for the love and the Kiwi ears Astral Universal IEM review sample.

Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.

Equipment Used:
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman’s Firmware 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03 3.5mm single ended and 4.4mm balanced
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Samsung Phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3 II DAP 3.5mm and 4.4mm