This thread is to discuss the Orchestra Lite, a 8x BA set of IEMs by Kiwi Ears.
There is no official page for them yet on Kiwi Ears, so I will update this post when (and if) it becomes available.
TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite have been sent to me by Linsoul in exchange for the publication of this review. As always, they have not made any requests or comments and I will do my best to be as sincere and unbiased as humanly possible. However, it is always good to consider that it has not cost me anything to try out these IEMs.
As always, I will leave a link to the Orchestra Lite via Linsoul on my blog (link at the end of this post)
As with all links that I share, this is a non-affiliate link, meaning I do not benefit from the link in any way.
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…
The original Kiwi Orchestra was a set of IEMs that got quite a bit of praise back in 2021, with Audio Discourse (more specifically Antdroid) saying that it was the best IEM under $500 at the time. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the original Orchestra but I usually find that my tastes align quite a bit with Antdroid’s. The Orchestra (OG) featured 8 BA drivers (2 lows, 4 mids and 2 treble) and retailed for $499.
Fast forward to 2023 and Kiwi Ears brings us the Orchestra Lite, once again featuring 8 BA drivers in the same configuration (2 lows, 4 mids and 2 highs) but this time coming in at $249, half the price of the original.
Now, I obviously can’t compare the Lite to the Original as I haven’t heard the latter but I have heard a lot of good performing IEMs lately and straight off the bat, I can say that the Orchestra Lite is one of them.
Presentation…
The presentation is nothing extraordinary but is nothing to complain about either. Arriving in a simple box with an image of the IEMs on the front along with the logo, it opens to reveal the IEMs sitting in a foam cut out.
Below this we receive a Kiwi Ears branded semi-rigid transport/storage case which contains the cable and a large selection of tips (9 sets in total of three different types).
As I said, nothing out of the ordinary as far as presentation but well packaged and containing the necessary good to enjoy the IEMs out of the box.
Build and aesthetics…
The impression that the Orchestra Lite gives is that it is a very well made IEM, with attention paid to detail. It is a resin build featuring a coloured faceplate and a clear shell through which you can see the drivers, crossovers and even a Kiwi Ears logo on one of the BA drivers.
The IEMs are available in blue or green, in my case I received the blue, and I have to say that they are very good looking IEMs (even if aesthetics are very personal). The marble style swirled finish of the face plates looks great, combining different tones of blue and featuring the Kiwi Ears logo in silver.
As far as comfort, I decided on mid sized tips and found the Orchestra Lite to be very comfortable, even for longer listening sessions. These are on the larger size (think B2 Dusk) so ear size may come into play depending on your anatomy.
One issue to consider is that they are unvented which may cause pressure build up and could result in discomfort to those who are sensitive to this. I did have a few occasions when I felt the pressure build up but reseating the IEMs and making sure to release the pressure when inserting worked well for me personally.
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.)
Let me start off by saying I used to have a bit of a bias against all BA IEMs (I still do to some extent) as I find that, in the majority of cases, the bass of all BA IEMs is a little lifeless. I don’t mean it is lacking in quantity, rather that it just doesn’t sound natural to me. I believe it is due to the amount of years I have spent listening to bass through dynamic driver speakers (both music and bass playing) and that has just become “normal” for me, so I tend to find that BA doesn’t quite cut it. That is until the Helios came along and threw that theory out of the window. So I am no longer someone who thinks that BA bass will automatically sound unnatural but I do still find that many IEMs do sound this way.
But anyway, enough rambling and lets get into the sound of the Orchestra Lite, fist looking at the graph comparing them to my usual preference target (as always, my target is just a reference, not a rule as to whether I will like something or not):
Starting off in the lowest regions, there is plenty of presence in the usual “Chameleon” test, presenting a low end rumble that is clean and detailed (as far as subbass detail goes of course). I have to say that the seal and fit of the Orchestra Lite is very important, well, it’s very important with any IEM but in the case of the OL, the smallest of issues with seal makes the subbass all but disappear.
The transition from the subbass into the midbass is a little on the warm side but I don’t find this to be a negative on the OL. Listening to something electronic like “Sun is Shining”, there is no sensation of bloat in the midbass at all, with everything sounding clean and balanced in the low end. If you are someone looking for a large bass boost then these IEMs are probably not going to fit your tastes, yet they work well for my tuning preferences in these ranges. For example, “Bury a Friend” has plenty of rumble in those low vibrations but without seeming to lose control or take over the sound signature at all.
If we take something more acoustical, without a subbass presence, the low end could come across as a little “polite” with things like acoustic guitars and basses. In my typical test using “Crazy”, the reverb in the low end of the guitar is present but is never overpowering, making it a very fatigue free listen for me.
In regards to what I said a moment ago about the BA bass not sounding natural (I don’t want to use the infamous “BA timbre” reference), in the case of the Orchestra Lite it is far better than on other BA options I have heard. It is not quite on a level with the Helios (which is to be expected) but is closer to natural than artificial.
Moving into the mid range, the mids are again very clear and well balanced. They portray a good sensation of detail but could be a little on the cooler side, missing a little bit of warmth in the lower mids to round out that natural timbre a little on things like the bass guitar in “Elephants On Ice Skates”.
Vocals are quite forward, especially female vocals, which are clearly the center of the OL presentation. With vocals that are a little harsh in their presentation, such as Alicia Keys in “No One (Acoustic)” or Beth in "Don’t You Worry Child”, this can be a little overpowering on these IEMs due to how forward they are. They are certainly not the harshest of IEMs but that focus on upper mids and treble ranges can become fatiguing with some tracks that are not smooth in their recordings.
The upper ranges are possibly the least balanced out of the whole signature. Sibilance is actually not bad (with the usual “Code Cool” test) but it is noticeable on some parts of the track. There is a decent extension and the upper ranges do come across as detailed but things like cymbals can come across as a little uneven, sometimes seeming to fall behind the upper mids but with peaks appearing now and again.
Details are good in general, with good image placement and a soundstage that is also fairly good, at least above average in IEM terms. I did find that if a lot was going on in the upper ranges then the separation of layers could suffer but in more relaxed tracks it seemed to do a decent job.
One last thing to note is that the Orchestra Lite do reveal noisy sources quite a bit, with hissing (on things like the Go Blu with the balanced out) being more noticeable than on many other sets.
Conclusion…
Not too long ago I reviewed the Kiwi Ears Cadenza and it became one of my favourite budget sets of IEMs, one that I have absolutely no doubts about recommending to those who enjoy similar sound presentations to myself. In the case of the Orchestra Lite that comes in a 7 times the price, I feel that I am a bit more hesitant to do so.
It is not that the Orchestra Lite is a bad set of IEMs, far from it, in fact, I think they are a very good set of IEMs, yet they do have a few things that I can see not working for some people. The performance is good, they are amazingly built, look great and are, in general, something that I think will impress a lot of people. Yet on the negative side, the low ranges are still not 100% natural to my ears and the upper ranges could use some work.
If you are looking for a more analytical sound signature, something that is balanced and maybe leads to the colder side of neutral, then I think that you can expect a lot of enjoyment from the Ochestra Lite, yet if you are more on the warmer and fun side of things, then these will probably not fit your preferences.
Again, I feel that these are a great set of IEMs, just that they won’t be for everybody (well, no IEMs ever are!).
As always, this review is also available in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (Acho Reviews - YouTube)
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
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I have a pair of these and I have the following pros and cons:
Note: This are my first pair of mid-priced multiple BA based IEM - I have lots of “cheaper” DD IEM’s like the Truthear Zero, Salnotes Zero and the moondrop chu.
Pros:
- Build quality is amazing (love how they look and feel) - definitely wow factor
- Sound stage / imaging is fantastic - I can pick up individual instruments much better than the cheaper DD IEM’s - must the the technicalities of the multiple BA’s
- General tonality is great IMO - but I agree getting the right seal is vital
Cons:
- If you like lots of sub-bass this won’t be for you. Sub-bass with the correct seal is nice (maybe “accurate” is the best term) - but it doesn’t “thump you” like a DD
- Box is a bit cheap - at 10x times the price of say the moondrop chu the tips and box in general you get are a bit cheap
- Probably a bit big for some people (though I have the opposite problem smaller IEM’s won’t stay in place for me but this does over long walks etc)
Overall it was the upgrade in sound quality I was hoping for and IMO for those wondering what “technicalities” sound like at reasonable price this is a great IEM.
3 Likes
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite Review
INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is an in-ear monitor (IEM) featuring eight balanced armature (BA) drivers per housing. The Orchestra Lite retails for $249.99 at Linsoul. Linsoul sent me the Orchestra Lite in exchange for my impressions.
SOURCES:
I have used the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite with the following sources:
- Qudelix 5K
- Truthear Shio
- Audirect Atom 3
- Hidizs S9
- Apple dongle
MUSIC:
I tested these headphones with local FLAC and Spotify Premium. Visit my last.fm page to get an idea of what I listen to:
XenosBroodLord’s Library | Last.fm
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite comes packaged in a black, rectangular cardboard box with a dark green slipcover. Inside the box, the IEMs are held in place in a black foam mounting sheet. The Orchestra Lite comes with nine pairs of generic silicone eartips (S, M, L) in three different colors. A black semi-rigid zippered carry case and a user manual are also included.
BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite has clear acrylic housing with teardrop-shaped colored faceplates. The faceplates feature the Kiwi Ears logo inlaid in silver. The housings are otherwise unadorned. The housings are unvented and the nozzles have three distinct sound tubes. The nozzles lack protective mesh filters or raised lips with which to secure eartips. The 2-pin ports are flush with the surface of the housings.
The Orchestra Lite includes an attractive 4-core 7n oxygen-free copper cable. The Y-split and 3.5mm jack hardware are polished aluminum, and the chin-adjustment choker is translucent plastic. There is strain relief above the straight 3.5mm jack but not above or below the Y-split. The cable has pre-formed plastic earguides. The plastic base of the right-side 2-pin connector is red, which is the sole directional indicator for the set. The included cable is not especially microphonic.
COMFORT, FIT, AND ISOLATION:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite should be worn cable up. The earpieces have a shallow-to-moderate insertion depth. The Orchestra Lite is comfortable but is not the most securely fitting IEM. The earpieces are on the larger side and tend to rotate backward out of their ideal orientation. The earpieces also extend past the surface of the ear when fully inserted, so the Orchestra Lite is not ideal if one plans to use them at night. Isolation is less than I would have expected for sealed all-BA IEM. However, there is no driver flex due to the absence of a dynamic driver.
MEASUREMENTS:
My measurements of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite can be found on my expanding squig.link database:
Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite — Squiglink by Bedrock Reviews
SOUND:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite has a neutral tuning with a sub-bass lift below 200 Hz.
The Orchestra Lite has atypical bass for an all-BA IEM. From memory, it reminds me of the Softears RSV in that it delivers more textured and impactful but slower and less precise bass than one might expect given its driver configuration. The Orchestra Lite also fares better than one might expect in terms of dynamic contrast, although it does not compete at the level of the RSV. Despite the emphasis on an impactful and dynamic bass presentation, bass resolution and articulation remain adequate for the price point.
The Orchestra Lite has a distinct but restrained pinna gain region centered around 2.5 kHz. This is not ideal for my head-related transfer function and results in less separation between instrumentation and vocals than I would prefer. Instrument separation is variable. For example, there is better instrument separation between male vocals and analog percussion than there is between male vocals and distorted electric guitars. As a result, overall midrange clarity is average at best. The Kiwi Ears Cadenza’s more pronounced pinna gain hump, which is centered at 3 kHz, worked more consistently for me. The lower midrange has plenty of body and warmth despite the linear mid-bass response. Male and female vocals are roughly even in emphasis, though female vocals are more intelligible. Female vocals can occasionally sound strident but generally sound excellent. The Orchestra Lite has very natural-sounding timbre for an all-BA IEM.
The Orchestra Lite has a safe and relaxed treble response that conceals very good internal detail retrieval. The upper treble is less extended than I would like, and there is limited air. The Orchestra Lite does respond well to equalization in this region, but other IEMs in the same price range like the SeeAudio Bravery are going to have more up-front resolution. The soundstage is adequate but is less expansive than I would have expected given the number of BAs used per housing.
AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite can be powered by the Apple dongle. For me to reach my usual listening level with Spotify Normalization set to “Normal”, I had to set my Pixel 7’s volume to 20/25. Depending on your preferences, you may not have to adjust your volume as high. I experienced no hissing with any of my devices.
CLOSING WORDS:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite is a good IEM, but not necessarily the IEM one might expect from looking at its technical specifications. Given its particular strengths, it is perhaps best viewed as a budget Softears RSV as opposed to a budget Moondrop S8.
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite can be purchased below:
3 Likes
The Orchestra from Kiwi Ears came out in 2021 as a new product and a new brand that was influenced by the design of John Park, a community member who learned how to design and tune in-ear monitors as a hobby. When the Orchestra came out, I was one of the first to listen to this product and I gave it a very good review for its great tonality and one of the better balanced IEMs you could get for under $500 at the time.
Fast-forward a couple years and now every single IEM is tuned very similarly, and even making even my preference target sound a tad boring in some sense. With that said, Kiwi Ears is back again with an all-new Orchestra Lite.
This new iteration on the original still features 8 balanced armature drivers, with some subtle tuning changes, a more efficient sensitivity rating, and a new look. The IEM comes in a bright green or blue translucent shell design with a cloudy mist swirl pattern behind the Kiwi Ears branding. This does not glow in the dark like the original did. (note, I never could get that feature to work either way)
The cable included is a silver-colored 4-wire braided cable with silver metal connectors and splitter. The connectors used are 2-pins, with a 3.5mm stereo jack. In addition, there is a nylon zipper pouch, and a generic set of tips in the box.
On the wearability scale, I found these quite easy to wear and they fit me well without pain. They are on the larger side of universal IEMs, and do feature an above-average bore diameter. Despite this, I never felt pain or any inkling of discomfort wearing them. I have heard other users/reviewers mention that the fit was not best suited for their ears however, so take that as a precaution.
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Sound Impressions
The Orchestra Lite is a U-Shaped balanced earphone with a slightly elevated bass response, smooth mids, and what I’d say is a slightly dark treble that is also fairly smooth. The Orchestra Lite adds a few dB of bass and reduces the treble from the original Orchestra.
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One of the first things that jumped out at me on the Orchestra Lite is just how resolving it is, especially at $249. Instruments and vocals both come out with extreme clarity and succinctness and from all sides in full detail. I was a bit enamored at being able to hear all these little minutia sounds at first, but I did then start to pick out some of the flaws I did not like about the Orchestra Lite as well.
While the general tonal balance is nice and works well, I did find that it sounded a bit unnatural. The bass is quick with a lot of speed, but it does not have proper decay. It’s elevated, but doesn’t come across as weighty. The mid-range is perfectly leveled, but it presents itself in a very, very forward way – where there is a small soundstage and the setting is quite, quite intimate. And perhaps, that is why the Orchestra Lite comes across as exceptionally resolving. You hear everything, because its all at you, all at once.
The Orchestra Lite is still a balanced tuning, and I never did experience fatigue from things like sibilance and treble peaks - they just don’t exist here, but I did find fatiguing just coming from how sharp and one-noted the presentation comes off as. It is clean, it is clear, and it is well-defined, but it lacks musicality, and it lacks realism in a sense that I am looking for more natural resonance, more natural decay, and more trailing note harmonics.
So, at the end of this all, I came into the Orchestra Lite with some decently good expectations and even a really solid initial impression. I came out of it wanting more. It’s more resolving than the original, but it lacks a certain body and human element to it that makes this product seem artificial.
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