Kiwi Ears KE4 Review – A New Target
Pros — Comfortable shells
– Rich lower midrange
– Airy, extended treble
Cons — Sub-bass on the KE4 can get overwhelming at times
– Not the most resolving
– Macrodynamics can sound “crushed”
In this Article
INTRODUCTION
The pursuit of the “ideal target curve” for IEMs has become a much debated topic in the forums, thanks to the popularization of graphs in general, and the ubiquity of clone measurement couplers that gives you a taste of the “real thing”.
All that being said, I find the moniker “target” itself problematic. It has an infallible connotation attached to it, as if merely adhering to said target achieves, or gets closer to perfection. Reality could not be further from that. Many find the Harman target shouty and too boosted in the sub-bass. Others find DF to be unusable for IEMs.
Then there are those dime-a-dozen reviewer targets, most of which are an approximation of what a person thinks he likes, rather than what a random listener would like. In the end, the term “baseline” makes more sense: these targets should act as a foundation that requires further refinement before being pushed to the market.
Nonetheless, there is a new target in town, the JM-1 target (more on this later), and KiwiEars KE4 are one of the first releases to adhere to this “new normal”. Kiwi Ears add its own interpretations to the baseline, making the IEMs much more interesting than yet another copycat.
Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Kiwi Ears was kind enough to send me the KE4 for evaluation.
Sources used: Questyle CMA Twelve Master, Kiwi Ears Allegro
Price, while reviewed: USD$199. Can be bought from Kiwi Ears official website.
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The packaging is minimal and you get the bare minimum to get you started: a 3.5mm cable, 3 pairs of eartips, and a hard-shell carrying case. Stock accessories are lacking given the price, as I would’ve preferred an option to get balanced cable during purchase as well. Stock tips are good though and I appreciate the inclusion of spare nozzle filters. For me, the preferred tips on the KE4 is the Spinfit CP-145 as it slightly tightens the bass.
As for the design, the KE4 shell is the ever-popular pseudo custom fit, 3D-printed resin with a silver faceplate. Overall build quality is alright. Nothing fancy here other than the faceplate design which exhibits a sense of depth. However, the shell is very ergonomic and has excellent venting to avoid any driver flex.
At 102 dB/mW sensitivity and 28 ohm impedance, the KE4 are easy to drive. Most modern dongles should power them from the 3.5mm jack alone, but to get more headroom in terms of distortion and dynamics, going balanced might be the better option. Kiwi Ears Allegro can also be purchased as a bundle with these IEMs, and I think that could be a nice option as the “first dongle” to start your collection.
For the majority of the review, I used the desktop Questyle CMA Twelve Master as the source while using the stock tips and cable. Somewhat of an overkill of a source, but it helps alleviate any concern regarding “under-driving” the IEMs.
DRIVER SETUP AND SPECS
Kiwi Ears KE4 utilize 1 Knowles RAD-33518, 1 Customized RAB-32257, and two 10mm dynamic drivers in a (likely push-push) isobaric setup.
This leads to a three-way crossover network, as the dynamic drivers handles low bass, the full-range RAB driver covers the frequencies between the upper-bass and low-treble, and the RAD driver (which is a newer, cheaper variant of the ever-popular Knowles 30095) handling upper-treble frequencies. Quite an interesting driver configuration given the full-range BA handling majority of the frequency spectrum.
THE JM-1 TARGET AKA THE NEW META
Before I begin discussing the JM-1 target, I’d highly recommend this 20+ minute explainer by Joel on the target and how it came to be. He is the one who came up with this development and if you want all the nitty gritty details, that’s the best source available.
The TL;DW version of the video would be that the JM-1 target is an amalgamation of the Diffuse Field response of the B&K 5128 (at drum reference point), and the good ol’ Harman preference adjustment (aka bass boost). There are some other adjustments, however, including a more muted treble response that closely follows the ISO 11904-1 to better approximate the outer-ear response of an average human. Prima facie, this seems to be like taking the best parts of all the known DF targets, and then adjusting the bass tilt based on preference to somewhat emulate an “in-room” response.
However, things can be quite different in practice, so the proof is in the pudding, or listening in this case.
HOW DO THE KIWI EARS KE4 SOUND?
The KE4 closely follow the aforementioned JM-1 DF, with a noticeable deviation in the bass region where Kiwi Ears opted for more of a sub-bass lift. It sounds quite warm, warmer than your average “neutral” targets, and a rather interesting treble response.
In terms of bass, it’s frankly too much sub-bass for me. In terms of sheer amount it’s not too much, but the upper-midrange recession further enhances the sense of bassiness. The bass driver being slow in terms of attack speed doesn’t help either, with reverbs being at times sluggish in fast basslines.
The lower midrange is warm and renders baritone vocals well, as heard on Colin Hay’s songs. Upper-mids may be too relaxed for those looking for some energy here with electric guitars and esp in terms of initial “attack” of acoustic instruments. Acoustic guitars and pianos often sound somewhat blunted, and the upper-bass and sub-bass boost does not help in that regard. Perceived resolution also takes a hit as a byproduct.
Treble is another story though. I really like the treble tuning here: airy without being too forward or fatiguing. In terms of treble alone, this is perhaps one of the best IEMs in this price range, rivaled only by Kiwi Ears’ own Quintet.
Unlike the Quintet, treble timbre does not have quite the “rawness”, which is a plus for those preferring relaxed treble presentation. However, Quintet displays the natural properties of cymbals and hi-hats better, as those instruments are not “polite” by any stretch of imagination. Being in a drum practice pad for more than 10 minutes will etch that reality into your brain (and eardrums).
As for the staging, I find the center-image somewhat diffused. This may be due to the slight depression between 1-3kHz aka the “Hifiman dip” (Hifiman’s planar magnetic headphones also exhibit similar dip between 1-3kHz). However, lateral placement of instruments is convincing. Overall imaging is pretty good too though there are better performers in this price range when it comes to spatial cues.
Dynamics can sound somewhat “crushed” in terms of macrodynamic punch, likely due to the lethargic driver. Mircodynamics are surprisingly good though, with slight changes of volume being not too difficult to pick up.
KIWI EARS KE4 VS. KIWI EARS QUINTET
While the Kiwi Ears Quintet are slightly more expensive (USD$219), they are one of my favorite IEMs under USD$300 and the price gap is not that substantial anyway.
As already mentioned in the treble section, the treble response of these IEMs vary wildly, as is aptly portrayed by the comparison graph above. The low and mid-treble is noticeably brighter on the Quintet while the upper-treble is less airy.
This results in a less bassy and more clarity-focused tuning, albeit one that lacks in the midrange richness of the KE4. The bass sounds better on the Quintet though, likely due to a faster bass driver. The piezo treble can be divisive as usual, but the incoherence is also higher on the Quintet due to the different drivers used. Spatial cues are better displayed on the Quintet, whereas the KE4 is merely adequate in that respect.
I find the KE4 more enjoyable and less fatiguing for longer listening sessions, but the Quintet shines in shorter, more engaging auditions and might have more of the “wow factor”.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Once again, we arrive at the crossroads of a new “ideal target” and the implications that it brings.
However, I am more hopeful of this new direction, since it fixes a lot of my criticisms of the older ones (less extension in upper-treble, more focus near upper-midrange, thin low-mids and mid-bass). It warms my heart to see the “mid-bass bad” crowd suddenly transitioning into “some mid-bass is good” mindset, and that’s a positive change in this era of influencer-laden IEM landscape.
The KE4 are one of the better tuned warm IEMs in their price range and has an excellent treble response that should satisfy even some critical listeners. it’s the bass that gets divisive for me, since the combination of the driver(s) used and extra dose of sub-bass tilt only harms the perceived clarity and adds to the sluggishness of the sound.
I would recommend reducing the sub-bass a bit and adjusting the treble response accordingly. Also, a bit more energy in the lower-treble region for those plucked strings and some added bite in rock and metal tracks.
Then, for my tastes, we shall have something spectacular.
MY VERDICT
4/5
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