REVIEW – Most of my listening happens alone, on a walk, at a desk, in my car parked under a bridge crying while in the fetal position. So the earbuds doing the work get more of my attention than most people would give them. Linsoul Audio sent over the Kiwi Ears Cadenza II, a budget-tier wired IEM that’s built a real reputation for being better than its price suggests, to see if that reputation holds up outside of a spec sheet.
Note: This Kiwi Ears Cadenza II was sent to me by Linsoul Audio at no cost. They had no editorial input and did not see this review before it published.
Photos and video by Gregory Morley.
The Basics
The Cadenza II is a single-driver wired in-ear monitor built around a 10mm titanium dynamic driver with what Kiwi Ears calls KARS 2.0, a labyrinth-tube network inside the shell designed to boost sub-bass and cut it off sharply around 200Hz, instead of letting bass bleed up into the midrange the way cheaper single-driver IEMs often do. It connects over a detachable 2-pin cable rather than a fixed one, so the cable’s replaceable if it ever wears out.
One thing to sort out before you buy, because it trips people up. The Cadenza II comes in two versions that look identical and differ only in the cable. The USB-C version with an inline mic is $54.99, and that’s the one I’m reviewing here. The 3.5mm version with no mic is $49.99. Same earpieces, same driver, same tuning, same tips. You’re choosing a cable, and five dollars decides it.
What You Get
- Kiwi Ears Cadenza II IEMs (pair)
- 6 pairs of ear tips, S/M/L
- 1x 1.2m detachable cable, 0.78mm 2-pin, USB-C termination with inline mic, single-crystal copper
- Packaging box
- User manual
By the Numbers
- Price: $54.99 for the USB-C with mic version reviewed here, $49.99 for the 3.5mm no-mic version
- Driver: 10mm titanium dynamic driver, KARS 2.0 diaphragm (PET with titanium coating)
- Frequency response: 10Hz to 29kHz
- Impedance: 18 ohms (plus or minus 1)
- Sensitivity: 106dB (plus or minus 1) at 1kHz
- Rated power: 5mW, max power: 10mW
- THD: under 1% at 1kHz
- Channel difference: under 1.5dB at 1kHz
- Cable: 1.2m, 0.78mm 2-pin detachable, USB-C termination
- Plug: USB-C, inline mic
- Shell: polycarbonate composite
- Faceplate: CNC-machined aerospace-grade aluminum, laser-engraved vine pattern
Design & Build
For a $55 IEM, the build feels more expensive than the price tag suggests. The polycarbonate shell is light in the ear, and the aluminum faceplate has a curling vine pattern etched into it that catches the light rather than reading as bare plastic. The included ear tips in three sizes make it easy to get a real seal instead of settling for whatever ships stuck on the earpiece.
The detachable cable is the detail that matters most long-term, since a frayed or broken cable doesn’t end the earbuds’ life the way it would on a fixed-cable pair. It’s a 0.78mm 2-pin connection, the common standard at this price, and replacements are real rather than theoretical. What you won’t find is this exact cable sold on its own. Kiwi Ears doesn’t list it anywhere, and its only standalone USB-C offering is the S-Link Type-C at $25.99, a fancier thing entirely with a built-in DAC, three EQ modes and a detachable boom mic. The sockets sit flush in the shells and take a plain 0.78mm 2-pin plug, so plenty of other brands make cables that will fit.
The cable is also on the short side at 1.2m, noticeably shorter than the ones on some of the other IEMs I own. That cuts both ways. If you run your cable down under a jacket or out to something in a bag, it’s going to feel tight. For desk listening it’s the opposite, less slack pooling on the mat and less to untangle, which I’ll take.
Mine is the USB-C version with an inline mic, a nice bonus if you’re plugging straight into a laptop or an Android phone without a dongle, and handy for calls without digging out a headset.
Sound
The KARS 2.0 bass system is the first thing that stands out. There’s real low-end weight without it smearing into the vocals or mids, the exact failure mode a lot of bass-forward budget IEMs run into. Detail in the upper registers stays clean on acoustic and vocal-heavy tracks, and the seal from the included medium tips has held up well for both desk listening and walks.
What surprised me is how that low end behaves when you push it. Most of the in-ear monitors I’ve tested start to go loose and muddy down low once the volume gets past a sensible level, and these don’t. The bass stays clean and controlled at volumes well beyond where I’d normally sit, which is not something I expected from a single dynamic driver at this price, and it’s the thing that separates these from the rest of the budget pairs I’ve had in.
What Could Be Better
My real gripe is working out how to plug the cable into the earpieces. The manual says the L and R markings should face inward, toward your head. The only orientation that sits correctly in my ears is the opposite, with the lettering facing out. I spent an embarrassing stretch convinced I’d been sent a bad pair before realizing the instructions and my ears simply disagreed. Try it both ways before you decide something is wrong.
Past that, at 18 ohms and 106dB sensitivity these are easy to drive off a phone, but a single dynamic driver at this price won’t match multi-driver hybrids further up the price ladder for separation on busy, layered tracks. The cable is fine but not premium-feeling compared to some aftermarket options, though the fact that it’s swappable at all makes that a minor point.
Watch the Review
Quick Questions
Q: Which version of the Cadenza II is this, and does the difference matter?
A: This is the USB-C version with an inline mic, which runs $54.99. The other option is a 3.5mm cable with no mic at $49.99. The earphones themselves are identical between the two, so the five dollars buys you the USB-C termination and the microphone, nothing else. Worth checking before you order, because most listings default to the 3.5mm version.
Q: Do I need an amp or a DAC to drive these?
A: No. At 18 ohms and 106dB sensitivity they run loud off a phone or a laptop without any help. And because this is the USB-C version, a phone or laptop that dropped its headphone jack doesn’t need a dongle either.
Q: What happens when the cable eventually breaks?
A: You replace the cable, not the earphones. It’s a 0.78mm 2-pin connector, the common standard at this price, so your options are wide. Just don’t expect to rebuy this exact cable. Kiwi Ears doesn’t sell it separately, and the only standalone USB-C cable it does sell is the S-Link Type-C at $25.99, which adds a DAC and a boom mic the stock one doesn’t have. Plenty of other brands make plain 0.78mm 2-pin cables that fit these, so a straight replacement isn’t hard to find.
Q: Which way around does the cable plug in?
A: Not the way the manual says, at least not on my pair. The instructions have the L and R markings facing inward, and the only orientation that seats properly in my ears is with the lettering facing out. If these feel wrong in your ears out of the box, flip the connectors before you assume the pair is defective.
Final Thoughts
For $55, the Cadenza II delivers a low end that holds together at volumes where most budget pairs come apart, and build quality that doesn’t feel like a budget afterthought. Comfort has held up through long listening sessions without the fatigue some budget shells cause, and that’s the detail that keeps mattering once the novelty wears off. Sort the cable orientation out early, and what’s left is well past what fifty-five dollars usually buys.
Price: $54.99 (USB-C with mic, the version reviewed here) or $49.99 (3.5mm, no mic)
Where to buy: Linsoul or Amazon
What I like: Bass from KARS 2.0 that stays clean and controlled even at high volume, detachable cable, build quality well above the price point
What I don’t: Cable orientation contradicts the manual and takes real trial and error, single dynamic driver can’t match multi-driver separation further up the price range, stock cable feels basic
