Kiwi Ears Cadenza - A Flourish on the Most Popular Signature

[@athenovae]

7:42 The full phrase is “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” And it quite fits for not being niche for anything too specific.

[@PaulWasabii]

Thanks, very true. It is often better to be consistently ok than master of one. Those sets are generally appealing.

[@fiddlix]

Great review Paul. I have too many Harman tuned IEMs atm. Aria Snow, Tinhifi T3+, Wan’er, etc. I think I’m going to take a pass on C3 and Cadenza.

[@PaulWasabii]

Yes, don't collect them all. Releases will slow and pick up next March, that is when I would start looking. For now, enjoy your great sets, try new tips or sources with the gear you have.

[@fiddlix]

@@PaulWasabii That is my plan. 100%. Thank you.

[@FlorenAnderson]

The sound quality is really good, even better than others

[@PaulWasabii]

Yes, it is a very nice set.

[@MR.ROBOTVOLTRON]

I don't know why I have this bias against my T3 Plus. It just didn't perform for me until I threw on a really expensive cable on it. Then I got this Kiwi ears and it immediately started to perform right out the box and I like this bass and treble region better. Technical abilities are close enough to Aria and T3 Plus. I'm only using the Faaeal dongle right now. It sounds fantastic. I haven't even thrown my amp on it yet. Looking forward to this IEM going forward. It's really gorgeous too. It looks like a expensive T3 Plus type IEM. Only problem is now I'm reconfirmed I wasted money on T3 plus. Lol.

[@PaulWasabii]

I steer clear of the T3+ talk usually. Sometimes I will read reviews later on a set and go back to see if I was wrong, missed something. With T3+, it was ok, just never worked well for me. And then Olina came and spent so much time tweaking it that I never thought about it again. I did see some people who didn't like Cadenza, but its a very appealing set unless you like something very specific like overly-bright sets. On the surface, it looks like they cloned a popular tuning until you listen to it and they really put some thought into the tuning for their driver and shell.

[@MR.ROBOTVOLTRON]

@@PaulWasabii I hear yah on that subject. I kept on trying to get the magic out of it that everyone else liked. It just wasn't there for me. Aria I completely understood though. It's very versatile and has good technical abilities.

[@mustnottellliess]

Hey how's the fit of the cadenza? Is it good ,not falling again and again?

[@MR.ROBOTVOLTRON]

@@mustnottellliess its pretty good at not falling out. Sort of like the Aria would be if it was made of resin or plastic. Almost similar fit but smoother.

[@stephenkrus]

The Wan'er having it's mids foward... I can kinda tolerate it. But having the vocals behind the instuments, and instrument not as clear. No! no! no! I'm not going back into that. Oh it's one of my old KZs... The Cadenza it's kinda redundant for me since I already have the Wan'er but... I'll buy it just for the build which looks solid. Happy New Year to you too Paul!🎉

[@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess]

I'm a Tinhifi fan but the C3 doesn't do it for me at all, but the T3+ tho, it's a great pair. I'd rather get that, or save to go up in price range and get a better set Tripowin piccolo, Ikko oh300, Tinhifi T3+, Simgot EW200 < these are some pretty good low price range budget sets But I'd save up a little more and get something like a Dunu Titan, Simgot EA500 or an older Tinhifi T2

[@stephenkrus]

Okay... there's one track where there's a piano + acoustic guitar + male vocals song I listen to in Spotify that's a tadbit too forward for me but... 99% of the time the mids are not annoyingly forward at least in my ears. So I change my dac source from Moondrop Click to a discontinued eSynic AKM4452 micro-usb to usb-c DAC. My gawd... it turned my Tangzu Wan'er into a analog-like sound. It's kinda neutral-ish but it's slightly warm. Oh... Male Vocals sounds perfect 💎✨👌at least in my ears. The Sub-bass + Mid-bass in the lower-end sounds expansive. Really fun tuning... I can't help but do a shimmy in the songs I listen to. It's the only IEM I have right now. The BLON-03 & the KZ ZEX (this has been my go to for a year or so) are gone now. Wan'er... it's dynamic driver is only PET yet they tune it so well. It just boggles my mind.

[@PaulWasabii]

Correct, they nailed a generally appealing tuning on a nice driver at a great price.

[@stephenkrus]

I'm an idiot. It sounded analog-like not because of the dac but because of the EQ + "adjust to earphones settings" on my Xiaomi phone. It's like I got 2 EQ. The first setting only boosted the bass. The second setting really expands the sounds like a surround sound. I'm settling with the Wan'er for now. Maybe in the future I'd level up on one Planar IEM, One Hybrid, a Headphone (to rest my ears sometimes) and another dongle dac.

[@Laowei1]

Have a Happy New Year, Paul! Thanks for all your excellent reviews! Best wishes for 2023!

[@PaulWasabii]

Happy New Year to you as well. Thanks for following along here and Facebook.

[@davi.poiani]

Would you say the Kiwi Ears Cadenza might be redundant for someone who already owns a Tin T3+?

[@PaulWasabii]

Yes, is the short answer and why I say don't collect them all. From T3+, you can drop down into Salnotes Zero or Chu or other budgets with leaner or heavier signatures. Next stop is a planar or well done hybrid, maybe TimmyV's Galileo. No need to keep buying similar sets though.

[@xxdanielpiandaxx6069]

"Kiwi Ears Cadenza or KZ ZS10 PRO X, I'm undecided 😰 which do you think stands out more? Thanks for responding, Paul."

[@PaulWasabii]

Cadenza or if you want to stick with KZ, the D-Fi or Castor Bass is you like bass.

[@eloy5808]

Hi Paul... Since my brother took my KZ ESX I wanna consider getting another iem If you can remember Im just a regular music guy May I know since my music genre is a bit wide like from the 70s to the latest excluding kpops, no hate intended. Which would you recommend then? The QKZ x HBB or the cadenza? And which one for you looked better in appearance haha. I also consider that Somehow, i really do appreciate as always your views as i never bought any iem until my brother took my esx. Hope to hear your thoughts as always A fan from the Philippines

[@PaulWasabii]

Yeah, you know HBB's picks in that price range and his library is heavily 70s influenced. What does that really mean, he picks sets that have enough bass energy to carry that genre and a treble that is present but not fatiguing. Right at this moment in time, I'd wait a couple of weeks and see how QKZ x HBB Khan does. I think both QKZ and Cadenza are solid but maybe Khan offers something more for just a bit more money.

[@eloy5808]

@@PaulWasabii thanks Paul As always, you are there to give out your thoughts. So I will wait for your review then of the Khan. Happy new year

[@jari121]

Price aside, which of the three do you think has the best sound and which is the worst? Which ones technicals are the best? How do their technicals compare to QKZ X HBB? How do these scale with better headphone amps?

[@jari121]

@@apollomoonlandings Thank you for the good and thorough answer! I ordered the Wan'er and QKZ X HBB and will skip the Cadenza as I already have the Tin T3+. I hope Tin T3+ and Wan'er sound different enough 🙂 .

[@PaulWasabii]

T3+ was an upgrade from last year's budget 1dd. This year, the gap closed. Generally in this price range, there are technical sets like Salnotes Zero which are lean and sound sharper, most other sets are going to be less technical with more bass. Tin C2 is one exception as it did it thru brightness. The other sets like Waner, that signature is more about balance and working with many genres than pushing technical performance.

[@thomaskuhn6541]

Great review Paul. I have both Cadenza and Wan'er, have been listening to those for a while and ready to move to the next level. I find they are different enough that I don't mind having both. Wan'er has soft, full mids but can be a bit bloated at times, no sub bass. Cadenza has better bass, more edge without being aggressive but can be thin in the mids for some recordings. What would you recommend as a logical next step if I want something a bit more neutral, less Harman, good but not dominant bass, pleasing mids and detailed but not overly bright highs? Thanks

[@PaulWasabii]

I'll throw out an odd choice, CCA Rhapsody. You should have a listen to balanced armatures rather than buying more 1DD which are all quite similar until you get into the $100-200 range. On the DD side, Tanchjim 4U basically has a bass dial to turn it down to more neutral, not bright either. Most of the excitement this year has been hybrid sets which is why I mentioned Rhapsody.

[@thomaskuhn6541]

@@PaulWasabii Thanks, I assumed the next would by a hybrid and not another 1DD. CCA wasn't on my radar, I'll check it out. I asked your advice because I caved to all the hype and ordered a PA02 which I really don't like - so didn't want to make another mistake. The bass on the PA02 is anemic and I actually think the Cadenza is a better sounding iem. Thanks again.

[@blinkblik6924]

What about these against aria snow edition is the bass and sounstage,details better on aria or cadenza

[@PaulWasabii]

Two sets that are far apart, Cadenza is closer to Aria on bass, not Snow which is leaner, cleaner and going to present those details more clearly than a set with more bass. Stage is closer, but if you are into details, Snow is right or look at Simgot EA500 later.

[@neverfindme-fj5ds]

Buying Cadenza in 2024, is that a worth buying for under $40???? Pls reply....

[@PaulWasabii]

Sure, Cadenza or Wan'er. There hasn't really been a new dominant bass boosted Harman 1DD that knocked out last years sets. I am sure some brand will try.

[@mishiro6170]

I find this set sharp and sibilant with female vocals and high volumes Any recommendation for a safe/dark tuned IEM under 60usd? atm I'm eyeing on blon Z300 and truthear hola but I'm not expecting much since I also found the original qkz x hbb sibilant lol

[@PaulWasabii]

You are heading to Hola or try EQ. Sometimes you can't get the right set and you need to adjust one you already have. Wavelet EQ and do a broad treble reduction and then bring the levels up. Some people hear sibilance right around that 8k.

[@athenovae]

Does your box say Thieaudio on the white sticker?

[@PaulWasabii]

I don't have it handy, but wouldn't shock me. Both are basically tightly associated with Linsoul

[@BrenttttttMCMXC]

I think i have to skip Cadenza since I already had T3plus. But i like C3 more often maybe thats my next..Idun Golden will be 2nd for 2023

[@PaulWasabii]

Very nice. As I said, don't buy them all especially if you have a nice one like T3+.

[@suntanglory]

Just wondering paul, these cheap earphones do they improve on tripowin mele or not? Can't seems to find answers to this. 😂 I know they are cheap, but l dont see the point in buying something that's not an improvement on what l already own. Thank you.

[@PaulWasabii]

Is Mele better than Cadenza, sure it is. Is it a monumental day/night difference, no. Give it some time, most people jump to $100usd sets too early and don't appreciate the difference. What also helps is buying a better dongle or BT dac which will make your Cadenza sound incrementally better. People who love Olina are probably listening on $100usd or more gear. The hobby is all about paying lots of money for small improvements and for some people, that is worth the investment, but to most, probably not. Doesn't mean you won't get there, just means enjoy the gear you have.

[@AmritSingh-wl5nv]

Hows their comfor for 4 5 hours of use. Also can i use them while laying down. Comfort is my priority 😂

[@PaulWasabii]

Asking comfort is like asking about eartips. Asking another person is generally not useful as their ears aren't the same shape. Most iems follow a similar size and shape and Cadenza is typical. Sets that are thicker or larger tend to get pointed out as comfort issues.

[@boonie3]

I can't help myself, I keep buying these budget hype train IEMs. Though I did prefer the tuning of the C3 over the Cadenza and ended up giving the Cadenza to someone. Something about the treble on the Cadenza didnt sound as good as the treble on the C3 to my ears.

[@PaulWasabii]

OK, I would modify what I said, don't buy C3 and Cadenza unless you are going to give one away. Happy New Year and keep doing good deeds like that.

[@gproject-5783]

Im so curious is Moondrop Aria still good in 2023?

[@PaulWasabii]

I would say yes. Its a real nice set but has a couple long term issues on the cable and paint chipping. Second issue is that there were many sets with similar signatures released at lower prices such as Tin C3 and Kiwi Ears Cadenza. It is getting harder to justify spending Aria money.

[@SatiricAssasin2385]

I had to buy tips for these. None of them fit and the sound wasn’t great. Got some W1’s and now I see why everyone likes these.

[@PaulWasabii]

People go crazy on dongles, cables, sometimes perpetually buying the next thing, but tips can make or break a set. #2 on my sheet, "Not a fan of the stock tips but you get 3 packs." This small group of sets, Cadenza, C3, and Wan'er all need a great fit otherwise it will sideways fast.

[@hariramv7764]

Qkz hbb Khan...waiting for it to blind buy for 2DD...Cadenza hype died within 1 month I guess due to flood of new releases.

[@PaulWasabii]

Yes, too many similar releases in a short period. Khan is being sent out so impressions should appear shortly.

[@boonie3]

Khan is probably the last budget set I buy in a while. I loved the original QKZ x HBB and I'm hoping this one is great too