Why the Kiwi Ears QUARTET is the BEST $100 All-Rounder 💎 (Review)

[@jayyaudio]

Update & correction: The 1 2 configuration is still the one that's perceived to have the most bass (lowest uppermids/treble), and all the switches down is the still the most natural sounding to me, but the only difference is that the bass doesn't change, but rather only the amount of uppermids/treble. So all the switches down has slightly more uppermids/treble vs 1 2 which is lowered and creates this perception of having more bass (switching your focus on the low-end). Sorry for the confusion!

[@godofgrains]

ive been appalled by iems with switches until now but this set is damn tempting

[@Hijynx87]

Kz dfi is another good one and it’s cheap.

[@Allaces305]

Mines is on the way.. I'm really excited about this set. Good sound and amazing looks at $100. This is an absolute winner.

[@guynamedstella]

Great review as always, J! These look (and sound) great, getting myself a pair as a versatile daily driver

[@jayyaudio]

Thanks Stella~ You'll enjoy them if you like bass

[@guynamedstella]

@@jayyaudio That I do, Sir! That I do...

[@Hijynx87]

It’s not a bass head set like legato or qkz x hbb though. It’s the perfect amount imo. It’s great for gaming though, you aren’t getting mud in games like valorant and apex, which seem to be the pickiest competitive games as far as sound goes.

[@jayyaudio]

@@Hijynx87 No mud, but things could be better separated as mentioned also by Fresh Reviews :)

[@DonutsReview]

I love the warm vocals from Kiwi Cadenza. Very tempted to try the Quartet or the Galileo.

[@mysteriousstranger332]

❤❤❤❤ best reviews on yt ❤❤❤❤

[@jayyaudio]

Thank you ❤❤❤❤

[@BassSlam]

This Kiwi Ears Quartet IEM competes with my old expensive IEMs Campfire Audio Andromeda, Solaris, Unique Melody MEST MK2, Audeze LCDi3 these new budget IEMs are insane

[@jayyaudio]

For real man the market is craaazy

[@drewmorg.]

The MEST? Really tho ... lol tell me more!

[@giannisapostolopoulos9217]

Nice review J! For some reason I thought this iem would do better technicals. Any reason to pick this over the Olina se if you don't care for switches? Also any recommended hybrids between this and the P5 in price? Keep rocking man!

[@jayyaudio]

Thanks man! The Quartet has more and heavier bass than Olina SE other wise Olina SE is better tuned imo with better staging. If you want the P5 just grab the Hexa - basically the same thing (precog agrees).

[@giannisapostolopoulos9217]

@@jayyaudio Thanks man! I may hold on for a bit to see what the fuzz regarding project red is about but I thought that the Hexa was considered to be a neutralish iem while the P5 is supposedly warmer. I wish i could demo stuff..

[@fiddlix]

Enjoyed the review. This one is definitely on my short list.

[@jayyaudio]

Thank you!

[@fiddlix]

I’ve had the Quartet for a couple of weeks now and I really dig this set. It ain’t for audiophiles at all. This IEM set is about having a good time getting immersed in your music. This set works very well for my library.

[@JackBWakeham]

Like the upgraded EA500 comment, thats what i was hoping, my only complaint with the EA500 is the lack of bass rumble for electronic genre listening, so seems like the quartet was a good purchase to have alongside the EA500.

[@Hijynx87]

You can vent mod the ea500 and use final type e tips. Also a copper cable. The vent mod alone gives you 6db without changing the rest of the freq. I’d still buy the quartet too, and I did lol.

[@JackBWakeham]

@@Hijynx87 I'm not huge on modding at this moment in time, I would have bought the quartet anyway as well 🙂

[@Mykeoguns]

I had to wait until it counts down to 0. I'm a big fan already ❤

[@jayyaudio]

Thanks bro

[@FaizalKuntz]

i always wonder why iem that been EQ or iem that has switches didn't sound good to me in mid or loud volume

[@HardwareMana]

How do they compare to the KZ pr2

[@jayyaudio]

Better bass and more variety, but PR2 is great for an all-rounder. Similar resolution, PR2 has better separation.

[@HardwareMana]

@@jayyaudio Awesome! I have ordered the pr2 and waiting for it to arrive. But this is looking equally appealing

[@BassSlam]

PR2 has better separation because of the thinner low mids tuning

[@BassSlam]

I have both use bith on different songs I use pr2 for edm and metal and quartet for hiphop and pop

[@amanieux]

how does it compares with olina ? thanks

[@jayyaudio]

Better bass texture and slam is heavier, but Olina's staging and tech are better - sounds more natural.

[@trilbytemperley]

Looks like I backordered a good set. It was an impulse buy. I was wanting something warmer and more atmospheric than my S12. This should ticks all the boxes. Do you think it is wider than the Letshoer S12?

[@jayyaudio]

Nah S12 has better staging

[@richardblaauwgeers4349]

If i want more holographic staging what is an upgrade to the S12?

[@trilbytemperley]

@@richardblaauwgeers4349 IEMs are notoriously not wide. Some are saying the EA500 are pretty wide, but they are probably not even close to lots of good open back headphones (eg. Beyer and Senny).

[@Hijynx87]

My quartet didn’t come with a sim tool for the switches lol. Good thing I have another. Annoying af though.

[@jayyaudio]

They don't usually do unless you're paying the big bucks... which makes no sense because they probably cost less than $1 lol

[@shrekstraightouttaswampton]

Will you be updating your tire list ??

[@jayyaudio]

Omw

[@bobyeo69]

Hi Jay, how is Quartet compare to Fudu?

[@jayyaudio]

Better bass texture and no ba timbre

[@reaperFOXY13]

Do you find the quartet is more fun sounding than the galileo overall?

[@jayyaudio]

Yes by far. Galileo is very neutral with vocal focused

[@Speerrow03]

Do you think is should spend more money to get the quartet or i should save and get the truthear hexa, and in the future I'll get something much much much better?

[@jayyaudio]

Depends on your library. If you have a lot of hiphop/EDM/POP then get the Quartet, or just save up for the Hexa

[@LateBandwagon]

If it’s a better ea 500 get the quartlet

[@LateBandwagon]

Used to love the hexa but after listening to other iems it started to sound stale

[@Danger0use]

Underwhelming to hear that the details aren't as good as I hoped. As someone who's more sensitive to treble and upper mids this set appealed to me based on the graph. Many people keep suggesting the Hexa to me but a couple of graphs I've seen tend to have a peak at 3k. Would you consider it fatiguing at all?

[@jayyaudio]

Ya it's a little peaky at times. Try Tanya DSP or P1 Max.

[@xzpy]

that peak at 3k is a real dealbreaker and i had to return hexa... if you are sensitive in this region stay away from hexa if you can't try and return for sure

[@profound369]

Im trying to figure out the difference between orchestra lite or the quartet which sounds better

[@jayyaudio]

Havent heard orchestra lite, but based on graph and reviews you're better off grabbing the Hexa instead over the Orch lite, or the Quartet if you want more bass

[@profound369]

@@jayyaudio i have the hexa and getting Letshaouer s12 in the mail tomorrow

[@sollomonim6273]

This or the galileo for vocals?

[@jayyaudio]

Galileo

[@sh.khashimov]

No comparison with Legato?

[@jayyaudio]

Legato has more bass, not as technical. Quartet overall better

[@BassSlam]

Quartet sounds like a refined legato

[@pangarshajo6500]

do you have a problem with the switch? because my left quartet can't be turned down

[@jayyaudio]

No issues for me, sorry to hear that man

[@abdulahsan3121]

Im torn between this and em6l, which one you think its better?

[@jayyaudio]

EM6L better all rounder, quartet better bass IEM

[@realaudioreviews]

The only area they could improve on was the sub bass. Cut 200-300hz by a little and add a few more db sub bass. Overall it looks like a decent set 💯

[@jayyaudio]

Oh it looks more than decent 👀

[@s1nonnn589]

How does it compared to s12 pro? Soundstage, imaging, and detail retrieval wise

[@jayyaudio]

Don't have sorry

[@Ali-ku7xk]

In the price range of 100 dollars, which IEM has a smoother sound and more note weight?

[@jayyaudio]

Smooth sounding: P1 Max and Galileo Noteweight - Quartet

[@zhanurdos]

S12 pro

[@Ali-ku7xk]

​@@jayyaudioI read somewhere that due to the focus on the 8k frequency, male vocals on galileo are thin and not enjoyable. Is this true?

[@Mykeoguns]

Tanya dsp vs quartet detail retrieval?

[@jayyaudio]

Quartet is slightly better

[@Mykeoguns]

@@jayyaudio slightly better? I think I will have to stick with my Tanya dsp and EA500. Have you by chance listened to mangird xenns top? How about Tanya dsp vs EA500 in terms of detail retrieval?

[@Josephine-r7b]

Are you familiar with anything about the DCMEKA A09?

[@dranek]

You say the quartet is the best bass set around $100, but is it better than the legato?

[@jayyaudio]

Legato cleaner bass, best all rounder around $100 now would be the TangZu xuan nv (this video is old)

[@dranek]

@@jayyaudio thanks!

[@momonone]

Hi man, i wonder if this better than ea500 overall?

[@jayyaudio]

Yes

[@nanakabe]

Did you have iem tier list?

[@jayyaudio]

Updating mine right now :)

[@nanakabe]

@@jayyaudio thank you for the answer. I'm like your video :)

[@jayyaudio]

@@nanakabe Thank you~

[@stale_.]

Shouldn't you be comparing this with the EM6L and not the EA500??

[@jayyaudio]

EM6L is a Totally different sound signature, and it wasn’t even out when this video came out lol. Most people with the EA500, or looking to get one or the other, are curious how the quartet compares because it’s also a bass set like the EA500.

[@stale_.]

Ah gotcha. I was talking about the price point. I really want the Quartets. It doesn't seem like the EM6L actually competes with the Quartets so I am seriously considering it. Even the Legato is the same price, yet it didn't live up to its price point and became a one trick pony.

[@cliffordchan.]

I would like to know differences between the EM6L and the Quartet as well

[@stale_.]

@@cliffordchan. Reason being is because of the same price point yeah? That to me makes as more sense than comparing only sound signatures

[@cliffordchan.]

@@stale_.yes, that’s one of the first things that caught my eye about the two. But am interested in sound quality differences also. I have a preference and want to make the best purchase decision 🫡

[@randynguyen6402]

How are these vs olina se?

[@jayyaudio]

Olina feels more opened with better treble and detail. Bass goes to Quartet.

[@hungerxhunger]

Have you tried orchestra?

[@jayyaudio]

Nope, but according to my friend the P5 does it better

[@profound369]

​@@jayyaudio p5?

[@hungerxhunger]

@@profound369 Aful Performer 5 I'm assuming.

[@BassSlam]

Orchestra has weak bass compared to similar 8 ba T800

[@hungerxhunger]

@@BassSlam yeah I was gonna ask about the vocals on the og orchestras

[@Gambit33]

KZ PR2 sucks. Bad build quality, terrible cable, hallow vocals and mid-range, and sibilant high mids and highs. Blon Z300 takes a massive dump on the PR2 and they were both tuned by the same guy, costs the same too. Z300 just sounds so much better, is built like a tank, has a much better cable, and feels 100% more premium.

[@jayyaudio]

Vocals sounded alright to me man. Sounds like any other planar - more forward than the HeyDay and Wu actually. Maybe QC issue? Z300 is a lot warmer than PR2 so up to your preferences.

[@Gambit33]

@@jayyaudio You must not have heard good planar IEMs like Audeze Euclid. Chi-fi planars are not the same, but most people have only heard or bought chi-fi planar IEMs and think that's how they all sound.

[@BassSlam]

Try using different eartips as the eartips that came with the PR2 to me they sound not good I use azla xelastec and final audio type e eartips and they sound good

[@aldo-tn]

The pr2 got retuned after the first batches, its mostly the same except for treble after 8khz where it got elevated a bunch

[@johnbenedictrodriguez3189]

Hi, Jay. What would you rec for this type of songs: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnqvkqOfgd2XZ5Y kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6fdmGpjqdiJapI and kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6PYkpmFjMeUqck

[@jayyaudio]

Great songs! I'd recommend something clean/neutral. For under $100 the Tanya DSP and Hexa will be great, or EJ07M & OG Oracle at around $500 (wait for sale).

[@koningklootzak7788]

IEMs with switches look gimmicky and toy-like. I think ea500 is a better built, cheaper, and better quality one overall.

[@jayyaudio]

Agreed, but it doesn’t have 4 different tunings

[@koningklootzak7788]

@@jayyaudio neither does P1 Max and it's the best🙂

[@jayyaudio]

@@koningklootzak7788 Best planar sure, but new-comers would enjoy the variety ;)

[@BassSlam]

You will need a high resolution DAC to plug those quartet for them to have better separation I use at the moment Audioquest Dragonfly Cobalt and am planning to update to Chord Mojo 2

[@jayyaudio]

I ran them off my BTR7 tho - was plenty fine on my other sets, but I can give it another shot

[@BassSlam]

@@jayyaudio also i forgot, the final type e eartips gives it a wider soundstage when they seal good and the cobalt has a preamp that brings wea details more forward and heard especially the treble area from Pr2 to Quartet, the pr2 has stronger sub bass but the Quartet gives the drums more bam bam in the low mids