The Kiwi Ears Orchestra II are high-end IEMs for professionals
Kiwi Ears is a leading audio brand dedicated to crafting innovative, high-quality audio solutions for audiophiles, music enthusiasts, and professionals. If you have ever considered buying wired earbuds, chances are you’ve come across one of their products. Now, with the new Orchestra II, Kiwi Ears has a new flagship IEM offering that promises to deliver exceptional build quality and sound quality for serious listeners.
Below, we cover how the Orchestra II is built and who these IEMs are for. Here’s everything you need to know about the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II.
The design of the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is premium in every way
From the moment you take the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II out of the packaging, it’s clear that Kiwi Ears is aiming for a product that feels premium. The Orchestra II builds on the visual identity of the original Orchestra, leaning into transparency—both literally and figuratively—to showcase the engineering inside while also signaling a focus on clarity and balance.
The earphones themselves use a precision-molded transparent acrylic shell that reveals the internal driver layout at a glance. This clear housing isn’t just about aesthetics; acrylic is commonly used in professional in-ear monitors because it allows for rigid, stable shells that hold their shape over time. The result is a build that feels dense and durable in hand, without coming across as bulky or overbuilt. Despite housing ten balanced armature drivers per ear, the Orchestra II remain compact enough to sit flush in the ear, avoiding the oversized look that some high-driver-count in-ear monitors can suffer from.
In terms of size and weight, the Orchestra II are designed for long listening sessions. The shells feel substantial but not heavy, and their smooth contours help distribute weight evenly across the ear. This matters more than raw numbers on a spec sheet, because uneven weight or awkward shell geometry is often what leads to discomfort over time. The Orchestra II’s shape is clearly intended to stay stable once inserted, minimizing pressure points while maintaining a secure seal.
Kiwi Ears includes a generous selection of silicone ear tips in multiple sizes, allowing users to dial in fit and comfort. Proper tip selection is especially important with a sealed, ventless design like this, as it affects both isolation and perceived sound. Having multiple sizes in the box means most users won’t need to immediately look for third-party options just to get started.
The included cable reinforces the Orchestra II as a versatile product for professionals. It uses a standard 0.78mm two-pin connector, which is widely supported and easy to replace if needed. The cable itself is a silver-plated copper design, chosen for durability and flexibility rather than stiffness. Kiwi Ears also includes both 3.5mm and 4.4mm plug terminations, making it easy to connect the Orchestra II to a wide range of sources, from smartphones with dongles to dedicated portable players and desktop audio setups. The cable length is approximately 1.25 meters, which strikes a practical balance between freedom of movement and manageability.
For storage and transport, Kiwi Ears includes a carrying case designed to protect the earphones when not in use. While the Orchestra II are clearly meant to be used daily, having a dedicated case helps preserve both the shells and the cable, especially when tossing them into a bag or backpack. Overall, the accessory package feels complete, covering the essentials without unnecessary extras.
Visually, the Orchestra II is offered in a transparent finish that emphasizes its internal structure. Rather than multiple bold colorways, Kiwi Ears leans into a clean, technical look that aligns with the product’s monitor-inspired intent. It’s a design that feels equally at home on a desk, in a studio environment, or out in public.
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra II have an impressive 10-driver system
Moving beyond design and build, the most defining feature of the Orchestra II is the sound architecture. It’s rare to see ten drivers packed into a universal-fit in-ear monitor at this price point. Each earpiece contains ten balanced armature drivers arranged and managed through a four-way crossover system, allowing different groups of drivers to focus on specific frequency ranges.
Balanced armature drivers differ from the more common dynamic drivers found in many headphones and earbuds. Instead of using a diaphragm attached to a voice coil that moves air directly, balanced armature drivers use a tiny armature suspended in a magnetic field. When an electrical signal passes through, the armature moves and drives a diaphragm. This design allows balanced armature drivers to be extremely small and efficient, which is why manufacturers often use multiple BA drivers in a single earpiece. Each driver can be optimized for a narrower frequency band, improving clarity and reducing distortion when implemented correctly.
In the Orchestra II, Kiwi Ears uses two dedicated subwoofer balanced armature drivers to handle the lowest frequencies, four drivers for the low-midrange, two for the mid-treble region, and two ultra-high-frequency tweeters. This distribution allows the Orchestra II to cover the full audible spectrum from 20Hz to 20kHz while maintaining separation between bass, mids, and treble. A four-way crossover coordinates how the signal is split between these drivers, ensuring that each one operates within its intended range.
The result, according to Kiwi Ears, is a sound signature that emphasizes tonal balance and musical engagement rather than strict neutrality. The low end is designed to reach deep, delivering sub-bass presence, supported by a gentle emphasis around the lower midrange that adds body to bass guitars, synths, and drums. This approach avoids the thinness that some neutral-tuned in-ear monitors can exhibit, while stopping short of overwhelming the rest of the mix.
Another key part of the Orchestra II’s sound is its isolation. The solid, ventless acrylic shell is internally filled with an acoustic-dampening resin, which helps stabilize internal resonance and reduce unwanted vibrations. This construction delivers strong passive noise isolation, physically blocking outside sound without relying on active noise cancellation.
From a technical standpoint, the Orchestra II is rated with a sensitivity of 109dB SPL at 1kHz and an impedance of 19 ohms at 1kHz. These figures suggest that it can be driven easily by portable devices while still benefiting from higher-quality sources. The combination of relatively high sensitivity and moderate impedance makes the Orchestra II versatile, whether you’re plugging into a smartphone adapter or a dedicated digital audio player.
Pricing and availability
In terms of pricing and availability, the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is priced at $349, and is on sale now. At this price point, the Orchestra II sits in a competitive segment of the in-ear monitor market, but its combination of a ten-driver balanced armature configuration, solid acrylic build, and comprehensive accessory package makes it ideal for music lovers, musicians, and gamers.
