Linsoul link - https://www.linsoul.com/products/kiwi-ears-cadenza-ii
Preamble:
Today I’m reviewing the Kiwi Ears Cadenza II, kindly sent out by Linsoul.
They employ a 10mm Titanium coated DD with KARS 2.0 (Kiwi Acoustic Resonance System 2.0) and have an impedance of 18 ohms and a sensitivity of 106dB. They retail for just $49.99 USD.
I like to add on all my reviews –
I’m listening with my dual-mono aural side-pancakes, not yours.
I’m listening with my gear, not yours.
I’m listening with my love of audio, and not yours. YMMV…..
Now let’s get our aural hands dirty!
Gear:
For the review, my portable gear consists of my Hiby R6 Pro II 2025 Dap, streaming Tidal.
Unboxing and first impressions:
So the Cadenza II arrives in this soft pastel pink‑and‑blue box — honestly, it looks like a gender reveal for an audiophile baby. I love it.
Inside, you get a black inner box, a surprisingly nice braided cable terminating in 3.5mm (I have stopped ranting about iem brands excluding 4,4mm balanced cables, especially at lower prices), a bag of tips (of which most are wide-bore, which incidentally, are the stars of the show).
For $50, the presentation is clean, tidy, and absolutely fine. No complaints. No fireworks. Just vibes.
I love the look of them – I received the blue ones. They look and feel solid. I assume the body is 3D printed. They have a long nozzle and fit great in my ears. They are easy to tip-roll.
I start with the narrow‑bore black tips and instantly think “Did someone flush the bass down the insinkerator?”.
Then I switch to the wide‑bore tips and BOOM — the Cadenza II wakes up from it’s long bass sleep. Often, wide-bore tips can open up treble but that hasn’t happened on this occasion. Treble remained the same.
From this point on, all impressions are with the wide‑bores. I did try a couple of non-Kiwi Ears tips but nothing really improved so I stayed true to Kiwi Ears.
Playlist:
Die Living – Illenium, David Guetta, Dustin Lynch
FADE – Alesso, Pendulum
Release The Pressure – Calvin Harris, Kasabian
In My Arms – Illenium, HAYLA
I Had a Deam – R3HAB, Izzy Bizu
Cike Cike – Bebe Rexha
The Important Stuff:
Die Living
With the wide‑bores, the Cadenza II suddenly comes alive – there’s punchy mid‑bass but it doesn’t extend too deep. There is clean and resolving treble and vocals sit nicely in the middle without being shouty. It’s energetic without being harsh — the kind of tuning that says: “I’m fun, but I won’t hurt you.”
FADE
This is where the Cadenza II flexes. The imaging pinpoints sounds that are spread around my nut. The stage opens up. The treble is snappy and can get a wee bit crisp but it’s not a deal-breaker. Vocals are centre-focused and neither recessed or pushed forward.
This is the track that made me go: “Oh. These things image”.
Bass is there but not dominant. It sits behind the mids and because of this the Cadenza IIs seems to lack just a tiny bit of body or note-weight.
Release The Pressure
Once again, imaging is very good here with sounds all around me. Male vocals are good but aren’t rich or full per se. Treble is detailed and resolving and the synth pops here without any sibilance or crispness. I get a sense of a cooler tuning – upper mids and treble are the heroes and bass takes a bit of a 2nd fiddle.
I Had a Dream
On this track, the Cadenza IIs sound fuller now and the timbre of female vocals is lovely. It’s a richer sound and the song is cohesive and well-presented. Even the bass on this track is screaming out “Andy – look at me!!”. This is a great track for the Cadenzas.
In My Arms
Ok, big shift - this track brings out the best in the mids: It’s one of the few songs where the Cadenza II sounds genuinely full and emotional. Female vocals have body, weight and strength on this song. They are quite forward and a key part of the tuning here. Treble can get a tad spicy but there’s bags of detail and clarity.
Imaging is all around me again and staging is not just lateral, but somewhat 3D also. Mid-bass is clean and punchy but they don’t go ocean-deep. There is that sub-bass roll-off.
Cike Cike
Bass? On this track it’s solid (mid-bass). I can easily distinguish the beat – it’s clean, and fuller on this track. It doesn’t bleed and supports the song well.
Treble? Clean. Detailed. Resolving.
Vocals? Fuller, richer and more natural here. Bebe is in front of me and she sounds real and in control.
Note weight? Much better on this song. This is my favourite track so far on the Cadenza IIs. It sounds exactly how I remember it.
A quick comparison:
CADENZA II vs KZ ZS12 PRO
Time for the $50 gladiator match.
The KZ ZS12 Pro 2s employ 1 DD and 5 BAs and retail for $60 USD.
Build & Comfort - Both are comfy like Grandpa Allen’s moccasins (if you can get past that menacing malodour…………).
Both seal well. Both look cool — one elegant, one futuristic. It’s a tough choice – I do LOVE the blue of the Cadenzas.
Sound Differences – the ZS12 Pro has a slightly recessed midrange but a more extended bass tuning. Treble clarity on the two is very similar and detail and resolution is excellent on both. Both can occasionally get a tad crispy on some tracks.
The Cadenza IIs have maybe a cleaner treble, with slightly better detail but on some tracks can sound a tad thinner overall.
Both pairs have excellent imaging for the price and with instruments easily identified within the mix. Staging is good to very good on both.
Conclusion:
The Cadenza IIs are THE WIDE‑BORE WARRIOR.
They are fun, clean, easy‑listening and non‑fatiguing on most tracks.
They are technically impressive with their excellent imaging and great value at $50 USD.
They can exhibit a slightly thin upper mid-range and treble with a digital presentation, rather than a fuller, weightier analogue sound, and bass doesn’t go terribly deep, but when the track calls for it, they do show they have some decent bottom-end and a richer midrange, especially with female vocals.
The Cadenza IIs are the iem equivalent of a golden retriever: friendly, energetic, and impossible to hate.
For $50, it’s a no‑brainer recommendation for beginners or anyone wanting a rather safe, enjoyable tuning with great imaging and solid build and funky aesthetics.
I would say that overall, the Cadenza II in a nutshell is a fun, clean, energetic, and good value iem.
Is it perfect? No! Is it worth purchasing for $50? Absolutely!
This is a paid review by Linsoul but as you can clearly read, all my opinions and thoughts are my own without influence.
Thanks again readers for sticking with me, it means a great deal!!
