Pros:
Neutral but lovely tuning
A richness and body to the sound without being thick or lush
Excellent staging and imaging
Clean, resolving highs, weighty mids and well presented/controlled bass
Very well suited to Classical music and acoustic instruments particularly
Cable and Accessories
Looks are killer!!!!!
Cons:
Not bass canons
Mids (particularly vocals) sat a bit forward on a couple of tracks (mid-lovers will rejoice!)
For the price, nothing else comes to mind
Product links: https://kiwiears.com/products/kiwi-ears-orchestra-ii
Preamble:
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra II employ BA drivers per iem with 4-way crossover. They have an impedance of 15 ohm and a sensitivity of 110 dB/mW.
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 this review, I will be using the new Hiby R6 Pro II 2025 Dap (review VERY soon!).
Unboxing and first impressions:
This is typical Kiwi Ears packaging except the box is bigger this time. Slide off the greensleeves (see what I did there???) and we have boxes of boxes of boxes inside. One of them contains 2 packets of tips, 4 different types in all. This is a nice inclusion.
Another box houses a quality large leather case. In it is a thick, white braided modular cable (thanks Kiwi Ears!) of single crystal Silver Copper-plated material. I really like the look and feel of this cable.
There’s a Warranty card, manual and the iems themselves. I’ve reviewed a number of Kiwi Ears products. They always seem to look quite good but I’ve never raved about them aesthetically. The Orchy 2s have turned that on it’s proverbial ocular arse!!
These things look fantastic!! I love the honeycomb grill with pastel greens, oranges and blues under the grill, and the silvery-blue faceplate border.
It gets better. The shells are transparent and mine are light blue shaded – love it!!
There’s no hiding all the internal workings – they stick out like dog’s b……..never mind. I really do like seeing all the drivers and the evil sorcery that goes into such tiny little Beelzebubian baubles.
They fi well with a great seal, but the nozzle is fat so hard to tip roll (for me).
I tried all 4 different sets of tips but settled on the Kiwi Ears ones that had been sent out to me a while ago – I really like them for their sound profile across the frequency spectrum.
Playlist:
Not sure if I’m aurally pregnant, but I gotta hankerin’ for some Caprice No. 24 – Paganini-style!!! And some Vivaldi, some Albinoni, Corelli, and even a splash of Locatelli…..
We’re going Italian tonight folks…….
Caprice No. 24 – Paganini
Winter (Four Seasons)- Techno edit – Vivaldi/Corbin
Adagio For Strings and Organ – Albinoni/London Philharmonic Orchestra
Concierto Grossi Op. 6. Allegro – Corelli
L’arte del violino, Op 3, No. 10: Capriccio I – Locatelli/Giualo Carmignola, Andrea Marcon, Venice Baroque Orchestra
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
Peacefield - Ghost
Thorns – Jelly Roll
Rebellion – R3HAB, Michael Patrick Kelly, Shaggy
The Important Stuff:
Now a note first up. I have not listened to the Orchestra OGs or the Orchestra Lites – I’m comin’ in Orchestra-fresh.
I’ve got my Hiby R6 Pro loaded up like Uncle Brendan’s liver after a night at the local alehouse……….. so it’s time to bang your metal heads, 1723 Baroque-style!!!!!
I’ve spent considerable time with the Orchy IIs prior to this so I’ll get right to the point.
There’s something very different about these and most of the iems I have reviewed prior, regardless of price point.
I’ve always said I’m not the most technical reviewer out there (I’m by far the least at the same time though). But I know what I like and what I don’t.
The Orchy IIs are fat, they’re heavy, they’re thick, they’re chunky, they’re wide. Just like Grandpa Russell’s left….. never mind.
There’s a heft to them that I haven’t experienced in quite a while (or maybe I have and haven’t been able to “hear” it…..).
Folks, if you haven’t stopped reading yet, please don’t, as what I just described is good. REALLY good. Well, they’re not fat or chunky per se but stay with me……
I have heard/read/watched reviewers describing note weight, transient sharpness, presence region clarity and euphonic colouration…….. I can’t even spell half of those – sheesh……………
But listening to the Orchestra IIs, I’m hearing a fullness, a richness, a lifelike naturality and a strong sense of body.
I think I’m finally understanding some of those terms a little better.
For a start, I am really beginning to understand note weight. There is body to the instruments I haven’t either heard before or recognised.
If it’s not Baroquen, then don’t try to fix it….. To begin, I’m listening to violins, violas, organs, cellos, harpsichords, pianos and the like.
On Caprice No.24, the violins are high-octave, high-octane sonic Nascars. They scream, they squeal but they never get harsh or sibilant. Resolution and detail on this track is top notch. The mids are smooth but simultaneously punchy, natural and lifelike.
This is a wonderful piece on the Orchy IIs! The violins sound as if I’m right in the chambers with Uncle Paganini as he’s writing this sonic masterpiece. It’s separated so well and spaced all around me.
Ok, we’ve got Winter – Vivaldi wrapped up in techno – live a little folks!
Staging and imaging is the Queen/King here, as is clarity and detail. The track is swirling inside my aural sensory head-cave.
I can listen to Mr V in ANY form, and techno is a bloody exciting way to do it.
Interestingly bass isn’t ocean-floor deep but it still has some decent punch and authority. It’s powerful in the mid-bass region and it’s clean, not bloated or boomy.
Tomaso for violins and organ…. Break out the tissues peeps, this is a sombre affair.
The organ comes in deep and foreboding but that’s not the star. There are more little noises in the background (audience??) that seem to sound way off behind me, like I’m in a concert hall. Violins are super resolving, rich and natural. There’s no roll-off or bleed. And the subtle noises in the background indicate we are listening on a high-quality source (Hiby R6 Pro II) too.
Again, imaging is simply marvellous with sounds all around and staging is definitely holographic, not just out wide, left to right.
Old mate Corelli is up next with a frivolous, playful piece – Concierto Grossi. Violins are at the high end of the treble spectrum but there’s just no crispness or sibilance at all. Lower register instruments (violas, cellos, double bass?) enter and compliment the violins beautifully. Again, there’s a richness to the sound, giving it weight and body. Imaging is excellent here, with every single instrument separated out in my sonic cavern and staging is wide and deep. I can hear (feel) notes out in front of my nose and behind me also.
Locatelli rounds out the Mediterranean flavour and again, violins are very treble-present but effortless. I can once more hear little taps or scratches from the ensemble (or audience). Resolution is excellent and there’s an airiness to this piece.
Opening up a can of Baroque-be-gone!, it’s time to party!!!!! Well, as much as you can with an 8 minute epic power ballad…..
Staging on Stairway is excellent, as is imaging. Very wide but the flute is behind my right ear, and Mr Page’s guitar is slightly in front of my left ear. Mr Plant is sitting on the tip of my nose.
When the electric guitars come in and the bassy synth compliments them, that fullness and richness is there in spades. It really is like I am there in the studio (yes, it’s been said a million times before and we always roll our eyes).
The snap of Mr Bonham’s drums add to the mix and there’s not a hint of harshness or sibilance.
As the song livens up, Plant’s vocals maybe sneak in a tad forward (“tip of my nose”) and I do find myself turning the volume down a few dB, but this is the first time I’ve experienced any kind of midrange forwardness.
On Peacefield, the intro is ethereal. The choral chants are divine. Then the drum kicks are punchy but not tectonic-floor deep. The guitar is clean, resolving and natural. Mr Forge’s vocals seem to occupy more than half of the front of my head. They are full and rich.
I mentioned that bass doesn’t go too deep, but listening to the song once the whole band is playing, the bass guitar is very meaty and present in the background. It doesn’t stand out by itself but you can definitely hear it’s presence and heft in the surrounding mix.
I would guess the Orchestra IIs are fairly neutrally tuned. Treble is detailed and resolving but it isn’t crisp or crunchy as treble can sometimes sound.
Mids really are smooth and well placed but weighty and full. Vocals, pianos and guitars have a backbone.
And bass is sufficiently punchy and deep, well into the mid-bass region, but sub-bass does roll off. They are definitely not bass canons but neither are they anaemic or light-on in the nether regions.
The tuning has led to a wide soundstage with expansive imaging throughout my head. I don’t know how companies achieve a richness or fullness to instruments and vocals but it is definitely noticeable (and wonderful).
Effects-driven guitar in my left ear, clean guitar in my right ear, and Mr Roll is right in front of me on Thorns. He’s very close but he’s not shouty or honky. Sounds are again all around me on Thorns. Slide guitar adds another level and it all works well together.
Finishing with Rebellion and it’s Electronic/Dance again. The plucks at the beginning are snappy and full. Vocals are rich and natural and the beat does hit. The deep synth bass run is powerful and punchy. It’s fun and in control.
This is a hard-hitting song on the Orchy IIs.
A quick comparison (or 2):
I’ve chosen the DUNU 242s which I gave 4 1/2 stars to on my review on Headfi. They retail for $349 USD also and employ 2 DD, 4 BA and 2 Planar drivers.
Aesthetics are very close – I love the vibrant red of the 242s but I slightly prefer the transparent light blue shells, and the faceplates on the Orchy IIs is premium looking, so it goes to the Orchy IIs.
Accessories and cable quality are a tie.
Ok. Sound. The 242s are a really vibrant, fiery tuning. The bass is super deep and punchy, the mids are full (to the point of being a tad forward on occasion and the treble is resolving, airy and extends high. These are NOT a safe tuning, nor are they neutral.
Staging is excellent, as is imaging.
They also have some of that fullness and richness that the Orchestra IIs have and I really like the sound signature of the 242s, especially when I’m chasing an exuberant, exhilarating listen of hard rock or heavy metal.
The Orchestra IIs, on the other hand, have the richness, the fullness and the body and weight down pat in my opinion.
They are a slightly more relaxed listen overall, with marginally less treble extension, and a roll-off in the sub-bass region, but this isn’t a bad thing. I can listen longer on the Orchestra IIs without fatigue and as well as sounding great with heavy metal, rock and Electronic/Dance, Classical (Baroque for me) is a genre that just sings on the Orchy IIs. Violins, cellos, organs, pianos sound so natural and rich, and the excellent soundstage and imaging that they present, makes it feel like you are literally in the concert hall or chamber, with the ensemble.
There is a real effortlessness to them.
I love the 242s but the Orchestra IIs are my preferred listen between the two. It’s actually very close and both have their place, but for the naturality/neutrality and fullness and weight, my preference goes to the Kiwi Ears Orchestra IIs.
Conclusion:
Well a very pleasant surprise for me here.
To my ears, we have a neutral tuning but within each band of frequencies, lies a weight and body to the instruments and vocals that I haven’t properly heard before or appreciated (open your ears, Andy!!).
For $349, I think Kiwi Ears have done a great job in the tuning of the Orchestra IIs, but the look and feel of the shells is gorgeous, and the cable and supplied range of tips is remarkable too at this price.
I can recommend these for people wanting a rich, fuller sound signature with great note weight and body, without pounding bass or crisp treble. Imaging and staging is excellent for the $$ and lovers of Classical music should really dig these bad boys. Other genres sound impressive also but the live, acoustic instruments shine on the Orchy IIs.
Thanks to Linsoul for the opportunity to review these.
This is a paid review but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
And thanks again readers for sticking with me, it means a great deal!!!
