
Kiwi Ears - Quintet
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Sep 24, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
9
4
"The added fitlers worked well for taming the bright upper midrange and treble. ... This also resulted in the bass and the midrange sounding less recessed. ... The density of these filters is not specified by the seller, yet they worked amazingly well."
"The Kiwi Ears Quintet is the only thing I don't *need* to EQ to enjoy properly. ... It is almost perfect for my ears"
"eclipses it in sound quality quite soundly ... even beating it at the Timeless' special feature of making the air region prominent without making it irritating to listen to."
14
8
"And, with that particular EQ, they work wonders for music for me. ... I love mids just shy of shouty (I call it "bite") between 2K and 4.3K while sucking out 4.6K to 5.8K - 6.5K or so, and damn if these don't just hit the sweet spot."
"However, that PZT for the high treble (air) is awesome."
"The Kiwi Ears Quintet is the only thing I don't *need* to EQ to enjoy properly. ... It is almost perfect for my ears"
4
2
"it's absolutely fantastic for FPS gaming."
"Another bonus, it's absolutely fantastic for FPS gaming."
"I've been rocking the KiwiEars Quintet with EQ set above 1.5K to match the Xenns Mangird Tea2 and it rocks for gaming."
6
0
"I love them for my small-ish ears ... the shells are definitely WAY bigger than my Quintets so they pop out of my ear more"
"In fitment, quintet much better because of smaller size."
"it's not oversized. ... It fits me perfectly and I have no issues wearing it for long periods of time."
10
7
"The added fitlers worked well for taming the bright upper midrange and treble. ... This also resulted in the bass and the midrange sounding less recessed. ... The density of these filters is not specified by the seller, yet they worked amazingly well."
"However, that PZT for the high treble (air) is awesome."
"Most impressively, it's a detail monster. This IEM has introduced me to so many hidden nuances and details in many songs."
Disliked most:
7
6
"It’s nowhere near as bad as the Quintet’s sibilance but I would say they’re like 30% of that level of sibilance."
"The issue I have is that the Quintet was too bright for me in the upper midrange and the treble."
"That EQ takes care of the Quintet's sibilance around 6K, too."
5
3
"Kiwi Ears Quintet have good mids, but they lack a bit bass in comparison to bassy iem's, but if you wouldn't listen to them side by side they would feel that the bass is kinda ok-ish and clean. ... in comparison to other more bashead iem's they sount rather on the more neutral side ... that part with the elctronic music was bass on the OH10s really nice, then came the Quintet wit that bright signituere and after that my ears just cudnt addapt or something because the OH10s sounded way different, and that wasnt only on one track"
"it also sounds a bit thin/empty compared to the variations"
"I found the bass to be slightly lacking, almost as if the bass was an afterthought."
3
6
"That EQ takes care of the Quintet's sibilance around 6K, too."
"I find the Quintet a bit sharp for my liking in the 5K to 7K range."
"heavily EQd"
2
4
"there is almost no added benefit to spending more for casual listening and gaming. You'd need to move up to something like the Hype 4 to hear any real improvement."
"Honestly couldn't recc now given the H4 are just a Lil bit more & are far superior... ... I found the Quintet disappointing & sold V quickly"
"They cancel the sound better than my hexa (70€) and kiwi quintet (250€)."
0
2
"If you plan on gaming, then the Aether wins hands down. The Quinte is more intimate and has worse imaging than the Aether, in my testing."
"The Soundstage is narrow compared to the Hype 4 but wasn't a problem until I heard the 4s."
Comfort is also important since this will be shoved in your ear for long sessions. Many people in this sub were happy with the Simgit Em6L for details you mentioned and they are on the smaller side. I also own the Kiwi Ears Quintet and I enjoy using those for gaming also (I own many and cycle though them). Some FiiO IEMs like the FH3 are also small and comfortable. If you want the smallest iem possible that will be comfortable for long sessions, try the Sennheiser ie200. You might be able to get a good deal on a used ie600 which is a better option. Enjoy the hunt! Ps: the tips you use are also important for comfort and getting a good seal for the best sound. I recommend the Moondrop Spring Tips, Dunu SS, or the TRN T tips. Ps-2: all these items have interchangeable cables. You can always get a cable with a boom mic integrated. But since you are streaming, a dedicated PC mic might be better. It's up to you if you want to try the mic cable to save some money at first.
r/inearfidelity • IEM for gaming ->I also own the Zero2, Ew300, and Eml6. I agree with your comments completely. Not just for FPS but general gaming they are great. I am going to test the MP145 because the soundstage is amazing on other media like YouTube. I will also throw in to the mix for you the Kiwi Quintet. You can get it used for a great price. It has great detail, separation, and directional audio. Worth a try for sure.
r/iems • Best IEMs for FPS Gaming: The results may surprise you ->Kiwi Ears Quintet. İt's both very comfortable and sounds very nice to me. Kinda hot in treble but hey I'm an eq junkie Anyway
r/iems • What's an IEM related purchase you do not regret splurging for? ->The Quintet was a very nice IEM when it was released. The very fast and clean details kept the upper midrange and treble just below being sibilant for me. I found the bass to be slightly lacking, almost as if the bass was an afterthought. There are other IEMs which are just as details yet sound much more natural. One IEM which is totally under the radar is the Ikko High-Ear C. Think of the High-Ear C as a much more detailed IEM in comparison to the QKZ x HBB yet with similar tuning and cleaner bass.
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->I am glad that you offered your suggestions since you listen to metal. I don't listen to metal. I do really like the Performer 7's clean and clear macro and micro details. I also like the Kiwi Ears Quintet for the same reason. Thank you for suggesting some IEMs which I have not listened to.
r/iems • My very first dive in the IEM world ->Very happy to see my baby Kiwi Ears Quintet up there I love them for my small-ish ears using them mainly for singing and piano Dancing and outdoors I love using my Honkai x Moondrop Robin's headphones! But the shells are definitely WAY bigger than my Quintets so they pop out of my ear more. Still, they're so comfortable and light to not pop out even while dancing
r/iems • These are the most recommended IEMs on Reddit (r/iems VS others) as of Jan 2025 ->I'm new to IEMs and am trying to figure out what I like! I mainly listen to classical music with a focus on violin concertos, orchestral pieces, and classical guitar. My budget is $600 to try to find a great IEM to stick with for a while. So far I've gotten the moondrop variations and the kiwi ears quintet as my first IEMs. I mostly got the variations to see if I could tell a difference between $200 and $500 ones. I've been going back and forth between both for a bit over a week now. **Thoughts on Moondrop Variations and Kiwi Ears Quintet** I like the moondrop variations a lot for the most part and can really appreciate the quality of the timbre and being able to easily clearly separate out a lot more instruments for orchestral music. The violin has a nice rich tone to it as well. I like it a lot of orchestral music but for violin concertos, I feel like they have too much emphasis on bass and it feels like I'm standing right in front of the double bass section a lot of the times. Another issue I have with it is that it's really hard to hear the solo violin a lot of the times unless I increase the volume a lot to the point where the orchestra is too overwhelming. I find myself having to adjust the volume really frequently to hear what I like so I'm guessing I don't like harman tuning. These small issues really got to me the more I used them so I'm thinking of returning these. For the kiwi ears quintet, I also like them a lot in the sense that I am able to hear the solo violin in concertos a lot more clearly and loudly (without having to adjust volume) and I think the tuning matches more of what I like. I am also able to hear a lot of great detail, and the bass feels like its at a good level. However with the quintet, I feel like sometimes the high notes get a little too intense and that it also sounds a bit thin/empty compared to the variations. Solo violin also doesn't sound as warm and I feel like I also can't hear as much detail in orchestral music. So based on what I've noticed so far, I feel like I'm looking for something that doesn't have too much emphasis on bass, has good focus on mids-highs, and has a similar quality of timbre and details as the variations. **IEMs I am considering** I'm now looking for IEMs that have most of the qualities that I like out of both of the ones I've tried. So far I'm considering these ones: * Hisenior Mega5-EST * Elysian Pilgrim * Final Audio A5000 Does anyone know if any of these would be a better fit based on my preferences? I've heard the hype4 and Etymotic ER4XR be recommended as well but I haven't had great experiences with tri-flange tips in the past and the design of hype4 just doesn't look good to me lol
r/inearfidelity • IEM recommendations for classical music that are < $600 ->I've never tried the Blessing 3 so I don't want to comment regarding them. The Tea Pro is an excellent IEM. It has excellent imaging and good sound stage for an IEM. I've tried quite a few IEMs thanks to Amazon's return policy in the US. I do own these IEMs: Kiwi Orchestra Lite and Quintet Raptgo x HBB Hook Aful Performer 5 The Tea Pro is by far the best IEM I've tried.
r/iems • good iem with good imaging with a decent soundstage for an iem for competitive fps (mainly r6 siege) ->I went from the EM6L > Kiwi Ears Quintet > Orchestra Lite > Tea Pro > Monarch MK3. I head a difference with every step up. I prefer the Quintet over the Tea Pro because the Tea Pro treble is darker and smoother and sounds less detailed imo. The Monarch MK3 is just absolutely amazing imo. I hear details in songs I've never heard before. The detail in every aspect is just amazing, and they're fun to listen to. They also do some black magic with soundstage and imaging. The MK3 sounds bigger than some openback headphones I've owned.
r/iems • Just how much better would the audio quality be if I upgrade from a ~$80 to $350? ->I tested aether yesterday. I think in term of sound aether much more balanced and less shouty in some track. In fitment, quintet much better because of smaller size. Aether fit well but feel protrude from my ear because of shell size.
r/iems • My amateur review of the Kiwi Ears Aether ->Right now, the KBEar KB02 with TangSancai Widebore tips are really solid at their price point. I'm testing the TRI Draco, and it isn't bad. A little warm with a pretty steep treble roll-off, but the pertinent info for gamimg is there and the spatial imaging is solid. The ThieAudio Elixir with Whizzer ET100 tips does quite well, but the stage is a little narrow. I've had good luck with the KiwiEars Quintet EQd above 1500Hz to a replica of the Tea2 squig. Stage outside your head, which is nice. That EQ takes care of the Quintet's sibilance around 6K, too. I still haven't tried the EM6L, and doubt I ever will. Too much treble. Others seem to really like it for gaming. The Dunu DaVinci is similarly tuned to the Tea Pro, but I haven't had a chance to really put my pair to the test in gaming despite loving them for music. You could give the TRN White Tiger a try.
r/iems • Are these the “best” gaming iems? any recommendations for a good cable with a mic ->I find the Quintet a bit sharp for my liking in the 5K to 7K range. I blame the planar. However, that PZT for the high treble (air) is awesome.
r/inearfidelity • Best IEM under $200 with better technicality ->Less than $200 retail? Or I paid less than $200? If I paid less than $200, Thieaudio Elixir. If less than retail, heavily EQd KiwiEars Quintet.
r/inearfidelity • What is your best IEM at <$200? ->The Simgot EM6L gets recommended often. So does the Simgot SuperMix4. I have no personal experience with those as I don't like brightly tuned headphones/IEMs. My go-tos have been a heavily EQd set of KiwiEars Quintets. Just picked up the Binary Acoustics Dynaquattros and, despite their bassy tuning, they're surprising me. Was gaming with Truthear Hexa, and the KZ ZAX before that. The Hexa is pretty good for games, bit can be a little piercing with reloads and bullet shells in some games. The KZ ZAX was just a treble monster, and I disliked it. You could try to find a pair of used Mangird Tea 2s as their tuning works well for games without being piercing. A word of advice regarding driving these things... If you're going to try to use a controller to drive your IEMs, try to buy a unit that gets close to 32 ohms input impedance. Any less than that and you're running the risk of serious audio issues, depending on which units ypu buy. For reference, the Simgot SuperMix4 is a multidriver unit that has a planar driver in it. The input impedance of those units is 7.5 ohms. The impedance discrepancy between drivers is large. If you run them off of a controller or a PC front panel, you'll wind up with muffled treble.
r/inearfidelity • Best imaging IEM's for comp fps ->Well, u don't have to spend so much, I found that the zero 2 are so good with notice cancellation. To give you an example, yesterday I was at university studying, in the corridor next to me they started celebrating the graduation of a boy; Shouts and applause, the noise was almost deafening. I put on zero 2, I put light music on 10 out of 100 volume and all that disappeared. I also use them to watch movies while my sister watches loud TV in the room, no disturbances of any kind. They have done wonders in this respect. They cancel the sound better than my hexa (70€) and kiwi quintet (250€). It doesnt make sense to spend so much for just notice canceling, so zeros are perfect for u, they are 15/20€ with stock tips and u r done
r/iems • Best budget IEM for noise reduction. ->BTW Kiwi Ears Quintet was huuuuuge when it came out. It just happens to be a bit older now & this is a VERY fickle market. It would probably probably be just as big if released today as IEM tech is very stagnant unless you look at expensive sets which really push the boundaries. It's all just reconfigurations & tunings of the same components. Some of those components have improved incrementally.
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->AHHHH OK sorry. Honestly couldn't recc now given the H4 are just a Lil bit more & are far superior... but we all have our own ears & tastes. And yes I found the Quintet disappointing & sold V quickly but Def better than Tea Pro or Aful 5+2 for me.
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->Tea pro es un Mangird Top lite. No recomiendo la versión "lite" en ningún dispositivo (teléfonos, tabletas, auriculares...). Sugeriría 4 iems en 4 rangos de precio. Menos de 100€: Clavelon Delta (cálido, abierto, limpio y buena tonalidad). Menos de 250€: KiwiEars Quintet (más clínico pero divertido, buena técnica, muy abierto). Menos de 350€: Ziigaat Estrella (sonido atractivo, buen timbre debido a que no tiene una tonalidad puramente audiófila, buena técnica, limpio, aireado). Menos de 600€: Moondrop Variations (más versátil, más técnico, muy abierto pero un poco débil en algunas canciones). Edición: \-Dinámica: Variations=Estrella>Quintet>Clavelon. \-Apertura: Variations>Quintet=Estrella>Clavelon. \-Resolución: Estrella=Variaciones>Quinteto=Clavelon. \-Inmersión: Clavelon.
r/iems • What should I do in my situation? (Ziigaat Arete vs Mangird Tea Pro) ->(amongst the iems have I owned) s tier: kiwi ears ke 4 and truthear hexa a+ tier: Ikko OH10, Pula PA02, Shuoer s12 pro, Sennheiser ie200, Kefine Delci, Dunu Titan S OG a tier: Dunu Titan s2, Tanchjim One, pre revision CCA CRA+ A- tier: Binary Chopin, Tangzu Waner Studio, KZ PR2 pre revision, Tripowin Olina SE B+ tier: Kiwi Ears Quintet, Tangzu Xuan Ji, Simgot EW 200, Truthear Gate and Hola, Tangzu Wan'er SG B tier: Moondrop Chu 2 and OG, KZ EDA Balanced, Kiwi Ears Quartet, Moondrop Aria Snow, FiiO Jade Audio JH3, Tripowin Lea B- tier: 7hz zero OG, Truthear Zero Blue, Whizzer BS1 C tier: KZ CRN D tier: Moondrop Quarks honorable mentions: Koss KSC75 in A minus, Porta Pro in B, Moondrop Space Travel in B-, Galaxy Buds Plus and 2 in A minus along with Airpods Pro Gen 1, and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro in A plus.
r/headphones • Rank your headphones (2025 edition) ->Sure, if I find something though, don't know weather it corelates with the bass sound in these low end, or middle class im's but the mids are just recessed and not clean, and when you find something thats clean and detailed then the bass is a bit lacking, and if you want to find that together, it costs more then 3 or 4 hundred or more. And I dont even search around thesepricepoints becaus Im not so well of to eve consider such ammount for an iem. You can listen to the sound of some iem's also on this channel called "[Glenn Gane Audio](https://www.youtube.com/@GlennGaneAudio)", if you haven't already. For example Kiwi Ears Quintet have good mids, but they lack a bit bass in comparison to bassy iem's, but if you wouldn't listen to them side by side they would feel that the bass is kinda ok-ish and clean. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d7Df8QmgXM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d7Df8QmgXM)
r/iems • Help me choose ->Glad to help, I found it just now while searching, listening trough my lets say neutral sounding 7Hz zero, and those Kiwi Ears Quintet sound really good, but don't know if its thier proper presentation, but the midrange and actually also the bass is also deecent, but in comparison to other more bashead iem's they sount rather on the more neutral side, also a bit bright and the upper sounds are lacking something. Was listening to the comparison between ikko OH10s vs Kiwi Ears Quintet, that part with the elctronic music was bass on the OH10s really nice, then came the Quintet wit that bright signituere and after that my ears just cudnt addapt or something because the OH10s sounded way different, and that wasnt only on one track, also the jazz part good for OH10s, other parts were in favour for Quintet. Wold need to listen to more of those.
r/iems • Help me choose ->Ayy it's also the Quintet for me, I agree with everything you said.
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->Can't recommend the Kiwiears Quintet enough
r/iems • Recommend me an all-rounder IEM in the $100-$300 price range ->Zero 2 and no. I grabbed some kiwiears cadenzas and rolled with those for about a year and most recently have gotten into a set of kiwiears quintets.
r/iems • What was your first IEM, and do you still use it? ->The Shozy P20, I still would recommend it over my P7 and Juzear61t. Planars take EQ like beasts and IMO can beat most iems under 300dlls if you feed them enough power. I have the Quintet also, good purchase my friend.
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->Hey guys 1 more day to go and I hope everyone got their IEMs collection expanded. Share what iems you got and which is ur favorite. Don't be shy all iems as long ur enjoying the music we all be happy, share ur experiences. Me? I got; - Aoshida E20 with the -25 dlls coupon from linsoul. - Quintet with the -50 dlls coupon from linsoul. - HBB Punch With the -150 dlls coupon from linsoul. - XuanWu Gate for -250 dlls from Aliexpress. I honestly like all of them but the looks of the XuanWu Gate is just mesmerizing. The Quintet is a very unique sounding IEM. HBB Punch well the chunky beast do what it does like nobody else and Aoshida Beryllium DD is my GFs favorite hahahaa.. figures..
r/iems • Share your Spring Sale Purchase!!! ->Thanks for the tip, I'll check them out before all sales. Yes tbh the quintet surprise me and for 130dlls is honestly a very unique take, comparing the 4 drivers versus the EST been a delightful evening. Which ofc my girl doesn't seem to understand hahahahaaa
r/iems • Share your Spring Sale Purchase!!! ->I got both Letshouer S12 Pro and Kiwi Ears Quintet. Both are fantastic. I find the S12 more technical in sound. I don't think you'll go wrong with either. Letshouer is doing a sale so maybe a good time to check it out.
r/inearfidelity • Best IEM under $200 with better technicality ->Thought it would be cool to see which IEMs ya'll think are underrated. We all know the hyped IEMs, they are praised and hyped all over the web. Many of these sets are featured in the "Top 5" list in this subreddit. (For good reason) However, many great IEMs fly under the radar or don't get the praise they deserve. Name your most underrated IEM and why you believe it's underrated: *I'll start.* For me, it's not a totally unknown set. However, I was surprised to see that this set didn't make it in either of the two prior "Top 5" polls. **Kiwi Ears Quintet** This 5-driver Quadbrid IEM is a beast, It's got good bass impact, clean mids, and airy treble that doesn't cross over into sibilance. (for me) Most impressively, it's a detail monster. This IEM has introduced me to so many hidden nuances and details in many songs. Despite being a Quadbrid IEM, it's not oversized. It fits me perfectly and I have no issues wearing it for long periods of time. Another bonus, it's absolutely fantastic for FPS gaming. For around $200, it's top-tier price/performance-wise in my opinion. What's the most underrated IEM in your collection?
r/iems • Hidden Gems - What's the most underrated IEM in your collection? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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