When I am at the store looking at cheaper selections for bread, I can adjust to whatever is on sale. Ultimately, whatever bread I pick still tastes like bread, which is my goal. When looking at in-ear monitor solutions, I am a bit pickier, even when the price reaches triple digits. But sometimes this also means taking a hard look at something cheaper when it comes up. And it has come up.
I have had the chance to test out KIWI Ears Cadenza IEMs. This product is about 10x cheaper than other mid-range IEMs, but also delivers a sacrifice because of that cost-cutting. While the design of the Cadenza is spot on for high-end IEMs, including the ability to disconnect the earbuds from their wiring, the delivery quality isn’t as solid.
But! If you’re looking to step into the IEM world, should you really start at the top? That’s a good question. Let’s talk about it.
Design
The design of the Cadenza IEMs is a near-perfect replica of my ZiiGaat IEMs. The Cadenza comes with a braided plastic wire that tends to get tangled occasionally, while sporting some very solid, shiny, and gorgeous earbuds that can be plugged into copper outputs at the end of the wires. Visually, everything screams high-end IEMs. It looks, feels, and even rests comfortably within the ears like a high-end IEM set. If I put my ZiiGaat and the Cadenza side by side, you would be hard-pressed to tell them apart.
In addition, the earbuds do what they’re advertised to do, which is seal in the audio right into one’s ear, which is why IEMs are so loved and important, especially for musicians out in the world that need to hear their own sounds. Any IEM that doesn’t do this simply isn’t an IEM. In that respect, the firm fit of the Cadenza is comfortable as it is stylish.
So, on the surface, the Cadenza looks and feels like what you would expect from an IEM experience. It seals in the audio, fits comfortably within the ear, and can be worn with comfortable confidence that you have started the IEM experience.
How about its functionality? That takes a slight turn.
Functionality
While the Cadenza looks the part, how it plays the part is a step below some of the high-quality, higher-priced IEMs. While the purpose of the IEM is to seal in audio and deliver a high-fidelity audio experience, with music or otherwise, the Cadenza doesn’t quite reach that level. And that is okay considering how much the IEM costs. We’ll get to that in a moment.
The Cadenza sports a 10mm Beryllium Diaphragm inside its earbuds. This delivers a high-quality signal that fits right with the assumed and expected IEM experience. What it doesn’t do well is deliver separated sounds and bring the bass well. For example, whilst playing some Goldfrapp, I put on a bass-y song called Reverberotic. That song has some wicked, powerful bass that is pleasantly distorted just the right way. With my ZiiGaat, I get the full force of the song’s bass as it opposes the synth and vocals behind it. It separates those sounds and gives me a multi-layer musical experience that feels respectful and purposeful for that song. In other words, I get all the flavors of that song and can appreciate what Goldfrapp created.
With the Cadenza, it collapses the audio into a single layer, with bass fighting against synth and vocals in attempts to become the prominent standout for musical dominance during the experience. In short, it flattens everything into one place and doesn’t do anything to separate those sounds, which means everyone gets some room, even when the sounds don’t deserve it, and some of the good sounds (mainly the bass) are sacrificed in the process. Now, if I had never worn an IEM set before in my life, I would think that it is okay. But having been spoiled for the last year or so with IEM experiences, it is noticeably a step down and different.
Okay, so having said that, these still aren’t a bad solution for IEM newbies. The Cadenza costs under $40 currently. My ZiiGaat are priced at around $350. If there is more good than bad with the Cadenza, as is the case, then it’s more than worth it, especially if you haven’t dedicated yourself to the IEM lifestyle and snobbery. The Cadenza IEMs look the part and almost play the part of what you would expect from IEMs. The sound is decent at worst, and the design is far more comfortable than expected. They feel like IEMs, they are put together like IEMs, and they can deliver a bit of the same quality as what you get with other IEMs. Understanding and respecting the difference between the mid-quality ZiiGaat and the Cadenza will certainly make the Cadenza a viable option, especially for those who aren’t ready to drop triple-digits (or more) for a great pair of IEMs.
On that sweet note, let’s wrap up this review.
Conclusion
The Cadenza IEMs from KIWI Ears are an inexpensive IEM solution for those not wanting to drop big bucks on something higher quality. The Cadenza brings the visual pizzazz of a standard set of IEMs while delivering a lower price and quality standard to the end-user. I mean, for IEMs below $40, this is a steal of a deal. Just don’t expect a super-high quality audio experience.
