Disclosure: The Kiwi Ears Canta was provided by Linsoul for this review. Please read more about our product review disclosure here.

Kiwi Ears is a small team of passionate engineers that were put on the map when they released the Kiwi Ears Orchestra IEM a few years ago. Since then they have been a staple of ChiFi audio, releasing fantastic products such as the Orchestra Lite, and the Quartet, to much fanfare and critical acclaim (read my review of both IEMs to find out why). Today though I’m looking at the Kiwi Ears Canta, which seems like it was almost a stealth release since I have seen almost no one talking about it since they were announced about a month ago. I have much to discuss about these IEMs, so let’s get to it.

---

---

• Kiwi Ears Canta IEMs
• Detachable 2-pin cable, with a 3.5mm termination
• Three sets of silicone tips (S/M/L)
• Zipper storage case
• Manual

The unboxing experience is similar to most other Kiwi Ears IEMs, with the earphones displayed elegantly when you open the box. The IEMs come with your standard three sets of silicone ear tips, a nice leathery zipper storage case, and a fairly basic 2-pin cable with a 3.5mm connector.

---

Like all other IEMs from Kiwi Ears, the shell of the Canta is handcrafted from medical-grade resin. It feels solid in the hand and is extremely light. The faceplate is aluminum with a smooth finish and features the Kiwi Ears logo that is not too imposing. This material choice and color combo of the faceplate and shell gives the Canta a very sharp, professional, perhaps even industrial look. Personally, I think it looks great and adds some variety to the plethora of colorful IEMs out there.

Comfort-wise I have zero complaints. The nozzle size is around 5mm, which is perfect for me. Anything larger usually gives me some discomfort, but I’ve had no issues using the Canta for listening sessions lasting upwards of 3 hours. The fact that they are only 5.6g also helps reduce any physical fatigue from having them in for extended periods of time.

Overall, the Kiwi Ears Canta is well-built, looks extremely sharp, and feels comfortable.

---

The Canta utilizes a hybrid driver setup, with a single 10mm dynamic driver and two planar drivers. The idea behind this hybrid driver configuration is for the dynamic driver to provide natural, rich sound and for the planar drivers to give detailed, accurate audio reproduction. It’s a unique driver design that I don’t think any other company has tried before.

The Kiwi Ears Canta are extremely easy to drive thanks to their 14ohm impedance and 104 dB SPL sensitivity. You won’t need an amp to drive these. I was easily able to drive the Canta using an Apple USB-C to 3.5mm dongle from my smartphone and laptop.

---

Sources used for this review:

• Sony NW-WM1AM2
• HiBy R4
• Samsung Galaxy Fold 5 with USB-C to 3.5mm dongle
• iFi Zen DAC V2
• Qudelix T71

The sound profile for the Kiwi Ears Canta is mostly V-shaped, as we can see from the frequency response graph provided by Kiwi Ears. Given that the Canta has planar drivers I expected a somewhat sharp, metallic sound that can be associated with planars, but that isn’t the case here. While not as natural sounding as a purely dynamic driver IEM, the Canta is smooth and has a lot of energy in its delivery. Vocals, in particular, stand out, which makes sense given that this IEM is marketed as vocal-centric. The overall sound is distinct, fun, and easily accessible. Let’s get into the details though.

Bass

Right away you can tell the bass is tight and controlled for a rich, organic sound. It’s fast and conveys energy, but the actual impact is on the softer side. There is decent sub-bass extension, with noticeable rumble when present in the track, but you aren’t going to get any hard impacts or heavy presence in the audio mix. This was the correct way to go for the tuning in my opinion as there is no muddiness since the detail is still there, nor is there any bleeding into the midrange. It’s clean and present, never overpowering.

Midrange

As you can see from the FR graph, the midrange is recessed, which makes sense given the focus on vocals. This is mostly fine in my opinion as it’s not recessed to the point where I feel like I’m missing anything. If we look at the upper-midrange, we start to see more of an emphasis. Vocals overall have a good thickness, good energy, and great texture to them. Female vocals in particular sound fantastic. Male vocals overall sounded good and authentic, though deeper vocals did tend to sound a bit thin at times (listen to some Mark Lanegan with these IEMs and you’ll hear what I mean).

Treble

The treble has a ton of energy. Not enough to knock you over, but enough to stun you for a moment if you’re not expecting it. There is excellent resolution and detail here, with no harshness or sibilance. Vocals and instruments have great clarity, and timbre is smooth and natural sounding. Cymbal strikes in particular sound amazing, with proper weight and reproduction. One thing to note is that energetic genres, like EDM, can sound fatiguing at higher volumes due to the peak in the upper treble.

Soundstage and Imaging

The imaging on the Canta is excellent, with accurate instrument placement even during busy tracks. This is helped by the solid instrument separation that helps make them clearly distinguishable. The soundstage is fairly wide and deep for an IEM in this price range and contributes to a slight airiness in the sound.

The Canta truly excels at music that has an emphasis on vocals. While it does tend to be fatiguing when listening to high-energy music at a higher volume, I don’t think these are the IEMs you would be buying for that use case anyway. The Canta allows you to get immersed in vocal-focused songs and brings out the vocals in songs where maybe you tended to not notice them too much, allowing you to revisit your music catalog and find some surprises.

The Kiwi Ears Canta is a truly unique IEM with its 2+1 hybrid driver design. Kiwi Ears set out to make something that is more vocals-focused without sacrificing the other aspects of the sound profile, and I think for the most part they succeeded. I also think the price is right at $89 USD. This IEM is not for everyone though. Bass heads should look elsewhere, as should those looking for a truly balanced, natural sound. That’s not who these IEMs are for anyway. If you adore vocals in songs or find yourself immersed in music due to the vocals, the Canta is perfect for you. If you want an IEM that’s comfortable, easy to drive, has an accessible sound signature, and is priced under $100, then I also think the Canta is perfect for you.

Overall, I highly recommend the Kiwi Ears Canta if you fit into the above-mentioned use cases.

---

I’m not always able to cover all the details of a product, both hardware and software, in our reviews. If you have any specific questions you’d like answered about this product please feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly.

Be sure to check out our excellent Buyer’s Guides, as well as our other Reviews.