Disclosure: Kiwi Ears sent this pre-sale unit to me for my independent review. The opinions are mine and is not influenced nor reviewed by Kiwi Ears prior to publishing. The final production unit may vary.
The word “halcyon” is an ancient word from Greek where it referes to a mythical bird, but today it is used to descibe a period of idyllic times, a synonym for peace and tranquility. Kiwi Ears have christened their latest IEM “Halcyon” hailed as the world’s first MEMS + 1 dynamic driver (DD) + 3 balanced armature (BA) tribrid in-ear monitors (IEM), and is open for crowdfunding via Kickstarter.
Why these three drivers and how do they make earphones sound better? Well, each driver type has their strengths and limitations, so putting them together, when done correctly by the engineer, can achieve amazing sonic results.
The dynamic driver is the oldest and the most versatile type of driver. Its flexible and large diaphragm can move air more effectively, but its drawback is relatively sluggish sound because the membrane typically require more time to stop moving. The BA drivers produce more accurate frequencies and in greater detail without the muddiness of the DD. The drawback is the inability to produce the kind of deep fat bass that reverberates the ears. Finally, MEMS which is a relatively new audio driver type, is capable of creating even more accurate frequencies due to its tiny size, making them highly suited to produce the “ultra-treble” higher frequencies.
When Kiwi Ears combine these three driver types into a single IEM unit, they overcome the limitations, work on the strengths, and achieve coherent audio output across the entire frequency range. The 10mm dynamic driver covers the low frequencies, the three BAs (2 DEK and 1 WBFK) cover the wide midrange frequencies to treble, and the USound MEMS fill-in the upper treble transiences. These drivers offer a combined frequency response range of 10 – 42,000 Hz.
Included in the package is two sets of ear tips, one with wider bore, the other narrower. The larger bore pushes sound waves liberally through, achieving more generous bass impact, less forgiving midrange, more diffused treble. The smaller bore offers slightly less bass, better controlled treble.
For my review, I spent time assessing the audio impressions by driving the earphones with the Fosi Audio K7 headphones amp and playing hi-res digital files on my ASUS Zenbook laptop over USB, using Foobar2000. The reference music playlist are here.
Multi-driver setups are not uncommon, but what I find the Halcyon unique is its bass delivery. The earphones resonate the bass notes with certainty and intensity while the midrange and treble remains unaffected nor clouded. Halcyon is never shy to admit that it intentionally boosted the sub-bass up by 8dB then cleanly cut at 200Hz so that the midrange remains bloat-free. And this is exactly what I hear.
In the midrange, instrumentation sounds less forward, not too full. This tuning offers relatively clean sound and keeps the spotlight on the bass. As it moves up the frequency, the elevated upper midrange can sound a little shouty with the large bore tips, but still bearable. But if your music genre does not have a pushy upper midrange, the Halcyon can sound soulful and unfiltered.
Moving to the treble, I would have thought that Halcyon would find ways to throw a spotlight on this section especially when a MEMS driver is in the unit. Well, the treble turns out to be refined, supportive, balanced while precise, not excessive nor brittle (unlike Sennheiser IE-series), but rather, articulated without gloating. Methinks the MEMS driver is only playing a minor but essential part to produce any ultra-frequency that is contained in the recording especially hi-res tracks, which none of our ears could actually hear.
Compared to Kiwi Ears Orchestra II
I have compared the Orchestra II with other of my earphones extensively, so once I describe my comparison to the Halcyon, you would have a relative understanding on where the Halcyon stands among the other earphones without me doing the comparison all over again.
At the bass, the Halcyon produces more elastic bass that sounds more enjoyable, reverbs longer and deeper than Orchestra II. At the midrange, the Orchestra II sounds fuller, warmer, more organic, while the Halcyon is cleaner, tamer. At the upper mids, the Halcyon sounds more prominent, edgier, more forward, while the Orchestra II sounds more spatial, airier. Finally, at the top-end, the Orchestra II sounds more open, roomy, holographic, while the Halcyon is more precise, dry, disciplined.
Using my go-to reference track, “Player” from Hiromi Uehera’s “Alive” album, this jazz trio clearly showcases how the earphones handle the frequency ranges through a bass guitar, an acoustic piano, and a drum set. The Orchestra II puts the grand piano on the pedestal, prominent mix as it should. The bass paces with good depth and support but does not overpower. The drum fills the room and is mic-ed with different percussions panned all over the channels for the stereo effect. Through the Orchestra II, I feel immersed in the mix, as if I am sitting in the same room as them.
Switching to the Halcyon, the bass is so fun to listen to. Deep resonating with every note whose intonation I can discern and sing to. Here the piano is less warm, more clean, and the drums more precise and sterile but not bright. The Halcyon allows me to pick up each instrument and sound better, the overall mix is drier, I don’t get the impression that I am in the same room with the performers, but a more engineered mixdown of separate instrumental tracks.
I would say that the Halcyon is an “ear-opener”, a listening gear that lets me pry into the recording with more scrutiny to uncover more subtle elements that would be harder for me to pick up on other earphones. In terms of musicality, the Orchestra II is better.
Verdict
The Kiwi Ears Halcyon is one of the more uniquely engineered earphones I have heard. The tribrid driver combination creates a mix of characteristics resulting in a sound balance that is technically not possible with traditional drivers. What I like is how the Halcyon is tuned in a light-handed way, boosting the frequency range enough to achieve balance. I was surprised that even though Kiwi Ears boosted the sub-bass by 8dB, it didn’t sound that excessive. While the earphones might lack some warmth, I would say it is a calculated move to avoid sounding too bloated. The Halcyon has the right balance of bass boom and treble precision. Listening to it for hours, I do not feel ear fatigue yet I get to enjoy musical details, extended bass depth, resolving treble, and clean mids.
It is definitely worth getting the Halcyon to play your music collection and experience through a different lens. Pledge a unit through Kickstarter campaign at USD 199 before it goes for retail sale at USD 259.