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Stuart Charles here, HomeStudioBasics.com helping YOU make sound decisions, so…
Today’s review will cover the Kiwi Ears Ardor Active Noise Cancellation Headphone.
You can expect a breakdown of build, comfort, sound, and more.
By the time you’re finished reading, you’ll know if it’s right for you. If it isn’t, I’ll point you in the direction of something that is.
With that, let’s dive in!
All specs, pricing, and box contents toward the end!
Build Quality
Kicking things off, the build of the Ardor is about what you’d expect for around $100 and closely mimics the Bose Quiet Comfort series.
It doesn’t feel cheap by any means, but it’s light and nimble, with metal headband adjustments, faux leather padding, and a mostly plastic profile.
Adorned in a muted gray, it’s simple, utilitarian, and functional. The outside of the cups, similar to an old favorite Audeze Sine, contains a layer of faux leather padding and Kiwi Ears’ logo subtly engraved, blending into the unit without drawing attention to itself.
If you’ll recall, the Sine contained actual leather, but the implementation of it on the outside of the cups caused scratches, scuff marks, etc., and generally wasn’t a good idea.
Thus far, the Ardor avoids those pitfalls, and I can only hope they stay beautifully intact.
The cups fold and also rotate inwards 90 degrees, but they don’t collapse completely like the New York Mets.
Still, they’re super compact and come with a beautiful hard shell carrying case. Additionally, they survived a wicked rainstorm while I was camping recently, getting somewhat waterlogged but not being phased in the slightest.
This could be cause for immediate purchase as, in the case of electronics, water typically means death, but the Ardor is tough like Tinactin and makes a perfect companion on the go.
They provide just enough headband padding, but I would have liked to see a bit more for the earcups. The Ardor, even though brand new, kind of looks like it already has pad wear, and they will only flatten out more as time goes on.
That said, as a graphic designer, I’m a big fan of the logo and font. It’s attractive and subconsciously makes you assume the headphones are good. In other words, you kind of associate that visual appeal with a quality product. This is a bit hard to explain, but I think from a marketing perspective, it was a good move.
Comfort & Isolation
Because of their lighweight profile, they’re super comfortable and achieve a good-ish seal.
Kiwi Ears asked me to give some constructive feedback, and this is one of the only real problem spots.
They clamp decently well, but I feel like isolation could be better.
At the gym especially, I found them to leak/move around a bit more than I’d like, and even with ANC on, they isolate less than I was expecting.
Still, I was surprised that in doing bench presses, they didn’t fall off! It’s become almost a meme at this point just how many headphones don’t like to stay seated on my head, but the Ardor impresses in this regard.
- Required Reading: 19 Bluetooth Headphones & IEMS Ranked Worst To First
It’s also important to note that the cups are somewhat small, so users who have ears the size of China may be shit out of luck.
Jokes aside, they barely cover my auricles and for some people may act more as a cross between Supra-Aural (On-Ear) and Circumaural (Around-Ear) rather than strictly the latter.
Button Layout & Functionality
The right cup contains the volume +/-, LED pairing light, and power button (hold 3s to power on), and the left is your ANC button and USB-C charging port.
Hold the plus to skip tracks and the minus to go back.
The ANC button cycles between noise reduction on, off, and transparency on.
Auxiliary mode means you can use the Ardor wired. It’s important to note that if a wire is plugged in, the headphone won’t power on via Bluetooth.
The MFB (Multi-function button) is used for an array of things, including Play/Pause, Answer Call, End Call, Reject Call, Enable/Disable SIRI, Switch Modes (Gaming/Music).
Just please don’t reject a call from your Grandma. She needs to hear your voice, so don’t take her for granted!
Battery Life
Kiwi Ears advertises a playtime of 72 hours (ANC On) and 140 hours (ANC Off).
Time will tell, but I’d venture to say these numbers are exaggerated. There’s no real way to track this unless you obsessively write down every session, but the battery life is “good” so far, and nothing to complain about.
I did charge them prior to my camping trip, but only as a precautionary measure. Other than that, they haven’t outright died yet.
I will update this article as more information comes to light and I get more time with them.
With that, how do they sound?
Sound
Perhaps the most important aspect is their frequency response. And, surprise surprise, I can finally say, after 20 or so meh to downright awful products with horrifically tuned drivers, the Ardor delivers in spades.
It takes advantage of a recent trend (read: Harman target) that all consumer-oriented headphone companies should strive for if the goal is a meaty bass type of sound.
- Related: What is The Harman Response Curve?
Bass
Here we have an elevated sub-bass shelf from 0-50Hz, emphasis around 60-90Hz (the all-important regions of the low end), a cut at 200-300Hz, a mid-range rise to compensate, and bright-neutral treble.
This is what sounds good in the majority of cases, and though I’d like to see subbass stay flat or elevated slightly (5dB or less is perfectly fine), I’m not going to complain too much.
As long as the bloat/mud regions of 200-300 are cut or kept flat, this type of sound signature works extremely well for an array of genres: most notably hip-hop, EDM, and the like.
The Ardor is a fine example of a headbphone that sticks to this script, and it pays dividends. For the most part, the bass is controlled, tight, and hits with authority while not sounding bloated or cheap.
A lot of this depends on the track in question and how it was mixed/engineered, but these headphones sound mostly snappy and slam well.
Are they perfect?
Nope!
The elevated shelf from 0-40Hz or so makes them sound muddy with certain tracks, and to me, it still needs to be brought down some.
FiiO’s FT1 can get away with its also-boosted-shelf because the Soundstage is so good, and stuff has more room to breathe. Here, it’s not quite up to snuff, but I’m more concerned with the sound overall as the basis for whether or not I ultimately decide to recommend something.
And the Ardor should be recommended out of general principle because it avoids doing exactly what you’re not supposed to do.
Namely, it doesn’t artificially boost areas that should be cut. Of course, there is a case for both boosting and keeping flat or rolling off subbass. It’s an argument as old as time. What’s not debatable is boosting 200-300Hz and looking the other way.
So many companies do this, and I have no idea why. It sounds like dog poop squared and needs to cease at all costs.
In addition to everything else, the fact that Kiwi Ears understands this basic audio concept should be reason enough to buy the headphones.
Because while other companies get by on brand recognition alone while tuning their headphones like complete ass (cough Sony cough), the Ardor at under a hundred dollars bucks against this trend and Kiwi Ears should be applauded immensely for it.
But wait, there’s more.
Mid-Range
Because the mid/high bass is out of the way, resolution is excellent, all things considered. Do these sound as refined as some audiophile-type headphones?
No, but they don’t have to.
On Boards of Canada’s “Nothing Is Real” you can hear all sorts of weird grumblings that the artist injected into the track, adding to the immersion. Additionally, separation is quite good for a headphone this cheap, as nothing overlaps or sounds like a mish mosh of blended together nonsense.
Still, vocals on “Guillotine (Swordz)” from Ghostface Killah and Raekwon are present and accounted for, if a bit muddled. By contrast, the FT1 enables them to sound clearer and more lively.
Moreover, there’s an element of claustrophobia that I can’t shake, as the Ardor could certainly use some more openness and better Soundstage. It just feels a bit clammy at times, but these aren’t dealbreakers by any means.
In some ways, this “in your head” feeling should be somewhat expected as this is a closed-back consumer Bluetooth headphone, but I would still urge Kiwi Ears to find a way to improve in this regard.
I think EQing the subbass down a bit can certainly help, but the sound and overall resolution aren’t as good as the FT1.
Treble
Another trend in audio is to keep the treble neutral to bright-neutral, and the Ardor does an excellent job of toeing the line between too bright and overly dark.
Hats/cymbals on “In My Life” by the Beatles are just right, sound realistic, and the good resolution again comes through at 1:46.
There’s a twang from a guitar panned hard left that sounds much more noticeable and immediate than I ever remember, contributing to the Ardor’s revelatory qualities and overall well-tuned profile. This guitar, and many other guitars in other songs, are lively and engaging without going crazy/sounding too forward.
Guitars on Sea Lemon’s “Eraser” likewise are clear and present, sounding well-integrated in the mix and never coming across as shouty or in your face.
Still, as much as I love Indie Pop/Shoegaze/Dream Pop, etc. I don’t think the Ardor works best with these genres. Crunchy guitars, like those on Mount Kimbie’s “Dumb Guitar” just don’t slap or come through as clear or hard as I’d like. Percussion is also a bit lacking here, sounding a bit flat, but again, pay attention to the track and how it was recorded.
Overall, the resolution and mid-range fidelity are definitely up to snuff, and help to elevate the Ardor over crappy bluetooth sets that are fairly ubiquitous at this point.
Before we give a final verdict, let’s go over some things I liked and some things that can be improved.
What I Liked:
- Well tuned. The Ardor understands that the mid/high bass needs to be out of the way. Mid-range is boosted to compensate for the subbass boost, and treble is almost exactly where it needs to be: crisp, without sibilance but not overly dark either.
- Comfortable, durable, and portable. The Ardor is compact, utilitarian, and highly portable, easily stowed away with the including hard shell carrying case.
- Button Layout & Functionality. Easy to use and intuitive.
- User Manual. It’s a small, easy-to-read booklet rather than a fold-out. I can’t tell you how annoying it is to open up a user manual (road map) and want to pull my hair out because I look like a Grampa on Saturday morning trying to read the newspaper.
- No dropouts or delays. The “Power On” and “Power Off” voice is very warm and inviting. They also connect extremely fast with no dropouts or delays. Bravo.
What can be improved:
- The R and L indicators on the inside of each cup, while a nice gesture and somewhat common in products at this point, are muted and could stand out more. White instead of grey would be better. A great example (pictured above) is Adam’s H200. The bold yellow contrasts beautifully with the black.
- Isolation. It’s not bad, but they will leak from time to time and could stand to clamp a bit harder. Otherwise, it’s a nice fit overall.
- Pads. They feel fine and are comfortable, but they’re not as plush or fat right out of the box, which is a tad concerning.
- A bit closed in. The Ardor, while well-tuned, could stand to have better imaging. It’s a bit blobby and doesn’t work quite as well for certain genres like Shoegaze/Dream Pop/Indie Pop. The sound also won’t be as refined or clear as certain audiophile-type headphones, so do keep that in mind as well.
Final Verdict
The Kiwi Ears Ardor is a well-tuned, good-sounding headphone at a reasonable price.
You’re not quite getting audiophile quality, but it’s certainly much better than the majority of consumer products I’ve reviewed and holds its own admirably in comparison to my benchmark standard closed-back FiiO FT1. It’s also super cheap and a rather easy purchase, all things considered.
Look for it to be at or near the top of my Best Bluetooth Headphones Ranking list very soon.
Kiwi Ears Ardor
Price: Check Amazon | Check Kiwi Ears
In The Box
Kiwi Ears Ardor
1x USB-C Cable
1x 3.5mm Auxiliary Cable
Hard Shell Carrying Case
User Manual (BOOKLET WOW)
Specifications
- Bluetooth: 5.4
- Technology: Hybrid ANC
- Noise Reduction Depth: -32dB±3dB
- Coaxial Driver: Dynamic 40mm + 10mm
- Audio Codecs: SBC, AAC
- Sensitivity: 100dB±3dB
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 40kHz
- Impedance: 32 Ohm
- Battery Size: 1100mAh
- Playtime: 72 Hrs (ANC On), 140 Hrs (ANC Off). Charging for 10 minutes provides up to 8 hours of playtime.
- Matching Name: Bluetooth: Kiwi Ears Ardor, USB: Kiwi Ears Ardor
- Warranty: 1-Year Warranty for Factory Defects
Well, that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Kiwi Ears Ardor Review and came away with some valuable insight.
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Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!
Does the Ardor sound like a good purchase? I would love to hear from you. Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
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