The Étude and Airoso are similarly priced IEMs from Kiwi Ears, featuring a dynamic driver and multiple balanced armatures. Both are priced around 120 USD or €100 ex.tax. and were launched in 2025.
The Étude is a tribrid, featuring a 10mm dynamic driver with a crossover at 250 Hz, a single balanced armature for the midrange, and a dual balanced armature tweeter for the highs. It also includes the new KVT (“Kiwi Vibration Transducer”), which adds tactile vibrations to enhance the low-mid acoustics.
The Airoso is a five-driver hybrid, featuring one dynamic driver and four balanced armatures. It is particularly interesting because the dynamic driver handles both the bass and midrange, while the four balanced armature drivers, all tweeters, are dedicated to different parts of the treble.
KIWI EARS ÉTUDE SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: 1 Dynamic Driver + 3 Balanced Armatures + 1 Vibration Transducer
- Sensitivity: 104dB SPL/mW
- Impedance: 5 Ohms
- Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
- Cable connectors: 0.78mm 2-Pin Connector
- Cable Length: 1.2 Meters
- Cable termination: 3.5mm jack.
Current price and availability:
- Amazon: Kiwi Ears Étude
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Étude
- Kiwi Ears: Étude
KIWI EARS AIROSO SPECIFICATIONS
- Five driver hybrid: 1 x dynamic driver + 4 x balanced armatures
- Impedance 18Ω
- Sensitivity 110 dB/mW
- Detachable cable 120 cm
- Earphone connector type 0.78mm dual pin
- Cable termination 3.5mm TRS jack
- Weight 12g (each earbud)
Current price and availability:
- Kiwi Ears: Airoso
- Amazon: Kiwi Ears Airoso
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Airoso
BUILD AND COMFORT
Both have resin shell designs with attached faceplates. The Étude has resin nozzles, while the Airoso has metal ones. The Étude is larger, but both are comfortable for me. They have identical cables—standard thin Kiwi Ears cables with 3.5 mm jacks.
COMPARISONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
- Ear tips: I used CP145 tips on the Étude. For the Airoso, I tried both CP100 and CP145, which sounded identical.
Tide of Trepidation by EST
They are very similar, both sounding natural and organic with strong yet well-balanced bass.
Like Suicide by Soundgarden
The Étude has a strong bass presence with a warm overall delivery. The Airoso’s bass is slightly less powerful, allowing vocals to stand out more with a drier tonality. Overall, though, they are undeniably similar.
Georgia Lee by Tom Waits
Again, they sound very close — warm, lush, and organic, with only subtle differences.
Jambi by Tool
The Airoso delivers thick, smooth-textured guitars, with vocals slightly recessed and pushed to the background. The Étude is very similar but presents the vocals a bit more prominently.
Smile by Pearl Jam
They sound almost identical, though the Étude comes across as slightly more dynamic.
Almost Like The Blues by Leonard Cohen
Again, they are virtually identical, with full bass and warm vocals.
Black Crow by Cassandra Wilson
The Étude is slightly warmer and fuller, while the Airoso has drier vocals.
As Before by Olga Konkova
The Airoso delivers great punch on the cajón, with warm, organic piano and delicate, natural vocals. The Étude is very similar, with a slightly brighter piano and nearly identical vocals.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
The Étude features powerful bass, delicate organic vocals, and a warm overall presentation. The Airoso is similar, with vocals slightly drier, though that’s a minor distinction.
Spontaneous Compositorius by Thomas Agergard
Both deliver powerful bass and liquid treble, with the saxophone showing excellent timbre that is warm yet breathy.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound Signature
These IEMs are very similar, both offering powerful bass and a generally warm presentation.
Treble
The treble is detailed and liquid, slightly more so on the Étude than the Airoso. It isn’t recessed on either, yet never comes across as too sharp or overly crisp.
Midrange
The midrange is very similar on both IEMs, generally warm and lush. Still, small frequency response differences appear from track to track, with the Airoso more often sounding slightly drier.
Bass
Both have full-bodied, thick bass that usually sounds very similar, though the Étude can sometimes feel more powerful than the Airoso. Despite the strength, I don’t find the bass to be overpowering on either, except on rare occasions.
Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage and imaging are nearly identical on both, solid for the price but not exceptional.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
In terms of detail retrieval and dynamics, these two earphones are very similar. If I had to choose, I’d lean toward the Étude for its slightly better treble and possibly a small edge in dynamics, likely aided by the KVT vibration driver, though the difference is minor.
CONCLUSION
When I started writing reviews, I wanted to be honest about when I couldn’t tell audio gear apart. And here’s an opportunity to do exactly that: On my setup, the difference between the Airoso and Étude is minimal. It seems Kiwi Ears has successfully tuned these two earphones to the same target, despite their different driver setups and crossovers.
That said, I personally tend to reach more for the Étude. It’s a beautifully musical-sounding IEM, and even though I can barely tell it apart from the Airoso in direct comparison, there might be something about it—maybe it’s the Étude’s KVT that adds a subtle touch of extra magic. On the other hand, the Airoso is significantly smaller, which could be a plus for many users. Regarding amplification, they require similar volume levels on my chosen amp, though this may vary with different equipment.
Either way, I can recommend them both.
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- Amazon: Kiwi Ears Étude
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Étude
- Kiwi Ears: Étude
- Amazon: Kiwi Ears Airoso
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Airoso
- Kiwi Ears: Airoso
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