Disclaimer
Hello everyone! I want to start by letting you know that Kiwi Ears kindly sent me the Astral to review. I’m not getting paid for this, and they haven’t told me what to say, set any deadlines, or asked to see my write-up before it goes live.
Everything you’ll read here comes straight from my own time with the Astral. I always try to stay fair and objective, but at the end of the day this is just one person’s take, and our ears and tastes all differ, and that’s part of what makes this hobby so much fun!
Huge thanks to Kiwi Ears for giving me the chance to spend time with the Astral, and of course, a big thank you to you for dropping by and reading. Your support truly means the world to me!
Introduction
Kiwi Ears has been on my radar ever since I heard about their budget Cadenza, which really showed how much great tuning can matter, even for an affordable IEM. Recently, I have reviewed their great planar IEM, the Aether, which I really loved! And today I’ve got with me the Astral, and honestly, I was very excited. The Astral isn’t a typical entry level IEM; it’s Kiwi Ears higher end territory with a seven driver hybrid setup and a price tag of 299$.
Inside, it’s got a fresh 10 mm bioceramic dynamic driver taking charge of the bass, alongside six balanced armature drivers handling mids and highs. On paper, this combo promises something pretty special, especially at a very competitive price point of $299, which has a lot of great IEMs at. They’ve aimed for a balanced but fun sound – a healthy dose of deep sub-bass rumble, clean mids, and a very sparkly top end.
I’ve spent a good time listening to the Astral, running through my favorite playlists to get a good feel for what these earphones can do. So, let’s dive deeper and see if Kiwi Ears nailed it with this one.
Unboxing
The Astral arrives in Kiwi Ears’ familiar, minimalistic packaging. Compact, simple, and straightforward. Sliding off the sleeve and lifting the lid, the Astral earpieces are sitting in a dense foam, which keeps them safe and secure.
Underneath the foam, there’s the usual Kiwi Ears black, semi-hard carrying case. Inside the case, I found the cable, and it immediately caught my eye: it’s a premium modular cable with a nice thickness to it, silver-colored with a blue-pinkish glow. It feels really high-quality, although it’s slightly stiff for my liking. Kiwi Ears includes two interchangeable plugs, 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced, for better versatility.
The shells themselves are beautifully made of resin with a smooth, glossy finish and metal nozzles. At the back, there’s a small vent hole for pressure release. Kiwi Ears also included two spare pairs of metal nozzle grills, just in case.
As for the eartips, there are three standard sets (S, M, L) in white+blue silicone. Unfortunately, I don’t like these stock tips; they are just like all basic tips and have that annoying mold line that always irritates and feels scratchy in my ears.
Aside from that, there’s a small user manual. Honestly though, I’m fine with this minimalist approach, because I’d rather they focus on the quality of the IEMs themselves.
Overall, it’s a simple yet effective unboxing experience; it’s just that I would have loved to see some better eartips included.
Technical Specifications
Specs
- Drivers: 1 × 10 mm bioceramic dynamic driver + 6 balanced armature drivers (hybrid 7-driver setup)
- Frequency response: 10 Hz – 22 kHz
- Impedance: 23 Ω (±1 Ω)
- Sensitivity: 105 dB (±1 dB)
- THD: < 1% total harmonic distortion
- Connector: 0.78 mm 2-pin (detachable) interface
- Cable: 1.2 m detachable cable, braided (includes swappable 3.5 mm & 4.4 mm plugs for single ended or balanced)
- Weight: ~12 g per earpiece
- Shell material: 3D-printed resin body with metal nozzle
Build and Design
The Kiwi Ears Astral is solidly built with smooth, ergonomic 3D-printed resin shells and a metal nozzle. They come in two colors, blue or yellow, each with a glitter-like flakes effect and the Kiwi Ears logo, giving them a very attractive look, in my opinion. The fit is comfortable, not super bulky, but definitely large. They feel pretty secure in my ear, but after some time, it starts to hurt because of their bigger size, which pushes too hard on some parts of my ear.
Driver’s configuration
The Kiwi Ears Astral has a hybrid driver setup. It uses a 10 mm bioceramic dynamic driver to handle the bass, backed up by two sets of dual balanced armatures (four in total) for the mids, plus another dual BA tweeter for the highs. This whole setup, I guess, works in a three-way crossover, making sure each driver does exactly what it’s best at. The Astral isn’t easy to drive, and I found that it needs more power than a typical IEM to get loud.
Cable
The cable is pretty thick, silver with a blue/pinkish glow to it. It is a very good quality cable, but it is a bit stiff.
The connector is a modular, friction-fit one, and although I would have loved it to be a screw-down type, this one is also fine.
Sound Performance
Bass
The Astral’s bass immediately grabbed my attention because it’s deep, punchy, and impactful. On tracks like “Consumed” by The Haxan Cloak, the sub-bass goes low and rumbles with a lot of power, giving me that brain-shake vibration. Yet, despite the powerful bass response, the Astral maintains excellent control and precision. Let’s take, for example, “Taking Off” by Forest Swords, which highlights this perfectly, and it shows me how impressive the speed and the texture are. Each bass note feels distinct, defined, and never bloated or muddy, making it sound very dynamic and satisfying.
Mids
The midrange on the Astral is genuinely amazing. Vocals feel beautifully upfront, natural, and rich with texture. Patty Gurdy’s voice in “The Longing” or even in “Grieve No More” sounds amazing, with great clarity and emotion; her vocals stand out clearly, positioned perfectly in front of the instrumentation. The mids carry just the right amount of warmth—not overly thick, yet far from thin or sterile. Male and female voices alike sound realistic and well textured; all this makes the Astral excellent for vocal-centric music.
Highs
The treble performance is probably Astral’s standout point. It feels airy, detailed, and long extended without any harshness or sharpness. Steven Price’s track “Gravity” demonstrates this beautifully; the high-pitched vocals reach effortlessly high, lingering with a delicate, long-lasting decay thanks to Astral’s superb treble extension. There’s plenty of sparkle up top, and it just makes me smile when I hear, or shall I say, feel those very high notes. The treble is tuned so nicely that it can be really felt how it significantly contributes to the lifelike character of the Astral (because those very high notes are not really audible, they are felt, just like super low notes, which you can feel rather than hear).
Technicalities
When it comes to technical performance, the Astral performs in the top class for its price. Imaging, in particular, is fantastic. On Hans Zimmer’s “Retreat and Reveille,” I can easily pinpoint each instrument’s position and clearly sense and feel every little finger flick on the goblet drums. The sense of space and layering is very good, and it gives me a wide and precise soundstage. In terms of detail retrieval, the Astral feels crisp, precise, and clean, easily picking up micro-details. It really gives me both technical performance and an enjoyable, natural-sounding tonality. It can just be said that it sounds “right!” and that’s exactly what I look for in an all-rounder IEM.
Comparison
I have decided to compare the Astral to these sets because of the similar amount of drivers and because they sit at about the same price range. The Performer 7 is priced at around 240$, the Septet is priced at around 270$, and the QT-X can be found for around 350$.
Astral vs. AFUL Performer 7 (P7) ($239)
The first thing I notice is the overall similar sound signature, but the P7 leans to a bit darker and warmer presentation, while the Astral comes off cleaner and just a hair brighter up top. The Astral’s bass digs deeper and hits harder, but the P7’s low-end feels a touch quicker, with a faster response. Female vocals stand out more on the Astral, and I feel that they sit a step closer to me and sound slightly crisper, whereas the P7’s mids have that laid-back warmth. When it comes to detail, the Astral wins by a tiny bit; cymbal hits and tiny room echoes resolve with little more clarity. If you want a relaxed, easy listen, you can grab the P7, but for an all-rounder that still kicks, the Astral definitely has the edge.
Astral vs. Kiwi Ears Septet ($269)
The Septet is the brightest of the bunch. Thanks to its semi-open back (I guess…) and the more forward treble, it feels airier and gives a wider sense of space, but that extra treble energy can get a bit hot on certain tracks. The Astral counters with richer sub-bass and a more even overall balance, so nothing pokes out or feels thin. Pure detail in the top end? The Septet shows off a little more sparkle, but the Astral’s treble is smoother and easier overall. Comfort-wise, I find the smaller Septet shell to sit better in my ears, yet the Astral’s resin build seals the outer world much better once I pick the right tips. So if you want to have a good noise seal, the Septet isn’t for you because of their semi-open design.
Astral vs. Rose Technics QT-X ($340)
The QT-X is a pretty classy V-shape: boosted lows and highs, dipped mids. That means kick drums and synth bass lines jump out, but vocals can feel recessed—especially male voices. The Astral, following the newer Meta curve, keeps the mids forward and lifelike, so Patty Gurdy or any singer-songwriter track feels more “in the room”. Up top, the QT-X has plenty of detail but rolls off earlier, which is similarly following the Harman 2019 treble, so it lacks some air and longer decay. The Astral stays lively all the way up, giving extra shimmer and a longer tail on things like ride cymbals and high strings. If I want big fun and don’t mind recessed mids, the QT-X has it, but for a balanced presentation with better vocal presence, the Astral is the easy pick.
Conclusion
After a few solid weeks with the Astral, I keep coming back to one simple thought: this is Kiwi Ears hitting the Meta tuning amazingly. The hybrid driver crossover and tuning they achieved here, gives me the thump and texture that I want so much, and it never smothers things up. Vocals, instruments, and pretty much everything just cut straight through, crystal clear and full of emotion. Up top, the Astral stays lively and airy without ever being sibilant or harsh, so long sessions never feel fatiguing; it’s just that after some time, my ears start to hurt physically, but never because of the sound.
What really seals the deal for me is the balanced tuning. The Performer 7 is warmer, the Septet a touch brighter, and the QT-X more V-shaped, but the Astral is just right: punchy bass, lifelike vocals, crisp yet smooth treble, and very good technical performance for the price. Add the solid resin build and that thick and high-quality modular cable, and I find myself reaching for the Astral A LOT!
Is it perfect? No, those stock tips still itch like crazy, the cable could be a little less stiff, and the shells could have been smaller. But for 300 bucks, I’m getting an IEM that feels genuinely complete. If you’re after an all-rounder that really does it all, the Astral should be high on your shortlist.
Pros
- Balanced “Meta” tuning that just sounds right.
- Bass slams hard yet stays quick and textured.
- Vocals sit forward and lifelike, so singers never feel buried in the mix.
- Treble reaches high with lots of sparkle and detail.
- Great technicalities.
- Very solid and high-quality build.
- Thick, high-quality modular cable with both 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm plugs.
Cons
- Stock tips aren’t great.
- Cable looks great but feels a bit stiff and springy.
- Shells are pretty large, so it’s hard for me to wear them for a long time.
