Disclaimer
Hello everyone! Before we dive in, I want to be clear and let you know that Kiwi Ears sent me the Belle so I could spend time with it, listen properly, and share my thoughts. I’m not being paid for this review, and Kiwi Ears hasn’t told me what to say, asked to see my review before posting, or given me any deadlines.
Table Of Content
Everything you’ll read here is based fully on my own experience with the Belle. I always try to stay fair and objective, but at the end of the day, this is still my personal opinion. We all judge things differently, and those differences are part of what makes this hobby so enjoyable.
Big thanks to Kiwi Ears for giving me the opportunity to review the Belle, and of course, a huge thank you to you for taking the time to read and support my work. It truly means a lot to me!
Introduction
Kiwi Ears has been releasing many great products lately, and it honestly feels like they are also putting a lot of thought into their products. Over the last period, I’ve reviewed the Aether, Septet, Astral, and, not too long ago, the Orchestra II. Each one of these IEMs felt different, with its own sound and unique thing about it, and that’s something I really like about Kiwi Ears. They don’t just recycle the same tuning or build over and over. Every release feels like it’s trying to do its own thing.
Today, though, we are going in a much simpler and budget friendly direction. This time I’m reviewing the Kiwi Ears Belle, their new entry level single dynamic driver IEM, priced at around 30$. Compared to their more complex models, the Belle is clearly aimed at people who just want a comfortable, easy to listen IEM without spending a lot of money.
Going into this, my expectations were realistic. At this price and with a single DD setup, I wasn’t expecting miracles, but I was very curious to see how Kiwi Ears can handle tuning for their budget IEMs. After spending some good time listening to the Belle, I think it’s time to share my thoughts and talk about all of its features.
Unboxing
The unboxing of the Kiwi Ears Belle is pretty straightforward, and honestly, that’s exactly what I expected at this price. The box is small and simple, with a picture of the IEMs on the front. It looks clean, like most Kiwi Ears boxes, and doesn’t feel cheap.
Opening the box, the Belle IEMs are sitting right there in a foam cutout, well protected and easy to take out. The shells look nice straight away, with a clean finish and good shape, and are definitely better than what I usually expect from a 30$ IEM.
Underneath are the accessories. The cable is soft, flexible, and doesn’t feel springy or tangly, and it behaves pretty nicely. It is a bit thin, but it doesn’t feel bad at all, and for the price, I actually think it’s a nice stock cable.
The real surprise for me, though, was the eartips. Kiwi Ears included black and white silicone tips, and the white ones are honestly some of the best stock tips I’ve ever gotten from them. They are very soft, the shape works really well for my ears, and most importantly, there is no line in the middle. That line drives me crazy because it always ends up itching my ears, so I was really happy to see it’s not here. I seriously hope Kiwi Ears starts including these exact white tips with all of their future IEMs. I always love to see more tip options in the box, different shapes or materials, because fit is very personal and more choice is always better, but the quality of these tips is genuinely excellent.
There is no carrying case included, but for 30$, I really don’t mind at all. I get it, it’s still 30$, and I much prefer getting a nice cable and great eartips instead. Overall, it’s a nice unboxing, and it left me with a very good first impression of the Belle.
Inside the Box:
- Kiwi Ears Belle IEM x 1 pair
- Eartips (S/M/L, black and transparent) × 6 pairs
- Type-C or 3.5mm cable x 1
- Warranty card x 1
- Wearing Diagram × 1
Technical Specifications
Specs
- Driver: 10 mm DLC dynamic driver
- Impedance: 32 Ω
- Sensitivity: 103 dB ±1 dB @ 1 kHz
- Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Connector: 0.78 mm 2 pin
- Shell Material: Resin shell with metal faceplate
- Available Versions and Pricing
- 3.5 mm single ended cable: 30 $
- 3.5 mm single ended cable with microphone: 32 $
- USB Type C cable with microphone: 34 $
- Color Options
- Transparent shell with silver faceplate
- Black shell with black faceplate
The unit I’m reviewing here is the black version with the regular 3.5 mm cable and no microphone.
Build Quality and Design
The first thing that I noticed when I took the Belle out of the box was how small they are. These are really tiny IEMs, and for me, that means comfort. The shells are lightweight and nicely shaped, and they sit very naturally in my ears without any pressure points. Even after long listening sessions, I never felt the need to take them out or readjust them.
The faceplates are made of metal, which gives the Belle a more premium feel than I expected at this price. They are still simple visually, but they don’t look or feel very cheap in any way.
The cable also deserves a mention. It’s soft, flexible, and behaves nicely when using it or just tossing the IEMs on a desk. It is a bit thin, but it never felt fragile or too gentle to me, and more importantly, it doesn’t tangle easily.
Driver and Technology
Inside the Belle there is a single 10 mm dynamic driver using a DLC diaphragm (Diamond Like Carbon drivers). While this is still a budget IEM, you can feel that the driver is well chosen and pretty well tuned for what Kiwi Ears wanted to achieve.
The tuning feels smooth and relaxed, with a focus on being easy to listen to for a long time. Treble stays controlled without sharp peaks, and the overall presentation is good. But of course I will talk more about it in the Sound Performance section.
Comfort and Long Listening Sessions
Comfort is honestly one of the Belle’s strongest points for me. The small size already helps a lot, but the stock eartips take it even further. The white tips in particular are excellent. They are very soft, seal well, and don’t have that annoying line in the center that causes itching for me. Because of that, I was able to listen for hours without any discomfort.
The combination of the small shells, great stock tips, and a cable that doesn’t fight you makes the Belle a great out of the box IEM, especially for long sessions. They just work extremely well for me.
Sound Performance
Bass
Starting with the bass, the Belle has a mostly well balanced bass, considering it’s a single DD. It’s not the cleanest or fastest bass I’ve heard, but I also need to be realistic here, this is a single dynamic driver IEM at 30$. For the price, it does its job quite well.
The bass has a nice sense of weight and gives music some punch, it’s just not the greatest, but also not the worst. There is a bit of warmth in the midbass, and in some tracks it can slightly bleed into the mids. In Normanni by Yutaka Yamada, I can clearly hear the bass pushing a bit on top of other elements, and yes, it does get a little muddy at times. That said, it never reached a point where it actually annoyed me. It’s noticeable for me but acceptable and honestly expected at this price point.
Overall, the bass gives a nice sense of oomph and body, and for casual listening, electronic music, and even soundtracks, it works pretty well.
Mids
The midrange is where I think the Belle does a surprisingly nice job. Vocals sound mostly clean and fairly detailed, especially considering the price. Even though the bass can sometimes push into the mids a bit, it doesn’t completely ruin the presentation.
In Guns for Hire by Woodkid, his voice sounds emotional and nicely forward. It has presence and weight and doesn’t feel thin. There are moments where the lower end adds a bit too much warmth, but it never completely smothers the vocals. Instead, it gives them a slightly thicker and more relaxed presentation.
For vocal focused tracks, acoustic music, and even some rock, I found the mids enjoyable.
Treble
The treble on the Belle is one of its stronger points for me. It’s very smooth and easygoing, with no sharp peaks. I didn’t experience any harshness or fatigue, even when listening at higher volumes or for a long time.
High pitched instruments sound clear and fairly detailed for this price range. In Guns for Hire, the instruments in the upper range come through nicely, with decent clarity and a sense of air. Extension is there, but it’s not pushed aggressively. Nothing sounds overly bright or piercing, and nothing feels completely muted either.
This is not a super sparkly or analytical treble, but it’s clean, controlled, and very easy on the ears.
Technicalities
Technically, the Belle performs better than I expected for a 30$ single DD IEM. The soundstage is not huge, but it’s not small either. There is a decent sense of space, and more importantly, imaging is actually quite good.
In The Highlands Combat by Jesper Kyd, the Belle does a nice job placing sounds around me. I can clearly hear elements moving, coming from different directions, and fading in and out of the stage. Imaging feels accurate enough to follow what’s happening, even if the overall stage size isn’t massive.
Layering is decent for the price, though when tracks get very busy, things can blend together a bit. Still, for casual listening, the Belle performs better than I expected.
Comparison
Kiwi Ears Belle vs TinHiFi C1
Both the Belle and the TinHiFi C1 sit at the same 30$ price point, and both are single dynamic driver IEMs. Comfort wise, they are both very good for me, but I have to give the edge to the Belle. The Belle’s stock cable behaves better, and the stock eartips, especially the white ones, are simply better and more comfortable for me.
Sound wise, the C1 definitely has stronger bass. In Pursuit by Gesaffelstein, the bass hits harder and feels more aggressive on the C1. If bass impact is your top priority, the C1 might appeal more to you.
In the treble, I find the Belle to be smoother overall. It feels more relaxed and just smoother compared to the C1.
When it comes to vocals, neither of them is perfect, which is totally expected at this price. In Everybody Walkin’ This Land by Home Free, the voices can sound a bit smudged on both IEMs compared to a good multi driver setup. But still, I think the Belle handles vocals slightly better, likely because its bass is less forward and doesn’t push as hard into the mids.
Overall, I feel like the Belle is the better tuned IEM of the two. It sounds more balanced, smoother, and I like it more for longer sessions, while the C1 focuses more on bass and overall energy.
Conclusion
So, after spending quite a bit of time with the Kiwi Ears Belle, I feel that this is a very well thought out entry level IEM. I think that Kiwi Ears really made something that is easy to enjoy, comfortable to wear, and good for long listening sessions.
The Belle isn’t perfect, and it doesn’t pretend to be. The bass can get a bit muddy at times and bleed into the mids, and technically it won’t compete with more expensive or multi driver IEMs. But when I keep the 30$ price in mind, it becomes much easier to accept and what matters more is that the tuning is smooth and the overall sound is enjoyable.
Comfort is honestly one of the biggest highlights for me. The small shells, the great fit, the nicely behaving cable, and especially those excellent white stock eartips made the Belle very easy to wear for hours without any discomfort. That’s something I value a lot, because if it’s not comfortable, the sounds don’t matter.
In the end, the Kiwi Ears Belle feels like a safe recommendation in the 30$ range. So if you are looking for an affordable IEM that you can just put in your ears and enjoy without thinking too much about it, the Belle makes sense for me.
Pros
- Very comfortable fit
- Excellent stock eartips
- Balanced overall tuning
- Good overall technicalities
- Soft, flexible cable that behaves well
Cons
- Bass can get a bit muddy and bleed into mids
- Not the most detailed technically
- No carrying case included
Where to buy:(Non-affiliated! None of my reviews use affiliated links!)
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