Kiwi Ears Ardor

A Budget ANC Headphone with Audiophile Ambitions

Kiwi Ears has made a name for itself with high-quality IEMs, but in recent months they are bringing that expertise to the headphone market and now specifically in the ANC Headphone market with the Kiwi Ears Ardor.

Priced at $99, the Ardor is positioned to compete with other pragmatically priced “Audiophile friendly” ANC headphones in that sub $200 range, such as the Final Audio UX3000 or the Sennheiser Accentum Series, by focusing on great sound quality out of the box rather than the typical bloated bass that most ANC headphones provide.

Featuring a dual-driver setup it seems like Kiwi Ears are bringing some of that IEM knowledge of multiple driver configurations and crossovers to the headphone market.

So, having spent a few weeks with the Ardor, using it both indoors, but mainly I used it in various noisy environments, walking around a noisy city center, in a coworking environment and on public transport to get proper idea of the quality of this headphone.

So were Kiwi ears successful in creating an audiophile friendly ANC Headphone?

But before we get into the sound quality lets start with the unboxing experience:

Unboxing and Build Quality

The Ardor comes in nice clean packaging, with all the essentials included:

Here is the back of the box:

But it was a nice surprise to see an excellent carrying case at this price point:

Everything is stored inside the carry case:

I do like the look of the back “plate” on each ear cup - more premium texture that what is typical in the price range:

Here are the complete contents:

• The headphones themselves
• A USB-C charging cable
• A 3.5mm audio cable (for wired listening)
• An excellent quality carry case

Design and Comfort

One of the standout aspects of the Ardor is its comfort. Specifically when compared to competitors like the Final Audio UX3000, the larger earcups on the Ardor provide a more spacious fit, making it an excellent choice for long listening sessions.

Here are some measurements:

Specifically here is the Ardor compared to the UX3000 (Ardor on the right)

• you can hopefully see it is a larger and therefore for me much more comfortable:

The headband is also well-padded:

And the overall weight distribution ensures that clamping force is gentle yet secure unlike say the Sennheiser Accentum Plus which was very stiff and had very high clamping force.

Some comparisons

To give an idea of the comparative size the ear cups here are 2 photos of the Ardor with my Final Audio UX3000 (on the left) and my Sennheiser Accentum Plus on the right:

And just comparing it with the much more expensive Sennheiser Accentum Plus:

Finally, here are 2 more comparisons with more “consumer” orientated ANC headphones a Soundcore Q30 and an Earfun Wave Pro:

Features

Lets drilldown into the feature set:

Physical Controls

The physical controls are straightforward and easy to use, with tactile buttons for volume control, playback, and ANC modes:

I liked the layout specifically as the ANC button was on it own on the left ear cup and therefore difficult to confuse with volume and power buttons. While the Ardor does not have “touch controls” like more expensive Sennheiser Accentum Plus it is arguable more usuable as touch controls can cause some problems.

But there is no companion app, meaning sound adjustments are limited to what’s built-in and no way of adjusting say the ANC levels that has now become common place on ANC headphones. That said as you will see Kiwi Ears has tuned the headphones well out of the box to compensate for this limitation, so compared to “consumer” ANC headphones like for example the Soundcore Q30 above there really is mostly no need to reach for an EQ within a companion App to get some decent audio.

Coaxial Dual-Driver System

The Ardor’s coaxial dual-driver setup is possible one of its unique features. Unlike most ANC headphones that rely on a single driver, the Ardor combines a 40mm driver for deep bass and mids with a dedicated 10mm driver to enhance treble clarity and soundstage width. This type of setup is very typical in IEM’s, and it is a welcome innovation to see this type of dual driver setup on ANC headphones, whether it provides the same benefit it can with the typically tiny drivers in IEM’s is debatable, but let’s get into my sound impressions and the ultimately some measurements.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

The Ardor features a custom hybrid ANC system with a 5-microphone array, reducing ambient noise by up to **35dB ** for a flawless listening experience. Compared to the Final Audio UX3000, ANC performance is noticeably stronger, particularly in low-frequency noise reduction.

But again the lack of a companion app means there’s no way to adjust ANC levels for different conditions like Wind ANC, which some even cheaper ANC headphone models offer, for example the Earfun Wave Pro. Despite this, for a sub-$100 ANC headphone, the noise cancellation is impressive and makes a significant difference in blocking out everyday noise. I found the ANC to be as effectvely as the $200 Sennheiser Accentum Plus but not as good as the state of the art ANC that my Apple Airpods Max provide.

Exceptional Battery Life

The Ardor offers up to 140 hours of playback with ANC off and 72 hours with ANC on, making it one of the longest-lasting ANC headphones at any price point. A quick 10-minute charge provides 8 hours of playback, making it perfect for users on the go. I mainly used this Ardor with ANC enabled (I have lots of other headphones to listen to in quieter environments) but I never felt the need to charge the Ardor even after a few days usage.

USB & Wired Support

For those who prefer wired listening, the Ardor supports USB playback with its built-in DAC/AMP chipset, allowing for high-resolution music playback across Apple, Android, and Windows devices.

The inclusion of a 3.5mm jack further extends its versatility, but I did find some issues with the sound when just using the 3.5mm jack which I will demonstrate later with the measurements, basically the bass rolle off much earlier when using the 3.5mm jack.

Sound Impressions

The tuning is clearly aimed at audiophiles who prefer natural tonality and clarity over excessive bass boosts the bass is nicely ended into the sub-bass, but I did not get any mid-bass bloat which is typical of cheaper ANC headphones. The midrange was excellent but the treble has some unevenness and possible this is related to the dual driver setup but let’s get into the details

Bass

The bass performance is well-controlled with a tight and punchy low-end response. It avoids the overblown, muddy bass that plagues many budget ANC headphones, offering a more refined and articulate bassline instead. Sub-bass reaches deep but never overwhelms the midrange.

Mids

The midrange is natural and full-bodied, making vocals and instruments sound clear and lifelike. Whether listening to acoustic music, vocals, or orchestral pieces, the mids remain coherent and detailed. Compared to the Final Audio UX3000, the Ardor has a slightly warmer midrange with more emphasis on clarity and separation.

Treble

This is where the Ardor has a slight drawback. While the treble is definitely airy and detailed, there was
some noticeable sibilance on some tracks for me as high frequencies were a bit harsh at times. This would benefit from EQ adjustments, but since there is no app, users will need to rely on external EQ solutions. That being said, it still outperforms most sub-$ 100 ANC headphones in clarity and extension.

Specifications and Measurements

Key specifications are the exceptional battery life. Unfortunately, even though the specifications mentions AptX I found on my Android DAP that I could only activate SBC or AAC:

Measurements

Note: The following measurements were taken with my KB501X soft ear Pinna and a 711 clone coupler. They are available on my measurement database here.

Frequency Response

Let’s start with a look at the frequency response within the boundary and other than that treble peak I mentioned you see an exceptional tuning:

It compares well even against the FiiO FT1:

So, I added 2 talking points to this graph:

1. The sub-bass boost - which is very typical of ANC headphones and as ANC headphones are mainly used in noisy environments a little sub-bass boost is welcome
2. Treble peak - this was the one area that is problematic with the Ardor sound profile as it was not just a measurements artifact as I could hear some sibiliance in some tracks, and it showed up while doing a “sweep” in that area.

With some very simple EQ that region can easily be reduced - but treble “peaks” in that area need personalised / manual EQ rather than just using a graph like the one above as it will be different on your head, and it may not be an audible on your head. It also will be interesting to see how it measures on a BK-5128 as this area can change dramatically with different measurements rigs.

I also noticed that moving the headphone forward on the measurement rig caused a different FR where that treble peak disappeared:

I noticed that the Ardor took to wearing glasses (even thick framed ones) very well:

ANC on and off only subtly changed the Frequency response:

And the USB and ANC performance was similar but the analog input one seems poor as if one of the dual drivers was not configured correctly via analog:

Here is a comparison of the Ardor with some other ANC headphones I mentioned earlier in the review:

Overall I thought it does very well against these headphones, the Ardor is the cheapest headphone on this graph.

Finally, here it with the 2 other Kiwi ears headphones I have recently reviewed.

And you can see of these 3 headphones it stays well within the preference bounds for most of the frequency response:

Distortion

Distortion levels are well within acceptable ranges:

And as a percentage:

Rating

I am giving the Kiwi Ears Ardor a 4.5-star pragmatic rating because it provides excellent sound quality, decent ANC, and great comfort at a budget-friendly price. The lack of a companion App for updates, ANC configuration and to provide some basic EQ specifically for that treble peak means I cannot give it a full 5-star rating, but it was close as it still outperforms most other sub-$100 ANC headphones and competes very well in sub-$200 ANC headphone market.

Conclusion

The Kiwi Ears Ardor is an impressive first entry into the ANC headphone space, bringing Kiwi Ears’ IEM expertise into a wireless format. With a decent sound profile, strong ANC, and excellent codec support, it’s one of the best budget ANC headphones for audiophiles. While the lack of an EQ app limits customization for those who like to customise things but the out-of-the-box tuning is well-executed, making it a fantastic value at $99.