Short answer: the Kiwi Ears Etude. It ranks #574 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.8/5, at $119; the NF Acous NM20 ranks #649, rated 3.7/5, at $119. The price gap is small enough that the sound-quality ranking should decide it.
The case for the Kiwi Ears Etude: The median of 17 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 71 with a 2.05 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The tradeoff: Presence sits about 4.7 dB low with a 5.8 dB dip near 4.0 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Why pick the NF Acous NM20: The median of 10 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 70 with a 2.19 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.8 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The tradeoff: An 11.6 dB peak near 11.5 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp.
Buy the Kiwi Ears Etude. It is rated higher for sound quality than the NF Acous NM20 at the same price, which makes it the one to get unless you need something the other one does better.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
The median of 17 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 71 with a 2.05 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Linsoul $119 eBay
The median of 10 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 70 with a 2.19 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.8 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Amazon $119.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Kiwi Ears Etude | NF Acous NM20 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $119 | $119.00 |
| Ranked | #574 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #649 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Tribrid | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 3 x balanced armature + 1 x vibration transducer | 1 x beryllium-plated dynamic |
| Impedance | 5 ohms | 32 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 104 dB/mW | - |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 40kHz |
| Harman Preference Score | 71 (median of 17 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 70 (median of 10 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.05 dB standard deviation | 2.19 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.66 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | +0.22 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.1 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Kiwi Ears Etude from aden, aftersound, arn, atechreviews, audioamigo, avishai, bassaudio, fahryst, flare, hadoe, hbb, jaytiss, joycesreview, lumerion, silicagel, soundcheck39 and tonedeafmonk; the NF Acous NM20 from arn, cqtek, hu-fi, joycesreview, koi, musicafe, obodio, pw, soundcheck39, suporsalad, tonedeafmonk and treblewellxtended, all via squig.link.
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