Short answer: the Kiwi Ears Melody. It ranks #912 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.3/5, at $9; the ZHULINNIAO JINGHONG ranks #1037, rated 3.1/5, at $9. With prices this close, go by the sound-quality ranking rather than the cost.
Why pick the Kiwi Ears Melody: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: An uneven response, 2.4 dB standard deviation from target.
Why pick the ZHULINNIAO JINGHONG: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. Watch for: Treble about 2 dB above target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound sharp or tiring at higher volume.
Buy the Kiwi Ears Melody. It is rated higher for sound quality than the ZHULINNIAO JINGHONG 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.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 66 against the Harman target.
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A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Kiwi Ears Melody | ZHULINNIAO JINGHONG | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 9.00 | 9.00 |
| Ranked | #912 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1037 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 66 (median of 17 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 63 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.39 dB standard deviation | 2.93 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.81 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | +0.53 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.3 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-3.9 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Driver Type | Planar | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 1 x 12mm planar magnetic driver | 2 x dynamic driver (1 x 10mm bamboo fiber & silk suspension diaphragm + 1 x 6mm PU+PEEK composite diaphragm) |
| Impedance | 18 ohms | 32 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB | 105 dB/mW |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 40kHz | 20Hz - 20kHz |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
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 Melody from audioamigo, bassyalexander, boizoff, cqtek, hbb, ianfann, jaytiss, kazi, kuping-sensi, mmagtech, musicafe, practiphile, pw, soundcheck39, tonedeafmonk, vortexreviews and vsg; the ZHULINNIAO JINGHONG from aftersound, hobbytalk, ianfann and pw, all via squig.link.
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