Short answer: the Sony WF-1000XM6. Both are rated 4.5/5 for sound quality (#104 and #100 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the Sony WF-1000XM6 costs $328 against $349 for the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
What the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II does well: Seventeen hobbyist measurements on squig.link give its ten balanced armature drivers a preference score of 80.0, with bass, low mids and upper mids all within about 0.6 dB of target. The catch: Presence and treble both sit roughly 3.5 dB below target with a 5.1 dB dip near 7.1 kHz, so attacks on piano and percussion can sound softened.
Why pick the Sony WF-1000XM6: These true wireless earbuds score 79.6 for preference in the median of 4 squig.link measurements, with a 1.37 dB deviation that tracks the target closely. Watch for: Presence from 3 to 6 kHz runs about 2.3 dB low and a 3.6 dB dip near 10.9 kHz trims air, so vocals and cymbals sound slightly reserved.
Buy the Sony WF-1000XM6. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $21 less than the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
Seventeen hobbyist measurements on squig.link give its ten balanced armature drivers a preference score of 80.0, with bass, low mids and upper mids all within about 0.6 dB of target.
Amazon $349.00 eBay
These true wireless earbuds score 79.6 for preference in the median of 4 squig.link measurements, with a 1.37 dB deviation that tracks the target closely.
Amazon $328.00 Lowest Sony $329.99 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 Orchestra II | Sony WF-1000XM6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $349.00 | $328.00 |
| Ranked | #100 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #104 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 80 (median of 19 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 80 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.38 dB standard deviation | 1.37 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.39 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.06 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.9 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.6 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | True wireless |
| Driver Type | Balanced armature | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 10 x balanced armature | 1 x 8.4mm dynamic |
| Impedance | 15 ohms | - |
| Sensitivity | 110 dB SPL/mW | - |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | No | Yes |
| Weight | - | 0 lbs (6.5 g) per earbud |
| Active Noise Cancelling | - | Yes |
| Battery Life | - | 8 hours (24 with case, Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.3 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| IP Rating | - | IPX4 |
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 Orchestra II from aden, aftersound, atechreviews, audioamigo, bassaudio, bedrock, bloomaudio, boizoff, cqtek, dl, ducbloke, enemyspider, hbb, hobbytalk, iemocean, jaytiss, joycesreview, koi, lestat, listener, practiphile, pw, sai, silicagel, sl0the, soundcheck39, soundignity, superreview and timmyv; the Sony WF-1000XM6 from boizoff, dhrme, fernandagunsan and hbb, all via squig.link.
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