Short answer: the KZ Vader. It ranks #143 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 4.4/5, at $34.99; the Kiwi Ears Cadenza ranks #217, rated 4.3/5, at $34.99. The price gap is small enough that the sound-quality ranking should decide it.
The case for the KZ Vader: The median of 3 hobbyist measurements gives it a very good Harman preference score of 79 with a 1.48 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.9 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The catch: A 6.6 dB peak near 8.2 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp.
Why pick the Kiwi Ears Cadenza: The median of 42 hobbyist measurements gives it a very good Harman preference score of 77 with a 1.53 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The catch: A 5.3 dB peak near 11.9 kHz can make cymbals and sibilance sound sharp.
Buy the KZ Vader. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Kiwi Ears Cadenza at the same price, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
The median of 3 hobbyist measurements gives it a very good Harman preference score of 79 with a 1.48 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.9 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Linsoul $34.99 eBay
The median of 42 hobbyist measurements gives it a very good Harman preference score of 77 with a 1.53 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Amazon $34.99 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
| KZ Vader | Kiwi Ears Cadenza | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $34.99 | $34.99 |
| Ranked | #143 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #217 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 79 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 77 (median of 42 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.48 dB standard deviation | 1.53 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | +0.44 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.56 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-2.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.7 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Drivers | 3 x dynamic | 1 x 10mm dynamic |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Impedance | - | 32 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 110 dB SPL/mW |
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 KZ Vader from boizoff, jacstone and obodio; the Kiwi Ears Cadenza from achoreviews, aden, aftersound, ankramutt, arn, atechreviews, audioamigo, bakkwatan, bedrock, cammyfi, dchpgall, dvewlsh, elrics, flare, gadgetrytech, hadoe, harpo, hbb, hobbytalk, iemworld, jaytiss, joshtbvo, joycesreview, lumerion, melatonin, mmagtech, musicafe, nymz, practiphile, precog, pw, ragnarok, recode, soundcheck39, superreview, suporsalad, theaudiostore, timmyv, tonedeafmonk, treblewellxtended, vortexreviews and vsg, all via squig.link.
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