The Kiwi Ears x Z Reviews Serene ranks #12 out of 512 total Over-Ear Headphones for sound quality. See all Headphones rankings for every top pick.
Brand: Kiwi Ears
Prices on this page were last checked October 20, 2026 at 10:35 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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#12 Kiwi Ears x Z Reviews Serene: $111.30 Amazon $159.00 Linsoul $111.30 eBay
Pros: A closed-back planar magnetic headphone at about $111 with a preference score of 92, measured by two reviewers. Upper bass through the presence region stays within about 0.7 dB of target, so voices and instruments sound natural, and it weighs a light 235 g.
Cons: Sub bass is about 5.3 dB below target, so the deepest bass lacks rumble, and a 6.4 dB dip near 9.2 kHz followed by a 4.9 dB peak near 11.2 kHz makes the treble uneven. At 50 ohms and 102 dB it wants a little more power than a phone gives.
Is the Kiwi Ears x Z Reviews Serene right for you?
Buy it if
- you want the tuning most listeners prefer in blind tests out of the box (Harman score 92).
Skip it if
- you want more bass (about 3 dB below target).
| Released | Nov 2025 (11 months ago) |
|---|---|
| Back | Closed |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Connection | Wired |
| Deviation From Target | 1.87 dB standard deviation |
| Driver Type | Planar magnetic |
| Drivers | 1 x 72mm x 89mm planar magnetic |
| Form Factor | Over-ear |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Harman Preference Score | 92 (average of 2 squig.link measurements scored separately, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Impedance | 50 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 102 dB (at 1kHz, 0.179 V) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-5.6 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.02 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Weight | 0.5 lbs (235 g) |
EQ Presets
Neutral target
Set a preamp of -2.3 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Neutral match with this EQ: 90 out of 100, up from 80.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | -1.4 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | -6.0 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 174 Hz | -1.7 dB | 0.68 |
| Peak | 3,343 Hz | -2.9 dB | 5.58 |
| Peak | 5,351 Hz | +1.8 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 7,171 Hz | +2.0 dB | 1.60 |
Studio flat target
Set a preamp of -3.4 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Studio flat match with this EQ: 85 out of 100, up from 48.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | -3.3 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | +0.7 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 203 Hz | -3.6 dB | 0.64 |
| Peak | 388 Hz | -1.2 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 838 Hz | -1.4 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 2,227 Hz | +3.4 dB | 1.69 |
| Peak | 3,428 Hz | -1.9 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 5,932 Hz | +1.6 dB | 2.30 |
Warm target
Set a preamp of -4.7 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Warm match with this EQ: 97 out of 100, up from 84.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +4.6 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | -6.0 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 174 Hz | -1.6 dB | 0.97 |
| Peak | 3,403 Hz | -3.9 dB | 2.62 |
Bass target
Set a preamp of -6.1 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bass match with this EQ: 93 out of 100, up from 75.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +6.0 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | -6.0 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 205 Hz | -1.8 dB | 1.74 |
| Peak | 3,343 Hz | -2.9 dB | 5.57 |
| Peak | 5,351 Hz | +1.8 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 7,174 Hz | +2.0 dB | 1.60 |
Bright target
Set a preamp of -5.5 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted Bright match with this EQ: 79 out of 100, up from 57.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | -1.4 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | -2.5 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 174 Hz | -1.7 dB | 0.64 |
| Peak | 3,313 Hz | -1.7 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 5,504 Hz | +5.6 dB | 2.74 |
| Peak | 8,000 Hz | +2.0 dB | 5.61 |
V-shaped target
Set a preamp of -6.2 dB, then add these filters in any parametric equalizer (Wavelet, Equalizer APO, Peace, or a player with parametric EQ). Calculated by Speaker Ranking from the average of 2 independent measurements from squig.link, in the filter layout AutoEQ uses. Predicted V-shaped match with this EQ: 75 out of 100, up from 73.
| Filter | Frequency | Gain | Q |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low shelf | 105 Hz | +6.0 dB | 0.70 |
| High shelf | 10,000 Hz | -1.1 dB | 0.70 |
| Peak | 87 Hz | +1.8 dB | 1.87 |
| Peak | 837 Hz | -1.6 dB | 6.00 |
| Peak | 5,453 Hz | +6.0 dB | 2.55 |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
Frequency Response
How the Kiwi Ears x Z Reviews Serene measures across the audible range, against the Harman over-ear target that most listeners prefer in blind tests. Where the line sits above the target that range sounds louder (more bass, brighter treble), below it quieter. The curve is the average of 2 independent measurements, and both lines are shifted so their 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB.
Measurement data: the average of 2 independent measurements from the squig.link databases of dl and sai. Thanks to each of them for publishing their work.