Disclaimer: The Chorus is provided by Kiwi Ears for reviews. However, this review is 100% My Own Thoughts and experience with the product. Thank you Kiwi Ears for the opportunity to review your product.
Unboxing
The Chorus is a collaboration between Kiwi Ears and B_Media, a fellow audio reviewer. The unboxing experience is a bit on the minimalistic side as the Chorus comes with 2 types of eartips, the included cable, and the IEMs themselves. Honestly, I find the accessories and packaging could be better.
Design, Fit, and Comfort
The Chorus has a metallic faceplate and a resin body. The faceplate also has a gold filter. Fitment is on the smaller, shallower, and lighter side, making the Chorus quite a comfortable set.
Sound Impression
The first thing I notice with the Chorus is how big the midbass emphasis is. There's more to the story, though. Let's break it down.
Bass
The Bass and upper midrange presence stands out the most with the Chorus. I find the bass to be highly emphasized in the midbass region with a very slight bleed to the lower midrange, giving it a lush, warm presentation. I find the Chorus's dynamics to be a bit on the softer side, prioritizing weight over impact, making the Chorus a fun set to listen to.
Midrange
Given the midbass emphasis, it makes sense that the Chorus also pushes the upper midrange to keep the presentation from sounding muffled or congested. Vocals come through forward and clear, but some instruments are missing a bit of bite and texture. In certain tracks, the upper-midrange lift can introduce a touch of shoutiness, though it's far less intrusive than on other IEMs with similar or greater upper-midrange energy.
Treble
The treble response is what ultimately solidifies the Chorus as a warm-ish, midrange-forward IEM. While it is on the warmer side, the Chorus still has some sense of energy and bite, giving some electric guitars and cymbals on rock or metal tracks that exciting bite and accentuation. However, past that initial hits and extra bite of guitars, the Chorus is lacking that shimmer or extension towards the upper treble area.
On Megitsune (10 Babymetal Budokan)
The Chorus is somewhat satisfying with this particular song, my complaint is the lack of extra shimmer on past the cymbal hits and some shoutiness, plus occasional sibilance on Suzuka's vocals, but other than that, I find the Chorus tonally pleasant. The Vocal presentation is forward with some layering. However, neither imaging nor soundstage width is the best at this price.
On Falling Behind (A Night at The Symphony)
Presentation is still quite intimate with the song, however, due to Laufey's vocals being on the lower pitched side, the Shouty notes are not present with this particular song. Soundstage width is again quite on par in the price range.
Vs. NiceHCK Tears
The NiceHCK Tears has been my benchmark IEM under $50. When comparing the Tears with AET08 Eartips on Falling Behind, the Chorus presentation is a lot more intimate and a lot more energetic. Whether using the Chorus stock tips or the AET08, The Tears came across grander in the soundstaging presentation. The presentation feels like a live performance in a concert hall, which makes Laufey's vocals feel slightly less intimate when compared to the Chorus' presentation. I also found dynamics are slightly better with the Tears. I think, for my type of music and use case, the Tears might be the more versatile pick, while the Chorus suits the Pop and EDM genre better.
Vs. Kefine Klean SV
Costing around $20 more at the time of writing, the Kefine Klean SV is perhaps a little over budget, if you are looking for IEMs under $50. All I can give is how they compare to my ears.
Tonally, The Klean SV with Silver nozzle is noticeably a lot brighter compared to the Chorus. The SV comes across a lot more neutral balanced, while the Chorus has a much darker-warmer tuning. What is perhaps the same between the two is the vocal presentation as they are both vocal forward. As for the technical side of things, the SV comes with a lot better dynamics, staging, depth, and layering when compared to the Chorus.
TL;DR
The Chorus is a single dynamic driver, collaboration IEM from Kiwi Ears and B_Media. Costing around 39 dollars at the time of writing, I find the Chorus well suited for the Pop and EDM genre. Unboxing experience could be a lot better for the price. Tonally, it sounds warm with forward vocals, though it trades away some acoustic texture and upper-treble shimmer to achieve that relaxed vibe. Technicalities are average for the sub-$50 bracket, its fatigue-free comfort and lush tone make it a solid, fun daily driver if you aren't seeking analytical detail.
As for the ratings, I give the Chorus a C+ for Tonality and a B- for Technicalities.
Thank you so much Kiwi Ears for the opportunity to review the Chorus. Have you tried the Chorus, what do you think of them? Let me know in the comment section down below. Than...
