Studio Sound With Style At Just 70 USD?!

Kiwi Ears has been putting out bangers after bangers this year of 2025 and nothing seems to be stopping their creative, talented minds with successful releases of IEMs such as Airoso, Ètude, Septet and headphones such as Ardor, Aventus, they are a team that is full of enthusiasm. While being more well known in the IEM mastery, they have now decided to put the pedal on the metal in producing open back studio headphones, thus introducing the all new Kiwi Ears Altruva. It is poised to be a professional line up in their headphones department and it is beautifully crafted with wood and metals with a professional aesthetic all in a wallet friendly price of a mere 69.90 USD. While studio headphones are a different segment focusing more towards a desktop setup, how will the Altruva stand in this segment that is full of industry giants? We shall tackle the questions here.

Functions & Specifications

Before we start the review, here are the specifications and features of Kiwi Ears Altruva;

The Kiwi Ears Altruva can be purchased at their website as well as other platforms globally.

Kiwi Ears Altruva

Packaging & Accessories

Packaging here is pretty standard with a large paper box with their professional style of package design. Inside we are greeted with the headphones with vegan leather pads pre-installed and underneath then are the accessories like a 3 meters OFC cable, a 6.35mm adapter, an extra velour earpads and some paperworks. Straight to the point packaging with minimal wastage but an inclusion of a case will be a great deal but given the asking price, it is still a steal in my opinion.

Design

The design of the Altruva does stand out especially in this price range and they are indeed well designed with the real wooden frame alongside stainless steel parts with physical vapor deposition which is a thin coating using vaporization to enhance the properties of the metal for extra durability. The usage of plastic is minimal and they do feel robust but still able to be lightweight. The ear cups are able to rotate 180 degrees and no annoying squeaky sound is made when being fitted.

The Altruva is an open back, circum-aural (over-ears) concept that gives the dynamic drivers the maximum breathing room to provide a bigger, lifelike soundstage but in return, isolation is mediocre and sound leakage is imminent. Beneath the grills is their branding printed on a plate and the drivers aren’t visible through the grills. Open back isn’t a good headphone for travel although possible but the Altruva is designed to be a studio monitor and for a desktop setup. There is a rather small vents situated on the top side of the wooden frame and it is to remediate pressure build up in the earcups.

The headband is a suspension type that will accommodate small to large heads and they are comfortable with a perfect clamp force that isn’t too loose nor tight. The vegan leather headband is soft and being held together with 2 rather thin elastic bands. The thin elastic band does seem fragile and might be problematic in the long run but I hope it does last and hope that it is replaceable.

The earpads come in 2 types with the vegan leather pre-installed and they have small breathing holes within the inner parts. The second earpads are velour earpads that give a less isolation seal reducing the bass but increasing the soundstage marginally. Personally I do prefer the velour pads for their comfort and it is less stuffy. The earpads are easily removed by twisting the earcups and they have a bracket holding the earpads in place.

Now on to the heart of the Altruva which is driven by a large 50mm dynamic driver that is custom made to Kiwi Ears specifications. It has polyurethane and Polyetheretherketone (PU+PEEK) diaphragm with ultra pure copper rings alongside powerful neodymium magnets. The drivers placement isn’t angled but a normal straight facing drivers setup.

The Altruva is fitted with standard 3.5mm inputs on each cup and cable included here is a simple nylon braided cable in a 3 meters length which is too long for portable usage but there are plenty of 3rd party cables available. Only 3.5mm termination is available and they come with a screw on 6.35mm adapter.

Gears Used for Comparisons

FiiO Q7
Aune S7PRO
Moondrop MIAD01
Qudelix T71
7HZ Artemis39
Sennheiser HD800s
Sennheiser HD600
Kiwi Ears Ardor
Sony N3AP
Dunu Luna
Tigerism Dark Magician
Nf Acous NA20

Song List

Tone and Presentation

The sound shape of the Altruva is a neutral balanced signature with a bright tone and a dash of warmth in the mids. There isn’t any major emphasis on the whole frequency but they do mildly lean towards the upper midrange and high range which gives them a bright tonality. They are indeed wide sounding headphones that have superb accuracy with a crystal clear sound staying true to their studio quality claims. Technicalities here are great with a transparent sound that has a colourless sound while still able to sound lively and these headphones have a mild clinical sound suitable for monitoring or critical listening.

Soundstage

The soundstage of the Altruva is one of their main strengths as expected of fully open back headphones and they are a well tuned dynamic that gives a 3D holographic, accurate sound with a large headroom. Soundstage here is wide and gives an out of head sound experience with great height as well but does lack intimacy like with closed headphones. Though being an open back, they are still able to give a decent immersive sound that has an adequate overall body that doesn’t sound thin and lifeless. Air here is great with good extension both ends of the frequencies especially on the high range and this gives a more natural sound reproduction alongside a livelier vocals. Soundstage here is highly competitive and might give competition a run for their money.

Separation and Timbre

Separation of the Altruva is average but still good as they are able to have a great left to right separation with no crosstalk issues and possessing a wide frequency range with great extensions. Separation can be improved with balanced mode and gives a wider sound overall. Cohesion isn’t an issue as they are well tuned single dynamic drivers and no gaps or hollowness is present in any way. Timbre here is breathy, brassy and they are lively, sharp with a shimmering sound quality suitable for instruments and vocals alike.

Drivability

Rated at 32 ohms with 98 db sensitivity, they do need some power to sound their best and they demand some power to sound their best with adequate volume. A simple dongle might not do justice for them as dynamics are suppressed and volume is barely enough. The scalability is actually great and a better, powerful source will make the Altruva sing. They are a revealing type of headphones as they will in some way show minor flaws in badly mastered tracks and compressions in some source like bluetooth typical of a studio grade headphones as they are suitable for monitoring. Their slightly low sensitivity does make the Altruva not prone to picking up hiss or noise and they do have a good black background which also contributes to their wide soundstage.

The Bass (Low)

Bass here is a neutral flat with a correct amount of bass that is clean and accurate. The overall bass response is flat but still capable of delivering a thumpy bass that has a good amount of energy especially when driven properly. Details here are good with great clarity that gives a bass that isn’t muddy and overpowering or possesses any bleed. The bass has a good texture and body while able to resolve competently. Overall bass transparency is superb as the bass here doesn’t alter much of the original state of the recording. Bassheads may be left wanting more thump but purists will enjoy these types of clean, accurate bass where quality is above quantity. The Altruva here do lack an immersive feel as for the absence of a mid bass lift. Sub-bass here has a good amount of rumble and they have the ability to perform when called upon. The sub-bass here has decent depth and has great extension that gives the overall bass an airy presentation.

The Mids

The midrange here is also a neutral signature with a balanced approach that doesn’t emphasize majorly on any frequencies but they tend to slightly lean towards the upper mids to give extra brilliance to the overall. The mids here do have some warmth to them to prevent the Altruva from sounding too sterile. The body of the mids is a tad thin and with some source, they tend to lack in depth. Details here are good with the ability to give clean, clear macro details alongside decent micro details. Resolution here is vivid with a very minor addition of colour that gives some lushness to the music without any alteration in the naturalness of the music. The Altruva performs great with vocals especially female vocals as they are sweet, lush with a good amount of brilliance while male vocals sounded clean and clear but they do lack in depth marginally. Instruments are accurate and they are able to present most instruments, but not so much on lower notes types.

The Highs

The high frequency is neutral with a healthy peak at the 8 to 10 kHz that gives a good bite and energy to the overall presentation of the Altruva. Details here are superb and they are able to reproduce the highs with a clean, sparkly and a mild crisp highs. The highs here are actually tuned very well as they are able to extend well and sound natural with a spot on timbre that gives an accurate reproduction of the high range. Energy here is good with a fast pace that suits a wide range of genres including metal genre. Though the highs being very present here, they aren’t sibilant nor harsh but for those who seek a more laid-back style of highs, the Altruva might be a tad too energetic in this region. Treble here has a mild intensity to give a clear and lively overall sound without being too piercy or aggressive. High range resolve well with decent transparency that gives a natural and accurate overall high range.

Comparisons

VS FiiO FT1

The entry level closed back headphones from the giants, FiiO and they are one of the best value versus performance headphones of the year. They have a robust, beautiful wood cup built that comes full package with extra 4.4mm cable and a carrying case as well. The FT1 has a slightly bigger dynamic driver at 60mm and tuned more towards the mainstream meta tuning with a bass focused, warm, smooth sound signature suitable for travels. Build quality on both are premium but the FT1 does feel more robust and can withstand rough usage more but the FT1 does cost twice the price of the Altruva though.

The high region on the Altruva has a bigger amount with a livelier sound versus the more laid-back, smooth style of the FT1. Details and clarity here sounded better on the Altruva with a cleaner, accurate high range. The extension on both is great but with the open back style of the Altruva, they are airier. Male vocals do sound deeper with the FT1 while the Altruva shines on female vocals.

Midrange on the FT1 is thicker and warmer with more coloration sound that gives a lusher sound but in return, they lack transparency and accuracy that is present on the Altruva. Details on both are similar but clarity and spaciousness on the Altruva is better. The FT1 had better intimacy and sweeter while the Altruva had a livelier brilliance in the upper midrange.

Bass amount on the FT1 has the bigger amount with more mid-bass lift that is visceral and thumpy but with certain source, they are a tad bloated with minor bleed. Details on the Altruva bass are better and they are able to give a more textured bass with a tighter, cleaner slam. Sub-bass amounts on both are similar but the FT1 dives deeper with a more evident slam.

Soundstage on the Altruva is wider, taller and airier as expected for open back headphones versus the closed back headphones of the FT1.

My pick: Altruva for home usage, FT1 for travels

Sennheiser HD600

The legendary HD600 needs no introduction. They are a neutral bright sound that has superb technicalities and is revered by countless audiophiles around the globe. They are still priced more or less the same, coming in around 350 USD which is more than 5 times the price of the Altruva. Both of these headphones have a similar tone and presentation with a bright neutral signature that is suited for studio usage but the overall sound refinements are better on the HD600. Build does look more premium on the Altruva but the HD600 feels more robust.

Bass on the HD600 is more organic with a slightly stronger mid-bass and they are tighter in the slam. Details on both are similar here but clarity does sound clearer on the Altruva in a small margin. Bass seems to extend better on the HD600 with more air. Bass sounded more accurate on the Altruva but livelier on the HD600. Sub-bass on both are similar in amount and quality.

Midrange body on both is similar with a slightly thin mids but the HD600 does sound a little more forward and intimate. Details are better on the HD600 while clarity on both is on par with each other. HD600 does resolve more vividly but transparency seems to be better on Altruva with more accuracy. Vocals on Altruva have better brilliance for the upper mids lift.

Highs on both are very similar in the presentation with neutral, slightly boosted highs that have great presence while being smooth and inoffensive. Sparkle on the HD600 does sound smoother with a crisper decay. The Altruva does have a slightly brighter signature with better extension.

Soundstage on the HD600 does sound wider and higher marginally

My pick: Sennheiser HD600 but the value on the Altruva is better.

Synergy

Synergy wise for the Altruva leans towards warm sources and they work well with tube amplifiers as well as balanced amplifiers. They are easy to match but I do lean towards warm sources like AKM based DAC with neutral warm amplifiers. The  Altruva do demand some power to release their full potential although it is easy for them to reach ample loudness. I do find them to be better suited for balanced output as it increases the separation to sound wider while still being accurate. Basic portable sources might not suit them well but some powerful, portable sources like FiiO Q7, Qudelix T71 will give them sufficient power to sound good.

Who Is It For?

The Altruva is a recommended product for beginner audiophiles and producers/mixers that want or need an accurate sounding headphone that excels in reproducing music just as intended without any major altercation. Technicalities here are superb for the price and they are capable sounding headphones when driven properly and will punch above their asking price. These aren’t the headphones for bassheads as they have a rather flat overall bass but for purists that put accuracy above all. The Altruva is also a decent headphone for movies and gaming but they do lack immersiveness. They aren’t really suited for travels as their open back will decrease isolation and sound leaks are apparent.

Genres recommended are all types of acoustics, pop, rock, metal, classicals but not so much for EDM, modern pop and bass heavy tracks.

Final words

The team of Kiwi Ears has certainly produced a value banger here with just 70 USD, they are able to give a studio sound that has a handsome look. The included extra ear pads are an extra value and they give users to choose the fit that suits them. Soundwise they are actually very competent with their neutral overall sound that is accurate and natural, suited for monitoring purposes that audiophiles are fond of. On the other hand, they aren’t a pair that is highly musical and the flat bass will deter bassheads but the technicalities here are above their asking price. The Build is solid and the wood looks premium but the suspension does give me jitters as they are thin with only 2 elastic strings holding them up. All being said, the value of these headphones is awesome and something that I would certainly recommend for audiophiles be it beginners or seasoned ones.

I would rate this product 4 and a half stars over 5.Great sound quality value

Pros

• Good built with stainless steel and wood parts
• Lightweight with great comfort
• Well tuned neutral headphones
• Natural timbre
• Wide frequency range that has great air
• Well balanced in tone and sound
• Great technicalities with superb clarity and details
• Great transparency and resolution
• Accurate bass that has the presence
• Neutral, clean midrange
• Energetic high range that is clean and sparkly
• Wide soundstage
• Amazing value
• 2 types of ear pads includedwith amplification

Cons

• Not for treble sensitive users
• Not for bassheads
• Lean bass, lack immersion
• Mid range is a little thin towards the lower region
• Cable is long but replaceable (subjective)
• Not for outdoor usage for the open back design
• No balanced cable choice (nit-pick)
• Thin elastic bands holding the headband
• Relatively hard to drive