Kiwi Ears Altruva Headphones Review
Summary: Overall, it's not just a solid contender for office headphones, everyday use, or gifting to someone who could use a good set. They’re a sleeper pick.
4.2
Sleeper Pick!
In the cut-throat business of headphones for audiophiles, it tends to be an all-or-nothing game. Either you’re rocking the vintage walkman headphones with the orange foam, or you’re in Sennheiser eight-hundred-thousands. All I’m saying is, Kiwi Ears’ Altruvas fit nicely in the middle. Solid, stylish, more comfortable than the seven-dollar orange walkmans, yet not the thousand-dollar Sennheisers either. They’re $70USD, but come with nice big 50mm drivers. They’re comfortable, over-ear, made of metal, open back, and they even come with a 6.35mm adapter.
The Altruvas are nice, and they sound nice– creamy, lush, warm, deep, and all those lovely words to describe tonality and headphone minutiae. They are dynamic drivers, so there’s always the limitations of that, but at 50mm you’ll be hard pressed to find bigger for the same price (or even double). They’re not 3D, nor noise cancelling, nor wireless, and they have a little sound leak (or a lot at high volumes). They have a split wire at the neck like wired earpods (which are in, apparently). So, like I said, they’re middle grade. A good gift, a safe bet, and generally solid headphones without being pricey.
In the box you get the headphones, the detachable wire (braided nylon), the 6.35mm adapter, and the choice of leatherette or velour ear cushions. The cushions are big and soft, and the leatherette has airholes to help with those hot days. Aside from that, they don’t have a lot going on. No buttons, not features and no need to adjust them (the inner headband stretches to fit your head).
The Altruvas are plug-and-play, and tend to focus on aesthetics. The woodgrain colourway makes a good pick in a rustic setting–like an office with corkboards and dried flowers– which is rare, while the black colourway fits in everywhere else. The main downside visually are the logos plastered all over. Kiwi Ears has logos on each side of the outer headband and two hidden beneath the mesh of the earphones; Four logos is overkill, especially when it’s such a plain logo.
Durability wise, the metal headband feels like armour, and the metal mesh is nice too. The main point of concern is the four strings that stretch with the inner headband, which are plastic (though they make the headset comfier and easier to use than a single headband or the sliding-inner band style). Otherwise it’s a solid headset, much more than its competitors in the same price point.
Overall, it’s not just a solid contender for office headphones, everyday use, or gifting to someone who could use a good set. They’re a sleeper pick. Clearly moulded on headphones like the Meze Audio 99 Classics, the Altruvas are a third of the price and have bigger drivers (that said, the Meze Classics use real wood for their earcups, which is nice). Kiwi Ears are a little headphone brand competing with the big ones, and the Altruvas are another strong step towards being one.
Altruva Stats
- Driver Unit – 50mm Dynamic Driver
- Impedance – 32 Ohm
- Sensitivity – 98dB ± 3dB
- Frequency Response – 20Hz – 40kHz
- Plug – 3.5mm + 6.35mm adapter
- Cable Length – 3m
About the Author
Branden Zavaleta Based in Perth, Branden writes on the arts for a handful of Australian outlets. He's also a street & creative portrait photographer, who's work can be found @brandenzp on Instagram.
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