In-Ear MonitorOverreview

Kiwi Ears x B_Media Chorus

B_Media's take on Kiwi Ears' $30 Belle: the same warm single DD behind a big faceplate vent — comfortable and easy to like, and argued over for its bass, its stage and whether the vent is worth $10.

40 sourcesUpdated
$40Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

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Kiwi Ears x B_Media Chorus

The short version

What to know.

A warm, mildly V-shaped budget single dynamic driver. Across twelve rigs it sits at the Harman target in the deep bass with about 3.5 dB of extra 100–200 Hz, a dipped 4–6 kHz region and a peak near 8 kHz — within about a decibel of the Kiwi Ears Belle below 10 kHz. Sources broadly agree on a warm, cohesive tonality, a smooth and fatigue-free top end for most ears, small light shells that disappear in the ear, and average technical ability for the price. They split on the bass (punchy and controlled for most, muddy for some, and light for several listeners on the USB-C cable or with a shallow fit), on vocals, on whether the vent widens the stage, on how much isolation it gives up, and on whether it is worth paying more than for the Belle.

About this product

The $40 single-DD collaboration with reviewer B_Media (3.5 mm, 3.5 mm with mic, or a USB-C cable with mic and built-in DSP). Not the Kiwi Ears Belle, its unvented sibling in the same shell family.

The Kiwi Ears x B_Media Chorus is a $40 in-ear monitor with one dynamic driver on a diamond-like-carbon (DLC) diaphragm, tuned in collaboration with Axel Bostrom, the short-form reviewer known as B_Media. Launched in spring 2026, it shares its small resin shell family with the cheaper Kiwi Ears Belle but adds a CNC metal faceplate with a large meshed vent at its centre, and it is sold with a choice of 3.5 mm, 3.5 mm-with-mic or USB-C cables — the last with a small DAC and tuning DSP in the plug.

It drew a crowd of reviews quickly: thirteen member reviews on Head-Fi, a measured write-up from Pragmatic Audio, a ShortCircuit video and a dozen squig.link rigs. They broadly agree it is warm, smooth, light and comfortable, and that it measures almost exactly like the Belle. They argue about whether its bass is punchy or muddy, whether the vent opens the stage or just lets the world in, and whether it is an upgrade or a reskin.

A good fit for

  • Listeners who want a warm, easy, fatigue-free first IEM
  • Small-to-medium ears that struggle with bigger shells
  • Phone users without a headphone jack — the USB-C version adds a DAC, mic and a leaner, brighter tuning
  • Long sessions at home, where the vent's pressure relief matters more than isolation

Think twice if

  • You already own the Kiwi Ears Belle
  • You need isolation for flights, trains or loud commutes
  • You want sparkle, air and fine detail
  • Your ear canals are narrow or your ears are large

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

6 / 11topics divide opinion
tonalityimagingdetailcomfortbuildbassmidstreblesoundstageisolationvalue
5 Mostly agree6 Divided opinions

Common ground6

  • Warm, mildly V-shaped tuning that favours musicality over neutrality
  • Small, very light shells that are comfortable for hours for most ears
  • Smooth, non-fatiguing treble with little sibilance for most listeners

Points of contention6

  • Bass: punchy and controlled vs muddy mid-bass vs lean — the lean reports cluster on the USB-C cable and shallow fits
  • Vocals: natural and engaging vs thin or shouty on some female voices vs polite and set back
  • Treble: safe and short on sparkle vs airy and incisive (the USB-C DSP cable adds treble)

A closer listen.

11 topics · 6 divided
Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Bass

Leans positiveDivided opinions
Reviewer sentiment23 supporting sources
CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split three ways: about half hear big, punchy, well-controlled bass; about a quarter hear the extra mid-bass bleeding into the lower mids and softening the sound; a fifth find it lean or lacking weight. The lean camp is mostly listeners on the USB-C cable plus owners who report a shallow seal.

Measured

Across 12 squig rigs the deep bass (20–40 Hz) sits at the Harman IE 2019 target (median +0.0 dB, range −2.0 to +4.1) while 100–200 Hz runs +3.5 dB above it (+2.3 to +3.7): a mid/upper-bass lift, about 9 dB above 500 Hz at the bottom. Pragmatic Audio measured the USB-C cable's DSP taking about 1 dB out of 60–400 Hz. Shallow insertion adds 1–2 dB at 20–40 Hz over deep on Super* Review's and A-Tech's rigs.

vs. listeners — The rigs show more bass than the target, not less, so the lean camp is not hearing a shortfall built into the earpiece: most of its reviewers used the USB-C DSP cable, and the bass-light owners describe a shallow fit that doesn't seal. The 'punchy' and 'muddy' camps are describing the same 100–200 Hz lift with opposite verdicts.

Where it splits
Big, punchy and well controlled53%

“Honestly, the Chorus sports some of the best bass I’ve ever heard in this price bracket.”

GorGhast, Head-Fi review
Too much mid-bass — it bleeds into the lower mids27%

“Over the analogue cable there is a little too much of it — the mid-bass runs warm enough that the boundary between the bass and the lower midrange softens.”

Pragmatic Audio
Lean — heard more than felt20%

“This is a bass you hear, and not necessarily feel.”

FreeWheelinAudioLuv2, Head-Fi review (USB-C cable)
Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked

Design

Type
In-ear monitor
Drivers
1 × dynamic (diamond-like-carbon diaphragm)
Housing
CNC metal faceplate

Electrical

Impedance
32 Ω
Frequency response
20 Hz – 20 kHz

Connection

Cable
Detachable, 1.2 m
Connector
0.78 mm 2-pin
Plugs supplied
3.5 mm, USB-C (DAC in plug)

Sold with one cable, chosen at purchase: 3.5 mm, 3.5 mm with mic, or USB-C with mic. Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from kiwiears.com, linsoul.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 40

1–6 of 40 sources

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of

What to keep in mind 5

  1. A read of where reviews and owners land as of October 2026 — the sub-$50 field moves fast, and newer rivals can change how good a deal this looks.

  2. Nearly all of the long-form reviews were written on units Kiwi Ears or its distributor supplied, and owner star ratings skew positive because they come mostly from people who chose to buy it.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

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