The Kiwi Ears Dolce is an ultra-budget $25 in-ear monitor that features a single dynamic driver that features a combination of low density polyethylene and liquid crystal polymer for the diaphragm. The IEM is found at Linsoul.com and this review unit was sent to me for that purpose.
The Dolce comes in a single color option. It's a gradient of black and blue and reminds of an hombre-hair color look. The faceplate has a some slight geometric bevels to it and is not flat and the shell is resin-based.
The included cable is a very bad copper/brown colored springy cable that features a 90 degree 3.5mm plug, and qdc/KZ style connectors. It is not a very good cable, and borders horrible. I recommend getting a new cable to use with it. The cable pictured with my review are NOT what it comes with, but a pure-silver 4.4mm cable I had available to use.
Sound Impressions
The Dolce has a light "V-Shape" tuning with emphasis on the bass and upper-mids and treble region, with a recessed mid-range. I found the tuning to be warm and dynamic, and it does not have the full-on bass boost that a normal V-shape would.
The bass range is generally just slightly above what I consider neutral. What makes it different than other U-shaped signatures I've listened to a lot lately, is that the bass downslopes further into the mid-range and does make the mids recess a little more. This doesn't necessarily mean its muddy, because it does not appear that way in my listening sessions.
In my last Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite review, I found the all-BA setup to have little to no decay, and that caused it to sound quite artificial. The Dolce has more decay than the Lite, and does have a more natural sound, though I do find it's note weight to still be a little light.
The upper-mids and low treble on the Dolce is very elevated. This does put focus into this frequency range, and sometimes vocals can sound a little shrill and bright. There's also an occasional sign of sibilance when recordings aren't the best. For the my specific ears and listening experience, I do not find this area to be totally distracting, but it is something to consider if you prefer darker tonality.
High-hats are a bit aggressive and ringy on "Masha" by Mono in VCF, an old indie track from a band I enjoyed from Seattle. This specific track has quite a heavy usage of them across the entire song, and the elevated treble can be a bit fatiguing. This is multiplied by the female vocals which has many artifacts of sibilance throughout the song.
The Dolce has pretty solid resolution when it comes to the price point. It's clean, clear and I never felt like I was missing qualities of the song I was expecting to hear. The imaging is also good with good separation of instruments. Finally, the soundstage was average for an IEM. I did not hear the very forward approach as the Orchestra Lite presented to me, but I also don't have the grand wide and deep experience I hear in my headphones either.
Final Thoughts
The Dolce is a decent $25 IEM. While it has some good qualities about it like the cool faceplate pattern and easy fit, I do find the tuning to be polarizing, and if you are one to listen to tracks that emphasize upper mids and treble more, this may be very fatiguing.
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