The Atheia ($349) is a full-size, closed-back headphone featuring walnut ear cups and a dual hybrid driver design, combining a dynamic main driver with a small planar magnetic driver, aiming to blend the strengths of both technologies.
MAIN TAKEAWAY
- Well implemented hybrid driver design
- Very comfortable
- Excellent build
- Full bass and warm sound signature using stock pads
- Neutral with large soundstage using third party fenestrated hybrid pads
Kiwi Ears, a relatively new brand, has been very successful with their in-ear monitors like e.g. the Cadenza and Quintet. Now, they have expanded into the realm of full-size headphones with several models, the Atheia being their most premium offering so far.
Hybrid driver designs in headphones are not new, but they remain relatively uncommon. Achieving the right balance has proven challenging, and the added complexity increases the cost.
However, in the world of in-ear monitors, hybrid driver designs are more the norm than the exception and it is no surprise that IEM manufacturers are attempting to bring their expertise in hybrid driver designs to full-size headphones. Noble Audio, also an IEM company that has entered the full size headphone market, has recently taken a similar approach with its wireless Apollo headphones.
The Kiwi Ears Atheia features a 50mm dynamic driver complemented by a custom 14.5mm planar magnetic driver—the same size are is used in many planar IEMs. The dynamic driver covers most of the frequency range, while the planar driver enhances the treble and adds texture.
KIWI EARS ATHEIA SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: Dynamic 50mm + Planar Magnetic 14.5mm
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz~40KHz
- Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW (±3dB @ 1 kHz)
- Impedance: 32 ohm (±10% @ 1 kHz)
- THD <0.5% (1kHz, 1 mW)
- Cable: 150 cm
- Headphone connector: Two sided 3.5 mm locking type
- Cable termination: 3.5 mm jack unbalanced
- Soft shell case included
The Atheia was provided by Linsoul for the purpose of an impartial and unbiased review.
You can check for the current price and availability here:
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Atheia
BUILD AND COMFORT
Made from high-quality materials, the Atheia features metal rods and suspension, solid plastic yokes and hinge brackets, walnut wood ear cups, and plush memory foam ear pads wrapped in soft protein leather. Its self-adjusting headband strap enhances comfort, ensuring a secure and ergonomic fit.
The headband is well-designed and highly functional. You can customize the fit by extending or retracting the rods that connect the headband to the ear cups, while the hidden elastic in the headband strap allows for automatic adjustment. Combined with the soft ear pads, this design makes the Atheia especially comfortable for long listening sessions.
The soft-shell case is straightforward, and includes a loose inlay, which I actually see as a pro. This flexibility allows you to repurpose the case for other headphones or cables if you’re not using it with the Atheia. With so many unused headphone cases lying around, this makes it a more practical and versatile accessory.
The supplied cable is light, flexible, and detachable, featuring 3.5mm locking connectors on the headphone. While replacing it isn’t impossible, it does require some cable customisation, which I will elaborate on further below.
EAR PADS
As mentioned, the pads are made from very soft memory foam and the protein leather is of high quality, an excellent combination for comfort. Kiwi Ears has wisely opted for standard oval-shaped pads with a mounting lip (flange/skirt) designed to fit into a groove (or slot) around the inner part of the ear cup. This is a common pad-mounting method, similar to the one used on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. However, the Atheia features a slightly narrower groove with metal edges, creating more friction and making pad replacement a bit trickier—though the overall principle remains the same.
What sets the Atheia apart from the ATH-M50x is a small notch on the inner side of the groove, allowing the pads to be mounted with a rotating motion, similar to Beyerdynamic headphones.
Dekoni has a nice video showing a similar mounting principle on the circular DT1990PRO. Note that the narrow groove of the Atheia makes the headphones incompatible with pads that use stitching on the mounting lip, similar to what is mentioned in the video about DT compatible pads:
If the pads you want to use doesn’t work well with the “notch and rotate” mounting-method, here’s their instruction video on how to replace pads on the ATH-M50X:
While each headphone brand implements this system slightly differently, and not all third-party pads will be a perfect fit, the Atheia offers the flexibility to swap out pads to fine-tune both comfort and sound.
I tested two pairs of Brainwavz Oval pads, which took some effort to install due to the narrow groove and the thicker mounting lips on the Brainwavz pads. However, with some silicone spray and patience, I managed to fit them, and the result was a noticeably different—but very, very good—sound, especially with the hybrid pads, see pictures below.
If you plan to experiment with pads that are difficult to mount, you might try simply placing them on the ear cups while wearing the headphones just letting the clamp force temporarily hold them in place. You can also consider using some suitable tape (e.g. delicate surface painters tape) on the outside. This way, you can get a quick impression of the sound changes before going through the effort of fully mounting them.
Putting the original pads back on is quick and easy, thanks to the slight notch and the thin, low-friction mounting lip. Once you hook the lip onto the edgier side of the notch, you can simply rotate the pads into place with minimal effort.
ATHEIA HEADPHONE CABLE
The Atheia comes with a very light 150 cm detachable cable, with 3.5 mm TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) locking connectors on the headphones. While this adds security, it can make finding compatible third-party cables a bit tricky. After some trial and error, I found that cables with narrow connectors, such as those designed for the Beyerdynamic T1 Mk2, to fit well.
However, there was an issue with the review unit: I only got sound in the left channel with these third party cables. After measuring the cable, the culprit turned out to be Kiwi Ears’ unconventional wiring scheme. Normally, the tip carries the signal for the respective side, and the ring and/or sleeve serve as ground. The Atheia review unit was wired so that the tip carried the left signal on the left connector, and the ring carried the right signal on the right connector, resulting in no signal entering the headphone on the right side.
After reaching out to Kiwi Ears, they confirmed the issue and assured me they would switch to the standard wiring scheme going forward.
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS
STOCK PADS
Below are my track-by-track listening impressions using the stock pads. As you’ll see later, I also experimented with different pads—with great success.
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Monolith THX AAA 887
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
Jambi by Tool
The guitars have a rich, textured quality, while the bass is full and carries a satisfying, fleshy weight. Vocals stand out with excellent separation, ensuring clarity without being overshadowed. Personally, I wouldn’t want any more bass, but bassheads will likely be very satisfied. Despite the well-textured sound, the upper midrange and treble remain smooth rather than overly crisp, with no issues of sibilance.
Bored by Deftones
Also here, the guitars have excellent texture, and the vocals are well separated. The bass is powerful and punchy in a pleasing way—full-bodied without overpowering or interfering with the midrange.
Desert Island Disk by Radiohead
The bass drum has a rich, full-bodied presence, while the guitar sounds warm yet detailed. The vocals are well-separated with a pleasant warmth, adding to the overall cohesion of the sound.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
I was expecting the bass to be somewhat overpowering here, but it’s actually well-balanced with a satisfying thump. The vocals, once again, are nicely separated—detailed and warm, with no issues of sibilance.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 III by Paavo Järvi
As expected, the opening kettle drums hit with powerful impact, but though the bass remains full-bodied, it has good texture and detail. The other instruments are well-separated, and the tonality leans slightly smooth and warm—never feeling dark or lacking detail. The sound is also highly dynamic, with strong contrasts between the quieter moments and more energetic passages.
Young Vivaldi RV 820 etc. by Modo Antiquo
Again the sound is warm leaning with a combination of full-bodiedness and texture. There’s a great sense of nuance and delicacy, and again high dynamic contrasts.
Maple Noise by Greene Serene
This dynamic jazz improv track has a slightly different presentation than I’m used to, with the bass sounding more rounded and thicker. Despite the added weight in the lower regions, the rest of the instruments remain well-articulated, and the soundstage feels adequately spacious, but not especially large.
Black Crow by Cassandra Wilson
The bass is a bit boomy, but instrument separation is generally good enough. The vocals stand out with excellent separation and a great timbre, while the overall presentation remains rich in detail.
Escape Route by Boris Blank
The bass is full and slightly boomy with this electronic track, but the sound remains detailed with good separation and a nice sense of depth in the soundstage, although the soundstage is on the smaller side.
As Before by Olga Konkova
This female vocals and piano based jazz piece sounds wonderful and very well balanced. The cajôn bass drum is not overpowering, the vocals have a delicious timbre, and the piano is rich and still crisp.
Sunrise by Norah Jones
The bass is a bit boomy here too, but the vocals are absolutely beautiful, they’re somewhat smooth and warm, with nuance and delicacy. The guitar is clear but not too crisp or sharp.
Almost Like The Blues
The bass is powerful but well-controlled, i.e. not boomy. The piano and percussion are warm and beautifully executed, while the vocals are simply wonderful.
THIRD PARTY PADS
Even though the Atheia is impressive in almost all aspects, the bass can be overly strong and occasionally boomy on certain tracks. However, it’s obvious that the Atheia has great potential also in the bass.
Whenever I’m not fully satisfied with the sound or tuning of a headphone, I turn to pads as my first method of tweaking the sound. Ear pads play a crucial role in shaping the acoustic chamber where your ear resides, with the headphone cup forming the other half of that space.
Out of the oval ear pads I have available, I decided to experiment with two sets from Brainwavz: the micro suede and hybrid pads.
With the micro suede pads, there aren’t any drastic changes, but the tuning is subtly altered. The bass becomes more consistent across tracks—it’s often very similar to the original pads, but where the stock pads sometimes got too boomy, the micro suede pads keep the bass more balanced. The midrange remains quite similar, but the treble becomes slightly softer, which I’m not particularly fond of in this case.
The hybrid pads have perforated faux leather on the inside, soft velour on face, and. full faux leather on the outside. These pads basically fix my issues with Atheia while keeping its many strengths. First, the hybrid pads increase soundstage size significantly. Second, they create a less dominant and very balanced bass performance that never even borders on boominess.
With these pads, the Atheia transforms into a very well-balanced headphone, offering excellent bass performance with a balanced quantity. The midrange remains very present and detailed, while the treble is delicate and smooth. Additionally, the soundstage expands significantly, becoming very large for a closed-back headphone. The hybrid pads turn the Atheia into a very spacious sounding headphone with excellent imaging.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound Signature
With the stock pads, the Atheia has a rather bass heavy sound signature, with slightly warm sounding mids and well balanced highs.
With the before mentioned third party micro suede pads, the Atheia is still quite bassy, but slightly more balanced, though it does become somewhat softer in the treble.
However, with the fenestrated hybrid pads, which have faux leather on the inside, the sound signature is very neutral and well balanced. These pads are easily my favourites and showcases what the Atheia is capable of.
Treble
The treble is detailed and smooth, with the planar magnetic driver clearly well-implemented. It delivers nuanced highs that reveal plenty of texture without becoming dry, overly crisp, or sharp.
There are no large variations across the three pads tested, but the hybrid pads are slightly softer in the treble. I don’t think that’s for the better.
Midrange
The midrange of the Atheia is wonderful—very present, slightly warm and smooth, delicate and full of texture and detail.
There are only small variations across the pads tested, the midrange is very consistent.
Bass
The bass varies significantly with the pads used.
With the stock pads, the bass can be quite bold, making it perhaps the most polarizing aspect of the Atheia. While the bass quality is good and the quantity is mostly within my comfort zone, I tend to prefer a leaner, more textured bass. At times, I find the bass of the Atheia a bit too much. Like many closed-back headphones, the Atheia exhibits some resonance issues, where certain bass frequencies are emphasized while others are less pronounced. As a result, the perceived bass intensity varies depending on the track and which frequencies dominate.
Switching to the micro-suede pads slightly reduces the bass impact and especially the most pronounced resonance issues, resulting in a better balance. It’s always within my tolerance, though it still remains somewhat elevated rather than fully neutral.
The most significant change comes with the perforated hybrid pads, which bring the sound completely to my liking. These pads work almost magically, balancing the performance across different tracks. They reduce excess bass where needed while preserving the bass where it already sounds good with the other pads. There is of course no magic going on but probably just elimination of resonance issues.
With these pads, there are no bloated resonances: everything sounds clean, controlled, and well-defined, transforming the Atheia into a truly balanced headphone across all frequencies, including the bass.
Soundstage and Imaging
With the stock pads, the soundstage isn’t particularly large for a closed-back headphone, but the imaging is solid, especially in terms of depth. Instrument separation is also very good.
The micro-suede pads offer a similar presentation, while the perforated hybrid pads noticeably expand the soundstage while maintaining the already strong imaging.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
The midrange and treble detail is excellent at this price point with all pad options. However, the weak spot in terms of detail with the stock and micro-suede pads is the bass. While the drivers seem capable of keeping up with the rest of the frequency range, excessive resonance in certain tracks prevents the low end from achieving the same level of clarity.
That said, when there are no problematic resonances, the bass reveals impressive detail and texture. The perforated hybrid pads effectively address these resonance issues. With these pads, the detail level is excellent across the entire frequency range.
With all pads tested, the dynamics are great, offering a large contrast between quiet and energetic passages.
In terms of timbre, the midrange is stunning: velvet-smooth and nuanced. The treble is equally impressive. The bass, however, with the stock and micro-suede pads, is a bit too full to be considered neutral and, as mentioned, can sometimes lack the definition and precision needed for a more natural timbre. With the perforated hybrid pads, the bass sounds much improved, maintaining excellent timbre across the entire frequency range.
COMPARISONS
In the sub-$500 range, the FiiO FT1 stands out as a top contender. Priced at just $149, it delivers performance that rivals far more expensive models. The Kiwi Ears Atheia, costing over twice as much, shares key similarities with the FT1—both are closed-back wooden headphones from emerging Chinese brands making their mark in the full-size headphone market.
The most significant difference between the two is the driver setup. The FT1 features a more traditional single dynamic cellular nano-fiber driver, while the Atheia employs a hybrid driver setup.
In terms of design, the FT1 has larger ear cups. It lacks a folding mechanism, unlike the Atheia, which can be folded flat for portability. Additionally, the FT1 doesn’t have a headband strap, making the Atheia noticeably more comfortable for long listening sessions. The FT1 is available with walnut or beechwood cups, and this comparison uses the walnut version—the same wood as used in the Atheia. .
Below I will share my findings when I compared the Atheia with the stock pads and the Atheia with the fenestrated hybrid pads to the FiiO FT1.
ATHEIA with Stock Pads vs. FiiO FT1
The Atheia in stock configuration is quite different from the FT1, especially in terms of soundstage size and bass rendition.
Starting with the treble, both headphones are good, but the Atheia presents it more delicately, whereas the FT1 can occasionally struggle with slight sibilance issues.
The midrange of the Atheia leans darker. While this isn’t always apparent, on some tracks, vocals sound more laid-back compared to the FT1, which maintains a more neutral presentation.
When it comes to bass, the Atheia has a thicker, sometimes mushier low end with occasional resonance issues. The FT1, while still bass-strong, delivers a cleaner and more controlled bass response.
Soundstage-wise, the stock Atheia has a more intimate presentation, while the FT1 sounds more open, especially for a closed-back design. Imaging is good on both.
Overall, the Atheia has a darker, bassier, thicker, and smoother sound signature, while the FT1 leans more neutral but still retains strong, well-controlled bass. The Atheia offers excellent detail, especially in the highs, but is somewhat held back by its thick bass, whereas the FT1 is more articulate with a more natural timbre. With the stock pads, the Atheia’s darker and lusher tuning makes it a great choice for bass lovers and those who enjoy a laid-back yet detailed sound, while the FT1 provides a more neutral and balanced experience.
ATHEIA with Fenestrated Hybrid Pads vs. FIIO FT1
Now, let’s see how the two compare when the Atheia is fitted with Brainwavz fenestrated hybrid pads. This pad swap significantly alters its sound—in my opinion, entirely for the better. With the feministrated hybrid pads, the Atheia gets a tighter bass, more upfront mids, and a much larger soundstage.
Comparing the FiiO FT1 (stock) and Atheia (with fenestrated hybrid pads), they now both have a neutral-leaning sound signature with slightly strong bass. The FT1 now has the darker midrange of the two.
Treble quantity is similar, but the Atheia’s planar magnetic tweeter adds more detail and air. As mentioned, the midrange is now more upfront on the Atheia, making vocals stand out with better separation and detail than on the FT1.
Even though the bass quantity is generally reduced on the Atheia when changing the stock pads for the fenestrated hybrid pads, both headphones still have relatively strong bass, with quality being equal and quantity varying slightly from track to track.
Both headphones offer an impressive soundstage, but with the hybrid pads, the Atheia surpasses the FT1 in terms of width, height, depth, and imaging.
Detail is excellent on both, but the Atheia is clearly superior in the midrange and slightly ahead in the treble. Bass detail is as mentioned, very similar, with the FT1 possibly having a touch more.
Both have great dynamics, but the Atheia feels like the more dynamic of the two, due to its more present upper midrange and better separation. In terms of timbre, both are great, but Atheia feels more neutral, especially with more natural and energetic vocals.
AMPLIFICATION
I’ve been using desktop amps for all my testing so far, but now it’s time to check out some portable options.
The tiny Jade/FiiO JA11 dongle sounds very good, open and crisp. Letshuoer’s DT03 sounds good too, but warmer and darker. I move on to the xDuoo Link2 Bal2, which has a more open tonality and better resolution.
The THX Onyx, is very nice, warm leaning with great detail. The Dragonfly Cobalt sounds terrific, clearer and crisper than the others, while the Chord Mojo sounds excellent as always.
In conclusion, the differences between the amps are relatively small, and the Kiwi Ears Atheia seems not to be especially picky on the amp. It scales with higher quality gear.
CONCLUSION
I’m quite impressed with the Atheia. It boasts excellent build quality and comfort, and its hybrid driver delivers great technical performance for the price.With the stock pads, the Atheia has a smooth, slightly dark, and somewhat bass-heavy sound signature while still maintaining good detail.
However, after switching to the partly fenestrated hybrid Brainwavz pads, the sound signature transformed—becoming much more neutral with a vast soundstage, fully showcasing the capabilities of the Atheia’s driver setup.
As Kiwi Ears’ first high-end headphone, the Atheia has a lot to offer—especially with the right pad swap. And again, its build quality is nothing short of superb.
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