By: Aaron Lai
December 5, 2025
I was talking to a friend, and he mentioned how he did not listen to music. As such, our whole group was looking for songs to recommend to him. It took me a while to wrap my head around this because of how often I do enjoy music. When I was growing up, I learned to play different instruments, and was in band throughout high school. Even nowadays when I am not playing an instrument, I usually have something playing in the background. However, I wonder what methods of listening are preferable. I am sure many prefer speakers due to the fact they do not have to wear anything, but it comes with the problem that anyone and everyone can hear your song choices. On the other hand, some want the smallest, most discrete option, which means wireless earbuds. Others want something bigger but still isolating might choose closed-back headphones. I think these just cover different use cases rather than one category being superior to the other. As for myself, I prefer open-back headphones. In my use case, I may live alone, but I like to hear my environment noise while still wearing it for games or music. This can result in a bigger soundstage without sacrificing my privacy. Today, we have the Kiwi Ears Altruva, which is Kiwi Ears' latest entrant into their headphone lineup. It may fit in with my favorite category with its open-back design, but will I find this enjoyable and expansive? Let us read on to find out!
Today's review unit of the Kiwi Ears Altruva arrived from Kiwi Ears' offices in Shenzhen, China. Traveling with YunExpress, this brown corrugated cardboard box arrived in decent condition to our location in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. There is orange tape around the edges of the box to expose any tampering that may have occurred in transit. Otherwise, the Altruva was the only product inside this box.
The box design of the Kiwi Ears Altruva is like the other Kiwi Ears product we received, the Aventus with a black box and the headphones displayed front and center. The background has some subtle blue waves, but it was not captured well in the photo above. On the top left corner, we have the Kiwi Ears logo, while the full product name is in the bottom right corner. A descriptor of "50mm Dynamic Driver Headphones" is printed underneath. A wavy pattern with the "ALTRUVA" name is displayed interwoven with the headphones. Around the box, there are a few more features and specifications about the Altruva. Just to note, the Altruva is available in both metal gray and wood brown, but we received the gray version.
Before we continue, I have grabbed the specifications from the manufacturer's website for your reading pleasure:
Driver Unit: 50mm Dynamic Driver
Impedance: 32 Ohm
Sensitivity: 98dB ± 3dB
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 40kHz
Plug: 3.5mm + 6.35mm adapter
Cable Length: 3m
Out of the box, the Kiwi Ears Altruva is wrapped in a translucent plastic bag to prevent any surface damage during shipping. Next, we have an additional pair of velour earpads, detachable 3m long braided audio cable, and a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter. Interestingly, the website says we also have a carrying case for the earphones, but one was not included. This appears to be a mistake on the website. A small quick start guide is included, which also details the included one-year warranty.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Audio Analysis
4. Conclusion
