Linsoul Kiwi Ears Altruva

The Kiwi Ears Altruva scores in the 94th percentile for sound, which is one of the best results in our entire database. At around USD 70, it's an open-back bargain with a wide soundstage and a V-shaped tuning that owners consistently praise. Just be ready for some build quality quirks, including earcups that can fall off and a comfort score that's only middle of the pack.

The Altruva is built around a custom 50mm dynamic driver with neodymium magnets and a PU plus PEK composite diaphragm. Frequency response runs from 20Hz to 40kHz, impedance is 32 ohms, and sensitivity is 98dB, so it's easy to drive from just about anything with a headphone jack. The open-back design is doing real work here. That uninterrupted airflow is what gives the Altruva its wide soundstage and imaging, and our sound score in the 94th percentile backs that up. This is one of the best-sounding options in our database right now.

The tuning is described as V-shaped, which means bass hits hard and fast while the treble stays clear and airy. The midrange is natural enough to keep vocals and instruments accurate, which is why the studio score lands at 65.6 out of 100. That's a strong showing for a headphone that also gets marketed as a gaming set. The budget score of 67.9 out of 100 is the highest of the three use-case scores, and it makes sense. You're getting top-tier sound for a fraction of what the competition charges.

Stacked against the Sony ULT WEAR WHULT900N/B, the Altruva takes a completely different approach. The Sony is a closed-back wireless set with ANC, while the Altruva is wired, open-back, and focused purely on sound. Our sound score puts the Altruva in the 94th percentile, which is a standout, while the Sony leans on features like noise cancelling and Bluetooth. The JBL Tune 670NC and TOZO HT3 are both budget wireless options with ANC, and they'll beat the Altruva on convenience and portability, but they can't touch the open-back soundstage. The Bose QuietComfort 884367-1100 is the premium pick here, and it'll win on comfort and ANC, but you're paying a lot more for that. The Beyerdynamic Aventho 1001609 is the closest philosophical match, and Beyerdynamic has the brand pedigree, but the Altruva's price-to-sound ratio is hard to argue with.

At around USD 70, the Altruva is doing things that headphones three times the price struggle with. The sound score in the 94th percentile is the headline, and the budget score of 67.9 out of 100 confirms it's a value play first and foremost. Prices do vary a bit depending on where you shop. In Canada, you'll see a spread of CAD 99 to CAD 110 across two listings, so it's worth checking both before you buy. In Japan, the gap is wider at JPY 17,552 to JPY 20,602, which is a JPY 3,050 difference for the same headphone. Shop around and you can save a meaningful chunk of change.

The Kiwi Ears Altruva lands in our database with a sound score in the 94th percentile, which is the kind of number that makes you sit up and pay attention. That's one of the best on the market, and it's coming from a 50mm dynamic driver in an open-back design that costs around USD 70. The social proof is even stronger at the 95th percentile, backed by a 4.6-star average across 180 reviews. People are clearly finding something here that punches way above its price tag.

But the story gets more interesting when you look past the sound. Build quality sits at the 78th percentile, which is solid but not spectacular, and comfort lands at a middle-of-the-pack 56th percentile. The user sentiment summary tells us why: owners love the V-shaped tuning and wide soundstage, but a handful of verified reviews mention earcups that fall off and a resonant metal headband. For the money, it's a compelling trade-off, but it's not a free lunch.

If you need a headphone for calls, look elsewhere. The calls score of 25.4 out of 100 is the weakest area by a wide margin, and the mic sits at the 48th percentile, which is about average at best. If you're planning to use these in a shared office or on public transit, the open-back design means everyone hears your music and you hear everything around you. The ANC score in the 33rd percentile confirms these are not built for noisy environments. And if you're sensitive to clamp force or have a larger head, the comfort score in the 56th percentile suggests you might find them tight after long sessions.

The Altruva is a sound-first headphone that delivers top-tier audio at a budget price. The 94th percentile sound score and 95th percentile social proof tell the same story: people are hearing something special here. The open-back design gives you a wide, airy soundstage that closed-back competitors simply can't match at this price. But the build quality issues are real. Earcups falling off is not a minor annoyance, and the comfort score in the 56th percentile means it won't fit everyone perfectly. If you're willing to accept those trade-offs, the Altruva is one of the best audio deals we've seen.