If you want a wired in-ear monitor built around extreme neutrality for meetings, choose CrinEar Reference; if you need a USB-C-cable IEM with a more emphasized sub-bass shelf and boom-mic support, choose HIFIXAUDIO Kiwi Ears Halcyon.
CrinEar Reference vs HIFIXAUDIO Kiwi Ears Halcyon at a Glance
• CrinEar Reference’s biggest strength: Its five-driver hybrid design and diffuse-field-based tuning target an unusually even, monitoring-oriented presentation. Trade-off: It is a wired in-ear monitor, not a sports-focused or wireless meeting headset.
• HIFIXAUDIO Kiwi Ears Halcyon’s biggest strength: It combines a dynamic driver, balanced armatures and a MEMS driver, with a stated sub-bass shelf and support for a boom-mic cable. Trade-off: Its tuning gives more emphasis to sub-bass than the Reference’s extreme-neutrality goal.
• For meetings: Halcyon is the more directly call-oriented option because its product information specifically describes phone and video calls and boom-mic support.
• Choose CrinEar Reference if tonal balance, mix evaluation and a modular 3.5mm/4.4mm cable setup matter most.
• Choose Halcyon if USB-C cable connectivity, a bass-boosted foundation and the option to add a boom mic better match your setup.
CrinEar Reference is designed around tonal accuracy rather than an overtly bass-forward or treble-forward presentation. Its stated tuning follows a −1.0 dB/octave diffuse-field tilt, and the product description notes a subtle low-frequency lift intended to preserve some physical weight. For someone listening closely to vocals, instruments or a mix, that combination points toward a presentation intended to sound balanced and expose changes in the recording instead of imposing a strong signature of its own.
The hardware is a five-driver hybrid: two dynamic woofers, two Sonion midrange drivers and a Knowles supertweeter. The dual woofers use a horizontally opposed arrangement, while the midrange and treble are assigned to their own drivers. That division is relevant to people who want an in-ear monitor for critical listening or mix evaluation. The CNC-machined aluminum shell and contoured pseudo-custom fit also make the design more purpose-built than a basic call earbud.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Its modular cable includes interchangeable 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced terminations. That is useful if your listening setup uses either connection, but the wired design means it is not a self-contained wireless meeting solution. The listed specifications give it 16-ohm impedance and 104 dB sensitivity; those figures describe the earphone, but do not turn it into a wireless headset or establish microphone support.
Who should skip it: Skip the Reference if your main requirement is a supplied USB-C cable, stated boom-mic compatibility or a product specifically described for phone and video calls.
Halcyon takes a different route to a studio-oriented sound. Its tribrid arrangement combines one 10mm dynamic driver, three balanced-armature drivers and a MEMS driver. The product description assigns the dynamic driver to bass, the armatures to the midrange and the MEMS-equipped treble section to high frequencies. In practical terms, its design aims to keep those frequency regions distinct while adding detailed, extended treble.
Its tuning is described as balanced and studio-neutral, but it is not identical to the Reference’s extreme-neutrality approach. Halcyon has an 8 dB sub-bass shelf that rolls off at 200 Hz, with the stated aim of adding low-end weight without muddying the midrange. That makes it a more natural fit for someone who wants a fuller bass foundation alongside vocals and instruments. It is still an in-ear monitor, so its studio-monitor-like description should not be mistaken for a claim that it is a complete communications headset by itself.
The meetings angle is more explicit here: the product information says Halcyon can work with a boom-mic cable and describes use for phone calls, video conferences and gaming voice chat. That gives it an advantage for someone planning to add a compatible boom mic. It also comes with a USB-C cable, while its listed impedance is 29 ohms and sensitivity is 109 dB. Those details can help distinguish it from the Reference when matching a wired setup, but do not establish wireless connectivity.
Who should skip it: Skip Halcyon if your priority is the Reference’s specific diffuse-field tuning and modular 3.5mm/4.4mm terminations rather than a USB-C cable and boom-mic option.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for explicitly described phone and video calls → Halcyon. Its product information names calls and conferences and notes boom-mic cable support.
• Best if you want more sub-bass emphasis → Halcyon. Its stated 8 dB sub-bass shelf rolls off at 200 Hz.
• Best for choosing between 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations → CrinEar Reference. The cable has interchangeable single-ended and balanced ends.
• Best if your setup calls for a USB-C cable → Halcyon. Its product title specifies a USB-C cable.
• Best for a CNC-machined metal shell → CrinEar Reference. Its shell is described as aluminum and its fit as contoured and pseudo-custom.
• Best for a tribrid driver layout with MEMS → Halcyon. Its system combines MEMS, one dynamic driver and three balanced-armature drivers.
• Best for mixing and evaluating tonal balance → CrinEar Reference. That is the use its design and tuning are explicitly built around.
For meetings, start with the microphone and connection you actually need. Halcyon’s stated boom-mic support is a meaningful distinction, but the product information describes compatibility with a boom-mic cable rather than saying that a boom mic is included. If you plan to use one, check that your chosen cable works with your setup. The Reference’s listed accessories include a cable with 3.5mm connector and a 4.4mm adapter, but its product information does not specify microphone support.
Neither product is described as wireless. Both are wired in-ear monitors, so the way you connect them to a phone, computer or other source matters. Halcyon’s USB-C cable may suit a device with that connection, while the Reference’s interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations offer a different kind of flexibility. Confirm the connection you need before choosing; don’t assume an adapter or microphone feature that is not specified.
Fit and sound preference matter just as much. Reference emphasizes tonal neutrality and a pseudo-custom contoured fit, while Halcyon describes ergonomic fit and a tuning with more sub-bass weight. These are different priorities, not a simple quality ladder. If the central job is listening critically, Reference’s stated purpose is the closer match. If calls and a fuller low end are higher on your list, Halcyon makes the more direct case.
My Verdict
I would choose HIFIXAUDIO Kiwi Ears Halcyon for meetings because its product information specifically calls out phone and video calls and boom-mic support.
That gives it the more practical path for voice communication, provided I match it with a compatible boom-mic cable when needed.
For my stated meeting use, Halcyon is my pick—not because it replaces a dedicated wireless headset, but because its listed call features fit the job more directly.
The Reference is described primarily as a critical-listening and mixing monitor.
Its product information describes video conferences and says it can work with a boom-mic cable. Check the cable and device connection you plan to use; the product details do not establish that a boom mic is included.
Halcyon’s tuning specifies an 8 dB sub-bass shelf that rolls off at 200 Hz. Reference aims for extreme neutrality and notes only a subtle low-frequency lift, so the two are intended to present bass differently.
Reference includes interchangeable 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced terminations. Halcyon’s product title specifies a USB-C cable, so the better fit depends on the connector your source uses.
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