Little Dot Cu Kis Review

Today I share my impressions about the $584,99 USD priced Little Dot Cu KIS Universal IEM.

Disclaimer: The Little Dot Cu KIS was provided to us by Little Dot US. You can purchase the CU KIS here.

About Little Dot

Little Dot, as we all know, is a brand that is renowned for building amplifiers and DACs. It was founded in April 2006 by Mr. Yu Quan Yang. Since then, Little Dot has developed many popular products and the brand has many users around the world. Their solid-state and tube amps have been precisely the most popular ones.

Not they’re opening to the U.S market, and they also created their first set of IEMs. Today I’m showing you the CU KIS model but I will be also reviewing the Cu Cen, which has a lower price bracket.

Little Dot Cu KIS

About Cu KIS

Cu KIS is currently the flagship IEM of the brand and it consists of 4 drivers. 2 of these are dynamic drivers and the remaining 2 are balanced armatures. The name of this model comes from Little Dot’s principle; Keep Improving and Sincere.

There isn’t any information about how those drivers are distributed upon the spectrum, but we have some other information about the IEM. The shells are completely aluminum and the internal design is well thought of to keep the IEM small and compact. The drivers are placed in an alignment to prevent reverberation. Little Dot calls this design a “multilayer looping structure”.

Package

The new Little Dot IEMs arrive with a generous packaging with 9 pairs of tips including foams. You get 2 carrying cases as well. One is a rectangular case that has quite a room inside but if that one is too large for you to carry, there’s also a classic round case at your disposal. I liked the rectangular case more.

The box itself presents a nice unboxing experience as well. Overall I appreciate the packaging for these new models from Little Dot.

Design & Build

The design of the Cu KIS is very compact, round, and obviously red. Its color is certainly eye-catching and cool. The cable completes the design very well with its black connectors and gray wire color. Aesthetics is always a subjective matter but I liked the overall design.

Cu KIS has two main aluminum pieces that come together to shape the IEM. The structure is very solid. The nozzles sit tight and give a very nice and sturdy impression. The 2-pin connectors have covers around them to limit their movements and thus, preventing wear-out or a possible break.

This is a very thoughtful design but it also means that you can’t use this cable with other IEMs. You can use other cables with the Cu KIS though. The connectors sit very tight and the design ensures their stability and long-term durability.

Little Dot Cu KIS

Fit

The fit is very comfortable thanks to the small footprint and ear-friendly rounded design. There are lots of tips in the package including quality foam tips to ensure you have the best fit possible for your ears. In my case, I found the Cu Kis very comfortable and easy on the ear.

The isolation is a little above average since this is not a deep fitting IEM. You can of course try some aftermarket tips like we all do, for a deeper fit such as double or triple flanges. However there are 3 air vents in this design because of the twin-dynamic driver setup, so the isolation is not at the utmost level. It’s certainly enough on a daily basis though.

Sound

The Little Do Cu KIS’ sound is very engaging, lively, and life-like. There’s a good sense of space and background blackness so it has a strong stereo imaging together with a nicely layered and wide sound-stage. Upper mids are elevated a bit and there’s a slight roll-off in the treble region, but the bass performance is absolutely amazing in my opinion.

The twin-driver setup certainly works wonders here as the bass is tremendously controlled. There is great decay and attack in the bass, but it always remains perfectly controlled. The mid-bass and sub-bass balance is great, and the texture is certainly impressive. This is one of the best IEMs I’ve tried in terms of bass quality. Quantity-wise don’t expect a big boom, this is not that type of an IEM. However, it hits authoritatively when you need it, and when the recording calls for it.

Mids are distinctive, unique, and very impressive as well. There’s great harmonics and a very breathy presentation overall. The amount of air in the mid-range is fabulous and that makes the vocals and instruments to shine and pass you the feeling of a live recording. This vivid, lively, and engaging mid presentation makes this IEM very enjoyable.

The treble region is a bit recessed, warm, and rolled off but the amount of detail is very good. The definition of the highs is also very well done and there’s nothing missing here. The positioning of the treble is also great. But the extension is not the best with the Cu KIS and the treble is not that much impressive when compared to bass and mids.

When it comes to sound-stage, separation, imaging, and positioning; the Cu Kis does a good job in all of them. Especially the sound-stage width is very good. Depth could’ve been a bit better but it’s nothing disappointing here. Overall it has better resolution and transparency than the Cu Cen model with better dynamics. It’s a very engaging and lively IEM with great energy. Overall I can say it’s a resolving IEM with good technical performance.

Little Dot Cu KIS

Early Verdict

The Little Dot Cu KIS is a unique IEM from its design elements to its sound character. It has a very distinctive nature and the mid-range performance is excellent, especially for the price that it is going right now. For this kind of a mid reproduction, you usually need to pay much more than this normally, but the Cu KIS gives that.

Other than that, the bass performance is very impressive with its incredible control and attack. There’s also a well-thought design with a great build quality along the way. The fit is very comfortable too. I think the Cu KIS is a very good IEM especially if you’re looking for a sweet, breathy, and lively mid-range.