The Kiwi Ears Cadenza II is 18Ω at 106.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is 15Ω at 110.0 dB/mW. This page is only about what they ask of an amplifier — not how they sound, which no specification on either sheet can tell you.
The Cadenza II needs 4.0 dB more than the Orchestra II to reach the same loudness — 0.25 mW against 0.10 mW.
| Specification | Cadenza II | Orchestra II |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 18 Ω | 15 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 106.0 dB | 110.0 dB/mW |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 123.4 dB/V | 128.2 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 0.25 mW | 0.10 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 67 mV | 39 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 3.7 mA | 2.6 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 2.25 Ω | 1.88 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
One caution before reading the rows. Kiwi Ears Cadenza II printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, that model needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.
Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.
3 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Cadenza II under the one-eighth rule but not for the Orchestra II (Astell&Kern HC3, RME Fireface UFX II, RME Fireface UFX III).
12 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Cadenza II but cross it with the Orchestra II (Lake People G103-S Mk II, Grace Design m900, FiiO M33 R2R, 9 more).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both. That count is about power only — the output-impedance and hiss lines above are separate questions, and a source can pass this one and fail those.
Each model has a page of its own with the full source list, the hiss estimate and the provenance of every figure above: Kiwi Ears Cadenza II and Kiwi Ears Orchestra II. Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones Kiwi Ears never published — what that maker publishes, counted.