Responding To Music Questions – Sivga Anser Headphones
Sivga Anser is a $219 USD pair of high-quality Dynamic Open-Back Headphones with a solid wood housing, flexible and refined metal bracket, and based on a strong 24.5mm NdFeB Magnet circuit. Today we will review the Sivga Anser and broadly explore how it compares to other similarly priced headphones.
Introduction
Sivga is one of the most popular HiFi Headphones Manufacturer from China, having risen to popularity after the launch of the Sivga Peacock model which received global attention and popularity, thanks to both the flamboyant and beautiful built, and the exceptional sonic performance, and the low price relative to other flagships.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Huge thanks to Sivga for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XqyM9s
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCpqX1i
Build Quality / Aesthetics
I just love how Sivga keeps things simple but efficient and Sivga Anser has a short, but well-put marketing page on Linsoul and other websites, as we get to know the key constructional elements of the headphones. The housing of the headphones is crafted from carefully selected solid wood, through a five-axis CNC process, following hand polishing and natural air drying.
Sivga Anser also is designed to be lightweight, to prioritize comfort and with a rotatable headband, having a soft texture surface on the earpads. Internally, Anser is based on a 50mm dynamic driver, with a specialized diaphragm, using titanium plating technology. We get a copper-clad aluminium coil, and a 24.5mm NdFeB magnet with a 350 KJ/M3 energy, along with a nice detachable cable design that uses mono 3.5mm connectors, and which also comes with a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter.
If you want to be more technical, Sivga Anser weights 342 grams without the cable, has a 2 meters long cable, an impedance of 38 OHMs with a variation of 15%, and a SPL or Sensitivity of 105dB with a variation of 3dB. Although there is no booty transport case as we’ve seen with Sivga Luan and Sivga Phoenix, we still get a hemp transport bag for the Anser.
Fit / Comfort / Studio Usage
Sivga Anser is a lightweight pair of headphones that offer me an excellent comfort, having deep earpads, although the earpad size is at the edge for my ears, and I almost need larger earpads to really have enough space for me listeners inside. The headband feels nicely padded and distributes the weight evenly across my head with no hotspot, as most of the weight is taken on by the earpads.
Clamping force is on the medium-high range, as Answer has a rather natural fit for my head, but it would easily work with both a larger and a smaller head. There’s a good sense of openness to the headphones, they isolate very little from the outside noise, although they are not quite as transparent as HIFIMAN Susvara or Ananda Nano, having a few decibels of passive noise isolation. Leakage is almost at maximum volume, and people in your room will hear your music almost as loud as you do.
We get a cable that is free from tangling or conductive noise, although it is only ended in a 3.5mm jack connector, while Sivga makes 4.4mm balanced cables for many of their other headphones, so this one feels like a downgrade. My best guess is that they expect most folks purchasing an entry-level pair of headphones to have a SE source at home, but this is not a productive thinking, as even entry-level dongles like iBasso Macaron have a balanced output.
Sound Quality
Pairings – To drive the Sivga Anser, I have paired them with a collection of sources, including Lotoo PAW GT2, iBasso DX340, Shanling M1 Plus, Shanling EH1, FiiO BTR17, aune S17 PRO Evo driven by Aune S9c PRO, Sparkos Gemini driven by SMSL DO200 PRO, and Singxer SA-1 v2. Sivga Anser is generally easy to drive, although it comes with a single ended only cable, so it can eat quite a bit of volume potential from most sources. This means that most sources don’t have quite as much power over the single ended output, and you end up pumping the volume quite a bit with the Answer compared to most other headphones and IEMs that have a balanced cable.
Overall Signature – Although the first few times I heard the Anser during my prior testing, the sound felt quite colored and odd, upon allowing both some burn in for the headphones, and some mental burn-in for me, the sound ends up being rather balanced, slightly warm, natural and thick, with a fair amount of warmth and volume, a good extension both ways, and very nice detail for the price point.
Bass – Starting with the sub-bass, we start the bass at around 35 Hz, with a sharp roll-off below this range, although this means Sivga Anser has a better sub extension than most of the competition in the same range. Bass is fairly full and between 35 Hz and 60 Hz, there’s quite a bit of emphasis and peak in the bass, with a slow roll off up to around 120 Hz, so quite a bit of mid bass and even some extra upper bass. This all creates a thick and lush body for all instruments, giving even male voices a bit of extra weight and thickness.
Midrange – Sivga Anser has a natural midrange with a slight compression effect, presenting all voices somewhat forward, in-your-face, while background instruments are layered nicely around the listener within a wide range, although the whole soundstage is natural in size. As voices can be a bit on the forward side of things, Anser handles electronic and EDM music a bit better. Sivga Anser is one of the most natural sounding Sivga entry-level headphones, having a much closer to real life tuning than P2 and other headphones Sivga released in the entry-level range.
Treble – Sivga Anser has a good extension, up to 16 kHz audible, but also a smoother, richer treble presentation that makes most music really easy to enjoy, even if you pump some metal very loud. The treble could pass as the non-fatiguing type, but this doesn’t mean it lacks excitement, instead anser having an airy, detailed sound that reveals quite a bit of detail in the higher octaves.
PRaT / Textures – For most part, Sivga Anser has a smooth, natural texture, not dry, but not necessarily wet either, with a natural decay and high impact / speed. This means that most music sounds open and natural with a transparent character.
Dynamics – Sivga Anser has a high dynamic range, except for the lead voices which stand out as fairly heavily compressed relative to the rest of the sound. This allows Anser to bring the lead vocals really close to you, give you an intimate, personal experience despite having a wide layering and soundstage behind the lead voice.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Sivga Anser does not change much with volume, holds control extremely well up to 120 dB, but it does sound a bit more lively, more vivid and colorful at higher volumes, and I prefer enjoying them that way.
Soundstage – I would generally call the soundstage of the Anser natural, they can create a lot of space in between instruments, but the overall size is still within what I consider natural, and while layering / instrument separation is excellent, there’s a tendency for the lead voice to sound really close to you, so depending on what elements your attention follows within a song, they can feel quite intimate.
Value and Conclusion
Sivga created a high-performance pair of headphones for a rather low price, and at $219 USD, Anser is one of the best you can grab if you like a lush, warm and musical presentation that gives you a bit of intimacy with the lead vocalist, both for male and female voices. The high quality detachable cable and comfort makes Anser a great choice for basically anyone just starting on the audiophile trip, or someone who already has an impressive collection and needs a pair of backup headphones.
At the end of the day, If you’re looking for a beautiful, comfortable pair of headphones, that you will never feel like taking off your head, Sivga anser is a fully recommended purchase and a pair of headphones you should enjoy a lot.
PROs
- Excellent build quality, sturdy and reliable
- Detachable cable
- Fairly easy to drive
- Open design with a nice layering of instruments, especially the background
- High detail and resolution for the price point
- Warm and smooth sound in the lows, with a high substance and body for all instruments
- Beautiful design
- Superb overall price performance ratio
Cons
- No balanced cable
- No transport case
- Bass roll-off below 35 Hz
- Compressed and forward midrange
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XqyM9s
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCpqX1i
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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