HIFIMAN Isvarna Hybrid Headphones Review – Masterful Blend Of Dynamic And Planar
HIFIMAN Isvarna is a $2899 USD pair of over-the-ear headphones with a dual Dynamic Driver Hybrid setup intertwining the HIFIMAN Stealth Magnetic Planar Driver, with a Dynamic Driver a clever Crossover, and with a solution to the phase difference issue by having the two drivers installed in a specific angle and installed in such a way that you will not experience the issue. With unique custom drivers developed by HIFIMAN, they have the dynamic woofer and full-range planar drivers, so given the price and unique tech, Isvarna will compete against the best headphones in the world including HIFIMAN Susvara (6000 USD), HIFIMAN HE1000 Unveiled (2699 USD), and T+A Solitaire P-SE (3900 USD).
Introduction
HIFIMAN has been working on developing some amazing headphones that are more than just the unveiled series. Although the Unveiled are amazing in their own right, HIFIMAN is working on conquering the audio world with more specialized tech, and today we explore the mighty Isvarna, a Semi-Open Hybrid headphone, with a crossover and aluminum alloy housing.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4npduEd
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ooWvxZn
Build Quality And Design
I always enjoyed the simple, but straight-to-the-point descriptions on the Official HIFIMAN Website. HIFIMAN Isvarna is a completely new pair of headphones in the HIFIMAN arsenal, and it comes with a Dynamic Driver Subwoofer and a Full-Range Planar Driver. The trick to obtaining a perfect phase for the two drivers is to align them at an angle, and the dynamic driver subwoofer is angled laterally, right behind the dust covers visible on the side of the earcups. As the distance between the ear and the drivers is very short, it is necessary for this arrangement to be precise, so that you hear the sound absolutely in phase.
We can even see a comparison between the typical frequency response of a HIFIMAN Planar Magnetic pair of headphones and the response of the Isvarna with the added bass dynamic driver, and there is a serious uplifting in the bass response, below 300 Hz. Despite being just semi-open, Isvarna uses the Stealth Magnetic tech, and also the NanoMeter thickness Diaphragm which features a mass of just a few micrograms, providing audio playback that is super fast, for minimal distortion.
In the official package we can find three cables, one that is angled, short and ended in a 3.5mm connector, one which is balanced and ends in an XLR connector, and another 3m cable that is ended in a 6.35mm connector. The full specification list of the Isvarna includes an impedance of 16 OHMs, and a SPL or Sensitivity of 93 dB. With a weight of 462 grams, it is not a lightweight pair of headphones, but we shall see how it actually feels like to wear it.
Subjective Usage
I have always relied on HIFIMAN to make comfortable headphones, and while Sundara was a model that was a bit tight and small, most of their upper range are super comfy, so it is very good to report that Isvarna feels natural on my head, and despite the 462 grams, they actually feel light and the weight is distributed evenly. You can actually feel that there is an extra weight at the bottom of each earcup, but this has the effect of actually improving seal and comfort rather than reducing it. There is a bit of passive noise isolation, around 10 dB, but Isvarna leaks loudly, just not quite as loud as HE1000 Unveiled and Arya unveiled.
While people have been asking HIFIMAN to upgrade the default cable collection, I feel like the actual sound is very good, it is the omission of a 4.4mm balanced cable that I feel should be corrected in a future upgrade. Otherwise, I always seem to be using upgrade cables for comfort and looks, and sometimes for sound, but you don’t have to feel compelled to do it, the default ones work just fine.
Isvarna looks stealthy and modern, cool and a bit industrial compared to most HIFIMAN Headphones, but the high resolution text and fonts used, together with the high-quality headband and reliable construction make them stand out as premium in the market.
Sound Quality
Pairings – HIFIMAN Isvarna is not quite as hard to drive as HE1000 Unveiled, but it needs a bit of power, so I have paired them with a multitude of sources, to test how well it scales, and the list includes FiiO K17, Burson PlayMate 2, JDS Labs Element IV, Singxser Sa-1 V2 driven by a FiiO K15, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Dethonray Clarinet. I feel like they scale a lot with the source, you can give them your best DAC AMP and they will show just how much you’ve invested, creating a better sound with a better source.
Overall Signature – HIFiman gave Isvarna a really young, lively tuning, with a stronger bass than most of the headphones they released to date, a slightly recessed midrange, and a bitey, vivid treble. Isvarna is very detailed, renders each bit of information with ease, and has a bold, highly dynamic sound. It is unique compared to most HIFIMAN headphones as HIFIMAN tends to have a bit of a house sound that places voices and the midrange in the center, having a vocal tuning for most of their models, but Isvarna is a reversed signature, it is voice recessed, has a more forward treble, more forward treble. I like a V-Shaped sound, so I totally dig it, like what I hear, but Isvarna is like an outlier compared to most HIFIMAn Headphones.
Bass – Starting from the bottom end, HIFIMAN promises the world with their Isvarna, as it is the first HIFIMAN Headphones designed solely for the purpose of delivering a stronger bass than the usual planar counterparts. Both the semi-open design and the inclusion of a dynamic driver woofer help bring forward a deep sub-bass, with a strong, hard bass, and a controlled, smooth bass presentation. Isvarna is uniquely vivid, detailed and can deliver a devastating blow, thunderous bass. While the quantity alone isn’t quite what I’d consider basshead levels, Isvarna has considerably more than pure neutral / natural. The bass presentation of Isvarna is also quite hard, it is not a romantic or mellow, warm sounding pair of headphones, it is an impactful, seriously strong sounding pair of headphones with exceptional low-end punch. The sub-bass extension reaches 20 Hz with a serious strong touchdown force.
Midrange – Isvarna still has the HIFIMAN MAgical voice, and although there is a recess in quantity, they sound quite natural, ideally tuned for metal, rock, EDM and technical – aggressive music in general. Both male and female voices sound juicy, as do guitar solos, but Isvarna does not have the same open, forward midrange as HE1000 Unveiled, Susvara or even Sundara. Instead, they clamp in the middle point of the midrange, creating a bit of lower midrange and upper midrange emphasis, a unique v-shaped coloration that gives music forwardness without sounding vocal or nasal. For the second closed-back flagship that HIFIMAN designed, Isvarna sounds very natural and crisp, detailed and well within its own bounds, especially since audivina had a specific coloration, which Isvarna does not have.
Treble – With a more aggressive treble, Isvarna sounds really crisp and detailed, and brings bite to rock and metal, EDM and commercial music. It is a uniquely vivid sounding pair of headphones with the treble extending well to 20 kHz but having most strength in between 9 kHz and 14 kHz. This means that it can render the metallic bite of a cymbal crash, giving music brilliance and sparkle together with an active impact and live performance. If you want to hear how a concert sounds like, Isvarna renders that really well.
Dynamics And Textures – Despite being semi-open only, HIFIMAN Isvarna sounds incredibly dynamic and punchy, contrasty and crisp. Dynamic range is insanely high, not clamped at all, while textures are a unique blend of organic but tight, Isvarna renders textures a bit more accurately and contrasty, a bit more within clear bounds than most fully open-back headphones. The strong kick and punch from the woofer driver gives resolution and extra tactile feeling to all textures, Isvarna renders rock, EDM and electronic music in particular realistic, it gives new styles exactly the kind of presentation you’ hear live inside a high-end club or concert.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – HIFIMAN Isvarna has exceptional volume control, it delivers the same resolution, same impact and same frequency response at both low, medium and high volumes. As it is uniquely vivid, I tend to pump the volume higher when I want to feel like I’m enjoying a live concert, but it is one of the very few headphones that actually sounds good at low volumes too. This is thanks to the bitey and sharp treble impact, and strong bass, so even more than other HIFIMAN Headphones you can easily enjoy Isvarna at all volume levels, both quiet, low, medium and extremely loud. The generally ultra high volume distortion is a bit lower than with most open back planars, thanks to the more bounded design, you hear a tactile bass impact but much lower distortion with Isvarna if you really pump the volume compared even to the new Unveiled series, so for bass heavy music and high volumes it really delivers an interesting, meaty sound.
Soundstage – With a clear bound, you’d expect isvarna to do a bit worse than the open-back counterparts, but it actually delivers a wider, more holographic soundstage than most headphones on the market, slightly smaller than Audivina, but wider and more holographic than He1000 Unveiled. It is interesting because it has a strong imaging and instrument separation, creating a very well defined bound for each layer and for each instrument. Isvarna really gives music brilliance and impact, all whilst rendering it in a huge, but well-defined space. Depth is as essential as width for Isvarna and it is not just wide, it is deep sounding too.
Comparisons
HIFIMAN Isvarna vs HIFIMAN Susvara OG (2899 USD vs 6000 USD) – Build quality is similar between Isvarna and Susvara, with both having a reliable frame, beautiful design, and similar cable quality in the package. Susvara is fully open-back, it leaks more, isolates less and has a uniquely open sound, while Isvarna feels a bit heavier and a bit more tight on the head, having the center of weight a bit lower, which creates a unique wearing feeling. Sonically, Isvarna has a bigger bass, with more impact, a more dramatic, but also more v-Shaped sound. Susvara sounds more laid-back and relaxed, smoother, less fatiguing. Isvarna has a uniquely strong bass and more upper midrange / lower treble emphasis, the tuning being quite different in both frequency response but also textures and staging. Isvarna has a stronger instrument separation and imaging, but creates a more defined soundstage, while Susvara renders a larger soundstage but which is a bit less defined. Overall, Susvara can render a slightly more detailed sound, but the difference is very slight. HIFIMAN Susvara is one if not the hardest to drive pair of headphones in the whole world, but Isvarna is easier to drive, much more efficient and you’ll be able to get them playing with much cheaper sources.
HIFIMAN Isvarna vs HE1000 Unveiled (2899 USD vs 2699 USD) – HIFIMAN Isvarna is a bit tighter on the head, with more weight at the bottom part, while HE1000 Unveiled is lighter, and feels more open. The Unveiled variant of He1000 is super open, transparent even, they almost don’t isolate at all from outside noise, while Isvarna has a bit of passive noise isolation and a much lower leakage. All Unveiled headphones leak all the sound that is being fed into them. HE1000 Unveiled is about as hard to drive as Isvarna, although in general I am having an easier time to power Isvarna, it is less picky with the source, more versatile. Sonically, He1000 Unveiled is rather dramatic, just like Isvarna, the new unveiled series of headphones manages to deliver a rather strong punch and a vivid image, but Isvarna is more dramatic, more vivid, creates a deeper sub bass, stronger punch, a stronger treble, with a different tuning, more lower treble aggro bite, than upper treble. Isvarna is basically better for rock, EDM, and aggressive, technical music, while He1000 Unveiled can handle classical, and orchestral, acoustic music more effortlessly.
HIFIMAN Isvarna vs T+A Solitaire P-SE (2899 USD vs 3900 USD) – T+A made a pair of headphones that are super comfortable, and while P-SE feels like they have the same weight, they have less clamping force, and a less tight / secure fit. T+A bundles their headphones with a better cable, including 4.4mm balanced cables, but the issue is that P-SE is not compatible with many aftermarket cables, while although Isvarna comes with a less fancy cable, the connectors are versatile and make it very easy to replace the cables of the Isvarna. P-SE does not isolate at all from the outside noise, while Isvarna isolates a bit, and leaks much less. T+A Solitaire P-SE is very hard to drive, and requires a really good DAC / Headphone AMP to sound good, while Isvarna can be driven really well even from entry-level sources and even some dongle DAC AMPs. Sonically, P-SE sounds much wider, more relaxed, smoother and more refined, while Isvarna is more punchy, vivid, engaging and more direct. The tonality presentation is quite different too, Solitaire P-SE has a mature, refined sound to it, while Isvarna sounds young, energetic, a bit more bitey in the treble, warmer in the bass.
Value and Conclusion
HIFIMAN places the Isvarna at a 2900 USD price point, which is comparable to other high-end headphones, but Isvarna delivers a very similar performance to Susvara, which is far more expensive. There is no transport case, and the default cables need replacing, but this doesn’t bring the value down too much, as it is easy to get both aftermarket cables and a transport case, and Isvarna is not made to be used in public in the first place. In fact, just based on the price alone, I can easily recommend Isvarna to anyone who wants an excellent pair of headphones, they really sound that amazing and fun, and they have an outstanding price performance ratio rarely seen in the high-end range.
Award – HIFIMAN Isvarna is new, unique, Hybrid and sounds unique, I feel that they deserve a place in our Audiophile-Heaven Hall Of Fame even for the sake of their signature alone, Isvarna sounds just enjoyable, vivid and crisp. They deliver a sonic resolution usually found in pricier flagships, and have a neat design, so they’ll be celebrated for long, not replacing anything but finding a place of their own.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a unique pair of headphones with a strong, hard v-Shaped sound and with a comfortable fit, semi-open design, you need to hear the HIFIMAN Isvarna, it is excellent for all music styles but thrives on delivering the raw emotional impact of rock, metal, EDM, and most new commercial music. Isvarna is a personal favorite of mine, different and complementary to HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled, you have to hear both and own both, Susvara delivers less impact and less punch than Isvarna, so if you have the flagship that’s vocal, you will need to check out the Isvarna.
PROs
- Must hear sound signature
- Offers a bit of passive noise isolation
- Lower leakage than most open-back headphones
- Much easier to drive than most HIFIMAN Flagships
- Excellent earpads and comfort
- Easy to replace the cables and upgrade them
- Holographic but deep sound with excellent impact
- True sub-bass extension that reaches 20 Hz and delivers a strong kick there
- Slight recess in the midrange gives Isvarna a uniquely fatigue-free signature for how engaging they are
- Sharp treble with a strong bite
- Beautiful and reliable
Cons
- Default cables need replacing for better ergonomics and comfort
- Isvarna is an outlier, you won’t get a good idea of how they will sound like by hearing any other HIFIMAN pair of headphones
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4npduEd
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ooWvxZn
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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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