Sendy Audio Egret Headphones Review – Fly On Wings Of Fire
Sendy Audio Egret is a $799 USD pair of headphones with a warm tilt in their sound, Planar magnetic driver at the core and a beautiful rustic looking design, along with detachable cables. Today we will review the Egret and also compare them with other headphones including Grell OAE2 (599 USD), HEDD D1 (799 USD) and HIFIMAN HE600 (799 USD).
Introduction
Sendy Audio is one of the most popular names when it comes to luxury audio from China, and they made waves in the audio industry with the release of their peacock, an impressive pair of headphones with a superb design. The Egret we’re reviewing today is far more affordable, but just as impressive from a constructional point of view, and can be purchased from Aliexpress and Amazon, as Sendy Audio products are widely available from a multitude of shops and sources.
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. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to Linsoul and ThieAudio for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4tkWHUT
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Wn1vWx
Official Link – https://www.sendyaudio.com/product_d?id=6
Build Quality – Design
At their core, Egret is built around a huge 98 mm x 84 mm Planar Magnetic Driver, and a wooden frame. The driver at the core uses an innovative sandwich structure with a magnetic cutting layer under 800nm thick for increased speed and signal response. To achieve a better driver, Sendy Audio uses EB or Electron Bean evaporation deposition to precisely coat aluminium circuits onto the nano-scale diaphragm surface.
Egret comes with a detachable cable that is triple composite, having a complex hybrid of 30 strands of 0.05mm Furukawa OFC, 10 stands of 0.05mm silver plated copper and 10 strands of 0.05mm enamelled gold-plated copper. On the inside, this cable adopts a graphene reinforced PVC structure that acts as both insulation and RFI / EMI shielding, while the other layer combines a 8/7/0.06mm copper braided mesh and a 8/7/0.06mm silver plated copper braided mesh, along a PVC jacket, for a high tensile strength and durability.
Characteristic of Sendy Audio and Sivga, Egret comes with a noble wood Walnut Earcup, a special high-density north american black walnut wood, known for hardness, density and distinct grain. To achieve the beautiful looks of the Egret, the mesh pattern on the earcups is inspired by the wings of an egret in flight, with a finely interwoven design that resembles the delicate features unfolding in the light, adding both a special acoustic signature and visual elegance.
All the support metallic parts are made of precision-machined aviation aluminium using CNC techniques, and finished with the Sendy Audio gunmetal anodization, offering a refined and understated look with a metallic sheen. The outer rim of the pads and headband are made of lamb leather that is breathable, while the contact part of the earpads is made of skin-friendly velour for better comfort. Add to this the usual angled earpads made by Sendy for increased comfort and a better seal, the earcups can rotate to adjust to any head size and shape.
Inside the package of the Egret you can find the headphones, their cable, a leather transport case and one Hemp Bag. There are also two adapters inside the package, one from the 4.4mm jack to a 3.5mm se jack, and one from the 3.5mm se jack to a 6.35mm SE jack. Technically, Egret has an impedance of 24 OHMS and SPL of 95 dB, being both hard to drive and theoretically a bit sensitive to the source output impedance, and they have a weight of 443 grams, which is a bit on the heavier side, but we shall see how they feel in the subjective usage part of the review.
Subjective Usage
Wearing the Egret is an impressive experience as they are a fairly solid pair of headphones, feeling more like a refined object of art than just a pair of headphones. From the superb comfort in the earpads, to the cable, everything feels really solid and well-thought. At their core, Egret are a high-end pair of headphones and they come with a really thick, not very flexible cable that feels like it would survive a war.
The cable is attached to the headphones using a mono 3.5mm connector which is not really the most common type, but most aftermarket cables should work just fine. There is not much passive noise isolation, and there is a bit of sound leakage, but it is lower than with most open-back headphones.
The angled, oddly cut earpads actually are excellent for comfort and they offer a good seal. My ears have more than enough space inside the earpads and cups, while the headband does a good job at distributing the weight, and while wearing the Egret, it feels padded, like it has a thick padding that rests at the top of my head with no hotspot or discomfort. You can expect a medium clamping force, and Egret is not made for running or sport, but works just fine for casual listening.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Reading the technical data of the Egret, I did not expect it to be extremely hard to drive, but I still paired it with the latest DACs and AMPs I reviewed, including FiiO K17, XL, Argon Audio SA-2 Amplifier driven by FiiO Warmer R2R, Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Hiby Digital M500, Surfans F20 PRO, and Luxsin X9.
I am willing to say tha they are extremely hard to drive, and while the impedance is detected as 32 OHMs by the Luxsin X9, it eats a lot of power and volume, needs to be taken extremely loud to actually sing, and even to gain volume.
Overall Signature – While recently I did review a few headphones where putting your hands on the cups did not make a difference despite being open-back, Egret is the other way around, and the sound does change significantly if you cover the earcups, so they do have a sonic role. Speaking of which, the sound of the egret is a warm, smooth, romantic one with a mild bass roll-off in the sub, but warm and luscious mid bass, sweet voicing and a slightly smoother treble. This all amounts to an enjoyable, engaging sound that stays clean and free of fatigue at all levels, and Egret has a tuning that is remarkably close to the Sendy Audi Peacock. It is a fairly clear-cut vocal sounding pair of headphones that delivers a vivid, strong vocal presentation.
Bass – At the low-end, Egret has a stronger extension than Peacock, but it still has a faint trace of sub-bas roll-off, as there’s a bit more focus on the mid bass and upper bass, delivering more warmth than it does a deep rumble. The presentation is still beautiful, lush, a bit thick, perfect for pop, EDM, Rock and most music. Bass tends to be the fuller, slightly slower type that renders well for all styles, but it is musical and fluid more than it is technical.
Midrange – With a sweet, delightful voicing, Egret is focused on delivering a fluid, full, and natural presentation with a bold body. This applies to both male and female voices, as Egret takes you on a heated, fun, and interesting trip, has a natural tonality that is ever so slightly smooth, with a slightly toned down upper midrange, and a slightly bolder, more present lower midrange. This strengthens the emotion rendered in female voices, gives male voices authority and presence and creates a strong contrast.
Treble – You will hear a smoother, more relaxed and laid-back top end that has top extension up to 20 kHz, but it is slightly smoother, in texture and it is toned for musicality and fluidity rather than aggressiveness. For rock and metal, it has enough extension and presence to be interesting, but it is not strongly sharp or bright.
Dynamics And Textures – Considering the whole tuning, Egret sounds very open and airy, it is transparent and can react quickly to impulse, but does so mindful of staying musical, which means that it will almost always sound somewhat relaxed, textures are smoother, leaner and more relaxed, while dynamic range is extremely wide, allowing you to enjoy classical, and music with a wide DR. Texture is always fluid, relaxed and although highly rich and resolving, with a good detail level, it is also neat, without hard edges.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Egret sounds similar at all levels, but gets more dynamic, the bass gets stronger and deeper, while voices tend to get a bit more forward too, at louder volumes. They become more vivid and louder but resolution is similar at all levels, while distortion is kept low at both 60 dB and 110 dB.
Soundstage – Sendy Audio had a somewhat intimate staging with the Peacock, but Egret is different, it is wider, airier, more holographic and more open sounding. It also has an effect where you hear most music in a beautiful 3D scene, separated and playing around you, but a lot of instruments play in a separate, almost like a bonus layer than most headphones don’t seem to render otherwise. It feels like Egret has a secret that allows it to produce a deeper layer of soundstage that I have not heard before, it is interesting and it works equally well for rap, pop and classical music.
Comparisons
Sendy Audio Egret vs Grell OAE2 (799 USD vs 599 USD) – OAE2 is still hot in my mind as a personal favorite as both headphones feel comfortable, both have a nice package and both come with nice cables, but with a different advantage, as OAE2 can have cable on just one cup, while Egret has the advantage of the cable being thicker, more resilient. Both are hard to drive, but OAE-2 clearly needs more power and a beefier source than the Egret. Sonically, Egret has a deeper, darker sound with more body, an almost the same size of soundstage, and a more fluid, smoother texture, with a wider dynamic range. Egret also is much easier to drive so it will distort less with most sources and will end up sounding more controlled and cleaner in most setups.
Sendy Audio Egret vs HEDD D1 (799 USD vs 799 USD) – HEDD D1 has a more industrial design, comes with a more basic cable but it is just as comfortable as the Egret. Both headphones are somewhat hard to drive, but they do sound different, as D1 is agreable, not really colored in any way, just a tiny bit smooth, while Egret has a fairly well-defined sound that is smooth, full, slightly dark, sweet in the voices, emotional and fun, rendering music with a higher dynamic range, more holographic 3D staging with a richer layering, and more separation between instruments.
Sendy Audio Egret vs HIFIMAN HE600 (799 USD vs 799 USD) – HE600 has a more industrial design, but it is also quite comfortable. This being said, the earcups of the Egret have a bit more space for my ears, and the headband can adjust to a larger size, while HE600 actually feels a bit tight on my head even at max size. Both are free of void, flex and other issues, but the default cable of the Egret is a higher quality one. Sonically, He600 is easier to drive and will sound more open, brighter, with more focus for female voices, less body and less fullness than Egret. Egret has better extension in the treble and the bass, creating a more complete sound despite the midrange sounding a bit darker and more lush. Resolution is comparable, they both are rich and can reveal a lot of information.
Value – Conclusion
With the price tag of 799 USD, Sendy Audio Egret has a better package and better build quality than most of the direct competition, having wood, a thick cable, balanced cable and a transport case, along with a tank-ish build quality, being the only one headphone around this price point that delivers this level of value, while sonics are top notch if you’re looking for their vocal, smoother, lush tuning.
Sendy Audio delivers an excellent pair of headphones once again and after they had extreme success with the Peacock, Egret comes to show a similar tuning, less flashy appearance, but just as good of a value and tonality, with a smoother, fuller and wider sound.
PROs
- Beautiful design with an artsy approach
- Solid transport case and excellent cable
- Vocal centric tuning with a true-to-life tonality and full body
- Wide soundstage and top stereo imaging / separation
- Full and smooth bass
- Fluid and relaxed treble
- High dynamic range, perfect for classical but also rock and metal
- High value relative to the market
Cons
- Very hard to drive
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4tkWHUT
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3Wn1vWx
Official Link – https://www.sendyaudio.com/product_d?id=6
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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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