Sivga SV021 PRO V2 Headphones Review – Polarize My Sonic View
Sivga SV021 PRO V2 is a $179 USD pair of over-the-ear headphones with a unique sound signature, Aluminium diaphragm driver and natural wood shells, designed for a refined listening experience. Today we will review the SV021 PROV2 and explore how they sound as well as how they fit in today’s market.
Introduction
Sivga is a top company that always seems to deliver fresh and interesting products, and SV021 PRO V2 is a follow-up and upgrade from the original SV021, but with a very minor price increase from the 149 USD that the original cost to a 179 USD, a 30 USD increase. Sivga and Sendy Audio products can be found and purchased from any HiFi shop, Amazon, Aliexpress as well as their own online shop. This is a different model from SV021 PRO, as the V2 has a drastic change in sound. I do have SV021 PRO V1, but will not be reviewing it as Sivga decided to discontinue it and will be producing the V2 from now on.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4fkHVKu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Wn84cl
Build Quality – Design
Sivga designed the new SV021 PROV2 to be a super high-flidelty pair of headphones with a 50mm dynamic driver at the core, wooden earcups and ergonomic earpads. The driver at the core is a unique 50mm Aluminium diaphragm dynamic driver, with a five-layer composite diaphragm engineered for an ideal balance of rigidity and damping.
With a new voice coil using Ultra-Fine Black CopperAluminum alloy, and a dome-shaped six-layer reinforced composite structure, SV021 PRO V2 is made for low distortion and a vibrant treble. There are two color options for the SV021, Beechwood and Zebrawood, with a dark and serious tone or a light and happy tone. We have the zebrawood, which is bold and striped.
All adjustment parts are made of metal, while earpads are large, have a velour on the part that makes contact with your skin, and SV021 PROv2 comes with an OFC detachable cable that is ended in a 3.5mm single ended jack connector.
Technically they are a closed-back pair of headphones with a 50mm dynamic driver at the core, a SPL of 106 dB and a weight of 289 grams, being one of the lightest headphones I have ever reviewed. SV021v2 Pro also has a medium impedance of 45 OHMs with a large possible deviation of 15% and they use a 3.5mm single ended jack connector with no options for a balanced connector in the package, although the cable is very easily replaceable.
Subjective Usage
Sivga SV021 PRO V2 is very comfortable, feels lightweight on my head and once I adjust them to the right size, the earpads are huge and there is no hotspot at the top of the headband. While the cable is detachable, it does conduct microphonic noise, and every single movement noise is audible in the headphones, including the earcups brushing against my clothes, as those cups are quite microphonic.
Passive noise isolation is medium, at around 10 dB, but it does get better with a bit of music playing. While there is some leakage, it is minimal as SV-021 PRO V2 is mainly a closed-back pair of headphones and although there is ventilation at the top, it does not compare to a fully open back pair of headphones.
The whole construction feels premium, while the cable feels a bit springy and rigid, but also premium in quality. There is no creaking noise, no driver flex or void, and the whole headphone is as comfortable as they get, lightweight, although they can feel a bit too light. Pressure and clamping force is medium-weak as they don’t squeeze me too much and feel natural, not loose and not tight either. Having just a single ended cable in the package feels a bit limitative since all of my sources have a better output for the balanced jack.
Sound Quality
Pairings – For this review, I have paired the Sivga SV021 PRO V2 with FiiO K17, Argon Audio SA-2 Amplifier Driven by FiiO Warmer R2R, Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), iBasso Kunlun, FiiO Snowsky Echo DAP, Orchard Audio Valencia driven by Musician Pegasus III and Luxsin X9.
Luxsin X9 detects the impedance at 32 OHMs, and they are somewhat hard to drive, or at least they need a good amount of power to be controlled and fuller sounding. If underdriven, the sound gets quite bright and fast.
Overall Signature – While SV021 PRO V1 was quite sharp, bright and lacked bass, V2 is a much smoother, more natural listening experience and I have them side by side. It is a good idea and a good direction that the company changed the name to V2 to avoid confusion and to make it simple to know that you’re getting the new v2 version. From what I can tell, there is no difference in the package, or physical difference, you will only know judging by the sound whether you have V1 or V2. Sonically, SV021 PRO V2 sounds natural, slightly gentle, slightly warm, and with a fairly big and relaxed sound. It is most certainly more universal and as I also have V1 I can tell that if someone was reviewing the V1 they would feel like V2 is a completely different headphone.
Bass – At deep end, SV021 Pro V2 has a warm sound, a pretty pleasing bass that is rounded and reaches nicely in the mid bass as well as deeper bass, although it does not have a very strong basshead presence. It is a huge increase from V1 which was very light and mostly sharp and fast, but lacked depth and body. V2 has a natural body and strong presence for all instruments, giving them a bit of meat to feel real and to sing.
Midrange – Voicing on Sivga SV021 PRO V2 is natural, slightly relaxed and smooth, quite different from V1 which was quite sharp, aggressive and fatiguing. V2 sounds fairly musical, slightly laid-back and has a similar presence to male and female voices, both being slightly recessed and relaxed. Everything sounds a bit relaxed and distant, but this gives way for a huge dynamic range to be created, for a really large soundstage and natural instrument separation where you can hear a gentle flute in the background of the song Revenge Of The Riff by Chuggaboom. It basically allows you to hear classical arrangements and instruments even in rock and metal songs, creating a really fun presentation that takes away the aggro edge a bit but replaces it with a fun and gentle tone.
Treble – You can expect a relaxed, present but laid-back treble that gives music space to breathe. This is also a huge change from V1, as V2 is quite relaxed, but V1 was very bright and sharp, often fatiguing. With V2 you can enjoy most styles without fatigue, but it has just enough energy in the highs for metalcore, death metal and deathcore. It will still be more adequate for chiller sounds as treble is not that much and those styles might feel too relaxed, too musical and fluid.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is quite wide, there’s plenty of space between instruments and quiet remains rather quiet while loud gets really loud. It feels like SV021 PRO V2 was tuned with classical and acoustic instruments in mind, but this tone works really well for any rock and metal that has a more complex arrangement with classical elements, flutes or pianos, as it creates a really strong separation between the forward guitars and drums and background pianos or bow type instruments.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – It feels like you cannot push too much power into SV021 PRO V2, it eats up power and can play extremely loud with the same relaxed and laid-back tone as it has at lower volumes. This is one of the very few headphones that does not change character with a higher volume, and ends up sounding incredibly smooth and relaxed at higher volumes. It is always relaxed and laid back, THD or distortion is not audible regardless of the volume.
Soundstage – Staging is wide and holographic, with a blended presentation that does not create a high separation between instruments and keeps all instruments together, playing as if they are one. It is an interesting presentation that complements the rest of the tuning well.
Value – Conclusion
With a tag of 179 USD, SV021 PRO V2 is a nice pair of headphones, with a much better build quality, much better design and comfort than most of the competition, and a relaxed, laid-back tone that has enough bass, enough treble and a wide dynamic range with a wide soundstage despite the closed-back design. While they do leak a bit of sound to the outside, they do offer a bit of passive noise isolation, especially if you’re playing music.
In the end, with the release of V2, Sivga SV021 PRO V2 is a great pair of headphones with a laid-back, relaxed presentation, good resolution and if you’re looking for a pair of headphones with a closed-back design, around this price point, they are some of the best you could get.
PROs
- Quality cable with good construction
- Closed-back design with a bit of passive noise isolation
- Relaxed and laid-back presentation with a good amount of detail
- Warm bass and natural midrange
- Distant midrange that creates a wide space
- Blended type of instrument separation that helps music feel cohesive
- Relaxed and smooth treble
- Handles high volumes really well
- Very low distortion
Cons
- A bit hard to drive
- Only SE cable included in the package
- V2 and V1 look the same physically
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4fkHVKu
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Wn84cl
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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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