[Shane D]

Yes, I have: https://ngoshawksounds.blog/2019/09/08/verum-audio-verum-1-the-story-of-one/

Nice comparisons!

 

[ngoshawk]

Nice comparisons!

Thank you. I like them both, and to think they are “affordable” options is a good thing.

 

[Shane D]

Thank you. I like them both, and to think they are “affordable” options is a good thing.

If you were buying right now, what planar under $500.00?

I already have the Sundara's and currently selling some Edition XX's. I am very curious about the Verums, but nervous about quality/service issues.
Also wondering if the Aiva isn't a little over-hyped.

 

[ngoshawk]

If you were buying right now, what planar under $500.00?

I already have the Sundara's and currently selling some Edition XX's. I am very curious about the Verums, but nervous about quality/service issues.
Also wondering if the Aiva isn't a little over-hyped.

Aaaahhhh...that’s a tough one. I do like the mellow laidback sound of the Aiva, but the vibrant character of the Verum1 is really hard to pass up. It has such good clarity for the price that even though I prefer a darker sig, I’d probably opt for that. And I know the goofy cat ears yoke system (I do love it, though) has been changed to be more mainstream.

I would add that the Verum can get a bit tiresome after long sessions FOR ME. I have a treble-intolerance due to high end hearing loss and the Verum can bother me at loud volumes for longer periods. My solution is to just turn it down! The novelty of having a cult-classic is pretty cool and the Verum as a result is hard to pass up. But the Aiva is a gorgeous unit with its own merits.

Not sure this helped but they are different in character. Cheers.

 

[KH Photo]

Sendy Aiva ‘Normal Guy’s Real-World Review’ as it compares to Meze 99 and Hifiman Sundara:

I’m new here and I’m just a normal non-audiophile guy that happens to like quality products, quality music, and quality listening experiences. As such, I thought I’d chime-in to provide a slightly different review of the SendyAudio Aiva headphones and how they compare to the Meze 99 Classics and Hifiman Sundara’s. This review will not go into detail about frequency responses, nor precise descriptions of what the lows, mids, and highs sound like… you can easily get all of that from the plethora of other reviews here or on the innerwebs. The Googly goo will surely provide more than you might care to read.


MY GEAR…
Headphones:
Meze 99 Classics
Hifiman Sundara
SendyAudio Aiva
Bang & Olufsen H8 (on ear – Bluetooth) *
Bang & Olufsen E8 (in ear – Bluetooth) *
Klipsch T5 II True Wireless (in ear – Bluetooth) *
*(only mentioned to let you know what other products I listen to on occasion, but not appropriate for comparison purposes)

DAC/Amp:
FiiO Q5s TC (primary)
UGREEN Headphone Adaptor for iPhone (backup)

Cables:
Meze 99 Series Silver Upgrade Cable—4.4mm Balanced (used on both the 99 Classics and Sundara)
Stock Aiva Cable—4.4mm Balanced (used only on the Aiva)

Music Source:
Tidal HiFi (primary)
Spotify Premium (secondary)


MY LISTENING METHODOLOGY…
I’m not one to think that a desktop DAC/Amp is a must have. In fact, I would not likely even be inclined to use one. I prefer to listen to my music on the couch and have the ability to move to the chair in the other room, or to my bed, or wherever. In other words, I don’t want to be bound to sitting in my office chair in order to listen to my music. Does this hamper the quality? Perhaps, but I simply don’t care that much. Maybe in the future I will, but right now I think the FiiO Q5s is doing just fine and it drives all 3 headphones with plenty of headroom in the volume for my ears. This said, it was not until I got the Meze upgrade cable that the Sundara’s were able to be driven properly from the FiiO. That 4.4mm Balanced port is key! Side note… I purchased the Meze cable so that it could be used on both the 99 Classics as well as the Sundara’s. It’s expensive, but worth it.

I should ALSO note that I wear glasses when I’m on my laptop or reading, and the Meze’s simply do not get a very good seal around glasses… but the Sundara’s do, and the Aiva’s are decent in this regard as well. This is certainly something that I never gave much consideration to when I bought the Meze’s a year ago, and while I LOVE those headphones, they simply sound much better when I’m not having to wear my glasses.


MY THOUGHTS…
I have a great appreciation for the little details in things, and I love products that are made well and actually look and feel good. I am a firm believer that all of our senses work hand-in-hand, and when I pick up any of these headphones, they just look and feel incredible. But the Sendy Aiva’s are simply a few steps above the other two. They are so well made it is almost unbelievable to me. Literally every last detail has been meticulously crafted and assembled… even down to the cable bag. It is a work of art, and I appreciate those efforts. Putting headphones on that have already made me smile before I’ve even piped music into them is not something to be ignored in my opinion.

They are the perfect size to not be pushed up too much on my head when I lay back on a pillow. However, the Meze’s win in this category, as they barely even touch the pillow, and the Sundara’s are WAY too big to use in this situation. And since this scenario is where I tend to do most of my ‘deep’ listening, I’m happy to report the Aiva’s get fair use here, albeit not exclusive use.

As far as how the Aiva’s sound… outstanding!

It’s not that the other two are bad in any way, it’s just that they are different is all. I’m hearing things in my music that I’ve never heard before. Sometimes I’ll hear something I’ve never noticed, then swap out to one of the other two just to compare. The sound is there and I’m like “oh yeah, there it is”, but it just never jumped out at me like it does with the Aiva’s. The imaging is wonderful, and this is a pretty cool thing to me! It has caused me to have even deeper listening sessions when I’m wearing the Aiva’s.

When I’m working on the computer or reading, it’s the Sundara’s that get most usage, as they fit so well over glasses without any effect to sound quality. When I’m on the couch and have no concern for isolation, the Aiva’s get most usage. And when I’m in bed and/or need to have more isolation, I tend to go to the Meze’s the most (though the Aiva’s do get used quite a bit here as well).

I don’t know what your ears demand nor what your listening habits are, but for me if I had to pick just one… the Aiva’s would win, hands-down! They work decently well over glasses, work decently well when laid back on a pillow, and they simply sound incredible! They are driven perfectly with the FiiO Q5s DAC/Amp, and they fit my very small head perfectly (and the addition of the Headphone Cushion from MusicTeck makes the fit even better).

And the looks… oh boy, the looks! They are just incredible and make a visual statement as much as they make an audio statement! If you are on-the-fence, I don’t blame you, so was I. But I’m so glad I added this pair of headphones to my repertoire to round out how I go about listening to music… real world situations. Again though, I would be perfectly fine if I ONLY had the Aiva’s, to be honest.

Just do it… you know you want to!

 

[G8torbyte]

Aaaahhhh...that’s a tough one. I do like the mellow laidback sound of the Aiva, but the vibrant character of the Verum1 is really hard to pass up. It has such good clarity for the price that even though I prefer a darker sig, I’d probably opt for that. And I know the goofy cat ears yoke system (I do love it, though) has been changed to be more mainstream.

Interesting how different listeners experience the sound characteristics. I find the the Aiva's as very accurate, detailed with an up-front/intimate performance vs laid-back.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Aiva's but selling due to the head frame not working well on my thin head and cannot get it to wear comfortably.

Selling it the whole set here with an XLR adapter:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-...adphones-w-extra-xlr-balanced-adapter.949589/

To me the HE-4XX has a laid-back, smoother and darkish sound. I've enjoy the differences in each and like to switch them up. Both pair well with strong hybrid tube amps where some planars like my LCD2C's and Ether CX's do not.

 

[cleg]

Of course I'm really late with this review, but still, here is my video about Aiva

 

[nitro0]

I still very much enjoy my Aiva and it‘s such a beautiful headphone

 

[KH Photo]

Yep, I love mine as well!!! Please tell me about this stand though… it's very cool!

 

[nitro0]

It is a ROOMs headphone stand, really awesome and stylish stand! Can‘t recommend it enough.

 

[KH Photo]

It is a ROOMs headphone stand, really awesome and stylish stand! Can‘t recommend it enough.

Looks great. I'll look into one for sure!

 

[grape ape]

I just PM'd g8torator. I hope they look good on my nightmare headphone stand.

I have a habit of buying gear will little to no impressions. I can't wait to try them out.

 

[silent-circuit]

I just PM'd g8torator. I hope they look good on my nightmare headphone stand.

I have a habit of buying gear will little to no impressions. I can't wait to try them out.

Yeeeee.....

Thanks, I hate it.

 

[grape ape]

I bought a used pair and They’re in the mail and on their way. I’m so excited and can’t wait to compare them to my 350ohm hifiman he560. I love to check out odd headphones that are obscure enough and don’t yet have even a general consensus how they sound.

Edit: also thanks g8torbyte for selling me these. I appreciate it.

 

[grape ape]

how do I determine which pads are compatible with these headphones? Looking on Amazon, for example, at brainwavez they list all the models each set of pads are compatible with, there aiva are never listed. I assume that they just aren’t popular enough for them to make the list. Can any of you give me a short list of very popular headphones that use the same pads as the aiva?