HIFIMAN Audivina

MatAudiophiles​

Hifiman audivina​

Audivin hifiman
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Prelude:
Hifiman Audivina is another Hifiman approach to the topic of closed planar headphones. After a quite successful debut in the form of the Sundara closed back, Hifiman has not abandoned his plans to prove to us that he can surprise us with closed back headphones as much as, for example, with the open Sundara or Edition XS. This time the whole thing was created completely from scratch, practically everything in the Audivin model was redesigned, creating a completely autonomous product. Initially, I felt concerned about the amount of negative reviews about this model. Especially since the price of the Audivan is $1,999, which is quite a high budget.



Unboxing:
Audivina comes to us in a standard ecological Hifiman packaging, but what is important, the set includes a hard and eye-pleasing transport case made of hard plastic, which is a nice accent and suggests the mobile nature of the headphones themselves. Additionally, we have a set of three cables, with a 6.5mm jack, a 3.5mm jack and a balanced XLR. Unfortunately, the cables are rather basic and identical to those in every Hifiman model. However, they ensure full compatibility with various hi-fi sets. It’s a pity that the cables are not braided like the ones in Aria Organic. However, I consider the set to be completely complete and well thought out. You can also find the headphones themselves made of wood and metal, the ear cups are large, but the headphones themselves look very good and are comfortable. The stock pads can be replaced, for example, with something from Dekoni, but they are good enough to provide an excellent sound experience. The quality of workmanship is very good and the pads are really comfortable. The headphones themselves do not require much current, but they still benefit from a better source.



Sound:
When designing the Audivan, Hifiman decided to create monitoring headphones with a concert hall effect. At first it was difficult to understand, but after about 200 hours of firing I noticed that it was really well thought out and I was surprised by the one-star reviews. Perhaps some people have run out of patience with these headphones. I had a similar situation with R9 and a closed sundara. At the beginning they sounded not very promising, but after some time they showed an incredibly good level. So now let’s move on and take a look at the sound of this closed model made of wood from hifiman.

Bass: The low tones are a very strong point, Audivans retain an almost completely linear character and are really precise. We can feel them and perceive their presence more clearly due to the closed planar structure. Additionally, their purity and complexity are truly something I expect when making the compromise of a closed headphone design. Although in the case of the Audivan the isolation is not the best, there is also a lot of sound leakage, but it is much better than in the case of open headphones. The subbass is soft and neutral. The whole thing is slightly slimmed down because special acoustic chambers are supposed to provide us with an extraordinary sound stage, and it is indeed impressive. This is because, apart from the large planar transducer, the Audivan also has a reverb effect, which, however, disappears after a few seconds of listening when our hearing gets used to it.

Diameter: The midtones are smooth and clear, a form of communication full of information and detail. We have a lot of natural-sounding instruments, great separation and excellent quality. The midtones are very developed and sound extremely clean and linear. I also like the preservation of the natural timbre of each instrument, the soundstage is not only wide but also deep, which provides a great experience. The vocals sound good, especially the male vocals are extremely well performed, although the female vocals are also good, but they sound a bit thinner.

Treble:They are very holographic, their neutrality really exceeds my expectations. These are headphones that largely focus on an even and monitor-like sound, they are not as musical as other Hifiman products, so I can understand that not everyone likes such a presentation. However, the headphones present exactly the character intended by the manufacturer. The high tones are not exaggerated, rather even and clear, full of various information. It’s a great approach that makes the Audivan unique in its own way.



Comparisons:

Audivana (1999USD) VS HIFIMAN R9 (109USD)
Currently, the R9 costs a fraction of their original price, which makes them unrivaled, but these are very bass-heavy headphones with recessed vocals, the Audivan has a monitor-like and very even sound, but the price difference is now almost twenty times higher. R9 are good and entertaining dynamic headphones, while Audivana is a technical and very balanced in terms of tone, where the emphasis is primarily on linearity of playing.

Audivana (1999USD) VS Sundara closed back (229USD)
Sundara is a smaller headphone, without the same depth or breadth, more intimate and less balanced. Audivana is ten times more expensive, but at every step it presents a much higher standard. Sundara closed is a less holographic headphone, but at the same time slightly more musical. At the same time, the Audivan is a handset with more panache and much more impressive against virtually any background.



Summary:
Audivana is probably the most unusual of all hifiman headphones, which may be liked or controversial. Personally, I really liked it, giving me the feeling of being in contact with excellent equipment for monitoring and working with music. These are not cheap headphones, as their price is already in the high-end of the headphone world, but they are rewarded with an excellent sound stage, full of life and details. They guarantee an even and very dynamic sound with an excellent neutral, but at the same time natural presentation. They provide a lot of space, probably the best I’ve ever seen in closed headphones. With a bad connection, they can turn out to be a bit thin in sound and definitely require a long warm-up before showing their potential. However, in combination with HE600 they showed an incredibly good technical side and successfully defended their position. These are different headphones, the reverberation of the concert hall is definitely something that takes a while to get used to, but in the end it provides a great effect and translates into a great space, which is why I consider the Audivane to be a good pair of headphones, not so much musical but, above all, technical.

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This is a no-nonsense review of the Audivina. My review is based on a two week audition supplied by Hifiman. While the loaner was supplied by Hifiman, there is no incentive or reason for me to give anything but honest review. My goal here is to describe exactly how the Audivina sounds as objectively as possible.


The Headphones come packaged in a Hifiman Travel Case, along with three cables. The first is a 1.5 meter cable terminated as a single ended 3.5mm. There’s also two 3 meter cables. One is a single ended 6.35mm and the other is a balanced XLR.

Nice bundle-- Stand not included


The cables bend easily, don’t kink, and aren’t microphonic at all. From a build perspective the cables are great, except for the black on black lettering on the headphone side to determine Left or Right. You have to be in direct light to see which is “L” and “R”. There’s no color indicator or contrasted letters. Not a big deal, but just not ideal for usability. All seems to work fine with the cables, and there’s a satisfying *click* when you plug the cables fully into the headphone.

Black letters on a black cable. Which is left, which is right? In the middle of the night nothing may be right.



The Headphone build is solid. I’ve got no immediate concerns with something breaking, and functionally they are built as well as they should be. The headband is a leather like strap that is suspended by being connected to a metal frame. The metal frame is high quality, shaped well, and without any weak spots. The strap is also high quality of medium thickness, and will obviously withstand a lot. Where the strap attaches to the sliders is a thin point, and one where all of the pressure is distributed to the frame. I’d be concerned that this could be a failure point where the strap would eventually break, but this design is the same used the Arya, and I’ve had no durability issues with the Arya over several years. The cups rotate smoothly both horizontally and vertically, and have a very wide range of motion being able to rotate all the way around. The cups themselves are made of wood with a very smooth lacquer like finish. The finish doesn’t attract fingerprints. On the bottom side of the cups are angled TRS connectors that are flush with the cups (not recessed, thank you Hifiman). The ear pads are held onto the cups by Velcro like material, and do not shift at all during use.




The headphone is on the heavier side at 470 grams, but in wearing them you really don’t feel that weight. The suspended headband does a great job at distributing the weight across your entire head, so much so that the headphones actually feel light when in use. The egg shaped ear pads are somewhat firm however, and may give some pressure points depending on the shape of your head. I had minor pressure points above the ears, in front of the ears, and a little bit along the jawline. The ear pads are large, and If you’ve ever tried an Arya or Ananda it’s the same general comfort. Even with those pressure points I had no issues wearing the Audivina for hours at a time, but your comfort will depend on the shape of your head.

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This headphone is different from the usual headphone sound. The presentation is what is unique about this headphone, and whether or not you like the presentation is likely what will make or break this headphone. I’ll go over all of the individual aspects of the sound below in detail, but what you need to know up front is that the headphone is very high up there on a technical level, so don’t worry much about its ability. On a technical level it competes with the Arya, HE6se, and older HE series. The Audivina is also fairly neutral in frequency response, with the only issue being an overall thinner sound that is especially noticed in the upper mids.

The Audivina was designed to simulate sitting in a concert hall. How it achieves this is by effectively making all of the sounds smaller, thinner in size, and farther away in their space compared to a normal closed back headphone. With the sounds being smaller in size and farther away, there is more space in-between each sound which gives the illusion of an extra-large sound stage. This works excellent, exactly as designed. The perceived stage is large in both width and depth, and is better than most open headphones that I’ve tried. To match the acoustics there is also a tiny amount of reverb with each sound. It’s minor enough that it isn’t noticeable most of the time, but it does add a little bit of extra perceived detail and refinement into the sound.

The downside to the presentation is that when you put the headphones on for the first time the sound seems to be canny, unnatural, and without any fullness. The presentation is just so far different from what you are used to, it can’t help but sound wrong as your brain tries to figure out what is going on. These aspects mostly go away once your brain adjusts to the sound after a few minutes. The only negative aspect that sticks around long term is the feeling that the sound is thinner than normal. That too improves with brain burn in to an extent, but never fully goes away. The second issue with this type of presentation is that when you push a sound out at normal listening volumes, or make it smaller, this can lessen your engagement with the music. When music is loud and in your face you can’t help but pay more attention to it, and it’s just generally easier to be more emotionally involved. When the sound is farther away and thinner, you can analyze it and determine that it’s correct, but there’s no avoiding that the enjoyment will go down. This isn't necessarily a flaw with the Audivina, but just a general aspect of what happens when the presentation is pushed out into a large space.

With the Audivina you are gaining something new, a closed back with a grand sound stage that is portrayed wonderfully. The stage will dazzle you, and sound fantastic from a technical perspective, but in return you do give up some engagement with the music. That’s not to say that the Audivina is boring. The Audivina has a surprising amount of impact to each sound, so each sound is emphasized despite being farther away. This keeps you engaged enough instead of just listening to background music. So there is fun and engagement here, it is just less up front and thinner than what you would typically get from a normal headphone presentation. That said, if a large stage is what you are looking for in a closed back headphone, then the Audivina pulls off the presentation wonderfully.

Bass
The Sub-bass is phenomenal. It extends very low, has great resolution, and is effortlessly contained to its own space. Mid-bass is pulled back a little by comparison, but isn’t usually missed as much with how much sub-bass comes through. The mid-bass is present, just not as prevalent as it should be which does contribute to the feeling that there is a lack of weight in the overall sound.

Mids
This one is tricky, as when you listen to male or female vocals it seems like it’s all there. The voices are accurate on close inspection, and yet at the same time you can’t help but feel that the mids are missing something. This is where the thinner sound of the Audivina comes across the most. Upper mids, such as female vocals, will sound like they are missing body. Male voices typically sound accurate on the lower registers, then as pitch increases they too can sound a bit lean. Once your brain adapts the mids sound accurate for long term critical listening, but there is always the feeling that there should be a little more body in this area.

Treble
The generally thinner sound of the Audivina makes the treble sound just a bit sharp when you first put the headphones on. The treble extends well and is accurate with just a slight sharp edge on the end. That edge entirely goes away after a few minutes, and from then on the treble just extends well and does what it needs to do without going overboard. No grain, no piercing, no sibilance. It’s accurate and sounds great.

Tonal Accuracy & Timbre
The Audivina sounds clean, clear, and with an absolutely neutral tone and timbre. Tone is one of those things that is typically hard to get right. When watching TV/Movies you can instantly tell if a characters voice is too high, low, or distorted in any way. The Audivina nails tone and timbre with the exception of those pesky upper mids. Instruments typically sound exactly as they should, and with the level of detail provided it makes for a great experience.

Detail
The presentation of the Audivina actually helps here. With all sounds taking less space within the stage each sound ends up with clearer lines around them. Add in the slight reverb effect which further lingers each sound and the perception of detail is abundant. You can really sit back and be amazed as each sound is reproduced very accurately. I previously mentioned that the Audivina can compete on a technical level with the Arya, HE6se and the older HE series. For detail and timbre in particular the Audivina often wins against them all. The jump in detail is only by a small margin, but one that is noticeable when switching back and forth between the other high end Hifiman Planars.

Sound Stage
When you first put on the Audivina the stage size is large, but mostly pushed in front of you. Sounds are somewhat far away, and despite the size it seems like the stage is going across a long flat line in front of you. Within a few seconds to minutes the stage deepens considerably, wrapping around the sides and becoming a large space where sounds move freely. Being a closed back there is a feeling that there are defined borders where the stage can’t pass, but the stage is so large that the sound doesn’t feel restricted by it. Despite having clear borders the Audivina portrays sound stage better than most open back headphones. The stage truly a great aspect, one that defines and separates the Audivina from other closed back headphones.

Dynamics
Despite the thinner nature of the sound signature the Audivina comes out with good dynamics. Drums, cymbals, piano keys, everything can be felt as much as heard. This is another important aspect of the Audivina in understanding it’s sound, and why the pushed out sound isn’t boring or quickly dismissed. It doesn’t have the same level of dynamics as the older HE series (HE-400, HE-500, HE-6), but it’s close.

Isolation
You would think for a closed back that there would be great isolation, but you can clearly hear everything that is going on around you. Not only that, but others a few feet away can hear your sound as well. It’s not like the Arya where the open sound is being projected across the room. Rather, from a few feet away others will be able to tell that you are listening to something, but they won’t be able to clearly make out what it is. This can be a deal breaker, especially if you are looking for a closed back headphone in order to not disturb others around you.

Efficiency
The Audivina has an Impedance of 20Ω with a sensitivity of 97dB. While you should be able to get the Audivina loud on most portable sources, to drive the Audivina properly I’d recommend an amp capable of providing at least 700mW at 20Ω.


Hifiman Arya V2 (Non Stealth)

Same, but different

I wanted to start with this comparison as both the Arya & Audivina are both high end Hifiman Planars, both have similar ‘egg’ shaped cup designs, and the Arya is well known among many users. The Arya is generally well regarded as being near flagship in quality. When you put on the Arya the sound is natural, wide, deep, slightly airy, and completely neutral. When you put on the Audivina the sound is initially canny, scooped out, and unnatural sounding. Within seconds to minutes the brain adjusts though, and both headphones suddenly become quite similar in both sound and enjoyment:

• The Arya is known as having an exceptional sound stage, and in comparison the Arya is deeper and more holographic to the point that there is more space between each sound. The Audivina is close in depth though, which speaks to how large the stage is for the Audivina. Both have a similar stage width.
• Sound is presented a little further away on the Arya; sounds are slightly closer in depth on the Audivina. Width presentation is mostly the same between the two.
• Bass is also mostly comparable, with sub-bass being nearly equal and the Arya having a fuller mid-bass. The Audivina sounds like it is missing a small amount of mid-bass by comparison.
• Mids on the Arya sound fuller, more natural. By comparison the Audivina mids sound thinner, lacking some body especially with female vocals.
• Highs are just a bit sharper on the Arya, where the Audivina extends well but stops just short of going into sharp territory. Highs are generally more comfortable and pleasing on the Audivina.
• Detail is similar as it depends on the material, but the Audivina usually has a bit more resolution.
• Timbre is typically more accurate on the Audivina. On close inspection there’s more to each sound, and it appears to be more accurate. Going back and forth the Arya sounds like it is missing some micro detail that alters the overall timbre.
• Tonal accuracy is similar.

Overall it’s not valid to say that the Audivina is a closed back Arya, but they have a lot more in common than not. Both have exceptional sound stage, both are successfully aiming for a neutral sound, and both offer great detail in everything they do. If you own an Arya, it’s easiest to think of the Audivina as having a sound that is a little bit closer in depth, thinner sounding in general, but otherwise comparable in a closed back design.

Ultrasone Edition 8 EX

SHINY


This was the first closed back comparison that I thought of since Edition 8 EX is trying to simulate the same stage large stage effects with Ultrasones "EX" logic. Both are closed back, both have similar tonality, and both within similar price brackets. Main difference is that the Audivina is a fairly large Planar whereas the 8 EX is a 40mm Dynamic. The general tone is similar between the two where there is a clean clear approach with a lack of fullness. The Audivina has significantly improved detail/resolution, cleaner lines around every sound, a wider and deeper stage, more sub bass presence, mostly comparable mids, and superior dynamics. After listening to the Audivina the Edition 8 EX sounds grainy by direct comparison, but that grainy effect does fade quickly once your brain adjusts to the sound. The Edition 8 does still sound decent for the price range, but offers what could be said to be a "junior" version of the Audivina sound. All said, the Audivina is simply more refined in all sound aspects.

Ultrasone Edition 5 Unlimited

More metal again, Ruthenium this time on the Edition 5

Another Ultrasone comparable in price that uses the EX logic to simulate a large sound stage, but reproduction compared to the 8 EX is different. This Ultrasone is warmer, smoother, and generally more balanced than other Ultrasone offerings. The presentation for the Edition 5 is more the traditional up front, around you, and in your face sound compared to the pushed out Audivina. The Edition 5 has less stage depth but similar stage width. All sounds on the Edition 5 feel closer and significantly larger in size. Audivina on the other hand offers superior resolution, and overall technical ability is improved in all areas. The gap is smaller than that of the Edition 8 EX though. After listening to the Audivina, the Edition 5 sounds completely clear with a significant mid-bass emphasis, and has a slightly plastic sound. Highs are similar, mids are significantly fuller on the Edition 5, mid-bass is overemphasized on the Edition 5 leading to a warmer overall sound, and sub-bass amount is similar. The Edition 5 can sustain very low sub-bass, but it just can't reach the same resolution as the Audivina. Despite the Edition 5 being somewhat inferior in technical ability to the Audivina, it is still a great option for those looking for a closed back with a more traditional presentation. Overall this comparison is close enough that it’s going to come down to preference on the presentation. The Edition 5 sounds great with its full smooth approach in a traditional presentation, whereas the Audivina one ups it in all technical areas with its own unique presentation.


The Audivina is different for a closed back, and different is a good thing in a saturated headphone market where so many headphones do the same thing with varying attributes. When you first put on the Audivina it can end up being a jarring experience. The sound can be canny, thin, hollow, and pushed out. Within a few minutes the sound becomes significantly improved as you acclimate to it’s unique presentation, leaving you with a very large detailed stage that is the highlight of the Audivina. Given the high resolution that the Audivina is capable of, whether or not you like the Audivina will mostly come down to if you enjoy its presentation and thinner sound signature. There’s not going to be many closed back headphones that can compete at this level in both sound stage and resolution. If you love sound stage, or if you are looking for a closed back where stage is the priority, then the Audivina should be high up on your list of headphones to try.

Hifiman Audivina Review​

I would like to thank Hifiman for sending these on to me as part of the Audivina tour, as usual, all words are my own.

Build, Comfort & Isolation​

The headband of this headphone is similar to the HE1000V2 in its design and construction, it uses all metal parts with a vented leather suspension strap, and the cups can swivel a full 360 degrees on their axis. The cups are made out of some thin wood which when tapped exhibit quite a high-pitched resonant frequency. Inside is hollow with only a small square of foam which feels to be the same foam they use on the top of their boxes to protect the contents.

The comfort is great, the strap perfectly distributes the headphone's weight without any hotspots, and the large pads mean that your ears do not touch any part of the headphone while in use; speaking of pads, they attach to the headphone using velcro, which makes for easy removal but you have to be careful to line them up perfectly while refitting them. Though not the best choice of attachment as the seal isn't the best leading to a roll off in the bass.

Overall Isolation isn't that good, it doesn't isolate much more than if you were to wear nothing at all it's in the ballpark of 15dB at 1kHz attenuation.

Specifications:
Drivers: Supernano Stealth Magnet Planar
Sensitivity: 97dB/mw
Impedance: 20Ω
Weight: 470g

Inclusions:
Hard Case
4 Pin XLR Cable
1/4" TRS Cable
3.5mm TRS Cable

Sound Quality​

What first strikes you is how uneven and lean they sound, they project their honky, boxy and bright tonality with dominance and utmost importance, it is quite blunt about how it does this. It reminds me of a low-quality 1970s radio.

Bass​

The bass on the Audivina, is lacking in rich punch and impact the mid-bass is scooped leading to somewhat poor timbre and articulation on bass guitars.

Kicks sound somewhat muted and dull but not completely dead, killing the drive and energy in most music, speed also isn't much of a strong point here, it's almost sloppy for a planar in how it handles fast transients.

Mids​

Arguably the worst part about this headphone, the mids are honky and uneven, and pianos sound like they're missing a bit too much of their body and weight. for older recordings these headphones might be okay to give you a sense of nostalgia as if you were listening to a Shellac 78 RPM record on an old gramophone, precisely the tonality these headphones somewhat portray.

For vocals, all you need to do is imagine the vocalist blocking their nose and singing through a toilet roll tube, very unfaithful and offensive honky boxy tonality to vocals here, both female and male.

Adding on, the saxophone on this track is presented way too honky than it actually should be, and the guitar just sounds lacking in life, The soundstage is at least quite wide and vibrant though it doesn't project sound that far in front of you.

Treble​

Treble on this pair is very hot, though not the most offensive I have heard, hats and cymbals have a slight metallic edge to them but seem to come forward with good attack. Though cymbal hits have a sort of splashy characteristic to them

Technicalities ​

For soundstage, these project wide to the sides, but not far in front, depth stops at roughly the bridge of your nose, imaging, however, seems perfectly fine, with good placement of instruments in their correct spot.

Separation is to be expected for how poorly they are tuned; smashed together and congested with not many layers. Detail retrieval on some less dense tracks is fine but not groundbreaking, you'd have to strain yourself to pick out some finer details on busier tracks and I can't say they're the headphone you'd want to be picking up for analytical use to be honest despite the bogus marketing as a "Studio Headphone"

Conclusion​

I can't say I recommend it, for the price of $1999 the tuning is rather unacceptable, while it could be helped with EQ you shouldn't be expected to have to do this out of the box, should you still be interested in these headphones, I'd recommend you audition them in person to see whether they're for you. These are not a blind buy.