Sendy Peacock

Peacock is the current flagship of Sendy Audio which is a sub brand of Sivga that specializes in high-end luxury planar-magnetic headphones. The MSRP for them is 1499 US. They have several dealers around the world and also sites like Thomann, Musictek etc. are selling them. You can also read the full review at mobileaudiophile.com

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Sendy Peacock Pad

Disclaimers​

Without boring you too much, I don’t necessarily have a sound preference. I tend to enjoy different sound profiles as long as they do well at what they intend to do. I try to be critic in my reviews but I might be somewhat biased one way or another (Recency bias, buyer’s bias etc.). Please keep these in mind. Also, I bought Sendy Peacocks as well as other headphones mentioned here with my own money. If a unit I reviewed is given or loaned to me in the future, I will say so here.

Build, Comfort and Trivia​

Trivia​

After reviewing so many Sivgas, (check out Phoenix, 021 Robin and Oriole reviews from the links) I thought it would make sense that I review Sendy Peacocks that I own for a year now. I was bored of always reviewing budget stuff anyway.
Sendy, like I said at the beginning, a sub brand of Sivga that focuses on luxury. They no longer pretend to be cost efficient. Their first headphone Aiva was well received by many, criticized by others. However, after came some other headphones that used the same driver but were much cheaper, namely; Blon B20, Takstar HF580, Monoprice M570 and Sivga’s own P-II. This alone should show that Sendy is not our usual Chinese cheap headphone manufacturer.
Sendy released Peacocks in 2021 and has been flagship of Sendy Audio ever since. There has been slight adjustments which I will mention later but there haven’t been any major changes as far as I know. Last year they introduced a black version which changes the inner ring in the wooden cups with a black one instead of gold. By the way, every gold coloring on the headphones is actually real gold plating. Or I remember them being real gold plated but couldn’t confirm while writing this review unfortunately.
Sendy Peacock and Accessories

Build and Comfort​

Like other Sivga and Sendy headphones, Peacocks are made out wood, leather and metal of highest quality. Build is exceptional but fit and comfort has its quirks. First of all, pads have a unique shape that gets thicker below. This probably was made to follow general face/head contours but in practice sometimes they leave airgaps. Also, they don’t quite seal properly when I first put them on. But after pads are warmed up a little, they loosen up and seal better, which is weird because pads are not made of slow rebound memory foam. My guess is the leather used on the pads is a little too thick. This is not a big problem as it takes only a few seconds but I’m sure it made them difficult to measure for the folk. Also if you have issues with the fit, you can bend the spring steel at somewhere close to the cups.
Last thing I want to mention about the build is, wooden cups tend to crack around the hinges. One of the cups on my pair was cracked while sitting on my desk. After sending a mail to Colin from Sivga, they sent a pair of replacement cups and I had a professional install them. I saw this happened to one other person who also had their cups replaced through the retailer he bought from. New cups are thicker around the hinges which probably makes them more durable but I just want to mention my experience about the build quality and aftersale services.

Sound​

Sendy Peacocks have mostly lush, romantic, slightly warm and relaxed sound with a few exceptions and these exceptions are making it harder to wrap my head around it. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Sendy Peacock

Bass​

Bass on Sendy Peacocks, although rolls off below 50-60 Hz, have good impact and texture. They are not light on their foot like other planars like Hifimans or as impactful as Audezes. They follow a balance between these two approaches and I believe most Peacock owners like this aspect of their headphones. I wonder if the seal problem I mentioned weren’t an issue, would they extend better but as they are, roll off is easily noticeable.

Mids​

Peacocks have mostly very loveable mids with a few caveats. Their warm and lush tonality makes them have a nice romantic presentation. However, they also have a nasally tint which also hampers the timbre a little. Around 1k region there is a resonance which may be the cause of some wonkiness and therefore slight unnatural sound. When I put my hands behind the cups I noticed this character increases so maybe the grill in the back not as acoustically transparent as it should be. I would love to see people modding their Peacocks but as expensive as they are, it is very unlikely.
There is also a dip around 2k which is quite common among planars. Some people quite like it as it makes soundstage perceived bigger than other headphones but EQ’ing that region up a little also cleared up tonality for me a bit.
Vocals and fundemantal tones of instruments are very romantic so I don’t feel very comfortable with EQ’ing Peacocks fearing they would lose their magic.

Treble​

Peacocks are by no means are bright headphones. They are mostly relaxed until upper treble. Upper treble is lifted which makes them airy and wide. However, there are a few peaks around 6k and 8k which makes them sibilant with both male and female vocals. I find it pretty annoying and if I had the chance to change one thing in these headphones, it would be reducing those peaks. On the other hand, it makes them declare their presence or make them not too relaxed and lush.
I also briefly used Peacocks on my hybrid tube amp Xduoo TA-10R. Tubes highlighted good qualities of the mids but didn’t help with the peakiness of the highs.

Technical Performance​

Sendy Peacocks carry most of the characteristics of a planar magnetic pair of headphones, but they are also more than that. They are fairly resolving and detailed, not class leading but definitely not crappy. Soundstage has nice width and depth. They also image very well thanks to their superior soundstaging. Attack is as fast as any planar but decay is not hurried which prevents them being overly dry.

Comparisons​

Sendy Peacock vs. Audeze LCD-2

Sendy Peacock vs. Audeze LCD-2​

Among all the headphones I have, this comparison made the most sense for me. I have an old pair of LCD-2s which I like quite a lot with revised headband, drivers and pads so basically they are a new version.
This might be only me but I find LCD-2s more comfortable on my head although they are similarly heavy, probably because they clamp a little more.
Peacocks are a tad bit brighter. Vocals are more emphasized on Sendy Peacock. In LCD-2 Vocals take a step back.
LCD-2s are more prominent and more impactful in the bass but they are very close. They both roll off in the subbass similarly. But LCD-2 feels a tad bit fuller.
LCD-2s are clearer and sounds like more detailed but Sendy Peacocks are somewhat airier. They just don’t spoon-feed you with details but they are there.
Vocals are more engaging with Sendy Peacocks, compared to that LCD-2s sound somewhat dull.
I don’t want to throw the word natural because they both sound colored but Peacocks sound more lifelike. Compared to them, LCD-2s sound flat and dry. Acoustic Music is much more enjoyable on Sendy Peacocks.
Decay is faster on LCD-2s. Notes linger more like a dynamic driver. Although this adds to the atmosphere and make Peacocks sound more musical, technicalities suffer a little.
Perceived soundstage is wider and deeper on Sendy Peacocks. They both image very good but separation of instruments is better on Sendy Peacocks due to the superiority of their staging capability.

Sendy Peacock vs Focal Clear MGs​

I didn’t extensively AB’d them but wanted to throw a quick comparison here. Clear MGs are warmer. Bass is more impactful also rumbles more in the subbass region. Mids are more even and more forward on Clear MGs. Treble is darker and less peaky. Peacocks have larger perceived soundstage. Clears are clearer.
Sendy Peacock and Xduoo TA-10R

Conclusion​

From the value standpoint, Sendy Peacocks don’t really deliver. However they don’t try to in the first place. These headphones are Sendy’s flagship and they designed and made them this way and sale them for this price to make a statement. They come with a great cable and nice accessories. The cable by itself is sold for around 200 USD and hirose connectors although not cheap, are better than mini xlrs in my opinion. It should be one of the cheaper options as cables with hirose connectors go.

I confess to not having been very familiar with Sendy Audio until recently. The brand is actually a subsidiary of Sivga Audio, a Chinese firm which focuses on relatively affordable headphones and in-ear monitors. Much like Toyota who launched Lexus in the 1990s to bring upscale designs to market, Sivga created the Sendy imprint for their more opulent offerings. Sendy's most ambitious model to date is the Peacock which sells for $1499 - not a budget product by any means, but also a far cry from Audeze, Focal, HiFiMAN, and others where flagship models go for roughly triple that price (or beyond).

I must also admit that I actually turned down Sendy's initial requests for review, due to having too many other projects in the works between Darko.Audio and HeadFi. But I eventually managed to catch up on those and decided I should give the Peacock a listen. As always, I made no promises about writing a review at all, much less a good one. But after spending time with the Peacock, I found it enjoyable in a unique way, and thus worthy of a write-up.


Design
The Peacock is a full-size headphone design using 88mm planar magnetic drivers. Sendy uses proprietary technology for their diaphragms, driven by their "quad-former" magnet array. The driver housing is CNC machined aluminum mounted in a wooden cup, with custom grills designed to direct airflow in a manner beneficial to the final tuning of the sound. The grills also look interesting and likely form the basis for the "Peacock" name, as they somewhat resemble an ornate presentation of feathers.



Build quality on the Peacock is excellent. I wasn't sure what to expect based on pictures, but in person everything is surprisingly well executed. The earpads are made from what feels like very soft genuine leather, and are stuffed with a thick, supportive memory foam. They have interesting angles which remind me of the pads on my AKG K812 in the way they get slightly thicker towards the lower rear portion that sits behind the ears. The headband assembly is made from a combination of metal and leather, using a double strap system where the lower part can slide to adjust for size while the top portion remains in place for rigidity. The whole thing looks and feels very solid, and does not seem out of place when sitting amongst my collection of significantly more expensive headphones. In fact, HiFiMAN could definitely take some pointers from Sendy in this regard.



Special points are awarded to the included cable, which ranks among the nicest stock cable solutions I've ever seen. The specs indicate 6N pure OCC copper, in an 8-strand configuration, with an interesting two-tone brown/clear color scheme. A wooden Y splitter and matching wooden slider seal the deal in terms of looks, and the whole thing is surprisingly flexible and easy to manage (as far as 8-strand cables go). It looks like something that would easily sell for hundreds of dollars from a quality aftermarket cable supplier - mixed in with my other cables from Effect Audio, Toxic Cables, Norne, Forza, etc, the stock Peacock cable easily fits right in. I typically replace all my headphone cables with something nicer but in this case I'm quite satisfied with the stock offering.



The cable joins the headphone using the same style connectors as Dan Clark Audio (formerly MrSpeakers) headphones. These 4-pin "Hirose" connectors are not all that common, but they work well in my estimation, with solid/secure connections and a nice aesthetic as they fit flush with the headphone cup. On the other end, Sendy's cable is terminated with a balanced 4.4mm plug. It also ships with a pair of adaptors for use with either a full-size 4-pin XLR balanced output or the classic 1/4" single-ended style. Sendy thus covers most of the bases save for single-ended 1/8" style, but that can easily be accomplished by the common 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. This system really is very well executed, and once again is the sort of thing Sendy's high-end competitors could stand to emulate.


Adjustable dual-band system

You can read about all of this and more on their product page so I won't repeat all that here. What I will do is point out how Sendy really seems to be taking the higher path in terms of design and research. Anyone can slap an OEM driver in a fancy earcup and coax a decent sound signature from the resulting headphone, but Sendy appears to be building up their own proprietary technology in all aspects of the design. This is certainly more expensive and difficult, but also makes for a better long-term strategy as they continue to refine and improve their platform.




Comfort
We all know comfort is subjective, but to my head the Sendy Audio Peacock feels slightly more comfortable than any of my Audeze headphones (I have yet to try the lighter LCD-5 or CRBN though). The key distinction is the headband system which distributes the weight to a wider area of my head. In that respect it reminds me of the modern HiFiMAN designs. The clamping force feels just about right to me as well, where Audeze headphones always feel a little loose and therefore less balanced when I wear them. Still, this is a large headphone and at 578 grams, a heavy one as well, so I can imagine it just not working for some users. I also personally really like the slight pad "bump" which helps seal behind my ears, though I have no idea if it works for everyone the way it works for me. The AKG K812 had a vaguely similar design (though a bit more exaggerated) and while it seemed to work for most people, I have heard talk of bad fit for some individuals, partially based on the pad shape. Of course, no design will be ideal for 100% of users, but in this case I do appreciate the shape of the pads.


Tough to capture the slight curves which make the pad so unique

System
I tried the Peacock with all sorts of gear, to get a better feel for how it reacts to different scenarios and voicings. I ended up settling on three different systems that I'd like to talk about - a reasonably affordable integrated DAC/amp solution, a midrange setup with separate DAC and amp, and a high-end rig capable of testing the limits of any headphone. That makes for three very different systems, covering a broad range of pricing and complexity.

The baseline of my system was an Equi=Core 1800 balanced power conditioner. All A/C, digital, and analog cabling come from Audio Art. To represent a fairly simple system, I paired Peacock with the brilliant DA-Art Aquila II all-in-one, fed over USB by a Surface Pro tablet running Roon. As a midrange system, I used the Matrix Element i network DAC which fed a Felix Audio Echo tube amplifier. Lastly, the high-end rig was a Euphony Summus music server, powered by a Keces P8 PSU and running Roon, feeding a Stack Audio Link II bridge paired with the matching Stack Audio Volt PSU. The DAC was a Wyred4Sound 10th Anniversary Edition connected to the mighty Niimbus US4+ amplifier.

(Apologies for any confusion, but I neglected to take good enough pictures the first time around. By the time I realized my mistake and found time to redo them, I had moved various components around in my system. So you'll see all sorts of other gear represented in the pictures here. While I did spend time listening to the Peacock with some of the pictured gear, the bulk of my evaluation was done with the three systems described above. So that's what I'll be focusing on.)


Euphony Summus server with Keces P8 PSU


Equi=Core 1800 balanced power conditioner and Stack Audio Link II network bridge with Volt PSU (also Euphony Server and Resonessence Labs Fluvius server/streamers, not used in this review)


Niimbus US4+ (with Violectric V590 and Wyred4Sound PS-1, not used in this review)


Matrix Element i DAC/streamer with Pass Labs HPA-1

Listening
I started with the relatively affordable DA-Art/Surface Pro system, to help get a baseline of what the Sendy flagship had to offer. Note that the Peacock is not a terribly difficult headphone to drive, with an impedance of 50 ohms and a sensitivity rated at 103dB. So while the DA-Art Aquila II is capable of feeding it roughly 3500mW in balanced mode, the headphone is also quite happy running single-ended which equates to around 1000mW. My initial impressions were... entertaining. Though perhaps not sounding completely "correct" in terms of neutrality and tonal balance, the Peacock nonetheless made for an engaging listen. Vocals were beautifully smooth and clear, with a nice sense of projection and sweetness. Bass was punchy and fast. While not offering the deepest extension I've heard, the midbass presence helped create the strong illusion of a full-bodied sound which never felt thin. Highs were clear, perhaps slightly boosted in the lower treble range (but not overly so) with excellent top-end air. Imaging was clearly a strong point - pinpoint accuracy, along with a very clearly defined soundstage that included height, width, and depth (assuming the recordings contained those spatial cues in the first place - many do not). In vague, extreme-oversimplification terms, I'd call it a W-shaped signature where at least some portion of the lows, mids, and highs are tastefully boosted.

The combined effect reminded me of a really nice set of big, classic monitor speakers in a small, untreated room. This would be the larger type with (required) matching stands which push the boundaries between "bookshelf" and floorstanding speakers. Think Harbeth or Spendor, though perhaps more in general spirit than specific signature. That means superb imaging and soundstage, punchy dynamics if not the last word in ultra-low extension, beguiling midrange that isn't completely sterile or linear but really satisfies with tonal richness, and treble that is not quite "textbook" yet often manages to make things sound a bit more exciting than it otherwise would. In short, there are some colorations here but they are pleasing in nature and tend to add to musical enjoyment rather than distract. Your mileage may vary with this analogy but this has been my experience over the years - feel free to substitute different speakers if your history with Harbeth/Spendor brought you to other conclusions.

Switching to the higher-cost combo of the Matrix Element i streaming DAC paired with Felix Audio Echo tube amplification, things got even more interesting. A bit of tube bloom was obvious, but again made for a pleasing coloration in most instances. Warmth was dialled up a notch, whilst midrange "purity", for lack of a better term, increased significantly. Vocals, ranging from Freddie Mercury to Etta James to Chris Cornell, all had a greater sense of palpable, in-the-room-with-me realism. That was augmented by a huge, open presentation which enveloped me in an ocean of sound. The spatial capabilities of the Peacock combined with the open feeling of the Echo amplifier made for a stunning combo, and certainly some of the most "out-of-head" listening I've heard this side of uber-expensive setups.

Treble clarity, while still being impressive, took something of back seat, with the sound prioritizing delicacy and finesse over pure resolution. I think this has to do with the interesting match of the highly-transparent Matrix feeding the Echo which has a stereotypical OTL tube amp presentation. Note that if I switched over to driving the Peacock directly from the headphone output of the Element i, the result was significantly more sterile and uninvolving. Not just compared to the Echo tube amp but also to the lower-priced DA-Art device. I typically enjoy the headphone output of the Element i but in this case it just isn't a great pairing.

Of course, any tube amp like the Feliks Echo can be tweaked depending on your choice of tubes. In my case I stick with the stock Russian tubes bundled with the Echo because they sound quite nice. Also, it doesn't make sense to spend huge money on tube upgrades for an amp that is positioned as "entry level" within the Feliks Audio lineup. That said, the tonality and character I get from this combo is a beautiful match for the Peacock, and I really can't think of anything I would want to change.

Lastly, I switched to the larger system, weighing in at over $20k worth of gear. This is a highly transparent setup with exceptional resolution that retains plenty of warmth and richness thanks to the impeccably tuned Wyred4Sound Anniversary DAC. Here the Peacock sounded fantastic in some ways yet bothersome in some areas which had not been intrusive on the lower-tier rigs. Resolution was slightly improved, allowing me to hear percussion minutia and other fine details more easily. Dynamic swells were also bigger, bolder, and more lifelike, no doubt owing to the massive power reserves of the Niimbus amplifier. And once again the soundstage was very impressive, offering even more pinpoint accuracy with regard to instrument placement. But I also heard more sizzle around the 7kHz range that brought out sibilance in certain vocals, and made snare drums feel too sharp at times. And I noticed the illusion of quality low-end response unraveling a bit. Here the lack of sub-bass capabilities was more glaring, and the punchy midbass - while still plenty fun - wasn't quite enough to convince.

In the end l actually preferred the Peacock using the mid-tier system. To my ears it accentuated the Peacock's strengths while minimizing its shortcomings. That's definitely related to the Peacock having a somewhat unique presentation which is very enjoyable in its way yet not universally compatible with all systems/music/ears. Factor in the inevitable fit variability of a large, heavy headphone with a pad profile that isn't the typical flat design, and I can absolutely see why opinions vary so much regarding the Peacock. It's not just that some might like them and some might not (which is in itself true of course) but also that different people are hearing different things based on how the headphone interacts with their anatomy and their equipment. This is true to some degree in all headphones but I suspect it to be stronger here than usual. And don't forget to account for the unit-to-unit variability that I assume is present here just as it has been with established competitors like Audeze and HiFiMAN (planar designs seem more susceptible to this phenomenon than traditional dynamic drivers), just to make it that much more difficult to find consensus.


Size comparison to an older Audeze LCD-2


Conclusion
Personally, I enjoy the Peacock quite a bit using two of the three systems I assembled for it. Paired with my relatively affordable all-in-one rig, the Peacock is different and interesting in ways other competitors are not. While some people would prefer the more straight-forward sound of a similarly priced Sennheiser HD800S or the Focal Clear Mg (and I wouldn't fault them for that choice), there is certainly something unique and appealing about the Peacock. This sort of musical, expressive signature is uncommon and I know plenty of people who would absolutely favor it over a more neutral, flat presentation. Meanwhile the mid-tier system I assembled brings out the absolute best in the Peacock. I could listen to that rig all day long. I'd call that a clear success, particularly for a newish company just setting out in the high-end market.

No, the Sendy Audio Peacock is not for everyone, nore will it thrive in every system. Think of it like a Sony MDR-Z1R or an Audio Technica woody. You don't reach for those expecting neutral, linear performance from top to bottom. They have character, and while some might find them off-putting, for others they will be just the thing to bring musical enjoyment. Of course I'd like to see Sendy work on lowering the price even more - lower is always welcome in that aspect, especially for a newer/less established brand - but even more important would be to somehow get a distribution network going where people around the globe could more easily demo these unique headphones. For some, the Peacock will be a very unique and enjoyable listening companion.


3 of these are premium aftermarket cables selling for $400 or more. Does the stock Sendy cable look obviously inferior?