Sivga Nightingale 14.5mm Planar Driver

The Sivga Nightingale is a planar magnetic earphone with a single 14.5mm, dual magnetic, driver. The dual magnetic field rectangular array structure features exceptional transmission sensitivity and impressive transient response. It leverages magnetic mechanics to thoughtfully pair two sets of high-performance rare earth iron boron magnets, resulting in a significant boost in efficiency compared to standard configurations.

Non Audio Stuff

The ear-shells are made from aluminum-magnesium alloy with a solid wooden faceplate that is hand polished to have a unique appearance as no plate is similar to another. The Nightingale is a well made earphone with a luxurious and unique appearance.

The ear-shells are quite compact and lightweight, their shape follows the natural contours of the ear and additionally the cable sockets are cleverly positioned in order not to interfere when wearing the earphones. The Nightingale is a super comfortable earphone that fits securely and stays stable without exercising any annoying pressure even after prolonged time of use. You wear it and then just forget about it, the only gripe is the average passive noise attenuation.

The well made cable uses silver plated copper wires in a four strand design. It is a 2-pin detachable cable with recessed connectors and a 4.4mm aluminum plug but the package doesn't include a 3.5mm adapter. The cable is lightweight and soft, yet durable, it doesn't get tangled and has minimum microphonic noise.

The package includes a hard carrying case with a side zipper and two sets of ear-tips in three sizes each that are stored inside a thin plastic case.



Audio Stuff

The rating of the Sivga Nightingale is 16Ω / 100dB so it is not that difficult to drive but the source must be able to provide plenty of current at such low impedance without clipping.

The Nightingale has a mildly warm, smooth and rather balanced tuning where the middle section stands out as the undisputable prima donna of the show.

Sub-bass extension is not that great for reproducing synthesized electronic tunes but enough for acoustic music where even the lowest notes are easily audible. The lower bass is slightly rolled-off until the mid-bass where things start to get even and linear. The mid-bass doesn't get emphasized, it is crystal clear, tonally accurate and without bleeding into the mid-range.

The low-end as a whole is fast, tight and controlled without audible distortion but not that crisp or firmly defined. There is a touch of echo and some lack in punch and dynamics, the attacks are rather soft, it is pretty obvious that the bass is intentionally tuned as the supporting actor to the glorious mid-range.

The mids sound present, crisp and well defined with excellent articulation and ample body. There is plenty of harmonic variety, the timbre is natural and realistic, voices and instruments sound alive, fresh and exciting with great emotional depth.

The mid-range of the Nightingale is really amazing, very engaging, lush and mildly warm with extra liquidity and without upper mid-range harshness.

The treble is also tuned in order to help the mid-range stand out so it is slightly truncated and not that extended as not to distract the listeners attention from the mids.

There is a certain lack of sparkle and excitement but not that much to make the Nightingale sound dark or missing in treble definition and clarity. This is a polite and smooth tuning that doesn't induce harshness and makes for a fatigue free listening experience.

The timbre is quite natural without any serious artificiality and devoid of metallic sharpness while texture is full bodied in accordance with the rest of the frequencies.

The Sivga Nightingale is a fairly open sounding earphone with sufficient width and adequate soundstage depth. Separation and imaging are more than satisfying for the category and the overall presentation is natural and proportional.

Conclusion

The Sivga Nightingale has a daring tuning that is not afraid to part from the current trend that favours “V” shaped and Harman based sound profiles. And this is a good thing in my book because not all people sympathize with these kinds of tunings and look for something different.

The Nightingale has a unique tonal balance with an amazing mid-range that is full of musicality and engagement. Vocal lovers are going to adore and appreciate the tuning of the Sivga Nightingale.

The review sample was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The full review, including comparisons, is available in my website.

TONALITY: 7/10
TECHNICALITIES: 8.2/10
TIMBRE: 7/10
SOUNDSTAGE: 8.5/10
IMAGING: 8.2/10
CONSTRUCTION: 8.2/10
ACCESSORIES: 8.5/10
SOUND VALUE: 6.5/10

INTRO

Sivga is a well know audio company from China, which specialize in Headphones using dynamic and planar driver. Lately they begin to release earphones as well, like the hybrid 1DD+1BA SW001.
Today I will review their first planar IEM call Nightingale.
Priced 280$, the Nightingale use an ''home made'' 14.5mm planar driver with ultra-thin diaphragm that promise crisp and immersive sound.

Let see in this review if this mid tier planar earphones can deliver potent sound value for it's asking price.


CONSTRUCTION&ACCESSORIES



The construction is mostly plastic with the exception of wooden back plate with metal ring and the metal nozzle. The design is mature and elegant, and the body is quite light.
The 2pin connector are protuberant, so perhaps at risk of damage if you don't take care of it.
The nozzle isn't very long so it's not think for deep fit.
Overall construction doesn't feel the most sturdy....and oddly enough, ive discover we can unscrew the nozzle, which open door for modding or nozzle swapping if you feel experimental.


The included cable is of good quality, its a thick 4 cores braided cable. It come with 4.4mm balanced plug. It's not stated the details of cores wires type of number.



When it come to packaging, it's minimalist but well done. We have a solid carrying case of good quality, the cable and 6 pairs of ear tips. Those eartips choice are a bit questionnable though since the hole is way too small to permit open sound transmission of planar driver, so i suggest you to use wide bore eartips like the KBear KB07 if you seek big soundstage potential.

SOUND IMPRESSIONS




The overall tonality of Nightingale is rather niche and I consider it specialize for instrumental music more than bass heavy stuffs because its very very bass light.
I would call it crisp neutral with mids and upper treble emphasis. These are very sparkly and airy sounding IEM. For those who love brilliance and shimmer, they will be amaze, but for those that enjoy lush thick mids or round rumbly bass, it’s certaily a risky bet.

So, neutral, with bass that is warm with lower mid range and just a slight mid bass boost, then the mids are gently brigth with good resolution and attack edge, but master of the show is the treble.

Highlight of the nightingale is: open spatiality, boosted sens of transparency, mid range instrument fowardness and vividly crisp treble.

The bass have notable sub bass roll off and mellow mid bass punch with warmed definition.
Bass line are rather clean and can be perceive with some effort but they are dry, lean and more distant than rest of music. The presence is a hint boosted and it feel more textured than kick drum.
This kick drum isn’t very well define nor resolve,their this hazy delimitation to it that mix up in lower mids.
The drum set will feel a bit unbalanced because the percussions will be sharper and more fowards than kick,toms and even snare.
Separation with mids isn’t very clean, which is a bit odd cause from upper mids to upper treble the Sivga sound super crisp.
Note weight are on the thin and light side, it’s not hard thumpy bass nor rumbly and vibrant, in fact....i haven’t heard this bass flavor in my whole audiophile life but nearest i can find is surely with Tinhifi P1plus i will compare later.
At they end we can say it’s lean neutral bass that can deliver well resolve bass line, especially electric bass. But we can say its the achille’s heel of Nightingale too.

The mids are quite nice: open, transparent and well bodied with hint of warmth.
It seem specialize for female vocal, which are fowards but not too bright or shouty. Sibilance is very rare, but some upper pitch soprano can sound louder, as well, it can reveal edgy details in texture depending of very vocal, i find it a bit imprevisible in that regard.
Macro resolution is quite good and as said it’s open, crisp and airy, but i feel i can be cleaner in background if it wasn’t from this lower mids warmth.
Piano sound quite lovely too, not heaviest nor lightest in note weight and the timbre is realist and layering with other instrument is good, we have this well resolve natural resonance too, yet instrument like saxophone will sound louder since it’s more dependant of upper mids.
This saxophone is hit or miss and can feel a bit compressed in middle of stage, its not wide and lush in presence, its effortless in texture but slightly unbalanced in harmony,slightly boxy overall.
So, this is hard for me to find in what specific music style these shine, jazz dont cut it due to lack of proper macro dynamic and bass, classical do cut it and is where i feel these excell at. Instrumental like folk with acoustic guitar or harp is good too, yet this is more about treble so let’s go there now.

The treble is what will create main wow effect here since it’s vividly open and crisp,offer lot of sparkle and quite good amount of microdetails.
It's airy and brilliant and add a sens of openess to spatiality.
It's the kind of treble that can pick up fine detail of cymbals release and it does sharply extract percussions and put them fowards.
Its fast and shappy, and cleanest part of audio spectrum.
It's not a thick nor a lean treble response, i find it spiky and not the best in balance since i can get distracted by upfront percussion which are super shinny.
Since it's spiky, some percussion will be more boosted than other, snare is less loud than metallic instrument.
Acoustic guitar and harp sound open and brilliant, but thin too.


The Soundstage is one of highlight of the Nightingale, it's wide open and quite deep when their no vocal. It's airy and 3D, but not very realist due to over emphasis of percussion that add extra stereo dimension that can feel artificial.

Imaging is OK, but again, not very realist, as well, when their vocal it will dominate presence of other instrument. Bass instrument are difficult to pin point too.




COMPARISONS




VS TINHIFI P1plus

Firstly, the P1plus is notably harder to drive. Then it’s more neutral, leaner and better balanced. Macro resolution is superior as well as spatiality is cleaner, but more intimate.

The bass is leaner, deeper and more textured and well define. Kick drum isn’t as warm and hazy and it feel more speedy in attack, bass line are more vibrant and dense, though not rumbly at all too. Separation with mids is edgier and dont bleed on lower mids as much.

The mids are more natural yet a notch brighter as a whole, texture richness is fully restitute and transparency don’t have a mix of blur and edge as the Sivga. Female vocal aren’t as fowards, overall mids feel leaner and even lighter in note weight than Sivga. Saxophone and vocal are smoother in uppermids and more natural and harmonious in tone with wider presence than more upfront and compressed presentation of Sivga.

Treble is a bit similar though better balanced and less prompt to slight treblyness with P1plus,percussions are quite sparkly, snappy and fowards but in a smoother W shape way than spikier Sivga which is sharper but less full in treble, thinner and more prompt to extract metallic sound and instruments. It feel a bit more airy and stretched in stereo rendering too with Sivga.

Soundstage is wider and taller with Sivga, while deeper and cleaner with P1plus.

Imaging is notably superior with P1plus, its not just about higher pitch sound positioning and definition of each instrument is easier to pinpoint due to higher sens of transparency in layering readibility.

All in all, the P1plus feel like an upgraded Nightingale for less than half the price, but is harder to drive,even leaner in dynamic and quite a hell to use because of poor fit.

VS HIDIZS MP145

The MP145 are notably more dynamic sounding in bass and mids, as well the soundstage is wider, taller and deeper. But no1 thing that hit me is the bass, it’s more punchy and rumbly, more boosted. So tonal balance feelmore Ushape and bassy, mids are hint brighter and more edgy and treble is better balanced yet a bit more crunchy and less plain brilliant than Sivga.

The sub bass is notably more boosted and deeper, with thicker more vibrant and resonant rumble, mid bass impact have more punch but kick is a bit darker, more scooped in presence than Sivga, we have thumping ‘’omph’’ with MP145,while a mellow but chunkier mid bass punchiness with Sivga. MP145 separation with mids have less warm transition too.

Mids are more lively and lush with MP145, they are thicker and less lean and distant as a whole, attack is edgier thus definition seem better rounded. Its more spacious and open,texture is a bit more grainy and less transparent. Timbre is more liquid with the Sivga, resolution is crisper, vocal presence more compressed and intimate, note weight lighter.

Treble is quite different and not as sparkly and crisp with MP145, which is crunchier, this will benefit violin attack as well as instrument like electric guitar while for the Sivga its more shiny and benefit acoustic guitar and harp which have more sparkle and longer and cleaner resonance,its not as fully bodied and lower harmonic vibration will not densify acoustic guitar like it do for MP145.

Soundstage is gigantic with MP145, quite unbeatable in that regard but Sivga do well still, yet it feelmore closed and intimate, its mostly upper treble that add sens of air and deepness wideness, for tallness and holographic rendering MP145 is superior, you feelmore in middle of vast soundscape your part of with those while everything feel a bit static and over centered with the Sivga apart this extra stereo channel stretching with highs frequencies, mostly percussions, electric guitar and harp.

Imaging is about on par, but due to more vaste soundscape it’s easier to travel in sound layers with MP145.

All in all, treble performance feel superior with Nightingale and overall resolution cleaner but the tuning is way less versatile and macrodynamic is lacking variance of amplitude in bass and mids. The MP145 is both more fun and better tuned and don’t suffer timbre texture imbalance though the texture is a bit harsher.

CONCLUSION



The Sivga Nightingale are very niche sounding IEM that is everything but versatile. It's not a fun or bassy musicality and will mostly please vocal lover and those seeking a neutral tonality with lot of treble air and sparkle.

While technical performance are good enough, the tonal balance feel a bit off and affect naturalness of lot of instruments from violin to saxophon and piano, yet not the female vocal which shine with those.

At near 229$, this is a hard one to recommend due to very competitive planar IEM market.
I think it can please elder people with hearing lost in higher frequencies range above 10khz. Or those that need vast airy soundstage to get lost in.





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PS: I want to thanks Sivga for sending me this review sample. I don't participate to any affiliated program nor have any $ incencitive that can bias my subjective judgement.

You can order the Nightingale for 229$ here: https://www.amazon.com/SIVGA-Nightingale-Magnetic-Monitor-Earphones/dp/B0CHRZHNFF

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank Sivga for providing the Nightingale.

It can be gotten here: https://www.sivgaaudio.com/product_d?id=17 (no affiliate links).




SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 14.5 mm planar driver
• Impedance: 16 Ω
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 40 kHz
• Sensitivity: 100 dB
• Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm; 4 strand silver-plated copper; 4.4 mm termination
• Tested at $279 USD

ACCESSORIES

Other than the IEM, these are included:
- 4 pairs of wide-bore silicone eartips
- 3 pairs of narrow-bore silicone eartips
- Cable
- Carrying case
- Eartip case

For a $200ish set, the accessories are acceptable; though perhaps the addition of a modular cable and foam tips would have been appreciated.




Speaking about tips, 2 types of silicone ones are included. The wider-bore tips boost treble and soundstage, whereas the narrower-bore ones improve bass quantity with some compression in staging. These tips come in their own little plastic case, which is quite handy.




The cable is a 2-pin 4 strand silver-plated copper one. It only comes in a 4.4 mm termination, so folks who use single-ended sources might need an adapter or to swap out the cable. The cable is of sufficient heft and is very well braided, with zero microphonics. It is sheathed in a glossy soft PVC material, with a chin cinch for added support.

Haptically, it is one of the better cables I've encountered in my IEM journey, and as always, a 2-pin one tends to be more hardy than MMCX connectors with frequent cable-rolling.




Sivga has included a semi-rigid zipper case. It is robust enough to withstand compressive forces, and the innards are lined by a velvety material and webbing.

The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock narrow-bore silicone tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT



The droplet-shaped housings are furnished from 5-axis CNC-machined aluminum magnesium alloy. There is a solid wood faceplate to grace the front, and this is hand polished, painted and air-dried to add some tastefulness.




Weighing in at 15 g apiece, the shells are very light, and ergonomics are top-notch. With no weird protrusions on the inner aspects to poke the ears, I did not encounter any discomfort during usage.

As per most vented IEMs, isolation is below average. I did not encounter any driver flex during my past month with it.


INTERNALS

At the heart of the Nightingale lies a 14.5 mm planar driver, with an internal dual magnet array, comprised of 2 iron boron magnets. The ultra-thin composite diaphragm has an aluminum coil that supposedly improves transparency in the sonics.




DRIVABILITY

I tested the Nightingale with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Fiio K11 DAC/amp
- Fiio KA13 dongle
- Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone

The Nightingale is moderately difficult to drive. It takes some juice to wake up the drivers to scale optimally, and amplification would be recommended if available.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

Graph of the Sivga Nightingale via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.

Tonally, the Nightingale is a rare midcentric IEM, featuring an "n" shaped profile, where the bass and treble are less prominent than the midrange. This is admittedly a very niche proposition, as it shines very well with vocal and acoustic genres, but may not be that all-rounded for other genres eg for bassheads or trebleheads.

The bass is neutral, and focused at the mid-bass. There is a sub-bass roll-off, with just a tickle of rumble heard in bass heavy tracks. What the Nightingale cedes in quantity, it makes up in quality. There is a nimble bass heard, with fine texturing and no mid-bass bleed. Bassheads will definitely need to look elsewhere, as the lack of a prominent mid-bass thump may make this area sound a bit empty.

Having said that, the Nightingale takes to EQ like a champ, with no distortion noted on boosting this area - feel free to jack up this frequency band if the bass seems inadequate.

As per the midcentric moniker, the midrange is the star of the show. The lower mids are weighty and emotional, allowing vocals and midrange instruments like guitars to be accentuated. There is no spiky upper midrange peak to pierce the ears, and acoustic and vocal lovers will have a field-day, with the silky dulcet tones of vocals heard on a dark background.

The treble is decently extended but still quite smooth, with minimal sibilance. Clarity is decently encapsulated despite the not overly augmented treble that some companies employ to give "fake resolution".

The Nightingale's timbre has a planar sheen, and timbre-freaks might probably frown here on hearing the portrayal of some acoustic instruments. However, timbral issues are also found in most competitor planar IEMs, so this is a transducer problem more than a tuning snag.

In technicalities, the Nightingale has a very wide soundstage, that is almost akin to earbuds - it extends a few cm outside the ears - though depth is average. Imaging is good, however, note edges are dampened to minimize glare, so it isn't the most micro-detailed or separated when compared to rival planars which are more treble boosted.


COMPARISONS

Comparisons were made with other planar IEMs. Pure BAs, hybrids and single DDs were omitted as the different driver types have their own pros and cons.




Hidizs MP145

The MP145 has 3 tuning nozzles and is more versatile as such.

Graph of the MP145 via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.

Across all tuning nozzles, the MP145 is more V-shaped, with more bass and treble. The mids are thinner on the MP145, and timbre is slightly more organic on the MP145. The MP145 has some sibilance and may be a bit more fatiguing in the upper registers.

On A/B testing, the MP145 has a smaller soundstage, but has better imaging and micro-detailing.

The MP145's shells are sumo-sized and those with smaller ears may have fitting issues. Additionally, it has driver flex, unlike the Nightingale. Thus, ergonomics seem superior on the Nightingale.


Letshuoer S12 Pro

Graph of the S12 Pro via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.

The S12 Pro sports a deep V-shaped signature. It has more bass on tap, though the bass isn't as tight. The S12 Pro is more aggressive-sounding, and is quite in your face, whereas the Nightingale is a bit more sedate. The upper mids/treble is more extended and prominent on the S12 Pro, though it comes across as sibilant and fatiguing. The S12 Pro is leaner in the midrange, with vocals sounding not as lush.

Timbre is less natural on the S12 Pro, with a metallic sheen noted. The S12 Pro has better imaging and micro-detailing, though it loses in soundstage.

The S12 Pro comes with a modular cable, though it isn't as comfortable in fit.


Tangzu Zetian Wu

Graph of the Zetian Wu via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.

The Zetian Wu is a way bassier IEM, though the bass bleeds and smudges, and isn't as clean and textured as on the Nightingale.

Timbre is slightly better on the Zetian Wu, though it has a recessed and thinner midrange.

Technicalities-wise, the Zetian Wu has a smaller soundstage and weaker instrument separation. Imaging and micro-detailing is about on par.


CONCLUSIONS



As per its avian namesake, the Nightingale sings excellently in the midrange, and is a specialist midcentric set. Vocal and acoustic genres are euphonic, addictive and sweet. Treble is smooth and non-fatiguing, with a tight and clean bass heard.

Granted, midcentric tunings are quite niche, and may not be the cup of tea for bassheads and trebleheads, or even for some mainstream genres, but where it shines for its specialized genres, the sonics are truly magical.

The Nightingale thankfully takes to EQ well, so for consumers open to doing so, distortion-free bass boost is an option in the pocket to shape the sonics to your preference. Additionally, the Nightingale comes with one of the best stock cables in the industry, and has great ergonomics and an elegant yet solid build. Soundstage width is also a highlight, and this IEM can rival some earbuds in this arena.



Other than not being an all-rounder, like most other planar IEMs, there are whiffs of planar timbre, and drivability is moderately difficult. It is also not as resolving as some planar competitors, though those may be more fatiguing and sibilant as a trade-off.

Midcentric profiles are a love-it-or-hate-it affair, but I applaud Sivga for trying something different from the run-of-the-mill Harman and V-shaped fare; I do think there is a place in an audio enthusiast's stable for such midcentric gear, to be whipped out when a vocal track's siren voices are sought after.