SIVGA Phoenix - wooden flagship dynamic driver headphone

Sivga Phoenix, priced as 255$ MSRP, have been talked about a lot when it first came out. Directly aiming at the reigning kings, HD6** series below 500$ at the time, it was relatively successful. In this review I will mostly compare Sivga Phoenix to HD600 (my review here) with a few others.

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’m not very sensitive to treble so I can enjoy the most notoriously bright headphones, however I’m somewhat sensitive to upper mids area. Please keep these in mind. Also I bought Sivga Phoenix 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.

Sivga Phoenix and Accesories

Build, Comfort and Trivia​

Sivga Audio is a relatively new brand, founded in 2016. However their roots go deeper than that as they have been producing OEM parts and headphones for other brands and still do as far as I know. They also own Sendy Audio, which is their higher end brand and all of their headphones and earphones have Planar Magnetic Transducers so far. All of the full size headphones in their line up, including Phoenix are made out of wood but their earphones have more diverse materials.
Sivga Phoenix is well made, no doubt about that. If I didn’t know the price, I would say they were easily 700$-800$ headphones. Believe me I also have Sendy Peacocks and they are more similar than different. Either you like it or hate it but everyone admits Sendy Peacocks are one of the most luxurious headphones.
All of Sivga and Sendy headphones come with nice carrying case and accesories, and Phoenixes are no exception. The package includes a nice faux leather carrying case and a soft fabric coated 3.5 mm to dual 2.5 mm cable with linen cable pouch. Weirdly enough, 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm jack adapter is not included in the box, at least there weren’t any in mine. I think I came across such a thing only with Meze X Massdrop Noir 99s. Designers of these headphones must think that you wouldn’t be stuck on a desktop device with these. Yes, they are also very sensitive so you should have no problem driving them from any device.
Comfortwise Sivga Phoenixes are one of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn. They are light. The surface of earpads that touches the face is fabric so heat build-up is less than average. Headband is suspension strap style and with spring steel and leather. However I have to make a disclaimer: size of the headband of Phoenix is pretty small, so if your head is on the large side, it won’t fit. There was no issue for me but I was very suprised to see such a small headroom in headband adjustment.

Sound​

Bass​

Sivga Phoenix is a warm neutral headphone. If you are coming from a neutral, or in this case dead neutral headphone, first thing you will notice is the warmness and lushness. Subbass rolls off but not too much. You can even say it has an impressive subbass rumble for an open back dynamic headphone. My test track for easily measuring subbass is Violent Dreams from Crystal Castles. There are some others but this song easily has the most 20-30 hz information among the others I know. And here Phoenix has decent amount of wub wub.
Midbass of Sivga Phoenix isn’t accentuated. Physicallity is decent but not very impactful. For comparison, HD600 feels tighter. Bass in the Phoenix is mushier in this sense. Either wooden housing smoothes things over or driver is slower, or maybe both. Still warm tones presents an emotional and relaxed listen.

Mids​

Again mids in Sivga Phoenix is warm. This warmness doesn’t leave you until treble but we will get to that. Lower mids are great. Upper mids are a little recessed. I’m a bit sensitive in Upper Mids so this tuning is quite welcome. But presentation isn’t as intimate as HD6** series. It’s more of a give and take. You lose some intimacy and get some warmness. This also means when you get into mood and increase the volume it won’t get shouty. Strings and piano sounded decent but nothing too impressive.

Treble​

Sivga Phoenix is close to neutral in the most of the treble range. Cymbals are clear and has a decent bite to them. Metal songs were enjoyable, even more than my HD600. It extends better than HD600 too. Treble in Phoenix is well done but not perfect. I caught sibilance here and there but not very often. It usually depended on the track I was listening or the dac I was using. If your dac or amp pushes details in your face, these can get sibilant sometimes.
With these experiences I was going to call Sivga Phoenix a warm and smooth listen and call it a day. But decided to begin torture test. By that I mean torture test for me. It was time to try some JPOP Anime songs, namely Sayuri’s About a Voyage. I love Sayuri’s songs but there is something wrong with them in the upper registers. I don’t know if it is intentional or not but if the headphones are accentuated in the upper treble or air zone, listening to these songs quickly becomes fatiguing. Phoenix in this song became on bearable. It means two things. One: these extend well and feel airy. Two: don’t listen JPOP or similar songs on these. Metal is okay though.

Technical Performance​

Sivga Phoenix is not very clear and detailed. Especially in the mids it sounds stuffy and veiled. I compared them to HD600s a lot but they are very different in this area. Details you can get from them are in the upper registers and I imagine they would make good gaming headphones too.
Their soundstage is a little wider than HD600s and imaging is noticably better too. Well HD6** headphones are worse examples of the market in terms of imaging. But instrument seperation is better on HD600s.
Timbre in Phoenix is not perfect but that doesn’t mean it is necessarily bad, you can say it is fine. In the great scheme of headphone arena, coming by a natural sounding headphone is pretty rare. You can feel some instruments feel off here and there and in the midrange you can’t shake the nasally feeling if you come from more technically capable headphone. But once your brain adjust you don’t get that feeling anymore.

Quick Comparisons​

Sivga Phoenix vs. Sennheiser HD600​

I compared them a lot throughout the review but let me reiterate. Phoenix is warmer and HD600 is leaner. Bass in HD600 is tighter, impact is more impressive but Phoenix extends deeper into the subbass. HD600 is more intimate, clear and detailed in the mids and vocals. Phoenix is rather recessed and almost sounds stuffed in the mids. Treble extension is better in Phoenix. Although mostly enjoyable, can rarely become sibilant and fatiguing. Phoenix also clearer in the treble but no doubt HD600 is more technically capable. Soundstage is a little wider and imaging is better on Phoenix.
I imagine Phoenix aimed at Sennheiser’s share of the market but didn’t quite deliver. Sound profile and presentation is different than similar. Although Sivga Phoenix has better accesories and is cheaper, there is the truth named HD6XX. It is hard to recommend when HD6XX is mostly a better headphone and even cheaper.

Sivga Phoenix vs. Beyerdynamic HD880 600 Ohm​

This may come as a suprise but I didn’t want to stuck onto HD600s for all the comparisons. Bass also extends very well on DT880s, they are more similar than different here. Midbass bump on DT880 makes them feel more dynamic, but it is tight so doesn’t effect the rest of the frequency range. Mids are just right on DT880, doesn’t feel recessed like on Phoenix, clear and crisp. Treble becomes a problem on DT880 more quickly than Phoenix. If your DAC and amp isn’t warm, sibilance and fatigue is waiting for you. DT880 images exceptionally, soundstage is wider and more detailed.
All things aside it is almost a crime that a seemingly neutral headphone like DT880 is this fun. It is almost a V-Shaped headphone in which every part of the frequency range minds their own business. I might just review these too and I hope this comparisons acts like a teaser more than a spoiler.

Conclusion​

Sivga Phoenix is a well built and premium looking headphone that comes with nice accesories. They are one of the easiest to drive headphones on the market so if you don’t want to invest in an amp and alike, they might suit you. I mostly enjoyed listening my music with them, even more than HD600s. I but I can’t say they are a better pair of headphones let alone technically more capable. Sivga Phoenix is an enjoyable headphone. Almost everything sounds good on them. But their capability is limited. I imagine you will be left wanting and expecting more. Also competition in this price range is so stiff I have a hard time recommending it. If you liked what you read and find a good deal or always wanted to try some wooden headphones without breaking the bank Sivga Phoenix might be just the thing for you.

Introduction:
SIVGA is a company from China that mainly produces headphones, and a few in-ear monitors. They started in 2016 and was known for utilizing wood in most of their products. They also have a subbrand in the name of Sendy Audio, which is focused on the premium, more expensive side of things. The Phoenix is currently their top headphone equipped with dynamic drivers, as their flagship P-II has planar magnetic drivers. The Phoenix currently retails for 255 USD, and was loaned to me by a friend for the purpose of this review.

International purchase link

Specifications:
Driver unit: 50 mm dynamic, polycarbonate diaphragm
Impedance: 32 ohms
Sensitivity: 103 dB
Frequency response range: 20 Hz - 20 kHz

Source:
Poco X3, Redmi Note 10 Pro paired with Cayin RU6, FiiO KA3, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1

Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.

Unboxing and Accessories:
The Phoenix comes in a large black box with wood design on the side. It almost looks like a shoebox at first glance. Upon opening, you will see the sturdy looking leather headphone case. The case contains the headphones, a small fabric pouch that contains the cable that is about 1.5 meters in length with a velcro strap, and a 6.35 mm male to 3.5 mm female adapter. An instruction manual, while not really that necessary, is nowhere to be found.

Build:
The headband and the yokes are made entirely out of metal. Under the metal part is a leather band with foams inside that acts as a cushion for additional comfort. The length of the headband cannot be extended unlike most headphones, only the position of the leather band can be adjusted. This may become an issue for people with large heads, but personally I didn't have any problem with the fit. The cups are made of zebrawood. This has an openback design but the opening is rather large. There is a metal ring around the opening and metal grills, as well as a filter underneath to protect the drivers from foreign objects. At the bottom part of the cups, there are two 2.5 mm jacks for the cable connection.

The outer part of the earpads are made of leather, with the inner part, the part that touches your skin, is made of fabric. The foams inside are very soft and rebounds quite fast. The problem with these earpads is that they are shallow, and my ears press against the metal plate on the drivers which causes discomfort. SIVGA did release upgraded earpads later on that are slightly thicker and has a perforated leather design.

The material used for the cable was not specified. It is sleeved with fabric and very lightweight despite being longer than average. The left and right channels has 2.5 mm plugs, and the rings on the plugs are color coded red and green to indicate the right and left side respectively. These plugs connect really tightly to the headphones, and there is a loud click whenever they are inserted. There is no chin slider here but the splitter and the plugs are all made of metal.

Now let's get to the sound.

Lows:
The lows are reproduced in an engaging manner. Subbass depth is excellent. The rumble has just the right amount of strength; not that strong but does not come across as weak. The decay though, makes the subbass more interesting as the vibrations stay in the background for quite some time. Midbass has sizeable impact and thicker than average.

Overall, the Phoenix provides a fun and kind of unique experience in the lows. It may be not enough to satisfy most bassheads but it will surely leave them somehow surprised.

Mids:
The mids are forward with a partially warm timbre. The level of articulation is above average and transparency is very good. The added warmth adds a relaxing feeling to the instruments especially pianos and acoustic guitars. There is also a very small bump in the upper mids that is only noticeable in some tracks.

Overall, despite the vocals being intimate, instruments actually sound open and airy. The level of clarity is outstanding for its price, and I believe the mids is the Phoenix's focal point.

Highs:
The highs offer a decent amount of sparkle. Treble reach is on the average side along with a well-extended decay. Lower treble is slightly elevated, while the upper treble has a somewhat adequate bite. Lead guitars and cymbals have great definition and there is sufficient detail reproduction.

Overall, the Phoenix has partially tame highs. The upper treble which provides that air and sparkle to the music has much better presence on high volumes. But on lower volumes, it has a bit of a soft attack.

Soundstage and Imaging:
The stage of the Phoenix is not that big, considering this is an openback headphone. The expansion is below average. The width and the height extends equally. Despite the stage being relatively small, the imaging is really, really good. The transparency and clarity are outstanding for the price. Separation and layering of instruments are both slightly above average, and congestion is hardly ever noticed even in busy tracks.

Comparisons:
SIVGA Phoenix (1 DD, 255 USD) vs. thinksound ov21 (1 DD, 399 USD)
The Phoenix has bigger sounding lows. The decay is also a lot longer and the rumble is way stronger. Midbass also sounds thicker in the Phoenix, but the ov21 has a cleaner, smoother texture in the overall bass region. The mids are thinner in the ov21. The upper mids boost is more prominent in the ov21, and while the Phoenix doesn't possess any aggressive tendencies unlike the former, the ov21 has better clarity and more spacious sounding mids. With the highs, the ov21 has more sparkle, longer decay, and able to present the details better, but the Phoenix is safer for longer listening sessions with its smoother highs. Despite having a closedback design, the ov21's soundstage is definitely larger. Both the width and height height expands more in the ov21. Imaging is slightly more accurate in the ov21, as well as slightly better instrument separation.

Conclusion:
It has been well over a year since SIVGA launched the Phoenix, and it has received a whole lot of mixed responses from the community. Some say it's good, some say it's bad. With the time I have spent with the Phoenix, I must say that I really liked it. Of course there is definitely a major flaw in the comfort, and the soundstage can be notably small for an openback headphone, but the distinct and flavorful sound it produces is quite addictive, to say the least.

Firstly I would like to thank Sigva for sending me this sample for review.

*disclaimer: This sample was provided for the purpose of writing a review, no incentive was given to write a favourable review. All opinions expressed are my own subjective findings

Gear Used:
PC > Topping D90 > Topping A90 > Phoenix



Tech Specs:
Style: Over-Ear
Transducer Type: Dynamic Driver
Driver Diameter: 50mm
Sensitivity: 103 dB±3 dB
Impedance: 32Ω±15%
Frequency response: 20 Hz-20 kHz
Plug: 3.5mm
Cable Type: Removable 3.5mm
Color: Zebrawood
Weight: 296g

Packaging, Build Quality and Accessories:

Sivga have put a lot of thought into the initial impressions of the Phoenix, The box is really sturdy and looks quite premium too. The box splits into two parts with the inner bit having a zebra wood like finish, which matches the headphones inside, a nice touch in my opinion. Inside the box you’ll find the headphones neatly nestled inside their carry case, a really pleasant and high quality unboxing experience.

The headphones have real zebrawood cups, metal grills, hybrid leatherette and fabric earpads, a metal headband and leather comfort strap. They are an extremely well built headphone that uses good materials yet are still lightweight and comfortable. The stock cable terminates in a standard 3.5mm jack, with dual 2.5mm mono jacks into the headphones, it is soft and fabric coated, but a little on the thinner side. It does however have excellent strain relief on the 3.5mm jack and should last a while.

Accessory wise you get a really nice hard leatherette case which is perfectly shaped for carrying the Phoenix in, along with a small fabric pouch that holds the detachable cable. The Phoenix have dual 2.5mm sockets on them, so it would be easy to get a balanced cable for them in the future. Included with mine were a set of the new pads Sigva are providing with the Phoenix which are perforated leatherette, these do change the sound a little and they are really easy to change.

Comfort:

The headband is soft and I always prefer a comfort strap style for even pressure distribution, however the adjustment range on the Phoenix is quite small and those with larger heads might struggle a little. The earpads are comfortable but a little shallow, the clamp force is not too tight, all this leads to a headphone that is very comfortable for me to wear for long listening sessions. Comfort is somewhat subjective so your mileage may vary depending on the size and shape of your head and ears.

These are open back so that helps with heat, but they don’t really isolate even though the design is slim and almost portable.



Sound:

Lows: The Phoenix manage to be a bass oriented headphone, yet without being a true basshead model. There is a lot of warmth and presence down low, but they are well behaved and controlled. There is tons of body to the sound and this will please those who enjoy the likes of the Meze 99 Classic etc… These are not made to be a monitoring headphone, instead the offer up a warm and lush sound that is utterly addictive and enjoyable. I find myself just kicking back and enjoying the music instead of trying to analyze it. Those who do prefer a more neutral sound have tons of options out there, but for those who want something a bit more bassy these surely fit the bill. The bass isn’t necessarily all that hard hitting (although it can when needed) instead it has this enveloping warmth from the sub-bass that manages to not make the Phoenix sound congested or overly dark. These are not however the quickest when it comes to timing, and they don’t quite keep up with complex passaged quite as well as some other models in this price range.

Midrange: Whilst there is a lot of body down low, it doesn’t have a huge effect on the midrange luckily. There is a little bit of a veil over lower male vocals, but they still cut through with good presence and a very smooth presentation. Layering here is very well done, the vocals are clearly and cleanly separated and guitars come through with power and authority. There is a good level of detail too, however it is the kind of presentation that allows you to hear it if you want to, rather than be upfront and throw it in your face. Much like the overall sound, these seem tuned for enjoyment rather than analytical listening. Female vocals are smooth and there isn’t any sibilance on these, these don’t have a particularly upfront and intimate midrange, however everything is well presented and nothing is done in an offensive or aggressive way.

Treble: The treble is soft and a little bit laid back for my personal preference, it is also lacking a little bite and precision sounding every so slightly smeared instead of crisp and precise. However they don’t sound too dark overall and there is a good amount of extension and presence, enough to satisfy most listeners. As per usual this is fairly genre dependent and recordings with well recorded treble will of course sound better, with pretty impressive tonality, not sounding artificial or strained. Heavy metal isn’t the most exciting genre through these, but put on some jazz/acoustic and you get a much more pleasant sound which sounds a lot more true to source.

Perforated Leatherette Earpads:

The alternative pads are quite comfortable and a little deeper than the stock ones, and they bring out a little bit more sparkle in the treble region but they also loose a little of that warmth and body that makes them such a pleasure to listen to out of the box. They end up sounding a little more controlled and tighter which works well with heavier genres, the bass has less sub-bass focus and more mid-bass impact than the stock pads.

If you are looking for a fuller bodied sound stick with the stock earpads, if you want a little more balance and energy the perforated leatherette are definitely the way to go. I find the perforated leatherette fit my personal tastes a little better, but there is something quite addictive about the stock sound.



Soundstaging:

The soundstage on the Phoenix isn’t necessarily a stand out point of their sound signature, however they do have quite a wide presentation and the instrument separation is always great on them. During more complex mixes they do sometimes sound a little congested, but stick with softer genres and they are a pleasure to listen to.

Gaming:

I decided to use these for a bit whilst gaming (BF V) on my PC and I was really surprised how good their spatial accuracy was. These make a truly awesome gaming headphone with the help of a Mod Mic. The full low end helps with explosions yet it’s the spatial accuracy that caught me off guard, you have hear every little detail and easily pinpoint enemies.



Conclusion:

This is an interesting headphone in this price range, if you want a closed back you have offerings from Meze, if you want an open back you have the HiFiMAN Deva and sometimes the Sennheiser HD600 series. Yet the Phoenix stand out a little in some ways, they are compact and easy to drive (at the expense of having limited adjustment for different head sizes and slightly shallow pads) and they have a warm and full sound signature yet they don’t lack clarity or sound dull and dark overall.

The Phoenix is incredibly well built and the stock pads are there for pure smooth and easy listening, whereas fitting the perforated leatherette pads tightens up the sound, adds a bit more impact and excitement at the expense of a little body.

Technically the HiFiMAN Deva are superior, but they don’t have that alluring warmth that the Phoenix do, likewise the Meze 99 Classic are another competitor with slightly more powerful bass that does sometimes overwhelm the rest of the sound. So as long as you have your expectations right, I think the Phoenix is a brilliant purchase for their price, and they double up for gaming duties really well too.

Sound Perfection Rating: 7/10 (warm, smooth, enjoyable – not suited for larger ears/heads and sometimes sound a little congested)