Hifiman Audivina review
Preliminary to the preliminaries.
Everything said here is a simple opinion of someone who is not a professional reviewer, sound professional or musician. I am a simple amateur who enjoys his love of music and listening to it as much as possible. I thank Hifiman for giving me the opportunity to get to know the Audivina in depth.
Preliminaries.
I am 64 years old, with no loss of hearing sensitivity according to my regular medical audiometries and with slight tinnitus. I am able to detect sounds between 25 and 12,000 Hz. My head size is slightly above average and my ears are of normal size. Peak listening volume is 90 dB for classical and 80 dB for all other genres.
I got into listening to music and hi-fi when I was a teenager. Since 2006 I listen almost always with headphones, having used, among others, Stax SR-303s with SRM-313 amplifier, various IEMs, PSB M4U1s and Denon AH-D7200s. I currently use the Hifiman Ananda 2020 with EachDIY copper OCC cable and the Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire with Forza Audioworks copper HPC MK2 cable, with two different chains:
PC (Foobar2000 and Qobuz) > USB cable > Fiio K5 Pro (DAC and headphone amplifier).
iPhone > Apple Lightning to USB adapter > USB cable > DAC Topping D30 Pro > headphone amplifier Topping A30 Pro
Both amplifiers are unbalanced.
My music sources are FLAC 16/44.1 files from ripping my CD collection, high definition FLAC purchased from different music shops (HDTracks, Qobuz) and the streaming service Qobuz, in CD quality and above.
I listen to an average of 2-3 hours a day and the music genres are classical (50%) and the rest of the time a mix of rock, pop, jazz, acoustic, blues, Americana, electronica and hip-hop
Packaging and accessories.
Very simple cardboard box with a semi-rigid bag inside. Includes three cables, with 3.5 mm (1.5 m), 6.35 mm (3 m) and 4-pin XLR (3 m) piugs. The cables have a rubber finish that doesn't transmit noise when rubbed against clothing (zero microphonics), have some shape memory and stick easily to other objects, so care must be taken to avoid snagging them with the resulting tugging. What I like least are the lengths, my favourite is 2m.
Appearance, weight, ergonomics and specifications.
Moderately luxurious finish in metal and wood, with synthetic leather and microfibre pads. The cups are big, both in terms of their oval shape and thickness, have horizontal and vertical movement and exert moderate to medium pressure on the head. Despite the weight (almost half a kilo), the headphones are quite comfortable, although after a couple of hours they start to feel uncomfortable, but nothing that can't be solved by taking then off for a short break.
Like most of the brand's headphones, it uses planar magnetic transducers, in this case with an impedance of 20 Ohms and a sensitivity of 97 dB/mW, which makes it suitable for most desktop headphone amplifiers, which nowadays deliver at least 1 watt from 16 to 32 Ohms. Comparing its efficiency with the headphones I use regularly, the Audivina falls between the more efficient Ananda (103 dB/mW and 25 Ohms) and the less efficient Aeon 2 (83 dB/mW and 13 Ohms). They are not problematic headphones to amplify; almost any desktop amplifier and quite a few portable DAPs are capable of driving them.
Isolation.
The purpose of closed headphones is twofold: to isolate the listener from external noise and to prevent the sound produced from leaking into the surrounding environment. I was immediately struck by how little the Audivina's closed cups isolate, so I decided to measure the amount of sound that is emitted to the outside when listening with them. To do this test, I used a white noise generator, flitted from 10,000 Hz with a low-pass filter with Q = 0.5 and measured with a hand-held sound level meter, A-weighting and minimum sensitivity of 30 dB. For reference, I compared the result with my two headphones, the open-cups Ananda and the closed-cups Aeon 2 Noire.
Sound Source: White noise, listening level 80 dBA.
The sound transmitted to the outside, measured at a distance of one metre, is:
- Ananda: 56 dBA
- Audivina: 39.5 dBA
- Aeon 2 Noire: <30 dBA (I do not have the exact value because the sound level meter does not detect sounds below 30 dBA, but a reasonable estimate would be 25 dBA, since at half a metre you get 31 dBA and every time you double the distance, the sound pressure is reduced by 6 dB).
Regardless of the measurements, which place the Audivina as semi-closed headphone even though their cups are closed, when using it you have to take almost the same precautions as with open headphones, namely to listen in as quiet an environment as possible and without anyone close enough to be disturbed by what you are listening to. So what is the purpose of making closed headphones with such poor isolation capabilities? Hifiman has a great range of planar magnetic open headphones with excellent sound performance, so I don't understand the need for closed headphones that don't fully deliver the biggest advantage of this design: isolation from the environment.
Sound characteristics.
Like all headphones, it has its strengths and weaknesses.
Starting with the weak points, I would highlight the reproduction of voices, especially male voices, as there is some nasality and dryness, and a loss of volume in the low register, which moves them back in the soundstage. Nasality and dryness are also noticeable in some female voices, but to a lesser extent. These defects depend very much on the recording, being noticeable in some and almost negligible in others. The “brain burning” I underwent for the test (ten days and 30 hours of listening without using other headphones) reduced its importance, to the point that I only occasionally noticed it slightly. Other instruments are also affected, such as saxophone or piano.
The other weak point, although less pronounced than the previous one, is a cavernous touch in the low register that I only noticed on one record, whose mixing had clearly accentuated low frequencies.
Its virtues are many and remarkable. I will start with the bass; as a listener of classical, rock, pop, jazz, jazz, Americana, etc., I've never found headphones whose bass sounded at the right volume for all types of music. Either they were too much for classical and adequate for the rest, or it was just the other way around. Until the Audivina, which brings the bass to the level closest to what I consider to be the optimum level to act as an all-rounder in almost all genres of music. The bass quality is quite good, sounding smooth, clean and with great definition; just the opposite of the single note bass.
Another obvious strength is its soundstage, but first I must warn that when I listen with headphones, I feel the sound on a plane parallel to my eyes and behind them. It is a two-dimensional perception, sometimes extending out of my head but without a sense of three-dimensionality in front of me. Instead, I perceive the depth of the soundstage from the relative volume of the different sound sources and their amount of reverberation. In the case of the Audivina, the lateral extension is high and the sounds easily exceed the limits of my head, but what stands out most is the precision in the placement of the sound sources (voices and instruments), their definition and the sensation of space among them, which is especially noticeable in orchestral music, operas or oratorios.
Finally, the absence of sibilance unless it is present in the recording, the high resolution and the level of detail should be noted.
Comparison with the Ananda and the Aeon 2 noire.
I have chosen a series of recordings to identify the differences between the Audivina and my two current headphones.
Ariodante, Händel, Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco (FLAC file, 16/44,1)
Track: Allegro, Coro: Si Godete Al Vostro Amor
Audivina: good rendering of the sound of the instruments, the space between them and the acoustics of the hall; the choir sounds somewhat nasal and slightly lacking in body, the female solo voices somewhat nasal and placed backward
Aeon 2 Noire: somewhat dark sound of the instruments, room acoustics not very perceptible, tone slightly lacking in treble. Soloists more present than with the Audivina, but with slight sibilance.
Ananda: instruments somewhat lacking in bass, ample space but some nuances of the hall acoustics are lost. The choir balanced and very convincing. Both choir and soloists closer than with the other headphones, and some sibilance in the soloists.
Track: Aria Con l’ali di costanza.
Audivina: large orchestral scene with balanced and neutral instrumental sound, good bass presence. The soloist (mezzo) is closer and more integrated with the orchestra than in the Ananda, the voice has traces of dryness and nasality.
Aeon 2 Noire: Wide scene without depth, soloist voice prominent over the orchestra, with natural timbre but somewhat muffled treble. Orchestra with slight excess in the bass.
Ananda: natural and balanced soloist's voice, stands out from the orchestra. Orchestra with some excess in the treble (violins) and slight lack of bass. The scene is wide and precise.
Mahler, Seventh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas (Qobuz 24/96)
Track: V. Rondo – Finale
Audivina: balanced tonality, perfectly integrated bass (superb timpani). Good string and woodwind sonority, brass somewhat lacking in body. A lot of detail and separation of instruments. Scene far away, as if you were sitting towards the end of the auditorium, wide but shallow. Moderate dynamics.
Aeon 2 Noire: bright tonality with somewhat recessed mids but stifled by excessive bass, good level of detail and separation of instruments. Scene congested in the tutti.
Ananda: the most brilliant restitution of the three, with a convincing timbre except for the double basses and the timpani, which are a bit sparse and hollow. Wide stage and close to the orchestra (the listener is in the first third of the hall). The orchestra sounds cohesive, with a medium level of detail and high dynamics. At some (few) moments the treble shows traces of aggressiveness.
Beethoven, the symphonies. Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (FLAC file 16/44,1)
Track: Seventh Symphony, Allegretto
Audivina: somewhat unbalanced tonality, slightly dark for the double basses and timpani and bright for the violins. The orchestra seems rather separated from the listener, as if the listener were at the back of the auditorium. Somewhat sparse dynamics, due to the effect of the distant stage. Laterally wide stage, instruments well defined and positioned. The acoustics of the hall are moderately perceptible.
Aeon 2 Noire: dark tonality, especially with bass-overloaded cellos, double basses and timpani, moderately wide and deep soundstage, good separation between instruments, damped room acoustics.
Ananda: neutral tonality, brass and woodwind more present than in the rest. Timpani sound a bit muffled and double basses slightly hollow. Listener located towards the middle of the hall. Acoustics of the hall well restored. Good separation between instruments and high dynamics. The most vivid and truthful reproduction of the three.
Mozart, requiem mass. Jordi Savall, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Le Concert des Nations (FLAC file 16/44,1)
Tracks: Dies irae, Tuba mirum, Rex tremendae
Audivina: the tone of the chorus is unnatural, rough, lacking in body and placed far behind the orchestra. Soloists well placed, male voices natural but somewhat lacking in body, female voices natural and balanced. Correct tonality of the instruments, although the strings sound dry. Scene not very wide but deep. Good rendition of the room acoustics.
Aeon 2 Noire: correct tonality of the choir, slightly distant from the orchestra and with a point of harshness. Orchestra excellently presented, full of details and with the instruments easy to locate. The timpani stand out, full of life. The male soloists sound natural, as do the female ones, although they show traces of sibilance. Small soundstage, but balanced between width and depth.
Ananda: somewhat bright and slightly hollow bass tone for the orchestra, but full of life and energy. The choir is placed close behind the orchestra, highlighting the details of the individual voices. Very wide scene, both in width and depth. Great restitution of the acoustics of the hall, highlighting the different levels of reverberation depending on the distance from the sound source. Soloists close to the listener, with correct and natural tonality, except for traces of sibilance.
Gregory Porter, Liquid Spirit (FLAC file 24/96)
Tracks: Brown Grass, Water Under the Bridge
Audivina: voice lacking body and slight nasality as well as harshness in some consonants. Somewhat dry piano on "Water Under the Bridge". Spectacular bass rendition and lots of drum detail on "Brown Grass". Small scene, with vocals not as close to the listener as on the other headphones.
Aeon 2 Noire: balanced, natural and cohesive voice with a little less harshness in the consonants than on the other headphones, but with a slightly worse high register than on the Ananda. The piano sounds somewhat lacking in treble on "Water Under the Bridge". Scene a little more intimate than with the Ananda. Excellent bass, with a lot of slam, perhaps a little above its neutral level.
Ananda: natural and balanced voice in all registers, only objectionable a slight accentuation of the s's and slight roughness in some consonants. Bass and drums impeccable, the piano slightly hollow in the low notes in "Water Under the Bridge". Alto saxophone sounds a bit dry. Intimate scene, voice in the foreground and instruments in close proximity, studio sound with little reverb except for the voice.
Madeleine Peyroux, Careless Love (Qobuz 16/44,1)
Tracks: Don’t Wait Too Long, J’ai deux amours
Audivina: there is some distance between Madeleine Peiroux's voice and the listener, as well as some air between her and the bass. The voice is presented naturally and with an abundance of detail, as are the rest of the instruments. No scene, on this all three headphones agree. Distortion is heard at some points in the recording.
Aeon 2 Noire: presentation very close to the listener, practically no scene. Madeleine Peyroux's voice sounds natural, cohesive, though somewhat drowned out by the instruments on "Don't Wait Too Long". She stands out a little more in "J'ai deux amours", where the accompaniment is more balanced and the piano brings some freshness. The bass level is high, but not annoying, although at times it sounds distorted.
Ananda: excellent rendition of the voice, the most natural of the three. The bass loses some body against the Aeon 2 Noire, which gives some space to the rest of the instruments in "Don't Wait Too Long", but it doesn't get a sense of scene, due to an "in your face" mix. In "J'ai deux amours" the voice is so close that I feel placed practically inside her throat. As in the other cases, some distorted passages are perceived.
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti (Flac file 16/44,1)
Tracks: In My Time of Dying, Trampled Under Foot
Audivina: lots of energy in the high registers of the drums (cymbals, snares), wide soundstage, good separation of instruments and lots of detail, considering when it was recorded. Robert Plant's voice, though somewhat thin, sounds convincing and well separated from the rest, with traces of sibilance. It can be heard at a high volume without being annoying or shrill. On "In my Time of Dying" the scene is surprisingly wide, although it loses a bit of the garage sound that this album has; the garage is bigger than expected. The voice here is a little thinner than on "In my Time of Dying". Instrument separation is excellent. A little more bass would be appreciated, but I blame the recording more than the headphones.
Aeon 2 Noire: the drums maintain a good balance between low and high frequencies, the guitars sound forward throughout "In my Time of Dying", the voice natural and separated from the rest, with slight traces of sibilance, but a bit behind the guitars, which stand out from the rest in this song. The scene is intimate but coherent; it gives the sensation of listening to the band just a few metres away. Slightly less dynamic than with Audivina. "Trampled Under Foot" is not as well rounded as the previous song, with a scene that has a gap in the middle. The low frequencies are more present than on the rest of the headphones, which is welcome in a recording with little bass. Some harshness appears at high listening volume, which can be annoying.
Ananda: The beginning of "In my Time of Dying" places the drums and guitars at the same level, with a slight excess of treble. The voice is natural, truthful, barely sibilant and close to the listener, although, as with Audivina, it lacks some body. Listening at high volume is penalised by a harshness in the guitars. The scene is very wide horizontally but not deep, as if the band members, though close to the listener, are separated from each other. It's like a wide, shallow garage. "Trampled Under Foot" is surprising for the restitution of the vocals, somewhat better than on the other two headphones, and a soundstage without the central hollowness seen on the Aeon. The keyboards sound a little less faithful than in the Audivina, but with more punch.
Fangoria, El extraño viaje (Qobuz 16/44,1)
Tracks: Sin Perdón, Estés donde estés.
Audivina: the lower part of the frequency spectrum sounds somewhat hollow and with a lot of definition, with a smooth and precise bass line in "Sin perdón". Olvido Alaska's voice is somewhat lacking in the lower register, expanding to the sides and slightly separated from the listener. The synthesizers also suffer from a lack of body. The bass on "Estés donde estés" sounds powerful and precise, with a little less energy in the lower frequencies. There is a bit more soundstage but it doesn't come across as natural, the vocals and some sounds expand to the sides while the rhythm line is centered and very close to the listener.
Aeon 2 Noire: spectacular rhythm line, bass above neutrality works very well with this style of music. The EQ of the recording accentuates the treble, but it doesn't become harsh or squeaky. The vocals are presented with plenty of body and presence, which prevents them from getting lost in a distinctly V-shaped production. The scene is barely there, as is often the case in electronic music.
Ananda: a surprise in the scene, which integrates the rhythm line with the rest of the instruments and the voice. Not big, but at least coherent. The bass is a little lean, but elegant. The treble volume is a bit excessive and unbalances the tonality making it slightly bright. The voice is a bit more natural and closer than on Audivina and also a bit too bright.
Donald Fagen, Kamakiriad (Qobuz 24/96)
Tracks: Springtime, On the Dunes.
Audivina: in "Springtime" the voice is thin and somewhat far from the listener. This lack of body rubs off on the guitar and drums. The result is a certain disorganisation of the whole that makes it less attractive to listen to. Does the result improve in "On the Dunes"? Well, yes, all it took was a voice more present in the mix for it to take on body and move forward, which, together with a masterfully rendered bass line, achieves the cohesion that was missing in "Springtime". Audivina are temperamental and sensitive to the way the music is recorded and produced.
Aeon 2 Noire: the funky touch is felt on "Springtime", thanks to bass and drums with just the right amount of precision, detail and punch. The voice, although slightly behind, sounds round, natural and believable. The rest of the sonic elements fit well in an intimate but not cramped setting. "On the Dunes" suffers from a slight excess of bass in the rhythm line and, albeit slightly, in Donald Fagen's voice, which is corrected by lowering the volume a little.
Ananda: delightful sound on the quiet ballad "On the Dunes", everything in its place, right down to the saxophone playing in the background, except for the piano, which lacks a bit of body. The scene has just the right amount of breadth and depth to be perceived as a harmonious whole. A little more energy in the bass drums would be desirable. The funky rhythm in "Springtime" is smooth, full of detail and deserving a little more power. The voice is convincing, natural and well placed in the soundstage.
Conclusion.
The Audivina is a headphone that can produce any sensation but indifference. Master in bass, soundstage, level of detail and sound cleanliness, weak in vocals and middle notes of some instruments such as piano, probably due to a non-linear frequency response in the mids. It has an nice-looking and well-made finish, and is quite comfortable when in use for several hours at a time. All in all, I think it needs the right listener to fall in love with it to provide him many hours of listening pleasure. Classical music, especially large orchestral masses, and recordings that place the voice close to the listener are their best terrain, provided they have good dynamics and a neutral tonal response.
