[robthemac]

I know that I wasn't particularly glowing in my review, but I really miss the Audivina now that it has left... Enjoy to those who still have it!

 

[UntilThen]

Audivina arrived ! Thanks to HiFiman for this opportunity to audition this headphone. Too early to say anything but I couldn't resist plugging in the xlr jack into my tube amps and I was rather surprised ! Sounded pretty good at the get go. Now to listen for 2 weeks before my review.

 

[UntilThen]

Another picture.

 

[Slim1970]

Audivina arrived ! Thanks to HiFiman for this opportunity to audition this headphone. Too early to say anything but I couldn't resist plugging in the xlr jack into my tube amps and I was rather surprised ! Sounded pretty good at the get go. Now to listen for 2 weeks before my review.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these. I enjoyed them quite a bit.

 

[UntilThen]

This is not a review yet but just letting it out there. I would have bought Audivina right now if I hadn't spend so much on tube amps and tubes in the last few months. I am really enjoying it after 2 days of listening. Dr Fang Bian in his interview with Jude said that Audivina is tuned as a studio monitoring headphone and after listening, I have to agree.

 

[UntilThen]

 

[Slim1970]

They compliment each other well

 

[Takarajima]

Hi everyone,

Here is my take on HFM Audivina. Thanks for giving me the opportunity, @TeamHiFiMAN !
I also posted this review on the regular headgear review thread: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hifiman-audivina.26464/review/31096/

---

Hifiman Audivina: Not for everyone, but those who like it will love it

Pros
+ Unique sound signature with a fun and engaging listening experience.
+ Excellent spatiality and synergistic tuning.
+ Well-built and comfortable to wear.
+ Nice detail retrieval.

Cons
- Some may find the sound signature to be too uneven or unbalanced.
- Nuance retrieval is a bit limited.
- Audivina's interpretative take may be song/music-dependent.

Disclaimer: This review is based on my 2-week experience with the demo unit Hifiman provided through their loaner tour. While I was neither paid nor required to provide anything but my honest opinion, readers should be aware of potential bias. Anyway, kudos to HFM for the opportunity!

My Preference

Before discussing Audivina, it is important to note that I am a fan of Hifiman headphones. My journey has included their products at various price points, from HE400 to Arya, and finally, Susvara, which remains unparalleled in my opinion. Other headphones that I hold in high regard include Stealth, Caldera, and Atrium closed. This information may help readers better understand my perspective and preference.


Opening

Initially, I assumed that Audivina might simply be a closed-back version of HE1000 due to their similar cup shapes and price ranges. However, upon examining the actual product, it was evident that Hifiman had put in more effort than anticipated. The front radiating surface of the drivers were more damped than any of their open-back products, and featured uniquely shaped acoustic filters which I believe controlled internal reflection or diffraction differently from their open-back counterparts.

Design and ergonomics have been thoroughly discussed in other reviews; thus, I will focus on Audivina's sound quality.

Associated Gears

• DAC: SMSL M500 mk3 (usb in, xlr out), Gustard X18 (usb in, xlr out)
• Amp: SMSL HO200 (xlr in, 4 pin xlr out), Topping LA90 (xlr in, thorough banana-to-4p xlr adapter)
• Headphones: Hifiman Susvara, Dan Clark Audio Stealth, ZMF Atrium Closed

Sound - Tonality

The tonal balance of Audivina is distinct, after many hours of comparing it to my reference headphones. It appears that Hifiman did not aim to replicate their open-back house sound for this model. Audivina's tonality is noticeably uneven and less cohesive across the spectrum, with certain regions in the bass, midrange, and treble exhibiting strong boosts. Despite the individual discrepancies, the overall sound remains balanced to my ears.

Listening to Linda Lindas' Growing Up (2022), for example, the fundamentals of female vocals are more prominent, while kick drums are less punchy. The bass guitar maintains appropriate weight and heft, but the lower end of electric guitars lacks richness and power. Moving up the spectrum, snare drums exhibit a stronger bark, vocals become slightly nasal, and guitars sound a bit thin. These characteristics, however, do not detract from the overall listening experience; in fact, they enable me to enjoy the music in a fresh, engaging manner.


Sound - Technicality

Audivina excels in its technical capabilities, particularly in spatiality and synergistic tuning. The detail and retrieval are commendable, although sonic gradations can sometimes sound less delicate but more vivid than products like Atrium Closed. The soundstage is truly addictive, with Hifiman doing an outstanding job of creating an immersive experience. While not precisely accurate, Audivina's interpretive presentation brings a certain magic to numerous tracks. Please note that it seems very song/track-dependent. Let me elaborate in two contrasting cases.

For instance, while listening to the overture of Ravel’s Sheherazade (2016; performed by Lionel Bringuier and Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich), I found that the layers and soundstage were not as convincing as I had hoped. The orchestra sounded a bit congested, and the individual instruments were not as stably placed as I would have liked. Almost felt like presentation changes from passage to passage. The soundstage was also a bit flat in depth, making it difficult to feel like I was in the large enough space. In contrast, the Susvara and Stealth headphones provided a much more holographic and precise spatial experience -- Susvara gravitated more toward the former while Stealth leaned toward the latter. The orchestra sounded much more spacious, and the individual instruments were easier to distinguish.

However, Audivina performed exceptionally well on Melanie De Biasio's "A Stomach Is Burning." The song is a slow, atmospheric track with a lot of spatial detail. The Audivina was able to reproduce this detail with great clarity, creating a captivating spatial enhancement. The vocals were also very well-defined, and the soundstage was wide and immersive.


Measurements

Highlights

• The sub-bass frequencies below 50 Hz are attenuated, which may be acceptable for most tracks although I prefer a more pronounced sub-bass response.
• The midrange frequencies between 300 and 600 Hz are recessed, which may contribute to the hollowness that I heard during my evaluation. However, the recession is not too severe, so it is not unbearable.
• The 1 kHz frequency is boosted relative to its neighboring frequencies, which can affect the midrange character of many instruments, including vocals and strings. This boost can make the midrange sound more prominent and forward.
• The 3-4 kHz frequencies are slightly muted, which may contribute to the recessed presence that I heard. This can make the soundstage feel a bit closed-in.
• The 9 kHz peak may look excessive on a frequency response graph, but it does not sound as bad as it looks. In fact, I believe that this peak is correlated with the great sheen that Audivina reproduces.

Spoiler: Comparisons with other HFMs

Spoiler: Comparisons with other closed-back TOTLs

Conclusion

In conclusion, Audivina may not fully cater to those who prefer audiophile-grade recordings or complex music compositions. It excels, however, in simpler tracks with limited spatiality. Hifiman has adopted a clever strategy by appealing to a broader audience. With its distinct flavor, Audivina serves as a great addition to a high-end HFM collection.

 

[Dramlin]

I received the Audivina's yesterday and have already spent about 8 hours with them. I have not read any reviews or previous posts in this thread just yet, as I wanted to be completely unbiased going in.

My first impression was not great, but my opinion shifted a few hours in (read until the end...). The initial sound was similar to what happens when you only partially plug in a TRS connector, where you are getting left and right audio but everything is a bit off. To describe the initial sound, think about what you are hearing around you right now. You can hear in 360 degrees around you, faint sounds all around. When you put on the Audivinas that natural surround sound goes away, instead everything sounds like it is coming through a funnel to your ears. It's sort of like hearing everything through a large keyhole. The sound is being restricted and reshaped before it reaches your ears, with the end result being that everything is far away and hollowed out. In reading the headphone description it seems what Hifiman is going for is the same sound you would get by sitting in a great hall, and when you frame it that way the sound suddenly make sense. The sound DOES seem similar to what you would hear if you were sitting in a great hall, it's the acoustics that are being simulated which is causing that funneled/hollow sound. The problem is that while the acoustics are being simulated well, the FR and staging was off. Highs were a bit too hot, mids were sucked out, the entire sound lacked any body, and everything was slightly squished towards the center. The overall sound was far in front in a long line where it's not engaging at all.

After listening for several hours I could tell there was a very technically proficient headphone here, similar to the other high end Hifiman Planars, but something was holding it back. I tinkered with the ear pads a little bit to try and improve the seal to add more weight to the sound, but everything I tried made the sound worse. My conclusion was that the pads are designed correctly. Next I tried changing the TRS cables to some aftermarket cables and aha! the sound was immediately better. Not just improved, but entirely fixed into something great. The sound was no longer being squished towards the center, the FR is entirely balanced, the stage is pulled in closer becoming surround instead of projected up front. Changing the TRS cable made the Audivina's immediately comparable to the HE-500, HE-6 se V2's, and Arya's, just with the Audivina's own grand acoustics in a closed back. After that point I listened for about 5 hours straight and have been enjoying every minute since. Very enjoyable headphones, and quite different than anything I've ever heard in the way they present their sound stage.

-- Edit after additional time spent: In hindsight the aftermarket cables do help but are not required. At around the same time that I was swapping cables my brain finally adjusted to the sound of the headphones and everything just clicked. Aftermarket cables still help to fine tune the sound to my tastes, but I'm now enjoying the headphones with the stock cables as well. This headphone just takes some getting used to since the presentation is far different than usual, it just takes time to adapt.

 

[Slim1970]

I received the Audivina's yesterday and have already spent about 8 hours with them. I have not read any reviews or previous posts in this thread just yet, as I wanted to be completely unbiased going in.

My first impression was not great, but my opinion shifted a few hours in (read until the end...). The initial sound was similar to what happens when you only partially plug in a TRS connector, where you are getting left and right audio but everything is a bit off. To describe the initial sound, think about what you are hearing around you right now. You can hear in 360 degrees around you, faint sounds all around. When you put on the Audivinas that natural surround sound goes away, instead everything sounds like it is coming through a funnel to your ears. It's sort of like hearing everything through a large keyhole. The sound is being restricted and reshaped before it reaches your ears, with the end result being that everything is far away and hollowed out. In reading the headphone description it seems what Hifiman is going for is the same sound you would get by sitting in a great hall, and when you frame it that way the sound suddenly make sense. The sound DOES seem similar to what you would hear if you were sitting in a great hall, it's the acoustics that are being simulated which is causing that funneled/hollow sound. The problem is that while the acoustics are being simulated well, the FR and staging was off. Highs were a bit too hot, mids were sucked out, the entire sound lacked any body, and everything was slightly squished towards the center. The overall sound was far in front in a long line where it's not engaging at all.

After listening for several hours I could tell there was a very technically proficient headphone here, similar to the other high end Hifiman Planars, but something was holding it back. I tinkered with the ear pads a little bit to try and improve the seal to add more weight to the sound, but everything I tried made the sound worse. My conclusion was that the pads are designed correctly. Next I tried changing the TRS cables to some aftermarket cables and aha! the sound was immediately better. Not just improved, but entirely fixed into something great. The sound was no longer being squished towards the center, the FR is entirely balanced, the stage is pulled in closer becoming surround instead of projected up front. Changing the TRS cable made the Audivina's immediately comparable to the HE-500, HE-6 se V2's, and Arya's, just with the Audivina's own grand acoustics in a closed back. After that point I listened for about 5 hours straight and have been enjoying every minute since. Very enjoyable headphones, and quite different than anything I've ever heard in the way they present their sound stage.

Changing the cable was one of the first things I did when I got the Audivina’s. Like you, I found it helped with the sound a lot.

 

[CammyFi]

First Impressions,

Comfort and build are fine, the headband is similar to the HE1000V2 headband, so it evenly distributes the weight on top of your head and the large open pads have very light clamp and seat your ears inside without touching any part of them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

[Slim1970]

First Impressions,


Comfort and build are fine, the headband is similar to the HE1000V2 headband, so it evenly distributes the weight on top of your head and the large open pads have very light clamp and seat your ears inside without touching any part of them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This doesn’t sound like the same headphone I heard.

 

[UntilThen]

This doesn’t sound like the same headphone I heard.

Exactly. He must have a broken Audivina.

 

[CammyFi]

Exactly. He must have a broken Audivina.

Measures like headphones.com one

 

[CammyFi]