I received my "Open Box" Sendy Audio Peacock headphones today. Let's start right off with these are not "open box" at all. Still had the shrink wrap on them and they were either repackaged by the same people who packaged them in the first place or they were never opened to begin with. Near as I can tell they were marked down because the rear corner of the box was dented (see pic). These are brand-new headphones.
The outer box is very unassuming - plain cardboard with black writing. It's clear that Sendy is going for saving money on the outside, which is just fine to me. I don't listen to the box, anyway.
Upon opening the box, I was greeted with the "baby's butt", which is hysterical. This is a beautiful case, made is real leather (goat, I believe I read somewhere", with a very nice strap, heavy duty zipper, and nice feet on the bottom to stand the butt up upright. In fact, if they had removed the "butt crack" from the case, it would be perfect. Note to Sendy - seriously, fix this, please.
Once you get past the giant ass staring you in the face, inside are some very nicely crafted headphones! There's no sign on cheap plastic, no crinkle wrap on anything, and they look very solid and well made! My biggest knock on the HiFiMan headphones (that I promptly returned within 24 hours) was that they looked and felt like cheap Chinese knock-off headphones. If I had slapped a "name brand" label on these, you wouldn't blink twice. They're solid, metal and wood, and beefy.
Out of the case, you realize that these are huge! They make my Utopias look like they were made for toddlers.
The build quality is present in everything on these headphones - the wood, leather, aluminum, even the gold trim. Let's get that out of the way right now. Yes, it's gold. No, it's not obnoxious "Chinese restaurant" gaudy gold. The colors work for me, but then again, I like the looks of my Focal MGs, too.
So what else comes in the package? Well, I'll tell you, kind internet reader - an actual FABRIC (hemp, to be exact) bag that contains a 6ish' braided cable with a TRRRRSSSSSSS 4.4mm cable, a 4.4TRrrrr-6.3mmSE adapter, and a 4.4yadda-XLR adapter. All of this is very nicely built. While it's not a Norne braided Drausk 3, it is worlds better than the crap cable that comes with most other headphones, including my aforementioned Focal MGs. The ends are metal, the connectors are metal, the adapters are metal, in fact, the only thing that's not metal is the splitter and chin cinch, and those are wood.
Do how do they sound? Well.... In a word, cinnamon. Seriously, they're clean, polite, and a touch warm, even for the Woo Audio WA6-SE Gen 2. If you want bright planars, these aren't for you. If you want slamming bass, these aren't for you. If you want something that's slightly warm-of-neutral, these are for you. They are fairly efficient, providing plenty of volume at 9-10:00 on the Woo. My IFI Gryphon has no problem driving them either, with plenty of room to spare on the volume knob. If I had to deduct points, I'd say -1 for the warmer lean (unless that doesn't bother you, which it just fine to me). Maybe -1 for a lack of sparkle. These are a full step above my MGs, and while they're not Utopia-killers, they're worth the price tag, especially with the "Open Box" discount.
These are great for Jazz lovers, fine for country and pop, rap/R&B is nice, not nothing to write home about. Classical guitar holds up very well, and orchestral music just shines! Female vocals are strong, not wilted. Male voices are not overpowering. There is a slight hollow spot around 2k or so (Anne Hathaway - "I Dreamed a Dream" from the Les Mis soundtrack is missing something in her lower range).
Soundstage is as to be expected from open-back headphones. It's there, but not particularly wide. These are not particularly precise, but then again, I don't think they were designed to be. These are casual listening headphones, not critical listening.
They are quite comfortable. Aside from capturing some body heat inside the cups and warning up, they don't feel heavy and oppressive. In fact, they are very easy to wear considering their weight. Much more comfortable than the MGs, but nowhere near as comfortable as the Utopias or the Sennheiser HD-8XX'S.
Final thoughts - I'm perfectly happy with these. Yes, I know it's the same company as SIVGA. No, I don't care. I haven't heard the SIVGA, so I have no point of reference. I am not a numbers or chart guy. I understand them, but I chose to believe my ears over what paper tells me. These are built well, look fantastic (to me), and sound better than my Focal MGs (which retail for around the same price).
8/10, will keep.
