Sivga Luan assessment: Beating Meze at its personal sport

Sivga is not a model most of you’ll be acquainted with, however the Chinese producer is slowly gaining momentum on the again of wood-based designs and customized tuning. Of course, Meze did the identical factor a decade in the past, and the 99 Classics continues to be a standout product. I reviewed the 99 Classics final 12 months, and it did not take lengthy to appreciate that it is likely one of the best-sounding headphones within the sub-$500 class.

Sivga is following in the identical path, and the Luan shares numerous similarities to the 99 Classics. It prices $299 on Amazon — simply $10 lower than Meze’s providing — and has dynamic drivers and a wood enclosure that appears nice. The key distinction is that the Luan affords an open again design, whereas the 99 Classics is closed-back.

I’ll get to the sound in a bit, however as at all times, let’s begin with the design. There’s undoubtedly so much to speak about on this space, and the Luan stands out for its utilization of wooden; most merchandise on this phase use a mixture of plastic and steel, and there is simply one thing inherently cool about headphones with a housing made out of wooden.

The Luan is out there in two finishes, and the walnut mannequin I’m utilizing is classy. Sivga did an excellent job with the design, and what I notably like is that the headphones are color-matched to the wood housing, so the earpads and the scarf have an identical coloration scheme. The finish result’s that the Luan seems to be placing, and the design is fairly distinctive.

Sivga additionally deserves credit score for utilizing no plastic within the chassis of the Luan; the headphones characteristic an abundance of metal for the swivel mechanism and the scarf, and the construct high quality is beautiful. There’s an excellent quantity of swivel, and the exterior grille has a normal mesh sample. Basically, the Luan would not look or really feel like a pair of headphones that prices simply $299.

The wood housing is sanded down and polished, and after two months of prolonged use, the Luan exhibits no indicators of damage. The headband has a leather-based insert with foam padding that does an ideal job distributing the burden, and though the Luan weighs 354g, it would not really feel prefer it.

There is a good quantity of swivel to the earpads, they usually’re lined with velvet. The pads are giant sufficient that there is not any situation with sizing, and the froth inserts are extraordinarily smooth, making certain they keep snug even after prolonged use. There is not numerous clamping power, and whereas the headphones have a comfortable match, the plush pads guarantee there is not any fatigue.

The Luan connects by way of two 3.5mm plugs, and the opposite finish of the cable has a balanced 4.4mm connector. The bundled cable is of a good high quality, and like the remainder of the design, additionally it is color-matched to the headphones. The Luan is bundled inside a tough shell carrying case made out of leather-based, and it is likely one of the finest instances you may see on this phase. It does an ideal job safeguarding the headphones, and it has toes on the backside that permits it to remain upright.

Coming to the sound, the Luan has a impartial attribute that lends itself properly to a various vary of genres. The bass is detailed and quick, nevertheless it would not have the identical rumble as different dynamic driver-based designs on this class, so for those who hearken to numerous bass-heavy music, you may must tweak the EQ. There is sweet definition total, however slightly extension within the sub-bass area would have made the Luan that rather more immersive.

The mids have a pure presentation, and vocals come by way of clear and clear. The dynamics are incredible, there’s good instrument separation, and the Luan shines with ensemble items. The treble has good extension, and there is a sense of airiness to the combo, and whereas there may be some sibilance at occasions, it is not overly harsh.

The soundstage is among the many finest on this class, and Sivga did not actually put a foot flawed on this regard. The Luan does an ideal job with element rendition, and whereas I’d have favored a barely elevated bass, that is the one quibble I’ve with the headphones.

Outside of that, Sivga did an impressive job with the Luan. The headphones have a elegant design, and the beneficiant use of wooden and metal permits them to face out from different merchandise on this class. There are zero points with the construct high quality, and the Luan is extraordinarily snug in day by day use. One of the principle causes I used the 99 Classics is due to the light-weight design and match, and whereas the Luan is heavier, I did not discover the added heft.

The sound additionally performs an enormous half, and the impartial signature together with wonderful dynamics makes the Luan a viable contender to the likes of the HD6XX. Ultimately, if you would like open again headphones with a impartial sound and an attention grabbing design, you possibly can’t go flawed with the Luan.