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Design & Build Quality
Casing
Inspired by the TWS800, the Hifiman Svanar design deviates strongly from the RE2000, or even the RE800. Gone is the convoluted shape with an angled 2-Pin port sitting at the top, the Svanar now adopts a semi-custom shell much more in line with nowadays standards. Compared to the previous model, the difference is striking, both visually and physically, the new Svanar gives a real high-end feel, compared to my old RE2000 Silver – that now looks completely outdated.
Of course, Hifiman being themselves, settling with a CNC-milled aluminium shell wasn’t enough and the engineering team went overboard. How? By combining an aluminium rear chamber with a 24K GOLD-PLATED brass front chamber which may “further enhance resonance”. Do I like it? Kind of yeah, it reminds me of the Cowon Plenue L, another brass champion!
Build Quality
As usual with the brand, build quality is ambivalent. Let’s begin with the goods!
The shell, being made of solid metal – aluminium + gold-plated brass – feels supremely robust and shall withstand the test of time with ease. I put them in my pocket during all my recent travelling, without any protection whatsoever, and I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of any scratches, marks or bruises on the brass side.
And if the delimitation between the aluminium and brass chambers is a bit too prominent for my taste, especially when you look up close, I dropped them a few times and never encountered any issue with those new IEMs. Same goes for the duct, also made of gold-plated brass, which appeared to be perfectly glued to the main body.
Now, for the bad part: the cable isn’t on par with what you’d expect from a $2000 USD IEM. Sure the untangled sleeve and massive gold-plated 3.5mm TRS plug are okay, but if you compare that to the amazing cable provided by Nostalgia Audio with their Camelot, or even FiiO with the FA7S – available for 4 times less money – you’d be right to ask for an upgrade.
Moreover, the recessed design of the 2-pin port, makes it mandatory to use Hifiman own 0.78mm adapter, as many third-party cables may not be able to fit.
Comfort
Again, compared to the RE800 and RE2000, the new Hifiman Svanar gives completely different vibes. Thanks to its semi-custom shell, those IEMs are a world apart compared to the previous models, embracing the full outer ears, when the RE2000 Silver always felt a bit clunky in that regard.
On the other hand, with a nice inner bump and soft copper-zinc alloy, the Svanar never was a hindrance over long listening sessions. The brand, if a bit too prone to rank this new model as one of the most comfortable, form-fitted in-ear monitors on the market, provides us a very potent IEM here.
Once again, the tip choice remains essential here and I can’t stress to you enough how important it is to take some time to test and compare, each and every silicon tip provided in the box. Personally, I ended up with a Medium dual flange on my left ear, and a large dual flange on my right, giving me the best sealing out of all the various solutions provided.
And, if in my opinion, acrylic semi-custom shaped IEM remains the best option available at the moment, the brass touch felt almost as good and I can whole-heartedly recommend those in-ears, for anyone seeking a robust model.
Isolation
Obviously, with a semi-custom design and a metallic body, isolation is quite good. The design itself makes the ear almost impervious to outside noises and they performed quite well in noisy environments like the train or an open office. Again, choose the right tips and you should be good.
Bundle
Inside the box
In terms of bundle, the HiFiman Svanar isn’t on par with other flagships. In the box you get:
- the Hifiman Svanar
- a set of silicon sleeves
- a set of 0.78 pins adapters
- a metallic travel case (lovely one)
- the 120cm monocrystalline silver-plated copper cable
- a fancy user’s guide
A dire bundle for the price, as I expect much more seeing how big the box was – a shame! I’d have expected a balanced cable at least, but no!
Additional accessories
If you want to go further with your Svanar, there are only two upgrades you should do:
It could be something as simple as iBasso’s DC06 or something a bit fancier like the ddHiFi’s TC44C, but please don’t use your computer headphone out (unless it’s the new MacBook Pro, which is pretty impressive in this regard).
For the cable, I’d definitely recommend the new BC130A Air Nyx from ddHiFi. Not only is it built like a tank, it’s also wonderful to use on a daily basis.
Specifications
For the nitpickers and nerdy ones here, I’m giving the specs and technical sheets. For all the others, you can just go lower to see how the Hifiman Svanar performs.
Topology driver + Brass chamber
Introduced a while back now, the Topology driver has become Hifiman’s signature. Simply put, this technology allows Hifiman to greatly reduce the distortions that occur with dynamic drivers, by applying a special coating on the diaphragm. A technology inspired by Fang Bian’s own thesis: “how different Nanomaterials have different structures and each of those materials have its own properties” (sic).
How does that translate? By varying the surface pattern, the compound used, thickness or geometric pattern, the final sound wave can then be manipulated to achieve the desired audio effect and control. A process that gave very good results on the RE2000, so it should sound even better with the Svanar, even if both share the same 9.2mm drivers.
But, the real gimmick here doesn’t come from the driver, but from the housing. How? By mimicking a principle seen (and heard) in almost every opera theater: a secondary cavity designed to smooth frequency response intersection. An idea that popped up when the Hifiman team saw the ballet “Swan Lake” at the Moscow State Theater, where they were amazed by the secondary diffusion ceiling design, resulting in an extended soundstage.
Ah, and yes, Svanar means Swan in Swedish, in reference to the ballet: “Swan Lake”. Now you know!
Sensitivity / Hiss
Impedance is mild (60ohm), but sensitivity is awful (100dB/mW), so you should pair the Svanar with a powerful source, or at least one that could output enough current, even if it’s an IEM.
On my FiiO Q7, the IEM behaves well, but my best pairing was the iBasso DX320: TOTL + TOTL. On the go, my ddHiFi TC44A was okay, but there was a slight lack of oomph, with my usual techno track, an issue that never occurred with the Hifiman EF400 – but that was to be expected.
Last but not least, those ears are quite sensitive to hiss, so you better keep your source clean! The full spec list is below, you can skip it and go to the next page here.
Full specs
- Type: IEM
- Style: 1DD
- Drivers: 1x 9.2mm Topology Diaphgram with special Nanoparticle coating
- Socket: 2-Pin (0.78)
- Cable: silver plated copper- 3.5mm copper plated L-shaped jack
- Shell: aluminium outer chamber + golden plate brass inner chamber
- Frequency Response: 5Hz – 35KHz
- Impedance: 60 ohms
- Sensitivity: 100dB
- Sound Isolation (up to): 27dB
- Cable length: 120 cm
- Weight: 13g (without the cable)
- Price: $1,999 USD
The part on Sound continues on the third page, click here or use the jumps below.
Page 1: About the brand
Page 3: Sound Performances
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Oh men, they’re luxurious!!