Sound Quality
The previous Sendy/Sivga offerings haven’t been impressive to me when I tested them out. Sure, they had good qualities, but the overall performance, especially in terms of balance, had room for improvement.
The Sivga SV023 is a well-balanced and open-sounding headphone with good resolution, good dynamics and good imaging. It has a spacious and clean signature with a good sense of space and breath. To me, it’s a very successful headphone overall and it proves that Sivga can make good-sounding headphones.
Bass
The bass response of the SV023 has a good punch and kick, but it’s not a big rumbling bass. However, it has good enough quickness and dynamism, as well as recovery. However, it’s not a bold, bass monster headphone in any way. The bass response is on the flatter side without a huge impact, but the impact is there for most genres.
So the bass presentation sticks to the recording and if there’s bass, you’ll have it without any deficiencies, and you’ll have enough impact. The bass doesn’t dominate the sound at all. On the other hand, the texture of the bass could’ve been better, as the bass sometimes feels a bit “empty” and full of impact. On Pop and RnB songs, for example, you wish for a bit more impact and fullness.
So overall, the bass performance is good, and well separated from the mids. That provides a good sense of space, realism and imaging. But in terms of enjoyment, bass lovers may want a bit more from the SV023. I’m pretty much OK with it though since I’m mostly a Jazz listener.
Midrange
The mids are very precise and clean sounding. They are very natural, fluid and smooth. There’s a good definition here, especially with vocals, and the positioning is quite nice. There’s also a good timbre but I think the instruments and vocals are a bit shouty at times. But it overall is realistic and lively. The tonal accuracy, although just a bit off, is good and the vocals are especially good and breathy.
So the bass response plays an important role for the SV023. Since it hits clean and physically away from the midrange, the vocals and instruments have a great room to shine, without any overshadowing from bass hits. Apart from that, there’s good resolution and transparency in the midrange, which is the headphone’s strongest ability in this region.
Treble
The treble presentation is something I would call relaxed but well-defined. It reproduces the treble in a crispy way, but there’s no harshness whatsoever. Highs have a very good definition and they sound articulated. If you like your treble crisp, but effortless, the SV023 would give you that. The treble has a very good resolution as well.
Highs are also nicely extended. The timbre is excellent in this region, and the openness and clarity of the treble are excellent. While that’s fine since not every headphone manages to do that perfectly, the SV023 reproduces the treble in a metallic way. The timbre in the mid-range is excellent as I’ve mentioned, but it’s not that successful in the treble. The fun signature may suit many people nicely depending on the genres they prefer to listen to.
When I look at this from a purist audiophile perspective though, there needs to be more extension and the treble should be more relaxed and refined. The “metallic” tone of the treble makes some songs exciting at times but doesn’t work well with others.
Page 1: Info, Package, Design, Build, Comfort
Page 3: Technical Performance, Comparisons, Conclusion
