šŸ”¶ Sivga Phoenix

Headphones [Official] Open Back
258

Thanks for the quick and dirty write up of your initial impressions.

The more I listen the more I am hearing something strange too in the uppers. Not sure it is just brain effect as a result of reading reviews or whatā€¦ I have even gone so far as trying different combinations of dac and amps - but it seems to follow the headphone vs. source. Also, after comparing against the Elegia, it definitely seems as though the Phoenix mids are recessed a bit. However, all in all the Phoenix is still fun and enjoyable to me for music listening sessions - especially when just bouncing though Spotify, Amazon and Youtube for discovery.

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259

Most round pads should be able to have their lip wrapped around the cup and tucked under the hinges. This worked for BW round pads and Dekoni Beyerdynamic pads.

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260

I think there is some truth in what you say in terms of brain effect and reading other peopleā€™s views and comments.

Itā€™s kind of ironic because some of the early reviews i read suggested the treble and upper mids were too much but I didnā€™t find this to be the case.

Pads do need a breaking-in period so I will certainly persevere and see if my initial assessment changes in any way.

I am all for an aftermarket template, I would be interested to see how my BW microsuede, velour and hybrids would fare.

Whatever I decide these are still a wonderful headphone and I would wholeheartedly recommend them regardless of what pads are used.

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261

Yeah the pads breaking in may change things. I can already tell here when I press the cups a bit closer to my ears.

Also my buddy who also has these headphones removed the stock pads from the adapter plate (this is likely irreversible, you have to separate the glue). He was able to put Dekoni pads meant for the DT880 on there:

pads
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And speaking of, this headphone reminds me a lot of the DT880. Not in frequency response obviously but in other waysā€¦

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262

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If I were a rich man, I wouldā€™ve had these 3D printedā€¦

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263

So after many hours of critical listening of comparing the new pads versus stock pads I feel I can make a measured and honest assessment.

The new pads are more comfortable from a size perspective although I personally prefer the feel and material of the stock pads, expecially after wearing the headphones for long listening periods.

In terms of sound, the new pads definitely increases the presence of bass to the point it is more forward. Also, vocals are more forward whereas they are slightly recessed with the stock and overall the sound is warmer and more bassy.

I found the upper mids and highs to be better with the stock pads whereas they sound rolled off and erratic with the new pads, it just doesnā€™t sound right to me to the point that it aggravates me!

The musicality and timbre is what appeals to me most about these headphones. Unfortunately, this is the main area i find where the new pads actually degrade the sound.

This situation reminds me of the comfort issues with the Meze 99 Classics when they were first launched where users complained about the size of the pads, the manufacturer responded by issuing new, larger pads which degraded the sound signature by making them more boomy.

I donā€™t understand why Sivga didnā€™t bring out a larger set of earpads using the same materials they used for the stock pads because by using a different pad material will impact the sound signature.

So my advice is that if you like the sound signature of the Phoenix and can cope with the fitment of the stock pads then DONā€™T buy the new pads. However, if you prefer more bass and require greater comfort then go for the new pads.

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264

Yeah Iā€™m hoping that one of the BW round pads will be The One but seriously that headband is atrocious! Looks like I have some work ahead of meā€¦

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265

Well I bought the pads already but not for fit/comfort reasons, only to experiment with sound signature. I will hopefully get some time this weekend to switch them out and see what they do for me. If I donā€™t care for it I can pop the others back on no worries. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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266

I also asked myself this question, but considering they spent so much time on the new pads, I think they tried that and it didnā€™t work out. Iā€™ll actually shoot Sivga a message and ask why the new pads dont use the same materials as the stock ones.

The size of the pads impacts the sound signature, and there is simply no way that they spent month of work on new pads without using the same materials as the stock ones. Maybe the current material had a more fit sound signature, who knowsā€¦ but overall, it is a bit disappointing because this is a great headphone, the comfort aspect is among the bigger issues

267

So Iā€™ve been waiting on some BW round pads to come in and Iā€™ve finally been able to test 3 of em: Pleather, Hybrid, Velour. The rest (Sheepskin, Perforated) are still being shipped. In case anyoneā€™s interested in pad swapping, here are my results.

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Important Notes

The original Phoenix pads could not be used for testing purposes because one monstrous headphone junkie decided to rip the pads off their clips. The clips were locked back in place after this occurred and remained so during the test. Before all this occurred, I did compare the og (original garbage) pads against the BW hybrids and my first impression was that the BW pads pushed back the sound. I did not notice any large differences in soundstage between the rest of the BW lineup so assume that they produce the same effect.

I went off of memory from what I remember the og pads sounded like, but for the most part, the BW pleather pads were used as the reference point for the test.

Songs used for testing

Act Like You Know - Fat Larryā€™s Band
Why So Serious? - The Dark Knight OST
X Gonā€™ Give It to Ya - DMX
Toxic - Britney Spears
Do it Again - Steely Dan
Dust in the Wind - Kansas

Gear Used

Sivga Phoenix - obviously
iPad (7th Gen) - cuz the Phoenix doesnā€™t need a dedicated dac/amp
My Ass - cuz who else is gonna do it

The Pads

Brainwavz Round Pleather (reference pad):
Bass - These pads have impact and rumble, possibly even better than the stock pads. Definitely brings meat to the table.

Mids - Veiled, but in a good way. The bass does overshadow it a bit but I like how it makes vocals sound full. Transition to midtreble is excellent. You know when someone hits their high note cuz it makes you squeal!

Treble - Lively. Not sparkly or rivaling the Sundaras but just enough to enjoy the music. I guess some would call it ā€œnatural?ā€

Further Thoughts - Spoiler alert! These are the ones! Going off memory, these sound closest to stock, possibly even better than stock. They definitely are more comfortable so no tears for the lost padsā€¦

Brainwavz Round Hybrid:
Bass - Less but not anemic. Goodbye meat cansā€¦

Mids - Forward and airy, but not in a good way. Still somewhat veiled but airy at same time? Maybe less detail? The midtreble magic is no longer there. Hearing the lead singer of Kansas hit his high note doesnā€™t do anything for meā€¦

Treble - meh. Donā€™t even want to bother.

Further Thoughts - Just get the pleathers.

Brainwavz Round Velour:
Bass - Aaaaaandā€¦ Itā€™s gone!

Mids - ugh

Treble - I was so unimpressed, I canā€™t even remember what these sounded likeā€¦

Further Thoughts - Seriously, just get the pleathers. This shit is itchy anywaysā€¦

Final Thoughts

I still have yet to test the leather and perforated round pads but the pleathers are looking to be the winners. Those two pads would seriously need to do some magic if they wanna compete. Please give a moment of silence to Sivgaā€™s crap padsā€¦

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268

just ordered this headphones today for 230 dollar. where I can buy another pads? Not sure he will ship to my country ā€¦

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269

Amazon? Maybe Aliexpress?
Contact Sivga, you can send them an email to see if they can ship to you

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270

I donā€™t want their new padsā€‹:joy::joy::joy:

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271

Besides their own pads, you are out of luck - unless you want to mod the stock ones

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272

Definitely recommend the Brainwavz round pleather pads

273

Thereā€™s a giveaway on Sivga Phoenix:

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274

Hi guys, how are the testing with the new pads from sivga? Is it worth it or the stock pads are better?

275

more bass. less soundstage. not a big difference

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276

I just changed mine out today after watchin this video. Iā€™ll be honest I could not get them off beforeā€¦ After seeing the different method vs. the Sivga instructional video, and also not really worrying so much if I were to break them, lol - it worked! They went on much easier than off.

SQ - Iā€™ve upgraded my signal sources since I originally got the Phoenix, and also added other HPs to the collection and I really havenā€™t been using the Phoenix much lately, it will be like starting over. Iā€™ll need to leave these new pads on for a couple weeks and then switch them out for the originals before being able to offer an opinion.

I can say this upfront - I much prefer the feel of the originals cloth vs. the new pleather where they make contact with my head/ears.

277

I tried really hard to like the new pads but I felt they had a negative impact on the sound so I switched back to the stock pads.

The new pads just didnā€™t do these headphones justice. And they were only marginally more comfortable. Now the headphones and stock pads have been broken in they are a lot more comfortable and I donā€™t really think about it.

Now, having a pair of new ear pads that are not in use I decided to do a little experiment. I basically dismantled the ear pads in order to extract the ring adapter that connects the ear pad to the headphone.

I then have been experimenting by A B testing my collection of Brainwavz ear pads: PU (flat and angled), sheepskin (angled), velour (flat) and hybrid (flat and angled). This is done by making holes in the appropriate places on the pads and then attach the ring adapter to the pad before attaching to the headphone.

The current leaders in this trial are the hybrids, they are the nearest in terms of sound to the stock pads. Some of the energy (e.g. ā€˜punchā€™ and ā€˜slamā€™ ) has dissipated but this is compensated by the fact they provide a much more soundstage and depth, the treble is nicely articulated, mids are gorgeous, the only area that is slightly lacking is in the sub bass, its a lot more warm, polite and natural which is not an issue for me because I am not really a bass head!

With the hybrid angled pads they open up the sound even more and dare I say the sound reminds me a lot of the LCD 2C although I would say the Phoenix sounds less refined and laid back than the LCD 2Cs (I found the LCD 2Cs to be too polite for my tastes but then again I was driving them using a dap and not a high end amp which is what I think they really need).

I donā€™t see the hybrid angled pads as a replacement for the stock pads, just a better alternative compared with the new pad offering from Sivga. In the meantime I will keep the hybrids on for some longer listening sessions and do some further analysis. But so far I really like what I am hearing!

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