How does it compare to the Audioquest Nighthawk?
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Which one?
Nighthawk Carbon
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I meant compared to what? Sivga Phoenix, Dekoni Blue, or Phonon cans?
Sivga phoniex
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I havenāt had a chance to listen to the Nighthawk (even though Iād like to!). I tried reaching out to audioquest, but didnāt get any repliesā¦ and the salaries here are too low for me to be able to afford it with my own money
Maybe you can pop a question in the Nighthawk thread?
Okay, Iāve had a few days with these cans so Iām ready to talk about them.
They are built very nicely. Sivga seems to have a reputation regarding build quality and wood. The metal rings and a metal headband with a neat comfort strap are a nice touch. The included cable is pretty good. They remind me of the Cooler Master MH751 cable, except thinner. They are VERY easy to drive, so feel free to use a phone or something if you really want.
My day 1 impressions were interesting. The pads are rather small/shallow for a headphone, and the tips of my ears do touch the inside of the headphone. However I immediately noticed the clamp was too much. My day 1 sound impression was that they were crazy intense. The sub-bass was a bit overwhelming on certain tracks and it felt like mini-subwoofers were added to tracks (namely Hans Zimmer movie tracks). I have a few sibilant songs and they lightly treaded sibilant. I had to take breaks from listening to the headphone the first day. I normally donāt think dynamic driver headphones need burn-in, but the Phoenix may have changed my mind. Or itās a heavy dose of placebo and brain burn-in, not sure. Anyway, after a day of pink noise + stretching the headband they were WAY better overall in both sound and comfort. Now I donāt feel the need to pad swap, which does seem difficult as it seems the pads are glued. If you guys want to pad swap keep an eye out for Sivga to release new pads in the future for these cans.
I now consider the Phoenix as surprisingly balanced across frequencies. Yes, they are bass/subbass oriented (very detailed down there), but these are definitely not basshead cans. The highs have just the right amount of sparkle, the mids are just right and clear, and the bass is elevated, yet smooth. They are quite intimate and I canāt bring myself to call these warm or laid-back. The imaging is decent (could be better) while the soundstage isā¦ kind of narrow for an open back, but definitely wider than my Sennheiser HD650. Though I will admit these certainly do feel like a closed back sometimes. The detail is on par with my HD650 to my ears and I appreciate that.
Overall these are a keeper for me. I love me some smooth bass in a lot of my songs. If you guys get them and donāt like them on the first day, please ātameā your Phoenix for a day or two by stretching them out and burning them in. I also think these are nice for movies and the like if you can get them comfortable.
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Are you going to use the Sandy Aiva 4.4 cable with these headphones? At 90 dollars I am wondering if it is worth it to purchase it separately.
Nah Iām a Hart Audio cables kind of guy. And a balanced cable at $90 for a $255 easy-to-drive headphone doesnāt make financial sense to me. ***
***Edit: unless you plan on using that cable for other headphones as well.
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Good to know thanks.
No problem. Welcome to the forum. 
I added the review to the first post. So its just SS, Patreon and you guys. Enjoy the review in the new house.
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Thanks for the review Zeos, purchased with your link. Should be here tomorrow. I will have to decide between the more recent purchase of the Philips X3 and these.
I just got a pair in today, and Iām loving the sound, and will let people with more analytical ears than mine comment on that. However, I want to reiterate some points on comfort - first, the pads. Too thin. I temporarily resolved this by taking the pads off (not as hard as some here have said, grip the thick bit, press down into the housing a bit, and twist) and putting them back on with the thick part at the top, so the tips of my ears have space inside the hole to not press up against the driver cover. This partially alleviates the hole being too small, lengthwise, as well. the thinner part of the pad now rests on top of my earlobe, but because of the shape of the pads is fairly comfortable that way.
Further, the strap. to start with, it is just barely long enough for me, and any larger a head or lower an ear and youād be up shit creek without a paddle. Similar to zeos, I broke the clamp, but took it to the extreme that it now rests naturally with about 5-6 inches of space between the two cups.
All this together resulted in a super weird seal, but it still seals and is now comfortable. And I am now thoroughly enjoying them and their sound!
EDIT: I just took them off and went back to my Aeon C Flows - my standard for comfort (because if a relatively boutique shop like MrSpeakers (at the time) could get comfort so right, thereās no excuse for anyone else) And my ears gave a sigh of relief, almost. It felt like they did. The Phoenix can be made more comfortable, but I know what Iāll be taking back to the office after covid, and itās not because the Aeons are closed back.
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So far these headphones have been really enjoyable!
The headphone is a bit on the smaller size. I can see why folks will complain about the fit if you have a large head and large ears. This isnāt an issue for me have a smaller head and ears. So thankful for that. Bending the headphone as Zeos mentions does help too here. Turns them into a really comfortable headphone that I can just wear all day.
This is headphone is making me look at my gear and other headphones and now goā¦ why Sivga?! I mean they sound good on just about anything. So low gain is a must here. These do have that chocolaty goodnessā¦ thatās an audiophile term right? lol.
I will agree with a lot of reviews that have already been said about this headphone, so not going to go into much more detail here. Just will say if you are looking for something like the Tygr 300 but a bit better and are willing to pay an extra $55 bucks on Amazon, these are worth a shot! Plus these are in stock too, which the Tygrs tend to go out of stock often.
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Anyone had a chance to compare this to the Hifiman Sundara?
Hey guys, anyone mind measuring the size of the pads? Was thinking of trying these out but the size of my ears is a consistent concern for me. I know beyer pads are right around 100mm which fit alright. If you guys dont mind measuring them and letting me know I would appreciate it.
Sure. I can also snap a shot with a ruler for ya.
okay yeah I can definitely see the complaints on that. I will do some measurements myself later and see whats the absolute limit on pad size for me personallyā¦ If it works I will put an order on these as I am curious.
These pad swap capable at all?