They are making a video on how to change the pads. But wtf does this mean??
I know that they are developing the new earpads, but it is not at a fast pace - so why is this video being mentioned all of a sudden. Before the reply about the video, I was told that I would be told the release date of the new padsā¦ but instead the next reply was about the video.
I didnāt say that they will sell the current pads separatelyā¦ I am just confused as to what this video could be. Will it just show us how to twist the current earpads and take them off? Because if thatās it, we already know that. And whatās the point when there is a plastic insert that has the pads glued to it?
Ah thank goodness. Guess weāll have to wait and see. What makes the most logical sense to me is the new pads will probably come glued onto new adapter plates and the video will just show everyone how to remove the existing adapter plates to swap those out. Like you said, we (in this thread) already know how to do that, but not everyone will so it will probably be posted on their amazon page or something.
We just need the damn pads. Btw just got the P-II yesterday, and those pads do not have the same issue as the Phoenix. I still didnāt have the time to listen to them because I am working on some other (also exciting) stuff.
But the P-II as a package is very nice. The cable and adapter are
I agree that the elevated bass can be troublesome at times. Iāve mostly been using these for watching shows/anime and sometimes it sounds real great, it can add real heft to male voices, and sometimes vocals can come off as recessed with an overall bloat to the sound. For this reason, and because of the shit pads, I pad swapped to some BW hybrid round pads while I wait for more round pads to arrive and for me to test.
Hey all! I wanted to chime back in and comment on my ongoing experience with the Phoenix. I should start by mentioning my pad swap. I took the stock pads off, sent them to kcrack, and USPS promptly lost them and sent him an empty box. great. What I did do though, was buy some Dekoni Aeon replacement pads, which have an adhesive backing, so I stuck them to the Phoenix. I got the normal sheepskin. Jesus, the comfort is amazing now! I did have to find a backing material for the bit of pad that overhangs the phoenixās housing, and Iāll admit I just cut out some cardstock to fit. But they sound great still, and I can now wear them for long periods of time!
Im sure i will love it. I have already set my mind to buy the phoenix. Just waiting for the pad change. In the mean while im just taking everyones opinion xd
the hype for this legit makes me unsure about getting a grado or a sundara
because i like things kinda v shaped with a focus on treble and it seems like the sivga could work perfectly due to its amazing bass while still having a light and sparkly treble
So my first impression after 2-3 hours of listening: Pretty unbalanced. I like v-shaped and warm headphones and donāt need a super neutral or flat headphone, but the sivga is like a rollercoaster. The bass is pretty strong and tight. Definitly tighter than on the x2. The nighthawk has better bass texture and impact.
Mids: I also hear the bass bleed into lower mids. The bigger problem are the upper mids. They are too strong. Female vocals are very present and in your face. I find this very fatigueing. This is even more noticeable when you consider the bass bleed in the lower mids. In this regard the phoenix is the opposite of the nighthawk carbon. I miss some vocal presence on the nighthawk (Josh Valour mentioned this in his nighthawk video too). This is the only con with the nighthawks for me. The phoenix has a too pronounced vocal presence. This is more noticible when you take the roll off in treble and the bass bleed in lower mids into consideration.
Treble is rolled off. I miss some details and sparkle there.
Another reviewer said that due to the rolled off treble, he can listen to this cans for hours, but i donāt think that i share this opinion. Due to the peak in the upper mids these are very fatigueing.
Soundstage is very small for open back headphones. It is almost like listening to a closed set.
Build quality and look are pretty good. I also like the compact form factor. Pads arenāt very good. I will do some pad rolling.
All in all, i wonāt keep these headphones. For gaming i would go with the tygr or x2/nighthawk carbon.
The nighthawk carbon with microsuede pads has some kind of similar tuning, but beats every single sound category.
The X2 has a more muddy texture quality espacially in bass. But the x2 has a much bigger soundstage and a ārounderā sounding. I would prefer the x2 over the phoenix for music and gaming espacially considering the price. Also the tygr is a more natural and relaxed alternative, which i can enjoy for long time periods. Also the tygrs are awesome for gaming due to lazer imaging and big ss. So all in all i miss an outstanding tonal feature, which would make the phoenix special. Also i wouldnāt spend more than 200 euro for the phoenix.
I will burn them in in the next days and will try the brainwavez hybrid and the audioquest nighthawk pads, but i donāt think that this will solve all of the tonal problems.
Hm, depends what volume you are listening at. If you listen at louder volumes, I believe the upper end becomes more pronounced and then it could be fatiguing.
But our experience differs as a whole - but I still respect and am glad you shared your own personal experience!
Iāve been testing the Sivga Phoenix against the Senn 58x for the past week and Iām struggling so much right now (mostly because I want to keep one and not both of them). By the way, they are both wonderful and Iād like to explain my personal experience with them.
This is a comparison between the two from a subjective viewpoint (not technical). Zeosās review about the Phoenix saying itās like a Flak Jacket is absolutely accurate. The lows and mids smack you in the face and they stay there. This is good and bad. The bass rumbles and you can feel the presence just listening to Why so Serious. I agree with @keppes above on how the upper mids are shouty and fatiguing.
When comparing against the 58x, itās immediate that Sennheiser doesnāt push all the ranges straight in your face like the Phoenix does. Instead, they almost tickle you in a beautiful way. 58xās make everyone an absolute joy to listen to whereas the Phoenix will remind you what you donāt like about certain tracks. But on the downside, 58x bass rolls off too quickly whereas Phoenix bass resonates beautifully and lingers with you without bleeding into the lower mids too much. I think the wonderful bass on the Phoenix is the only thing keeping this comparison in such a close contest.
As far as comfort goes, I have a smaller head so the Phoenix isnāt terrible, but not super comfortable either. My ears hit the Driver and I have to adjust pretty consistently. Iāve also had to bend the strap so the clamp wasnāt as bad. The 58x slips on like a glove for me. Whenever I take the Phoenix off and put the 58x on, I just immediately relax a little bit. Itās that comfy to me.
Itās honestly hard to say which one I personally enjoy more. I might just end up keeping both because they are very different sounding headphones. Iāve never tried the x2hr or the nighthawks and Iād be curious to see if they were just overall more worth it than the Phoenix.
Thick glasses user here. One of the most uncomfortable headphones Iāve ever put on my head. Extended all the way they fit but the pads completely collapsed and pinched the driver against my ears, my head and glasses. I know they said they are working on new pads but crystal ball time here they will change the sound. Unless they retune the driver there is no way around this.
Build is amazing for this price point beyond impressed. The wood and metal look even better in person. Case is super nice.
For sound the only thing Iāll say is the bass rumble is quite impressive for an open back at this price point. Beyond that I didnāt listen more than a few minutes because I had to tear them off my head due to comfort.
Thank god for the return policy as for me these are another over hyped train wreck. Would still take them over the Vokyls though.
You know what I find interesting? The fact that he doesnāt believe in headphone burn-in (neither do I), but clearly believes in his measurementsā¦ He is basically reading the measurements (just like many have already brought this up before), which is the same ābiasā you get from brain burn-in. Instead of trusting his ears and saying what he hears, he is trusting graphs.
It gets worseā¦ for 250 bucks itās ādecentā build quality? Sturdy metal and wood (doensāt matter what type it is) isnāt enough? He mentions Sundaraās, which are higher priced than the Phoenix, but I doubt they are as sturdy as the Phoneixās. Tbh Hifiman has always been horrifying with the build quality, yet everybody always overlooks it - but when someone makes a good quality budget headphone, itās ādecentā.
I donāt have the intention to protect Sivga or the Phoenix, his opinion is his opinion, but just doesnāt seem like he has an opinion - it seems like he is reading these charts and forming an opinion based on them. And tbh, you def need to own the HD6XX before these, but these are headphone that are a nice pair to own when you are looking for that low-end. He mentioned sub-bass roll off, but these rumble, so idk.
DMS will stay DMS Will never be able to consider him a serious reviewer.
P.S. who tf thought it would be a good idea to have someone in the background playing the keyboard, his microphone picks it up hahahahahahha
I think youāre being a little harsh on DMSās review here. I personally appreciate his opinion, and I do think he does listen to the headphones he reviews. I can see his criticisms of his headphones, and do heavily agree with the ābrain burn inā effect he discusses in his review.
In my opinion about the build quality, it is between ādecentā and āgoodā for me. If I were to complain about the aspects of the build, excluding fit issues (I donāt think thereās any disagreement that it might not fit people properly,) I would bring up some of the metal parts. The chrome ring between the wood and grill protrudes slightly. I personally think the chrome ring looks cheap, and doesnāt match anything else on the headphone. The metal Y split on the cable is very sharp, and sometimes when Iām moving around the house, or get up from my desk, the sharp Y split catches on the table or something and pulls tightly on the headphone cables. This has never been a problem with Y connectors on any of my other headphone cables, even metal ones. Also, there is a oval shaped fragment of clear plastic stuck in my left earcup, under the grill. The piece of plastic is slightly larger than the size of the grill, so it must have been there from the factory. I made sure that fragment of plastic wouldnāt rattle around by moving it to the edge of the cup, and pulling it out with tweezers. More nitpicking, I would describe the wood finish as āreminiscent of middle school desks,ā but I donāt have any other wood headphones with visible grain besides the Fostex line. There is some zig-zaggy, dotted pattern on the wood that I assume comes from the machining process that isnāt super aesthetically pleasing. Iāve seen this pattern before on other cheaply machined wooden things like pens or boxes. Finally, I donāt know if this relates to build quality, but the driver is very crunchy, it kinda scares me still.
I really like it when DMS says its like a Nighthawk thats more open and less dark. I find the music I enjoy on the Phoenix tends to be the same that I enjoy on my Nighthawks. I kinda see these as the next step forward for me. Both of these headphones are hugely characterized by their ābrain burn inā effect for me, and I can enjoy both of them for long periods of time. Transitioning between these headphones and others can be an interesting experience sometimes. I donāt like the Phoenix with some songs, most recently I found I didnāt like Spirits of the Sea by Yonezu Kenshi on the Phoenix, but I didnāt find it particularly offensive or painful. Funnily enough, I didnāt notice before, but a lot of music I really enjoy on the Phoenix is badly recorded/mastered, but for my library I think it might be coincidental and I do have great tracks that I can enjoy fully on the Phoenix.
I still really appreciate his review, and do enjoy the headphones. I received the 560S recently based on the huge DMS recommendation, and between these two headphones, IMO you could get an amazing open back audio experience across the spectrum of songs in an average music library. Its a good time to be alive (at least headphone wise.)
Will never be able to consider him a serious reviewer.