I just had high hopes for the SV 21 because i own and fairly enjoy both the OG 006 (after a pad change and a slight tuning mod) and the 007 both are nice are part of my âjunk foodâ headphones.
im just wondering since i have the Zeus, do i also need the phoenix since they are both fairly open
Probably a bit redundant. Especially since it seems the Zeus is also on the warmer side like the Phoenix.
ya i figured as much which is why i though the SV 21 might offer something different
Well, it is different, not in a good way though. 
2 Likes
Subtle, very nice try
Hello friends, please find review from Twister 6 for the headphone SV021.
I received these yesterday, and I am quite disappointed 
They look amazing, but there are so many issues that I canât even count them all.
For me, the biggest flaw is that there is no horizontal rotation. I have a pretty skinny face, and these just do not sit well. As most of you know, towards the back of our head (behind the ears) there is âtaperingâ. There is a lot of bass quantity lost because of this. There is so much space at the ear-pads in the back that I can put my finger in it (not through, but itâs definitely quite bad).
Second flaw, ear-pads. These are way, way, way too soft. They have no form. It wouldâve been much better if it was a hybrid mix of soft & firmer memory foam.
Sound-wise, I donât think Iâm impressed. I can hear sibilance and nasal quality in the sound performance. I have yet to give them more time, but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt by driving them with a iBasso DX300âŠ
My review will be called something along the lines of â50/50â. They got 50% right, 50% wrong. But thinking more about it, there is more wrong than good, so yeah⊠Idk.
The positive thing is that the build quality is a major improvement over their other budget headphones. The metal is very high-quality, but I canât say the same for the pleather. Itâs very thin and it only makes me think about when itâs going to give up on itself and start falling apart. Long-term use, I cannot see this thin pleather material surviving.
I was so hyped about these, and then all of this disappointment hits me. Iâll do my part with the review and will directly contact SIVGA to give them feedback.
4 Likes
âThe SV021 is a highly comfortable and premium looking closed back headphone from SIVGA that has a pretty energetic, transparent and lively presentation with great sense of airiness and headroom for a headphone with a closed back design, which shows its true potential if you pair it with more powerful sources.â This is from the review made by Moonstar Reviews.
Hi Voja, thanks for your comments. Please let me have an explanation as below:
- If with rotation function, the price is not USD 149. We do have another version with rotation function, but its price is much higher, we donât plan to launch it.
- Earpads. In fact the soft earpad is one of the major feature for this headphone, as we use ultra soft leather for the earpad, so it can be very comfortable.
- Sound quality. Since sound is very subjective, I donât give much comments here. You can try to give about 48 hours of burn-in for it. Also, please try to use more powerful amp with SV021 to get better sound performance.
Thanks.
1 Like
how does the sivga compare to a emu teak?
Many headphones also donât have vertical rotation. Why it become the biggest flaw for SV021?
Vertical rotation should be a plus, not a standard for each headphone.
Because our fare is not designed for headphones to lie flat on it. There is a âgapâ behind your ears, so what happens is that you have this space between the ear-pads and the area behind your ears. The bass is significantly lost, isolation is lost, and comfort is worse.
I donât know if itâs only a problem for me due to my skinny face, but it is definitely something worth noting.
Horizontal rotation is a must (imo). If you have a chubby face and have more fat, itâs not a problem. For me, thatâs not the case.
I appreciate your reply!
I will go ahead and give it 48 hours of burn-in.
I personally think that the one with the rotation shouldâve been launched for $179 (the price that is currently listed on your Aliexpress store).
Even at $149, your past budget models did have the rotation function.
Iâm just going to let it burn-in and in the meantime relax my thoughts. Once the burn-in process is done, I will give it a second chance.
Hi guys, this is the review from Porta.Fi. âThis affordable model offers a really stylish design, premium materials, and a pleasant, musical soundâ This is mentioned in his review. He also made a review in Russia language.
1 Like
voja Are you still disappointed with the sv 021 after a few days? compared to the phoenix, big differences?
1 Like
I am still letting it burn in. Itâs been through that process for >50 hours now. I am planning on giving it a second chance tomorrow.
With this being said, tomorrow I will be inspecting its sound performance. What still has me greatly disappointed are the fixed ear-cups. Even 10Ë of rotation wouldâve been significant in getting a perfect fit. Human head is not a box, you cannot have something facing your ears 90Ë flat. If they were already going for a fixed ear-cup design, they at least shouldâve had angled pads that are thicker towards the back of your head.
I still love the brand, it just seem very unusual and weird for such an experience headphone company to give this design a green light â especially when Mr. Collin stated that another rotation-ready version has already been made. I know that the full rotating model wouldâve been more expensive, but if they just gave it just 5Ë-10Ë of âwiggleâ it wouldâve gotten this problem fixed.
This is all feedback and it should be taken seriously by SIVGA! Itâs constructive criticism.
1 Like
So. Iâm still waiting on Spotifyâs data mail so I can accurately tell you how many of burn-in hours these went through. Itâs 50h min.
The burn-in period was primarily non-stop. I first started it easy with ~4 bars volume on Mac. Roughly after 24h I bumped it up to 5-6 bars, and then the next day I bumped it up to 6-7 bars.
I just went through some quick A/B tests with SV021/Phoenix and itâs not too far off of Phoenixâs signature. Think Phoenix but more aggressive and exaggerated. The burn-in period was crucial, as though the highs too sharp, valid to be called unbearable â this is coming from someone who is a treble lover and someone who loves sparkle⊠so it really was too much. The mids also sounded veiled and had the nasal quality (before the burn-in period).
The SV021 sounds very good⊠BUT⊠only once I physically tilt the ear-cups so they actually cup my ears.
With this being said, I think I will have to reach out to SIVGA and ask them if they can send me the rotating headband so I can listen to these properly. Without the rotation, I think that my rating will be affected as much as two full Head-Fi stars (something that Iâll mention in the review).
This headphone has so much potential. The driver sounds very nice, it would be a true shame if you cannot experience its full potential only because of the lack of rotation.
3 Likes
So according to you if I had to choose between the sv 021 and the phoenix which one would you keep
1 Like
glad to hear that burn in helps out - sounds fairly encouraging than the original thoughts so it gives me a bit of hope 
I wonder if they made the other version commercially available cause I havenât seen it out in the wild.
1 Like
Nope, I think I read that they donât expect to release that version (it would have a different price tag, and I think they already sold a lot of units, so from a business point of view it probably doesnât make sense to them).
@marillion Iâd take the Phoenix. Itâs the more refined model, and obviously one that can actually cup my ears (though with the stock pads itâs more of an on-ear). But as you probs know, you can get the thicked pair of pads from SIVGA for the Phoenix.
Thatâs just my opinion. Which one is better will greatly depend on what you are looking for. Are you looking for an aggressive V-Shaped closed-back? If so, SV021 should be your pick.
1 Like