Comfort, Beauty and Sound

If you are looking for headphones with nice high quality wooden finishes, you usually have to spend more than a $1000 on a ZMF, Meze or a possible JM Audio headphone, but Sivga specialise in producing gorgeous looking headphones with nice wooden and metal finishes and the Luan may well be their best headphone.

The Sivga Luan comes in 2 finishes a brown and a black finish. I felt the Brown one looked a little more “classier”, though I see most other reviews feature the darker finish.

When the Luan arrived it reminded me of the finish you might get in luxury sports car with a lovely mixture of leather, wood and metal. The marketing picture above honestly does not do it justice, but hopefully you will get the sense for how nice this headphone from various photos in this review.

Priced at $359, in this price range the Luan stands out for its combination of exceptional build quality, stunning design and excellent comfort. But how does it sound and ultimately is it the right headphone for you?

Read on to find out.

Let start with what you get in the box.

Unboxing

The Luan comes in a nice respectable looking box:

But once you open this box you start the get an idea of the quality package offered with the leather carrying case:

Though the curves on the case did draw a few chuckles from my kids.

Once you open the case you finally see the headphone itself:

The little cloth bag for the accessories is another nice quality touch I thought:

The Headphone

One of the immediate highlights of the Sivga Luan is its beautiful wooden ear cups, which not only provide a touch of elegance but are also meticulously crafted. The 50mm dynamic drivers are housed in open-back wooden cups, which contribute to a wide and immersive soundstage.

The build features a blend of wood, metal, leather, and plastic, all of which come together to create a luxurious yet durable design.

The headband extension mechanism works well with some flexibility and extension:

Accessories

And the cable provided is also excellent quality:

Sivga’s attention to detail is reflected in the Luan’s presentation. It comes packaged in a large, sturdy box with minimalist branding. Inside, you’ll find a hard leather case that’s shaped to securely store the headphones. The included cable, featuring a 3.5mm jack with a 6.3mm adapter, is durable and practical, though not extraordinary.

Design and Comfort

The hybrid memory foam ear pads are incredibly soft, offering long-term comfort that’s rare even in higher-end models.

They’re breathable, thanks to perforations that allow for hours of fatigue-free listening. Weighing just 354 grams, the Luan is one of the lighter full-size headphones in its class, and the clamping pressure strikes a great balance between a secure fit and comfort.

Sound Quality:

When it comes to sound, the Sivga Luan doesn’t disappoint, particularly for those who favor a dynamic sound profile with good soundstage. I personally would EQ the sound and I will present some simple PEQ filters later in this review but for the purposes of this section, this is my opinion without using EQ.

Bass

The bass is accurate and tight, though it lacks the rumbling depth that bass heads might crave. The sub-bass has a slight roll-off, but the mid-bass is warm and punchy, making it ideal for genres like jazz and classical music. For electronic and hip-hop tracks, where more sub-bass presence is desirable, an EQ adjustment might be necessary.

Midrange

The mids are where the Luan truly shines. Vocals are clean, warm, and transparent, offering a natural tone with great detail. Instruments such as guitars and pianos come across with excellent clarity, and there’s enough warmth to make the listening experience engaging without overwhelming the sound signature.

Treble

Treble is crisp and well-extended, with a noticeable boost around the 15 kHz region, which provides a sense of airiness and space. Highs are detailed and transparent, allowing you to pick up on subtle nuances in your music. However, the treble can sometimes be a bit bright, especially with poorly mastered tracks.

Soundstage and Imaging

Thanks to its open-back design, the Sivga Luan offers a wide soundstage with good depth, giving a sense of openness that enhances the listening experience. The imaging is precise, making it easy to distinguish the position of instruments within the sound field. This makes the Luan a great choice for critical listening and even for audio work where you need to pinpoint details.

Specification and Measurements

The key specification here is that impedance (which is fairly normal) and the sensitivity which shows how easy this Luan is to driver. With 100 dB/mW you can easily use an Apple dongle with the Luan.

But how does it measure:

Frequency Response

So the Frequency response diverges from the Harman OE2018 target in a few places and I have suggested some EQ later in this review. Sivga have gone for a warm sound with a midrange forward tuning. It also has that “soundstage effect” with recessed 1-2Khz and mostly good extended treble.

Because the earpads are perfectly circular I thought they would measure similar with slightly different seating’s on the measurement ear and they were: So this mostly means you have some flexibility to how you were the Luan.

Finally, because those earpads were very deep, and I was wearing them with glasses I thought I would see the effect with thin rimmed glasses: Effectively this means you will hardly notice a difference with or without glasses.

Note: All these measurements were taken with my KB501X soft ear pinna with a 711 ‘Clone’ coupler.

Distortion

So for this I took a few measurements so at a reasonable listening level of 84dB SPL there is very little distortion:

But if I go a bit crazy and play the test sounds at 104dB we do get a little bit more distortion especially in the bass region:

Group Delay

The group delay shows nothing strange:

EQ

OK here is a simple 3 filter PEQ to ’normalise’ the Luan:

• Preamp: -0.8 dB
• Filter 1: ON PK Fc 170 Hz Gain -3.8 dB Q 0.500
• Filter 2: ON PK Fc 1100 Hz Gain 2.2 dB Q 1.100
• Filter 3: ON PK Fc 2800 Hz Gain -6.7 dB Q 1.100

Showing this EQ against the Frequency response:

Obviously you could add more filters for the sub-bass and the upper treble, but I would start with something like this and then try a sub-bass filter and then tune the treble to your tastes and HRTF (as that region is almost always different for every person head).

Rating

I think with the build quality, comfort and looks this deserves a 5-star rating, but I think only if you are willing to do some minor EQ adjustments. Without those adjustments the sound might be a bit bright and possible even sibilant for some users, and the bass might be a bit warm for others users. But those can also be qualities that some people seek for their sound preference. And as the old saying goes, you can’t EQ comfort and looks and the Luan will be perfect in those departments for almost everyone.

Conclusion

The Sivga Luan is an outstanding entry-level audiophile headphone, offering a detailed and immersive listening experience for a very competitive price. While it may not satisfy those looking for earth-shaking bass, its balanced tuning and incredible comfort make it a fantastic all-rounder, especially for those who prefer an analytical and neutral sound signature. With its premium build quality and luxurious comfort, the Sivga Luan is a perfect gateway into the world of audiophile headphones and would make a perfect present for anyone interested in extending their headphone collection.