SIVGA PENG: Truly Designed For Midcentrics

Peng is a legendary mythological creature in the form of a monstrous avian with shapeshifting capability, and it resides in the southern celestial sky in Chinese mythology. In some context specifically on Daoist thought, the creature itself is a symbol of a mystical tremendous and infinite power that encompasses across the sky, and also, it is said that it can transform into a colossal fish as it dwells in the northern part of the celestial sky.

SIVGA, is an audio company based from Guangdong, China, and they are known for their exquisite craftsmanship on their products from IEM earphones up to the full-size headphones, as each of them have its own distinctive tonal profile as they sound quite coloured yet it had some tuning finesse on them. Their Que (Magpie) series models are the one of exemplification on SIVGA's capabilities on producing those sturdily-built and well-tuned sets that garners strong reputation among audio enthusiasts.

This is my second review of a SIVGA's full-size headphone model and a fourth one of all their products that I have assessed so far. And what I have here is the SIVGA PENG, and its their latest midrange headphone in a closed-back design equipped with some of latest technological development of dynamic driver that SIVGA diligently constructed it that ensures an excellent performance as it delivers a precise and responsive sound quality with a little to no distortion.

The PENG features a dynamic driver with a 50mm diameter size, and it is composed of a chamber frame made of CNC-machined lightweight aluminium alloy which is quite rigid and stiff that it can block and dampen unwanted resonance. And then, it has a stabilising copper ring that supports the composite diaphragm made of ceramic with a sapphire substrate as its properties known for its excellent high thermal conductivity and tensile strength, and it is also girded with ring made of liquid crystal polymer as it also has similar properties with the composite diaphragm which is also known for its lightweight and rigidity for a precise and accurate transient response, as it delivers a full range sound with natural timbre on both vocals and instruments, along with  an excellent resolution capability.

The drivers are then mounted in a wooden earcups made of a premium African Zebrawood with varying grain texture of each panel and it underwent some process to achieve its smooth finish on its surface, and these high-density type of woods are known for its durability and acoustic dampening properties as it lessens resonance for a purer sound quality. On each side of its ear cup, it was also paired with an ergonomically-designed earpad cushion made of high quality sheepskin for better seals and comfort as it greatly lessens sound leakage and a mild clamping, pressure-free fitting on the outer ears.

The headphone's supporting bracket is made of CNC-milled aluminium alloy that makes it sturdy yet lighter and beneath of its structure is a headband made of lambskin material known for its soft and supple as it supports comfortably in the head and it also has a slider with a fine adjustment to fit according the wearer's head size and it can rotate the earcups up to 180° that makes more flexible for professional use.

This headphone also features a detachable cable that allows you to use other cables from third parties, although the quality of the stock cable itself is already excellent. The stock cable's interlocking mechanism uses 3.5mm TS plugs and it has a braided 4-core build made of high purity 6N OCC cable with a 4.4mm balanced termination on its end. The cable is quite balanced on its overall build and also flexible and supple to touch that it exudes premium and there's not even a hint of microphonics as it allows a lossless audio signal transmission for a pure sound quality with no distortion at all.

SIVGA also includes a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter aside from 6.3mm adapter for studio or any audio professional use.

For a headphone product, this one is sufficiently packed with accessories inside of its large packaging box.

Here are the following contents that were included inside of its packaging box:

• SIVGA PENG headphone
• Stock cable
• Hardbound leather case
• Clothsack pouch
• 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter
• 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter

When it comes to amplification requirement, this headphone has a three-digit impedance rating of 320 ohms and sensitivity of 102db that makes it more power hungry as you need to pair it to sources with powerful output on either DAPs, portable headphone amplifiers or a desktop DAC/Amps. My LG phones equipped with ESS quad DAC are able to drive this can at almost optimal level of its performance as it simply activates its high impedance mode.

As for its tonal profile, it appears that the PENG has a warm-ish neutral sound signature that somewhat reminds me of a certain headphone model from Audio-Technica, The M30X which is known within the audio community for its strong mid-centric tuning albeit it has a bit added more warmth on its overall tuning. It has some slight emphasis on both the mid bass section and midrange, and then a linear presentation of its high frequency.

I paired this can with these following device sources:

• LG V40
• LG V50
• LG V60
• FOSI AUDIO SK02
• HIDIZS AP80 PRO MAX
• HIBY R8II
• QUESTYLE M18i
• QUESTYLE M15
• QUESTYLE M15 i
• QUESTYLE SIGMA

The majority of testing will be on QUESTYLE SIGMA as on how clean and neutral sounding this portable DAC/Amp that pairs well with the PENG. I've tested it either on its wireless mode that supports current advanced bluetooth codecs like APT-X, APT-X HD, LDAC and Snapdragon Lossless (from my brother's Poco F6 with a local flac file), and a standard analogue connection.

LOWS/BASS:

It is pretty clear that its general bass response has more emphasis on the mid bass section rather than its sub bass part as it delivers a sufficient impact, warmth and punchy yet controlled bass response with a faint rumbly presence on it.

On the sub bass section, while it doesn't have that deep reverberation, its rumbly sensation can be felt as it produces enough rumble that were generated from the electronic and string instruments with the likes of synthesisers, drum machines, bass guitars, double-basses and octabasses. The mid bass is pretty well-textured that it gives a substantial body and note weight on bass-clef instruments and low octave male vocals. The bass guitars sound mellow and sombre while the double-basses have a darker and broad sound, and then the bass kick drums sound sonorous and full on every kick. The deep male vocal types like the bass and bass-baritones, while they have the full, rich and dark timbre on them, it seems that it is lacking that deep resonance but still, they can deliver that thick and wool-like sound.

MIDRANGE:

This is probably this headphone's strongest asset as it renders the midrange presentation. Balanced, rich and full-bodied with a tinge of warmth on its overall tuning as it adds some depth and realistic tone on both vocals and instruments. The upper mids section seems to have slight lift enough to give energy and a sense of openness for female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds.

On the male vocals, baritones have that smooth, plush and mellow tone as it gives a richer and full sound on both noble and dramatic baritones, a more steel-y sound on kavalierbariton, and then soft, milder and sweet sound on both lyric and light baritones. Tenors seem to have warm, graceful and brassy sound with a bit of spiciness on their vocals, while the countertenors have the agile, velvety and tender sound from their falsetto voices. Meanwhile on female vocals, the contralto sounds life-like and natural on how this can is capable to depict that rich, dark and smoky sound from its chesty vocals, while the mezzo-sopranos have smooth, velvety and golden sound on their vocals, and then on the sopranos, it seems that  the dramatic and spinto will most likely suits well on this type of tuning as it sounds rich, silky and a bit darker timbre.

As for instruments, on the string ones, guitars appear to have a balanced and a bit buttery sound from its note strings, the violins sound full, lustrous and a bit rounded, and the cellos sound warm, dark and sonorous. Woodwinds instruments like the piccolos, concert flutes, clarinets and saxophones; a less bright and a bit dull sound on piccolos, a graceful and mellow sound on concert flutes, a smooth and gentle sound from clarinets, and a mild and sombre sound from saxophones.The brass instruments like trumpets, trombone and horns, they sound full, rounded and velvety respectively. When it comes to percussives; tom-toms sound warm and resonant, snare drums have that hard and penetrating sound, field drums sound sonorous and full, and kettledrum have that warm, velvety and a bit of boomy sound on every stroke. And last but not the least, the pianos produce a rich, full and sweet sound.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble tuning of the PENG delivers a more neutral, smoother and relaxed presentation as on how it still carries that slight warmth and organic tonal colour from its midrange section, yet it still retains that crisp, clear and a bit lively sound due to some mild accentuation between the upper mids up to presence treble section that highlights the clarity and definition on attack on instruments and vocal articulation, and it assures that there's not a hint of sibilance nor overtly sharpness that sounds shrill-y and tinny.

The brilliance treble on this one has a sufficient sparkle and a moderate airy extension that will be enough to exhibit a good amount of harmonics. On the selected treble-clef instruments, cymbals have those lustrous and undulating sound while the hi-hats have that warm and crisp tone on its distinctive chick-y sound, then the glockenspiels on either keyboard or mallet-type have those bell-like sound with a hint of shimmer and the celestas have these sweet and soft sounds.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

As a closed-back design headphone, I actually expected less on this one but my assumptions are quite erroneous and quickly dispelled when I've tested this set. Despite its form factor, one of the technical capabilities of this can is quite impressive as it can project a moderately roomy headstage with a marginally wide lateral span from left channel to right channel, a good height reach and an immersive depth, unlike most of the closed-back headphones that I've tested although not on par with open-backed design headphones. Its imaging presents a more concave-like stereo presentation with good  layering of frequencies and tones from musical elements with a contrasting and well-defined separation on each instrumental and chorale section, enough for playing some complex multi-instrumental tracks not sound congested and veiled.

Driver coherency of this one can deliver a fast, fluid transient speed that signifies the quality of its dynamic driver, from bass texture response up to the clarity and detail on the midrange and treble. On its resolution capabilities, it has firm and solid depth on its macro-dynamics on how it highlights the varying degree of volume dynamics across its frequency range from quietest up to loudness level on chorale lines and instrumental passages.

PEER COMPARISONS:

BEYERDYNAMIC DT1170 PRO (DEMO)

• An old closed-back headphone model from BEYERDYNAMIC that was released around the mid-2010s, and it was priced around $500.
• It is a bit smaller dynamic driver on its earcups with a velour ear cushion.
• The overall build is quite sturdy and well-built that makes it a bit more weighty than the PENG, the earcups made of plastic and metal and it was supported by a metal headband.
• It has mild clamping force in my head as far as I can remember but tolerable enough that it stays in my head for up to 30 minutes of the listening session.
• It has a single-sided detachable cable mechanism that utilises a XLR-type connector as its interlocking mechanism.
• It has a 250 ohms impedance rating that requires better sources.
• This one has a warm U-shaped sound signature that makes it more coloured sounding compared to the PENG.
• Compared to the PENG, it has a better sub bass presence but its mid bass texture is somewhat tends to smear uncontrollably across the other parts of frequency response that it sound a bit muddy and boomy that really affects the quality of its midrange part as it veils and dampens the clarity, energy and details on vocals and instruments as it sound bit too warm in my liking and then too smooth and a bit dark treble response with just a modest amount of air on its brilliance section.
• As for its overall technical performance, it has a good soundstage width for a closed-back design headphone but it has less refined layering and separation, and also its driver coherency performance is a bit sluggish on its transient response

MEZE AUDIO 99 CLASSICS (DEMO)

• Like the PENG, this old model from MEZE AUDIO is also a closed-back design with similar build materials, but it is quite cheaper as it was priced around $300 at the time of its release.
• It uses a 40mm dynamic driver encased in wooden earcup speakers and it is paired with PU-leather ear cushions.
• It is also quite durable and stable with excellent build quality, and like the PENG, it also has a metal headband and the earcups are made of wood but a different type of wood as it uses a walnut one.
• There's a mild but tolerable clamping force within my head but I can use it for a few minutes of listening sessions.
• Like the PENG, It has detachable cable and it uses 3.5mm TS plug connectors as its interlocking mechanism.
• It has a low impedance rating of 32 Ohms that makes this headphone easier to drive compared to the 320 ohms on PENG.
• This one has a warm V-shaped sound signature that makes it coloured that makes it more fun and engaging to casual listeners.
• Although it has some similar bass response with the PENG as it is more focus on the mid bass texture rather than sub bass presence, but it has that bloat that sounds a bit boomy and muddy, a recessed but warm and midrange that dampens the clarity and detail on instruments and vocals (mostly on female ones), and then a bit glassy and veiled treble response as it sounds less refined with inadequate amount of airy extension on its top end.
• This one has a bit of a congested soundstage, less defined on both layering and separation, and less clarity and detail on its micro-dynamics.

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-W1000Z LIMITED EDITION (DEMO)

• A classic midrange closed-back headphone model from Audio-Technica and it was priced around US$500 (It was on sale at that time).
• It uses a larger dynamic driver with a diameter size of over 50mm and it was encased in wooden earcup housing.
• It has an excellent build quality as it is pretty durable and sturdy and it has a similar build profile with the PENG, a wooden earcups and a metal headband.
• It has comfortable fitting as it rests well in my head as it has less clamping force in which I can definitely wear it for a longer listening session.
• Unfortunately, it doesn't have a detachable cable as both sides of the channels were firmly fixed on the earcup speaker housing.
• It has a low impedance rating of 43 ohms that makes this headphone easy to drive compared to the PENG.
• This can has a rather interesting tonal profile, a mild U-shaped sound signature which is more balanced as it is neither too warm nor too dark.
• It has a rumbly and punchy yet a bit tighter bass response compared to the PENG, a less warmer but still well-textured and rich midrange presentation with a bit of energy for airy and crisp sound on instruments like woodwinds and strings, and also for female vocals to sound a bit more prominent across the mix, and a tinge of brightness of its treble response with good amount of air on it.
• This is quite a technical set as it can project a more spacious soundstage presentation, a more precise layering and separation, fast responsive driver coherency and sharper detail clarity on its resolution compared to the PENG.

The SIVGA PENG is probably the best headphone that I've tested this year as it surprises me a lot despite its form factor as a closed-back headphones. It has that SIVGA's trademark as it has an aesthetically-pleasing design with excellent craftsmanship as it utilises both wood and metal for a more premium build quality, and also, it is quite distinctive from its other models as its tonal profile is quite a contrast to their model line-ups as it has less colouration and taking a more neutral and a bit relaxed tuning yet still retains some of its warmth that still makes the vocals and instruments to sound natural and realistic. Its overall design is quite ergonomic too as it has a balanced weight, comfortable to wear and good isolation as we are able to enjoy our favourite tracks.

For sure that it has some shortcomings like its stock cable is a bit too short for studio use, hard to drive and somewhat too safe tuning that audio enthusiasts who tend in favour of more fun, coloured and engaging sound might find it boring and uninspiring. But those concerns were outweighed by the qualities of the SIVGA PENG alone from build quality to its overall tonal and technical performance.

SIVGA PENG is now available in SIVGA’s official online store and selected online audio distributors. Check out the non-affiliated links below if you are interested in this product.

SIVGA OFFICIAL STORE:

https://sivgashop.com/

HIFIGO:

https://hifigo.com/products/sivga-peng

LINSOUL:

https://www.linsoul.com/products/sivga-peng

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: SIVGA PENG

IMPEDANCE: 300Ω

SENSITIVITY: 102dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 2M

PIN TYPE: 3.5mm CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE: 4.4mm, 3.5mm (ADAPTER)

DRIVER UNIT(S):  50mm DYNAMIC DRIVER

PROS:

● Robust and well-built construction that really feels high quality and looks premium.

● Those African Zebrawood ear cups add more accent to its overall wood craftsmanship design that looks deluxe.

● Its 50mm self-developed dynamic drivers with high quality materials do really perform very well with more precise, accurate and responsive.

● Despite its form factor, it still feels well-balanced weight distribution.

● That soft PU leather and velvety material on its earpad cushion offers a pleasant comfort and ensures good sealing from external noises from the outside.

● A hard-bound leather headphone case that is quite a staple on SIVGA's headphone line-up.

● Detachable cable feature which  allows you to use other custom cables from third party sources.

● A high quality stock cable with plug adapters.

● A neutral sound profile that tilts toward warmth tuning for a natural and realistic sound quality.

● Punchy, impactful and well-textured bass response.

● Both bass-clef and deep male vocals sound well-bodied with warmth and fullness as it sounded as organic as possible.

● Beautifully rendered midrange presentation as it presents a neutral and well-balanced yet with hint of warmth as it sounds rich, smooth and natural.

● Smooth, juicy and tender sound on male vocals with a full-bodied texture as it sounds realistic and accurate.

● Same with female vocals on how this headphone is capable of conveying a rich, silky and expressive sound in live performance.

● Natural sounding instruments as it has deep, crisp, resonating, lusty and graceful from percussives, brasses, strings and woodwinds.

● Smooth and lustrous treble response.

● For a closed-back design headphone, it has an impressive technical performance like moderately roomy soundstage, good layering and separation.

● A good contrasting on details between the  intense power and emotionality of its macro-dynamics and clarity and detail on its fine details on its micro-dynamics.

CONS:

● With its 300 ohms of impedance, this one is definitely power hungry and requires a dedicated headphone amplifier that can deliver more power output.

● Might not be impactful and slam enough for ardent bassheads.

● Lack of sub bass presence for more deep reverberating response from sub bass-focused instruments and some deep male vocals.

● a bit inadequate of airy extension on its brilliance section on the treble region.

TRACKS TESTED: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

Type O Negative - Black No.1 *

Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **

Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *

Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to SIVGA AUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to Mr. Collin Yang and Ms.Lily for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate their generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.