SIVGA ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2): Fairly Balanced With Competent Technical Performance

SIVGA is an audio company known for their model name based on avian species on either the real and existing ones or mythical ones, and this one is no different from other SIVGA models as this one based on a widely recognised songbird the west, both in a North America and some parts of Central America, and mainland Europe, The Robin. And this is actually my third product review with the same name as I previously reviewed the KBEAR Robin which is an old model IEM from KBEAR and HIDIZS S8 PRO Robin which is an entry-level portable headphone DAC/Amplifier from HIDIZS.

This is ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) and this is SIVGA's latest entry-level headphone after the ANSER that I've reviewed a year ago. This is a second model of the ROBIN line-up series and also, the second version of the SV021 PRO in which there was a first version of this one that I will also review later on.

Like its preceding model, this one also features a closed back configuration with circumaural design that makes it highly comfortable and offers excellent noise isolation. It has features a 50mm a dynamic driver with a re-engineered design as it has a penta-layered composite coating on its aluminium alloy diaphragm to enhance its stiffness and damping effects as its also improve the clarity on the midrange and high frequency for better accuracy and detail retrieval. Other components of this driver are the dome-shaped structure with six-layered reinforced composite material paired with a high-performance magnetic circuitry system with high-grade neodymium magnets for implementing better efficiency by creating a powerful magnetic field for the lightweight ultra-fine black copper and aluminium voice coil to move the diaphragm with less electrical current to improve the transient response for better detail resolution with low distortion.

The drivers are then mounted into a ovular-shaped wooden earcup structures made of chemically-treated beechwood known its strong and high durability with its fine and tight grain for a clean and muted appearance, and treated hardwood like beechwood also known preserve clarity and brightness while greatly reducing harsh reverberation that makes them an ideal material for acoustic resonance dampener as its simply dissipates sound energy efficiently. I also noticed that there is a pill-shaped vent hole on its upper part that serves as an outlet for excess air pressure generated from its high performance driver inside. SIVGA also offered a Zebrawood variant with similar acoustic properties.

The paired earpad cushion on this one is of a circumaural design and it is made of composite materials made of velour on its front and synthetic leather on its side that makes it more skin-friendly due to its plush, breathable and gentle to skin with some humid resistance.

The wooden earcups were then fitted into a CNC-milled metal alloy supporting yoke and then it was connected to a flexible metal headband where you can also do some fine-tuning adjustment through its clicky slider. The flexible metal headband offers an ergonomic fitting that allows a comfortable wear for a long listening session without being bothered with a strong and tight clamping pressure.

The metal band is covered with synthetic leather with a velour material on its bottom part for soft cushion impact on the clavicle part of our head. Overall the build quality of this headphone is pretty solid, lightweight and comfortable to wear for a long listening session.

Like all SIVGA headphones, it also features a detachable cable that uses 3.5mm TS plug as its interlocking mechanism that this type of connector is readily available in the market if you want to do use other third party cables, but the stock cable that was included along with headphone is already of a high quality. The stock cable of this one is soft, flexible and sturdy, and its colour matches the colourway of the headphone itself, and it is made of oxygen-free copper conductors sheathed in a woven nylon-fibre insulators that will ensure a consistent audio signal transmission with minimal distortion, decreases any chances of signal loss although there is a noticeable microphonic effects on the splitted section of the cable if it is accidentally in contact with my clothe. On its end, It has a 3.5mm single-ended jack that was gold-plated that will enhance its conductivity and resistance from corrosion, and also at the bottom of its termination jacket, there is a spring strain relief that will strengthen its structural integrity to avoid bend and warping on its joint.

As for its product packaging, the ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) has a large box but the contents inside are well-organised and properly presented upon its unboxing.

These are following contents inside of its packaging box:

• Set of SIVGA ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) headphone
• Stock cable with 3.5mm single-ended termination
• 3.5mm to 6.3mm plug adapter
• Sackcloth carrying bag

As for its driveability, with an impedance of 45 ohms and a sensitivity rating of 106dB, this can is fairly sensitive that makes it easy to drive as it responds and scales well with varying output power from sources even with a standard gain output of amplification. If it is powered with its optimal amplification, it will deliver a very dynamic, full range and clear sound quality.

The ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) has a mild U-shaped sound profile as they sound quite pretty almost balanced to my ears as all parts of the frequencies are well-presentated. It is like that there is no exaggerated bass boost, less recessed midrange and a well-controlled treble.

LOWS/BASS:

The bass presentation of this one is quite balanced as it has a good sub bass presence and an adequately textured mid bass that is enough to give a sufficient punch and warmth.  Overall, this one will deliver punchy, precise and incisive with a rumbly feedback.

• The sub bass section on this one has a good rumble deep on its low end as those reverberation and vibration generated from deep frequency note-producing instruments like synthesisers, drum machines, bass guitars and double-basses that you will enjoy some of your favourite synth-pop and hip-hop tracks with their sub bass boost mix.
• Its mid bass texture is rich, warm with sufficient punchiness and ample body on the bass-clef instruments and low-octave male vocals while maintaining its control that doesn't smudge too much across the lower mids.
• On the bass-clef instruments, the bass guitars sound resonant and a bit sustaining, the double-basses sound broad and sombre, and the bass kick drum have a pounding and thudding sound on every beat, while on male vocals, both the bass and bass-baritone have a deep resonance with a dark timbre that will give that thick, dense and wool-y sound.

MIDRANGE:

The midrange presentation is definitely fairly balanced as to how it was presented; it has some ample warmth on the lower midrange and there is some emphasis on the upper midrange section to give that clear, lively, airy and organic tonality for female vocals and instruments like strings and woodwinds. In general, it has a smooth, warm, lush and transparent sound with almost natural tonal colour for both vocals and instruments.

• Some emphasis on the lower midrange gives enough warmth for rich and lush texture on male vocals and to some extent, female ones especially contraltos albeit still a bit lean presentation that it will give less vocal depth and volume, as the baritones have a smooth and plush sound from their voices, tenor with their high vocal register have a clear, juicy and dazzling sound, the countertenors with their distinctive falsettos have an agile, tender and ethereal voice, and the last but not the least, the contraltos have a husky and smoky sound from their chesty vocals but still lacking that fullness and depth.
• That mild boost on upper mids gives that energetic sound which highlight the clarity and radiance on the female vocals as the mezzo-sopranos have a rich, velvety and musky sound quality from their voices, and the sopranos have creamy, satiny and bell-like sound as all of its sub types from dramatic up to its coloratura will entice some attention with their commanding vocal presence as they sound powerful, expansive and resonating.
• On the woodwind and brass instruments, the woodwinds with their playing process by blowing an air into a mouthpiece as the air column will trap some air to produce vibration through a reed, concert flutes sound light and silvery, piccolos have a graceful and delicate sound, and then both clarinets and saxophones sound similar as they both have a rounded, mild and reedy sound from them, while on brass instruments in which has similar process with the woodwinds but the difference is that the player will buzzing the metal mouthpiece through the tension of their lips as  it vibrates through a metal tube that will an amplify along with the manipulation of its valves as it produce a bold and powerful tone, trumpets sound full and bright, trombones sound solid and brassy, and then the horns have a ponderous, warm and mellow sound.
• As for the string instruments as their sound were produced by a series of stretched strings with corresponding notation via plucking or bowing, guitars sound crisp, sustaining and somewhat buttery on every plucking and strumming, violins have lustrous, full and sweet sound on every bowing on its note strings, and the cellos sound warm, sonorous and lively, while on the percussives in which these type of musical instruments that will produce a sound via being struck or shaken as they provide a foundational beat and rhythmic pulse, snares have a bright, penetrating and clattering sound, tom-toms have resonant, thumpy and a bit bright sound, and the kettledrums produces a mellow, velvety and rumbling sound on every stroke on its drum head.
• The pianos seem to have a balanced sound as they have a warm, rich and sweet tone that handles its complex harmonics with an ease.

HIGHS/TREBLE:

The treble quality on this set is gleaming and shimmering with some inherent smoothness on some parts between the upper mids to the presence section that gives a bit more balanced treble tuning. Generally, the treble response of this one is lustrous, sparkling and relatively that gives that expansive feel in our listening session.

• There is some noticeable downward slope somewhere on the presence section of the treble region that will lessen any instances of piercing, edgy and sibilance, and then there was some gradual lift on the same high frequency section that gives some clarity and definition of the attack on instruments, both percussive and rhythmic that gives some sharpness although some strings and woodwinds’ timbre tends to exaggerate a bit.
• The brilliance section of this one has a radiance sparkle with a good airy extension with sufficient harmonics on it for a closed back-designed headphone.
• On the treble-clef instruments as all of them are all percussive ones, cymbals sound lustrous and bright, hi-hats have a crisp, sizzling and warm tone from its distinctive chick-y sound, celestas sound sweet and ethereal, and glockenspiels sound shimmering and silvery.

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING & OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

For a closed back-designed head, this one actually has an excellent technical performance as it convinces our aural perception on how each of its technical aspects were well-rendered and structured as if that we will wonder if we are listening to an open backed can. Overall, this one can deliver a relatively room soundstage, good layering and separation and well-resolution resolution capabilities.

• It has a perceived fairly spacious soundstage size as it has a broad lateral span, good height ceiling reach and engaging depth from front to back within my aural sphere.
• The stereo imaging of this one presented a concave-like stereo presentation with good layering and separation of vocals and instruments on its soundscape as each elements have its distinct texture and nuances with its own placement that playing some complex track will be an easy peasy on this one as I don't hear any hint of overlapping of musical elements.
• The driver coherency of this one is excellent, it delivers a fast transient response on the bass attack, with a clarity and precise detail on the midrange and treble region.
• As for its resolution capabilities, its macrodynamics show some scaling contrasts as it sounds firm that highlight the varying degree of volume dynamics on both chorale line and instrumental passages from its quietest section up to its loudest level, while on its microdynamics, it has a modest sharp definition on extracting fine details, grains and other nuances from an audio track like vocal delays, notation attacks, note textures and instrumental reverb tails.

PEER COMPARISONS:

SIVGA ANSER

• A previous entry-level model from SIVGA and like the ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2), it has a transducer implementation but different design structure.
• This one uses a 50mm dynamic driver with a titanium-plated diaphragm in an open back wooden shell structure with a better swiveling rotation
• This one has similar packaging and number of contents inside of its packaging box.
• It has a U-shaped sound signature with a balanced-warmish tonality that makes this one more coloured sounding.
• Compared to the ROBIN SV021 PRO V2, this one has less punchy bass response, a recessed but relatively warm and but less energetic midrange presentation, and a bit smoother treble response with a rather modest brilliance air extension.
• As for its overall technical capabilities, despite of its open back design, this one can project an average size soundstage size but it has a bit better depth compared to ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) , but it also has a concave-like stereo imaging with a fairly-layered soundscape, and a firmer macrodynamics but less sharper micro-detail definition.

MEZE 99 CLASSICS (First Generation) (DEMO)

• One of the most popular headphone model line-up from MEZE AUDIO, and this one is quite more pricey than the ROBIN SV021 PRO V2.
• It features a 40mm dynamic driver encased in a closed back designed wooden structure made of walnut wood and it has self-adjusting headband.
• Since I've tested it as a demo unit therefore I can't give more information about its inclusion on its packaging box, but I remembered that it has a high quality stock cable and a solid PU-leather carrying case.
• This one has a V-shaped sound signature with a warmer tonality which is pretty coloured sounding in my liking.
• In comparison with the ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2), The one has a more vigorous and boomy bass that smears frequently across the midrange, a recessed but warm and lush midrange, and then a smooth and less airy extension in which I perceived it too dark sounding in my liking.
• As for its overall technicalities, this one is rather mediocre in my opinion as ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) will outclass it in any aspect as this one has a narrow soundstage size, less layered soundscape and a blunted definition on its microdynamics.

AUDIO-TECHNICA ATH-M50X (DEMO)

• Probably the most popular and well-received model in the Audio-Technica's M-series line-up, and like ROBIN SV021 PRO V2, it has similar driver implementation.
• It has a 45mm dynamic driver with copper-clad aluminium wire voice coil, and it was mounted in a solid plastic earcup with a PU-leather earpad cushion, and it has better swerving rotation that makes it easy to carry.
• Since I have the M30x and M40x, I have some ideas about the possible inclusions inside of its packaging box, more cables with varying length, carrying case and an adapter.
• This one has a V-shaped sound signature that makes it coloured sound that gives a fun, engaging and lively sound for casual listening.
• Compared to the ROBIN SV021 PRO V2, this one has a more impactful, deep and authoritative bass response, a recessed midrange but it has balanced texture with enough warmth and energy that makes the vocals and instruments sounds more natural, and then a bright, more sparkly but with a moderate airy extension.
• As for its technicalities, this one has narrower soundstage, a two-dimensional stereo imaging presentation but it seems that the musical elements are well-placed but tends to congest on some complex tracks, but it has a good resolution capabilities.

In my final verdict of this audio product assessment, the SIVGA ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) is a solidly built, well-crafted headphone that conveys a balanced and pretty musical sound profile while maintaining some natural timbre on vocals and instruments. This one is also quite a solid performer despite its closed back design, it has a strong  technical performance that it can project a moderately spacious soundstage, richly textured stereo imaging and good resolution capabilities without compromising its technical competency.

If you are looking for a balanced sounding headphone with a well-polished technical performance at a reasonable price, this one is a strong contender that will be more compelling with its price-to-performance that has a strong value proposition.

SIVGA ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2) is now available and it can be purchased through its official online store. I've provided a link below if you are interested about this model.

LINK: 

https://sivgashop.com/products/sv021-prov2

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: SIVGA ROBIN SV021 PRO (V2)

IMPEDANCE: 45Ω

SENSITIVITY: 106dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.6m

PIN TYPE: 3.5mm TSR PLUG CONNECTOR

PLUG TYPE:  3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S):  (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER(S),

PROS:

● Sleek design and well-built headphone.

● Beautiful-crafted wood workmanship this headphone's aesthetics.

● Two colourway options to choose from.

● Its re-engineered dynamic driver delivers better acoustic performance and power efficiency.

● High quality stock cable.

● The earcup cushion on this headphone offers a comfortable fitting and also for good passive sound isolation.

● A pretty balanced sound signature.

● Rumbly, punchy and tactile bass response

● Warm and well-bodied bass-clef instruments and low octave vocals.

● The midrange has enough warmth for the male vocals and also for brass and percussive instruments.

● Slight emphasis upper midrange tuning for theme clarity and crispness for female vocals and string instruments.

● Smooth and lustrous treble response with a good amount of airy extension.

● Excellent overall technical performance.

CONS:

● Limited swivel rotating range.

● Some noticeable microphonic effects on its cable.

● Somewhat a tad lean presentation on its lower midrange that won't give that sufficient vocal weight on some male and female vocals.

● Its treble tuning might be still too intense for treble-sensitives.

● A bit too coloured sounding for ardent neutral heads looking for a reference linear neutral sound profile.

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 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  SIVGA LILY for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.