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SendyAudio Aiva Planar Magnetic Headphones
01 / 07
SendyAudio Aiva Planar Magnetic Headphones
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Product Description
After 3 years of extensive research and development, SendyAudio has released their flagship Avia planar magnetic headphones to overwhelmingly positive reception. Equipped with an ultra-nano composite planar-magnetic diaphragm unit inside zebra wood housing, these headphones deliver a rich sound signature with a distinctly natural feel Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downheadwhacker
45
Oct 15, 2019
From what I read so far, I think the impressions on Aiva seems like a love/hate experience. This used to be the same polarising impressions I used to read with the then TOTL headphones of the old (remember the HD800/Beyer T1?)
I am actually considering the hifiman Edition XX which is also offered here. But after some research, I got actually curious about the Aiva and Ananda. So when I learned the Aiva is offered at a 100USD discount I immediately pulled the trigger. However, It left me worried after the mixed-bag impressions and no personal experience with the headphone myself that I might get disappointed.
So afterwork today, I went down to a headphone shop to try the Hifiman Ananda. My objective was if Ananda impress me enough, I will cancel my Aiva order and get the Ananda instead which is already available. To my surprise, the shop has a demo set of not only Ananda but Aiva as well. I was delighted that I can try both headphones and do a side-by-side comparison. It is a weekday, the shop does not have much customers walking in and out. Hence, the ambient noise level is perfect for critical listening of open-back cans.
As far as my listening preferences go, I give higher importance to clarity, detail retrieval, cohesiveness and timbre. I usually prefer neutral to bright signatures. But bight headphones tend to be piercing and fatiguing in the treble (e.g HD800). I like good quality bass and deep slam but hate bloat. My daily driver so far and my favorite is the CA Cascade. For me it nailed the attributes I mentioned above and love the bass. The only thing I hate about it is the comfort (mostly the headband).
I tried the Aiva first, soon as I hit play (Maroon 5's Sex & Candy) my jaw dropped. The clarity and the presentation is like nothing I heard before. The layering of each musical instruments is immediately identifiable. I can't remember the last time I had this experience. Yes the bass(sub-bass) like many impressions I read is noticeably rolled off especially compared to Cascade. But you know what, I can still enjoy the music at or more than the same level as how I enjoy it with the cascade. It's just different presentation but nevertheless very much enjoyable. I find myself trying other music in my playlist and no matter what I play, my jaw keep dropping.
When I switched to Ananda, the first thing I notice is it has a deeper bass and hits harder. However, it does not have the same level of clarity and detail retrieval across the board. It does sound more open but not deeper than Aiva. It feels like all the musical instruments are lined up horizontally and difficult to identify which one is in front or behind of another. To make it short, it felt boring listening to the same list of music compared to Aiva.
When I switch back again to Aiva, I played as many music as I can on my playlist and it just makes me smile. In short, the Aiva is very high in clarity, have a lively treble but the sparkle is not the piercing or fatiguing kind. At least for me not the same as I usually heard with HD800. Also I find the timbre of string instruments sound more natural and realistic.
One more thing, the Aiva is heavier than Ananda (same goes with the rest of my headphone collection except HE-6) but I never felt the comfort and stability like Aiva in my head did than any other headphones I tried/owned. So for me this is icing on the cake, together with the build quality and of course the price.
Waiting to get my set come November.
nichino
1
May 11, 2020
headwhackerAny updated impressions post-acquisition? Coincidentally I also have the Cascades for daily use and am considering these as my work from home cans :)
robo24
130
Nov 7, 2019
For those of us who don't buy animal leather, it would be good to make clear exactly what kind of leather is used on the case and the phones themselves. Thanks.
carinishead
56
Oct 16, 2019
Damn, I went in on these, but now the Elex is dropping again... Tempted to cancel and spend the extra $200...
jaydunndiddit
3262
Oct 24, 2019
Typical misinformation. Will confirmed this ages ago so I'm sure they just haven't read through that super old thread.
carinishead
56
Oct 24, 2019
Ended up sticking w/ the Aiva... If it's not for me, I'll think about trying Focal... Sucks we have to wait a month :\
boboshu
10
Oct 15, 2019
Watched Z's review and got these from Amazon. Boy I was not disappointed. These are the best and I love them. I say they are the headphones of 2019.
nick_t
186
Jun 12, 2020
Well, you dont have to be rude. After all, we are here to share our opinion and help each other out !
kimdeug
430
Jun 12, 2020
Thanks for Idea. It is exactly my situation: Can not afford Utopia, so bought Aiva and Elex. Will try to find adx5000 to listen, very intriguing:)). I did not listen he1000, but what all reviewers sad on youtube it should be the king of details. But for my face the long egg shaped earpads can not be applied as they are finished at my jaw :(( So, no Hi fi man cans in my collection. I was experimenting with different pads on Aiva. Have found that more thicker pads brings bass and reduce the trebles. At the same time the sound stage little bit increases. have tried ZMF oval Sedue, Plether and Leather pads, Sure 1840 pads, brainwaves leather and hybrids oval and oval angular, Dan Clark Alpha pads - but at the end return back to original pads. I have suspicion that all aftermarket pads need actenuation ring, like original pads have. May be it is a secret. Have ordered on Alliexpress Sivga perforated and leather earpads for Aiva . We will see what the 2nd version pads can do with sound. BTW my Aiva came with perforated pads, not sure which version they are. I am working now to bring more bass and mids without loosing all details on treble, probably with some felt tuning with original earpads. May be even more close them under the metal plates from outside using some dumping materials. Will post result here when done.
Ho1y
62
Oct 21, 2019
help me decide HD-660s vs these... I had the HD-58X and loved them after modding them and don't have them anymore. I'm in the market to buy some new headphones and I am looking at the HD-660s cause I love the HD-58X so much but if these are better please let me know
tkyc
63
Jun 16, 2020
Ho1yI have the Sendy's and like them a lot. I had the HD 660 which I never warmed up to- sold them. I have the HD650, 6xx, 58x and HD 800s headphones. Really love the 800s the most but next would be the HD 650 but they are a little polite. Sendy's sound really good to me, better than the 650's. Monoprice M570's are really good and cheaper.
kimdeug
430
Jun 17, 2020
tkycInteresting preference choice. I have Sennh HD800s, 6xx, 58x, PC36xd and 660s. And from all of them I really love 660s the most. As HD800s is quite demanding to the record quality and amplifiers. Have quite a collection of headphones, so can express my personal opinion from the real A-B testing and experience. I think it is a just personal choice and preference of sound, but again 660 is my favourite. Collection: Audeze LCDX, LCD2C; Sennh HD800s, 660s, 6xx, 58x, PC36xd; Beyerodynamic DT 1990 pro, Amrion wireless; Focal Elex, Monolith M1070c and M570; AKG 7xx, Q701; Sendy Aiva; Fostex T50, T60, Argon MK3, 00x Ebony; ZMF Auterus, Sony MDR7; Philips X2; Mr Speakers CX etc. The pictures somewhere under my profile.......But agree 100% Sendy Aiva is very interesting headphone and for just the material quality and attention to details it is 100% worth this price.
Zeos
648
Oct 14, 2019
Just a reminder, these were the best cans I had heard at CanJam Last year. And I took THAT pair. Blon B20 if you want more width and softer as an alternative. But I still love these. Build alone these are worth it.
Kenshiro70
137
Oct 15, 2019
Typpo. :-)
Didn't realize that the Monolith THX-887 actually was released last month, so corrected both.
verifonix
1181
Oct 15, 2019
Kenshiro70Ah the monolith. Yeah it is "released" but no one can order it yet
Out of Stock ETA: 11/23/2019
Hirak
16
Jun 8, 2020
I wanted to buy this until I saw Joshua Valor's review, not a very positive review, he said even Sundara is better, those of you guys who saw his review do u agree? please share your thoughts.
quicklytoo4
779
Keyboard Club Member
Jul 7, 2020
Hirakthink there has been a lot of variance with these... Z reviews loves his but all his supporters that got them say they don't sound how he described at all he got his from cam jam though so probably a cherry picked good one that they wanted to show off
lok777
50
Aug 9, 2020
quicklytoo4He said the Sivgas, and the Blons, and the monoprice ones. Thought they all sounded pretty much the same and loved them all. He just likes the drivers, and not EVERY person disagrees with him-the majority of people like these headphones. I think they sound good for music, but all of this drivers versions sound off to me when listening to podcasts or just human voices alone without music or instruments.
khaja-724612
201
Oct 21, 2019
This or monoprice M570? 499$ VS 299$. I do not own either of them. I would wait more review comes from M570 than I would decide which one I should go for. Not to mention Audeze LCD-1 on the list too at 399$ price. Oh man! that will be interesting.
Cyberthingy
289
Nov 16, 2019
Been getting some listening time with the M570s and I have to say I am really impressed. I really do feel like the Aiva pads smoothed out the treble. It wasn't bad with the stock pads but definitely an emphasized treble. The clarity is still there but a tad more refined now.
Darkshadowboy
0
Nov 17, 2019
CyberthingyI swapped to the Sendy pads, I can tell a little difference in treble being toned down otherwise they still sound great with stock pads or the sendys
pgrozev
32
Oct 14, 2019
I own these. Wish they had popped up here before I sprang the 650 for them... If you have the money, BUY THEM! They are like chocolate fudge cake with sprinkles and cocaine! (for your years... obviously...) One of the best buys I've ever made!
tom_m
38
Oct 14, 2019
Thanks!! That's interesting because based on that review link I was thinking they were more V like and may have had more bass punch. I currently have HiFiman 400i and a tube amp (a few cheap ones, bravo with gold lion being my main due to small size) then EQ'd to bring some bass back in to taste (at the cost of some vocals so I'll switch based on the music - when I'm in a beatles mood or class rock for example or want to really hear Adele or some female vocalist). I feel like they did well with EQ (and I think I had a gentle hand with it), but given 75% of what I listen to ends up being electronic for less vocals while I work I thought well maybe I should find new headphones...but maybe these wouldn't be quite what I'm after. have you listened to the 400is? Any thoughts there? These look fantastic too.
(Edited)
pgrozev
32
Oct 14, 2019
tom_mHaven't heard the 400i. I do have the HE-4XX. Supposedly with the same driver. Doesn't necessarily mean it's the same headphone but I do remember someone compare them with the whole 400 lineup and said they were the closest to the 400i. In comparison, I find the 4XX lacking in the bass department. In that regard, the Sendy has a lot more. If you EQ them properly, I'd say they would suffice for some liquid drum & bass. But again, my Argons produce a whole different level of bass so that would be why I kind of place the Aiva in the middle. I strangely have the same experience with my Solaris IEMs. Most situations, I do not bump the bass at all but when I EQ the lows for electornic music, they sound just perfect. So, I do think you can squeeze out that extra hoomph from them when it comes to bass. But, if you will primarily listen to bass music, for the price, I'd probably get T60 RP modded Argons from Ryan. They cost 450 bucks and will probably amaze with soundstage and deep, glorious bass. I don't want to push you away from the Aiva because of the bass but at the same time I cannot hands down say that even with EQ you will get that deep low end I have come to expect from my T50 RPs. I still believe they are versatile enough to be proudly placed on anybody's wall. I certainly find them engaging and fun enough to play them every day ;)
phopho
28
Oct 18, 2019
Updated: I have he560, sundara, m1060, x2hr, hd6xx, se master 1, esp950, hd820, shp9500s, a2000z, ad1000x, ad900x, msr7, sr5, amiron home, hd800s, he6se. In terms of clarity and transparency, other than hd800s, he6se, esp950 and se master 1, Aiva pretty much beat them all. What HD820 truly shines is crispiness. But I would prefer Aiva over HD820. Aiva and hd820 are slightly more relaxed than sm1, while sundara is more relaxed than aiva. Some say they are bright, i think they are smooth, maybe on the slightly enchantingly bright side which is enjoyable kinda bright, but definitively not beyer kinda bright. If you prefer bigger sound stage or listen to classical orchestra music, getting a speaker amp with he6se, mid power headphone amp with se master 1, or high power headphone amp with hd800s are the ways to go. I sold the hd820 since i prefer hd800s.
(Edited)
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