Today we are taking a close look at SIVGA Robin SV021 wooden full-size closed-back headphones.
Disclaimer: The headphones for today’s episode were provided by SIVGA AUDIO in exchange for my honest review. Thank you SIVGA! I’m not paid to say anything in particular about this product and all thoughts and opinions in today’s episode are my own.
Dongguan Sivga Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., was established in 2016 and is located in Dongguan city in China. Sivga focuses on the innovation and production of high-end headphones. The key engineering team is formed by professionals from the electronics and acoustics fields and they also developed they drivers in-house.
SIVGA Robin SV021 features 50mm dynamic drivers and a wooden ear cups. They usually retail for 149 USD dollar and come in two colors – black or brown. The model that I have in today’s review is the black one. The headphones arrived in a black cardboard box. On the front we have illustration of headphones, on the back we have a list of technical specifications
In the box:
- Headphones
- De-attachable cable
- 3.5 mm to 6.3mm adapter
- and a storage fabric bag
SIVGA Robin SV021 uses 50 mm dynamic drivers which are developed by SIVGA in-house. Impedance is 32 Ohms, sensitivity is 105 db. The ear cups are made from rosewood and the headphones weight 275g without a cable.
Design & build
SIVGA Robin SV021 has a very solid build. The headband is made out of metal and is covered by pleather featuring a very nice stitching. It has some padding, but I’d prefer a little bit of more padding
The headband extends to metal yokes that have a smooth finish and L and R markings on each side for left and right channel respectively. The size is adjustable and it clicks when its adjusted. The inner part of the metal yokes have small grooves that are used for adjustment control. And overall the headband adjusting mechanism works really well
The ear cups are attached to the metal yokes. They move vertically, but not horizontally, though this movement is enough to get you a better fit and seal. The ear cups are made out of wood and the craftsmanship on wooden ear cups is amazing. As far as I learned the wood used for ear cups is a rosewood
Each ear cup also has two vent holes on the top so consider this fact if you plan to use this pair in a very noisy environment. The earpads are very plush and smooth. They are made from pleather and have a memory foam. Ear pads have an oval shape and have quite a large cut to accommodate large ears
The ear pads are also replaceable and SIVGA has two different replacement ear pads that differ in size. The headband clamping force is average, though it’s enough to keep the headphones on your head and provide a good seal.
Each ear cup has a 2.5 mm connector for detachable cable. The connectors are built into wooden cups and hold the cable with no problems. The weight of the SIVGA Robin SV021 is 275 grams without the cable.
Cable
The cable is 2 meters long including the connectors. The lenght of the cable is very comfortable for desktop use, but if you plan to use it with portable sources, 2 meters might be too long.
From one side the cable has a 3.5 mm TRS connector. And from other side it terminates into two 2.5 mm TS connectors. The cable also has a splitter. The connectors used in the cable are of a good quality and they sit in the sockets well. The cable is braided, it has a minimal microphonics and is almost tangle-free.
Fit & comfort
SIVGA Robin SV021 are a pair of a very comfortable headphones. They are light and sit on my head very well. The headband clamping force is average, though it’s enough to keep the headphones on your head and provide a good seal.
I have large ears and they fit inside the earcups without any problems. The earpads are really soft and very pleasant to touch and I wasn’t experiencing any fatigue or discomfort even during long listening sessions. Sometimes I was finding out that the pads were getting hot
Overall comfort is quite good. The only thing I’d like to mention that I’d prefer a little bit more padding on the headband.
SIVGA Robin SV021 sound overview
Please note that all the sound impressions I’m sharing on my channel are completely subjective so please take them with a grain of salt.
I have used different sources for this review:
- Portable Sources : Samsung Galaxy S10, FiiO X7 MK2 DAP
- Desktop Sources : SMSL SU-6 paired with Magni Heresy and Topping D10s paired with XDUOO MT-602
The Sivga Robin SV021 is a very musical pair of headphones with a warm tonality and a V shaped tuning. They offer quite spacious and accurate presentation and well rounded performance. The overall sound is relaxed and mellow, with a bit recessed mid-range. The additional warmth provides quite a smooth and energetic presentation.
Low frequencies on SIVGA Robin SV021 are thick and sub-bass and mid bass make a great combination, especially taking into consideration we have 50mm drivers here. The notes are well rounded and detailed, though take into consideration this is not a basshead pair of headphones. The bass has just enough note weight to provide a good low frequencies presence and dynamics. And the bass is also quite fast, so busy musical pieces never sound muddy which is a plus
The mid bass has enough of punch, making kick drum sound quite juicy, but at the same time there is no huge dominance of mid bass over sub bass which I liked a lot. Sub bass also extends quite well, but don’t expect a huge rumble from it. It just does it’s job, providing a solid and thick low-end. Overall I like the bass here, it has enough of details, has a good dynamics and provides good note weight.
Some bass bleed into mids adds a slighly warm character to mid range here. And I consider mid range on this pair being a little bit recessed. Vocals sound accurate, but sometimes they sound a little bit distant and pushed away, and this is more noticeable on male vocals than on female ones. Notes lack a bit of weight, but at the same I wouldn’t call mid-range thin as the notes have just enough of energy and details.
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The upper mid range is quite detailed and crisp and it really improves the full mid range picture here. Most instruments on the other hand sound full and crisp with a lot of details as the upper mids have quite a good detail retrieval and energy. I have also noticed that on some tracks, the upper mids can sound a bit sharp, but they have never been harsh. I’d personally prefer mid-range on this pair to be a little bit more forward
The treble on SIVGA Robin SV021 is well extended and has enough of air. It continues the upper mids trend, with it’s energy and detail retrieval. It has just a pinch of veil and I love it a lot. At the same time I wouldn’t call treble recessed, as it’s full of energy and sparkle. The treble region has a number of peaks that carry enough energy.
Detail retrieval is above average, but micro details retrieval is average. As I mentioned, the treble is crisp, but at the same time it’s not fatiguing at all which is a great thing for long listening sessions. Overall I think treble on SV021 is very appealing and it works well with the rest of the frequencies.
For a pair of closed-back headphones, SIVGA Robin SV021 has a surprisingly spacious soundstage. It’s really wide and can even compete with some open-back headphones. In addition to it’s width, the sound stage has also a good depth. The imaging is good and instrument placement is correct,
Instrument separation is average, micro details retrieval is average as well, though the instrument placement is correct and timbre is quite natural. The fact that this pair has a wide sound stage and good imaging also makes this pair very attractive for gaming.
Conclusions
SIVGA Robin SV021 is a very comfortable and musical pair of headphones that has a warm tonality, offering you a spacious and accurate presentation and well-rounded performance.
Pros:
- Good design and build
- Very soft and comfortable earpads
- Headphones are easy to drive
- Large soundstage for the pair of closed-back headphones
- Relaxed and spacious sound
Cons:
- Headband could use a little bit of more padding
- Mid range is a bit recessed and lacks some note weight
- Ear pads can get quite warm, especially if you live in a hot climate
Overall SIVGA Robin SV021 is a quite interesting pair of headphones and it does almost everything right. The sound signature is relaxed and it’s offering a very spacious presentation while delivering a good amount of details. Add here a beautiful design & good built, and you got a very solid performer under 150 US dollars.
I recommend this pair to anyone looking for a pair of aesthetically pleasing closed-back headphones both for music and gaming. And you will especially like this pair if you like a bit warm and mellow sound signatures.
I hope this review has been helpful and if you’d like to see more content like this, consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for joining me, and until next time, goodbye!
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