HiFiMAN SVANAR WIRELESS HEADPHONE REVIEW

HiFiMAN Svanar are a wireless headphone costing $499 that aim to bring an audiophile level of sound but with the convenience of a wireless design. Oscar Stewart tries them out for HiFi PiG

HiFiMAN has been in the industry for many years now and has built up a reputation for making some incredibly fine-sounding headphones, along with a good range of earphones. The Svanar Wireless are their flagship true wireless model using their proprietary “topology diaphragm” which places a nanoparticle coating on specific parts of the diaphragm, allowing incredibly fine-tuning of the sound.

The Svanar Wireless aims to bring an audiophile level of sound quality with wireless convenience – do these succeed, or are they just another good true wireless earphone?

FEATURES AND BUILD QUALITY

The Svanar Wireless have HiFiMAN’s R2R custom ladder DAC built into the chipset, which also includes a separate amplifier stage to power them. The drivers are made with their “topology diaphragm” technology which allows fine-tuning of the driver by placing a nanoparticle layer on certain parts of the diaphragm itself. These run on Bluetooth 5.2 and support the LDAC codec, which allows for near-CD-quality levels of audio resolution to be transmitted via Bluetooth. They have a claimed 15m transmission distance, 4hrs battery life in HiFi Mode, and 6hrs in ANC mode, along with an extra 3 charges provided by the case.

They have the tech inside to offer up a high-quality listening experience and a lot of attention has been paid to the transmission quality as well as the decoding, amplification, and driver – even if that means slightly lower battery life than some competitors.

A note on transmission distance; I found that when using them with my phone transmitting LDAC there was the occasional split-second dropout at times – this was when my phone was in my front jeans pocket. The signal is not quite as solid as some earphones out there, and something that could be improved in my opinion.

The HiFiMAN Svanar earphones come in a very attractive case which is good for three extra charges

In use I found the quoted battery life to be fairly accurate, of course, this is volume dependent, but you can expect around 4-5hrs out of them in HiFi mode (my preferred mode). The case is very well designed and allows you to fit the earphones in with any of the included eartips attached.

Touch controls are used to control playback on the Svanar Wireless – single touch to play/pause, double click on either to answer or end a call and to skip to the previous song, triple click on either to skip to the next song. Press and hold the left for 3 seconds to switch between HiFi / ANC / Transparency modes, and press and hold either side to bring up your voice assistant/reject a call. There is no way of changing the volume via the touch controls which is a shame, but I did find the touch controls to be accurate in terms of sensitivity.

HiFiMAN Svanar can feel quite large on smaller ears

Build quality wise the case is sturdy but quite large, easier to store in a small bag than it is in your pocket. The case is plastic with a metal hinge and the earphones themselves are plastic on the outside and quite large, with a carbon fibre inner faceplate which is used for both sonic properties as well as comfort/weight. For the price, I would say the silver finish of the plastic on the earphones doesn’t scream high quality however, the sound quality does make up for this.

COMFORT AND ISOLATION

The Svanar Wireless are very lightweight but, the shells are on the larger side, which means those with larger ears will have a slightly sleeker fit than those with more narrow canals and smaller ears like me. I did find my ears to become a little tender after longer listening sessions, due to the size of the housings putting pressure on my tragus. They do stick out and look a bit odd in my ears, but with the right tips I did find them to be stable and they never felt like they were on the verge of falling out. These come with quite a large range of eartips, allowing most people to get a good fit out of the box.

The closed nature of the Svanar Wireless means isolation is quite good, not quite the same level as some wired earphones, but more than enough for most daily use. I didn’t find myself ever requiring the ANC mode for most casual walking, although ANC can be very useful for public transport and flights.

Controls on the outside but no volume control on the HiFiMAN Svanar

SOUND

I used the Svanar Wireless with my Google Pixel 6a phone which supports LDAC, I used ROON ARC when out and about which streams at 320kbps MP3, and Roon at home in lossless quality via Qobuz / local CD rips.

I mainly used the Svanar Wireless in their HiFi setting as this really does bring out the best in terms of sound, but there will be a section on ANC. Transparency is a mode you only need to activate from time to time so you are aware of your surroundings.

An excellent bass test track just happened to play when I sat down to write this review, Eat Static – Contact, and the Svanar Wireless had me bopping along to the beat. There is no one-note bass on these, they have a spacious sound with the ability to keep the focus on a driving bass beat that has both depth and punch whilst delivering the synths without any hint of muddiness or distortion. These are not bass monsters, but they do have an engaging presentation that brings out a lot of energy in the music. On other tracks, bass guitars are articulate and the lower region is both full-bodied yet well-controlled, never coming across as overly enthusiastic.

These have a dynamic way of portraying the low-end, but in terms of the overall sound the bass never sounds like it is trying to become the centre of attention. They never lose track, yet never try to overwhelm the rest of the sound signature. For a wireless earphone they have excellent depth, never sounding rolled off in the sub-bass, and the ability to have such a grip on the bass whilst also being textured is impressive.

The midrange is nice and clean and I would say these have a mild W-shaped signature which allows great focus on vocals and guitars. These make it easy to pick out harmonised vocals, and guitars have excellent energy when called for. There is a bit of an upper midrange peak which can bring out a hint of sibilance in certain tracks.

Lucy Rose’s Be Alright played and the acoustic guitar sounds gorgeous and the detail retrieval is sublime.  These are on the level of good wired earphones in this respect, but her vocals do get a little peaky in the upper midrange at times. Male vocals come across a little better in this respect with Panic at the Disco’s She Had the World coming across smooth and enjoyable. The Svanar Wireless do a very impressive job at isolating vocals whilst still having that coherent single-dynamic driver sound.

The HiFiMAN Svanar come with an aray of tips to suit all ears

The upper midrange to lower treble is slightly accentuated which brings out a lot of energy in initial cymbal crashes, and makes these sound very upbeat. Every now and again though they will sound a tiny bit brash, and there is a little bit of harshness in this region, but this doesn’t show up on all tracks. Audioslave’s Like a Stone, for example, sounds tight and snappy in the treble region, and Chris Cornell’s vocals steer clear from becoming thin in that upper midrange region. You can clearly hear every snare hit, and every cymbal crash without them sounding too forward in this track.

The quality is there in the treble, the tonality isn’t metallic and they don’t sound muted or splashy which is a common trait of Bluetooth earphones – Bluetooth compression and dull treble tuning usually means this kind of earphone is lacking in this area.

Soundstaging and separation are both excellent. The Svanar Wireless have a wide soundstage for an earphone, let alone a Bluetooth one. They also come across with excellent control, allowing the sound to always be well separated and never congested.

The Svanar Wireless are the first true wireless earphone I’ve heard that does not sound like it is a wireless earphone. These have excellent sound quality that can compete with wired models, albeit at a lower price point. We have finally reached a point where you can get high-quality audio playback from a true wireless earphone. These have superb resolution, detail retrieval, extension, and control that you really do forget they are wireless from an audio standpoint.

Carbon fibre is used to lowe weight and for sound properties

ANC Mode

ANC mode works well to dull out constant outside noises but it’s definitely not going to be as effective as some of the consumer models out there. This is useful for noisy commutes and flights, but for everyday use, I preferred to listen in HiFi mode.

Sound quality-wise, the Svanar Wireless keep a lot of the traits of HiFi mode in ANC mode, however, there is an increase in bass presence and quantity, making them sound a little thicker and fuller overall. The soundstage is narrowed a little, there is slightly less air and detail in the treble and the bass does sound a little duller in terms of definition. ANC mode serves a purpose here, but Hifi mode really is the best for everyday use unless you use them in noisy places. Moving back to HiFi mode does feel a little like a veil has been lifted and the soundstage widens considerably.

CONCLUSION

I must congratulate HiFiMAN for making the first true wireless earphone that can compete with wired earphones when it comes to sound quality. These are the finest-sounding wireless earphones I have heard to date, with a detailed and open sound that is both revealing, yet fun and dynamic.

The ergonomics are slightly lacking for me personally and the housings are just too big for my ears, but your mileage may vary. The Bluetooth signal is also a little poor, with the occasional dropout when my phone was in my pocket, but these are things that can and will vary depending on the user and device being used (turning off LDAC will help with Bluetooth signal strength for example).

I can easily recommend these if you want a lossless-sounding wireless earphone and don’t mind the size or low-ish battery life in return for superior sound quality.

AT A GLANCE

Build Quality:

A mix of plastic and carbon fibre shells and a solid charging case, they feel built to last

Sound Quality:

Fun, engaging and dynamic

Open and spacious with excellent detail and control

Value For Money:

These are a $499 wireless earphone and that’s a lot of cash, but you won’t find this level of audio quality in another wireless earphone – or one that I’ve tried yet

We Loved:

The fact that these do not sound like a wireless earphones, they have a believable sound that’s enjoyable

The soundstaging is impressive for an earphone

We Didn’t Love So Much:

The comfort wasn’t great for me personally, due to the size and shape of the earphones

Occasional Bluetooth dropouts

Price:  $499

Elevator Pitch Review: The Svanar Wireless give you lossless-like sound quality in a true wireless Bluetooth earphone, something I’ve not heard before. They are enjoyable to listen to with a punchy and dynamic sound that is also open and detailed.

OSCAR STEWART

SUPPLIED BY HiFiMAN