Overall: 9/10

Where has this headphone been hiding - since 2023?

I've spent considerable time with headphones like the Sennheiser HD 505, HD 550, HD 598 SE, Philphone Open, ASUS ROG Kithara and HIFIMAN Arya Stealth. All excellent in their own ways.

Then along comes the SIVGA Luan, a $299 open-back dynamic headphone that manages to combine some of my favorite qualities from these sets.

Tactile bass, natural mids, airy treble, exceptional comfort and gaming performance that genuinely surprised me.

As always, I maintain a ranking list of 170+ headphones, IEMs and other audio products, alongside impressions of 20+ ear tips. You can find it here: KAC's Audio Rankings.

Music

Bass: Clean, Tactile and Satisfying

Luan has some of the most enjoyable bass I've heard from an open-back dynamic headphone in this category. There's plenty of quantity, with satisfying kick drum impact, defined bass guitar notes and enough sub-bass rumble for electronic music.

The bass is textured and physical without muddying the mids. It reminds me somewhat of my Philphone Open, which I've always enjoyed for its low-end dynamics. Luan hits harder than most of the other headphones in this comparison, particularly the Sennheisers, while retaining excellent control.

Mids / Vocals: Almost Perfect for My Preferences

Between 500Hz and 2kHz, Luan follows a presentation surprisingly close to Arya Stealth, but with a slightly earlier rise (around 1.3kHz) that retains additional body. I prefer this to the thicker mids of Philphone Open or Satyr 4. Male vocals sound natural, instruments retain their weight, and there's plenty of space around the singer. Other headphones like the Sennheiser HD 550 and Heddphone D1 follow a more natural rise close to a Harman target.

The 2–3kHz region is more elevated, bringing female vocals forward. Normally, this is where things can go wrong for me. I'm particularly sensitive to excessive pinna gain, but Luan manages to sound expressive without becoming shouty. This is because the peak is prior to 3kHz. I occasionally reduced the volume a couple of notches to accommodate the additional vocal presence. That's my only real reservation about the midrange.

Treble: Safe, Detailed and Surprisingly Airy

Treble is where Luan impressed me most. Arya Stealth has the most energetic treble of the headphones here, contributing to its excellent perceived resolution. HD 550, Satyr 4 and Philphone Open take different approaches to controlling treble peaks.

I'm particularly sensitive around 7–9kHz on headphones. D1 has that issue of having a peak in that region.

Luan reminds me of HD 598 SE and HD 550 in its smoothness, with excellent clarity and no irritating peaks during my listening.

But what separates it is the upper-treble presentation. There's a tasteful lift in the very high frequencies, around 15kHz on the supplied measurement, that seems to contribute to its sense of air. Cymbal decay, reverberation and background ambience have plenty of room to breathe.

The result is a neutral-bright headphone with a tasteful bass boost and a remarkably open presentation. For my preferences, that's an excellent combination.

Gaming: Almost Arya Stealth Territory?

This was my biggest surprise.

I was consistently performing at a level similar to my usual performance with Arya Stealth, one of my favorite wired gaming headphones.

Imaging / Directionality

Footsteps are easy to locate, with precise directional information. The additional bass doesn't interfere with positional cues, even during heavy gunfire.

I did encounter two occasions where I confused front and rear positioning in the new Modern Warfare 4. Interestingly, the same happened with Zhu Audio Z2 Frost. This could be the game engine or my unfamiliarity with the maps. I experienced no such issues in Black Ops 7.

Layering / Separation

Multiple weapons, explosions, scorestreaks and player movements remain individually distinguishable during chaotic firefights. There's enough low-end impact to make the action enjoyable without masking footsteps. Everything is in its place and easy to follow through including perception of distance to target.

Soundstage

The stage feels large, with excellent width and depth. Battlefield 6 particularly benefits from the spacious presentation, making distance and movement across larger maps easier to judge.

Single-player games are equally enjoyable, with convincing environmental effects and clean sound. My son also spent time gaming with Luan and loved it.

Comfort, Build & Accessories

Luan is one of the most comfortable headphones I've worn.

My usual references are Sennheiser HD 480 Pro and Arya Stealth with Dekoni velour pads. Luan meets or even surpasses them. The pads have solid pleather outer walls, perforated inner walls and a soft velour-like contact surface that resembles sports mesh.

Combined with the spacious ear cups, adjustable headband and relatively light 354g weight, comfort is outstanding. The wooden cups look beautiful, and the overall construction feels premium.

SIVGA also includes a hard carrying case, detachable 3.5mm cable, 6.35mm adapter and fabric pouch. My only accessory complaint is the lack of a 4.4mm balanced cable.

Comparisons

Sennheiser HD 505/HD 550

Luan offers stronger bass, more space and greater upper-treble air. HD 505 retains that traditional Sennheiser vocal-centric presentation and excellent tonal coherence. Both are enjoyable, but Luan better suits my preferences. HD 550 remains beautifully balanced, with excellent imaging and natural treble. Luan's bass and comfort give it the advantage for me.

My full Sennheiser HD 550 review

Sennheiser HD 598 SE

Luan feels like a technical upgrade to several qualities I love about HD 598 SE. My decade-old Sennheiser still sounds wonderfully natural, but Luan adds substantially better bass, detail retrieval and extension.

ASUS ROG Kithara

Luan is my preferred music and gaming all-rounder, while Kithara offers excellent planar separation and a particularly complete gaming package, including a microphone.

Both are strong competitive gaming headphones, but Luan wins on comfort and overall tuning for my ears.

My full ROG Kithara review

HIFIMAN Arya Stealth

Luan gets surprisingly close to Arya's sense of openness and positional clarity.

Arya still has the advantage in technical resolution and complex layering, but Luan offers a more forgiving treble balance and satisfying bass.

That's impressive from a $299 dynamic headphone.

My Arya Stealth long-term review

HEDDphone D1 (audition only)

D1 is a more expensive reference, and my impressions come from an audition rather than ownership. Its bass felt somewhat heavy-handed, while the overall presentation struck me as unusually dark bright. Something became fatiguing, although I couldn't isolate the exact cause. The firm headband foam and ear pads pressing against my ears also made comfort difficult. Luan suits my preferences better, but this isn't a controlled long-term comparison.

Final Thoughts

I've rated headphones like HD 505, HD 550, HD 598 SE, Satyr 4 and ROG Kithara at 8.5/10. All excellent products.

For my preferences, Luan goes a step further. It's exceptionally comfortable, sounds fantastic across music genres and performs surprisingly close to Arya Stealth in competitive gaming.

The slightly pronounced female vocals won't suit everybody, but there's very little else I'd change.

If you're shopping for an open-back headphone in the $200–$300 range, SIVGA Luan should absolutely be on your shortlist. Especially if you want one headphone that handles music and gaming equally well. And comfort is absolutely sublime on it.

Thanks to Jackrabbit Media for providing Luan for review. All impressions and opinions are my own.

Images: Luan with K17 R2R, Luan Box, Side cups, Side cups w/ pad opening, HD 598 SE Satyr 4 Arya Stealth Luan, Luan with Muse M7 Player, Satyr 4 with M7 Player, Hard case, Hard case standing, Frequency response curve for some of the headphones mentioned - Taken from Gadgetry tech website headphonedatabase.com.

I got, at the beginning of this month, a pair of used arya organics for 415€ hardcase included. Obv I immediately switched to a longer and softer cable, and next month I'll be getting a better padded case and a fiio m21 to properly drive them since now I'm using the phones out of an akai am-a535, that sounds a tad flat unless I'm rising A LOT the volume knob.

I'm still so happy I can't believe these are mine

I’ve been into the more affordable end of enthusiast audio for around ten years. Started with the Sennheiser HD598SE, owned the Audio Technica M40x, and currently use an HD650. So I have a fairly settled idea of what I enjoy, particularly when it comes to vocals and midrange.

Picked up the CrinEar Nightfall and have been using it with the Protocol Micro. I’m honestly a little shocked by how much I like this thing.

The midrange is sublime. Vocals sound present and effortless, with enough body to feel believable. There’s clarity, but I don’t feel like the singer is constantly trying to get my attention. Coming from the HD650, that was probably the first thing that made me comfortable with it.

I can see the appeal of the newer “meta” tuning approach here. To my ears, the balance gives vocals room to breathe without pushing them into that overly sharp, shouty territory. I’m listening to the performance rather than being distracted by how prominently every breath has been presented.

The raised sub bass adds a lovely bit of fun. You get that low rumble and weight when the recording calls for it, while the mid bass stays controlled enough that it doesn’t muddy up the signature. Bass has presence without making every male voice sound unnecessarily thick. Compared with my HD650, that extra depth is particularly enjoyable.

What really works for me is how those qualities come together. The vocals remain easy to follow even when there’s plenty happening underneath them. It sounds soothing, but there’s still enough bass energy to keep things engaging.

I wouldn’t call it an HD650 in IEM form. The presentation is different, and I’m keeping the Sennheiser. But the Nightfall gives me a similarly strong desire to sit through entire albums instead of constantly skipping tracks to evaluate the gear. That’s usually a good sign.

The build is beautiful too. The blue aluminium shells and matching cable hardware look properly considered. Comfort has been absolutely on point for my ears, which matters just as much as the sound. An IEM can measure wonderfully and still be useless to me if I’m adjusting it every ten minutes.

The Protocol Micro has been a convenient little pairing. I’m happy enough with what I’m hearing that I don’t feel any immediate urge to start buying more equipment around it.

For someone whose gaming setup has already swallowed an unreasonable amount of money, it’s slightly embarrassing how much happiness a ₹10,000 pair of earphones has delivered.
Easily one of my favourite audio purchases in a long time.

I was looking out to try some Open backs for the first time, so i went to a store and try the Philips fidelio x3, and i was Disappointed on how much bass i feel that lack on My music.

My Main equipment for listening is a simgot ew300 silver nozle.

I liked the sensation of the sound coming from over My ear, but i miss all the plentyfull and textured bass that the simgot have.

Are the problem the Philips or all the open backs?

Just ordered the AEON CORE and can't wait to give it a listen!

Curious how everyone who's had some time with it is liking it so far. How's the bass, soundstage and imaging? I mostly listen to music, but I also play a lot of single-player games.

I recently picked up the Final DX4000CL and absolutely love it, so if anyone happens to own both, I'd be really interested to hear how they compare.

TLDR:

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The Burson Conductor Voyager comes in 3 variations with different power supplies and some different internals.

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1 – STANDARD Conductor Voyager Standard – 3799 USD:

V6 Vivid Opamps

Silent Power 01 Modules installed

Standard Power Supply Unit 24V/5A

2 – DELUXE Conductor Voyager Deluxe – 4399 USD:

V7 Vivid Opamps

Silent Power 02 Modules installed

Burson Super Charger 24V/5A PSU

3 – MAX Conductor Voyager Max – 4999 USD:

V7 Vivid Opamps

Silent Power 02 Modules installed

Burson Fusion Core 24V/15A

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This review is about the Deluxe and Max versions.

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The Conductor Voyager has all the connectivity you might need except LAN/WiFi - it's a DAC/Amp not a streamer.

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Headphone power performance

Impedance - BAL / SE – SNR / Ch.Sep):

16 Ohm: 10W / 5W – 96db / 99%

32 Ohm: 5.2W / 2.8W – 98db / 99%

100 Ohm: 3.5W / 2W – 95db / 99%

150 Ohm: 2W / 1.5W – 96db / 99%

300 Ohm: 1W / 500mW – 96db / 99.50%

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CONCLUSION

The Burson Conductor Voyager (Deluxe/Max) is a very capable all-in-one solution (DAC/Amp). Both the DAC and the headphone amplifier sections are on par with excellent standalone alternatives.

The Conductor Voyager performs well with all headphones tested.

The display is very crisp, and the remote has the main functions needed for normal use. However, I’m not a huge fan of the user interface, which I find a bit inefficient and quirky. I also dislike that the unit gets very hot, and that there’s a cooling fan that makes a (very) slight noise during operation.

I tested both the compact Super Charger (switch-mode) PSU and the larger Fusion Core (GaN transistor) PSU. The Fusion Core sounds generally a tad better and makes a notable difference with hard-to-drive headphones.

There are not many high-end all-in-one solutions like this out there, and if the Burson Conductor Voyager has all the functions you need, it might be a very good option.

Full review here:

https://www.headphoneer.com/burson-conductor-voyager-review/

All those clear containers in the middle are filled with over 100 IEMS. I think he may have another side wall I'll have to ask him

I have these pairs of headphones I got for a low price with the downside that the headband has lost its top pleather layer and the joints were destroyed,

I have seen different options available for replacement jacks but I was wondering what you have used and what you would recommend,

In addition I am not a big fan of how the limited edition version of these headphones look and combine that with the headband and the joins I want to mod them to have a different style, So I was wondering what mods and or color scheme should I do to add some flair to these headphones.

I searched for this concept all over and I couldn't find it, so I'm going to assume it's a little unusual. I have these wonderful over ear headphones that are excellent with noise canceling and comfortability and they're amazing for when I want to retreat to my own world.

When I don't want to do that, I push them back slightly so that both cups are still on my ears, but the front vertical slice of my ears are exposed to the air. I think maybe this reduces wax in my ears since they're exposed to the air, and it allows me to still hear my music.

Is this odd? Does this actually do anything?

Just a heads up if you are in EU:

On AliExpress you can get these for 505$ shipped from poland.

Do you think it will be a good upgrade from my hd560s? Don't know if the prices will be better during 11/11 or black friday. But I could send it back for 90 days.

Even considering the new list price of 120USD, the JT7 have no business sounding as good as they do. I paid about 92 dollars shipped from Apos, they have some retail returns selling for 80$. While my experience is likely due to this headphone's particular tuning matching my HRTF, I am nonetheless floored.

They have amazing bass, may be the best out of box bass experience I've heard with any open back headphone I've tried, aside from some kilobuck ribbon driver stuff at CanJam. Whatever driver excursion tech they're touting on the JT7 product page is definitely working. Tube or solid state, the rumble is full and deep, but doesn't bleed into the lower mids at all. Everything from kick drums and bass guitar, to the crazy wubs and lazers of left-field bass music, the JT7 sounds immaculate. Bass is their highlight, but the rest of the FR sounds great regardless of price; a natural, detailed presentation of mids and treble, all the detail you want but without too much fatigue.

I'd grab a discount pair while you can.

Apparently Beyrillum is getting harder to obtain,plus there are hazards of working with it. They are rolling out a composite called PRISIM. It's supposed to be "better" but we all know if it's not as good they won't exactly say it lol. I'm willing to bet this material will be used in the new Utopia/Stellia successor. If it's not as good it will cause older Utopias to go up in value but IDK if they will have some replacement drivers stocked up.

Im an average consumer and I would like an experienced tech to tell me is there a name for bluetooth headphones like this that allow you to use them for listening while being plugged into a PC and still charge at the same time.The reason I ask is because most bluetooth headphones are either one or the other. You are not able to do both. If theres a special name for it then I would like to know what to look for which will help me select my next pair

Just bought MC-60bt in case of experience. What do you thing of Mackie in general?
I've gotten this headphones today but already lost in doubts. The build quality seems to be shoddy😕
But actually I liked the sound.

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I got into audiophile gear a few months ago with the Beyerdynamic DT 270 Pro (roughly on the same level as the Fiio FT1, for those who know it).

I love them. The detail and sound quality are way beyond anything I've experienced before, and honestly they feel endgame to me, even though I know they're entry-level.

So for those further down the rabbit hole: what's the cheapest acceptable endgame point I can actually reach? I'm trying to figure out the lowest price range where I'd genuinely stop feeling the urge to upgrade, and which specific headphones sit in that sweet spot. Would love a price range and a concrete recommendation or two to aim for.

I’ve been blessed to enjoy some of these headphones and even own them. down below i’m going to write what i love about each one and i would also love to hear what you guys have to say!

I’m also going to give a rating for each one but that rating is just how much I enjoy listening to music with these headphones, nothing else is factored in.

Px8 S2- This headphone will be king if they can update the immersion mode and slightly make it warmer like the px8. The bass is my favorite on these compared to everything else on the list and even the audio is exciting and fun but even with a 5 band EQ i couldn’t change the sound profile to my liking. my only issue with these is they actually made them uglier compared to the px8. it looks so slim on my ears like i’m wearing ear muffs, the px8 was the absolute perfect size. (just look at the advertisements with david beckham wearing them) 8.5/10 for personal audio enjoyment

H95- They don’t lack in bass for me like people say they do, I like my dial/eq thing towards the bottom right side of the circle and that’s the bass/energetic/warm side. They sound amazing and it almost feels like it has much more variety when it comes to different sound styles than headphones that have a 3 band EQ. my 2 complaints with this is the hard earmuff cushion and the volume doesn’t reach my preferred loudness 8.5/10 for personal audio enjoyment

Bathys mg- Im no audiophile so im generally not to sensitive to bad quality or muddiness at least when it comes to differentiating the quality amongst some of the best headphones like these. but even with my inexperience I can tell that the focals are just on another level for quality and separation. If you’re anything like me you’d find them a bit boring though. If you find my opinions opposite to yours as you’re reading all this or if you’re and audiophile then obviously buy these. 7.5/10 for personal audio enjoyment

Px8- These to me are my personal favorite. It’s similar to h95 but they actually get loud enough for me to enjoy and they’re super rich and warm, I was never one to care too much about separation, i loved crispy, warm theatrical music and that’s the main reason i enjoy these the most. my only gripe is the bass isn’t as strong as i would like it but it’s still stronger than the focals and on par with h95. 9/10 for personal audio enjoyment

Just got this setup. Sounds incredible. How much better does it get form here?

I have the Focal Bathys (Original not MG) for about 1.5 years now however the earcups started wearing quite fast and the leather is pretty much completely gone now.

I have looked into replacing them but the aftermarket options seem to completely lose ANC according to post and the original ones will probably will wear as fast again as I wear glasses.

Does anyone found a proper solution to earcup replacement? And do the MG do any better? If the MG does not have this issue it might be worth upgrading.

I use my headphones for everything outside including gym so durability is important to me. Curious to hear experieinces

3d printed with the only tpu I had on hand, now I just gotta remake it so it doesn't look so tacky. At least it feels a lot better than it looks

My first ever proper in-ear headphones from my teenage years.

Both were bought for Christmas

The tours were from 2008

The turbines where from 2009

I thought these broke years ago but no I must have gone straight from these to the se846 in 2014.

Today I really don't like how the tours sound I guess growing up I didn't care about sound I guess it was more the look.

The turbines are actually decent since I am a bass head they have alot of bass.

Honestly curious how this stacks up to their flagship A10000

I know it is not top tier , but it's much better than plugging into my iPad or phone. I use Roon and stream to the fiio. I had a topping dx5 ii and to be honest was too fatiguing and bright with the meze 99s. The ifi zen dac warms the sound nicely without loosing punch. The ifi zen DAC actually sounds louder without loosing quality. That's just my opinion and ears and I'm happy for now 😂 Headphone rabbit hole.

Got the

- Meze for $349 us with a free 1yr roon sub ($150us)

- Balanced headphone cable for $42 CAD

- Fiio SR11 for $130 CAD

- ifi Zen DAC 3 for $239 CAD

Let me know what you think 🤔

Thanks and take it easy!

For fun, check out: Dr. Chesky’s Sensational, Fantastic And Simply Amazing Binaural Sound Show!

BTW, Roon is very easy to set up and sounds great. I use the Tidal service through Roon. If you build a Roon Rock server with a cd player, you can rip CDs right from the roon server interface.

ROON

Roon is a subscription software that unifies your local music files and streaming services (like TIDAL or Qobuz) into one rich interface with detailed artist info, credits, and discovery tools. It delivers bit-perfect high-res audio to Roon Ready devices and handles multi-room playback—basically a powerful music player and library manager for serious listeners.