The HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the Svanar Wireless is $499 and you can buy it from the official HIFIMAN online store.
Introduction
The Svanar is HIFIMAN’s flagship in-ear monitor. Now it is available in a TWS version, called Svanar Wireless which uses a driver with the same topology diaphragm but in a slightly different internal implementation.
Technical highlights
The HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless is a TWS in-ear monitor that utilizes the in-house developed Himalaya R2R DAC module and separate headphone amplifiers in each earpiece to drive the topology diaphragm of the earphones. The amplifiers can provide 54mW/32Ω and 45mW/16Ω, plenty of power for the Svanar Wireless to go very loud and reach full dynamics without audible distortion.
The Himalaya is HIFIMAN’s custom R2R-ladder DAC module that you can find in products like their EF400 DAC/amp or in the Bluemini Bluetooth module. Now for the first time in the history of TWS earphones that such a technology is used to offer audiophile sound quality.
The “Topology Diaphragm”, that is implemented in the Svanar Wireless drivers, refers to a diaphragm that features a special nanoparticles coating applied to its surface. The result is a more natural and detailed sound than what is typically achieved with True Wireless earphones.
Active noise cancellation
The Svanar Wireless features active noise cancellation with a microphone that accurately identifies noise, generating a reverse signal that reduces noise up to -35dB. There are three different working modes: ANC ON, Transparency and High fidelity mode that disables ANC.
The active noise cancellation of the Svanar Wireless is very effective, it blocks a great amount of environmental noise, even low frequencies, and it doesn’t impart much degradation into sound quality. The high fidelity mode is definitely the best option when it comes to sound quality but the ANC is still very competitive and offers great results in noisy situations like when you are in a plane or in a crowded place.
Wireless connectivity
The Svanar Wireless supports Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with the AAC, SBC and the LDAC codecs for high fidelity sound. The aptX codec is not supported in any format so if your phone doesn’t support LDAC then you are stuck with plain SBC. After removing the earpieces from the charging case they will automatically enter pairing mode. Connecting and reconnecting is done easily and fast, the wireless reception is stable with a good working distance that can reach about 10m without obstacles. In certain Android devices, like my crappy tablet, you may experience disconnections or shuttering audio with the LDAC codec. In this case you can try to lower the bit rate. If the problem persists, then you should manually change Bluetooth codec to AAC or SBC. Thus said, I haven’t experienced such issues with high quality phones and everything worked extremely well and as intended without any disconnections or shuttering sound.
Build quality and fit
The Svanar Wireless earshells are quite bulky when compared to competitive products but not that big if we consider that they house the R2R DAC module and the amplifier. They are not very heavy (8g each) and they are anatomically shaped to offer a rather comfortable fit. The sound nozzle is short in length so some users with deeper ear cavities, like me, might have some trouble getting the earshells properly fitted. In such a case you should use the double flange ear-tips but there is a chance that you might need triple flanges that aren’t included in the package.
The design of the earbuds is modern and luxurious with a nice silver finish at the exterior while the interior parts are made from carbon fiber. Build quality and finish are excellent. The Svanar Wireless is IPX5 rated so you can use it at the gym.
Accessories
Inside the box you are going to find eight pairs of silicone ear-tips, double flanged included, and a USB charging cable.
Touch controls
The Svanar Wireless supports full touch interface at both earbuds. You can use short press, long press and one, two or three taps to access the various functions. You can control pretty much everything except for the volume which is only adjusted from the host device so you have to reach for it every time you need to change the volume level. The touch panels have the right amount of sensitivity to offer a good user experience but still you have to be careful when fitting the earbuds not to accidentally touch them and trigger some functions.
The charging case
The charging case is bulkier and heavier than most competitive products but it has a unique design that resembles a clamshell. It is very well made, it is sturdy and it houses a large capacity battery that offers three full additional charges for the earbuds. The charging case has enough inner space to accommodate the earbuds with the large sized silicone ear-tips. The case supports wireless charging and has two notification LEDs, one for the charging status of the earbuds and one for the case itself.
Listening impressions
The Svanar Wireless deviates from the typical HIFIMAN tuning with a slightly more emphasized bass than someone should expect from a HIFIMAN headphone. For the Svanar Wireless, HIFIMAN have opted for a casual and fun tuning with plenty of bass but without compromising on mids and treble while competitive technicalities and transparency guarantee audiophile standards.
A rather wise choice if we consider that this is a TWS earphone meant for use on the go where critical mood is not so important and people usually listen to all kinds of music.
The Svanar Wireless is well extended in the sub-bass while it deviates from linearity by keeping mid and upper bass portions slightly emphasized. Not that much though to overpower the rest of the frequencies. There is just a little bleeding into the mids but generally speaking the mid-range sounds clear and well defined without getting clouded by the bass. The Svanar Wireless is very punchy, dynamic and impactful, there is plenty of power on tap and can easily follow sudden dynamic changes. The bass is full bodied, weighty and visceral, mostly tight and controlled with the exception of some bloating here and there. Layering and definition are good and the overall tonality is quite realistic, just slightly out of tune when listening to the low pitched instruments of the symphony orchestra. The Svanar Wireless has plenty of high quality bass to satisfy both casual and critical listeners alike.
The tuning of the Svanar Wireless is slightly V-shaped but it cleverly keeps mid-range present and avoids excessive recession. The tone is mostly realistic, vocals and instruments sound well defined, articulated and engaging with plenty of colorful harmonies. The overall feeling is slightly warm and cozy with great expression and articulation. The mids appear as more full bodied and rounded than typical HIFIMAN planar headphones and the same goes for the treble which doesn’t sound lean or dry.
The treble is the strong point of the Svanar Wireless, it is the part of the frequency range that really shines and outperforms most of the competition, justifying its audiophile credentials and the price of admission. Typical Bluetooth earphones have the tendency to sound thinner, artificial and less refined in the treble than their wired counterparts, it is the takeaway of the Bluetooth lossy nature. Not on the Svanar Wireless though, HIFIMAN has done an excellent job (I guess it is the benefit of using the R2R DAC module) and the treble is almost as resolving, refined and natural sounding as the best wired earphones of the same category. Texture is kept full bodied and weighty while timbre is as realistic as it can be from a wireless earphone. There is plenty of energy and shimmer, the treble is airy, clean, well extended and precisely defined. The tuning is surprisingly smooth for HIFIMAN, there is no harshness or brightness but no lack of luminosity and brilliance either.
The soundstage of the Svanar Wireless is widely extended with plenty of space and air around the performers, there are no signs of congestion even with very crowded music passages. The presentation is quite grand, not that holographic but not two dimensional either.
During the evaluation period of the Svanar Wireless I have gone through various kinds of music and I remained very satisfied with the consistency of the performance, from classical to old time electronic favorites.
Compared to the HIFIMAN TWS800 ($299)
Honestly, the Svanar Wireless completely blows the HIFIMAN TWS800 in every single aspect, well, maybe except comfort. The sound performance is miles ahead, connectivity is more stable, there is LDAC support and of course the active noise canceling. The only part where I find the TWS800 slightly better is in comfort because of the longer nozzle that allows for a deeper and more stable fit. Other than that, the Svanar Wireless is a major upgrade over the TWS800.
In the end
The truth is that there are too many good sounding TWS earphones in the market, from various brands and at a variety of prices, but only a couple of them can sound as good as the Svanar Wireless. Moreover, the Svanar Wireless is the only TWS earphone to feature an R2R DAC module, a novel design that adds plenty of timbre realism and greatly lowers treble artificiality to such levels previously unthinkable for Bluetooth earbuds. The Svanar Wireless is the King of the TWS earphones thanks to its supreme sound quality, the effective ANC that doesn’t compromise in audio performance, the good battery duration and the excellent build quality.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Fun yet balanced tuning + Plenty of bass and sub-bass + Great transparency and technicalities + Impactful and dynamic + Gets pretty loud without audible distortion + Expressive mid-range + Brilliant but still smooth treble + Timbre realism and low treble artificiality + Spacious soundstage + Effective ANC with minimum impact on sound quality + Responsive touch panels + Good battery duration and 3 extra charges from the case + The case supports wireless charging + Excellent build quality and IPX5 rating + Plenty of ear-tips - The bass could use some more control - The earbuds are rather bulky - The charging case is larger and heavier than the competition - You can't adjust the volume from the touch panels - No supportive application - Triple flange ear-tips are missing from the package
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