The Sivga Anser 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 Anser is $199 and you can buy it from Amazon.
Sivga Anser
Sivga is a brand from China that is famous for making high quality headphones and earphones with wooden enclosures such as the P2 Pro and the Que. One of their latest models is the Oriole, an affordable closed back headphone with a compact form factor that is ideal for portable use. The recently released Anser is a similar looking, open back version of the Oriole. You can read further Sivga reviews here.
Technical highlights
The Sivga Anser utilizes a 50mm custom dynamic driver with a titanium plating technology on the torus surrounding the dome of the diaphragm. The dome itself is made of high molecular organic carbon fiber polymer that absorbs and effectively suppresses extra vibrations. The voice coil is made of copper-clad aluminum wire and oversized magnets provide high driving force and lower the sensitivity of the Anser.
You can read more technical details here.
Design and build quality
The ear-cups of the Anser are made from carefully selected solid wood that is hand-polished and then painted in a dark brown color using traditional finishing methods. The internal chambers that house the drivers are precisely carved with an advanced five-axis CNC machining procedure.
The open ear-cups are complemented with metallic grills that have a woven mesh pattern that allows for controlled sound flow and reduces reflections. They get attached to the headband with metallic brackets that have a 180° swivelling action. The metallic parts have a high quality smooth finish and the headband is covered with leather that is decorated with a nice looking white stitching.
The Anser is a very well made and beautiful looking headphone that surpasses most of the competition when it comes to build quality and the materials used. There are no plastic parts and the Anser has a luxurious appearance that is much better than someone would expect for the price.
Wearing experience
The detachable ear-pads have a hybrid design that combines soft synthetic leather at their outside and inner perimeters with microfiber material at the surface that touches the face. The inner foam is soft but doesn’t lose its shape even after hours of use. The size of the ear-pads is big enough to marginally engulf the whole ear while staying compact and portable.
The inner part of the headband is also covered with the same microfiber material and has a foam insert for added comfort. It feels comfortable but some extra foam thickness would be much welcomed. The Anser weighs 342g, a weight that gets evenly distributed at the head while the clamping force is medium and doesn’t exert much pressure.
The sliding mechanism is smooth and allows for fine adjustments of the size while the swivelling ear-cups help a lot to achieve a personalized fit. It would be great if the ear-cups folded to occupy less storage space. The ear-cups don’t have much depth so your ears might touch the inner mesh. The overall wearing experience is that of a lightweight and comfortable headphone that is suitable for many hours of use.
Cable and accessories
The headphone features a dual-entry detachable cable system with 3.5mm mono plugs for easy replacement. The package includes an entry-level, 2m long cable that is terminated with a 3.5mm plug. It has decent build quality with a fabric sheathing and is lightweight but also mildly microphonic.
Now that most sources on the market are balanced, even the budget friendly ones, it would be much better if the package included a balanced cable with a 3.5mm adapter. I’d rather pay a few dollars extra for a balanced cable than get a single-ended one that is pretty much useless these days.
Just like the Oriole, the Anser comes equipped with a carrying hemp pouch, instead of a regular carrying case, and a 3.5mm to 6.35mm plug adapter.
Efficiency and associated gear
With 38Ω of impedance and 105dB of sensitivity, the Anser is an easy to drive headphone and you can enjoy it from portable USB DAC dongles and entry level DAPs like the Shanling M1 Plus or the FiiO JM21. With these two sources going balanced was beneficial to the sound quality so I swapped the stock cable with a Lavricables pure silver cable.
Listening impressions
The sound signature of the Sivga Anser is more casually oriented than strictly speaking audiophile, yet balanced enough without any significant frequency response exaggerations. The low-end end is focused towards the mid-bass but not lacking in sub-bass extension. The mid-range is present and not recessed, as in many other popular V-shaped tunings, while the treble is sparkling and energetic enough but not venturing into brightness territory. The Anser is tuned to sound good and fun with most kinds of music and appeal to a wide range of users.
The bass is very enjoyable with popular tunes yet its overall tonal balance is not that bad for listening to classical music, as long as you don’t expect reference precision or complete absence of coloration. The large drivers can become very punchy and impactful, with realistic dynamic swings, when the music calls for it while staying fairly disciplined and controlled. The bass is quite fast with good layering and definition for the category. The resolution is satisfying and the textures appear surprisingly weighty and elastic.
The mid-bass is mildly boosted and exhibits some extra warmth and coloration but it doesn’t bleed into the mids or overshadow the treble. The Anser is not a headphone that is made for reference listening but on the other hand it does very well with playlists that include a variety of different music genres, classical music included. It also has the extra benefit that it can go pretty loud without distorting or losing control even with heavy bass tunes.
More listening impressions
The mid-range is musical and expressive, mostly balanced and surprisingly well articulated. The timbre is quite natural with a mildly warm hue and plenty of harmonic saturation. Some tones and overtones in the elevated upper mid-range can sound overemphasized, depending on your tastes, but the overall presentation is to be considered as realistic without too many sibilance or piercing qualities. Yet this is a sparkling and energetic headphone, not dark or slow. The textures are full bodied enough and well defined with sufficient resolution.
The treble takes over from the prominent upper mid-range but continues in a slightly smoother manner. It sounds well extended and vibrant without becoming too bright or piercing. It is clean and airy with very good resolution and detail retrieval for the price point. The timbre is natural without much metallic artificiality while the textures are pretty refined and weighty in accordance with the mid and lower frequencies. Purists might have wished for more refinement and resolution or some extra clarity and crispiness while might find the treble a little bit glary and coarse. However, the truth is that the Anser does a good job as an all-rounder headphone that you can use for hours without getting fatigued.
The soundstage is wide enough with acceptable depth so it doesn’t sound too flat and one-dimensional. The projection of the music is intimate and inside your head but if you pair the Anser with a high quality balanced source, you will be surprised by its inner spaciousness and the imaging accuracy. While it may not sound that holographic and grandiose, it still does well with complex tracks and doesn’t lose composure or get cramped.
Brief comparisons
Compared to the more expensive Sivga Luan, the Anser has a less neutral and reference-like tuning. The Anser is considerably more V-shaped and doesn’t sound as tonally accurate as the Luan which also outperforms it in technicalities and soundstage presentation. The Anser is the more fun and casual sounding headphone of the two while the Luan will appeal more to the hardcore audiophiles.
Not surprisingly, its closed back sibling, the Sivga Oriole, has a boxier sound with a more constrained soundstage and some lack of control in the low-end. The Oriole can sound a bit fuller and more impactful on the bass but the Anser is faster and tighter with better layering and definition. Some people might prefer the Oriole for its more forward mid-range and the smoother treble or the weightier bass. However the overall sonic performance and tonal balance of Anser are slightly better and it should be preferred if isolation is not a priority.
In the end
The Sivga Anser is an exceptionally well made and premium looking headphone that surpasses most of the competition in these regards. It has a casual but also balanced tuning that definitely emphasizes the fun elements of the music but in a manner that doesn’t make it unusable for some more critical moments.
Lightweight, comfortable, compact and easy to drive, the Sivga Anser is an excellent all-rounder headphone that pleases with all kinds of music and matches with a great variety of sources. The Anser is a pleasant surprise, a very likeable headphone that does most things right and you should definitely give it a chance if you are on the hunt for an open back headphone at this price point.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Fun and exciting yet balanced enough
+ Very good technical performance for the category
+ Punchy and impactful bass
+ Expressive mids and sparkling highs
+ Good separation and imaging
+ Easy to drive and scales well
+ Aesthetically pleasing
+ Comfortable, compact and lightweight
+ Excellent build quality with premium materials
+ Competitive price
- The treble needs some extra polishing and lacks transparency
- Not class-leading in resolution and refinement
- Intimate and mostly flat soundstage
- The ear-cups don't fold
- Doesn't come with a balanced cable or a carrying case
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