The Sivga P2 Pro 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 P2 Pro is $449 and you can buy it from Sivga’s Amazon or AliExpress store.
Sivga P2 Pro
Sivga is a well known audio brand that specializes in making high quality headphones and earphones with wooden enclosures. The SIVGA P-II is the brand’s best seller, a planar magnetic, open-back headphone with great price to performance ratio that made it a huge success.
Sivga is now back with an updated version of the P-II, the P2 Pro that features a different tuning and a new wood finish to distinguish it from its predecessor.
The Sivga P2 Pro features planar magnetic diaphragms with an innovative sapphire vibration circuit that is the first of its kind in the industry. You can dig deeper inside the technologies behind the Sivga P2 Pro here.
Design and build quality
The driver housings of the Sivga P2 Pro are made from red oak wood versus the black walnut that was used for the P-II. The wood is hand polished so every headphone has its own unique appearance.
The outer frame is an etched stainless steel mesh and all other metal parts are CNC-machined and undergo a surface gunmetal treatment that adds a unique and luxurious appearance to the headphone.
The P2 Pro features an updated headband design with better ergonomics than the P-II. It has an improved self-adjusting mechanism and the suspension strap is wider and thinner, featuring kidskin at the outer and a skin-friendly velvet at the inner surface.
The Sivga P2 Pro is exceptionally well made and assembled, only premium materials are used without a single plastic part. The headphone doesn’t make any noises during adjustment or head movement and offers a great user experience both visually and ergonomically.
Wearing comfort
The ear-pads have an asymmetrical shape that is carefully calculated to fit various face shapes and offer excellent seal. The outer perimeter is made from high-protein leather, the surface that touches the face is from velvet and the inner part is stuffed with soft sponge. They engulf the whole ear and feel very comfortable and cool as they allow plenty of air circulation.
The Sivga P2 Pro weighs 435g so it is not that lightweight but it is very comfortable to wear thanks to the well designed headband that allows for equal distribution of the weight without causing hotspots at the head. The swiveling ear-cups also help a lot to achieve a personalized fit. The clamping force is just enough to keep the headphone stable without exercising much pressure. You can wear the Sivga P2 Pro for hours without the need to take a break or feel the weight at your neck.
The stock cable
The interchangeable cable features dual 3.5mm plugs on the ear-cups and is made from 6N OCC copper in a braided design and a color that matches the appearance of the headphone. The cable is terminated with a 4.4mm plug and comes with a convenient, 4.4mm to 3.5mm short tail adapter. This is a well made cable with high quality plugs, it has strain reliefs, it is soft, lightweight and doesn’t make microphonic noise.
Accessories
Except for the cable, you also get a 6.35mm adapter, a hemp carrying bag and a high quality carrying case with a leather outer surface. An all inclusive bundle that adds great value to the headphone.
Power requirements
The headphone has 32Ω impedance with 98dB of sensitivity so it is moderately easy to drive and the source must be able to provide plenty of current. It doesn’t necessarily need an amp but it scales well with more powerful sources like high quality DAPs, DAC/amp combos or a few selected USB dongles. For most part of the review I have used the Aune S9c Pro, the FiiO K11 R2R and the iBasso DX180.
Listening impressions
Sivga was right to use the word “Pro” as the second synthetic of the headphone name because this new version follows an opposite tuning path than the warm sounding P-II. Staying faithful to its name, the Sivga P2 Pro has a monitor-like tuning with excellent neutrality, a good tonal balance and exceptional clarity throughout the whole frequency range.
The headphone has class-leading transparency and fidelity within its category as well as very satisfying detail retrieval and resolution. Technicalities are much improved over its predecessor but Sivga was clever enough to avoid making it sound like a monitoring tool so it is not a sterile and clinical headphone. The textures might be a little lean but are not dry while the P2 Pro is able to reproduce the music with plenty of harmonic variety and overtones diversity.
The low-end has the ideal balance for critical listening as it sounds tonally accurate without any kind of unnecessary coloring. Sub-bass extension is pretty good without audible attenuation and all bass instruments are faithfully reproduced as close to reality as possible. The Sivga P2 Pro is very technical, the bass is tight and controlled with excellent layering while it has a surprisingly strong physical impact. It is so technically competent that it can easily handle the most difficult bass lines without losing pace and definition.
More listening impressions
When it comes to the mids, the Sivga P2 Pro has a prominence towards the upper mid-range that is more forward sounding and with an increased amplitude over the treble peaks, thus sometimes flirting with sharpness. Depending on the quality of the recording and the mixing method, the upper-mid range can sound too hot (especially in louder listening volumes) and may be perceived as piercing and harsh for certain people with sensitivity to this area. Other than that, the mid-range is rather balanced with an acceptable tonal accuracy and a mostly natural timbre both for voices and instruments. The Sivga P2 Pro is musical and engaging enough without sacrificing its exceptional clarity and articulation while steering away from sterility.
The treble is smoother than the upper mid-range and it doesn’t sound bright or fatiguing, all while retaining good extension and plenty of energy. The higher frequencies are faithfully reproduced with excellent detail retrieval while not sounding dry or paper thin. The timbre is almost natural except some traces of metallic artificiality or “planar” timbre if you prefer, but not that much to severely compromise treble realism.
The soundstage is spacious and naturally expanded with sharp imaging and plenty of surrounding air. It is not that deep and the overall feeling is more intimate than grand or holographic, however you can still feel the ambience of live recordings.
Against the competition
The Sivga P2 Pro can be described a as nice alternative to the Hifiman headphones of the same category. The P2 Pro is the ideal option for people who would like to have an affordable planar magnetic headphone with a neutral – balanced tuning but less brightness on the treble than the Hifiman offerings. However they must be sure that they are content with the upper mid-range prominence of the P2 Pro. Another affordable option is the FiiO FT5 which in comparison sounds more romantic and warm, shifting closer to casual than critical listening.
In the end
The Sivga P2 Pro is an exceptionally well made, comfortable and premium looking, planar magnetic, headphone with a neutral – balanced tuning. It does most things right and is ideal for critical listening while not excluding casual audiences plus it can also be used for professional monitoring. Rightfully priced and generously accessorized, it represents great value and stands out as it has to offer something different than the common commercial tunings.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2024.
+ Neutral and balanced sound signature
+ Excellent low-end tonal accuracy
+ Technical and impactful bass
+ Clear and transparent mids
+ Smooth and resolving treble
+ Mostly natural timbre
+ Open and spacious soundstage
+ Super comfortable
+ Exceptional build quality and premium materials
+ High quality balanced cable with single ended adapter
+ Premium carrying case
+ Great value
- Mostly flat and intimate soundstage
- Slightly metallic and artificial treble
- Intense upper mid-range emphasis might not be for everyone
- Lean (but not too dry) textures
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