Sivga Luan Black

Sivga Luan Black, open-back headphones with solid wood earcups

In Chinese mythology, the luan is a bird whose appearance heralds peace. Sivga borrows its name for a pair of open-back over-ear headphones built around solid wood earcups and a machined metal frame. Its 50 mm drivers were developed specifically for it, and its low impedance makes it just as comfortable plugged into a computer as connected to a headphone amplifier. The Black finish gives the wood a dark hue, echoed by the cable.

Solid wood, sanded and varnished by hand

The earcups are CNC-machined from solid wood, then sanded, polished, varnished and left to air-dry. These finishing stages are carried out by hand in the Dongguan workshops, where Sivga, founded in 2016, handles the design and manufacture of its headphones in-house. The headband and the parts connecting the earcups to it are machined from metal, whose cool tone contrasts with the wood. The Black version shares all its hardware with the mahogany brown version: only the color of the earcups and accessories changes.

A dynamic driver developed for this model

A dynamic driver works like a small loudspeaker: a coil placed in a magnet’s field moves a diaphragm back and forth, setting the air in motion. On the Luan, this 50 mm diaphragm combines two materials. Its surround receives a nickel treatment that makes it lightweight, rigid and elastic at the same time, while the central dome is made from an organic carbon fiber composite designed to absorb unwanted vibrations and keep the treble clear without harshness. The copper-clad aluminum coil is lighter than a pure copper coil, allowing the diaphragm to move quickly. A 24.5 mm neodymium-iron-boron magnet, with a magnetic energy of 350 kJ/m³, provides the necessary driving force. The stated frequency response extends from 20 Hz to 40 kHz, and the intended tuning emphasizes a full, detailed midrange, with bass that is present without being excessive.

Open listening in quiet surroundings

The grilles on the back of the earcups allow air to circulate freely behind the diaphragms. The sound gains a sense of airiness and the soundstage feels wider than with closed-back headphones, with music seeming to sit around the head rather than inside it. This openness works both ways: people nearby can hear what you are listening to, and sounds in the room reach your ears. The Luan is therefore best suited to home use, in a quiet living room or personal office, rather than on public transport or in a shared workspace.

Comfort designed for long sessions

The large oval earpads fully surround the ears without pressing on them. Their memory foam is covered in velour, a soft material that builds up less heat than synthetic leather over the hours. The same velour covers the suspended head strap: this flexible band, stretched beneath the metal headband, rests on the head and distributes the headphones’ 354 g weight over a wider area than conventional padding.

Easy to drive, with room to upgrade

With an impedance of 38 Ω and a sensitivity of 100 dB, the Luan reaches a comfortable volume from the headphone output of a smartphone, computer or portable music player. A converter with a headphone amplifier provides more power headroom and better diaphragm control, and this is the kind of pairing that brings out its best. The detachable 1.6 m cable, sheathed in TPU to reduce noise from rubbing against clothing, connects to each earcup via a 3.5 mm mono plug and terminates in a 3.5 mm stereo plug. This length suits listening at a desk, and a 6.35 mm adapter is supplied for amplifiers with a larger headphone socket. Since the earcup sockets use the common 3.5 mm format, there is a wide choice of replacement cables. The headphones come with a hard leather case and a hemp pouch.

Its place in the Sivga range

The Luan is Sivga’s third pair of headphones named after a bird, following the Robin SV021 and the Oriole. Those two models are closed-back, while the Luan adopts an open-back design and an entirely new driver. Above it, the SV023 remains the brand’s reference open-back headphones, with solid walnut earcups and an LCP film diaphragm with a beryllium-plated dome. The Anser, also open-back, rests on the ears rather than surrounding them.

Technical specifications

Acoustic design

• Type: open-back over-ear headphones
• Driver: dynamic, 50 mm diameter
  • Diaphragm: nickel-plated polymer surround, organic carbon fiber composite dome
  • Voice coil: copper-clad aluminum (CCA)
  • Magnet: 24.5 mm neodymium (NdFeB), 350 kJ/m³
• Impedance: 38 Ω ± 15%
• Sensitivity: 100 dB ± 3 dB
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 40 kHz
• Sound signature stated by SIVGA: deep, clean bass, full, layered midrange, refined treble without harshness

Materials and comfort

• Ear cups: CNC-machined solid wood, sanded, varnished and air-dried
  • Wood species not specified by SIVGA
  • Ash for the brown version according to a retailer
  • Zebrawood and rosewood according to the distributor
• Metal parts: CNC-machined yokes and connecting parts, silver finish
• Headband: dual metal headband, velour comfort strap, leather top
• Ear pads: oval, faux leather exterior, velour skin-contact surface

Connectivity

• Headphone-side connections: two 3.5 mm sockets, one per ear cup

Box contents

• Headphones
• Cable
  • Length: 1.6 m ± 0.2 m
  • Jacket: thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)
  • Connectors: 3.5 mm stereo jack plug on the source end to two 3.5 mm mono jack plugs on the headphone end
• Rigid faux leather carrying case
• Hemp pouch
• 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm adapter

Weight

• Weight: 354 g according to SIVGA, 364 g according to a retailer