SIVGA Peng Review: Warm, Bassy, and Classy

SIVGA is an up-and-coming Chinese headphone manufacturer. They’ve been around for a few years and have released and number of dynamic and planar headphones. The Chinese headphone market is growing rapidly, but hasn’t quite figured out how to penetrate the wall formed by major western brands like Sennheiser. But, make no mistake: SIVGA isn’t pulling their punches with their new crop of headphones. The PENG, SIVGA’s new dynamic closed-back headphone, is priced well — but does it actually perform? Let’s get into it.

You can find the PENG for sale on Amazon for $450.

About My Preferences: This review is a subjective assessment and is therefore tinged by my personal preferences. While I try to mitigate this as much as possible during my review process, I’d be lying if I said my biases are completely erased. So for you, my readers, keep this in mind:

• My ideal sound signature would be one with competent sub-bass, a textured mid-bass, a slightly warm midrange, and an extended treble.
• I have mild treble sensitivity.

Testing equipment and standards can be found here.

The Big Picture

Pros:

• Warm, comfortable sound
• Engaging treble, upper-midrange
• Punchy mid-bass
• Strong layering capabilities
• Robust build quality
• Premium-feeling cable, adapter
• Uses common detachable cable standard

Cons:

• Instrumental region lacks air
• Sub-bass needs more emphasis
• Lacking in rumble

Tech Specs

• Driver: 50mm dynamic
• Impedance: 340 ohms
• Sensitivity: 102 +-3dB SPL/mW
• Weight: 341g
• Cable: detachable 3.5mm mono w/ 4.4mm termination

Sound

The PENG’s overall presentation is calm and warm, with a splash of excitement in the upper-treble as well as the mid-bass. Its smooth and mellow timbre makes for easy listening, even at higher volumes or for extended periods of time. It is less V-shaped than you’ll find with mainstream headphones, but brings considerable technical capabilities to back up its calmer presentation.

Tracks like M83’s Midnight City showcase the PENG’s clean and responsive treble. Its entire upper-register is refined and performant, readily capturing and resolving fine details. The attack and decay of the lead synth are quick and precise, but most importantly, organic. The PENG’s real strength here is its capacity to organically integrate properly-energetic treble into its otherwise warm and relaxed sound signature. The metallic twang of finger-strummed acoustic guitar in Lock & Key; Nominee rings out into the track’s desolate soundstage with texture and rigor — an important ingredient in the performance’s overall balance. The treble-soaked fringes of Like You Do; Joji’s filtered piano are likewise strikingly-textured. The PENG’s treble timbre and speed is spot-on — and clearly tuned to audiophile standards.

The PENG’s midrange is neutral with a warm bias. This is the cornerstone of its overall tone and presentation. Male vocals are weighty and solid, though perhaps a little flat. The deep bass/guitar chugs in See It Again; Manchester Orchestra roll off of the PENG’s drivers like dark and brooding storm clouds. The track’s signature “wall-of-sound”, composed by layers of distorted electric guitars, is formidable when played through the PENG’s midrange. The vocalist’s higher-pitched lyrics are clear and intelligible, but maintain a bit of the flatness I mentioned earlier. Those with a preference towards linear midranges will no doubt be partial towards this style of vocal toning, though I like a little more energy.

Being a closed-back dynamic headphone, the PENG should be capable of producing a fair bit of lower-register presence. And, for the most part it does. Bass thumps are clean and often tactile. Sub-bass extension is strong, though the PENG doesn’t rumble all that much. Electronic music is enjoyable, though not as immersive as some of my bass-oriented IEMs. The PENG’s mid-bass is well-rounded and controlled, making for a punchy and responsive experience. It’s able to articulate, but doesn’t follow through with the depth of intensity I’m looking for. Tracks like Do You Feel It; Chaos Chaos rely heavily on a foundation of rumbly sub-bass that the PENG just doesn’t have on tap.

Build

The PENG is built beautifully and features a mix of polished zebrawood, matte-finished metal, and lamb leather.

Its cable uses dual 3.5mm mono jacks. This is a common cable standard, so it should be easy to source replacement cables. That said, you probably don’t really need to. The stock cable is seriously-nice. It makes generous use of metal and features plenty of strain relief.

The stock earpads are well-padded. They’re contoured, too, which isn’t something I’ve seen on too many models out there. They seal pretty well and have above-average isolation — but on warmer days can get a little too hot.

The PENG’s headband is made from quality leather and supported by two floating strips of steel. It’s not a “self-adjusting” headband like you’ll find on Meze’s models, but is easy to adjust nonetheless.

Comfort

Comfort is a metric that relies heavily on factors influenced by your individual ear anatomy. Mileage will vary.

The PENG isn’t the lightest headphone around, but is far from the heaviest. In spite of its large drivers and robust material choice, it is light-enough to wear for several consecutive hours with minimal discomfort. The interior volume of the PENG’s earpads is large enough such that my ears remain uncompressed, and maintain sufficient distance from the driver shroud. The PENG doesn’t breath as well as some of my open-backed headphones (obviously), but is usable on warm days for moderate listening sessions.

Power

Coming in at a substantial 340ohms, the PENG is not particularly easy to drive. You’ll get best results with a dedicated headphone amp, though I was able to get away with high-powered dongles like the AudioEngine HXL during testing. I paired the PENG with the Burson Playmate 3 for the majority of testing and found that it was plenty powerful to reach comfortable volumes.

Accessories

Inside the box you’ll find:

• 1x Cable baggie
• 1x 4.4mm-to-3.5mm adapter
• 1x 3.5mm to 1/4in adapter
• 1x Semi-hard carrying case

The PENG’s accessory package is serviceable. Its case is well-built and protective and has sufficient space to store a cable within. The 1/4in adapter is standard and functional. The PENG’s 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter is well-built and matches the cable’s aesthetic. It uses the same style of termination housing, same cable, and same spring-loaded strain relief design. No complaints from me. A pair of spare earpads would have been nice, but is certainly not a requirement at this price point.

Conclusion

The PENG is a technically-capable, warm-leaning headphone with excellent construction and attractive design. While it isn’t particularly cheap, it’s a big step forward compared to the ChiFi headphones of yesteryear. Its smooth presentation and gentle tuning make it a good companion for extended listening sessions. The PENG’s low-end is dynamic and engaging, but lacks the rumble and sub-bass substance I crave.

Who This is For

• Those looking for warm, intimate presentation
• Listeners that enjoy linear midrange tuning
• Audiophiles who want “north-of-neutral”, midrange-linear sound

Who This isn’t For

• Those seeking reference sound
• Bassheads
• Listeners accustomed to traditional V-shaped sound signatures

As always, happy listening!