Hifiman Svanar Wireless JR's Review

 

General/Build/Comfort/Packaging

I don’t think anybody needs an introduction for Hifiman. They’re well known for their line up of planar magnetic headphones, and recently their in house R2R DAC. I have the opportunity to test out the Svanar Wireless JR, which is based on their flagship single DD IEM that shares the same driver configuration, namely the topology diaphragm. You may check out this link for more information about the coating. 

The build quality of Svanar wireless JR, although it's plastic, it definitely doesn’t look cheap, with an ergonomic design focusing on comfort (more on this later). The charging case does have a faux leather kind of look to it, the surface is a little too smooth and sometimes it's hard to open the case. As for the fit, do take the time to choose the right ear tips as this will either make or break the seal for a good sound as well as fit. The packaging is rather straightforward and minimal, with various types of eartips.

Specifications

Frequency Response: : 10Hz-35kHz  

Bluetooth Version: : Bluetooth 5.2 

HIFI Mode: : up to 6 hrs 

ANC Mode: : up to 7 hrs 

Transparency Mode: : up to 8 hrs 

ANC Spec: : up to 35dB 

Waterproof: : IPX5 

Single Head Weight: : 8g 

Charging Case Weight: : 83.7g 

Transmission Distance: : up to 15m (barrier-free transmission) 

Codecs:SBC, LDAC, AAC

Gears used for this review

• iPhone 15 with Tidal/Apple Music (AAC)

• Hifiman Svanar Wireless JR

• Hiby R6 Bluetooth LDAC

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

*An important note prior going into the sound impression, Svanar Wireless’s sound is very tip dependent, in fact it can make or break the sound, so please take your time to tip roll and get a good seal. I took quite a bit of time to look for one that’s suitable for me, because the bundled ones don't fit my ears at all.

General Features

Touch Control

• Works well, fairly sensitive and doesn’t require a lot of effort to use it

Proximity Sensor

• Auto pause when the sensor detects the earpiece is taken out and resume playback when the sensor detects the earpiece is in ear again

Connectivity/Range

• The box/manual clearly mentioned that LDAC is bandwidth consuming, hence connectivity issue is to be expected, that is true and it does occurs during my time when i’m listening to it with LDAC codec

• AAC and SBC on the other hand works fine and has no connectivity issue

• The workaround to resolve the LDAC connectivity issue if you insist on using LDAC codec is to trigger the playback quality to Connection Quality(330kbps/303kbps) or Balanced Audio and Connection Quality(660kbps/606kbps), i noticed these two mode does that cause the connectivity issue to occur that much

ANC/Transparency Mode

• The noise cancellation works alright to cancel out the noise from certain low frequencies, it doesn’t work that well when it comes to mids and high frequencies such as when people are talking or when you’re out in a noisy environment, simply put, the noise cancellation’s performance is nowhere near the AirPod Pro, hence choosing the right eartips for this is crucial

• Transparency mode is also average, it does make you aware of the surroundings but when people are talking to you, with the music still playing back, you can’t really hear the voice of the person talking to you, again, nowhere near the AirPod Pro’s transparency mode

Battery Life

• Battery life is fair with the Hi Fidelity mode coming in around 6 hours ish for my usage with LDAC and at 40% listening volume

• ANC and Transparency mode does have a lot longer playtime ranging from 6-7 hours based on my observation when leaving it to loop through the songs

• The claim on the battery life is quite inline with Hifiman’s and i honestly have no issue with the shorter battery life on Hi Fidelity mode simply because of its sonic performance

Sound Impression with Hi Fidelity Mode (Tested with AAC and LDAC)

This is the default mode on every startup, also my preferred tuning/mode that I use most of the time. The Svanar Wireless JR doesn’t have the R2R Dac as with its bigger brother, however, it is equipped with class AB amplification which has quite a fun sound signature as well. Timbre sounds very natural to my ears overall. Bass has very good punch and speed, tracks like Metallica’s Lux Aeterna, Slipknot’s People=Shit!, are being handled by Svanar Wireless JR effortlessly, without sounding muddy nor bloated. Sub bass does rumble when the track calls for it, however it is not basshead kind of bass, sounds clean and good quality rumble. Good seal from the eartips is very important here. The mids are slightly forward yet not overly recessed, vocal positioning is quite center, but not very “in your face”, male vocal sounds a little lacking in terms of body, certain artist’s vocal can sound a little “brittle” especially for Zhao Peng, where his voice is supposed to sound deep and full, female vocal on the other hand sounds good with decent texture and body. Treble has a good amount of air and presence, this makes the whole music presentation sounds very airy. It is energetic but never offensive nor harsh. Detail retrieval is good but not excellent. Soundstage and imaging is good for a wireless earphone, slightly out of your head, good height perception but depth is lacking.

Instruments can be pinpointed easily where it’s coming from with good accuracy.

As for the difference between using LDAC and AAC, LDAC definitely has better resolution and soundstage, and doesn’t sound that compressed compared to AAC, AAC on the other hand is quite bassy possibly due to the compression.

Sound Comparison with ANC and Transparency Mode

ANC Mode

• The difference between ANC mode vs Hi-Fidelity mode is very noticeable, i would even go as far as saying its day and night difference in terms of sound

• Bass is not as punchy on ANC but still with decent quality and control

• Sub bass rumble more or less similar to Hi Fidelity mode

• Mids are slightly recessed compared to Hi Fidelity mode

• Treble doesn’t sound as airy nor extended as on Hi Fidelity Mode, indirectly also affecting detail retrieval

• Soundstage also doesn’t sound that holographic compared to Hi Fidelity Mode

Transparency Mode

• Transparency mode to my ears is slightly better than ANC mode, but of course when compared to Hi Fidelity mode, obviously the latter is far superior in terms of sonic performance

• Bass and mids are more or less similar sounding with ANC mode

• Treble is slightly better offering a little bit more air compared to ANC mode

• Better width,depth and height perception on the soundstage

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Svanar Wireless JR is a very good TWS if you are looking at it from the sonic performance, the general TWS features such as noise cancellation, transparency mode, and connectivity issue does hinder the overall rating of Svanar Wireless JR. If you’re looking for a good sounding TWS, Svanar Wireless JR no doubt is the one for you if you’re willing to overlook a certain shortcoming of it, but of course I did mention the workaround above and it pretty much resolves the issue for me. The price is indeed premium for a TWS, but looking solely at the sonic performance, i’d say it's a fair price considering the design and engineering effort needed for such device

*Svanar Wireless JR is sent over by Hifiman for the purpose of this review. I thank them for the opportunity as always

If you are interested in getting one, head over to their official webstore

Hifiman Svanar Wireless JR Product Page

Hifiman Svanar Wireless JR Store Link - Non affiliated