The Svanar Wireless "Swan" series headphones from HIFIMAN can be seen as pioneering true HIFI-level wireless Bluetooth headphones. We have previously reviewed the full-blooded version and the Jr "Youth Edition", and this year's latest LE "Luxury Edition" has also arrived at our editorial department. How does it perform?
Product Specifications
Weight: 8g/83.7g (single earbud/charging case)
R2R Architecture DAC: Customized version by Himalayas
Built-in headphone amplifier: Independent Class A/B balanced headphone amplifier
Driver unit: 9mm Topology Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
Frequency response range: 10Hz-35kHz
Noise cancellation: ANC 35dB active noise cancellation + ENC noise cancellation
Battery life: 5/7/28 hours (HiFi mode/Transparency mode/charging case recharge)
Reference price: 1499 RMB
Luxury Edition, what sets it apart from the full-blooded and youth editions?
From our previous reviews, we know that the full-blooded "Swan" Svanar Wireless is currently at the ceiling of HiFi-level Bluetooth true wireless headphones in terms of sound quality and design. On the other hand, the quasi-thousand-yuan "Youth Edition" Svanar Wireless Jr mainly removes the customized R2R architecture DAC and high bitrate codec support to save costs while retaining the built-in balanced headphone amplifier and HiFiMan's signature topology diaphragm dynamic driver, thus maintaining a high sound quality at a lower price.
Today, with our LE version of the "Swan" Wireless, its configuration is even closer to the "full-blooded version", only removing support for high bitrate codec decoding and wireless charging, while keeping all other acoustic and exterior designs basically consistent with the "full-blooded version", at a price that is only about half of the full-blooded version! In terms of trade-offs, it is quite sincere!
In summary, the Svanar Wireless LE ensures the core acoustic design principles and configurations while removing less impactful features on sound quality. It downgrades certain auxiliary functions (such as wireless charging) and materials (inner earpiece material) but maintains a higher level of configuration compared to the SVANAR Wireless Jr "Youth Edition" in terms of acoustic setup and overall materials. By sacrificing secondary features to ensure primary ones, it guarantees a consistent core experience with the full-blooded luxury version of the wireless swan!
The design remains luxurious. The Svanar Wireless LE inherits HIFIMAN's flagship design language, with a metal-trimmed charging case and a 16-faceted design, complemented by a surface leather texture, exuding a subtle sense of luxury. Despite the omission of wireless charging, the charging case's battery life remains excellent, providing up to 28 hours of usage time to meet the demands of prolonged music enjoyment.
The design of the earphones is also exquisite, with shiny metallic ear cups that combine ergonomic shapes and lightweight materials, making the Svanar Wireless LE comfortable and secure to wear. Despite its larger size, each earbud weighs only 8g, almost imperceptible, ensuring comfort even during extended wear.
The inner front cavity of the Svanar Wireless LE is not made of full-blooded carbon fiber composite material, but of single-color precision plastic, which still maintains a good sense of quality and has minimal impact on signal transmission. In terms of wearing experience, the actual wearing test feels skin-friendly, with both comfort and appearance of the Svanar Wireless LE being completely consistent with the Svanar Wireless.
The core acoustic setup is uncompromising.
HIFIMAN's wireless Swan family leads the way in Bluetooth true wireless HIFI earphones because HIFIMAN has discovered that the bandwidth of Bluetooth codec protocols is not the core determinant of sound quality.
The core of determining the sound quality of Bluetooth earphones lies in the "quality of the built-in DAC in most Bluetooth receiver chips, or even without a DAC configuration." Therefore, by introducing high-quality R2R architecture DAC and custom ear amplifier modules, and breaking away from the unit configuration mindset of "dynamic driver/balanced armature dominates the market" in TWS earphones, HIFIMAN adopts its unique 9mm planar diaphragm unit, forming a complete HIFI-level front-end + back-end setup, thus possessing a truly high-end acoustic configuration that can compete with wired HIFI earphones.
On Svanar Wireless LE, how does this acoustic configuration system work?
Firstly, the introduction of the R2R architecture DAC enables miniaturization, allowing it to fit into the wireless swan's cavity. The linear performance of R2R technology itself results in signal conversion accuracy higher than traditional serial DAC solutions for wired audiophile headphones, with significantly lower noise than Δsigma architecture DACs, thus achieving precise sound source reproduction.
Following high-quality processing of the signal by the custom audiophile earphone amplifier unit in the DAC stage, impressive total harmonic distortion and drive performance are achieved, providing the unit with powerful output.
And the final challenge lies in HIFIMAN's unique unit topology diaphragm technology. By coating the diaphragm surface with special materials and processes, the diaphragm forms a certain topological shape, achieving subtle sound quality tuning effects. This helps to compensate for the sound quality deficiencies caused by the inherent sound production mechanisms of traditional in-ear dynamic driver/BA/dynamic driver hybrid units, significantly enhancing the detail performance of the sound.
Sound Quality Performance: Extremely Close to the Full Version "Svanar"
Sound quality has always been one of the biggest selling points of the HIFIMAN wireless Svanar series. With almost the same acoustic configuration, does the LE version of the wireless Svanar continue the stunning performance of the full version? We conducted tests using an iPhone, Redmi K60 PRO, and the MSI BE660M mortar motherboard with a built-in Bluetooth adapter as the playback platforms.
Firstly, in the headphonetest frequency response quantification test, the HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless LE basically reached the claimed frequency response range and sound positioning resolution performance. Especially in some extreme frequency performances, there were no common issues found in TWS music earphones such as distortion, abnormal diaphragm movement, sudden silence, etc. The basic acoustic performance passed with excellence.
Next, we tested the sound quality using lossless audio sources. To cater to the listening habits of mainstream users, we used the most popular online lossless music playback platform VIPER HIFI APP on the Android platform, as well as the most popular mobile music app QQ Music, and foobar2000 on the PC platform for testing. All audio sources were downloaded locally for testing.
In addition to testing common headphone evaluation tracks like Tsai Chin's "Ferry", Sun Lu's "Lonely Lover", and a 60th-anniversary album of Ms. Barbara Streisand featuring mezzo-soprano and high-pitched vocals, as well as classical symphonic music like L'Arte Dell'Arco's "Vivaldi: The Four Seasons", and pop music tracks like Jay Chou's "Greatest Works", we also tested popular singles from the folk band Gao Wu Ren, the latest album "Scorched" from the legendary rock and heavy metal band Overkill, and the album "THE BOOK3" from the hottest Japanese music duo YOASOBI, covering a wide range of music genres to evaluate the headphones' tonality.
Choose high-quality audio sources such as DSD and FLAC with high bitrates and depth for the best sound performance.
Overall, the Svanar WirelessLE excels in bass with its fast, light, steady, and clear performance, especially in extension and impact, offering a more pleasing feel to general listeners compared to the full-blooded Svanar Wireless. In comparison to the Jr. version, it stands out more in detail, providing better spatial reproduction of drum beats and avoiding any wired headphone sound coloration due to the DAC connection.
In the mid-range, the sound is lively and dynamic with a strong sense of presence, and the vocals on the LE version sound more rounded, making it more appealing for young listeners who enjoy ACG music.
In the high frequencies, the Svanar WirelessLE delivers a powerful and commanding presence. It excels in imaging resolution and soundstage, showcasing excellent analytical capabilities and spatial representation.
For example, when playing a single track from the latest album "Scorched" by the legendary rock and heavy metal band Overkill, the drum hits are clear, the bass and attack frequencies in the low end are full of spatial depth, the distorted guitars and guitar recordings have a broad and thick feel, the vocals are intense, blending seamlessly yet distinctly, removing any redundant low frequencies, providing a fully immersive live experience with outstanding energy, distortion contours, and stimulating high and low frequencies, delivering a thoroughly satisfying listening experience.
In terms of sound quality, the Svanar Wireless LE not only retains the characteristics of the full-blooded wireless swan but also improves the tuning, presenting a more full and rounded performance in vocals and extreme frequencies without losing its precise analytical features, making the tuning very appropriate.
Ease of use and functionality: Audiophile-friendly
The Svanar Wireless LE is easy to operate, allowing for play control, track switching, and mode changes by simply tapping the earphone shell. Additionally, it supports voice assistants, enabling users to wake it up by long-pressing the right ear for three seconds, providing more convenience.
Noise cancellation and battery life: Immersive enjoyment of audiophile music
In addition to sound quality, the ANC deep noise reduction feature of the Svanar Wireless LE is also commendable. With up to -35dB noise reduction capability, it effectively isolates external noise, providing a quiet listening environment whether at home or in noisy public places. Moreover, its IPX5 waterproof rating makes it an ideal choice for outdoor activities.
In conclusion, with well-balanced trade-offs, the Svanar Wireless LE comes close to the audiophile ceiling, offering a compelling audio experience.
HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless LE has emerged as a rising star in the current HIFI true wireless earphones market, thanks to its luxurious design, outstanding audio performance, user-friendly operation, and powerful additional features. It not only meets the stringent requirements of music enthusiasts for sound quality but also balances convenience and comfort for daily use. For users seeking a high-quality music experience, the Svanar Wireless LE is undoubtedly a recommended choice.
