Earlier this month, I took a look at HIFIMAN’s new flagship in-ear monitors, the Svanar, are loved them. Rightfully so — at $1,999, they were targeting dedicated audiophiles well on their sonic journey. But what if you want next-level sound and are ready to cut the cord? That’s where the Svanar Wireless comes in. At 1/4th the price of the wired Svanar, these true wireless earbuds promise exceptional sound quality with high-resolution audio codecs, active noise cancellation, superior build quality, and solid battery life. But as one of the most expensive true wireless earbuds on the market today, they certainly have something to prove.
Specifications
Current Price: $499 (Amazon, HIFIMAN)
HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless - First Impressions and Key Features
First things first: the Svanar Wireless is not a wireless version of the Svanar. That really should come as no surprise given that the original are wired IEMs with an inner half that’s made of 24-karat gold-plated brass and are quadruple the price, but with the name Svanar Wireless, you could be forgiven for thinking the opposite.
Instead, the Svanar Wireless is a unique product within the Svanar family. They have a lot of shared DNA, which makes these an exciting, yet still very niche and targeted, pair of TWS IEMs. At $499, they’re priced out of competition with the Bose and Sony flagships and are instead aimed at audiophiles ready to cut the cord but that don’t want to give up the high-quality DAC and amp gateway to their listening enjoyment. At the same time, this is the first pair of true wireless earbuds from HIFIMAN to offer active noise cancellation and transparency modes, so you also won’t have to sacrifice advanced TWS features just to enjoy higher-quality listening.
Like the wired Svanar, the Wireless is made from multiple materials and has an exceptionally comfortable shape. While the OG utilized aluminum and brass, here we have plastic on the outside, styles to look like aluminum, and carbon fiber on the inner side. HIFIMAN doesn’t describe any sonic characteristics the carbon fiber might impart, but it assuredly helps these earbuds be a bit lighter given their larger size.
The inner shape is inspired by the contours of a swan (Svanar is Swedish for “swan”) and is contoured to nestle in the outer ear. There’s a slight wing in the back that hooks in without being uncomfortable and makes the buds feel more secure even while moving around. Technically, they’re IPX5 rated for water resistance, so technically you could work out in these and have them stay in place reasonably well, but I personally couldn’t see taking such a pricey pair of IEMs to the gym to get covered in sweat.
The fit is also enhanced by the range of ear tips included with the package. You’re given six pairs of silicone tips and two pairs of memory foams, so it’s not difficult to find a pair that works well for isolation and snugness. The case, which is large enough to create a bulge in your pocket, trimmed in leatherette, and jewelry-box-like, also has enough space to accommodate aftermarket ear tips. If you’re investing in such a pricey pair, it’s not crazy to think that you might also have preferred tips you would like to add, and it’s nice to see support for it here. Surprisingly, the vast majority of TWS cases won’t support much outside of the tips they include in the box.
The magic of these earbuds, what sets them apart, is that they don’t skimp on the DAC and amp being used. Many true wireless earbuds do, including flagship sets from major brands, and then apply DSP (digital signal processing) to correct deficiencies in their electronics. It’s not out of cheapness: brands do these because they’re packing a lot of technology into a very small space. That the Svanar Wireless does not sacrifice its signal chain is one of the core reasons for the buds’ additional size.
Inside each earpiece, you have a full, high-resolution digital-to-analog converter worthy of any audiophile can. In fact, it’s the same Hymalaya DAC included with the DEVA Pro’s wireless module. It’s known as a ladder DAC, R2R (or R-2R), and uses a series of resistors to convert its signals to analog output. While not necessarily better than a traditional standalone DAC, R2R converters are popular among certain audiophiles due to their perceived “warmer” sound and vintage conversion approach. The warmth is up for debate and, like all DACs, depends upon implementation.
From there, the source audio hits a buffer and a low-pass filter to cut out unwanted noise. Then, the signal is amplified before reaching your ears. The system is drawn out and optimized for sound quality in a way most other TWS earbuds are not and delivers much lower measurable distortion as a result (0.005% total harmonic distortion at -2dB). You’ll notice in the picture above that there isn’t a DSP filter stage. In much the same way that wired earbuds and headphones give you the “pure” sound of the drivers, the Svanar Wireless does the same. It’s not the norm for true wireless earbuds, frankly, and speaks to high-quality components, topology, and driver.
This is at least true for the High Fidelity mode. When swapping to the buds’ ANC or transparency modes, there is a large drop in volume. This makes me wonder whether the chain above is turned off in these modes and the Svanar instead shifts to a more traditional TWS chain. They sound good, mind you, but HiFi sounds, well, HiFi and is definitely going to be how you want to listen to these buds most of the time.
Active noise cancellation filters out a good amount of low and mid-frequency noise but does so with a noticeable light hiss and a bit of cabin pressure inside the ears. Transparency mode sounds more natural and lacks the tinny sound that sometimes comes through on true wireless earbuds, but the hiss is present and even a touch louder than on ANC mode. Thankfully, this goes away entirely with these modes off, which HIFIMAN calls High-Fidelity mode (a woman’s voice tells you want mode you’re using as you cycle through).
There’s a big difference in battery life between the modes, too. With ANC on, HIFIMAN rates them at six hours for total battery life. Transparency mode boosts that to seven hours. High Fidelity mode drops that all the way to four hours, so it seems that ANC and transparency modes may not be utilizing the same source chain. There’s also a noticeable difference in volume and sound quality between these. None sound bad, but High Fidelity certainly sounds best, especially when played with LDAC. The case is good about three recharges and supports wireless charging if you’d rather not drape another wire by your bedside table.
The Svanar Wireless also carries through the Topology Diaphraphm design we enjoyed on the wired Svanar. Both models use single dynamic drivers to create their soundscape, though note that HIFIMAN doesn’t say that both models are using the same driver. Instead, they’re both dynamics and are coated in patterned nanoparticles to tune their sound.
Controlling the buds is all done through capacitive touch. Holding the left earbuds cycles through the different listening modes, while single, double, and triple tapping either controls play/pause, previous, and next track respectively. Double and triple-tapping also control answers and rejects calls. I found these to be quite reliable, but I wish there were a way to control the volume on the earbuds themselves.
The earbuds also surprised me by offering no form of app support. Perhaps this would be needless given that the DAC/amp chain doesn’t include a DSP for features like EQ customization, but it also closes the door on firmware updates and customizing the controls.
What they do support, however, is LDAC for high-resolution listening over Bluetooth 5.2. LDAC is a Sony-proprietary codec and allows for dramatically higher wireless bandwidth. It’s able to support 24-bit/192kHz listening, which is very close to wired audio quality. If you have Android, you can enable this within your device settings. iOS users are unfortunately unable to take advantage of this feature.
HIFIMAN Svanar Wireless - Listening Impressions
The Svanar Wireless are aimed squarely at audiophiles and do a good job of delivering tonal balance and detailed listening. They aren’t bass-heavy like many in this class and instead, weigh that against the mids and highs with a strong eye toward resolution and detail. Vocals are at the forefront, but there’s plenty of treble detail that gives these a sense of clarity usually reserved for wired IEMs and a surprisingly wide soundstage. Overall tonality would tilt toward the mids and vocals.
The bass on the wireless isn’t as forward as I like, but it’s tight and resolving. U.S.S. Regret by Jonny Craig provides a good example of its impressive tonality and texture, but it doesn’t have the amplitude to give the lows their proper rumble without turning the volume way up. When you do, the earbuds really come into their own and sound great but I generally listen at a much quieter level.
Instead, the focus is on the mids and highs. Vocals are the star of the show. Male and female vocalists come right to the front of the mix and sound smooth and enrapturing. There’s wonderful detail in this range, giving singers texture that’s usually swept away unnoticed. I loved listening to Adele’s new album with these. I’ve rarely heard her sound sweeter.
The highs don’t seem artificially accentuated but are bright enough to make strings and percussion sound crisp. There’s a lot of clarity in this range and provided by the harmonics of this range, but it’s not boosted so much as to sound sharp or fatiguing. Without measuring these, there’s some elevation to add air to the listening but the treble range is overall tempered to remove any veiling of the mids without becoming too bright.
Soundstaging is surprisingly wide. True wireless earbuds often struggle with this and battle sounding constrained. Here, they’re much closer to a great pair of wired earbuds. In fact, the wired Svanar was also surprisingly in this way. The Svanar Wireless isn’t as wide as the Svanar but it’s definitely wider than my usual pair of Technics AZ80 earbuds, the Bose QC II true wireless, or Sony WF-1000XM4s.
Gaming: These earbuds are not a good fit for gaming. The wide soundstage is a benefit, but since they lack any kind of low latency mode, audio-visual delay is too great to make this a solid pick. HIFIMAN never positioned them for gaming, so it’s not a criticism of the buds, but something to bear in mind if you’d also like to use these buds at your computer.
Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts
The Svanar Wireless are a very good set of true wireless earbuds, but I find myself personally torn on them. I really like their sound signature. Its balanced and vocal-centric presentation gives them a wired-like sense of clarity in their HiFi mode. They’re a fun and engaging listen that cuts higher than most of the TWS market in sound quality. At $500, however, they face such steep competition that middling ANC, bulk, and much shorter battery life in High Fidelity mode are large caveats.
Instead, these earbuds seem best suited for listeners who want to enjoy a few hours of listening at home, free from wires. They’re for the audiophile who wants or needs to go untethered for a few hours at a time. That’s exactly how I have enjoyed them most and where they shine the very brightest.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Articles may include affiliate links from which we may earn a small commission to help support the site. Authors do not earn affiliate revenue or commissions.
