Sivga Que: A planar IEM? Yes, please.

Pros:

Fun Factor!
Sivga quality
Maple faceplate
Bass comes across as taut
Midrange add texture
Treble (to me) adds a bit of sparkle without being grating
Soundstage is a positive

Cons:

Tough market segment
Can sound a bit “flat” when compared directly to others
Slight mismatching of shell halves
Slightly heavy shells
Isolation is tip-dependent

Sivga Que ($69): A planar IEM? Yes, please.


Que

“Que” in Chinese refers to the characters 麻雀, which means Sparrow.

Marketplace options:

Amazon-USA
AliExpress
Amazon-Japan

Intro:

Sivga has been trying to broaden their approach and appeal as of late, with their usual nicely made headphones, but now includes a planar IEM at an affordable price. Planar drivers seem to be the hot point currently along with Peizos, but this affordable unit relies on the tried-and-true dynamic driver of 10mm size with a single magnet dual cavity to boot. Will relying upon the steadfast approach of a DD help the Que muscle in the market? Read on to find out.

This unit was sent to me as a review unit, and the review is my own words only; for good or ill. Unless otherwise stated, the unit is mine to keep and may be asked back for at any time. The unit will not be sold on, as this is a really uncool thing to do too.

Specs:

In The Box:

Que IEM
Ear Tips x2 each: s, m, l
Leather carrying case
Instruction manual

Gear used/compared:

QoA Aviation ($199)
Shanling MG100 ($159)

HiBy R4
MBP

Songs used:

Tidal-jazz, blues, Tex-Mex, pop
Qobuz- same

Unboxing:

The Que comes in a tasteful smaller square box, complete with script and what I believe to be a dove on the box. The far east input is very evident, and quite well done.

Lifting the lid off the box reveals the case on the lower half and the IEMs highlighted on top in a protective foam insert. The lighter-colored North American Maple is very evident against the black foam, carrying on the tasteful look to the packaging when combined with the medium brown leather case.

Unzipping the case reveals the ear tips and the cable wrapped neatly with a Velcro strap.

A simple, elegant unboxing effort, with a focus on the IEM.

Technical highlights:

The Que features a powerful 10mm beryllium diaphragm dynamic driver with a strong magnet, purportedly delivering rich, immersive sound. The beryllium driver promotes quick responsive reactions to sound input, keeping the music tight to boot. By making a quick responsive driver, vibrational distortion is kept low, while delivering a rapid response and reaction allowing the music to be portrayed accurately.

This configuration helps optimize the acoustic performance by providing better control over the movement of the diaphragm, enhancing sound clarity, reducing distortion, and purportedly improving overall audio quality.

The North American Maple faceplate also acts to control the resonance of the sound in the back chamber, promoting a more natural sound signature. More dense woods might alter the signature with a darker sound, so the choice of maple makes perfect sense to keep the signature not only accurate but tighter in control and a bit lighter in response to quick-moving pieces.

Design/build/fit:

“Sound impression by genuine art,” is their mantra, and those of us who have seen and used their headphones appreciate the excellent build quality of the products. Giving an almost manufactured look to the hand-built process, the look and feel have been across the board excellent with Sivga products.

The white maple wood from North America is used for excellent harmonic resonance, as mentioned above, and the Que earphone resonates with a natural harmonic richness. Depth and tonal balance come about with the design of the zinc chambers and the use of the maple wood faceplate.

The zinc halves fit together well, but one of the ear pieces did not perfectly match on both halves. I could feel a bit of the lip where the two were connected, but this did not hinder fit or listening. The zinc chamber helps to keep weight in check as well, but I could feel good heft without it being too heavy.

The nozzle was not too long either, affording a good fit for me along with the long ear guide, which kept the cable in place while in use. Using the medium silicon tips, I could find a good balance between fit and isolation. I was also comfortable with the large-size ear tips but settled on the medium for the majority of the listening.

The overall look of the Que is one of simplicity and elegance with the wood faceplate accenting the zinc housing nicely.

Cable:

The 2-pin 0.78mm design of high-purity oxygen-free silver-plated copper helps to ensure maximum transmission of sound. Not groundbreaking mind you, but the cable is very pliable and easily workable in hand. Separation and clarity of the music are enhanced due to the Litz cable with vocals claiming to be clear and articulate as a result.

Microphonics were non-existent finishing off a very nice cable.

Sound Impressions:

All critical listening was done after a burn-in period of 75 hours. I do this with all listening devices, whether it may make a difference or not. I then put in a minimum of 50 hours of critical listening for the review. My goal is to give the listener impressions for what might be six months down the road.

All listening was done on either my MBP and Tidal or Qobuz; and the HiBy R4 using either Tidal or Qobuz. Where differences occur, they will be noted.

Summary:

The speediness of the beryllium diaphragm makes for quick hard-hitting bass, without becoming sluggish or running over into the mids too much. As such, the reach for the average-sized driver is low, but not class-leading. Nevertheless, that speed allows the Que to play bigger than it might.

The mids carry good weight with a proclivity to stay in line with the overall sound, neither too far forward or recessed. This is a nice change from in-your-face mids, which can detract. This also carries into the treble note, which does carry a bit of tizziness in the cymbal hit area. Other than that, the high notes play nicely across the sound signature, neither offending me nor making me jump too much for joy. Call this just right.

moar:

The market in which the Que plays is wrought with many, MANY models of which some stand out while many fail to impress. The Que thankfully falls into the former category to me.

I find the underlying bass line could be a bit elongated and thicker, but also realize that doing so would add a note of sluggish response to the sound characteristics. This is a fairly taut bass held together by that beryllium diaphragmed driver; which begs to be speedy in response. There is enough rumble in the bass to give that illusory feel to more depth, but this will never be called a basshead model.

As such, this blends with the mids smoothly most of the time. There is a bit of a flat response in snare drum hits, which can come across as lacking weight but the rest counters that, including male vocals; which carry good weight and note. Female vocals come across with alacrity without becoming boisterous, adding an alluring note to the signature. I wouldn’t go as far as sumptuous, but the hint of allure makes female vocal songs quite a treat.

The treble note is where I find the most fault, with the aforementioned tizziness, especially in cymbal note. There is an almost piezo-like treatment to cymbals which makes me hesitant to give full approval up top. That said, the extension is good, giving life to the highs with not only good airiness and reach, but a bit of sparkle mixed in. Even with the aforementioned faults, I like the tuning.

Soundstage/Imaging:

Added rumble down low helps to expand the depth and height of the soundstage, while the mids carry enough weight to expand the lateral dimension. Height carries up and a bit forward, but is countered by width in what I would call its best dimension. Playing the new Los Lonely Boys, I certainly liked that expansive sound making me remember when I saw them last on a hot August summer’s night at an outdoor venue. While the venue was more intimate, their sound was certainly not; surrounding us with lush Tex-Mex tones that had the whole audience dancing together in unison. And that was the point.

What the Que may lack in extreme dimensions, it more than makes up for with very good layering (especially for a DD) and very good spatial awareness, which translates into accurate imaging. I will of course admit I am a sucker for a good single dynamic driver for its simplicity.

Pairings/Synergy:

I found the Que made an excellent partner with my MPB on both Tidal and Qobuz, even though it was “only a 3.5mm se jack.” Sometimes that simplicity warrants an appreciation that goes well over a “fancier” setup. I will say that I spent approximately 50% of the time on each source, and came away impressed with how well the Que crossed devices.

While I appreciated the MPB pairing, it was using the HiBy R4 where the Que stepped out. Bass became a bit thick, but this made the Que into a raucous good time on the same Los Lonely Boys songs. I had been transformed back into the concert mentioned above to the point that my wife looked at me. All I had to do was mention Los Lonely Boys and she completely understood as she smiled. She’s a good one, she is.

Comparisons:

Both IEMs were compared using the 3.5mm se connections since the Que does not have a 4.4mm bal jack.

Sivga Que ($70) v QoA Aviation ($199):

The QoA Aviation is one of my favorite IEMs from the last year. The acrylic shell is gorgeous and functionally gives an excellent fit. The first thing I noticed is that the level of detail from the Aviation is certainly a step above the Que. Clarity from that detail is excellent but can get in the way of piercing notes in music. Punctuating guitar licks can come across as excellent and too much for my treble-sensitive ears at the same time.

I cannot fault the level of quality sound coming from the Aviation due to my deficiency, but it is easy to see the two when compared might be for different markets. The Aviation would make for an excellent commuting pair where the added detail could make the difference noticeable. That said, the raucous good time had from the Que might pump you up a bit more for your daily tasks. I appreciate both and see them as complementary to each other on different levels.

Sivga Que ($70) v Shanling MG100 ($159):

The MG100 is another one of my favorite IEMs of the last year as well, proving that good things can be had for less than two Ben’s. It does not have quite the same amount of bass as the Aviation but is nearly as good in detail retrieval. The mids are the highlight to me along with a richer signature. Bass is on par with the Que, in fact with a little less impact. The extension up top sets it apart from the Que, making for a bit more of an ethereal experience, which can be expected due to the price difference.

The biggest difference to me is that the MG100 is a fingerprint monster, where that good-looking glossy black shell looks like a well-used Smartphone screen. Not very appealing.

The MG100 does come across with an even signature, which some might find a bit bland, but I am a fan of Shanling’s tuning due to the rich character. The Que cannot match that, but again might best the MG100 in the fun factor. This is another case of different strokes for different folks.

finale:

The Sivga Que comes in at an affordable price, in a very crowded market. When comparing it upstream, it does carry some traits nicely due to the fun factor. When we look closely though, it does fall behind those of a higher level, especially on the detail & clarity front.

But, when taken of its mettle, the Que comes across as having a high fun factor to me, which is needed a good part of the time when we listen. It is not meant for that critical listening, but to get us through the day until we can sit back with our “higher-priced” offerings. And when taken in that vein, that fun factor may be what we need to get us through the day.

Based on its positives, I can recommend the Que, but you should be aware of its limitations, just like a Prius owner won’t go hunting for a Nissan GTR to drag race. Taken separately the Prius is excellent in its own lane, just like the Que is within its lane. And that might be enough.