Closer Examination

HIFIMAN doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to cables it provides with its products, although I have brought up before how its recent headphones cable is the best yet in being quite functional. The Svanar cable is clearly based off the new headphones cable, down to the use of a 90° angled 3.5 mm TRS connector headed to your source. The connector housing is quite big and made of metal with a knurled finish to help grip it when in use. It then leads to a high purity silver-plated crystalline copper conductor that has a simple polymer sleeve on top. The single strand can help with cable management and the sleeve inside does a decent job in avoiding microphonics in use too. It has some resistance to re-shaping though, although this is more of an issue when coiling the cable to store in the case rather than in use. The splitter is also made of metal and uses a gold-plated brass finish to match the front chamber of the IEMs. The cable cinch continues this trend and works well in keeping the two split channels placed where you want them in front or behind your head. There is no memory wiring or pre-formed ear hooks on the other end of the cable, which is quite rare to see these days, and the cable terminates in two 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors that have L/R markings on the plastic housings to help indicate the left and right channels, respectively. These connectors are designed with recessed 2-pin connectors on the IEMs themselves as evident from the transparent plastic section jutting past the actual housing. The various metal plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


I'd like to take this moment to now say I really, really like the shells of the Svanar. It's quite intriguing in a few different manners, not the least of which is the use of two different metals as acoustic chambers. There is no flashy face plate here or a resin shell to peek through with HIFIMAN instead going with a deliberate design prioritizing comfort. The outer (rear) chamber is made of aluminium and gets a brushed finish whereas the inner (front) chamber is heavier brass with a 24K gold plating on top for a glossy and reflective finish. The goal here is to shift the center of gravity just at your pinna as opposed to outside and thus there is no undue pressure on the ear canals to maximize long-term comfort. The rear aluminium chamber is also given a concave design throughout to further minimize the shells jutting out the concha and the ergonomic design to the front chamber further accentuates this. The different density of the brass and aluminium chambers is also used with the aim of achieving an optimal resonance effect to the Svanar. More importantly, these are tough and sturdy shells that should last for a long time without issues.


A closer look at the de-facto face plates reveals branding in the form of truncated HIFIMAN logos placed towards the bottom and still looking clean given the lighter colors. The metal chambers are clearly machined with comfort in mind while still looking quite nice if I say so myself. A look from the side shows L/R markings next to the expected vent for the dynamic driver inside as well as a large cutout to host the recessed 2-pin cable connectors. Note the shape of this enclosure with the small cylindrical section jutting inward. This prevents a few 2-pin cable connector housings from going in and thus you need to be careful choosing any aftermarket cables. To give you an example that works, the Altalune Nova seen here fits nicely and I dare say it matches the color scheme of the Svanar better too. Do try the stock cable first though since the silver-plated copper there has been chosen for a reason no doubt. Then we get to the brass chamber which features a highly curved indent at the top that aims to resemble the back of a swan and this section should sit in the concha for most people as long as your pinna does not get in the way. It can prevent a good fit if so, and thus trialing the Svanar before purchasing it is ideal. The brass chamber is otherwise gently curved and extends down to a nozzle insert which is not angled aggressively while also being about average at 5.6 mm thick. It's long enough to fit into the ear canals well enough for the average user and has a lip on the end to help keep the ear tips in place when installed. There is also a metal mesh filter on the nozzle to prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chambers.


Do try the various sizes of the stock ear tips provided as well as check whether the single, double, or triple flange tips work best for you. They differ in insertion depth and the flange + bore diameters to where this can be a highly personal choice. Note also that your ears are unlikely to be symmetrical and so the same size ear tips may not always work out for both ear canals. Tip-rolling is also recommended in case you do not get a decent seal with the stock tips. Regardless of which tips you pick, the next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the cable around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is simple, as you just push the 2-pin connectors in place and they remain there via a friction fit after making sure the connector housing is aligned correctly to fit into the recess in the shells as seen above. The 3.5 mm connection then goes to a source with the equivalent single-ended output and I found myself using this set on the go mostly paired with the excellent Questyle M15 or the Qudelix-5K.


Before we move on, HIFIMAN also sent over the RE2000 Pro Gold for added context. This is a co-flagship that continues to sell today, although the Svanar is no doubt intended to take over. While I won't be doing a separate review for this, I did want to show off how this set looks compared to the Svanar. The RE2000 Pro Gold is clearly also gold-plated with a yellow gold finish to the brass chamber. There is a decorative face plate on the rear and overall this is a smaller footprint set that sits horizontally in the concha compared to the Svanar with its more traditional vertical fit. The Svanar also looks and feels more premium to me!