I feel compelled to praise HiFiMan in succeeding in creating an audio experience that equals a traditional concert hall. Far too many headphones emphasize specific instruments and genres to the point where they’re all competing to win on a single element. The HiFiMan Audivina LE is solidly winning on offering a sense of spaciousness that other headphones have simply avoided, Its affordability is praiseworthy in a sea of competitors that cost upwards of $1,000 for a similar audio experience. If you’re into the acoustics of large music halls, then the Audivina LE will easily give you the audio experience you love most.
Back when I reviewed the HiFiMan Edition XV headphones, I started out by initially describing its audio quality as “weird.” I went pretty deep in discussing how using “weird” to describe audio shouldn’t be taken as a negative. If anything, “weird” is a way of distinguishing a set of headphones that offer a novel listening experience. Weird is good, folks, especially when trying to find a set of cans that are tuned exactly to your personal listening preferences.
Once again, I sit before you with a pair of “weird” but shockingly delightful high fidelity (hi-fi) headphones from HiFiMan: the Audivina LE. At this point, I think HiFiMan is setting itself apart from the mid-fi pack by offering headphones with wildly different and astounding audio qualities. Let’s get to it.
HiFiMan specializes in planar magnetic headphones. Planar magnetics tend to be absurdly expensive because of their embedded technology and the power they require during use. The technology behind planar magnetics is unique in that they don’t use dynamic drivers present in most consumer-grade headphones. Instead, they use an ultra-thin wire that’s stretched taught and acts as a large coil that transmits sound waves. In practice, planar magnetic headphones offer a unique and perhaps the most satisfying bass performance. There’s very little bass distortion (or muddiness), the bass is clearly distinct from other music elements (like treble), and clean audio that one can interpret as “fun” (especially when listening to metal, EDM, and bass-prominent genres). Many consumers praise Sony and Apple’s AirPods for offering a “boomy bass,” but that bass pales in comparison once you’ve secured yourself a set of planar magnetic headphones.
I understand that planar magnetic headphones can be an acquired taste for the discerning ear. My biggest gripe (if you will) with planar magnetics is that most products of this type require external hardware, like an AMP and a DAC, to get the fullest and most satisfying audio experience. When paired with the price of most planar magnetics, the total cost of a setup is astronomically high. HiFiMan, however, has managed to offer a variety of planar magnetic headphones at a more affordable price point without compromising on audio quality. Their Audivina LE headphones is one of these planar magnetics, perfect for a new HiFi listener who wants to dip their toes into the world of novel high fidelity audio.
The HiFiMan Audivina LE is a closed-back set of planar magnetics that are positioned as inspired by the acoustic design of Bayrouth Festspielhaus (the opera house that serves as the venue for the annual Bayreuth Festival). While the Festspielhaus is notable for its unique structure that offers richness and incredibly large soundstages, the Audivina LE offers a concert-hall-esque soundstage with directional imaging that’s one of the best I’ve encountered thus far in testing sub-$500 hi-fi headphones. For $399, it’s not the most cheap (nor should it be), but it’s a fantastic deal for a set of magnetic planars.
For those of you who love orchestral music, especially those who appreciate the works of musicians who incorporate orchestral segments into their songs (Magica and Symphony X come immediately to mind), the Audivina LE are a must-have.
Check out the HiFiMan Audivina LE on HiFiMan’s website by clicking here! (non-affiliated URL)
Prior experience has taught me to temper my expectations when it came to unboxing HiFiMan products. HiFiMan is known for its affordable headphones and excellent sound quality, but not so much its in-box accessories. As such, most HiFiMan unboxing experiences typically amounted to finding a decent cable, a spare aux adaptor, and that’s about it. The Audivina LE steps far away from HiFiMan’s norm in that it came with a solid leather carrying case, a 3.5mm cable, a 6.35mm cable, and an XLR balanced cable. These additions are impressive and add decent value to the headphones – I absolutely loved the carrying case’s quality and had little qualms with its construction. Other models should come with this case.
Moving onto the Audivina’s design and construction, I’m quite impressed. The egg-shaped headphones have adopted a leatherette panel that replaces their standard open grille. The design contrasts sharply with the Edition XV that I reviewed last month. I appreciate this design non-conformity because it positions the headphones as a professional, less flashy set of cans that offer closed-back isolation. The headband of the Edition XV is also present on the Audivina LE: a large leather strap exists on the underside of the headphones that prevents the top of my head from hitting the outer metal headband.
In terms of comfort, the Audivina LE are fantastic but somewhat heavy. The headphones feel clunky in hand because of their ~450g weight, but on-head that weight is somehow evenly distributed to the point of providing an illusion of weightlessness with minor clamping force. Things tend to feel heavy when nodding my head to the beat of my favorite tracks, so I wouldn’t attempt to headbang with these cans on my head. Otherwise, there’s no real issue of instability or discomfort. An additional element of comfortability stems from the headphones’ gigantic earcups. The deep, egg-shaped earcups fully encompass my ears. The top of the earcups firmly nestled right above the top of my ears while the bottom of the earcups gently rested below my earlobes. This spaciousness impacted the sound quality (which I’ll get into shortly), but it generally offered comfort in ways that similar closed-back headphones have rarely offered. I was able to wear these for multiple hours of a time (work, video games, and music listening sessions) without feeling like my head needed space to breathe or to rest.
Finally, let’s talk sound quality. I alluded to the notion of these headphones’ spaciousness and emulation of being in a concert hall. Again, if you appreciate listening to orchestral arrangements alongside bass-heavy tracks that make planar magnetic headphones shine, the Audivina LE are a standout pair of headphones. Otherwise, there will be some quirks that will be somewhat jarring for a less-experienced listener and/or a fan of other subgenres of music.
Starting with the bass, it’s the initial standout element of the Audivina LE’s sound quality. Bass is prominent and full, but treads into a warmth that bleeds upwards as though the bass is bouncing upwards across a curved ceiling. Remember, the headphones were designed with a concert hall in mind, so it makes sense for this bass blooming effect to occur. However, it’s not the most pleasant for those wanting a traditional tightly-controlled bass experience from a set of planar magnetics. In Rage Against the Machine’s “Bombtrack,” the bass was loud and present, but the blooming effect made the track sound like there was an echo that typically shouldn’t be there.
The midrange is where these headphones fall somewhat short – especially when it comes to spoken word and vocals. Some of HiFiMan’s similarly-priced open-backed headphones offer consistent midranges, but these offer a somewhat unnatural and uneven mid. On “Sky Blue Sky” by Wilco, some of the vocals sounded harsh and uneven to the point where they sounded like two disparate elements competing for presence.
When it comes to treble, the Audivina LE provided energetic and forward listening. The instrument separation, on the other hand, is excellent, but the vocals were so inconsistent that some of my favorite tracks sounded foreign. Drums, percussion, and cymbals occasionally erred sharp, but that bite ended up being softened by the soundstage. On “Days of Future Past” (an album by the Moody Blues), I could notice solid instrument separation and staging that yielded an accurate concert-hall audio experience. It was delightful to listen to orchestral and classical music because of this: Feeling like I am seated in the middle of a music hall listening to my favorite tracks is a genuinely positive experience.
I feel compelled to praise HiFiMan in succeeding in creating an audio experience that equals a traditional concert hall. Far too many headphones emphasize specific instruments and genres to the point where they’re all competing to win on a single element. The HiFiMan Audivina LE is solidly winning on offering a sense of spaciousness that other headphones have simply avoided, Its affordability is praiseworthy in a sea of competitors that cost upwards of $1,000 for a similar audio experience. If you’re into the acoustics of large music halls, then the Audivina LE will easily give you the audio experience you love most.
