Sivga m300
‼️DISCLAIMER:
This product was provided by Sivga free of charge in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I was not compensated in any way, other than, I get to keep these? Haha
Let's start
⚜️WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
You get a very simple box with a carrying case occupying most of the space. Inside is the M300, and some donut foams. That is pretty much it
⚜️SPECS, BUILD and COMFORT
This is a flathead earbud featuring a 15.4mm Dynamic driver with high purity OFC coil. The driver diaphragm is graphene coated and the housing is an African ebony wood with CNC machined aviation aluminum alloy. The cables are non removable , high purity silver plated OFC, and litz braided .
They fit very well for me. Although flathead fit is very subjective. They are not as finicky as the the NiceHCK EB2s. They sit well and secure even without foams, and even better when you put foams on.
⚜️SETUP:
-Shanling M3X, M3 PLUS and Fiio JM21 using UAPP, Hiby and stock player
⚜️SOUND PROFILE
Tonality
The tonality of the m300 can be described as mid forward. What this means for me is, there is less focus in the bass and in the treble. The tonality also shifts to upper mid forward without foams. You get lesser bass and a bit pronounced upper treble. I have not tried graphing the m300 but based on Paul Wasabi’s rig, it seems there is some mid bass elevation, an early gain at 2k and just a slow declining upper-mid and treble into nothingness.
Bass
The m300 is a bit shy of bass. Earbuds or flatheads already suffer from a lesser subbass impact because of the lack of seal, the m300 goes further than that. You still feel the mid bass, but it does not sound complete nor exciting. Some people might perceive this as neutral, but not quite for me because the timbre on instruments are not accurate. There is good speed with the bass attack but they are not organic sounding.
Mids
Being a mid forward set, one might think that this is good for vocals. The peak starting early at 2k makes vocals a bit nasal sounding. The elevated midbass also does not help because it makes instruments a bit muddy. The shift in timbre is noticeable for me, or maybe I am just accustomed to a certain target that has a gain at around 3k. The good news is, female vocals are never shouty. because there is a lack of presence, I don't hear any peak or sibilance.
Treble
I hear some dips in the upper mid and a treble that is moving towards oblivion. Surprisingly, these do not sound dark at all. Probably because of this is an earbud. It still sounds open, even without the treble sparkle, which is weird. The openness might be because there is no actual seal with flatheads. I also dont hear a lot of micro nuance or details. Cymbal timbre is okay, nothing off or unnatural. Again these are not dark sounding in the treble, but when you are looking at the whole balance overall, the treble definitely could use some presence.
Technicalities
I don't hear much detail retrieval. Even if this is not a detail monster, you don’t get any peaks or unnatural timbre from the cymbals. The other instruments are questionable and it depends if you use a foam or not. The m300 still inherits that openness from an earbud and that is a good thing. However, the openness makes the bass a bit hollow, and the treble a bit drowned by the forward sound mids.
❤️PROS
-non fatiguing/offensive sound
-good fit and construction
-No sibilance
💢CONS
-bass lackad texture
-not so natural sounding mids
-treble could be dark for some
⚜️COMPARISONS
Nicehck eb2s
The eb2s is currently priced $22 more or less. The sound from eb2s sounds more complete and even competes with iems and headphones in terms of timbral accuracy. I feel like the eb2s is an easier recommendation for its sound. However, i do think the the fit on the m300 is better because i do not have to always adjust the earbuds. They sit snug in my ears and comfort is better.
K’s earphone k64
The k64 is quite hard to find nowadays and they cost around $10. These are my reference in timbral accuracy. I listen to the k64 almost every night in bed. The m300 and K64 share the same tonality which is mid forward in presentation. The difference is that, the k64 sounds cleaner and more correct sounding, and a more neutral and reference sounding. The M300 on the other hand sounds warmer in comparison
Aful Polar Night
The Aful polar night is more expensive. I bought the Polar night because I trust Aful’s tuning so much that I don't mind blind buying them. And surely enough the polar night did not disappoint. Well my wife was. Anyhow, the Polar night sounds fuller in the bass, more realistic sounding mids, and more refined treble. I dont think this is a fair comparison because of the price difference and sound profile. But hey, there arent really a lot of flat earbuds out there
Monk plus
The Monks are a classic and a gateway to the flathead rabbit hole. The monks sounds warmer . But both the monks and the m300 share that weird timbre in the instruments and vocals. I think the I would choose the monks here. Lesser evil they say
Vido
Oh man. The vido’s . The good old vidos. These destroy any, and I mean any earbud when it comes to price to performance. Literally you don't have to go to this crazy in the rabbit hole. But we are hobbyist and we want to waste our money so yeah. I feel like the Vido's have better value for $5. Yeah $5.
🤔FINAL THOUGHTS
As you may have noticed in my comparison, there is a common theme about flathead earbuds, and that is, they are usually cheaper than in-ear- monitors. There are a few exceptions and I own some expensive earbuds like the TGXear Serratus and the Aful Polar Night.
For $65 bucks, the M300 is entering in the expensive earbud niche. Most of the earbuds I heard that are priced more than $30 usually sound more detailed, if not, have great bass texture. The m300 does not really have those qualities. However, the relaxed sound that these present might be the one you are looking for.
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WHERE TO BUY: non affiliate links
SIVGA Official Store: https://sivgashop.com/products/m300
Aliexpress Store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010120477644.html
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FS1HMGHD
⚜️MY LIBRARY:
I grew up listening to 90’s music. Alternative, punk-rock, screamo, rap, Philippine OPM, Anime songs, JPOP, KPOP, metal, reggae and a lot more.
The artists I regularly listen to are:
⭐Rock-Alternative-Metal
Incubus, 311, BMTH, Matchbox 20, The Goo Goo Dolls, Paramore, Polyphia, The Calling,, Babymetal, Metallica, Slipknot, Bon Jovi, Coheed and Cambria, Deftones, Red Hot, Green day,
⭐OPM(Original Pinoy Music):
E-heads, Slapshock, Parokya, Urbanddub, Up Dharma Down, Bamboo, IV of spade, Kamikazee, Rivermaya
⭐POP:
IU, Yoasobi, Yorushika, Milet, Reona, Maroon 5, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Taylor, Dua Lipa, Oliva Rodrigo, Billie Eilish
⭐OTHERS:
Carpenters, Micheal Learns to Rock, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Sitti, Daft Punk, Pink Floyed, Earth wind and fire, Amber rubarth, Sia, Yosi Horikawa
I listen to more, but I can’t just list them all here.haha. Just giving you an idea on what I listen.
Thanks for reaching here. Hope you enjoyed reading. :)
