Sendy Audio Peacock Headphones
Listening is a luxury. Sure, great sound and instant access to unlimited high-resolution music are to be celebrated but these things are easy to come by. Luxury implies scarcity. Free time to sit back and properly listen can be scarce. Likewise, the mental bandwidth to dedicate to mindful enjoyment of music can be scarce as well.
As a reviewer, fresh gear coming and going helps keep the engagement level high. Even still, listening intently to characterize the audible performance of equipment can be taxing, regardless of the equipment's sonic signature. Headphones in particular, though, aren’t shy when it comes to making their personality known, which can make reviewing them a fun assignment. I was in for a treat when I received this latest pair of high-end planar magnetic headphones. The Sendy Audio Peacock brings respectable performance and a luxurious dose of melt-into-the-couch listening engagement. With an MSRP of $1499, the Peacock faces stiff competition in its market segment but could be a perfect fit for audiophiles.
Sendy is a relatively new higher-end sub-brand of China-based headphone manufacturer Sivga Audio. Demo headphones for this review were kindly loaned and shipped directly from Sendy Audio in China.
Features & Specifications
Befitting a top-of-the-range headphone, the Peacock is built around an enormous 88mm planar magnetic driver. Each driver contains four coils laminated into the thin film diaphragm, presumably to offer a more accurate physical response to magnetic flux. Sendy calls this driver configuration QUAD-FORMER technology. Unlike some high-end headphones, these extra large drivers are designed to be easy to drive, giving the Peacock a sensitivity of 103 dB/mW and a nominal impedance of 50 ohms.
The Peacock’s default wiring configuration is fully balanced with a 4.4mm pentaconn jack on the included cable. Adaptors for XLR and 6.3mm single-ended amplifier outputs are included. The two-meter cable is a fine length for most domestic listening but an extension cable would have been a welcome touch.
Specifications
Transducer Type: Planar magnetic driver
Transducer Size: 88 mm
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40kHz
Sensitivity: 103dB +/- 3dB
Impedance: 50 Ohm +/- 15%
Cable Length: 2.0M +/- 0.2M
Connector:4.4mm Balanced
Weight: 578g
Design & Build
My first impression of the Peacocks ($1499) was excellent to say the least. The quality of the packaging and accessories were top-notch. The headphones arrived tightly packaged and perfectly unadulterated after their long trip from China. Within the crisp inner box, the headphones and soft accessory pouch were both contained inside an exquisite leather carrying case. The main cable is heavy but still drapes nicely, looks great, and has high-quality terminations. One minor change relative to the product photos online is that the red and blue sheaths covering the terminations at the left and right ear cups have been replaced with less conspicuous back silicone.
The construction feels robust with tight tolerances throughout. I could hardly find a plastic part anywhere. The quality of the leather on the headband and pads is especially impressive for a headphone. The intensity of the rich leather smell was a pleasant surprise. After several weeks of heavy use the Peacocks have held up perfectly and still appear brand new, inspiring confidence they’ll last.
The Peacocks live up to their name when it comes to their design. The hardwood ear cups look great but are not uncommon for the price. It’s the gold and black peacock feather motif grilles that really add some flare. Altogether the leather, gold and wood really pop and look more refined in person than I was expecting from the press photos.
Daily Use & Comfort
The desire to use a pair of headphones all day long, and day after day, depends on their fit and comfort as much as their sound signature. After inspecting the build quality of the Peacocks I had appropriately high expectations for their comfort. The Peacocks were a pleasure to wear despite their significant weight. The padded leather headband distributes their weight evenly over the top of the head with no hot spots. The generously proportioned ear pads will accommodate large ears and feel plush without getting too hot.
The Peacocks differ from most headphones I’ve used in their relaxed clamping force. Coming from the Sennheiser HD6XX, the Sendys seemed loose at first, especially behind the ears. Their earpads are thicker in the back to provide a decent seal despite the weaker clamp. After getting used to the fit, the HD6XX actually seemed too tight for extended wear by comparison. So, no reason to panic if you try the Peacock and they don’t seem as snug as your Sennheisers or Beyerdynamics. Just don’t bother using them at the gym.
The Peacocks are comfortable enough for all-day, everyday use. On weekdays in my home office, which doubles as my listening space, I could easily use the Peacocks from 8 am to 5 pm. I’d seamlessly swap between virtual meetings, running them directly from my computer’s headphone output (3.5mm adaptor not included), and music listening with a proper amp without needing a break.
Review System
For simplicity I stuck to digital sources for this review, streaming 16- and 24-bit tracks or spinning CDs on my almost vintage Yamaha DVD-S1700. Digital to analog conversion and amplification was handled by the Ferrum ERCO (recently reviewed), Vincent SV-228 Hybrid Integrated Amplifier (review forthcoming), the Cambridge EVO 150 and my modified XiangSheng DAC-01B. My Sennheiser x Massdrop HD6XX were steadfast on reference duty for headphones.
Listening
I like to get lost in a groove. Sometimes that means jazz, sometimes it’s Grateful Dead and often it's electronica. When the mood is right I can get carried away by Shpongle, a London-based electronic duo formed after a heavy experience viewing a solar eclipse. They’ve been creating mystical, DMT-tinged trance ever since. Shpongle usually operates as a duo but occasionally performs live shows as a full band. Live at Red Rocks (Twisted Records, 2015) is packed full of jungle grooves and is a lot more organic (and busier) sounding than their studio output. The Peacocks made easy work of this set. Percussion, synths, all the extra detail spread out wide and crisply delineated. Definitely live and not the least bit synthetic. The soundstage was much wider and deeper than on the HD6XX. Super-resolving headphones can render Shpongle a fatiguing listen but this was pure bliss. Transitioning to a more mellow set for the comedown as it were, Bombay Dub Orchestra’s, self-titled two-CD set (Six Degrees Records, 2005) of late-night downtempo is full of thick bass lines to show off the low-frequency response of the Peacocks. While not quite subterranean, they provide a substantial low-end foundation for electronic music.
D’Angelo’s turn-of-the-century neo-soul masterpiece, Voodoo (Virgin, 2005) is equally fit for casual bumping while having a few drinks as it is for critical listening. It’s in my digital library and vinyl collection because it grooves hard. With the Peacocks I found myself getting lost in dense layers of production which feature superstar collaborators like Charlie Hunter, Roy Hargrove, Pino Palladino and Questlove. There is lots of space in the mix to appreciate every little nuance with the Peacocks but I discovered a healthy, finite limit to their resolving power. The liner notes don’t list a drummer on certain tracks, implying that programmed drums were used instead of live recordings by Questlove. Could I discern the difference between Questlove and the synthesized drums? Actually, no. On Voodoo that’s as much due to excellent production as it is a reflection of the headphones. Still, this is where the Peacocks strike a fine balance. They paint a beautiful sonic picture and always keep that whole picture in focus without zooming too far into the details.
Soundtracks tell a story in a way that absolute music often can’t. Packed with sonic imagery to support a plot, soundtracks can sound great without being primarily about sound. Dark as it may be, Chernobyl (Music from the HBO miniseries) by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (Deutsche Grammophon, 2019) is highly engrossing because it is soaked with the intense mood from the show. Harsh and grating by design, the music is a challenging listen on an analytical system. On the Peacocks, it's instantly immersive. This may seem counterintuitive as transducers ostensibly should reveal 100% of that edginess. But at what cost? At the cost of musicality or even listenability? Again, a delicate balance. Some masochistic audiophiles may disagree but I appreciate the balance that the Peacocks bring to many recordings. It’s an even-handed delivery that expands listening possibilities. More music is the name of the game after all.
Based on specs, the Peacocks look easy to drive and that turned out to be the case. Even a laptop has enough juice to drive them to satisfactory levels. They scale nicely with higher-end amps but in keeping with their easy-going personality, they don’t need a massive or expensive amp to sound great. This is part of their value proposition worth considering if cross-shopping several headphones. The Peacocks let a bit of an amplifier’s personality come through despite having their own personality. Relative to the HD6XX they are not incredibly amp-dependent. Any bestselling amp/DAC for desktop listening would serve the Peacocks well. Speaker-focused audiophiles with a solid full-featured integrated amp could give the Peacocks a shot using their built-in amp before getting hung up on ordering a dedicated unit.
Conclusion
I found the Sendy Audio Peacock ($1499) to be a full, rich, refined-sounding headphone with a luxurious fit and finish. It could be a great first high-end headphones for anyone put off by the high-resolution arms race going on in the head-fi market these days. On the other hand, headphone collectors looking for something a bit different might seriously consider adding the Peacock to their arsenal. It’s an ideal headphone for any audiophiles who like to unwind and get lost in their music. The Peacock is an impressive release from Sendy that is well worth seeking out.
Further information: Sendy Audio
