Sivga makes some high quality headphones. What makes them stand out is their use of wood on back plates and cups. They usually focus on headphones and have some of the best headphones under $500. I was taken aback by the clarity and definition of the SV023 and it still is one of the best open back HPs under $500. Sivga has a few IEMs under their belt too. Nightingale is their flagship with a planar driver inside. It’s was clean, clear and balanced. Then came of Que. Housing and DD, it is a budget IEM with superb build quality. Metal shell with wooden back plates looks classy.
What I have here is an revision on the Que with a different type of driver. “Que UTG” houses the same driver but now has a glass diaphragm. UTG basically stands for “Ultra Thin Glass” which is supposed to offer superb agility and dynamics. I don’t know if it’s real glass or something that works like glass and how fragile it is but priced at just $89 , I can tell that this IEM has a lot of potential to be one of the best IEMs in this price range. Its drivers have PU surroundings which help with more accurate lower and mid range frequencies. Let’s explore more about this sweet looking IEM.
Get one from there links:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009041087357.html
For Indian Buyers:
UNBOXING AND ACCESSORIES:
We get a simple unboxing experience, take the paper cover off, list the upper cover and we have the earpieces stuffed in foam while all the accessories are placed under it. We get 2 set of ear tips on S/M/L sizes in black and white colors. We have the cable stuffed inside a generously sized carry case and this time around we are getting a modular cable. It has similar looks but this is a 4 core cable while the OG came with a dual core cable. A 3.5mm module ends the list of functional accessories.
CABLE:
Que UTG comes with a 4 core SPC litz cable with 49 stands in each core and this time around we are getting the convenience of modularity too. This is a considerably more supple cable than the OG Que shipped with and offers better flexibility too. It has less memory, isn’t bouncy and less microphonic too. Aesthetics of this cable compliments the earpieces.
BUILD AND ERGONOMICS:
When we describe an exceptionally built IEM we say it’s “Built like a Tank” that hold trues for this beauty too. UTG is made out of high quality zinc alloy housing and cavity, it’s visual appeal is enhanced by the “South American Green Sandalwood” back plates.
Okay, you guessed it right, this shell is not light and is a bit on the bigger side but the design offers good grip and stability inside the ear. It doesn’t have an ergonomical design but does offer good fit without much issues. I would have liked a bit deeper nozzles but it’s not bad at all.
SOUND QUALITY:
First thing first, UTG is not something we are used to. Ultra thin glass base for the driver definitely sounds interesting and I too was curious about its performance and not to my surprise Sivga has done a admirable job in tuning this. But this is nothing like anything else they have on offer.
Even though it shares the Que name it barely sounds like the OG. While the OG is a warm and thick sounding IEM, this is a lot more neutral and accuracy oriented IEM, doesn’t sound warm or thick and that might be a relief for some of us. It has much better finishing definition and clarity too.
We get tight and clean bass, slightly forward vocals and lively highs. A total departure from what the OG offered. It has a W shaped signature with clarity as the main priority. Let’s dive deeper!!
I am using stock tips and Hidizs S9 Pro+ as source for this review.
BASS:
How do you like your bass? The OG is warmer and fuller sounding IEM but the UTG is tuned differently. We still get excellent sub-bass extension but the notes are cleaner and tighter with focus on clarity and resolution. We get good sub-bass rumbles too. Mid bass is slightly tighter than usual with a good area of impact. It just doesn’t have a lot of air behind the notes which definitely helps with the definition and perceived texture. Decay is slightly on the faster side. It’s not like it’s dry or anything, we get aptly meaty and full notes but UTG doesn’t let the notes gain much weight or get boomy. UTG thanks to its accuracy offers considerably clean layering of notes, its dynamics and contrast of back and foreground instruments is above average too, but it’s not as subtle as other competitors like Hidizs MS2 pro. We get one of the most cleaner upper bass notes here. Kick drums and bass guitars have no forced softness to them, enhancing its technical capabilities and clarity.
MID RANGE:
UTG is a clear departure from what the OG offered. If you liked the OG Que’s warm and smooth sounding presentation, this is an excellent contrast to that. Focusing more on clarity, transparency and definition. It barely has any unwanted girth at any region of the mid range. While doing this, we get exceptionally well defined finishing definition with both vocals and instruments, that have slightly added details to them. Male vocals still maintain aptly throaty body while female vocals are more precise with taller and deeper notes. We get very good texture and in note variation. Tonality and timber are neutral, they aren’t colored in any way. Another note worthy point is, it doesn’t sound unnatural in any way. Instruments on the other hand aren’t suppressed like most of the W shaped IEMs. UTG offers equally tall and energetic instruments with excellent resolution. One thing that could have been slightly better is Z-axis depth. It does have decent contract of decaying notes but the depth is not enough and the decay is bit too fast too which does give a gradual decay or reverb effect. Yes, the upper mids are a bit spicy but not hot, if you like it smooth, this can feel slightly aggressive. The good thing is, it bites, but with love, exhibiting it’s superior clarity and transparency over the competition.
HIGHS:
We usually don’t get highly resolving highs in this price range. Even the OG Que wasn’t that good with highs but UTG is no slouch. In fact, this IEM offers one of the best treble clarity and definition under $150. We get sparkly, agile and transparent notes. The energy gained at the upper mids is maintained up till the end. We get one of the best treble extension, even better than some expensive IEMs from other makers. Cherry on top is the clean air between instruments, UTG has superb separation, layering and accurate instrument placements. Again, a bit more Z-axis depth would have been outstanding. Violins, cymbals, tambourine have fantastic crash and crisp tonality to them.
STAGE AND IMAGING:
Sivga Que UTG is an excellent IEM when it comes to clarity and that can be said for the stage and imaging too. Best aspect here is the extra bit of precision it offers (without sounding dry) which adds to the amount of air between instruments, enhancing its cue placements to pin point accuracy. Lovely imaging. We do get a slightly more closed in stage that is tall and wide with decent Z-axis depth, (yes, you can’t expect this much from this little money). Most of the stage is placed within the head though, some of the vocal and mid range notes make it out of the head while majority of treble notes project outward. We get a evenly spread stage where no region feels cramped or hollow. Sonics are decent too, it doesn’t lack with transient effects but since the background notes aren’t that subtle, it can sound a bit flattish.
COMPARISON:
VS Tanchjim Fission:
Both these IEMs incorporate similar drivers and have very similar attributes too. Both have metal build, modular cable and similarly accuracy oriented tuning too.
But I have no problem in stating that Que UTG holds upper hand in nearly every aspect. It’s the more mature and responsibly tuned IEM too. Both had tight bass while the Fission lacks a bit air and body Sivga is slightly slower with decay. Both aren’t perfect with the lower end but Que offers better engagement thanks to it’s fuller notes.
Mid range is where both bring their A game!! Both are surprisingly similar with details, transparency, resolution, definition and clarity. UTG has better control over sharpness and offers slightly fuller, more textured notes. Has slightly better tonality and timber, offers better Z-axis depth too. Fission is a bit more aggressive and can sound slightly shouty but definitely sounds a bit more transparent.
HIGHS is where Fission struggle with aur and separation even when it has very good extension and agility. Que sounds a lot more effortless and offers superb extension, air between instruments and separation. Stage is bigger with the UTG too.
VS Kefine Delci AE:
These two IEMs are beasts on their own and are exceptionally similar but the UTG holds the upper hand. Yes the AE has slight advantage of tuning nozzles but the UTG has modular cable.
AE is V/W shaped and offers very good transparency, clarity across the spectrum which is matched by the UTG while offering slightly more consistency and better balance. Bass of these two IEMs are very similar but AE slightly more technically capable with marginally faster decay but UTG has a more fun signature.
Mid range is where UTG has better note height, texture and sounds stress-free. It has better tonality and neutral timber. Highs are similar up till the upper treble region where is UTG easily offers better air, cleaner notes and extension. AE has similar agility and spark up till the mid treble but can sound slightly stressed. Stage of the UTG is again bigger and sounds more wholesome.
CONCLUSION:
Okay, where do I start.. OG Que is warm smooth and more cohesive with a overall relaxed presentation, do not look at the UTG is the same light. This is a lot more clarity, transparency and technically tuned IEM which focuses more on accuracy and precision and less on cohesive or musicality.
It offers superb extension at both ends, has a superbly balanced signature and exceptionally airy and clear treble region. If you aren’t looking for a warm sounding IEM and prefer clarity over musicality, close your eyes and go for the UTG. It’s just an outstanding piece of IEM under $100.
Enjoy!!
