About The Sendy Audio Apollo Headphones
The Sendy Audio Apollo is a high performance over ear wired set of headphones that feature premium high lacquer Rosewood & stainless steel construction, along with comfortable goat skin leather and the option of balanced drive from a suitable headphone amplifier. This is a serious offering at a very reasonable price.
Planar Magnetic Technology: The Apollo is an open-back planar magnetic driver headphone. However, it doesn't use an off-the-shelf planar magnetic driver, instead, it uses Sendy Audio's quad former technology. This means that the driver inside the headphone has dual-sided magnets, while the diaphragm itself has 2 coils on each side of the diaphragm, giving it a total of 4 coils. This gives the Apollo a smooth and natural vocal presentation, solid bass response and sparkling treble extension up to 40kHz. The Apollo uses a large 68mm planar magnetic driver with an SPL rating of 95dB, and an impedance of 16Ω. The frequency range of the Apollo is quite wide, having a 20Hz-40kHz frequency response.
Design & Construction: Consistent with the rest of the Sendy Audio product line, the Apollo uses a suspension-style headband made of spring steel. The strap on the headband is made with foam and soft lambskin. Similarly, the earpads on the Apollo are also made with lambskin, which makes the earpads soft and pliable. The earpads are held in place using clips which means they can easily be replaced by the user when they wear out.
On some suspension strap systems, the strap itself is held together using elastic to make it more comfortable at the cost of long-term durability. Fortunately, Sendy Audio decided to use a suspension strap system that slides along the headband, allowing for adjustment while also ensuring it will last longer than ones that use elastic.
The earcups on the Apollo can also be adjusted both horizontally and vertically. This makes it easy for the user to properly adjust the earcups to conform to any head shape or size. Each earcup has silver mesh grills that are then overlaid with a black sun pattern, a reference to the standard black star of Apollo. The earcups themselves are made of rosewood, which is then CNC machined, and coated with a high gloss finish to make them durable. Each earcup then has 2.5mm cable connectors that are slanted to the front of the headphone.
Comfort & Isolation: Having a suspension-type headband with a leather head pad makes the Apollo comfortable on top of your head since the weight is distributed properly. It also helps that the Apollo only weighs 395g, which is relatively light for a pair of planar magnetic headphones, particularly if you consider that the Apollo has a dual-sided magnet design. Using more lambskin leather on the earpads also helps with the comfort of the Apollo, as this allows the soft foam inside the earpads to conform to the side of your head accurately.
Together with the earcup adjustment, the soft earpads ensure that the earcups can be adjusted to make a good seal around your ears. The slanted connectors on each earcup make sure that the cable connectors don't drape over your shoulders either. Overall, the ergonomic design of the Apollo is well thought out, allowing the user to focus more on the music.
Cable Design: Sendy Audio includes a 6N OCC copper cable as standard with the Apollo. The cable itself is braided without any outer sheath, which is a good choice since the cables remain soft, and avoid being microphonic even when you move around. It's generous of Sendy Audio to include a balanced cable as standard with the Apollo, so the source end of the cable is terminated in a 4.4mm pentaconn connection, while they also included a pentaconn to 3.5mm TRS adaptor. These cables look great and certainly add to the premium feel of the Apollo.
Packaging & Accessories: The carrying case that comes with the Apollo is a black semi-hard shell that perfectly conforms to the headphones and is similar to the one used with the Aiva. This ensures that the headphones won't move around too much when they're transported. Also, the carrying case has enough space inside to bring along the cables and even a small DAC or DAP.
Aside from the carrying case, the Apollo arrives with a pair of earpad protectors that are fitted over the earpads. The other accessories include a stock cable terminated in a balanced 4.4mm pentaconn connection, a 4.4mm pentaconn to 3.5mm TRS converter, and a hemp pouch that keeps the cables organized inside the carrying case.
Sendy Audio Apollo Review
There isn't much of a mid-bass hump while the attack and decay behind each drum hit are simply spot on. This makes drum hits sound very natural while staying away from bleeding into the rest of the frequency spectrum. With the more exacting nature of the Apollo, the bass response on it is generally very controlled, which makes bass guitars sound very taut while being tonally accurate. The appropriate amount of decay and attack also allows the Apollo to recreate the natural flow of bow strokes on classical upright bass.
The Apollo doesn't artificially inject any euphony into the vocals, but it doesn't detract from the euphony that's already there in the original recording. Male vocals typically have a full-bodied and convincing presentation allowing vocalists like Josh Groban to have a powerful performance. The texture and airiness in the vocal presentation of singers such as Adele can readily be heard. Similarly, guitars sound singular with each pluck of the string.
Although the Apollo has a more measured treble presentation, the execution of the treble is surprisingly natural. With the hit of each cymbal having just enough splash while peeking through with edge and bite when it's called for. Wind instruments on the other hand have a good sense of space and body, allowing horns to sound natural and airy. There is also a good sense of space and air due to the more extended and slightly elevated upper treble range. Fortunately, the upper treble uptick doesn't translate to being sibilant since it stays sweet and smooth throughout.
I was pleasantly surprised at how accurately each image is placed within the soundstage as each element has a well-defined place within the soundstage. When creating a center image, Apollo can also create a convincing center image. Layering within the soundstage is also a strong suit for the Apollo, as the images within the soundstage go further into my head giving it a sense of depth and layering." Headfonics
Our Take
Sendy Audio continue to surprise with the quality of their headphone offerings. Using quality materials, a comfortable design & great sound quality these cans really do have an awful lot to offer the discerning music lover. If you want a quality pair of headphones that look and sound premium and are comfortable enough to wear for long stretches without a problem then look no further than the Sendy Audio Apollo.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: Open Back Over Ear Wired Headphones
- Transducer Type: Planar magnetic driver
- Transducer Size: φ 68mm
- Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40KHz
- Sensitivity: 95 dB +/- 3dB
- Impedance: 16 Ohm +/-15%
- Cable Length: 2.0 M +/-0.2 M
- Connector: φ 4.4 mm Balanced (4.4mm to 3.5mm Adaptor included)
- Included Accessories: Balanced Audio Cable, Leather Case, Hemp Cable Bag, 4.4mm to 3.5mm Adaptor
- Weight: 395 grams
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 12 Months
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE.