The AIYA is a cabled in-ear design with an open back, made by Sendy Audio, the brand that also builds the Aiva planar magnetic headphones, and it applies the same planar magnetic principle to a small open-back shell. Each housing is carved from natural ebony, and the first batch was limited to 99 pieces. Sendy Audio operates as a sub-brand of Sivga Electronic Technology, and the Aiya was introduced alongside the Aiva full-size model.
Key specs that matter
Each shell carries a 21 mm planar magnetic unit whose diaphragm Sendy calls ultra nano composite. Sendy Audio lists a frequency response of 20 Hz to 40 kHz and an impedance of 20 ohm, measured at 1 kHz. Each earphone weighs 12.2 g. A sensitivity of 116 dB is quoted, together with a wider extended range figure of 5 Hz to 55 kHz. The launch price in China was CNY 3,210.
Engineering and use context
The planar principle spreads the voice conductor across a thin film suspended between magnets, so the whole diaphragm area is driven at once instead of being pushed by one central voice coil. Fitting a planar film of this size into an in-ear housing is unusual, since most earphones of this size use dynamic or balanced armature units. The back of each shell is open and protected by a steel dustproof grille on top. The ebony bodies go through a long sequence of hand work, including selection of the wood, carving, and several rounds of painting and polishing, so the grain and colour of every pair differ. Silicone material near the ear was added to improve comfort compared with similar wooden designs. Sendy Audio cites the limited production as a consequence of how hard ebony is to machine. Because the rear is vented to the outside, the earphone does not seal the listener off from surrounding noise and lets its own output escape.
Pairing
The box includes a 4.4 mm balanced cable and a handmade leather carrying bag, so a player or portable amplifier with a 4.4 mm balanced output connects directly. The low impedance and high sensitivity suggest that a portable player can drive it without a separate desktop amplifier. The packaging itself is made of kraft paper, and the leather bag doubles as the storage case when the earphones are not in use. Since only 99 pieces were built in the first batch, the AIYA was produced in far smaller numbers than the mass-market earphones of the Sivga group.
Alternatives
The Sendy Audio Aiva is the planar magnetic headphone launched alongside the AIYA.