This is one of the best headphones that I've heard! One of the issues that most people run into who think Susvara isn't any good, usually have not heard it on a proper chain or they've never heard it all and are repeating what they hear on the internet. If one is not willing to spend as much as the headphones cost or more on an amp and at least half the cost of the headphones or more on a DAC, they shouldn't purchase because they won't get the full potential from Susvara. There are other headphones out there at a lower price point that are alternatives if cost is an issue, but there are very few headphones that can touch Susvara when driven properly. Susvara when driven properly is estat like with more bass. The only competitors in my opinion are the Big 3, Aperio, HE1, and Shang Sr. Great review and great headphones. No headphone is perfect but these are pretty close. They can be had for $4.5K or a little less if you look around. The entire chain must be optimized to get the best out of these headphones so DAC/Amp and source is very important. I appreciate that you mentioned that you can drive these with lower powered amps and I know that power calculators would agree, however, you won't hear what Susvara can do until it is powered with an amp that can provide lots of current that also can handle voltage swings.
I agree 100%. I'm a proud owner. I drive it with a Feliks Envy tube amp and my dac is a Hugo TT 2 and Mscaler combo. Cable of choice is a Cardas beyond cable. I'm listening to Tidal and Qobuz through roon and a Lumin U2 mini Streamer. My experience with the sound is mind blowing.
@letstalkaudio that's awesome! I also drive Susvara with the Envy using Telefunken G73r driver tubes and Sophia Electric 300Bs. Sounds amazing and rolling tubes changes the sound to your liking. I use the Schiit Yggdrasil OG A2 as a DAC with Moon Audio Black Dragon Cables. I am using a Windows gaming PC dedicated to music only to stream Tidal Hifi Plus. Absolutely amazing combination. This will hold me until I purchase Elrog MO 300Bs. Envy drives Susvara with authority. I used to use high gain per Lukasz' recommendation, but after changing tubes, mid gain is perfect and I still barely get to 10 o'clock on the volume dial.
Best headphone review I've seen so far! You nailed it @ 28:00 speaking about the quality of recordings. From professional experience, headphones like these are not only better at referencing music than most studio monitors...they give far more definition than the gear most mix engineers "test" their mixes on. Most engineers live by the "car test". If a mix sounds great on their favorite car system? the song is finished. Headphones like these outperform any car or nightclub system I've ever tested mixes on - and high end Hi-Fi speaker systems do reveal superior detail, but they're usually tuned to sound sweet. Headphones like these are leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.
Thanks William. Great summary. Which hifiman headphones do you think is the best balance between forgiving, enjoyable but with plenty of resolution and soundstage for most of us? I enjoy some bass but am not a bass head. Possibly impossible for you to answer but thought would ask.
Have you tried the Focal Utopia? I own both the Utopia and Susvara, as well as the Prelude amp. I actually prefer the Utopia overall, but I kept the Susvara because it has a more organic, smooth sound that's non-fatiguing. The Utopia is more holographic and detailed, with bass that slams hard without bleeding into the mids. I think you'll love the Utopia + Prelude combo! Also try using EQ with both headphones. Both headphones benefit greatly from EQ that nudges them closer to the Harman curve.
From my experience, the second best amplifier for my Susvara is Traformatic Head 2. (The first one is its bigger brother Primavera). The best DAC for it is my Holo Audio May L2. Its sound signature is very close to my Kennerton Thror Noval. I still cannot decide which of 2 is the better one. Susvara is more forgiving from 2 thanks to a deep in high mids and a few hertz goes lower.
Envy has 8 w max power in 16 ohms. It’s 2.13 w in 60 ohms with Susvara. I tried Envy for 3 hours with Susvara and it sucks. Sus need 6w min, better 8-10w. Envy is enough for 1266 or Dca but not Sus. There are only 4-5 amp for sus to drive it properly
@@goldenstasgs I see the envy is not to your liking... and that's fine. The great thing about this hobby is that we have many choices. For me is the Feliks envy.
I wish the Susvara was as comfortable for me. My ears touch the insides of the pads at the top and bottom. Not only is it annoying and takes me away from the experience, but it makes my ears a little sore after a couple of hours. I love everything else about them though.
Agree with the most. But I find it more way than 10% ahead of all the he1000 series. It’s up to the buyer if it’s worth it. If you don’t have the funds of course you come a long way with the he1000se. But you will always long to hear how much better it can get. 😅 so eventually you’ll end up with the Susvara if you have the funds for it and the setup it needs. It basically projects everything just the way it is. You will easily hear difference between the quality of the recordings. And it’s not always a good thing. But it’s so rewarding in good recordings. I’m on my 2nd pair 😁
I agree. IMO, Susvara is more than 10% better than the HE1000se although I often hear people saying that the HE1000se is 95% of the Susvara. The HE1000se is an excellent headphone, but not Susvara. There is a reason why Susvara has maintained the same MSRP since release and Hifiman has lowered MSRP significantly on all other headphones except the estats. I think some people convince themselves that the HE1000se is close to either justify that purchase or because they can't justify the expense of properly running Susvara.
@Berkanann you're spot on. I can't emphasize enough how much better Susvara sounds when the proper investment is put on the entire chain. When people hear Susvara at its best, they usually realize that what they thought was good compared to what they are used to hearing, can get even better.
Addicts explaining why they're immune to price tag placebo. Of course you think this is true, you've conditioned your brain to think it is. You have purchase validation addiction.
At 6k , it works as a multi functional device. Not only is it one of the best headphones on the planet but after your spouse see how much you spent on a headphone, she will give you your divorce papers 😂😂😂
Susvara has same wide sound presentation like hekse, but hekse has height of sound because of bigger and taller planar driver. It leads to grandiosity in orchestral and soundtrack recordings. Starwars sounds better with Hekse than with Susvara
wtf as of 03-AUG-2024, this video which just popped up in my playlist is 5 months old!!! I dislike that none of these videos i do a search for never show up in my suggested viewing playlist, even if doing a direct search. Something is pay-for-play cartel dirty about youtube; like, FTC-needs-to-investigate-youtube's-pay-for-play-cartel-kinda-dirty kind of dirty...
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
Have you actually heard the Susvara or are you basing this on other people's opinions? Or maybe on price? If you have heard them, my next question is what dac and amp did you use?
This is one of the best headphones that I've heard! One of the issues that most people run into who think Susvara isn't any good, usually have not heard it on a proper chain or they've never heard it all and are repeating what they hear on the internet.
If one is not willing to spend as much as the headphones cost or more on an amp and at least half the cost of the headphones or more on a DAC, they shouldn't purchase because they won't get the full potential from Susvara. There are other headphones out there at a lower price point that are alternatives if cost is an issue, but there are very few headphones that can touch Susvara when driven properly. Susvara when driven properly is estat like with more bass. The only competitors in my opinion are the Big 3, Aperio, HE1, and Shang Sr.
Great review and great headphones. No headphone is perfect but these are pretty close. They can be had for $4.5K or a little less if you look around. The entire chain must be optimized to get the best out of these headphones so DAC/Amp and source is very important. I appreciate that you mentioned that you can drive these with lower powered amps and I know that power calculators would agree, however, you won't hear what Susvara can do until it is powered with an amp that can provide lots of current that also can handle voltage swings.
I agree 100%. I'm a proud owner. I drive it with a Feliks Envy tube amp and my dac is a Hugo TT 2 and Mscaler combo. Cable of choice is a Cardas beyond cable. I'm listening to Tidal and Qobuz through roon and a Lumin U2 mini Streamer. My experience with the sound is mind blowing.
@letstalkaudio that's awesome! I also drive Susvara with the Envy using Telefunken G73r driver tubes and Sophia Electric 300Bs. Sounds amazing and rolling tubes changes the sound to your liking. I use the Schiit Yggdrasil OG A2 as a DAC with Moon Audio Black Dragon Cables. I am using a Windows gaming PC dedicated to music only to stream Tidal Hifi Plus. Absolutely amazing combination. This will hold me until I purchase Elrog MO 300Bs. Envy drives Susvara with authority. I used to use high gain per Lukasz' recommendation, but after changing tubes, mid gain is perfect and I still barely get to 10 o'clock on the volume dial.
@DeeT7942. Awesome! Thanks for the tube tip.👍
What about X9000? Surely it deserves a spot on that list.
@sauc3cock IMO Susvara and X9000 are very close which is why I didn't mention it with the others but definitely a good set of headphones.
I'm delighted to see that you've finally received these.
Best headphone review I've seen so far! You nailed it @ 28:00 speaking about the quality of recordings. From professional experience, headphones like these are not only better at referencing music than most studio monitors...they give far more definition than the gear most mix engineers "test" their mixes on. Most engineers live by the "car test". If a mix sounds great on their favorite car system? the song is finished. Headphones like these outperform any car or nightclub system I've ever tested mixes on - and high end Hi-Fi speaker systems do reveal superior detail, but they're usually tuned to sound sweet. Headphones like these are leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.
I hope your channel continues to grow!
Thank you.
Always a pleasure to watch Your videos. Thanks! :)
Thank you.
Wow, glad you got to test these!
Love your channel! Keep this up! 👍🏻
Thank you.
Thanks William. Great summary. Which hifiman headphones do you think is the best balance between forgiving, enjoyable but with plenty of resolution and soundstage for most of us? I enjoy some bass but am not a bass head. Possibly impossible for you to answer but thought would ask.
I'm really liking the Arya Organic.
The biggest issue with the Susvara is the fact that when I die my wife will sell them for less than what I told her I paid for them....
Nice 😂 - thought the same thing quite often
Still getting use to my HE1000's and I can't imagine having something better...
Have you tried the Focal Utopia? I own both the Utopia and Susvara, as well as the Prelude amp. I actually prefer the Utopia overall, but I kept the Susvara because it has a more organic, smooth sound that's non-fatiguing. The Utopia is more holographic and detailed, with bass that slams hard without bleeding into the mids. I think you'll love the Utopia + Prelude combo! Also try using EQ with both headphones. Both headphones benefit greatly from EQ that nudges them closer to the Harman curve.
Unfortunately I have not yet heard the Utopia, or any other Focal headphones.
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 the Focal Clear is widely considered to be their second-best headphone and it's under $1000. Enjoy!
detailed review as usual 👍🏻
have you listened to electrostatic headphones like stax l500 mk2 , l700 mk2 , 009s ?
Haven't yet had the opportunity.
From my experience, the second best amplifier for my Susvara is Traformatic Head 2. (The first one is its bigger brother Primavera). The best DAC for it is my Holo Audio May L2.
Its sound signature is very close to my Kennerton Thror Noval. I still cannot decide which of 2 is the better one. Susvara is more forgiving from 2 thanks to a deep in high mids and a few hertz goes lower.
Best sounding headphones in my collection. I run it with a Feliks Envy amp and a Cardas cable Beyond … A delightful experience.
Envy has 8 w max power in 16 ohms. It’s 2.13 w in 60 ohms with Susvara. I tried Envy for 3 hours with Susvara and it sucks. Sus need 6w min, better 8-10w. Envy is enough for 1266 or Dca but not Sus.
There are only 4-5 amp for sus to drive it properly
@@goldenstasgs I see the envy is not to your liking... and that's fine. The great thing about this hobby is that we have many choices. For me is the Feliks envy.
It not question of preferences. Envy has not enough power to drive Susvara. Three times less than Susvara requires.
I recently hooked up my he560v4 to my Yamaha Stereo amp via banana plug adapter and XLR. Whole new other level, these things crave tonnes of power!
I wish the Susvara was as comfortable for me. My ears touch the insides of the pads at the top and bottom. Not only is it annoying and takes me away from the experience, but it makes my ears a little sore after a couple of hours. I love everything else about them though.
Agree with the most. But I find it more way than 10% ahead of all the he1000 series. It’s up to the buyer if it’s worth it. If you don’t have the funds of course you come a long way with the he1000se. But you will always long to hear how much better it can get. 😅 so eventually you’ll end up with the Susvara if you have the funds for it and the setup it needs. It basically projects everything just the way it is. You will easily hear difference between the quality of the recordings. And it’s not always a good thing. But it’s so rewarding in good recordings. I’m on my 2nd pair 😁
I agree. IMO, Susvara is more than 10% better than the HE1000se although I often hear people saying that the HE1000se is 95% of the Susvara. The HE1000se is an excellent headphone, but not Susvara. There is a reason why Susvara has maintained the same MSRP since release and Hifiman has lowered MSRP significantly on all other headphones except the estats.
I think some people convince themselves that the HE1000se is close to either justify that purchase or because they can't justify the expense of properly running Susvara.
Nice cable there ;)
Хорошие наушники за свою цену.Я несколько лет назад приобрел Орфеи и лучше них только живая музыка.
You can get the Susvara $3K-$3.5K second-hand, but you need to spend more than that on DAC and amp if you want to drive them properly.
No the s17 does the job flawlessly.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez After hearing the Susvara on amps like the Egoista 845, Primavera, DCS stack, top Holo stack I have to respectfully disagree.
@Berkanann you're spot on. I can't emphasize enough how much better Susvara sounds when the proper investment is put on the entire chain. When people hear Susvara at its best, they usually realize that what they thought was good compared to what they are used to hearing, can get even better.
Addicts explaining why they're immune to price tag placebo. Of course you think this is true, you've conditioned your brain to think it is. You have purchase validation addiction.
@@En_Joshi-Godrez Do you think the s17 will be able to drive the Tungsten as well?
At 6k , it works as a multi functional device. Not only is it one of the best headphones on the planet but after your spouse see how much you spent on a headphone, she will give you your divorce papers 😂😂😂
Susvara has same wide sound presentation like hekse, but hekse has height of sound because of bigger and taller planar driver. It leads to grandiosity in orchestral and soundtrack recordings. Starwars sounds better with Hekse than with Susvara
wtf as of 03-AUG-2024, this video which just popped up in my playlist is 5 months old!!! I dislike that none of these videos i do a search for never show up in my suggested viewing playlist, even if doing a direct search. Something is pay-for-play cartel dirty about youtube; like, FTC-needs-to-investigate-youtube's-pay-for-play-cartel-kinda-dirty kind of dirty...
Makes you wonder.
Was not impressed with this headphone. Could not see the hype. Time has moved on and hifiman should produce a V2 release
May I ask what Amp and dac you were using?
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
Don't change it if it's not broken.
@@theheadphoneexperience-wil2250 HiFiMan EF1000 with DCS dac at CanJam. My opinion on the EF1000 is that it lacks musicality & Finesse. The Susvara did improve with the DCS amplifier, but well below the hype that the influencer community have created.
I heard those headphones really suck
Have you actually heard a Susvara?
The worst snake oil headphone in the market..
Have you actually heard the Susvara or are you basing this on other people's opinions? Or maybe on price?
If you have heard them, my next question is what dac and amp did you use?
That's what I thought. Until I heard it with the right equipment. Now I'm a proud owner.
what headphone do you own that you feel sounds better ??