Can $6000 Fix My Susvara? -------------------------------------------------------- Bakoon 13R Review
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Can $6000 Fix The Hifiman Susvara?
I make one last effort to get top-tier sound from a ridiculously high-priced headphone.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Bakoon 13R Review
Hifiman Susvara
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Hifiman Susvara w/ box
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try this... Hold the mode button on the remote controller (the O button in the middle) for 3 seconds. The LEDs will start blinking. With the up/down buttons on the remote, choose V1 or V2. V1 is low gain and V2 is high gain. Press the mode button again for 3 seconds to set it.
This is it! It’s actually printed on the inside lid of the box, but they do their best to hide it.
I suppose I was a little OCD with the bubble wrap, lol. The Susvara needs lots of power and the Bakoon/Enleum amps are special. Glad it made the grade!!
Also, the HoloAudio Bliss for 3k was designed with the Susvara in mind.
It's another $2K for the Instructions on how to enable High Gain. It's actually some sort of combination on the volume knob I think I read somewhere. I'm glad Michael has finally gotten to the level necessary to enjoy the Susvara fully. I bailed on my Susvara a while ago. One night while sleeping the Kenny Rogers The Gambler song entered a dream and he started singing, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.... Know when to walk away and know when to run." I sold my Susvara the next day
You’re smiling 😊!Somebody help this man get closer to nirvana….👍😎
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Funny!!!!
lol
Did you, really?
And then he woke up.
I have a pair of Suzy and I love it. I’d used the Suzy with a Topping A90, iFi Pro iCAN Signature and a few other amps. The iFi gets it loud with 14W but did not bring out the best in the Suzy. Purchased the new GoldenWave/HiFiMan Prelude headphone amplifier for it and loving it. The Prelude is HiFiMan’s Suzy amp. It is a heavenly match!!! Performance wise, it is very close to the Holo Bliss but at less than half its price. I am looking to get a good tube amp for it such as the Feliks Audio Envy, Viva Egoista 845 or Cayin HA300B MK II. I am also open to getting the Enleum 23R but would want to test it first in the shops if one becomes available for testing. The HiFiMan EF1000 would be nice but it’s $15K
Did you see the latest episode? I demo the 23r. It’s a remarkable amp for the Susvara, specifically (maybe not the best for other headphones). Another big Susvara episode is coming in a few weeks. Testing something special.
@@DirectorsGarage would like to hear your take on the Prelude and the EF1000 if you can get your hands on it. Will check out your other videos and waiting for the new ones
Michael, just found your channel. I love it. The track selection is right out of my library and your comments right on the money. I have the Susvara and AB 1266 with the DCS LINA system. I am a happy guy…took ages to get here , retired now so spend it or bury it with you is my new mantra. My last missing piece seems to be a worthy cable for my Susvara’s. I have DHC and Silver Dragon….not happening for me yet. Love to hear your thoughts and what you have on your set up?????
If you want a 15000 dollar summit fi fix. You might want to take a look at the Hifiman EF1000 in regards to the Susvara.
Great video, most other channels won't dare say anything critical about the Susvara haha. My price point's like a 20th or 30th but it does seem like hifiman headphones can be somewhat song specific and have a bit of weakness in the mids that lacks intensity in a way that's hard to explain, but on the other hand be very technically capable with good detail and sound stage. I think that's the trade off.
Michael this is such a great video and incredibly eye opening. Many have touted, “buy a speaker amp, buy a speaker amp! “ 😂
I love it, man! The bloody Bakoon. I’m so grateful for your discoveries. Thanks a million.
Have you had a chance to try the OOR in power amp mode? I found it MUCH more satisfying w/ Susvara that way.
agreed, when I still owned the OOR, putting the volume pot in bypass mode and using a goldpoint XLR passive pre increased the texture of the sound that came through
Michael we need a Sennheiser HE1 video
Respect to you following up a crazy 6K headphone with a 6K amp most likely with a 6.7K Chord TT2 and a 5.6K Chord upscaler. That's probably around 25K worth of insanity if you include cables. That is dedication bordering on obsession. I'm so Jealous.
Michael. You could get a balanced cable terminated with banana plugs for the amp. I think Van Dam cables makes them. :)
To compare: Let’s not forget the cost of the abyss is the cost of the abyss and the super conductor cable and the amp you needed to drive that too. So not far from $12k.
Great to see you picked up a suitable amp to experience the susvaras properly to then share these new views.
I love mine with the niimbus us4 amp.
For me the susvaras need to be done “properly” otherwise there is better value elsewhere. Eg utopias or hekse or v2.
Mind you the cost of the susvaras and an amp like this is what i consider an indulgence and not bang for buck. But that’s what happens at this level of anything.
When you listen to the Abyss guys you need even more than 12k for sufficent sound and volume for the 1266 TC
I saw the chord hugo2 in the background:) Will you review it? Great for IEMs and as a dac for headphones
I’m curious on your take
Hi there,
Wonderful set-up !!! I also have this set-up ❤. For the dac i use a Merason frerot, very nice pairing also. And for streaming a simple ifi zen stream + roon.
Let me quote the bakoon manual:
By factory default, the headphone gain is set at 7db. To set the gain level at high at 22.5 db, turn off the amplifier and press the knob for 3 seconds. The input LEDs will blink and you can rotate the knob to set the blinking LEDs in either V1 and V2 or V2 and SL. If V1 and V2 are on, it is low gain mode, and if V2 and SL are on, it is high gain mode. Press the knob again for about 3 seconds to set the gain.
Cheers
Thanks Julien! I figured it out with some research. Any idea what having all 3 LEDs lit means? There is this mystery 3rd setting-- can't figure out what it means or does.
@@DirectorsGarageh i found it on a forum once, it has to do with speakers mode, so i didn’t bother to keep the information. I will try to find this information… i can send you a copy of the manual if i have your email 😎
@@JulienBourjault If you have a copy-- send it to directorsgarage@gmail.com Thank you so much!
Just get the hifiman shangri-la senior. There will be no more chasing for the best and no need to look any further. That is the absolute final destination for high end headphones.😅
Is it though?!?! What about the HE-1? And can I out-build the HE-1 with quality components? 🤯 Stay tuned! LOL. Thanks for checking out the channel!
On the Amp23 you hold the power mute button for 2 seconds the use the volume buttons to change modes.
Trafomatic Primavera, Viva Egoista, Riviera AIC-10, Woo WA-33 elite are you next steps for upgrade path after bakoon. Perhaps the sideways step is Mass Kobo or Holo Bliss. The good news is the bakoon's used prices are falling to $4k or just below.
Hello,
You say this after you have owned and tried them with Susvara? Or just by reading forums and such?
In general, always try for yourself, don’t assume, you will surely be surprised. If it is by experimenting yourself, can you pls elaborate a bit more your experience ? Cheers
@Director's Garage, have you compared the 13R vs Benchmark AHB2, CMA liked the AHB2 better (particularly the mids) than the Enlium 23R which the upgraded version of the 13R.
No, but It can destroy them because of dc offset on the ouputs.
Have you tried a bit of eq? You seem to like bass and warmer tunings. Maybe a adding a little eq could get you pass the line (for less than a few thousands).
Waiting for the Bravura review. :D
Can you please review the he1000v2 I know you used to own one but there below 2000$ now so I’d like to know there spot in your lineup now ! Thank you idiot Michael 🙏
I've owned the He1000v1. Very natural but pleasant headphone, if the V2 is similar to that (I believe the vocals are the main difference, more centred then forward) then it will be an incredible experience. Also isn't particularly hard to drive unlike the Sus.
That and the second hand market is pretty good for these as far as I can see. I traded up for an Se so either I will be keeping it or downgrading for a V2 or V1 again in the near future.
You should try monoblock Sus with AHB2
He doesn't want to use speaker amps
@@ryansemplexyz it's a must with Sus.
I agree, but Michael doesn't.
Don't give up, buy the ef1000 the holy grail of the audiophile.
Enleum R23 is upgrade to Bakoon R13.. It should be noticeably better. -More power. It also has about the same msrp as the 13R.
Not more power, James. Both are 25W. Upgrades internally, but probably not worth the outlay, certainly at the price I got this amp for. We'll discuss on tomorrow afternoon's live stream if you're into it. Should be fun.
@@DirectorsGarage I hear you on that! Since you got for a deal, not worth sidegrade.. Great review!!! 😊
I have tried them both, i don’t hear the upgrade, more subtle than anything. Have you tried side by side the 2 amps with Susvara? I don’t know why but i guess it’s a no 😮
Would you check out Riviera AIC10-Bal tube amp?
what about Wells Audio Headtrip?
Michael. What DAC did you use for the test ?
As an owner of Enleum Amp 23R (so kind of Mark II of 13R) I can say they are good but have a problem. They are detailed, with monumental bass and nice treble (non fatiguing). The problem is it's midrange - it sometimes feels lifeless. It sounds like it's neutral (but in comparison to Niimbus it's not as much) and maybe because of that I don't feel excitement form listening to it. The instruments like guitars are lacking textures. It's ok with LCD-4 (my all-around favourite headphones), it's kind of ok-ish with LCD-5 (yet it makes the midrage too shouty). The best combo for me is with 1266 TC, which is surprising because I thought that it'll make them worse (because of the midrange). It made me like them much more then with 300B tubes (soundstage is too big with them). I assume that with the Susvaras the synergy might be similar. Yet I think that Enleum is very overpriced and pushed by it's marketing (those magical legs and Red Dot Award). Still if you have a speakers I think there is where it can shine. I suggest checking Holo Audio Bliss (but it's a new amp so it needs some time to be more popular but the price is just right) or maybe Feliks Audio Envy (300B tubes). There is also Zahl HM1 (really interesting one because of the options to play with the tuning) - some people say it's for now the best amp for Sus. But Bliss is really close (in terms of sound quality) for much less money. Also you need to wait a long time for HM1 (only 50 are being made ech year).
The mid-range on the AMP-23R is the best I've ever heard. What are you talking about?
@@rustygates3367 it may be a matter of preference. There are some that don’t feel there is a problem and there are others (reviewers like Goldensound and Convince Me Audio and users from head-fi) that feel there is. For me the midrange is too smooth, lacking texture and timbre, especially with instruments like guitars. I’d describe it as this - there are times when you listen to music and you are moved by it, engaged. I have this with Cayin HA-300 but not with the Enleum. But it seems that there are headphones that don’t suffer much by this. Audeze LCD-4 and 5 have problems with midrange but Abys 1266 TC are great with 23R. Susvaras are also great but I don’t have those. Anyway Enleum strength’s are elsewhere but if you value midrange very much then it won’t be the best choice IMO.
The new GoldenWave/HiFiMan Prelude Class A headphone amp may be a good choice. It performs very close to the Holo Bliss at less than half the price.
try losing those silver cables then see how the bass and body is
Finalising the re-review,
I settled on monoblock benchmark ahb2 May kte serene kte
Now we are at a level I don’t believe can be beaten, the bloody thing has no ceiling!! it’s a conduit for equipments.
it ends up being so far ahead of other headphones, It is just difficult to judge. Bloody annoying
1266 and CRBN are both here too, I’ve been trying to do this re”review for the last 18 months, LOL
I did not care for the 23r
i’m sorry mate, even my set up I’m sure can be beaten with a bit more insanity, and I am hundred percent sure you still will not hit the ceiling
$25,000 and counting right now LOL, I think
Que dramatic music.
Just get the Mytek Empire and call it a day
What would you do if went to the garage one day, only to find an immovable squad of squatters who were installed for the singular purpose of hearing your HiFi equipment?
Let 'em in!
@@DirectorsGarage Leave the key under the mat. 🔑
No, but it could fix my life
😂 I did warn you
I feel bad for people buying the Susvara.
Why?
@@Neutrality10 it's so demanding they're basically in for a soul crunching hole in their pocket for a proper amp
Aye. It likely is an incredible listening experience, but a lot of high end headphones are incredibly difficult to drive. From what I can tell the Se is a half-way house between a He1000 and Sus
@@MuhammadKharismawan this needs sooo much power to be even loud enough and not even sounding sufficent thing is somehow made up. Yes some Headphones need quite a lot of power, but i drove another HE 6 se with 2 Watts quite good and & Watts was in all cases enough power and quality. This guy here seems to be a basehead with a special kind of taste which is ok but I have seen more reviews who put the Susvara above the Abyss and my personal experiences fit to this.
@@Konspiration100 not saying it's not enough, it just the classic rpiblem of summit fi, they have such high ceiling people got hit by diminishing return twice, thrice, just buying into it.
One buying the headphone, second buying multiple amps, then for some reason even dabbling into cables, power cable, USB cable, balanced cable, etc etc all to satisfy their curiosity about it.
Squeezing water out of a rock is what I think it is.
A cheaper alternative is buying a hifiman he-adapter and connecting it to a speaker amp.
man buy headphone, headphone sound bad... man buy powerbox, headphone sound good