[FiGuY1017]

I've tested both on the same DAC and the difference was there for sure and I was surprised too! Maybe you have not had the chance to compare it to something better.

When you say "better" your opening a world of subjectivity, so at this point no one wins this discussion, because music in the end is about preferences, and since no one I know has my exact stack, no one can claim anything objective in relationship to it. I've heard plenty of amps that are "subjectively "better" but none to my ears have beat it. So we can go back and forth on what's "better" but it means nothing to me, because there are to many variables to conclude the matter ( synergy, hearing, system matching, difference in components, music preferenceetc) . So enjoy your day my friend

 

[migo]

When you say "better" your opening a world of subjectivity, so at this point no one wins this discussion, because music in the end is about preferences, and since no one I know has my exact stack, no one can claim anything objective in relationship to it. I've heard plenty of amps that are "subjectively "better" but none to my ears have beat it. So we can go back and forth on what's "better" but it means nothing to me, because there are to many variables to conclude the matter ( synergy, hearing, system matching, difference in components, music preferenceetc) . So enjoy your day my friend

yes, you are absolutely right! No offense at all! It is all about preferences and personal taste od course. I've stated only my feelings and disappointment about THR-1 nothing more. Sorry if I've bothered you that was not my intention. Enjoy your music like me that's what meters!

 

[Tachyon88]

Just waiting for a reply on the fs forum to close the deal, looking forward to giving it a try.

Almost immediately I knew iCan could not take the place of Thr-1. It's not the most detailed amp thr1, but it has plenty of resolution with just a giant sense of space and fullness to the sound that I find addicting. I'll preface that to say Thr-1 is really dependent on its source and also the source output voltage, with 5 v it sounds so addicting and effortless, I'm not even sure I should even continue to search for another amp. It's the most complete, musical amp I've heard and it's sound stage and effortless sound is amazing to just suck you into its world. And. When I say huge ss I don't mean just wide I mean in all directions it's huge. Which imo benefits Susvara alot

Where are they available in the USA ?

I've tested both on the same DAC and the difference was there for sure and I was surprised too! Maybe you have not had the chance to compare it to something better.

Are you using the RCA or XLR out of your DAC ?

 

[migo]

Are you using the RCA or XLR out of your DAC ?

5V XLR

 

[FiGuY1017]

I believe through vinshine they are available

 

[Tachyon88]

I believe through vinshine they are available

I do not see it on their website, but they are also in Singapore. Where did you buy yours ?

 

[FiGuY1017]

Hmm, that's to bad maybe out of stock. I bought mine on here, from the classifieds. There is a forum for it, might put out some feelers and see if anyone has one they'd like to sell. Mine has Vinshine stamped on the back, so they may be the only U.S distributer

 

[devilboy]

Replacement Susvara arrived today. First pair arrived with defective left driver.
I will A-B with Luxman p-750u and NAD M22.
So far with Luxman, with sensitivity on high, I have to turn the volume up a little higher past normal. Sound seems to be more natural than my HEKse and this is with zero hours. Makes the HEKse sound a touch more artificial. Stage seems to be a touch smaller but again this is with zero hours and maybe the Luxman isn't powerful enough?

 

[Feilong4]

Just wanted to crosspost (original post on headphones forums) with my findings with potentially new earpad revisions for the Susvara. This was originally in response to a user who asked if others have also heard a difference between 2 Susvara units.

Maybe it's been confirmed and I'm just late to the party, but still wanted to share my findings.

--------------------------------------------------------

I am unsure if Hifiman has confirmed new pad revisions, so I’ll use the term variants to address the two pads below for now.

To sorta preface, I’ve always wondered this because I’ve seen Crinacle’s Susvara measurements and they measure quite a bit different in the midrange and upper midrange/lower treble (from my understanding of his rig and mine on MiniDSP EARS). I just tossed it up to possibly not having hands-on experience with his rig or unit variances. My suspicions of potential variants sprung up again as I see that he’s measured 2 units that differ in the midrange to upper midrange/lower treble. Way too much to be just unit variances in my opinion, or if it is, it’s terrible QC.

---

Well, I got the new pads yesterday and took a listen and definitely heard a difference in the upper midrange. Here are my findings:

• The hole around 1.5 kHz is now more filled out (to more or less my preference)
• I noticed a tiny bit less energy in the area around 500 Hz - 1 kHz
• ~4 kHz is slightly pulled back to, in my opinion about neutral, in the new pads I just received. I always thought there was too much energy here with the older pads.

---

In more subjective findings:

• Vocals sound more natural
• Electric guitars sound less blaring and harsh
• More or less to my FR preference
• The headphones slide around less on my head due to more surface area of the earpads touching my head (more on earpad dimensions below)

---

Here are some measurements in addition to my subjective findings:


Hifiman Susvara Stock pad comparison1420×708 127 KB

Pink - old variant, Blue - New variant

Note: The "old" earpad variants I received were used only a couple of times after a previous warranty replacement so they have little to no wear.

Measured on a MiniDSP EARS. HPN compensation. Left channel at 90 db. The 3-5 kHz region on the MiniDSP EARS measured on most if not all headphones is inaccurate. The MiniDSP EARS is also not accurate at measuring the treble region though it does provide a bit of insight if overlaid with another headphone’s response. I typically identify dips and peaks in the treble by ear with a tone generator - how reliable one thinks that may be is how much faith they have in my ears. ..which might not be a lot understandably. ** Remember, only compare these measurements to headphones made on the same system (MiniDSP EARS) and the same compensation. In this case, there is the HEQ compensation (sorta Harman-eque IIRC), the HPN compensation (sorta diffuse field IIRC), and raw measurements (no compensation applied). Do NOT compare these measurements to headphones made on a different measuring system or you may misinterpret the comparison.

---

Here are my findings regarding the physical differences of the two earpads:

• There seems to be no differences in thickness on the foam used - confirmed with a caliper on all sides
• No differences in perforations on the inner linings of the earpads or material on the earpads
• The earhole opening of the older variant is noticeably taller than the newer variant by about 6mm - it may not seem like a lot but in my pad rolling and modding experience, that can and will very much change the tuning of the sound

---

Here are pictures of the two earpads (left - older variant, right - newer variant):


1 - opUdNp31920×1082 214 KB


2 - Y0iQNNV1920×1082 160 KB


3 - xYBBec61920×1082 160 KB


4 - YFMYxzj1920×1082 174 KB


5 - Atac7641920×1082 197 KB


6 - bpg7QZc1920×1082 122 KB
Newer variant ^


7 - LSXSoiQ1920×1082 121 KB
Older variant ^


8 - LwSwSae1920×1082 109 KB
Newer variant ^


9 - RZr9eo41920×1082 97.4 KB
Older variant ^

---

I guess to sort of close off my findings, I think the differences in sound are due to an earpad revision. The difference in sound is too big for me to think it’s just variant. The physical differences in the two different earpads seem more intentional than not. If I may reference my impressions post on Reddit 2 years back, I mentioned that I really did not like the stock tuning of the Susvara with its huge hole around 1.5 kHz and then the rise to 4 kHz. I thought the midrange tuning was really wonky. I swapped the pads with some old Beyerdynamic(?) pads that is closer to my preference and am still using the Susvara with those pads 2+ years later. At the end of said post, I said, “Not sure if anyone from Hifiman will ever see this but I would LOVE if they could revise the pads to make them a tiny bit wider and deeper at the back (by 2-3 mm or so) and with exterior perforations to improve the tonal balance in the midrange. I think it’d be a pretty killer headphone out of the box if that happens.” I don’t think anyone from Hifiman read my post being a random nobody, but it does seem my plead for revised earpads has been granted to at least me (with much better solutions to my pad suggestion regarding perforating the exterior).

In my opinion, this new pad variant yields a better and more balanced sound.

 

[BassicScience]

I wonder how the new EF400 performs vs EF1000 when driving the Susvara. Well it’s $600 vs $15k, but still curious. HiFiMan themselves stated that EF400 is designed to also drive Susvara.

So I've flown out to NYC for CanJam, and listened to the Susvara on both the EF400 and EF1000 today. There was actually an EF1000 at both the Hifiman and Bloom Audio tables. Hifiman had it hooked up to a DAP with a very limited playlist, while Bloom had Qobuz and a Chord TT2. The choice was crystal clear, especially since Bloom is one of my favorite dealers. I was literally the first person through the door as I had arrived at the Marriott Marquis over half an hour early (it's a pretty short walk from where I'm staying). I listened to a couple tunes via the Chord TT2 and then substituted in my Questyle CMA800i for it since I know its sound quite well. I thought the clarity was a slight improvement over the Chord, but it's probably just a taste thing.

So does the EF1000 live up to the hype? In a word, yes! The word that came to mind was authoritative. It's a muscular sound with excellent dynamics, bass grip, imaging, and layering. I honestly don't recall the Susvara ever sounding better, and I've heard it in a lot of contexts by now. Without actually living with the EF1000, I can't say I prefer it to my current setup at home, but it's in the same league for sure.

The EF400, OTOH, does not have adequate power to drive a Susvara. It's actually wasn't an embarrassment sonically, but it just doesn't get very loud at max volume. I didn't try any other cans with that amp, as I'm not really interested in it for any current purpose.

The revelation of the day was Solitaire P driven by the T+A HA 200 amp from an iFi iDSD DAC. Huge, dynamic sound with some of the best bass you'll ever hear out of a headphone. To say I was wowed would be an understatement. For anyone interested, I've started a blog thread for this weekend, and should be updating it with today's full impressions late this evening. I've already chronicled my visit to Audio46 yesterday therein.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/bas...m-nyc-2022-experience-and-impressions.962323/

 

[Roasty]

The revelation of the day was Solitaire P driven by the T+A HA 200 amp from an iFi iDSD DAC. Huge, dynamic sound with some of the best bass you'll ever hear out of a headphone.

I'm really happy you finally managed to give the SolP a go!! of all the people I've harped the SolP onto in this forum, I was most eager to hear what you thought of them.

 

[BassicScience]

I'm really happy you finally managed to give the SolP a go!! of all the people I've harped the SolP onto in this forum, I was most eager to hear what you thought of them.

Heh, now I just need to find an amp that sounds as good with them for less than $9500! May be able to experiment a bit tomorrow with other setups. Stay tuned.

 

[Roasty]

Heh, now I just need to find an amp that sounds as good with them for less than $9500! May be able to experiment a bit tomorrow with other setups. Stay tuned.

use your pre/power combo. I'm pretty sure it'll sound great out of your tube pre and ss power amp! just need to put a bit of headroom on Roon, around -8 to -10dB lower than whatever headroom you're using with the susvara (or not using).

 

[yolosauce]

Just wanted to crosspost (original post on headphones forums) with my findings with potentially new earpad revisions for the Susvara. This was originally in response to a user who asked if others have also heard a difference between 2 Susvara units.

Maybe it's been confirmed and I'm just late to the party, but still wanted to share my findings.

--------------------------------------------------------

I am unsure if Hifiman has confirmed new pad revisions, so I’ll use the term variants to address the two pads below for now.

To sorta preface, I’ve always wondered this because I’ve seen Crinacle’s Susvara measurements and they measure quite a bit different in the midrange and upper midrange/lower treble (from my understanding of his rig and mine on MiniDSP EARS). I just tossed it up to possibly not having hands-on experience with his rig or unit variances. My suspicions of potential variants sprung up again as I see that he’s measured 2 units that differ in the midrange to upper midrange/lower treble. Way too much to be just unit variances in my opinion, or if it is, it’s terrible QC.

---

Well, I got the new pads yesterday and took a listen and definitely heard a difference in the upper midrange. Here are my findings:

• The hole around 1.5 kHz is now more filled out (to more or less my preference)
• I noticed a tiny bit less energy in the area around 500 Hz - 1 kHz
• ~4 kHz is slightly pulled back to, in my opinion about neutral, in the new pads I just received. I always thought there was too much energy here with the older pads.

---

In more subjective findings:

• Vocals sound more natural
• Electric guitars sound less blaring and harsh
• More or less to my FR preference
• The headphones slide around less on my head due to more surface area of the earpads touching my head (more on earpad dimensions below)

---

Here are some measurements in addition to my subjective findings:


Hifiman Susvara Stock pad comparison1420×708 127 KB

Pink - old variant, Blue - New variant

Note: The "old" earpad variants I received were used only a couple of times after a previous warranty replacement so they have little to no wear.

Measured on a MiniDSP EARS. HPN compensation. Left channel at 90 db. The 3-5 kHz region on the MiniDSP EARS measured on most if not all headphones is inaccurate. The MiniDSP EARS is also not accurate at measuring the treble region though it does provide a bit of insight if overlaid with another headphone’s response. I typically identify dips and peaks in the treble by ear with a tone generator - how reliable one thinks that may be is how much faith they have in my ears. ..which might not be a lot understandably. ** Remember, only compare these measurements to headphones made on the same system (MiniDSP EARS) and the same compensation. In this case, there is the HEQ compensation (sorta Harman-eque IIRC), the HPN compensation (sorta diffuse field IIRC), and raw measurements (no compensation applied). Do NOT compare these measurements to headphones made on a different measuring system or you may misinterpret the comparison.

---

Here are my findings regarding the physical differences of the two earpads:

• There seems to be no differences in thickness on the foam used - confirmed with a caliper on all sides
• No differences in perforations on the inner linings of the earpads or material on the earpads
• The earhole opening of the older variant is noticeably taller than the newer variant by about 6mm - it may not seem like a lot but in my pad rolling and modding experience, that can and will very much change the tuning of the sound

---

Here are pictures of the two earpads (left - older variant, right - newer variant):


1 - opUdNp31920×1082 214 KB


2 - Y0iQNNV1920×1082 160 KB


3 - xYBBec61920×1082 160 KB


4 - YFMYxzj1920×1082 174 KB


5 - Atac7641920×1082 197 KB


6 - bpg7QZc1920×1082 122 KB
Newer variant ^


7 - LSXSoiQ1920×1082 121 KB
Older variant ^


8 - LwSwSae1920×1082 109 KB
Newer variant ^


9 - RZr9eo41920×1082 97.4 KB
Older variant ^

---

I guess to sort of close off my findings, I think the differences in sound are due to an earpad revision. The difference in sound is too big for me to think it’s just variant. The physical differences in the two different earpads seem more intentional than not. If I may reference my impressions post on Reddit 2 years back, I mentioned that I really did not like the stock tuning of the Susvara with its huge hole around 1.5 kHz and then the rise to 4 kHz. I thought the midrange tuning was really wonky. I swapped the pads with some old Beyerdynamic(?) pads that is closer to my preference and am still using the Susvara with those pads 2+ years later. At the end of said post, I said, “Not sure if anyone from Hifiman will ever see this but I would LOVE if they could revise the pads to make them a tiny bit wider and deeper at the back (by 2-3 mm or so) and with exterior perforations to improve the tonal balance in the midrange. I think it’d be a pretty killer headphone out of the box if that happens.” I don’t think anyone from Hifiman read my post being a random nobody, but it does seem my plead for revised earpads has been granted to at least me (with much better solutions to my pad suggestion regarding perforating the exterior).

In my opinion, this new pad variant yields a better and more balanced sound.

I noticed the same thing when hifiman sent me replacement pads. Photos are in the post link below

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-susvara.853031/post-16085650

When I contacted hifiman they said there was no revision to the harmony pads even though the pads were not the same size.

 

[Tachyon88]

Heh, now I just need to find an amp that sounds as good with them for less than $9500! May be able to experiment a bit tomorrow with other setups. Stay tuned.

Is your signature up to date? What amp are you using because I thought it was from benchmark ?