aleniola76
100+ Head-Fier
seems like they just had issues with their websitesNot sure what's going on
products are now back on the list : https://www.violectric.de/en/products/headphone-preamps
seems like they just had issues with their websitesNot sure what's going on
That depends on how you feel about neutral sound, which Benchmark famously is. Vioelectric plays it on the warm side of neutral, and if you have any shot at hearing these before buying you should do it.But now that I've discovered this exists, I don't know why I'd need the V550 or anything else:
https://benchmarkmedia.com/collecti...dphone-adapter-cable-for-ahb2-power-amplifier
I don't need a volume control and the price doesn't matter. The AHB2 is only 11" wide.
It's interesting they write:
"All of these headphones can be cleanly driven to very loud levels with the HPA4 headphone amplifier and this provides a safer solution than the AHB2. Both amplifiers will provide identical performance, but the AHB2 will have the ability to play louder. This cable is not required for the HPA4. "
The HPA4 is only 6 Watts into 16 Ohms, and they list the Susvara as one of the HP for this configuration. So they say this is more than enough for the Sus...
Simonel
I just compared the Sus to the HE1000SE on the Liberty THX AAA™ Headphone AMP. The HEK sounded much better, the Sus were 1) too bright; 2) clear and unpleasant clouding of textures into an unpleasant blob; 3) the HEK had huge fast bass, better than the Sus.That depends on how you feel about neutral sound, which Benchmark famously is. Vioelectric plays it on the warm side of neutral, and if you have any shot at hearing these before buying you should do it.
IMHO for Susvara you need Feliks Envy. Do not waste your time on other amps unless you are looking for something in Mytek THX AAA price range and/or solid state only. In the first case I wish you good luck.I just compared the Sus to the HE1000SE on the Liberty THX AAA™ Headphone AMP. The HEK sounded much better, the Sus were 1) too bright; 2) clear and unpleasant clouding of textures into an unpleasant blob; 3) the HEK had huge fast bass, better than the Sus.
So the Mytek can't drive the Sus either...I realized I can't use the AHB2 b/c I need RCA inputs.
Simonel
Feliks Envy is quoted as having "up to 8W output" - that's it, no impedance quoted. After my experience with the Mytek, which is powerful, and the Sus, I don't see the point of amps with single or even double digits power rating for use with the Sus. I actually don't see the point of any single digits rated amps for any of the newest HiFiMan HP, at least anything more powerful than the RME.IMHO for Susvara you need Feliks Envy. Do not waste your time on other amps unless you are looking for something in Mytek THX AAA price range and/or solid state only. In the first case I wish you good luck.
@simonelvladtepes good luck with AHB2 and please share with us your findings when it arrives. I'm really looking forward to it as Benchmark used to be on my amp list for long time.Feliks Envy is quoted as having "up to 8W output" - that's it, no impedance quoted. After my experience with the Mytek, which is powerful, and the Sus, I don't see the point of amps with single or even double digits power rating for use with the Sus. I actually don't see the point of any single digits rated amps for any of the newest HiFiMan HP, at least anything more powerful than the RME.
I ordered the AHB2 with the right cables today, we'll see. If this doesn't make the Sus shine, I give up. If it's not an issue about the need for a lot of juice to power the Sus then I don't understand what's going on. I'm not going to touch tubes b/c I don't understand them. I grew up with tube radios and all I recall is that they gathered a lot of dust, insects liked them b/c they were warm and bright, and as a kid I thought the radio was talking b/c there were little people inside.
Simonel
This is regarding the Susvara: is this a fact you get more clarity (and you also wrote elsewhere more bass) with the Benchmark AHB2 Power Amplifier than with the Mytek discussed here? Did you actually do the comparison yourself with the Susvara?
Also, are there instructions anywhere on how to modify a power amp for speakers to use HP? Where do I get the HiFiMan HE-adapter? I'm not adventurous - anyone sells a modified power amp?
Thanks,
Simonel
Then maybe with a speaker switch box I can use my monoblocks to power the Susvara! Why didn't I think of that? Can you explain exactly what kind of cables are involved (for example: 2 x two-banana-plugs-to-XLR3 cables from the monoblocks to the speaker switch box, and then what)? I have built in speaker cables in the wall with exposed wire endings.I found a speaker switch box on Amazon which allows me to toggle between the speakers and headphones.
Is there a high quality speaker switch box? They all look like junk.
Could that be what was wrong with the Susvara into the Mytek? I didn't invert the polarity on the Mytek. Do you have any reference for this? How can a manufacturer just release HP with inverted polarity? You're joking, right?@simonelvladtepes, don't forget that Susvara is polarity inverted. To get correct sound you either need to invert the polarity in your DAC settings or just swap red and black wires going into the HE-adapter.
Polarity inversion is something I noticed slowly over time, sensing something wasn't quite right with Susvara. The sound was too diffuse and particularly in live recordings the sound would appear to come from 8 o'clock and 4 o'clock instead of 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. It's more noticeable with highly detailed headphones.