I'm having a geek-gasm just thinking about this. ;)

Here here! :clap::clap::clap::clap: Some time ago I made a post about not using EQ to "correct" headphones with unconventional tunings in favor of enjoying those headphones "as the designer intended". Not that I don't understand the value of EQ and where it can 'correct' a problem, but unless...

Forgive my ignorance here, but I'm confused. Are you using the pre-out of one into the other??

I don't think you should interpret comparisons with Susvara as meaning that Immanis is more like a planar than an e-stat - for one thing, it is commonly said by many people that Susvara sounds more like an e-stat than it sounds like any other planar. Also, Susvara has been "top dog" in...

I'm just going to go ahead and pretend you meant something remotely respectful by that.

To be clear, I didn't contradict any of this, I simply offered my take on this particular comparison plus the question about Susvara vs Immanis that seems to be on everyone's mind. :) Also, ZMF offers an industry leading lifetime warrantee on their drivers, even if they did ever fail (which...

When it comes to hard-hitting deep dynamic bass, Caldera stands alone. Neither Susvara nor Utopia can touch Caldera on this classic, a favorite of mine from a lifetime ago. :L3000:

I think "soundstage" (i.e. width) is often confused with sound field depth & imaging. If you don't take the time to carefully analyze what you're hearing it's easy to not make a distinction between them. HD800S has exceedingly wide "soundstage" by virtue of the fact that its frequency response...

Fair enough. I'm not an electrical engineer, so I won't pretend to fully understand either side of the argument, but I have a hard time imagining any reason Goldensound would lie about this - and based on all available evidence he is most certainly smart enough to understand the science...

Interesting. Caldera and Susvara are undoubtedly playing in the same league, but for me they are too different for one to be "better" than the other. For me, 2 things that are each great at something different cannot compete with each other, they complement each other. I think the question...

Well said, and I totally agree. Before I actually got my own Susvara, I always thought of it as a specialist - the ultimate headphone for "audiophile bs" (said lovingly, as I love my audiophile bs), but not the right choice for more "pedestrian" music. Since getting my own Sus, though, I've...

This is literally the first time anyone has ever described Susvara as "relaxed". LOL But in all seriousness, as a Suvara owner and someone also very interested in Raal, thanks for the great review. :)

Everyone thinks they can find a shortcut at first. ;)

This lines up with every review I've heard of both amps - and when I was amp shopping you better believe I went deep down that rabbit hole. I'm pretty sure the popular wisdom is that Bliss errs on the side of being smoother and more organic than comparable alternatives, though in the absence of...

Fair enough. So, you can easily pick up Sus pre-owned or open box these days for $4K (or less). So if we assume a worthy amp will cost $3K (I think your 4k estimate is high), then we're looking at $7k. So, again, any new competitor to Susvara that costs MORE than Susvara is a losing...

Then that ONLY makes sense if it costs less. If MSRP is more than Susvara, why wouldn't a newcomer just buy Sus plus an amp capable of driving it?

I used to have Arya v2 and when I a/b'd with Caldera my distinct impression was that Caldera was just better in every way. More resolving, less sharp, better soundstage, more body, WAY better bass. I struggled to find any way that Arya matched up against Caldera, much less exceeded it. I...

I personally think it would be crazy for them to release a new flagship at a higher price than Susvara that doesn't perform better. Hifiman has done the impossible and made what most reasonable audiophiles (preference aside) agree is the best headphone in the world, why would they go and screw...

The only way a new Hifiman flagship makes sense is one of two things: 1 - All the sound quality of Susvara, but more sensitive (i.e. requiring less amp power to drive it to max performance) 2 - Susvara / HE-6 hybrid, with all the clarity and resolution of Susvara plus the legendary slam of the...

A few of questions about Caldera pads... 1 - what is the effectual difference between the "Lambskin stock (top & side perf)" vs "Lambskin Ultra Perf"? 2 - why isn't there a "Lambskin Thick Ultra Perf"? 3 - has anyone tried the Tungsten "Caldera hybrid pads" on Caldera? Why isn't it an option...

Tbh, I think it depends on what you are expecting from the pads. If you are seeking neutrality for "all-around" performance that's one thing..... if you are seeking deep slamming bass impact, because you have other options for neutrality, that's another thing entirely. That's the beauty of ZMF...

Fun, totally unrelated story.... in mid-2019 I went to the Wempe Rolex boutique on 5th Avenue and put down a deposit on a Datejust 41. Several months later COVID happened and everything went mad, and then quite coincidentally (or perhaps not at all?) my Rolex arrived gift-wrapped on my exact...

If you're looking to get into Susvara with something that will drive it "pretty well" while you save toward a synergistic amp, Schiit MJ3, Jotunheim, or Lyr 3 are solid choices. If you're looking to get into Susvara with a budget amp hoping you've found a shortcut to sonic bliss, you are better...

Bumping for last chance.... If this doesn't sell soon I'm taking it offline until it becomes unobtainium and I can get a lot more for it.

Here's the thing: pricing a new flagship at $8k wouldn't make any sense at all unless it is markedly BETTER sonically than Susvara. For $8K you can get Susvara AND a comparably totl amp capable of driving it. Very few people complain about Susvara's sound, it's the power requirement that...