HIFIMAN - SUSVARA

Went to the recent CAF for 3 days to observe, listen, and document with written notes of the many high end and flagship headphones on offer. Had some really cool conversations with reps and con-goers, opinions on e-stats, cable sound, solid state and tube amp differences, forward vocals vs laid back vocal preferences, air pressure movement to create low sub bass, the finesse and intricacies of pad production for a headphone, Tungsten v1 vs Tungsten v2, audio technica 7000 and pad difference distortion, headphone tuning choice for a product, on and on—truly an enlightening time that made this trip an unique experience. First time at audio con so I really wanted to know how high is the ceiling for great headphone sound and what were my personal preferences to source gear and the different brands of headphones. I brought my own personal HE1000 Unveiled to act as reference as it is the most familiar sound for me and wanted to compare difference and improvements to sound I heard in other cans. I hope the formatting of this post comes out readable and okay on reddit. Onto the headphone impressions: This following batch of headphone impressions was with the Europa headphone amp, "premium tube design", hosted by moon audio in a mostly quiet, separate room on the 8th floor. MSRP of the amp: $8,495 with a lower price for the con, into the $7k range I think. WARNING: THIS AMP / SETUP WAS COOKED. Something was clearly off with the sound the negatively affected the headphones in slight ways to all the way to unlistenable for a couple. Later, I brought my HEKU to confirm what was happening with the sound from their setup and I will get to that later in the post. Kay, here we go: * Sennheiser 820 Started with soft acoustical music where the acoustical guitar was highly resolving; maybe the best I heard of this all weekend. Bass of the music was controlled, seemed fine. Good width in the soundstage. The mids were relaxed. Tried an aggressive track by the band Disturbed, and everything about the sound collapsed: too much piercing lower treble and the low mids of the drums and electric guitars felt tight and unnatural. Onto another technical rock song and the higher guitar notes I heard as tinny and unnatural—OVERALL: PIERCING TREBLE ON DIFFERENT MUSICAL GENRES. NOT RECOMMENDED * Utopia 2022 With a Disturbed rock song, immediately noticed a darker sound, not just in comparison to 820 but dark from the usual planar sound I'm familiar with. Good bass presence, good dynamics. Closed in soundstage. Tried next an acoustical song. Relaxed and subdued is how I would describe the overall sound signature; pleasant sounding. Next song is where I really got to hear the strong imaging of guitars to the left and right, precise separation and there was elevated detail retrieval to the echo of instruments in the recording. Vocals are nicely imaged but too narrowly reproduced into the center soundstage than I'd like. Some decent layering of sounds happening. The overall sound on some music isn't tightly coherent, or to say, not knitted together - neither a bad or good thing to my ears, just different. Next song and I found that cymbals were fading more quick than I'm used to—OVERALL: I CAN SEE THE APPEAL - DYNAMISM AND IMAGING * Meze Poet From meh sound to "omg what is wrong with that treble?!" Good kick to drums from what I could cleanly hear, but otherwise... a disaster of sound. I blame the amp / setup—OVERALL: SEEK OTHER OPINIONS - SORRY * Meze Empyrean 2 Fun fun fun in its sound! The most comfortable thing I put on my head all weekend. Thank god for that light clamp, as later into the con I found the most uncomfortable thing to headphone wear is a tight clamp for me, personally. So, went with older punk rock song and noticed the forward vocals. Somewhat narrow soundstage. Good low end bass through the range to the lower mids; no other headphone is doing this. Emp 2 shines uniquely for this sound signature while still maintaining some technical qualities for audiophile ears. Treble is darker but still of quality timbre and resolution. Prog rock with bass guitars is peak. In other music I heard the vocals spread better in the soundstage in comparison to Utopia 2022. Balanced mids and heard good separation in the width of the soundstage—OVERALL: FUN WHILE HAVING ENOUGH TECHNICAL ABILITY. SUPREME COMFORT. NO OTHER HEADPHONE IS DOING IT QUITE LIKE THE EMP 2. RECOMMENDED * Grado 100 SE A Hindenburg level disaster of sound. "Oh, the humanity! 7k for this amp sound?!" It's the amp as I got to hear this grado on other gear and will opine about it in that section—KEEP READING FOR THE ACTUAL GRADO IMPRESSION * HE1000 Unveiled Stronger sub and mid bass presence than what I'm used to hearing on other gear. Treble is noticeable more controlled in comparison to the CFA 3 headamp. Bass started distorting as I raised the volume on Moon Song by America. I could hear a fuzziness, some kind of distortion happening in the mids. All of this definitely not the norm for the HEKU—EUROPA AMP NEEDS INVESTIGATION FOR WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS GOING WRONG WITH IT'S SOUND. I doubt it was one particular unit that may have been damaged because I demo'd my HEKU on a different Europa amp as there were 3 of them in the room. Done with the Europa amp. All else will have been demo'd on different gear. These next two were at the same table: * Fosi i5 R&B music from a CD source. Soft, typical planar bass. Smooth mids that I found a bit too recessed. Some left and right width to the soundstage. Little to no depth in the layering of sounds. Smooth treble. Another song came on and mids this time were too shouty this time—OVERALL: JUST BRIEF TAKES WITH NOT MY MUSIC. SEEK OTHER OPINIONS - MAYBE OKAY FOR THE PRICE? * Shangling HW600 Strong clamp on my head that I didn't like the comfort of. CD source was playing some soft rock. Better soundstage than the Fosi i5. Decent resolution in the bass, an overall balanced sound. Smooth treble. Sounded average to my ears. Safe tuning I think—OVERALL: THERE ARE BETTER OPTIONS AT ITS $1K PRICE POINT. NOT RECOMMENDED SJY Audio with LTA z10e amp: Before I get to the impressions, on the last day of CAF I happen to come around where a Dekoni Audio rep was at the SJY table with the SJY headphone creator. Had a convo that went like this: apparently there was an imperfect seal of the housing near the headphone driver which decreased the sub bass capabilities on one of the cups for the demo pair for the SJY open black planar. This will be fixed and not affect the public production when it releases, but this is to say my follow impressions for the open black planar was made a day previously before I learn this. Kay, here we go: * SJY open back planar - releasing soon Shimmering cymbals. Good bass presence especially for such a thin planar design. Good technical abilities and nice layering of instruments in the soundstage. Justin, the creator, explained that he went for a linear low end tuning with a 1-2khz dip and a deliberate 10khz peak. These headphones are a definite tuning difference from most else I heard at the show: and they sound great especially at it's planned release price. I was actually wondering if they sounded even better than my HEKU and had to bring my HEKU later to directly A/B test it. And that's saying a lot for a headphone that costs much less than the HEKU. SJY open back synergizes so well with acoustical guitars. Good imaging and there is just an overall exciting presence to guitars while having an authoritative low end for bass. However that 10khz can be sharp on incisive drum strikes as I was using a Disturbed band song for a part of my testing. Good presence to low electric guitar strums. Aggressive rock music gets fatiguing to my ears the longer I listen. Light clamp is a plus for me and some decent comfort on the unique pads. The vocals are more centered in the soundstage than I'd like, similar to Utopia 2022. Kept trying other tracks like Zora's Domain by Super Guitar Bros and the acoustical guitars sounded great, very resolving in detail, but then - except for the sudden, staccato guitar strums: too sharp sounding in the treble region. Next song I used was Soviet Connection by Luke Pickman. Great detail retrieval, good low end presence especially for the bass cellos and that sub bass beat in the song. The low violin notes sounded excellent with strong timbre. Mids and lows are balanced that can be described as smooth some of the time—OVERALL: THIS MAY BE THE NEW STANDARD AT ITS PRICE POINT. NOT FOR HARMAN TUNING ENTHUSIASTS. RECOMMENDED * SJY electro-static headphone - not released yet Light but quality bass with a rock song I put on. Overall sound signature is more balanced than the SJY open black planar - not to say this tuning is better, just more typical of the headphone market. Good resolution as expected from an e-stat. Vocals aren't as tightly centered as the SJY open back. No treble peak—OVERALL: IF THIS E-STAT IS PRICED SIMILIARLY TO OTHER SJY PRODUCTS, THIS COULD BE A GOOD OPTION TO LOOK OUT FOR. RECOMMENDED TO KEEP TRACK OF. The SJY closed back was there too which I briefly listened to when I wasn't taking notes. Don't want to say much about it, sounded wonky but many closed backs sound wonky to me. Check other opinions. Next up, I moseyed on over to the Stax table as I was really curious to try out those rectangle earspeakers, the L700 MK2 * L700 MK2 Was using a provided for DAP so not my music. Running of official STAX energizer amplifier. On listen, there is an immediate clarity of sound that is super resolving. Great imaging and separation of instruments. Tracks of music I was using: Don't Stop Believing and Separate Ways World's Apart. Bass is light but still present. Lower treble sounds a little tinny to me. Sudden vocals and treble instruments can get too hot and I had to lower the volume. Vocals were able to spread nicely in the soundstage. Hot "SSST" sound came in too sharp on some staccato notes—OVERALL: LIKE LIFTING A VEIL OFF OF MUSIC YOU DIDN'T KNOW WAS THERE. VERY CLEAR. RECOMMENDED * STAX 007s On this particular energizer amp, I had to max the volume knob to get to a normal listening volume. The Stax table had two earspeakers plugged into both connects of ener/amp, don't know if only the 007s was plugged in it would receive more volume or what. Anyway... Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. Better low bass presence than the L700. Some more layering and precise imaging of the music happening here. Clarity of sound is here will all those micro details. Treble is smooth but still sounded a bit off in its quality to my ear. Fast, accurate transients when the song got more busy. Cymbals decayed pretty quickly. It handled the crescendo of Bohemian Rhapsody well. Really love that, "nothing really matters" lyric at the end of the song—OVERALL: SOUNDED GOOD WITH FEWER DRAWBACKS THAN THE L700. DON'T KNOW THE PRICE. RECOMMENDED Went to another table near the Headamp company setup. I was really on a Queen BR song kick and started using that particular song for the testing rotation here on: * Audeze mm500 on GSX MK2 headamp Some clamp to my head, didn't like, with an angled sort of pad resting on the head that I thought was a bit more comfortable than the norm. I was told the the rep at the table that this headphone is more for studio use. As I listened I did hear that was pretty well balanced overall in the sound signature. Some good weight to the mid bass. Able to have intimate staging and aggressive electric guitar solos was kept in control. I heard some width to the sound stage which I personally find exciting in headphone sound. Good resolution to go along with that balanced sound—OVERALL: I CAN SEE THE APPEAL. MAY HAVE TOO MUCH BASS OR FORWARD VOCALS FOR SOME LISTENERS * LCD 5 on a 4 tube woo audio amp. may have been the wa24 Balanced sound, hard to say much else. Sounds correct but not standout in any particular way. Tried another song and got stronger mids with subdued treble, still a balanced sound. I played A Horse With No Name and the drums were slightly softer than what I'm used to, I think it's because that treble reduction takes off some of the starting impact to the hit of the drum. Used a more aggressive rock song and felt the sub bass was rolled off, everything else about it was well controlled and balanced sounding—OVERALL: JACK OF ALL TRADES KIND OF HIGH END SOUND, BUT NOT MY PREFERENCE. SEEK OTHER OPINIONS Briefly tried the next headphone at the HeadAmp table, but emphasis on "brief" as you are about to read... * Abyss 1266 God did not want me to try this headphone. My head is too damn big and it's not adjustable friendly for me. I did, sorta, get it over my ears and started listening to some music. Bass... was fine, not a killer like I expected from its reputation but also can't get a proper fit. What I did hear from the mids was... terrible. Like, lol? at that price what is up with that tonality? I suspect if the headphone fitted perfectly on my head I wouldn't like its sound for one nanosecond—OVERALL: A DISAPPOINTING TIME FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE A LEGENDARY HEADPHONE. THE PROBLEM OF FIT PROBABLY EXTENDS TO MORE PEOPLE THAN JUST ME AND THOSE MIDS... OOOF. NOT RECOMMENDED Okay now it's time for some serious s\*\*\*. For placebo and controversy and brain f\*\*\*ery and magic infused into my perception and maybe even the gear I heard this next headphone through. * Susvara OG with Lazuli Symphony cable on the DanaTone headspace amp + cyan audio 2 dac End game. How can it get better than this? This next bit was early in the con before I was taking notes, and I've only briefly heard the Susvara OG once before. Although I'm not new to hifiman sound as I lived with He1000SE and He1000Unveiled for months before CAF. Right, well, I got to listen to one track and it was Polyphia Playing God - my choice. Mega resolving. Mega aggressive. A sphere of a soundstage that pinpoint precisely imaged this aggressive electric guitar song with gobs of sub bass with such precision. I was experiencing music, probably not in a natural way, but in some type of realm beyond that I couldn't possibly imagine before this day—OVERALL: HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF. I KNOW THIS ISN'T OBJECTIVE * HE1000 Unveiled with Lazuli Symphony cable on the DanaTone headspace amp + cyan audio 2 dac I had to do it with my own can, didn't I? And I'm glad I did. The HEKU can't resolve as well as the Sus OG could, but it could cast a crazy soundstage that didn't seem to have a limit. To infinite and beyond, as they say. Early on in the song there is a low drum beat that felt like it was from a meter's length away, underneath the table in front of me. Like woah, I live for moments like that. The naturalness of the HEKU was super charged by this source chain as notes could decay to the left and right, going further away from my sat position, while maintaining it's clarity to hear it with all the other instruments still carrying on in the mix—OVERALL: UMM... HARD TO PUT IT INTO WORDS. AND IN SHOW CONDITIONS. PEAK AUDIO. RECOMMENDED * Tungsten v2 on a Linsoul amp / dac + comparison to HEKU same source chain The source was able to get Tungsten to loud levels, nothing bad about that as the v2 is easier to drive than the v1. Just don't have the particular name of the amp dac; it is silver with greek lettering on top and about the size of a thick book from Linsoul company. And this is someone's personal Tungsten that he was letting people use at the Linsoul table. Big props to James of Linsoul audio for this opportunity to hear a rare, hard sought after headphone. So with Tungsten v2 I tried a number of songs and had varying notes during my time with it. Started with Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and got the impression of a balanced sound but not in a boring way like I thought with some (not all) Audeze headphones. There is a good, lively mid bass presence that is well controlled and clean. Technicalities of details and layering of instruments are maintained overall with such a mid bass presence that I found impressive. Sub bass was present too, not the emphasis though nor do I think it should be. Mids are well balanced, vocals aren't forward which I like as that kind of sound gets fatiguing in my ears from other cans that did it. I tried some songs from the America band, featuring softer tones and brilliant acoustical guitars to my liking, and Tungsten v2 had detailed treble while not overdoing it. I think a hard balancing act to pull off. I got a sense of finesse to the overall sound signature, and good percussion on drum hits from it's well done treble. Roundup conclusions to come soon... HEKU direct comparison: More reverb in the low guitar strums. Diminished mid bass (not bad just less so in comparison). HEKU emphasizes well done, present but never bloated sub bass extension that is a difference, neither better or worse, than the Tungsten v2. Just depends what you're after. I suspect the lower mid bass on the HEKU is a deliberate tuning choice in order for the following: better timbre and vocal quality on the HEKU. Without swapping, I think the majority of listeners wouldn't have a problem with timbre and vocals on Tung v2, and I especially appreciate the Tung v2 doesn't fatigue my ears in this region, but the nature of the unveiled system lets the overall sounds just decay naturally on the HEKU that is almost impossible to find on other headphone system. Stronger treble presence on the HEKU that I like for drum strikes, percussive clackers and rattlers, and plucked and played string instruments. Tung v2: +mid bass +resolving layering sound +non fatiguing mids +resolving yet non fatiguing treble HEKU: +sub bass extension +extra sauce to treble instrument sparkle +better transient and decays +also layers and soundstages very well +overall combination of sound signature = better timbre by a small amount OVERALL: TUNGSTEN V2 IS REALLY GOOD. TECHNICAL YET MID BASS PRESENCE WITH SMOOTH TREBLE THAT IS HARD TO FIND ON OTHER CANS. RECOMMENDED * Abyss Joal on CFA3 HeadAmp Balanced sound with decent sub and mid bass presence. I thought the resolution and timbre is good for the price of a sub $2k planar. Soundstage is too small for my liking, but it's not tiny. Mids and treble smeared a little, but maybe not noticeable to other ears—OVERALL: A SAFE TUNING CHOICE THAT DELIVERS GOOD SOUND. NOT MY PREFERENCE. RECOMMENDED * LCD-4z on LTA Velo amp and LTA Aero dac Headphone is heavier than I like, and it has unconventional angled pads similar to the mm500. I started with some vocalist music and thought it was very smooth with great timbre to singers. There is some forwardness to the vocals and mids while maintaining a smoothness that impresses me. Resolving while having satisfying bass. The treble is controlled similar to the LCD 5. The soundstage is somewhat large but has a definite limit to it, and I found that decaying notes and trails of sound would stop short than I'd prefer. On some other songs with acoustical guitars I noted that the imaging was precise and satisfying in it's ability to separate from other instruments in the mix. However it's not all positives, I came back the next day and tried it again and the fit and weight of the headphone just bothered me more that morning. And the sound wasn't as exciting on the first listen—OVERALL: HARD TO DRAW A CONCLUSION JUST YET. I WILL TRY TO DEMO AGAIN IN THE FUTURE ALONG WITH OTHER AUDEZE PRODUCTS Okay back to the HeadAmp table with their CFA3. I'm going to start with the Audio Technica 7000 as the first time I heard it on day 1, it was using the stock pads and there is a large difference between sound from that vs the alcantera pads that also come with the AT7K. * AT7K with stock pads on CFA3 amp Wasn't taking notes at this time. I remember it sounding pretty good with a smaller soundstage than my HEKU. Not much else difference in overall tone when I swapped between it and the HEKU. Okay bass, better than HEKU I think. An overall decent sound. No overall just yet, keep reading... * AT7K with alcantera pads on CFA3 amp Flat out, sounds better and worth it's higher price than the HEKU with this alcantera pad. High resolution to guitars with a controlled, smooth, clear trebley sound. Like, combining smoothness with high resolution makes this headphone, along with the CFA3 amp, super f\*\*\*ing nice sounding. Very holographic layering of sounds with precise imaging. Everything sounded powerful because of the sub bass and mid bass was just well resolved and present, but through that, precise drum strikes came in clean and sounded true to real life sound. There was layering with strong vocals and good space for cymbals to ring out and sustain in the space because of micro detail capabilities of the headphone + CFA3. Precise imaging in a decently large soundstage, on other songs I felt like vocals were a bit too forward and it was fatiguing my ears, but that same trait really brought out the emotion that really connected me to the music - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. I tried the Hans Zimmer, Mountains music track and I heard no mistakes at that epic crescendo part in the song from the AT7K, "perfect headphone sound?" is what I noted down on my pad. I think, there might be too much bass presence for some listeners, and quicker time to fatigue the ears with that powerful overall sound through the lows to the mids. But, like, this can be adjusted for by volume level in a private setting and by music selection—OVERALL: THIS CAN EASILY BE A LOT OF PEOPLE'S END GAME SOUND. ON ALCANTERA PADS - RECOMMENDED * HE1000 Unveiled on CFA3 amp CFA3 is a linear solid state amp source will let the HEKU treble run a little too hot depending on music selection. Other than that, HEKU sounds pretty great on this amp. Great sub bass, plenty of soundstage space for any kind of music to breath and move through the unveiled system. The naturalness of sound, that is a core strength of the HEKU, is stepped up more so on CFA3. I moved over to the Wandla dac setup, connected to the better transistor version of the CFA3, and the treble became slightly more controlled which improved the overall sonics. Some quick comparisons between alcantera AT7K and HEKU on this source chain: HEKU has a shimmering quality of treble I slightly prefer when it comes to my acoustical guitar music over the AT7K. HEKU just can epic stage bigger than AT7K. However, AT7K I think is just an overall better package of sound. That smooth treble and clarity of resolution is just immediately felt when switching between the two, and I don't just only listen to acoustical guitar music—OVERALL: COMPELLING AMP FOR MANY HEADPHONES BUT PERHAPS NOT HIFIMANS IF TREBLE FATIGUES YOUR EARS. RECOMMENDED Next I tried Susvara OG and noticed that rich characteristic to the mids. But also I was getting fatigued in the ears and didn't spend much time with it. Had a Meze Emp 2 nearby and got a much needed, relaxing sound to my ears. Top tier comfort and the Emp 2 performs well on this amp. A little near by there was the Stax 009 and the Stax 9000 at the Stax table but something must have been wrong with the amp energizer. Didn't sound right or loud enough so I had to skip analyzing them. Oh, and I couldn't tell the dude who runs the table because he went off on his lunch break right as I was discovering the issue, lol. Over on the LTA table, I happen to come there while one person had brought their own Verum 2 headphone to try with the Velo amp. He was generous enough for him to lend my headphone for a quick listen of a song: * Verum 2 on LTA Velo amp Good bass presence for a low priced planar. Some technicalities through the mids to the highs, and actually decent soundstage with separation and imaging of sounds. Vocals are too strong and forward for my liking, but it may be mitigated with a different source chain. The owner said he EQs down that 3 to 4khz region and the Verum 2 sound competes with 1K priced headphones. And, I think I'm inclined to agree. The Verum 2 is a sleeper in the sound if offers for it's price. Plus, the color options on this baby is really eye catching—OVERALL: LOOKS ASTEHTICALLY COOL AND WORTH CHECKING OUT. RECOMMENDED * Dan Clark Corina on LTA z10e The e-stat trying not to sound like an e-stat. And, I'm intrigued. There is a some decent soundstage width, but not more than the AT7K. There is a balanced overall characteristic of sound which kind of makes me forget it's an e-stat. The treble is controlled, and there is presence to the sub and mid bass. Acoustical guitar music strikes a correct balance of presence but not shimmering. I think this may be the bass-iest e-stat I've heard when I was listening to Moon Song by America. I love the automatic adjustment of the headphone band which is great for a big headed listener like myself. The Corina is probably the most balanced headphone I heard all weekend. I want to say it's technical for it's price point, but honestly I can't remember and maybe that's the point of such a balanced tuning—OVERALL: INTRIGUING DESIGN AND TUNING CHOICE FOR AN E-STAT. HARD TO RECOMMEND BECAUSE SUCH A TUNING CAN BE HAD ON A PLANAR FOR A CHEAPER PRICE. STILL, IM INTRIGUED BY SUCH A HEADPHONE AS THE CORINA. * Tungsten v1 on Valencia amp with Geshelli pre-amp This is a colored headphone sound. It's a unicorn in it's ability to acquire, in it's ability to drive it, and in it's sound signature being quite like nothing else. Yes, including the Tungsten v2; the v1 is different enough that I'm not sure their dedicated fanbase will automatically prefer the v2. So, the vocals are spaced out. The mids are relaxed and has a layering in front that may not be natural, like it's forced to be layered but it's hard to explain it. There is some kind of special quality to the whole sound, almost like music is recorded in a tiled room where sounds sustain themselves past a natural kind of decay. Is this what other people call, "wet" sound? Smooth and resolving overall sound. There is a rich warmth to low guitar strums and the smoothest, most buttery treble I've ever heard. I don't think it sounds natural but I don't care it's so interesting and different. There is quality of timbre to instruments, so it's not a complete weirdo in sound. The v2 has a smoothed, resolving treble, but like, not quite the same as the Tungsten v1. I went through a few more tracks of music and the richness to guitars is a real standout. Has pretty good width of soundstage for a non egg-shape headphone like Hifimans—OVERALL: TUNGSTEN V1 IS REALLY SPECIAL. RECOMMENDED * Tungsten v1 vs Tungsten v2 conclusions - wasn't able to directly A/B switch The Tungsten v2 is technically better overall. It has a bit less mid bass than v1 and I think the sound is more tailored to a wider listening audience. It is resolving, but with a smooth treble extension while having non-fatiguing vocals / mids and an enjoyable mid bass presence—I suspect this is a hard balancing act to pull off and Tungsten v2 is quite special to do it at it's price. Tungsten v1 is the most unique thing I've ever heard while still supplying enough technical ability to satisfy my audiophile ears. It would be a very weird thing if a person only had the v1 as their only headphone for years and then came out of that Plato's Cave to hear other types of headphones. This is to say, v1 fits best in a collection of other headphone sounds. And I want it in mine, especially since these are not being made anymore—OVERALL: I THINK IF SOMEONE WERE TO BLIND BUY A HEADPHONE, IT'S HARD TO GO WRONG WITH THE TUNGSTEN V2. HOWEVER, TUNGSTEN V1 IS A UNICORN WORTH LISTENING TO. * Grado 100 SE on Geshelli amp and dac The actual Grado impression. This thing is definitely not what I expected. Too. Much. Sub bass. The overall sound signature is warm because of the bass presence. I heard some distortion on Moon Song by America when it got busy and dense with instruments. Tried a Disturbed song and Grado 100 SE became bass monsters, but not really in a fun way. The higher treble electric guitars and bass strikes sounded too constrained to me with a fast decay—OVERALL: NOT RECOMMENDED And... I think that's it! Thanks for reading y'all. This was quite the journey for me. There are headphones I still want to demo that were not available at CAF, like the Susvara Unveiled. And so, NY Canjam in March 2026 looms in the distance. I will try to put together the money to get there as NY is not cheap. Later\~

I was stunned at how amazing the Utopia sounds for a dynamic driver and it definitely made me reconsider my opinions on the "planar vs dynamic" debate, but that said I still think Susvara is overall superior in sound. And I'd hope so also, it's a neat bit more expensive than Utopia.

I've tried both and I was in awe when I tried Susvara, the detail is unreal at least to me Edit: Didn't try the HE1000 Unveiled, just the regular HE1000. But still Susvara was an unreal experience

My favorites in terms of "bank for your buck" are definitely the Arya Stealth. If you spend a bit more, you get the LC2C which are also absolute beasts. Focal Utopia stunned me by how good it sounds for dynamic headphones and it made me reconsider how I view dynamics. As for immersion, I'd pick Susvara any time of the day, they were the best sounding ones and the most resolving ones I've ever tried (if I had the budget ofc). Other than that, the ADX5000 are brilliant and if you can't afford them, the ADX3000 is a cheaper model but still sounds amazing.

Hifiman Susvara is best headphones...

XK-Audio Serene lol With the right pads and amplifier, they are heavenly. Like beyond Susvara heavenly. In terms of headphones that made the biggest impact in the industry. I put the following: HD600/650 series. I personally never liked their tuning, but plenty of others do HD800 made kilobucks more mainstream. Industry benchmark for 16 years Focal Clear OG & Hifiman egg series. IMO the first mainstream headphones that can be considered a legit HD800/800S alternative as an all-rounder (at least sonically) Hifiman Susvara. It has been the new benchmark since 2018.

Probably hifiman Susvaras. They’re considered to be some of the best in terms of detail retrieval and timbre. On a more affordable note, the HD600s have been a staple since 1997 for a reason. Not without their weaknesses, but they are absolutely one of the GOATs.

Headphone comfort is a very subjective thing. I find pretty much every Hifiman comfortable, whether it’s the susvara, isvarna or arya, but I find the Dan Clark’s all sit a little uncomfortably on my head at the front of the strap (but that can be modified), while my T+As are very comfortable. Every pair of Sony’s I’ve ever spent a fair amount of time with also becomes uncomfortable to me, but I’m sure there are plenty of people that will report the opposite, so I suggest you just go try out a bunch at your favorite audio place…

hopefully you do and don't go down the same path I have, for finding a system you wish not to upgrade, and then not spend $5,000 on it. my first serious headphone was the dt 990 pro. sounded great coming from a $40 logitech. turns out it was incredibly bright, lacked bass, and a sibilance mid range, all of which I now despise. I've heard the new 900 pro x tamed the high end, hopefully they've done the same for the other two regions. A decade later, I've upgraded multiple times and I'm currently using a $4700 headphone setup. Geshelli Labs Jnog 3 Dac with Sparkos ss2590 on all outputs, into the hifiman goldenwave prelude amp, into the hifiman arya organic headphones. I am at the point where no headphone competes with this setup. I've had the Susvara, Meze Empyrean 2, Mod house tungsten dual sided driver. None of these competes to my ears. Though, this is all purely subjective, please do not copy my system and ask why you don't like it. I've curated this system over a decade of trying to find the right products for my listening conditions and tastes.

By accurate, I am guessing you mean as close to what it would sound to human ears… As you go down this rabbit hole, you will find that it isn’t simply the matter of throwing money at it. With people’s head being different, what sounds good to one person may not sound that good for another… in other words, there is no substitute to listening in person. Having said that though, there are headphones that are near universally praised. For closed back, DCA E3 ($2000) is one of them. For open back, Hifiman Susvara can be head for less than $4000 and is one of the most natural sounding headphones on the market.

Don’t worry about the susvara, get a pair of he1k unveiled, I honestly prefer them after trying out the susvara

I’ve tried out original susvara with the 3.5 and I genuinely think he1k unveiled is better in detail and still just adds a bit of warmth and slap compared to susvara. I get you for a while susvara was my endgame, but I pivoted a bit after seeing how much he1k unveiled fit my music. Give them a try if you have the chance, I think you’ll love them and overall they’ll be able to save you a bit of money both on usual price and the amp needed to drive them

I own he1k and have tried susvara and tbh I don’t think they’re worth it, when you compare with things like he1k SE or unveiled. My unveiled pair has all the detail and soundstage I got when I tried out susvara, but is able to give me a really good punch on the low end with a slight eq and no muddyness, if you do think you wanna upgrade from the organic I’d definitely recommend seeing if any of the he1k pairs fit your style

I have the XO’s. Love them. DCA’s self-adjusting headband is wonderful. I compare that to my Susvaras which never hold their shape, and the cups have to be re-adjusted separately every time you put them on. Boo, HiFiman.