[DeweyCH]

I see.

Audio46 has them in stock:

https://audio46.com/products/kennerton-rognir-planar-magnetic-closed-back-over-ear-headphones

Tempted.

Get it. Get it.

 

[hewlett168]

In my experience it often comes down to music preferences. I listen mainly to rock and metal, highly energetic music which doesn't match well with a forward mid range. It is less of an issue with eg jazz and classical. And then there's simply variance in tolerance for elevated upper mids. I happen to be sensitive to that area. Other people have a problem with elevated treble, which I don't mind at all.

Yes, it's long gone. The new owner listened to a Susvara at my place and is now selling the LCD 5 as well, to buy a Susvara..

And now I bought that LCD-5. Happy to place it alongside my Rosson Audio Design RAD-0 #262.

Referring to your top 4 Final Headphone Shoot-Out, @Sajid Amit , first of all thanks for the amazing Youtube videos.

Out of those four headphones, the LCD-5 is the only one I would consider (so that is why I bought it):

- Susvara: has the the need for a more expensive (balanced) dac+amp, which I do not like spending money on (more on the objectivist side), plus that the second-hand value is just above my personal budget. Besides that, this should most fit my taste.
- 1266 TC: exactly the same reasons as the Susvara, plus it needs EQ for me, which is not great with the high harmonic distortion.
- 009s: I have had two SR-007Mk2 in the past. The impracticality of owning electrostats, plus their fragile feeling, prohibited me from enjoying them. The sound is very good, but when the enjoyment is gone, why bother?

That leaves the LCD-5, which takes EQ very well and falls in my personal budget. You can add to this that I am a huge enthusiast of the brand Audeze and the products they have made over the years and you can see why I have chosen this. Each of the other headphones has too many limitations with regards to my situation, which the LCD-5 has not.

 

[TheTee12]

In my experience it often comes down to music preferences. I listen mainly to rock and metal, highly energetic music which doesn't match well with a forward mid range. It is less of an issue with eg jazz and classical. And then there's simply variance in tolerance for elevated upper mids. I happen to be sensitive to that area. Other people have a problem with elevated treble, which I don't mind at all.

Yes, it's long gone. The new owner listened to a Susvara at my place and is now selling the LCD 5 as well, to buy a Susvara..

Hey @MatW, I am the guy who bought the LCD-5 and listened to the Susvara at your place Also my first post on head-fi, but have been lurking for some time. Although the detail of the LCD-5 was fantastic and with EQ I could get it to my taste, something felt too intense/in your face. I found I preferred the more spacious presentation of my Verite Closed and Arya stealth (now sold). I could see the LCD-5 being the best allrounder though, if you had to own only one headphone. @hewlett168 will be the lucky new owner, looking forward to your impressions!
And yes I recently received the Susvara (newly bought), but sadly the right gimbal of the headband was too stiff. This meant the right cup couldn't swivel the right way to get a good fit. It is currently being returned for repair/replacement. But the short time I listened on it was absolutely amazing, has a lot more detail than anything I have heard but still has a really natural presentation. Some people mention dynamic drivers sounding more natural/realistic than planars, and I somewhat agree. But the Susvara seems to be an exception.

 

[DeweyCH]

@Sajid Amit any experience with Senn's 800 variants? I've got an 8XX on the way and wondered if you had heard it vs. other variants, and if so, if you had tried it with the sticker removal mod.

 

[MatW]

Hey @MatW, I am the guy who bought the LCD-5 and listened to the Susvara at your place Also my first post on head-fi, but have been lurking for some time. Although the detail of the LCD-5 was fantastic and with EQ I could get it to my taste, something felt too intense/in your face. I found I preferred the more spacious presentation of my Verite Closed and Arya stealth (now sold). I could see the LCD-5 being the best allrounder though, if you had to own only one headphone. @hewlett168 will be the lucky new owner, looking forward to your impressions!
And yes I recently received the Susvara (newly bought), but sadly the right gimbal of the headband was too stiff. This meant the right cup couldn't swivel the right way to get a good fit. It is currently being returned for repair/replacement. But the short time I listened on it was absolutely amazing, has a lot more detail than anything I have heard but still has a really natural presentation. Some people mention dynamic drivers sounding more natural/realistic than planars, and I somewhat agree. But the Susvara seems to be an exception.

Great stuff, I hope your Susvara gets fixed soon!

 

[Sajid Amit]

@Sajid Amit any experience with Senn's 800 variants? I've got an 8XX on the way and wondered if you had heard it vs. other variants, and if so, if you had tried it with the sticker removal mod.

Only a modded and an OG HD800 with replacement pads, other than the 800S which I own.

I am a fan of the 800 line-up but can’t speak for the 8XX.

I like Senn’s house sound in general, particularly the lovely timbre in all their HPs.

 

[DeweyCH]

Only a modded and an OG HD800 with replacement pads.

I am a fan of the 800 line-up but can’t speak for the 8XX.

I like Senn’s house sound in general, particularly the lovely timbre in all their HPs.

My first headphones in this rabbit hole were 6XX but I’ve not heard any other Senns. Looking forward to seeing what their flagship is all about

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

The WA8 you say...okay, cool. Will try to audition and buy one even on my upcoming Bangkok trip: https://www.munkonggadget.com/product/dacamp-Woo-Audio11050053_2217.html. Let me see if I can get them to order one in advance.

Glad you enjoy the reviews, mate.

As for one DAC and amp and only one, this is a tough one, I feel like the TC works best with a super natural souce like a May and a hard hitting but sweetly-voiced amp like the Accuphase. Luxman I imagine would sound good as well. I know McIntosh hybrid tube amps also sound great with the TC; as of course, do Woo Audio amps.

The Susvara needs either a

• Clinical DAC like a DAVE and a clearly warm amp like a Hegel or
• A "precise and neutral" amp like a Ferrum OOR and Hypsos and a Holo May

If I had to drive all of them with one DAC, that would be an easy choice, the Holo May.

As for a single amp, I would probably look to an Accuphase, a Luxman or a Mcintosh hybrid, because these three have enough current to make the TC slam like it's going out of style, whilst really really opening up its staging and imaging, but still adding a voicing that's sweet but not overly warm. They also drive the Susvara well given they are speaker amps and all that.

At CanJam, I got to hear the 1266 Phi TC and the Diana TC in a few different venues. I also brought my Susvara to A/B test alternatives. This was the first time I had been able to do this. I must admit, I was very surprised that the 1266 TC and Sus definitely sound better with different set ups. The best sound for the 1266 Phi TC was with the Woo Audio WA33. That was near end game bass and the WA33 gave it a nice and balanced sound. The Susvara sounded terrible on it.

Then, I heard the Susvara on the Ferrum Orr and that was indeed fantastic. So, I bought it. It also sounds great with the Utopia which I already knew. Given the show discount and the fact that the distributor told me they solved the QC problem, this was a no brained purchase.

I would like to get that sound I heard with the 1266 Phi TC with the Woo Audio WA33 or something like it. I don’t like the idea of having to buy a separate DAC and AMP to drive it.

 

[Sajid Amit]

At CanJam, I got to hear the 1266 Phi TC and the Diana TC in a few different venues. I also brought my Susvara to A/B test alternatives. This was the first time I had been able to do this. I must admit, I was very surprised that the 1266 TC and Sus definitely sound better with different set ups. The best sound for the 1266 Phi TC was with the Woo Audio WA33. That was near end game bass and the WA33 gave it a nice and balanced sound. The Susvara sounded terrible on it.

Then, I heard the Susvara on the Ferrum Orr and that was indeed fantastic. So, I bought it. It also sounds great with the Utopia which I already knew. Given the show discount and the fact that the distributor told me they solved the QC problem, this was a no brained purchase.

I would like to get that sound I heard with the 1266 Phi TC with the Woo Audio WA33 or something like it. I don’t like the idea of having to buy a separate DAC and AMP to drive it.

Glad you like the OOR and Hypsos with the Susvara. I also bought myself a stack. It’s a surprisingly good pairing with the Susvara, esp given the small footprint. I also really like it with my Utopia. In fact, my Utopia gets the most listening time nowadays either through the May Ferrum chain or the May PrimaLuna Preamp and Ferrum chain.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Has anyone tried the Naim Uniti Atom with the Utopia?

https://www.moon-audio.com/naim-uniti-atom-headphone-amp-dac-and-streamer.html

 

[MatW]

At CanJam, I got to hear the 1266 Phi TC and the Diana TC in a few different venues. I also brought my Susvara to A/B test alternatives. This was the first time I had been able to do this. I must admit, I was very surprised that the 1266 TC and Sus definitely sound better with different set ups. The best sound for the 1266 Phi TC was with the Woo Audio WA33. That was near end game bass and the WA33 gave it a nice and balanced sound. The Susvara sounded terrible on it.

Then, I heard the Susvara on the Ferrum Orr and that was indeed fantastic. So, I bought it. It also sounds great with the Utopia which I already knew. Given the show discount and the fact that the distributor told me they solved the QC problem, this was a no brained purchase.

I would like to get that sound I heard with the 1266 Phi TC with the Woo Audio WA33 or something like it. I don’t like the idea of having to buy a separate DAC and AMP to drive it.

Congrats on the OOR. Did you get the Hypsos too? I usually drive the TC with the Formula S & Powerman, but I expect the OOR stack to drive the TC quite well too.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Congrats on the OOR. Did you get the Hypsos too? I usually drive the TC with the Formula S & Powerman, but I expect the OOR stack to drive the TC quite well too.

Yes, I got both the Orr and Hypsos. It adds a nice warmth to the bass on the Susvara that I don’t get with my Rockwell tube amp.

 

[jlbrach]

Congrats on the OOR. Did you get the Hypsos too? I usually drive the TC with the Formula S & Powerman, but I expect the OOR stack to drive the TC quite well too.

I know there are tons of really good amps out there for the 1266 TC but I have yet to hear one appreciably better than the formula s/powerman combo...it just seems spot on with the TC IMHO...the bottom end just rumbles

 

[number1sixerfan]

At CanJam, I got to hear the 1266 Phi TC and the Diana TC in a few different venues. I also brought my Susvara to A/B test alternatives. This was the first time I had been able to do this. I must admit, I was very surprised that the 1266 TC and Sus definitely sound better with different set ups. The best sound for the 1266 Phi TC was with the Woo Audio WA33. That was near end game bass and the WA33 gave it a nice and balanced sound. The Susvara sounded terrible on it.

Then, I heard the Susvara on the Ferrum Orr and that was indeed fantastic. So, I bought it. It also sounds great with the Utopia which I already knew. Given the show discount and the fact that the distributor told me they solved the QC problem, this was a no brained purchase.

I would like to get that sound I heard with the 1266 Phi TC with the Woo Audio WA33 or something like it. I don’t like the idea of having to buy a separate DAC and AMP to drive it.

The TC sounds insanely good out of the WA33. Easily the best pairing out of everything I had with the Woo, they have crazy synergy.

 

[Sajid Amit]

I know there are tons of really good amps out there for the 1266 TC but I have yet to hear one appreciably better than the formula s/powerman combo...it just seems spot on with the TC IMHO...the bottom end just rumbles

Thats one combo I look forward to hearing.

The TC sounds insanely good out of the WA33. Easily the best pairing out of everything I had with the Woo, they have crazy synergy.

Do you miss your WA33? Lol.

I have listened to it twice and want to audition again. It’s such a stately looking amp as well.