As someone who finds dynamic driver bass to be much more natural, this is interesting. I don't trust hifiman for closed backs whatsoever though.
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HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled
- Thread starter leylandi
- Start date
Euphoria arrived and this combination is pure bliss.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/arctic-cables-discussion-thread.874252/page-67#post-18403530
Some more thoughts after owning the Unveiled for a longer period of time:
- It really grew on me. This would be easily the best headphone up to 10k€+ if the two new Raals don't exist.
- With the new cable (Euphoria, a thick pure silver cable) it is so, so incredible sounding on my chain.
- They don't need a lot of power, but they are more picky than the OG Susvara, that one was incredible if you shoved a big load of quality power into them, they really came to life. The Unveiled really needs a dynamic chain, the punchier, the better. It sounds incredible even on something like a Rebelamp, which is not the most powerful or resolving thing, but it's very dynamic. My Holo May is also punchy, if you have a more mellow and softer sounding DAC, the Unveiled will be leagues behind the OG Susvara in terms of dynamics. I said that a thick cable helps, and it truly does. The Arcticcables Apeiron was well below a grand and enhanced drums by a lot, i missed out on some sparkly, airy treble, but i gladly made that trade. Now with the Euphoria it sounds truly complete, the best it can get.
- I highly suspect that the Unveiled will sound amazing with similiar, very dynamic DAC's / amps (like for example Schiit products). If you watch reviews for amps that you're interested in with the Unveiled, look out for something that is exceptionally punchy.
- That makes me think that the Unveiled scales differently, it changes a lot based on the whole chain, but the power aspect is almost gone in comparison to the OG Susvara.
- Because the Unveiled is very light, a heavier cable is not a big deal, for the 1266TC it would be much more problematic.
- It is are more of an allrounder than i initially thought, still, if you're a basshead and your first priority are visceral drums and not vocals, this is not the headphone for you.
- The times that i think: "I would love to hear better dynamics / a heftier bass" are declining from session to session, but of course it's still not 100% satisfying with every single track that comes on. Especially electronic music.
- The Unveiled gets much better in dynamics if i listen a bit louder, still in my volume range, but on the upper end, or sometimes even above it. I'm normally a quieter listener, but the Unveiled really rewards you with better slam when turning it up slightly.
- If i had not listened to the Immanis, the Unveiled would probably take my #1 spot instead of the 1266TC. I would need to think about it more.
- The veils are really not a big deal for me anymore, i take them off when i start listening, when i'm only very shortly pausing my session, i carefully lie the Unveiled on my desk, double checking that nothing is in the very near vicinity which could damage the drivers, then i pick it up again, and when i finished my session i put the covers back on and store the Unveiled on a headphonestand.
- The ability to sound really both intimate with vocals and far away with instruments / other sounds is truly astonishing, the technicalities are also easily enough to satisfy you, if you have not one of the two new Raals sitting next to it.
- It's a fantastic headphone, but i still think it is priced too high. Maybe only because the two new Raals exist, but nevertheless, 8800€ is so much money for 15-20% better technicalities / a bigger soundstage, and a filled-in midrange.
- That being said, i still think vocals are the very best i've heard, period.
- After i got my Euphoria cable, the sparkly treble came back and now i think that i enjoy the Unveiled's treble shift more than the treble of the OG Sus. You still have enough airiness and spakly detail on top, but it never bothers you, no matter how many crunching guitars or hi-hats are ringing out.
- The Euphoria also increased the soundstage and separation, while retaining the hefty dynamics of the Apeiron, everyone that doesn't hear differences in cables, i don't know what to say, i only know that the Unveiled reacts a lot to a TOTL cable.
- I think that the Unveiled sounds better if the volume is turned up slightly more than on the OG Susvara, the Unveiled "needs" to be a bit louder to wake up more, if you mainly listen to music on a very low volume, the lack of bass & dynamics will be more apparent, if you slightly turn up the volume, it will start to vanish more and more.
- I do not miss the OG Susvara, at all. My Immanis on my May + Envy is very laid-back sounding, so i don't need another laid-back sounding headphone.
- I can see why people say that there is less "magic" in the Unveiled, but honestly, vocals on this headphone are just so, so sublime that it frightens me sometimes. I wish i could extensively directly compare the Unveiled to an HE-1, especially for vocals, but sadly that won't happen.
- I have not listened much (only a few minutes) to the Shangri-La Senior, but after some discussions, that one also has less bass impact than the OG Susvara (and is in that area probably very close to the Unveiled), it has better details than the Unveiled, but has not as much of an intimate (and probably as awesome sounding) midrange, but it sounds grander and taller (most likely because it is an egg-shaped Hifiman). I can't answer the question if the Unveiled is worth it to you if you already own a Shangri-La Senior, or vice versa.
- I will just say that i thought that the OG Susvara had the best vocals, period, before i heard the Unveiled. And now that i own the Unveiled, i really think that the improvement of the quality in the midrange is very big, the Unveiled stomps the OG Susvara in that regard.
- At the same time, it never has too much energy in the midrange, like i found it to be the case with an Audeze (i had the 2&4) or a Focal (i had the Utopia OG, it was too aggressive on anything but tubes). The Unveils has just... The perfect sounding midrange.
- The Spirit Torino Valkyria has also an equally good midrange, i haven't talked about it before because there are a few caveats with it: It's stupidly expensive, it has major flaws (but also benefits) when it comes to certain genres, and finally, vocals on the Valkyria are not its entire focus, because the (mid)bass is extremely boosted. In songs where you (almost) only hear a singer, the Valkyria is on par with the Unveiled in that aspect, but as soon as other instruments get added, the Valkyria clearly does not have the Unveileds clean separation, especially when the big boosted bass comes in. Because the Unveiled has "nothing else special" to offer and its midrange is the whole focus, you get a super clear presentation of vocals that won't get obstructed by anything. I think that's a typical example of: "You can't have everything, if you win something, you lose someting in return.".
- In the end: I like the Susvara Unveiled a good amount more than the OG. But i also have other different headphones for different occasions and to change things up.
I will put these impressions with the previous ones together into a review later.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/arctic-cables-discussion-thread.874252/page-67#post-18403530
Some more thoughts after owning the Unveiled for a longer period of time:
- It really grew on me. This would be easily the best headphone up to 10k€+ if the two new Raals don't exist.
- With the new cable (Euphoria, a thick pure silver cable) it is so, so incredible sounding on my chain.
- They don't need a lot of power, but they are more picky than the OG Susvara, that one was incredible if you shoved a big load of quality power into them, they really came to life. The Unveiled really needs a dynamic chain, the punchier, the better. It sounds incredible even on something like a Rebelamp, which is not the most powerful or resolving thing, but it's very dynamic. My Holo May is also punchy, if you have a more mellow and softer sounding DAC, the Unveiled will be leagues behind the OG Susvara in terms of dynamics. I said that a thick cable helps, and it truly does. The Arcticcables Apeiron was well below a grand and enhanced drums by a lot, i missed out on some sparkly, airy treble, but i gladly made that trade. Now with the Euphoria it sounds truly complete, the best it can get.
- I highly suspect that the Unveiled will sound amazing with similiar, very dynamic DAC's / amps (like for example Schiit products). If you watch reviews for amps that you're interested in with the Unveiled, look out for something that is exceptionally punchy.
- That makes me think that the Unveiled scales differently, it changes a lot based on the whole chain, but the power aspect is almost gone in comparison to the OG Susvara.
- Because the Unveiled is very light, a heavier cable is not a big deal, for the 1266TC it would be much more problematic.
- It is are more of an allrounder than i initially thought, still, if you're a basshead and your first priority are visceral drums and not vocals, this is not the headphone for you.
- The times that i think: "I would love to hear better dynamics / a heftier bass" are declining from session to session, but of course it's still not 100% satisfying with every single track that comes on. Especially electronic music.
- The Unveiled gets much better in dynamics if i listen a bit louder, still in my volume range, but on the upper end, or sometimes even above it. I'm normally a quieter listener, but the Unveiled really rewards you with better slam when turning it up slightly.
- If i had not listened to the Immanis, the Unveiled would probably take my #1 spot instead of the 1266TC. I would need to think about it more.
- The veils are really not a big deal for me anymore, i take them off when i start listening, when i'm only very shortly pausing my session, i carefully lie the Unveiled on my desk, double checking that nothing is in the very near vicinity which could damage the drivers, then i pick it up again, and when i finished my session i put the covers back on and store the Unveiled on a headphonestand.
- The ability to sound really both intimate with vocals and far away with instruments / other sounds is truly astonishing, the technicalities are also easily enough to satisfy you, if you have not one of the two new Raals sitting next to it.
- It's a fantastic headphone, but i still think it is priced too high. Maybe only because the two new Raals exist, but nevertheless, 8800€ is so much money for 15-20% better technicalities / a bigger soundstage, and a filled-in midrange.
- That being said, i still think vocals are the very best i've heard, period.
- After i got my Euphoria cable, the sparkly treble came back and now i think that i enjoy the Unveiled's treble shift more than the treble of the OG Sus. You still have enough airiness and spakly detail on top, but it never bothers you, no matter how many crunching guitars or hi-hats are ringing out.
- The Euphoria also increased the soundstage and separation, while retaining the hefty dynamics of the Apeiron, everyone that doesn't hear differences in cables, i don't know what to say, i only know that the Unveiled reacts a lot to a TOTL cable.
- I think that the Unveiled sounds better if the volume is turned up slightly more than on the OG Susvara, the Unveiled "needs" to be a bit louder to wake up more, if you mainly listen to music on a very low volume, the lack of bass & dynamics will be more apparent, if you slightly turn up the volume, it will start to vanish more and more.
- I do not miss the OG Susvara, at all. My Immanis on my May + Envy is very laid-back sounding, so i don't need another laid-back sounding headphone.
- I can see why people say that there is less "magic" in the Unveiled, but honestly, vocals on this headphone are just so, so sublime that it frightens me sometimes. I wish i could extensively directly compare the Unveiled to an HE-1, especially for vocals, but sadly that won't happen.
- I have not listened much (only a few minutes) to the Shangri-La Senior, but after some discussions, that one also has less bass impact than the OG Susvara (and is in that area probably very close to the Unveiled), it has better details than the Unveiled, but has not as much of an intimate (and probably as awesome sounding) midrange, but it sounds grander and taller (most likely because it is an egg-shaped Hifiman). I can't answer the question if the Unveiled is worth it to you if you already own a Shangri-La Senior, or vice versa.
- I will just say that i thought that the OG Susvara had the best vocals, period, before i heard the Unveiled. And now that i own the Unveiled, i really think that the improvement of the quality in the midrange is very big, the Unveiled stomps the OG Susvara in that regard.
- At the same time, it never has too much energy in the midrange, like i found it to be the case with an Audeze (i had the 2&4) or a Focal (i had the Utopia OG, it was too aggressive on anything but tubes). The Unveils has just... The perfect sounding midrange.
- The Spirit Torino Valkyria has also an equally good midrange, i haven't talked about it before because there are a few caveats with it: It's stupidly expensive, it has major flaws (but also benefits) when it comes to certain genres, and finally, vocals on the Valkyria are not its entire focus, because the (mid)bass is extremely boosted. In songs where you (almost) only hear a singer, the Valkyria is on par with the Unveiled in that aspect, but as soon as other instruments get added, the Valkyria clearly does not have the Unveileds clean separation, especially when the big boosted bass comes in. Because the Unveiled has "nothing else special" to offer and its midrange is the whole focus, you get a super clear presentation of vocals that won't get obstructed by anything. I think that's a typical example of: "You can't have everything, if you win something, you lose someting in return.".
- In the end: I like the Susvara Unveiled a good amount more than the OG. But i also have other different headphones for different occasions and to change things up.
I will put these impressions with the previous ones together into a review later.
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Awesome writeup! Anyways, Immanis is always there for that EDM/techno nirvana. The OG to me though is still the more all-rounder but definitely not a master of everything
Yeah, Immanis is just a different beast that won't get beaten except for vocals. I agree that the OG Sus is a better allrounder than the Unveiled. Also, the 1266TC is still the slam king.Awesome writeup! Anyways, Immanis is always there for that EDM/techno nirvana. The OG to me though is still the more all-rounder but definitely not a master of everything
They're all really good headphones, no matter which one you call your personal number one.
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Finalized my review, not that much new stuff to read if you already read my big two impression posts here.
Yes, it's a fantastic headphone, but the competition in form of the two new Raals is overshadowing.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hifiman-susvara-unveiled.27462/reviews
Yes, it's a fantastic headphone, but the competition in form of the two new Raals is overshadowing.
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/hifiman-susvara-unveiled.27462/reviews
Trance_Gott
Headphoneus Supremus
https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled-trade-up-program-999.html
Susvara OG + 4000 USD they're crazy!
Susvara OG + 4000 USD they're crazy!
https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled-trade-up-program-999.html
Susvara OG + 4000 USD they're crazy!
I could get a used Susvara and still save about 1K! If it had Immanis technicalities, I might've bit the bullet but it's only better than the OG in the vocals and slightly better imaging focus lol
Trance_Gott
Headphoneus Supremus
Vocals are a bit better but that's it bass is a lot better on OG and highs for my taste also.I could get a used Susvara and still save about 1K! If it had Immanis technicalities, I might've bit the bullet but it's only better than the OG in the vocals and slightly better imaging focus lol
Not worth +4000 USD!!!
jlbrach
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Posts
- 8,208
- Likes
- 9,456
IMHO the unveiled is a fair bit better than the OG but the cost is a subjective judgment...to me if you can swing it the upgrade is worth it
rreynolds
100+ Head-Fier
Maybe OG + $2000 cash, but 2.5mm + $4500 is wild to me.
Thanks for you impressions. One note: May is not a punchy sounding dac, it’s definitely on the softer side. Wavelight is significantly punchier, not to speak of Lampi Baltic / Atlantic or the monstrous Wavedream Sig.Euphoria arrived and this combination is pure bliss.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/arctic-cables-discussion-thread.874252/page-67#post-18403530
Some more thoughts after owning the Unveiled for a longer period of time:
- It really grew on me. This would be easily the best headphone up to 10k€+ if the two new Raals don't exist.
- With the new cable (Euphoria, a thick pure silver cable) it is so, so incredible sounding on my chain.
- They don't need a lot of power, but they are more picky than the OG Susvara, that one was incredible if you shoved a big load of quality power into them, they really came to life. The Unveiled really needs a dynamic chain, the punchier, the better. It sounds incredible even on something like a Rebelamp, which is not the most powerful or resolving thing, but it's very dynamic. My Holo May is also punchy, if you have a more mellow and softer sounding DAC, the Unveiled will be leagues behind the OG Susvara in terms of dynamics. I said that a thick cable helps, and it truly does. The Arcticcables Apeiron was well below a grand and enhanced drums by a lot, i missed out on some sparkly, airy treble, but i gladly made that trade. Now with the Euphoria it sounds truly complete, the best it can get.
- I highly suspect that the Unveiled will sound amazing with similiar, very dynamic DAC's / amps (like for example Schiit products). If you watch reviews for amps that you're interested in with the Unveiled, look out for something that is exceptionally punchy.
- That makes me think that the Unveiled scales differently, it changes a lot based on the whole chain, but the power aspect is almost gone in comparison to the OG Susvara.
- Because the Unveiled is very light, a heavier cable is not a big deal, for the 1266TC it would be much more problematic.
- It is are more of an allrounder than i initially thought, still, if you're a basshead and your first priority are visceral drums and not vocals, this is not the headphone for you.
- The times that i think: "I would love to hear better dynamics / a heftier bass" are declining from session to session, but of course it's still not 100% satisfying with every single track that comes on. Especially electronic music.
- The Unveiled gets much better in dynamics if i listen a bit louder, still in my volume range, but on the upper end, or sometimes even above it. I'm normally a quieter listener, but the Unveiled really rewards you with better slam when turning it up slightly.
- If i had not listened to the Immanis, the Unveiled would probably take my #1 spot instead of the 1266TC. I would need to think about it more.
- The veils are really not a big deal for me anymore, i take them off when i start listening, when i'm only very shortly pausing my session, i carefully lie the Unveiled on my desk, double checking that nothing is in the very near vicinity which could damage the drivers, then i pick it up again, and when i finished my session i put the covers back on and store the Unveiled on a headphonestand.
- The ability to sound really both intimate with vocals and far away with instruments / other sounds is truly astonishing, the technicalities are also easily enough to satisfy you, if you have not one of the two new Raals sitting next to it.
- It's a fantastic headphone, but i still think it is priced too high. Maybe only because the two new Raals exist, but nevertheless, 8800€ is so much money for 25% better technicalities / a bigger soundstage, and a filled-in midrange.
- That being said, i still think vocals are the very best i've heard, period.
- After i got my Euphoria cable, the sparkly treble came back and now i think that i enjoy the Unveiled's treble shift more than the treble of the OG Sus. You still have enough airiness and spakly detail on top, but it never bothers you, no matter how many crunching guitars or hi-hats are ringing out.
- The Euphoria also increased the soundstage and separation, while retaining the hefty dynamics of the Apeiron, everyone that doesn't hear differences in cables, i don't know what to say, i only know that the Unveiled reacts a lot to a TOTL cable.
- I think that the Unveiled sounds better if the volume is turned up slightly more than on the OG Susvara, the Unveiled "needs" to be a bit louder to wake up more, if you mainly listen to music on a very low volume, the lack of bass & dynamics will be more apparent, if you slightly turn up the volume, it will start to vanish more and more.
- I do not miss the OG Susvara, at all. My Immanis on my May + Envy is very laid-back sounding, so i don't need another laid-back sounding headphone.
- I can see why people say that there is less "magic" in the Unveiled, but honestly, vocals on this headphone are just so, so sublime that it frightens me sometimes. I wish i could extensively directly compare the Unveiled to an HE-1, especially for vocals, but sadly that won't happen.
- I have not listened much (only a few minutes) to the Shangri-La Senior, but after some discussions, that one also has less bass impact than the OG Susvara (and is in that area probably very close to the Unveiled), it has better details than the Unveiled, but has not as much of an intimate (and probably as awesome sounding) midrange, but it sounds grander and taller (most likely because it is an egg-shaped Hifiman). I can't answer the question if the Unveiled is worth it to you if you already own a Shangri-La Senior, or vice versa.
- I will just say that i thought that the OG Susvara had the best vocals, period, before i heard the Unveiled. And now that i own the Unveiled, i really think that the improvement of the quality in the midrange is very big, the Unveiled stomps the OG Susvara in that regard.
- At the same time, it never has too much energy in the midrange, like i found it to be the case with an Audeze (i had the 2&4) or a Focal (i had the Utopia OG, it was too aggressive on anything but tubes). The Unveils has just... The perfect sounding midrange.
- The Spirit Torino Valkyria has also an equally good midrange, i haven't talked about it before because there are a few caveats with it: It's stupidly expensive, it has major flaws (but also benefits) when it comes to certain genres, and finally, vocals on the Valkyria are not its entire focus, because the (mid)bass is extremely boosted. In songs where you (almost) only hear a singer, the Valkyria is on par with the Unveiled in that aspect, but as soon as other instruments get added, the Valkyria clearly does not have the Unveileds clean separation, especially when the big boosted bass comes in. Because the Unveiled has "nothing else special" to offer and its midrange is the whole focus, you get a super clear presentation of vocals that won't get obstructed by anything. I think that's a typical example of: "You can't have everything, if you win something, you lose someting in return.".
- In the end: I like the Susvara Unveiled a good amount more than the OG. But i also have other different headphones for different occasions and to change things up.
I will put these impressions with the previous ones together into a review later.
I imagine with something like Wavedream Sig the bass would be very much to your liking :]
Though a weaker bass than OG on an Envy AE with Elrogs is a hard sell.
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1000% agree. I wouldn't trade my OG straight up for an SUV based on my thorough audition of the latter. And it has nothing to do with safety or ergonomic concerns... strictly sonics.https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled-trade-up-program-999.html
Susvara OG + 4000 USD they're crazy!
Axel
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2003
- Posts
- 562
- Likes
- 931
Looking at current market value (not sonic value or benefits in sound), it’s a pretty good deal if you’re looking to replace your OGs with Unveiled.https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled-trade-up-program-999.html
Susvara OG + 4000 USD they're crazy!
S/H OGs go for ~$3000, a new Unveiled goes for ~$8000 minus 15-20%. In total, not a bad deal if you don’t want to deal with classifieds. Market value wise.
OG + $2K to upgrade would be the right spot, price-wise, in opinion.
It’s not a $4K upgrade in sonics. I personally believe its an upgrade, but it’s an iterative upgrade.
It’s not a $4K upgrade in sonics. I personally believe its an upgrade, but it’s an iterative upgrade.
You make a reasonable point about convenience, but you'd still essentially be paying $7k for a new Unveiled. Even many people who like the headphone seem to think it's overpriced at that level. My guess is they'll be readily available new for $6k (or less) within a few months. When Susvara OG was released, it was widely considered a new benchmark, and became a legend over time, but the headphone landscape has changed dramatically in the last seven years. A new version of Susvara that involves tradeoffs with the OG is far less compelling, especially at its elevated asking price. IMHO, and YMMV.Looking at current market value (not sonic value or benefits in sound), it’s a pretty good deal if you’re looking to replace your OGs with Unveiled.
S/H OGs go for ~$3000, a new Unveiled goes for ~$8000 minus 15-20%. In total, not a bad deal if you don’t want to deal with classifieds. Market value wise.
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