HiFiMan Susvara
OhHeyItsLou
100+ Head-Fier
This is one of the most insightful comments I've seen posted on this forum. There is truly a premium for achieving that last 5% of performance. There is no better place than Hifi audio to find the law of diminishing returns alive and well. In many cases, mid-tier gear is probably 90% of what summitfi has to offer at half or a third of the price.
Comparing 12k setup with Ferrum Stack. We have to look deeper into that post rather than just qoute whats popular to hear. We have ofcourse different perceptions no doubt, and I also like to stay true to myself. I have tried OOR it was not my cop of tea, I had to look for synergy, so my main question is what is Synergy.
is it a pronounce or what? - Pass Labs don´t have as much synergy as Ferrum stack bothers my mind greatfully, even though I have not tried Pass Labs, but I know people who have and say the quiet opposite.
This boils down to our ears, which can not be used as any confirmation, unless others also confirms the same.
Im in doubt!
EDIT: Im more interested in the DAC used. @Sajid Amit what dac did you use?
I emphasize dacs over amp to er certain point.
Explaination:
I feel that Arya sounds better on TT2 than it does on R8HEMK2. This has nothing to do with the amp, even tested on the same amp. TT2 has very focused mids that is upfront. It compensate the weak mids of Arya, which has beautiful highs.
This does not mean the synergy, its technical. Its not emotion. Its obvious objective perception. Yeah ofcourse I like to dance when the TT2 is playing the Arya vs RME did.
I would recommend AGAINST buying Chord TT2 for pairing with Susvara, but Im ALL for pairing it with Arya. I don´t care what amp you are going to use. The amp can not change the charmingly mid focused character of the TT2, and will only emphasize, the already emphasized mids of Susvara. TT2 is soo out of balance the highs is in the "recessed/background" = which is good because Arya has alot of highs. Its a treasure, for me to pair these two. The perfect match because of technical differences not synergy
So that is why I ask what dac has been used.....always
_
This EQ would be only for TT2, not AGD. For Arya. Something like this. When on AGD I raise the mids a little. Its sound also great, but TT2 is just a little more charming, engaging in the mids.
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thecrow
Headphoneus Supremus
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OhHeyItsLou
100+ Head-Fier
The statement isn’t “what’s nice to hear” it doesn’t matter what’s “objectively better” if you as the consumer subjectively don’t care for it. That’s the point of his comment and what I was highlighting. This is the trap of Hifi - going after the highest measuring or most expensive gear without care for how it actually sounds to you. That’s my only point. You can be doubtful about whatever you want however what doesn’t change is @Sajid Amit preference.
Ended up buying the Woo WA23 after auditioning a lot of amps at CanJam SoCal this past year. Zahl HM1, WA33, Riviera AIC 10 and some others were on my list to try out and I absolutely loved the way WA23 paired with the Susvara. The bass is punchy but clean and tight, and there's a beautiful yet musical clarity to the sound that makes it an absolutely stellar technical and musical match for any headphone I listen with. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a headphone amp and it's within your price range!
Yes to this. It's a very good pairing that I've been enjoying very much since buying one a couple weeks ago.
I feel like if the WA33 was the Woo amp for 1266 TC then the WA23 is the Woo amp for the Susvara. The synergy is really great and the amp itself also responds well to tube rolling so you can tailor the last percentages of sound with the Sus to very specific preferences.
BillinSF
100+ Head-Fier
This is great to hear. WA23 is certainly a beautiful product. I would have thought you'd need a 300B (rectifier - 5 amps) to drive Sus. Is it the power tubes that make this unit work? Woo was trying to sell me on the WA5-LE for Sus.
Nooborghini
100+ Head-Fier
Real glad they took care of you. I assume you had the 3.5mm at first then they replaced it with a 2.5mm
What is the power output and impedance output of the WA23 ?
Online specification for these WA23 parameters appear to be quite scant !
Numbers I heard are between 2-3wpc which make sense considering the limitations of the design (think of it as a single ended version of the WA33) but nothing confirmed.
I can say subjectively it's there at the top of what I heard Sus sound like (including all the favorite pairings usually mentioned here).
I can say subjectively it's there at the top of what I heard Sus sound like (including all the favorite pairings usually mentioned here).
Woo refuse to talk about the numbers, I've asked many times and they always ignore the question
I asked Jack Wu when I was listening and he said 2 watts. He seemed annoyed when I asked him the usual questions about that not seeming like it was enough to drive Susvara well and just said something about too many watts being useless. I stopped asking more detail beyond that. I preferred it over the WA33, which has more power.
There's a lot that I've read on this forum and elsewhere about how much power Susvara needs, and while something like the Riviera amp had a bigger, huge sound, I preferred the WA23 over that and all other amps I tried, all of which had more power in terms of wattage. What I have experienced in other lower powered solid state amps with the Susvara is that the bass isn't that good, the dynamics aren't that good, and the upper mids and treble are too forward since that low end is not as present. It's nowhere near its potential, which is what we need to then figure out when we buy it. None of this happens with the WA23. It's not the biggest soundstage or the biggest bass, but those elements are still really, really good. There's a gorgeous tone to the amp that makes it stand out vs. all the others. Technically good while still being tonally good I think is the hardest line to toe, and I think the amp is superior because of its ability to do both so well.
Not sure what makes it work. I assume that's part of it, as well as the tranformer(s). Interesting that Woo suggested WA5-LE for Susvara, considering WA33 is the one that always gets talked about with Susvara. I have not heard the WA5-LE.
Spawn300Z
1000+ Head-Fier
But that’s why people are using the WA23 as a pre to some power amps. I will get to listen to one someday.
How much bass can susvara produce with the best amp possible? Is it able to give the same full bass as LCD 4 or sony Z1R ?
