[psy472]

I find all 3.5mm versions of susvara are like this. If i put my arms on my head, my shoulders push the connectors and they disconnect with sound. For the 3 pairs i have had they all do it. It doesnt take much either! This is by FAR the poorest part of Susvara - The rest i find to be perfect.

Should I just open it up and super glue the connections?

 

[jonchard]

Should I just open it up and super glue the connections?

LOL! Im king of kodge ... but thats a step too far for me LOL! I would discuss with Hifiman. If not under warranty, then have an electrician resolder or replace. NO SUPER GLUE

 

[Polygonhell]

Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there.

Probably. Possibly quite a lot less depending on what your after.
It's a difficult question to answer, speakers are just a very different experience.
They don't really compete for me I use headphones predominantly for convenience, I can't practically use speakers here.
But if you spend 10/15/20K on speakers, it's not like you'll stop there, you'll need to get into room treatments, DAC's and Amp's still matter (more) and your at the very beginning of potential 2 channel spending.

 

[Polygonhell]

Should I just open it up and super glue the connections?

FWIW my 2.5's do it, if I knock the connector in a specific way when wearing them. I suspect the issue is the socket's themselves, so it's not really an issue with the connections, but rather between the plug and connector.

 

[jonchard]

Probably. Possibly quite a lot less depending on what your after.
It's a difficult question to answer, speakers are just a very different experience.
They don't really compete for me I use headphones predominantly for convenience, I can't practically use speakers here.
But if you spend 10/15/20K on speakers, it's not like you'll stop there, you'll need to get into room treatments, DAC's and Amp's still matter (more) and your at the very beginning of potential 2 channel spending.

The room treatment point is the one reason why i now use headphones. you cannot control smearing and wave reinforcement / or holes formed in frequency ranges without adequate room treatment. I just dont need to think about it with susvaras, flat control for perfect response. No room nodes to spoil stuff. No closed cups to further ruin it! Zero planar slow down unlike most speakers and subs. Whilst headphones wont give you bass like a true sub, i find mine image and present like no speakers. Sounds pop from blackness in an unnerving way. I never got that on speakers up to £3000.

 

[Roasty]

Curious, how much do I truly need to spend on bookshelves/power amp to compete with the Susvara? I was going to use the same chain as in my signature and get single or dual AHB2. Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there. Thanks.

I'm going to agree with @BassicScience. I don't have a chance to listen to my 2 channel setup often (condo living, don't wanna annoy neighbours), but when I do, it's extremely enjoyable. I really like the visceral sensation of a properly dialed in subwoofer.

My speakers aren't super high end. using a set of Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2EX + Rel T7i sub. but what made a huge difference was hooking up a minkdsp Umik mic to my laptop and running REW correction. I also tried HouseCurve and it was v good too. cleaned up all the boominess and made the speakers dissappear; love how I can just sit on the couch and have music seem to appear from nowhere.

The sky is the limit with speakers but yea you don't have to spend crazy amounts to get great sound.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Curious, how much do I truly need to spend on bookshelves/power amp to compete with the Susvara? I was going to use the same chain as in my signature and get single or dual AHB2. Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there. Thanks.

With all due respect, this is like asking "how many apples do I need to eat to be as good as an orange?"

5. The answer is 5.

The room treatment point is the one reason why i now use headphones. you cannot control smearing and wave reinforcement / or holes formed in frequency ranges without adequate room treatment. I just dont need to think about it with susvaras, flat control for perfect response. No room nodes to spoil stuff. No closed cups to further ruin it! Zero planar slow down unlike most speakers and subs. Whilst headphones wont give you bass like a true sub, i find mine image and present like no speakers. Sounds pop from blackness in an unnerving way. I never got that on speakers up to £3000.

Yeah, as an urban apartment dweller, treating a room for sound quality is somewhere between impractical and impossible. That's why I've instead gone all the way down the rabbit hole with headphones. I think most people concede that "2 channel" is preferable, but if you can't sound treat your room it really makes very little sense to spend any considerable sum of money on speakers. The room always counts more than the speakers themselves.

 

[OhHeyItsLou]

Curious, how much do I truly need to spend on bookshelves/power amp to compete with the Susvara? I was going to use the same chain as in my signature and get single or dual AHB2. Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there. Thanks.

 

[Somatic]

With all due respect, this is like asking "how many apples do I need to eat to be as good as an orange?"

5. The answer is 5.


Yeah, as an urban apartment dweller, treating a room for sound quality is somewhere between impractical and impossible. That's why I've instead gone all the way down the rabbit hole with headphones. I think most people concede that "2 channel" is preferable, but if you can't sound treat your room it really makes very little sense to spend any considerable sum of money on speakers. The room always counts more than the speakers themselves.

I thought the answer was 42.

I see what you mean. They are not comparable. Well at least it seems like the budget i was thinking should suffice.

 

[Somatic]

Several folks have recommended these to me. I got to try them out.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Several folks have recommended these to me. I got to try them out.

Fwiw, I would suggest looking into their A500 active bookshelves before you make a decision. If you're looking to "match" Susvara's sound/quality, the active speaker's Mastertunings may get you there faster than trying to pair their passives with various amplifiers & sources.

 

[OhHeyItsLou]

Several folks have recommended these to me. I got to try them out.

The speaker closest to the Susvara in tonality that I’ve heard is the Fleetwood Deville

 

[Frankie D]

Curious, how much do I truly need to spend on bookshelves/power amp to compete with the Susvara? I was going to use the same chain as in my signature and get single or dual AHB2. Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there. Thanks.

Not sure. I think it will depend more on the components, room and placement in the room vs price. As a guide, I do feel a truly top HP system would require a $20k and up 2 channel system to be superior from a quality perspective. It could be much more or even less depending on what you like and the room and placement in the room. Typically I would expect it to be more though.

I can tell you a Magico Q1 ( used and expensive ) is far superior and will then require the amp as well. Will a Harbeth 3PESR sound as good or better? I do not remember how they sound along with a myriad of other choices. You will need to do some auditioning. But I would not expect the same quality level to be inexpensive ( I am not talking about the differences between 2-channel and HP’s , but instead the quality level of each system ). Enjoy the search and let us know what you find. I would be interested.

 

[Mystel]

Curious, how much do I truly need to spend on bookshelves/power amp to compete with the Susvara? I was going to use the same chain as in my signature and get single or dual AHB2. Curious if I have to spend a lot more to be on the same level of the Susvara or spending 10k on a used pair of bookshelves will get me there. Thanks.

As someone who transitioned to bookshelves primarily in recent years (and forced back into headphones at night) , I will say the cost will not be as much as you would think.
I've been running the Focal Diablo Utopias as a desktop nearfield options for quite some time now, with a KC62 Sub. I got them used for about 6-7k usd. They are quite aggresive, so an amp that can take the edge off a little will be nice (think pass pabs / luxman / tubes ) . I currently run a INT25 with them. I'm a fan Susvara's tonality and this speaker/amp combo works for me.

Anyway for my listening preferences, I will take bookshelves/2ch listening over any headphone setup any day. I just like the boundless stage of speakers, it is more akin to listening to live performances IMO. But I'll also argue that it is subjective/different. Headphones give off a more intimate/ASMR experience. For speakers, its more like sitting in a concert hall with a band peforming in front of you. You can replicate this effect to a certain extent with crossfeed in headphones, but its just not the same for me. However, the opposite is also true, you can never replicate the same ASMR/Intimate experience with speakers.

 

[Bootycall922]

Is the Zmf Verite Silver Cable a good fit for Susvara?