[tunes]

Which DACs were you using in your comparison? Also by constrained - do you mean, the opposite of effortless - like straining - or boxed in?

How close is the 1000SE to the Susvara directly via DAVE?

I am still waiting for some one to do a head to head comparison of HEKse direct from DAVE versus Susvara off DAVE plus a good speaker ss amp.

 

[angpsi]

I got audio gd he9 that should have 6W channel but susvy sounds better in my estro Armonico tube otl that should have less than 1W so power is not so relevant.

Been down the OTL route before with the Elise and quickly ended messing everything up with tube rolling... To the point that I've auditioned the Susvara for myself I definitely find it revealing of its accompanying gear, so I'm not surprised you found it playing better on the Armonico. In this regard though, gotta say that on paper I'm not a big fan of Audio-GD (haven't auditioned one but I've read a lot of mixed reports to feel safe about its products). Good to hear that a good W can give some breath to the Susvara; IMO the Auditor has one of the most effortless SQ I've experienced on an amp and I really like its signature.

You don’t have something that meets the power requirements in that long list of gear? Don’t believe the hype on needing more than the specs warrant, even an old cheap well-engineered solid state amp will do the trick if you pick up the HE-Adapter. (...)

Is there any consensus about which bargain quality speakers amps would suit the Susvara?

 

[Oregonian]

Dear all,

I wanted to appeal to your knowledge and experience of the Susvara in order to ask you for a piece of advice.

Here's my conundrum: I've got a rare chance to get a friend's Susvara set for a low low price, but I don't really have a setup to do justice to these wonderful cans (see my signature) nor will I be able to afford an upgrade until I pay my friend off – should take me about a year to do so. At the price I'm getting these it would be incredibly stupid not to buy, I promise; but at the same time it'll both make my current setup redundant and leave the Susvara underwhelmingly supported for at least a year or more.

In the past, I also found myself violently thrusted into summit-fi territory with the D8000; and I distinctly remember how sorry I was to see them go, exactly because I was unable to support them with decent gear. With my current setup, something like the HD800 or comparable would be the far more sensible choice – and indeed I can attest that they really do sing on the Auditor first hand. On the opposite side, I've witnessed my friend go crazy in his quest of finding a perfect match to amp his Susvara. And we're talking €€€ here as he eventually settled on a Trafomatic Primavera, having gone through Vivas, Air Tight, etc. (far from my spending ballpark atm)! The Susvaras are definitely a diva in this respect: I've listened to them singing beautifully when the Trafo settled in and I can't imagine anything coming even close to how they are able render the music that I care for – mostly classical and jazz (albeit my friend's Abyss also do their own thing in a most impressive fashion). But the Susvara definitely ask you to break your back in order to fit their requirements, and that makes them a very demanding partner to live with. Skimming through the posts of this forum more or less seems to confirm this impression of mine.

So here it is: go for the deal of a lifetime and make it a project to cater for the needs of a diva, or keep my cool and stick with a more gradual upgrade path? I'm pretty sure that lots of other cans would be pretty happy to sing off my Auditor, I'm just not sure they'll ever let me forget how close I once got to own this wonderful piece of art!

* a "+1" vote would do fine, although I'd appreciate any informed feedback.

Buy them, get a vintage speaker amp off craigslist for less than $300 and then see if you need a spendy amp.

 

[QueueCumber]

Been down the OTL route before with the Elise and quickly ended messing everything up with tube rolling... To the point that I've auditioned the Susvara for myself I definitely find it revealing of its accompanying gear, so I'm not surprised you found it playing better on the Armonico. In this regard though, gotta say that on paper I'm not a big fan of Audio-GD (haven't auditioned one but I've read a lot of mixed reports to feel safe about its products). Good to hear that a good W can give some breath to the Susvara; IMO the Auditor has one of the most effortless SQ I've experienced on an amp and I really like its signature.


Is there any consensus about which bargain quality speakers amps would suit the Susvara?

Just use your integrated amp for now until you can pick up that tube amp you’re pining for down the road. Some tube setups can sound fairly different from one another, but solid state, not really, so you’re good for now until you can save up after paying the Susvara off.

 

[mungster]

Will get some audiivalve amp to test out with my susvara. Got a massive discount from a authorized dealer in europe. My formula s is great, but want to try a different amp to see if it can get better.

 

[third_eye]

Any update on the Headonia review?

This will follow later in August. Spoiler alert: The Headonia/Suvara pairing is sublime.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

I have the Auris Headonia 2A3 in for review. This amp is being used primarily with the Susvara and the pairing sounds REALLY good. Will update the thread once the review is posted later this summer.

I remember a member on here said that this combo sucked at Canjam NYC. I head it too and it was A-mazing!

 

[Zhanming057]

Buy them, get a vintage speaker amp off craigslist for less than $300 and then see if you need a spendy amp.

Be careful about vintage speaker amps. Many need complete overhauls that might cost more than what you paid for the amp!

 

[iFi audio]

buy a cheap ifi ican pro....you can grab one around 1000 dollars...plenty of power and a surprisingly good amp

We won't disagree

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

We won't disagree

Where for $1000? hmm, lol.

 

[iFi audio]

Where for $1000? hmm, lol.

He probably meant used.

 

[jlbrach]

yes i meant used!

 

[BassicScience]

Dear all,

I wanted to appeal to your knowledge and experience of the Susvara in order to ask you for a piece of advice.

Here's my conundrum: I've got a rare chance to get a friend's Susvara set for a low low price, but I don't really have a setup to do justice to these wonderful cans (see my signature) nor will I be able to afford an upgrade until I pay my friend off – should take me about a year to do so. At the price I'm getting these it would be incredibly stupid not to buy, I promise; but at the same time it'll both make my current setup redundant and leave the Susvara underwhelmingly supported for at least a year or more.

In the past, I also found myself violently thrusted into summit-fi territory with the D8000; and I distinctly remember how sorry I was to see them go, exactly because I was unable to support them with decent gear. With my current setup, something like the HD800 or comparable would be the far more sensible choice – and indeed I can attest that they really do sing on the Auditor first hand. On the opposite side, I've witnessed my friend go crazy in his quest of finding a perfect match to amp his Susvara. And we're talking €€€ here as he eventually settled on a Trafomatic Primavera, having gone through Vivas, Air Tight, etc. (far from my spending ballpark atm)! The Susvaras are definitely a diva in this respect: I've listened to them singing beautifully when the Trafo settled in and I can't imagine anything coming even close to how they are able render the music that I care for – mostly classical and jazz (albeit my friend's Abyss also do their own thing in a most impressive fashion). But the Susvara definitely ask you to break your back in order to fit their requirements, and that makes them a very demanding partner to live with. Skimming through the posts of this forum more or less seems to confirm this impression of mine.

So here it is: go for the deal of a lifetime and make it a project to cater for the needs of a diva, or keep my cool and stick with a more gradual upgrade path? I'm pretty sure that lots of other cans would be pretty happy to sing off my Auditor, I'm just not sure they'll ever let me forget how close I once got to own this wonderful piece of art!

* a "+1" vote would do fine, although I'd appreciate any informed feedback.

Well, everyone has different viewpoints on personal finances, but IMO if it'll take a year to pay for the cans then you really can't afford them, particularly in light of the fact that you will likely be wondering if whatever amp you choose is really doing them justice, and you may not have the means to flip through some until you're satisfied.

If you do go for the Susvara, another option might be the Cayin iHA-6 for around $700 new. I haven't heard it, but it's gotten very good press and apparently is quite powerful as headphone amps go.

 

[ineztia]

I ordered the Accuphase E-480, waiting for delivery. I'll post my impression of this amp and maybe some comparison later.

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

yes i meant used!

Even so... That's not bad of a price.