[seaice]

So just to report some initial impressions: Benchmark HPA4 can drive Susvara very well. The sound signature is different from my iFi Pro iCan, but I need a long time to evaluate everything properly.

Both amps drive Susvara very nicely.

 

[dleblanc343]

I use the cardas clear light and it's quite a bit less grainy sounding than stock cables, which kind of startled me. Not an expensive cable, and Susvara is a very capable headphone. Stock cable is... quite tragic

Dan

 

[seaice]

What do you mean by grainy? I do not observe any graininess with the stock cable. The sound is perfectly clear and "smooth". Sorry for asking: Could it be that the "graininess" comes from your system (and not from the stock cable), and your non-stock cable just smooths it out (perhaps by e. g. lowering the max. resolution of your Susvara)? No offense, just trying to figure it out as I really can not connect the word "grainy" with my stock-cabled Susvara.

 

[smoothb0re]

Are Susvara's stock cables the same awful tubes as Hifiman's other high-end models?

I was shocked to see the direction they decided to go from HE560 etc to Edition Xv2, Ananda, HEKv2/se... For the record, I don't think the sound is an issue (it's a decent quality cable - don't see how it could sound worse than a custom one, as long as it isn't defective). The problem is the sleeve material which reminds me of like medical tubing, IV lines. It's awful. Springy, janky crap. I absolutely hate it.

It's good to see that Arya has a better cable, but only one short cable for a 1800€ headphone? Not good. This is one thing Hifiman should improve on. I love the company, but I have to be honest about their flaws.

 

[seaice]

Yes, it is some kind of transparent tubes. I do not recall the stock HE1000v2 cable when testing the HE1000v2 against Suvara two years ago, but I can say, after almost two years with Susvara: The stock Susvara cable is OK, nothing wrong with it, though the aesthetic is not very popular here I finally like it.

 

[zorilon]

Are Susvara's stock cables the same awful tubes as Hifiman's other high-end models?

I was shocked to see the direction they decided to go from HE560 etc to Edition Xv2, Ananda, HEKv2/se... For the record, I don't think the sound is an issue (it's a decent quality cable - don't see how it could sound worse than a custom one, as long as it isn't defective). The problem is the sleeve material which reminds me of like medical tubing, IV lines. It's awful. Springy, janky crap. I absolutely hate it.

It's good to see that Arya has a better cable, but only one short cable for a 1800€ headphone? Not good. This is one thing Hifiman should improve on. I love the company, but I have to be honest about their flaws.

Yes, these are the same awful cables as the other Hifiman models. The cables and the pads are the most awful thing on this kind of luxury, hi-end product. In my country, Romania (Europe), with 6000 euro you can buy the local build car Dacia, that has chassis, engine, body, seats, board, tires working well and very durable. At this money, Hifiman is giving us a sticky cable and a pair of very poor pads. Is like Rolex will give us a plastic watch strap.

 

[seaice]

Yes, the pads are a different story. I have already exchanged them twice in two years. Are there any good and durable non-stock pads?

 

[jlbrach]

I bought an adapter for my cable....

 

[MacedonianHero]

I'm interested in trying out the Cardas Clear cables for my Susvara. Where did you buy them? Moon-audio seems to only have the 3.5mm hifiman connection (the Susvara is 2.5mm, right?). Thecableco version says "HiFiman cable," but doesn't say if it is 2.5mm or 3.5mm. So, I'm a bit lost

I got them directly from the good folks at Cardas. Simply magical cables and really shine with the incredibly transparent Susvara headphones!

 

[Articnoise]

My understanding regarding stock headphone cables is that most companies include them because they serve a purpose; which is making it possible for us to listen to the headphones before buying them. This is especially important since the lack of standard, which has result in a big variety of different type of connections on headphones. Without the stock cables we would not even be able to listen before buying and order some good aftermarket cable.

I can’t answer for all people, but many that buy SOTA headphones will also get better aftermarket cables. With Susvara we are talking about the upper per mille of audiophiles that are buying headphones that actually cost like a Dacia. I’m not defending poor cable quality or anything, just looking at the purpose of stock cables from a different view.

To me it’s a bit like with the power chords that we get for free with our electrical equipment, a few use them with TOTL DAC and amps, but most will invest in some nice aftermarket power chords. With low budget gear some cheap interconnect cables are often included, with better gear they don’t include them because many want to use their favorite cables.

With this "view" the manufacturer has to make a stock cable that doesn’t cost too much to make, at the same time as the cable can’t be of such low SQ that people can’t hear and want to buy the headphone.

My 2 cent

 

[Wifiman]

So just to report some initial impressions: Benchmark HPA4 can drive Susvara very well. The sound signature is different from my iFi Pro iCan, but I need a long time to evaluate everything properly.

Both amps drive Susvara very nicely.

Any impression about dynamic? Thanks.

 

[dleblanc343]

What do you mean by grainy? I do not observe any graininess with the stock cable. The sound is perfectly clear and "smooth". Sorry for asking: Could it be that the "graininess" comes from your system (and not from the stock cable), and your non-stock cable just smooths it out (perhaps by e. g. lowering the max. resolution of your Susvara)? No offense, just trying to figure it out as I really can not connect the word "grainy" with my stock-cabled Susvara.

Oh the stock cable is actually pretty good sonically; it's just a piece of crap in terms of soldering, reliability, shielding, and connectors quality. I'm just saying after trying a superior cable (without breaking the bank), the stock cable sounds comparatively grainy, especially in transparency and immediacy of cymbals. Haven't measured the impedance and capacitance difference between my cardas and the stock cable - but I'm sure the prior measures with less variance and consistency on both channels.

It's worth a try, even making your own cable just for fun, Susvara really effortlessly presents nuances with cables, it's kind of interesting because usually cable changes yield negligible differences.

 

[seaice]

Any impression about dynamic? Thanks.

Great! I like everything about HPA4. The feature set and SQ are exactly as all specifications and measurements show.

 

[seaice]

Oh the stock cable is actually pretty good sonically; it's just a piece of crap in terms of soldering, reliability, shielding, and connectors quality. I'm just saying after trying a superior cable (without breaking the bank), the stock cable sounds comparatively grainy, especially in transparency and immediacy of cymbals. Haven't measured the impedance and capacitance difference between my cardas and the stock cable - but I'm sure the prior measures with less variance and consistency on both channels.

It's worth a try, even making your own cable just for fun, Susvara really effortlessly presents nuances with cables, it's kind of interesting because usually cable changes yield negligible differences.

Many thanks! In the past, I heavily invested into many non-stock cables for headphones, ICs, power cords… E.g. Cardas for Sennheiser HD580/600 was a real improvement. And great DHC cables for Sennheiser HD800 as well... These are good examples, but many other of my cable experiments were sonically not so important/with zero effects, and I have become a bit skeptical about spending lots of money on cables and gain nothing than a fancy look. After buying Susvara, I did not feel any urge to buy a non-stock cable to improve SQ. I was just happy. And after almost two years with Susvara, no problems with the durability of the stock cable so far. But perhaps I will try some non-stock cable someday. Never say never

 

[seaice]

...the stock cable sounds comparatively grainy, especially in transparency and immediacy of cymbals. Haven't measured the impedance and capacitance difference between my cardas and the stock cable - but I'm sure the prior measures with less variance and consistency on both channels.

And one more comment to the "transparency and immediacy of cymbals": I know exactly what you mean. I still have some Stax and non-Stax e-stats at hand with KGSSHV Carbon. I am e. g. trying to evaluate the latest iteration of Perun headphones (LS version), and I have to say that the cymbals interpretation by the latest Perun is perhaps the best I have ever heard. Though Susvara is superior to any other headphones I own, the cymbal department is probably the (only) one I am thinking about sometimes in comparison with e-stats. OK, this has changed (improved) again a little bit with HPA4 and it is too soon to say this all for sure. I need more time for evaluating HPA4 impacts and other things, but I perfectly understand what you mean by "transparency and immediacy of cymbals" in the context of Susvara. It is good, yes, but try top e-stats with a good amp and source… And if you say that a non-stock cable for Susvara could help, I will probably try some sooner or later.