[jlbrach]

I absolutely have no criticism of it, I do hear that the quality is bad though :/ its a shame for such a good headphone, but I would pay out of pocket to get it fix and keep it, it just that good. I think I listen to an electrostatic that a friend had when I was in Hawaii, but I thought these sound better, I never care for bass till I put these headphone on, it just so well tuned in the bass region.

I havent had any problem with the build quality of the susvara....I find them well built and comfortable....weaknesses?...well this will sound strange but they are so transparant and detailed that they expose bad recordings mercilessly....with good acoustic records, oh my!....BY THE WAY the Abyss TC is a lot more intimidating looking than they really are..they are hard to adjust but once you do quite comfortable so dont let the look keep you away from them

 

[dleblanc343]

Mid next week I'll be receiving the D8000 Pro in Silver for review, as I want to hear them for myself. I'd be surprised anything outclasses Susvara at this rate, but curiosity still pushes me.

The HE-1 and Shangri-La are not the pinnacle. You can easily spend more on dCS separates, WA33 EE, MSB dacs, etc. and arguably have better sound quality when using TCs or Susvaras

Now regarding this, I had the chance to hear the HE-1 in private when helping Sennheiser out at our local audio show 3 years ago, and it's really on another level than my Susvara. If anything though, Susvara has the better bass texturing (imho), but again, going by memory.

I've also owned 3 Susvaras (1 brushed steel, 2 powder coated metal), and have measured all 3. I'm happy to say they all measure wonderfully, so QC is done superbly on HiFiMAN's part with their flagship.

 

[Law87]

I havent had any problem with the build quality of the susvara....I find them well built and comfortable....weaknesses?...well this will sound strange but they are so transparant and detailed that they expose bad recordings mercilessly....with good acoustic records, oh my!....BY THE WAY the Abyss TC is a lot more intimidating looking than they really are..they are hard to adjust but once you do quite comfortable so dont let the look keep you away from them

Really, not the word I would use hahaha total 180 from it.

 

[Law87]

man the stock cable sound so good, but why the hell is it made of so fragile. I just try the Sennheiser CH700s it just not sound the same.

 

[Mediahound]

man the stock cable sound so good, but why the hell is it made of so fragile. I just try the Sennheiser CH700s it just not sound the same.

Hifiman is sure famous for their seemingly crappy cables. I think the wiring itself is fine though.

 

[Law87]

Hifiman is sure famous for their seemingly crappy cables. I think the wiring itself is fine though.

the composite is silver? or copper and silver?

 

[tonereef]

Depends on your front rig too...I find the bass quality right there with the best.

What amp are you using these days with the Susvara - Benchmark HPA-4? Its rated power is 6w at 16 ohms - so that would be around 1.5w at 60 ohms, and a lot of Susvara owners say that's not really enough to drive them optimally. Having just bought a pair I'm interested in any advice. I mostly listen to jazz and classical. My main source is a Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player (output: 2v for CD, 2.4v for SACD).

 

[koven]

What amp are you using these days with the Susvara - Benchmark HPA-4? Its rated power is 6w at 16 ohms - so that would be around 1.5w at 60 ohms, and a lot of Susvara owners say that's not really enough to drive them optimally. Having just bought a pair I'm interested in any advice. I mostly listen to jazz and classical. My main source is a Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player (output: 2v for CD, 2.4v for SACD).

You need 6v minimum to make HPA4 "work" w/ Susvara. I've tried 2-3v sources and it is insufficient, even w/ max gain boost.

 

[Ethereal Sound]

You need 6v minimum to make HPA4 "work" w/ Susvara. I've tried 2-3v sources and it is insufficient, even w/ max gain boost.

This. I posted about this a while ago and it's absolutely true. If you listen mainly to music with very high dynamic range I would recommend going for another amp entirely, even if you have a 6v dac.

 

[Law87]

isnt the HPA4 more power than THX 789? I thought the THX 789 did ok

 

[Ethereal Sound]

isnt the HPA4 more power than THX 789? I thought the THX 789 did ok

I haven't tried the 789 but if the HPA4 is supposed to be more power, than I'd say the 789 is definitely insufficient IF you mainly listen to classical music. I'm sure you could get acceptable volume levels for other genres.

 

[Law87]

I haven't tried the 789 but if the HPA4 is supposed to be more power, than I'd say the 789 is definitely insufficient IF you mainly listen to classical music. I'm sure you could get acceptable volume levels for other genres.

its the same as HPA4 apparently, in balance mode I hear no crackling or any constraint on power. The only difference is the bass reproduction isnt as strong as the Violectric 281, but I think thats the amp inherit design.

 

[JeffMann]

What amp are you using these days with the Susvara - Benchmark HPA-4? Its rated power is 6w at 16 ohms - so that would be around 1.5w at 60 ohms, and a lot of Susvara owners say that's not really enough to drive them optimally. Having just bought a pair I'm interested in any advice. I mostly listen to jazz and classical. My main source is a Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player (output: 2v for CD, 2.4v for SACD).

I use a Niimbus US4+ headphone amplifier with my Susvara headphones, and it ouputs ~6W into 50-60ohm, and it certainly has adequate power to drive those headphones.

Jeff.

 

[MacedonianHero]

What amp are you using these days with the Susvara - Benchmark HPA-4? Its rated power is 6w at 16 ohms - so that would be around 1.5w at 60 ohms, and a lot of Susvara owners say that's not really enough to drive them optimally. Having just bought a pair I'm interested in any advice. I mostly listen to jazz and classical. My main source is a Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD player (output: 2v for CD, 2.4v for SACD).

Both the HPA4 and GS-X mini...drives them fully. Speaker amps are NOT necessary by any means and in the end you run the risk of blowing out your drivers (as many have previously).

 

[MacedonianHero]

its the same as HPA4 apparently, in balance mode I hear no crackling or any constraint on power. The only difference is the bass reproduction isnt as strong as the Violectric 281, but I think thats the amp inherit design.

The V281 is overly coloured with inflated mid bass and sub bass that rolls off quite a bit. So that's not an ideal comparison IMO.