[llamaluv]

I heard a rumour about how susvara gets corroded somewhere in the drivers? Anyone hear about something like that?

Yea, man. Here's a pic of mine, which were about two years old at the time:



On the right driver there, it looks like black paint that's flaking off. It never caused any complications in terms of sound output, at least. I would not have noticed if the dang pads didn't keep breaking apart, forcing me to swap them out and exposing the drivers for visual inspection.

Also by the way, note the ugly glue residue on the perimeter there. That's from where I applied glue to re-bond the pad leather to the plastic rings, and I must not have let it dry long enough before putting the pads back on the drivers, I guess. So for anyone applying their own home remedy to disintegrating pads, don't do that

The manufacturer replaced the entire unit for me gratis even though they were not under warranty for reasons, so good on them. And me.

 

[gwos]

Yea, man. Here's a pic of mine, which were about two years old at the time:



On the right driver there, it looks like black paint that's flaking off. It never caused any complications in terms of sound output, at least. I would not have noticed if the dang pads didn't keep breaking apart, forcing me to swap them out and exposing the drivers for visual inspection.

Also by the way, note the ugly glue residue on the perimeter there. That's from where I applied glue to re-bond the pad leather to the plastic rings, and I must not have let it dry long enough before putting the pads back on the drivers, I guess. So for anyone applying their own home remedy to disintegrating pads, don't do that

The manufacturer replaced the entire unit for me gratis even though they were not under warranty for reasons, so good on them. And me.

This is ridiculous! I can see you're based in NYC, it can be pretty damp over there, but not to such an extent!

 

[jlbrach]

To my ears the Susvara is in another (higher) league than the HD800S for all music genres and the musicality content. The HD800S does have a much wider sound stage albeit to my ears it's feels artificial.

the reason I sold my senn 800's was that I found the soundstage to sound exaggerated and unnatural.....I do not get that feeling with the susvara or the abyss or the sr1a which is the widest of all

 

[ThanatosVI]

Owning all three headphones I have to say my personal experience differs with some of what's written in these last posts on this question. I'd say in this area a whole lot depends on amp/dac pairing, musical preferences etc. etc.

On my systems for example I find the 009 warmer, smoother, more effortless and euphonic than the Susvara. Quite the opposite of what some here described. I don't run the 009 on a BHSE though, as I found this pairing also on the bright/cold side. I remember reading somewhere that the BHSE was designed with the 007 in mind and this makes perfectly sense to me: it is a very good match with that headphone - I don't quite get it why so many people seem to think the BHSE and 009 are an ideal pairing, even more so with a chord dac in the mix.

Personally I find the Susvara a very good middle ground between the Abyss and the Stax sound signature. It has enough warmth/euphony to be run on a SS amp, something the Abyss does not in my opinion.

Depending on the system all of those headphones can be tuned to have the right amount of warmth/euphony that suits your taste.
On the statement that the Susvara beats the 009 in most areas, I tend to disagree

What do you run your 009 with?

 

[number1sixerfan]

Owning all three headphones I have to say my personal experience differs with some of what's written in these last posts on this question. I'd say in this area a whole lot depends on amp/dac pairing, musical preferences etc. etc.

On my systems for example I find the 009 warmer, smoother, more effortless and euphonic than the Susvara. Quite the opposite of what some here described. I don't run the 009 on a BHSE though, as I found this pairing also on the bright/cold side. I remember reading somewhere that the BHSE was designed with the 007 in mind and this makes perfectly sense to me: it is a very good match with that headphone - I don't quite get it why so many people seem to think the BHSE and 009 are an ideal pairing, even more so with a chord dac in the mix.

Personally I find the Susvara a very good middle ground between the Abyss and the Stax sound signature. It has enough warmth/euphony to be run on a SS amp, something the Abyss does not in my opinion.

Depending on the system all of those headphones can be tuned to have the right amount of warmth/euphony that suits your taste.
On the statement that the Susvara beats the 009 in most areas, I tend to disagree

Having both the Susvara and 009, I would also disagree with that statement. To my ears the 009 bests the Susvara in quite a few areas and I rank them over the Susvara. They are my 1-2 punch with the L3000 for me rounding out my favorites overall. The 009 has the better midrange of the two (bigger presence to the music, openness, cohesiveness.. just sounds more 'right' and addicting), is a bit more open soundstage/headstage wise and with more perceived detail and slightly better imaging. But again, these differences aren't huge, they just make the 009 a clear favorite to me. However, the Susvaras have slightly better bass and are slightly less fatiguing (slightly warmer, no issues with the highs ever), while getting very close to the 009s technical ability which makes it still a great high use can..can see how some would prefer. But absolutely not, the Susvara does not outclass the 009s in many areas imo

The 009 is the only reason I still have the electrostatic setup, and if I get rid of it eventually, which I think it will (hate swapping between the two).. it will be because the Susvara satisfies most of my itch for it.

 

[MacedonianHero]

Having both the Susvara and 009, I would also disagree with that statement. To my ears the 009 bests the Susvara in quite a few areas and I rank them over the Susvara. They are my 1-2 punch with the L3000 for me rounding out my favorites overall. The 009 has the better midrange of the two (bigger presence to the music, openness, cohesiveness.. just sounds more 'right' and addicting), is a bit more open soundstage/headstage wise and with more perceived detail and slightly better imaging. But again, these differences aren't huge, they just make the 009 a clear favorite to me. However, the Susvaras have slightly better bass and are slightly less fatiguing (slightly warmer, no issues with the highs ever), while getting very close to the 009s technical ability which makes it still a great high use can..can see how some would prefer. But absolutely not, the Susvara does not outclass the 009s in many areas imo

The 009 is the only reason I still have the electrostatic setup, and if I get rid of it eventually, which I think it will (hate swapping between the two).. it will be because the Susvara satisfies most of my itch for it.

I've owned the SR-009 and SR-007 Mk1 for many years and heard them on many killer amps (including a DIY T2) and in the end, I'd take the Susvara over them. Transients almost (and I mean right there) as fast, but the added dynamics and sense of reality set the Hifiman flagships ahead...just my two cents with my two ears.

 

[joseph69]

The manufacturer replaced the entire unit for me gratis even though they were not under warranty for reasons, so good on them. And me.

Thanks for chiming in.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Having both the Susvara and 009, I would also disagree with that statement. To my ears the 009 bests the Susvara in quite a few areas and I rank them over the Susvara. They are my 1-2 punch with the L3000 for me rounding out my favorites overall. The 009 has the better midrange of the two (bigger presence to the music, openness, cohesiveness.. just sounds more 'right' and addicting), is a bit more open soundstage/headstage wise and with more perceived detail and slightly better imaging. But again, these differences aren't huge, they just make the 009 a clear favorite to me. However, the Susvaras have slightly better bass and are slightly less fatiguing (slightly warmer, no issues with the highs ever), while getting very close to the 009s technical ability which makes it still a great high use can..can see how some would prefer. But absolutely not, the Susvara does not outclass the 009s in many areas imo

The 009 is the only reason I still have the electrostatic setup, and if I get rid of it eventually, which I think it will (hate swapping between the two).. it will be because the Susvara satisfies most of my itch for it.

What do you run the Susvaras and the 009 with?

 

[number1sixerfan]

I've owned the SR-009 and SR-007 Mk1 for many years and heard them on many killer amps (including a DIY T2) and in the end, I'd take the Susvara over them. Transients almost (and I mean right there) as fast, but the added dynamics and sense of reality set the Hifiman flagships ahead...just my two cents with my two ears.

Totally understandable, again I can see people preferring one over the other based on their tastes.

What do you run the Susvaras and the 009 with?

Mscalers/Dave and BSHE/Woo Audio Wes for 009 and Woo WA33 for Susvara.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Totally understandable, again I can see people preferring one over the other based on their tastes.



Mscalers/Dave and BSHE/Woo Audio Wes for 009 and Woo WA33 for Susvara.

That’s cool. The Susvaras, to my ears, give me much more of everything I like, resolution, slam, tactility, bass, etc, while maintaining its liquid nature, and and a greater sense of spaciousness, environmental cues, and soundstage on the Pass XA25 than on either the WA33 or the Egoista or the Solista, with the Holo Audio May as DAC, and Pass Labs XP12 as pre-amp. I know that discussions on the chain can be endless, but my two cents.

 

[Sajid Amit]

I've owned the SR-009 and SR-007 Mk1 for many years and heard them on many killer amps (including a DIY T2) and in the end, I'd take the Susvara over them. Transients almost (and I mean right there) as fast, but the added dynamics and sense of reality set the Hifiman flagships ahead...just my two cents with my two ears.

I hear you.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Sajid, what do you think about Accuphase E-480 and E-380 with the Susvara? Today I listened them both (plus E-270 in addition) and I couldn't help thinking that I prefer E-380 over E-480 (E-270 being distinctly weaker, say: less gentle or pretty harsh) which is fine (one may save some money) but quite unexpected. If I remember correctly you said you'd be auditioning E-380 once again, not E-480. Why is that, perhaps for the same reason?

In December I had E-480 at home for a couple of days so I knew it's great but today's goal was to compare it with the lower models. In the mean time, every now and then, I was checking how T+A HA 200 is getting on with the Accuphases and I must say it's quite an amp, very good one indeed, perhaps too clinical sound for my ears and less energetic, but by a small margin. T+A Solitaire P played a bit better on the Accuphases but this is perhaps only because I started liking more relaxed sound of the Susvara.

So I pulled the damn trigger. Change of flavor from the Pass. Impressions forthcoming. Did some A/B-ing last night.

 

[donato]

So I pulled the damn trigger. Change of flavor from the Pass. Impressions forthcoming. Did some A/B-ing last night.

and...???

 

[Sajid Amit]

and...???

Early impressions:

(1) The Accuphase E380 is hella powerful. It's 120 watts into 8 ohms, and 180 watts into 4 ohms. But it feels like the specs are understated. It drives my Sonus Faber Electa Amator III without breaking a sweat. I go higher on the volume knob when driving the Susvaras than when driving the Sonus Fabers (my study is rather small).

(2) The Accuphase E380 has a more forward presentation than the Pass XA25. It's a relatively more assertive presentation than on the XA25, but not aggressive. The Susvara eschews aggression. The treble is more energetic on the E380, and the bass EQ function actually makes a perceptible difference to the low-end.

(3) Meanwhile, the signature characteristic of the XA25 is this breathtaking spaciousness, replete with environmental cues, and I dare say, more detail retrieval, than I have ever heard on the Susvara, on any amp, bar none, particularly when driven by the Holo Audio May. Going from the XA25 to the E380, I like the change. Switching back from the E380 to the XA25, you feel like you are going up a notch, because of the enhanced perception of stage and details, IMO, and a mid range that's love. Of course, @donato, you knew all this already.

(4) If you had to get one amp, and only one amp for the Susvara, my recommendation is still the XA25, but I like the Accuphase for (i) the change in flavor (ii) the fact that I can run both the Susvaras and my Sonus Fabers at the same time on this amp and (iii) I am in love with how it looks.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Sajid, what do you think about Accuphase E-480 and E-380 with the Susvara? Today I listened them both (plus E-270 in addition) and I couldn't help thinking that I prefer E-380 over E-480 (E-270 being distinctly weaker, say: less gentle or pretty harsh) which is fine (one may save some money) but quite unexpected. If I remember correctly you said you'd be auditioning E-380 once again, not E-480. Why is that, perhaps for the same reason?

In December I had E-480 at home for a couple of days so I knew it's great but today's goal was to compare it with the lower models. In the mean time, every now and then, I was checking how T+A HA 200 is getting on with the Accuphases and I must say it's quite an amp, very good one indeed, perhaps too clinical sound for my ears and less energetic, but by a small margin. T+A Solitaire P played a bit better on the Accuphases but this is perhaps only because I started liking more relaxed sound of the Susvara.

How lovely. If you don't mind my asking, what dealer is this, that carries these Accuphase amps? Is this in the US?

The Accuphase E-480 has a stronger low-end than the E-380.

My Sonus Fabers have very impressive bass, and given my study is small, I prefer the 380 with the SF than the 480. The 480 becomes "boomy" in my room with speakers.

In general, Accuphase Class A/B amps have a more dynamic presentation than their Class A amps, the 650 and the 800.

Going from the 380 to the 480, I didn't seem to notice an increase in resolution, whether on speakers or on my Susvaras; they are both highly resolving.

May I ask your reasons for preferring the 380 over the 480?