[Roasty]

I apologize if this caused any inconvenience!

I am using Roon with Tidal. So far I have set the following settings:



But as you rightly pointed out, some of us don't like to use EQ. I'm one of them)

For EQ, here is a good place to start.

https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/Au...tory1990/harman_over-ear_2018/HIFIMAN Susvara

Tweak to your liking.

 

[jonh1]

Double helix cables - links, I have exactly the same cable (but for my AB-1266 from them, review pending). Another option would getting a cable from Lavricables

Thanks for the link (I remembered this cable, read about it) and for your feedback. I have a question - with all the nuances described in your review - will this silver cable give a deeper and more voluminous bass? And will it give a denser sound?

 

[mammal]

Thanks for the link (I remembered this cable, read about it) and for your feedback. I have a question - with all the nuances described in your review - will this silver cable give a deeper and more voluminous bass? And will it give a denser sound?

My experience with silver vs copper has been as follows - Silver appears more detailed, with a touch of warmth to the mids, but rounds off bass a bit, where as Copper appears darker, but has a punchier bass. So in short, I wouldn't recommend silver if you want to increase bass, for that I would go copper. Mind you, these are ~700 eur cables, who knows how it sounds when you get to 2-3k realm.

 

[Zurv]

The Wavedream simply looks beautiful

PSA - @ThanatosVI is a audio temptress! planting the seeds for gear that haunts you till you are forced to buy it.

 

[jonh1]

For EQ, here is a good place to start.

I configured according to the given specification:

And here's what I got:

In all 10 filters, I used them as parametric. Did I do everything right?

And I have a question: where did these parameters come from for each filter? Is it related to the frequency response of the headphones? Or just the most popular one, taken from nowhere?

The sound ended up being interesting. More in the middle is much more. There is a little less treble))

 

[FLTWS]

Thanks for the answer!

Can you please tell me what changes in sound were produced by both cables on Susvara? You talked about Nirvana. How does it sound different from Reference? And what makes them different from the stock cable so that I have a reporting point. Thank you!

Tell me more, from which conductor is Lazuli Reference made? Is this a copper litz? Or a mixture of copper and silver?

The stock Susvara cable was blah! It just didn't sound right to me. Lacking in transparency and body, thin and washed out.

I think the Nirvana was the next logical development after they gained experience with the Lazuli Ultra and is a "statement" product in my estimation. And the Ultra was the first, I think, to use some silver in the mix and was the next step after the Reference.

I do not have an Ultra to evaluate against the Nirvana for the Susvara. I had an Ultra with my Utopia.

I also think both the Lazuli Ultra and Nirvana use silver coated copper but in different amounts and perhaps weaves. The Nirvana has a lot more strands of copper I think, it feels (and weighs) almost like 14 or 12 gauge wire. That's why they need to use those behemoth sized connectors to get all that wire in them. You could contact Danacable/Gingko Audio direct for specifics. Here are my thoughts back when I evaluated both Ultra and Nirvana for my 1266Phi (I've tried so many of the Danacable lines HP cables I get tripped up on the names all the time).

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/da...headphone-cables-for-my-abyss-1266-phi.22915/
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/dana-cable-nirvana-headphone-cable-for-abyss-1266.23617/

Danacables in general provide a full bodied sound, rich bass/midbass and smooth highs. What I do remember is that the Lazuli Ultra was very close to the Nirvana in overall sound performance and a lot easier to manage physically, and so could be considered a good value in comparison to the Nirvana price wise, if any after market cables can be considered so given the pricing of most. It's strikes me that the only decent sounding stock cable that ever came with any HP I purchased was the 1266. Sure you may find something you like better than the stock 1266 but at additional cost. The Utopia's stock cable wasn't terrible but I felt I could get the highs smoother so... And I don't include the stock and silver cables from RAAL for the SR1a as not being excellent with that HP which is very different and specific in its electrical property requirements for the cable to work properly with those ribbons.

My first Danacable HP cable was an early Lazuli for use with my HD800 and it was excellent with that HP, so I have a tendency to look to that brand first, but that's just me. You don't have to read too many posts on any of the different HP threads here at Head-Fi to see how opinions and favored brands vary.

 

[mammal]

I think I found the pairing I was looking for. Some of you may remember my earlier post about Sennheiser HE-1, which I had a chance to audition for 4 hours last week. I compared it to my AB-1266 (out of dCS Bartok) and was very surprised that HE-1 had the amount of bass it did, but it still was not as good as AB-1266 for electronic music (that has no reference to real life). However, this was a dangerous outing, as I fell in love with HE-1's mids, and its intimate soundstage. Vocal heavy tracks (even synth-pop) just sounded so wonderful. That left me with a theory, that my AB-1266 is king for EDM, anything that is heavily altered or digital, but I need another pair of headphones for the rest that stems from real life sounds. I wanted something that is of the same level of quality in terms of resolution. So I contacted my dealer who lent me broken in Focal Utopia and Hifiman Susvara. I was expecting both to sound fantastic, but differ in their soundstage representation - Susvara wide and open; Utopia forward and intimate. I wanted something that would be closer to HE-1, so I expected to like Utopia more. Boy, I was wrong.



As you can see I am driving Susvara off Bartok, which puts out 2.8 W into 66 Ohm, which many of you will say it is underpowered. Do not worry, I have Viva Egoista 845 en route. But I wanted to share with you my first initial impressions anyway, I hope you don't mind. Susvara impressed me with its ability to render the stage intimately when asked for (as I liked in HE-1), but wide (less wide than AB-1266) on music that was recorded that way. Susvara's mids are forward and centre (compared to cold and recessed AB-1266, which puts the singer 15 meters away) so Susvara works very well for vocal heavy songs. I expected Susvara to sound more natural (closer to real life, on pianos and strings) and I can confirm it does. Now, what came to me as a surprise is how indie rock sounds to me - I used to listen to it in the past, but did not find it well recorded/mastered, so I went into EDM instead. Going back to this old genre, I love it on Susvara, it sounds "familiar".

So is Susvara a keeper? Let's see how its sound changes when I put it on more powerful amplifier. I am worried that the soundstage will expand too much and it will loose its intimacy on songs that ask for it (my main reason for searching for a second pair of headphones after all). Worth mentioning that Susvara to my ears is as detailed as AB-1266 or HE-1, which unfortunately I cannot say about the other headphone (Utopia, which mids work for me well, as they are dead centre, very forward and intimate). Please note, these are my first impressions after 2-3 hours non stop listening, not days, and I have them both until next week. I will be getting Valkyria for comparison, maybe it wows me even more, who knows.

Long story short: I have a theory now, AB-1266 being the king for anything EDM (or everything digital), and Susvara being queen for anything acoustic (sounds that have a real life counterpart). If I had to rate AB-1266, Susvara and HE-1 on aspects that are important to me, it would be

Bass quantity (quality all equal): AB-1266 > HE-1 > Susvara
Soundstage: (Expansive) AB-1266 > Susvara > HE-1 (intimate)
Mids: (luxurious and forward): HE-1 > Susvara > AB-1266 (cold and recessed)
Neutrality: (real life) Susvara > HE-1 > AB-1266 (coloured)
Resolution: (resolution) AB-1266 > Susvara > HE-1 (smoothness)

Obviously above-mentioned will change once Viva Egoista 845 is added to the equation, as I suspect Susvara to be underpowered (but still, sounds amazing out of Bartok). What makes me very happy is that dCS Bartok + Viva Egoista 845 + AB-1266 AND Susvara together cost around 42 000 Eur, which is 18 000 Eur less than HE-1, which only tops it in luxurious and intimate mids, just one specific genre. On other types, Susvara and AB-1266 trumps HE-1 to my ears. And that is still without actually listening to Viva Egoista 845, properly driving both AB-1266 and Susvara. Imagine how will that sound, haha.

Anyway, please take these words with a grain of salt. I am excited little kid, I mean no offense to others and most importantly, I do not want to dismiss anyone else's experiences. My ears are just that, my ears, there are flawed and biased. But I vote with my money, so at least rest assured, I put money where my mouth is. Thanks for reading.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I think I found the pairing I was looking for. Some of you may remember my earlier post about Sennheiser HE-1, which I had a chance to audition for 4 hours last week. I compared it to my AB-1266 (out of dCS Bartok) and was very surprised that HE-1 had the amount of bass it did, but it still was not as good as AB-1266 for electronic music (that has no reference to real life). However, this was a dangerous outing, as I fell in love with HE-1's mids, and its intimate soundstage. Vocal heavy tracks (even synth-pop) just sounded so wonderful. That left me with a theory, that my AB-1266 is king for EDM, anything that is heavily altered or digital, but I need another pair of headphones for the rest that stems from real life sounds. I wanted something that is of the same level of quality in terms of resolution. So I contacted my dealer who lent me broken in Focal Utopia and Hifiman Susvara. I was expecting both to sound fantastic, but differ in their soundstage representation - Susvara wide and open; Utopia forward and intimate. I wanted something that would be closer to HE-1, so I expected to like Utopia more. Boy, I was wrong.



As you can see I am driving Susvara off Bartok, which puts out 2.8 W into 66 Ohm, which many of you will say it is underpowered. Do not worry, I have Viva Egoista 845 en route. But I wanted to share with you my first initial impressions anyway, I hope you don't mind. Susvara impressed me with its ability to render the stage intimately when asked for (as I liked in HE-1), but wide (less wide than AB-1266) on music that was recorded that way. Susvara's mids are forward and centre (compared to cold and recessed AB-1266, which puts the singer 15 meters away) so Susvara works very well for vocal heavy songs. I expected Susvara to sound more natural (closer to real life, on pianos and strings) and I can confirm it does. Now, what came to me as a surprise is how indie rock sounds to me - I used to listen to it in the past, but did not find it well recorded/mastered, so I went into EDM instead. Going back to this old genre, I love it on Susvara, it sounds "familiar".

So is Susvara a keeper? Let's see how its sound changes when I put it on more powerful amplifier. I am worried that the soundstage will expand too much and it will loose its intimacy on songs that ask for it (my main reason for searching for a second pair of headphones after all). Worth mentioning that Susvara to my ears is as detailed as AB-1266 or HE-1, which unfortunately I cannot say about the other headphone (Utopia, which mids work for me well, as they are dead centre, very forward and intimate). Please note, these are my first impressions after 2-3 hours non stop listening, not days, and I have them both until next week. I will be getting Valkyria for comparison, maybe it wows me even more, who knows.

Long story short: I have a theory now, AB-1266 being the king for anything EDM (or everything digital), and Susvara being queen for anything acoustic (sounds that have a real life counterpart). If I had to rate AB-1266, Susvara and HE-1 on aspects that are important to me, it would be

Bass quantity (quality all equal): AB-1266 > HE-1 > Susvara
Soundstage: (Expansive) AB-1266 > Susvara > HE-1 (intimate)
Mids: (luxurious and forward): HE-1 > Susvara > AB-1266 (cold and recessed)
Neutrality: (real life) Susvara > HE-1 > AB-1266 (coloured)
Resolution: (resolution) AB-1266 > Susvara > HE-1 (smoothness)

Obviously above-mentioned will change once Viva Egoista 845 is added to the equation, as I suspect Susvara to be underpowered (but still, sounds amazing out of Bartok). What makes me very happy is that dCS Bartok + Viva Egoista 845 + AB-1266 AND Susvara together cost around 42 000 Eur, which is 18 000 Eur less than HE-1, which only tops it in luxurious and intimate mids, just one specific genre. On other types, Susvara and AB-1266 trumps HE-1 to my ears. And that is still without actually listening to Viva Egoista 845, properly driving both AB-1266 and Susvara. Imagine how will that sound, haha.

Anyway, please take these words with a grain of salt. I am excited little kid, I mean no offense to others and most importantly, I do not want to dismiss anyone else's experiences. My ears are just that, my ears, there are flawed and biased. But I vote with my money, so at least rest assured, I put money where my mouth is. Thanks for reading.

Keep the impressions coming.

And make sure to audition the T+A Solitaire P as well before you decide on your second headphone.

I'm curious if you will prefer tubes as well.
For me there is no going back anymore

 

[mammal]

I'm curious if you will prefer tubes as well.
For me there is no going back anymore

I am glad Bartok is at least capable to output satisfactory levels (both quality and quantity) for both headphones, as I carry it around the house with me (have many listening stations, but can't own many Bartoks, haha). But from talking to the designer of Viva, he told me that his design principle was ultimate transparency and headroom. Apparently, he did not want a design of a "lush tube", but instead get you closer to the music. Of course, I have no idea what that really means. It could be that AB-1266 gets better for EDM, and Susvara for acoustic, or vice versa, we shall see soon!

 

[jonh1]

Lacking in transparency and body, thin and washed out.

I have a similar impression if I understand you correctly. I would also like to add a little detail, but at the same time not lose in density, body. To make it sound more significant, including in the bass.

You are writing about Nirvana and Ultra. What can you say about the Lazuli Reference? I listened to him and it turns out that he has enough finances) What can you say about this line in comparison with the same Ultra?

 

[FLTWS]

To be honest, it's so long since I've listened to some of the various models its impossible for me to say. What I can say is with every step up I found something extra to like, but the improvements get smaller and the prices higher. I think the Ultra and Nirvana are the only two lines with silver/copper in the mix. I believe there is also a trade-in/trade-up ability but I'm not sure if its limited to USA only and repeat customers may get extra consideration. Bottom line is this, I would get what I can afford out of available cash. You could also check with Ginko for used or traded in stock or check the "for sale" here at head-fi, you never know till you look into it.

 

[normie610]

Do not worry, I have Viva Egoista 845 en route.

Does this mean you’ll carry both Bartok and Egoista around the house?

 

[MatW]

Does this mean you’ll carry both Bartok and Egoista around the house?

 

[mammal]

Does this mean you’ll carry both Bartok and Egoista around the house?

Haha, nono, just Bartok. Viva will be firmly planted in a rack, it is too heavy to move around (30kg)

 

[ThanatosVI]

Does this mean you’ll carry both Bartok and Egoista around the house?

The Bartok wasn't heavy enough, time for an amp upgrade.

In Corona times it takes extra measures to stay in shape