[Tubewin]

Get that Susvara + Bakoon and upgrade your source later (if ever).

Is it that much better than the Utopia pairing?

 

[mammal]

Is it that much better than the Utopia pairing?

I had Utopia next to Susvara, 1266 and Valkyria, driven off Viva Egoista 845 and dCS Bartok itself, and Utopia was not playing in the same league, in my personal opinion, of course.

 

[Tubewin]

I had Utopia next to Susvara, 1266 and Valkyria, driven off Viva Egoista 845 and dCS Bartok itself, and Utopia was not playing in the same league, in my personal opinion, of course.

Alright thank you, looks like I have my upgrade path. Is there anything the Utopia does better than the Susvara? Like speed or dynamics? I ask just to leave no stone unturned before forsaking the Utopias.

 

[mammal]

Alright thank you, looks like I have my upgrade path. Is there anything the Utopia does better than the Susvara? Like speed or dynamics? I ask just to leave no stone unturned before forsaking the Utopias.

I did like Utopia's build quality better than Susvara. Also its stock cable was nicer to touch. But as far as audio quality goes, Utopia did one thing different (not necessarily better) and it was its soundstage, very intimate, compared to expansive Susvara. For some songs (like The Weeknd) I liked intimate better, for others less, so your choice. Apart from that, Susvara won over Utopia for me.

 

[BassicScience]

Alright thank you, looks like I have my upgrade path. Is there anything the Utopia does better than the Susvara? Like speed or dynamics? I ask just to leave no stone unturned before forsaking the Utopias.

In my opinion, no. Some people may find the Utopia a tad more dynamic, but with a top-flight amp, I would even disagree there.

 

[ufospls2]

A little off topic but is the AFC-10 the exact same spec (in regards to the headphone output) as the AIC-10 without volume control? 10w into 8 ohms?

I believe so, not 100% sure though. I'd shoot an email to Riviera just to make sure.

 

[OceanRanger]

Susvaras arrived this morning and I am just settling in....

 

[mammal]

A little off topic but is the AFC-10 the exact same spec (in regards to the headphone output) as the AIC-10 without volume control? 10w into 8 ohms?

According to their website, the answer is YES.

 

[Tachyon88]

Are the yolks, housing and grills metal or plastic ?

 

[ufospls2]

Well, with all the talk of speaker amps vs. headphone amps going on, I hate to add to the fire, but I thought some might be interested in some early impressions of my new Amp/DAC the Boulder 866.

In terms of my personal experience, this is the best I have personally heard my Susvara and Abyss. Now, I’ve never ventured into owning tubes, and I may someday, I may not, but at least as far as SS goes, this is the best I’ve heard.

The Boulder excels at neutrality without ever being bright or harsh, or cold, in any way. It’s not a warm amp, not at all. The detail retrieval and technicalities, are the best I have heard. The thing I have noticed the most is its control over the driver, and speed. The bass is thunderous, and so well controlled and fast. Its amazing in that respect. I’ve never heard that from my headphones, or my speakers.

Usually I find built in DACs to be an afterthought for convenience, and are either overpriced or just not that impressive. The Boulders built in DAC is actually worth using, I’m really enjoying it, and don’t feel the need to add an additional stand alone DAC. I suppose a tube DAC might be interesting to try, but for right now, I’m just going to stay where I am currently.

Again, these are just early impressions, and I’ll post a full review at some point. Expensive, yes, but so far, I’m very happy.

 

[puppypatrol]

In my opinion, no. Some people may find the Utopia a tad more dynamic, but with a top-flight amp, I would even disagree there.

I would say that Utopia (arguably) does a bit better job at separating instruments in the field, while Susvara is smoother overall.

 

[BassicScience]

I would say that Utopia (arguably) does a bit better job at separating instruments in the field, while Susvara is smoother overall.

That hasn't necessarily been my impression, but it probably depends on equipment matching to a degree, as well as ultimately being a subjective assessment. I think the bottom line is that when I go from the Utopia to the Susvara, I don't feel like I'm missing anything in particular. The converse is not true. The Susvara has a certain majesty to its sound that the Utopia, as good and competent as it is, doesn't manage to convey. To these ears, anyway.

 

[ra990]

My new bedside setup, Roon ready + bluetooth from android TV on a projector. Makes it very difficult to actually fall asleep.

 

[Somatic]

I am having trouble finding much details on the difference in soundstage of the Empyrean, Arya vs Susvara.

Also wondering how well the Susvara takes EQ? For example I always add a low bass shelf of +2 to +4 on all headphones. How is the bass compared to the Arya? Sub-bass?

Thanks everyone.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

To play devils advocate here - how do we know that Abyss did not develop that special WA33 in collaboration to make their headphones sound the best? We are all assuming here that they must be promoting it because they have a business relationship with them (same with XI Audio). But is it possible that they established those relationships because they believed those amps sound the best? Kinda "chicken-egg" problem, here.

Do they have a power to affect viewers' minds on what amp to buy? Yes, of course. They are the manufacturer of said headphone, hence (some) viewers will take their opinion on what to buy, or where to look first. This being said, from talking to other head-fiers, I get the feeling that everyone here is an intelligent individual, who can make their own mind about a product they want to try, no?

I never understood why do people get so upset about Abyss making an amp comparison video. It is in the end their opinion, isn't it? Or, are they breaking some consumer protection laws I am not aware of? I for one try to establish a baseline for a reviewer based on their opinions of gear I know well, and then based on that I try to take their advice on stuff I haven't heard. There is no substitute for trying yourself, demoing units and trying them for a week or two at least. With this level of gear, no one should be buying blindly. I know a lot of this stuff is built to order, so some of you are actually buying blindly, but I hope you have enough cash to sell and survive the re-sale blow, and call it a "journey" or an experiment.

For example, there is no single Youtube reviewer, nor a head-fier I agree on all points. Everyone has different ears, expectations, and likes different music. I think 1266 has issues with mids, even if Abyss claims it's all perfect. However, I still want to hear what Abyss guys have to say. I would also like to hear Audeze engineers, and Hifiman, and Focal, it's just they decided not to share their opinions so openly. I would respect them all equally, and again, take all of them with a grain of salt.

Agree with this point. Not to mention that not all abyss owner able (have time) to read hundreds of head-fi pages/reviews to find which pinnacle amp on market that would suit their taste. That abyss video might be a promotional video, but also informative as their top choices xiaudio/wa33 certainly not sound bad by any means.