[Sajid Amit]

This might be a commonly asked question so please forgive my ignorance.

Is there something special about speaker amps with the Susvara, as opposed to a headphone amp of equivalent power, tonality etc.?

Yes. All else being equal, speaker amps can deliver more current than (most) headphone amps, as the latter can be current limited.

This usually impacts how open the SS is and things like macro dynamics.

 

[FooFighter]

@Sajid Amit
Had already sent you a PM but it might be of interest also here.

Owning yet a FLUX-FA-10 (which is currently just sitting unused) I of course will try this pairing but by your descriptions I get a feeling that the pairing might bring enough power but can get signature wise a bit too "boring".
I was intrigued reading about better bottom end with extra punch using the ROKSAN K3 power amp pairing,

The disadvantage though is the massive size plus need for extra speaker taps, summing up again to some 1,5k Eur which might sound cheap compared to the TOTL amps some in this thread own but for me it's nothing I spend just for fun.

I ve read your top suggestions for small money in a current post saying that you also recommend the Cayin iHA-6 as an alternative to the K3.
Advantages I see here: smaller footprint, no need for speaker TAPs and I can get it new (returned to shop) for 799 Eur!
It seems to have though "only" between 5 and 7 watts.
Will that power suffice (compared to the 16 Watts of my FLUX)?

Can you pls explain a little more what is the pro/con signature wise of these models and what will be your final suggestions if we speak only about SQ and better bottom end / slam looking at amps at around <= 1500 bucks?

 

[ThanatosVI]

@Sajid Amit
Had already sent you a PM but it might be of interest also here.

Owning yet a FLUX-FA-10 (which is currently just sitting unused) I of course will try this pairing but by your descriptions I get a feeling that the pairing might bring enough power but can get signature wise a bit too "boring".
I was intrigued reading about better bottom end with extra punch using the ROKSAN K3 power amp pairing,

The disadvantage though is the massive size plus need for extra speaker taps, summing up again to some 1,5k Eur which might sound cheap compared to the TOTL amps some in this thread own but for me it's nothing I spend just for fun.

I ve read your top suggestions for small money in a current post saying that you also recommend the Cayin iHA-6 as an alternative to the K3.
Advantages I see here: smaller footprint, no need for speaker TAPs and I can get it new (returned to shop) for 799 Eur!
It seems to have though "only" between 5 and 7 watts.
Will that power suffice (compared to the 16 Watts of my FLUX)?

Can you pls explain a little more what is the pro/con signature wise of these models and what will be your final suggestions if we speak only about SQ and better bottom end / slam looking at amps below 1k?

I don't think that the Cayin improves in those aspects compared to the Flux-FA10.

Below 1k I also don't know much, the Schiit amplifiers could be an option.

Let's see what Sajid has to say

 

[Sajid Amit]

@Sajid Amit
Had already sent you a PM but it might be of interest also here.

Owning yet a FLUX-FA-10 (which is currently just sitting unused) I of course will try this pairing but by your descriptions I get a feeling that the pairing might bring enough power but can get signature wise a bit too "boring".
I was intrigued reading about better bottom end with extra punch using the ROKSAN K3 power amp pairing,

The disadvantage though is the massive size plus need for extra speaker taps, summing up again to some 1,5k Eur which might sound cheap compared to the TOTL amps some in this thread own but for me it's nothing I spend just for fun.

I ve read your top suggestions for small money in a current post saying that you also recommend the Cayin iHA-6 as an alternative to the K3.
Advantages I see here: smaller footprint, no need for speaker TAPs and I can get it new (returned to shop) for 799 Eur!
It seems to have though "only" between 5 and 7 watts.
Will that power suffice (compared to the 16 Watts of my FLUX)?

Can you pls explain a little more what is the pro/con signature wise of these models and what will be your final suggestions if we speak only about SQ and better bottom end / slam looking at amps at around <= 1500 bucks?

Hey man - sorry, was about to get to your PM - replying here.

The Cayin IHA6 is good for its price, but I wouldn't buy it if you could get a Roksan K3.

Why I would get a K3 over an IHA6:

• The IHA6 treble can sound etched and dry
• K3 has this "spicy" treble which works really well with the Susvara, IMO. It's energetic and now that I think of it, I may even like it with the TC given I tend to need more treble energy over time, with any headphone, lol.
• K3 has a bigger soundstage, in width and depth
• K3 has more slam and punch, as they say. It's quite a dynamic signature.
• K3 has an overall more refined sound
• Might be less important, but it's a brilliantly built amplifier

Why I would get an IHA6 over a K3:

• Price
• Form factor (but it's heavy for its size)

Also, the distinction to be made depends less on absolute output power of your amps. Good speaker amps, if you have seen their innards, are built differently from the ground up, from the size and quality of their toroidal transformers to other aspects of their circuitry, to be better at current delivery.

So let's say you are putting in X watts from a Cayin IHA6, and the same X watts from a K3, hard-to-drive planars like the Susvara will sound bigger and more impactful on the latter.

I don't actually remember the sound signature of the Flux. But I do remember some of my friends recently trying it and thinking that although it powers the Susvara and it sounds quite nice, they didn't like the SQ overall - compared to their preferred amps for the Sus.

But you could always upgrade later, if you know what I mean.

The Susvara is hard to drive but sounds quite lovely even from a Topping A90 or an IHA6.

Hope this helps.

 

[FooFighter]

Hey man - sorry, was about to get to your PM - replying here.

The Cayin IHA6 is good for its price, but I wouldn't buy it if you could get a Roksan K3.

Why I would get a K3 over an IHA6:

• The IHA6 treble can sound etched and dry
• K3 has this "spicy" treble which works really well with the Susvara, IMO. It's energetic and now that I think of it, I may even like it with the TC given I tend to need more treble energy over time, with any headphone, lol.
• K3 has a bigger soundstage, in width and depth
• K3 has more slam and punch, as they say. It's quite a dynamic signature.
• K3 has an overall more refined sound
• Might be less important, but it's a brilliantly built amplifier

Why I would get an IHA6 over a K3:

• Price
• Form factor (but it's heavy for its size)

Also, the distinction to be made depends less on absolute output power of your amps. Good speaker amps, if you have seen their innards, are built differently from the ground up, from the size and quality of their toroidal transformers to other aspects of their circuitry, to be better at current delivery.

So let's say you are putting in X watts from a Cayin IHA6, and the same X watts from a K3, hard-to-drive planars like the Susvara will sound bigger and more impactful on the latter.

I don't actually remember the sound signature of the Flux. But I do remember some of my friends recently trying it and thinking that although it powers the Susvara and it sounds quite nice, they didn't like the SQ overall - compared to their preferred amps for the Sus.

But you could always upgrade later, if you know what I mean.

The Susvara is hard to drive but sounds quite lovely even from a Topping A90 or an IHA6.

Hope this helps.

Thx mate.
Indeed it helps.
Am waiting for the prices and shipping dates for my speaker TAPs and will then decide to either directly go for RK3 or wait a little more.
Have you experienced issues with K3 poweramp switching off with silent music due to its power safe function which is by the design powering it down after 30 mins with no signal coming in?
An integrated K3 amp would be an alternative but besides having a volume wheel and remote for it I find it quite a waste considering that I need only one source and can control anything from there...

 

[Sajid Amit]

Thx mate.
Indeed it helps.
Am waiting for the prices and shipping dates for my speaker TAPs and will then decide to either directly go for RK3 or wait a little more.
Have you experienced issues with K3 poweramp switching off with silent music due to its power safe function which is by the design powering it down after 30 mins with no signal coming in?
An integrated K3 amp would be an alternative but besides having a volume wheel and remote for it I find it quite a waste considering that I need only one source and can control anything from there...

I had brought in both the integrated and the power for home demo. Can't remember facing the said issue!

Good luck with your amp search!

 

[FooFighter]

I will definitely report back here.
Great thread with information no reseller can provide you

 

[Pashmeister]

Ok I finally did something I never thought I’d do - After much deliberation I sold my beloved Empyreans, took my chances, and this weekend a pair of brand new Susvaras arrived...

And I am completely shellshocked! They feel like what I have been searching for all my audiophiliac life! Everything that annoyed me with the TC 1266 - gone! The slightly wooly blankety feel of the Empyrean - gone!

The timbre of these really are something else. The sound and placement of vocals are not intimate or overly warm as such, they're just incredible lifelike and has this sense of presence in some way. Just wow!

Apologies for gushing so much but I just had to share with people who understands

I had an Empyrean phase also before I sold it for an HE1000se which gave me the itch to upgrade to a Susvara. I feel the same way about the Susvara; it just sounds correct. My Abyss TC is dangerously close to being sold.

 

[MatW]

Thx mate.
Indeed it helps.
Am waiting for the prices and shipping dates for my speaker TAPs and will then decide to either directly go for RK3 or wait a little more.
Have you experienced issues with K3 poweramp switching off with silent music due to its power safe function which is by the design powering it down after 30 mins with no signal coming in?
An integrated K3 amp would be an alternative but besides having a volume wheel and remote for it I find it quite a waste considering that I need only one source and can control anything from there...

Like others have said before I believe, try it with your Flux first and see how you like it! I am a little skeptical of the power amp argument. The Susvara sounds so good with the Formula S. Even if it is true and the sound is really noticeably better with a power amp, I don't really care... I am very happy with my current setup. Of course, what you are happy with and where the journey stops is a personal decision, I am not criticizing anyone else's choices, naturally.

 

[Axel]

Any experience with driving the Susvaras from the Viva Egoista?

 

[thecrow]

Any experience with driving the Susvaras from the Viva Egoista?

https://www.head-fi.org/search/6282331/?q=Egoista&t=post&c[thread]=853031&o=date

 

[SuperBurrito]

Is there something special about speaker amps with the Susvara, as opposed to a headphone amp of equivalent power, tonality etc.?

The short answer is that it depends on which power amp and HP amp you have.
I bought speaker tap adapters so I could try my Susvara with a Chord Ttoby power amp. Compared to my Luxman P-750u HP amp, the Ttoby has a bit better soundstaging and a more open treble. Perhaps the Chord is a bit more analytical and less liquid. But it's way, way closer contest than I expected. For sure some people would prefer the Chord sound and some would prefer the Luxman sound. For those who listen to speakers often I can totally see the appeal of saving tons of money and just having one power amp that can do it all.

 

[MatW]

@Sajid Amit
Had already sent you a PM but it might be of interest also here.

Owning yet a FLUX-FA-10 (which is currently just sitting unused) I of course will try this pairing but by your descriptions I get a feeling that the pairing might bring enough power but can get signature wise a bit too "boring".
I was intrigued reading about better bottom end with extra punch using the ROKSAN K3 power amp pairing,

The disadvantage though is the massive size plus need for extra speaker taps, summing up again to some 1,5k Eur which might sound cheap compared to the TOTL amps some in this thread own but for me it's nothing I spend just for fun.

I ve read your top suggestions for small money in a current post saying that you also recommend the Cayin iHA-6 as an alternative to the K3.
Advantages I see here: smaller footprint, no need for speaker TAPs and I can get it new (returned to shop) for 799 Eur!
It seems to have though "only" between 5 and 7 watts.
Will that power suffice (compared to the 16 Watts of my FLUX)?

Can you pls explain a little more what is the pro/con signature wise of these models and what will be your final suggestions if we speak only about SQ and better bottom end / slam looking at amps at around <= 1500 bucks?

I just happened to see a Flux vs IHA 6 opinion in the Elite thread, in case you did not see it.. So many people, so many opinions...
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/mez...-official-thread.959445/page-24#post-16550188

 

[FooFighter]

Yep
I will try the Roksan K3 Poweramp vs Flux FA-10.
I can give it back during 14 days return window.
So enough time to find out if it's worth the update - though Susvaras won't be burnt in yet
I pretty much trust Sajids recommendation as I feel his signature description is on my alley but will report as soon as everything is here during next week.

BTW, will get a Noir Hybrid adapter based on 8x AWG26 silver/copper hybrid cable from Matt / Forza Audio - price is a steal...

Might get also a substitute Headphone cable from him later on - first the gear, then the cabling

 

[ThanatosVI]

BTW, will get a Noir Hybrid adapter based on 8x AWG26 silver/copper hybrid cable from Matt / Forza Audio