I just bought a used Naim Supernait 3 to run my Susvaras off the speaker taps. I currently use a Cayin HA-300 with upgraded tubes, tonally I can’t fault it, but I’m not convinced it powers the Susvaras fully.
I considered higher powered but affordable headphone amps like Ferrum Oor/Hypsos and Flux Volot, preamp and (power) amp combos like the Benchmark LPA4/HPA4 and AHB2 (single and bridged pair) and Pass Labs XP12 and XA25, TOTL headphone amps that I’ve seen recommended for the Susvara like the Riviera AIC-10 and Viva Egoista 845, and integrated amps like the Accuphase H-380 that Sajid Amit uses.
I ruled out the Bakoon AMP13R / Enleum Amp23R because I’ve heard it sounds like a tube amp and that will be too close to what I’ve got now. If I’m honest, I don’t like the look of the AMP13R/23R either but appreciate it packs a punch for something that takes up so little desk space.
AIC-10 and Egoista 845 were too expensive and too hard to find used. I rarely buy anything new. The Pass Labs combo is GBP £7k-£8k used and I couldn’t find a 230v XP12 used in the UK. I nearly bought a pair of AHB2 power amps but couldn’t agree a price. That setup was slightly less than the Pass Labs but was still going to cost GBP £6k-£7k which is twice as much as my Susvaras cost open box. The Accuphase H-380 was GBP £5k-£6k used in the UK so cheaper than a Pass Labs combo or integrated but still expensive if you’re not going to use it to drive speakers.
The Ferrum Oor/Hypsos and Flux Volot were out-gunned by amp / power amp based solutions in the reviews I read. I experimented with a Burson Conductor 3XR as a cheaper all-in-one high powered headphone amp solution and it blew both the drivers in my Susvaras in 15 minutes.
A big thank you to Hifiman and Elite Audio in the UK for their excellent customer service. Hifiman replaced my Susvaras for a modest amount even though “miscombinations” aren’t covered by their warranty and Elite Audio agreed to cover the costs I incurred after confirming one channel on the Burson Conductor 3XR was faulty. I switched the headphone connectors over when one of my Susvara drivers blew and the faulty channel ended up blowing both. In the few minutes I had with it the Burson sounded very good considering the price, Bluetooth connectivity, and convenience, but the tone wasn’t as sublime and ethereal as the HA-300. That put me off all in ones. I think if I bought another one, I’d go for the Violectric v590 rather than a Burson.
My issue may have been a one-off but there are other reports of Burson amps destroying headphones, including Susvaras, on other forums. Posters have reported that they don’t have mute relay switches built into their circuitry and the DC current can spike when they are switched on. My Burson Conductor 3XR blew my Susvara drivers when it was first switched on in high impedence mode at volume 50 with music streaming by Bluetooth.
I bought a Naim Supernait 3 integrated amp on eBay today used for GBP £2.4k. Sajid said he knows somebody who uses one and she prefers it for rock and metal to other integrated amps because of its speed and slam so I’m hoping it will give me something approaching the fully scaled performance of the Pass Labs combo and Accuphase integrated for half the cost. An even cheaper option would be a Naim Supernait 2. There is one of those on eBay UK for GBP £1.4k. Both 2 and 3 models output 80w into 8 ohms as far as I know. 3 is more clean and detailed with a phono input and 2 has more bass weight and drive.
Should I buy a Hifiman HE adapter or an XLR 4 pin female to banana plug extension cable? I’ve learned my lesson about turning the volume down before turning an amp on and off. I think I should be turning the amp on, turning the volume down, plugging the headphones in, turning the volume up very slowly, then after use turning the volume back down, unplugging the headphones, then turning the amp off? Is that the correct order? Is there anything else I should do to protect my Susvaras before, during, and after use with an integrated amp?