[Currawong]

Yes, my ultraRendu (plus LPS) was my previous Roon endpoint, and I replaced it with an iPad.
Some people report the iPhone X is even better...

I found it depends on the USB cable used. I tried a long Meego cable which is Lightning to micro USB and there was a distinct drop in sound quality. I used to run various iPads through a Schiit Wyrd to a Hugo or Hugo 2 with good results though.

 

[gordec]

Yes, my ultraRendu (plus LPS) was my previous Roon endpoint, and I replaced it with an iPad.
Some people report the iPhone X is even better...

I may try it. I have an iPad Pro. Just need CCK and install Roon trial. It would be crazy if it sounds as good as an ultrarendu and lps.

 

[Slim1970]

Joined the club today. My initial impressions are wow. Live music sounds so life like. There's a lot of air around the notes and the extension is outstanding at both end of the spectrum. I'm testing them out with my Pro iCan and Hugo 2. Gain set on 9dB volume around 11 o'clock and they are plenty loud and musical. I'm trying to decide if I like tube or solid state mode better. Time for some more listening.

 

[AFWannabe]

I found it depends on the USB cable used. I tried a long Meego cable which is Lightning to micro USB and there was a distinct drop in sound quality. I used to run various iPads through a Schiit Wyrd to a Hugo or Hugo 2 with good results though.

I use a very short JCat USB cable, and an Audioquest Jitterbug, which has made quite an impact too...

 

[AFWannabe]

I may try it. I have an iPad Pro. Just need CCK and install Roon trial. It would be crazy if it sounds as good as an ultrarendu and lps.

Let me suggest an Audioquest Jitterbug between CCK And USB cable. The impact was clearly way above the (low) cost...

 

[jlbrach]

Joined the club today. My initial impressions are wow. Live music sounds so life like. There's a lot of air around the notes and the extension is outstanding at both end of the spectrum. I'm testing them out with my Pro iCan and Hugo 2. Gain set on 9dB volume around 11 o'clock and they are plenty loud and musical. I'm trying to decide if I like tube or solid state mode better. Time for some more listening.

the ican drives the susvara with ease and sounds great

 

[Slim1970]

the ican drives the susvara with ease and sounds great

Yes it does. I'm enjoying the pairing a lot so far.

 

[JeffMann]

Yes it does. I'm enjoying the pairing a lot so far.

I own both the iCan Pro and a V281 headphone amplifier and I much prefer the V281 when driving my Susvara headphone. Both headphone amps are powerful enough to drive the Susvara, but I find the V281 to be much more "musically accurate". I only realized how large the difference between the two amps is after I purchased a Wyred-4-Sound DAC that increased the resolving power of my audio system. See my personal review to better understand my set of personal biases - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/wyr...mited-edition-dac-appreciation-thread.874370/

Jeff.

 

[Slim1970]

I also bought the HE-Adapter just to see what it was like driving the Susvara’s directly out of speaker taps. As good as the Pro iCan is as a headphone amp using it as a pre-amp connected to my Burson Timekeeper power amp with the Susvara's is leaving me speechless. I’ve never heard a headphone sound so good in my life. I am flabbergasted at what I'm hearing. The more power you can give them the better they are going to sound. They welcome the power and respond accordingly. The sound quality is amazing!

 

[jlbrach]

i have both the 281 and ican and i think they are both outstanding....power wise both have more than ample power...i do love the versatility of the 281 in terms of the pre gain flexibility which allows me to pull back some of the power when listening balanced...obviously the ican has a million options as well

 

[gordec]

Let me suggest an Audioquest Jitterbug between CCK And USB cable. The impact was clearly way above the (low) cost...

I have an iFi iSilencer feeding Pro iDSD which has micro iUSB 3.0 built in. You think that's enough? I think iSilencer does similar things as the Jitterbug.

 

[JeffMann]

I also bought the HE-Adapter just to see what it was like driving the Susvara’s directly out of speaker taps. As good as the Pro iCan is as a headphone amp using it as a pre-amp connected to my Burson Timekeeper power amp with the Susvara's is leaving me speechless. I’ve never heard a headphone sound so good in my life. I am flabbergasted at what I'm hearing. The more power you can give them the better they are going to sound. They welcome the power and respond accordingly. The sound quality is amazing!

I am intrigued by the possibility of getting better sound from my Susvara headphones by using a speaker amp. What are the major differences in sound quality when using a speaker amp? Also, how do you avoid the possibility of damaging the Susvara headphones when using such a powerful speaker amp?

Jeff.

 

[Slim1970]

@JeffMann To avoid any damage to the headphones I use the Hifiman HE-Adapter found here:
http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he-adapter.html

The sonic benefits I'm hearing are better bass definition and control. Everything sounds so much more open and transparent. The bass is deeper, the mid range is spot on and the clarity is off the charts, at least with the gear I'm using. The sound is so big and lively.

 

[JeffMann]

@JeffMann To avoid any damage to the headphones I use the Hifiman HE-Adapter found here:
http://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he-adapter.html

The sonic benefits I'm hearing are better bass definition and control. Everything sounds so much more open and transparent. The bass is deeper, the mid range is spot on and the clarity is off the charts, at least with the gear I'm using. The sound is so big and lively.

How does the HE-adapter protect the headphones from damage? Does it have fuses or some other inbuilt device to limit the power output of the speaker amp?

I am also interested in knowing which speaker amps are best suited for use with the Susvara.

Jeff.

p.s. By the way, I am willing to sell my Ican Pro (which is in mint condition) for $1,000 if any person is interested - because I am not using it at all.

 

[Rhamnetin]

How does the HE-adapter protect the headphones from damage? Does it have fuses or some other inbuilt device to limit the power output of the speaker amp?

I am also interested in knowing which speaker amps are best suited for use with the Susvara.

Jeff.

p.s. By the way, I am willing to sell my Ican Pro (which is in mint condition) for $1,000 if any person is interested - because I am not using it at all.

Must be resistors inside of the HE adapter.