[sahmen]

so i said i would report back in a few days after trying out the Denafrips Athena pre amp + Apollon power amp to the Susvara.. well, i received it yesterday (a few days earlier than expected) and hooked it up and had a nice long listening session, and i am just unable to wait to share my thoughts with you guys.



this is it for me. i think i have found the missing link in my speaker amp to Susvara chain. from the first song i played, i knew it. i like it more than the dac/pass labs int-60 combo, and no, i'm not saying that just because i have to give the int-60 back soon (sobs sniff...).

i had no idea a pre would or could make such a difference to the final sound. i could bore you guys by telling you about each individual characteristic ie bass mids highs soundstage etc but just believe me that i am loving every bit of it and i cant find anything to complain about with regards to the sound. i love that it just sounds so transparent and easy/effortless, and it feels like the layering has really been taken up a notch (i would say really close to the layering prowess of the utopia). the way the music comes out of nowhere, and the imaging and placement right now, makes some music sound eerily haunting. the pitch black background really helps in making the Susvara disappear. i'm getting lovely low end weight and punch, surreal mids/vocals, and extremely well controlled highs. most importantly, it manages to do the highs so well in that there is great detail without sounding harsh or edgy, and at the same time it doesnt smooth it over excessively or make it sound boring.

if i had to place it on a scale, i'd say it is just slightly warm/warmish neutral. it has an almost palpable visceral feel to the mids/mid bass which i think the Susvara benefits from.

i rate the Athena / Apollon combo really highly. if you are looking for a pre power combo for hard to drive cans, i think you will be really happy with these two together. With the 1266 TC Phi, the bass is thunderous...! i like the combo more than anything else i have now (wa33/milo ref) or had before (gsx mini, wa22, hpa4, ahb2). One of the reasons i wanted to get the Athena was because it has 0dB gain; my Apollon puts out 227w into 8 ohm and has +26dB gain and i was worried if i stuck a pre in front of it with additional gain, there would be too much noise into the susvara or TC (which was what happened with the wa33+300b 2.5v tubes and an atma-sphere mp-3 tube pre). i'm not able to compare it with the xp12/xa25 which a lot of people say is amazing with the Susvara, because sadly i've not had the chance to try out that combo. i am glad i prefer it over the int-60, because well, the int-60 is HUGE and insanely heavy and costs a lot more too. also, having two separate components makes it easier to change out stuff in the future.r

some minor downsides though. as u can see from the pic, the case finishings and sizes are not similar. and you're stuck with red for the Athena display whether you like it or not. the volume knob on the Athena also lacks a bit of the premium feel; plasticky, a bit loose both in rotation and also a little bit of left/right play. i also have some issues with the hand-finished brushed aluminium finish of my unit; some blemishes and uneven finishing on the front faceplate and top of the chassis, but Alvin from Vinshine is working to get me a replacement unit as we speak. finally, changing or inserting batteries into the denafrip remote requires you to remove 6 small screws, which, if you dont use the correct sized screwdriver, you will end up either stripping the heads or scuffing off some black finishing (revealing some silver below... groan).

at the end of the day, the Athena is not exactly cheap, but is neither ridiculously expensive. i do think the unit is great value for money and is really worth a try! My Susvara sound amazeballs with it!

So when you say Apollon power amp, does this particular unit have a specific model name?

 

[Sajid Amit]

Just mentioning that more than a few times I've seen the XA25/Susvara described as more polite/laid back.. in comparison to the XA30.8 or other Pass Labs amps or other speaker amps in general. But that is only from a few impressions/comments on here--I have not heard it, nor do I have any kind of bias. The Susvara is obviously a laid back headphone to begin with, so the last thing I'd want to pair it with is something else that enhances that. Their other amps, from what else I'm seeing do look really appealing. Although I'm keen on the Susvara being the Susvara it naturally is, it could definitely use a bit of an energetic spark over the Woo.

I am one of those with a similar assessment.

The Sus has a more delicate sound off my XA25 (softer edges to notes) and a more clear and dynamic sound off my Accuphase e380.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Anyone with any experience with NAD amps and/or bluesound streamers? My dealer getting these brands, hence wondering...

 

[Roasty]

So when you say Apollon power amp, does this particular unit have a specific model name?

Oh it is the apollon 1et400a stereo power amp. Purifi based.

 

[Flextreme]

so i said i would report back in a few days after trying out the Denafrips Athena pre amp + Apollon power amp to the Susvara.. well, i received it yesterday (a few days earlier than expected) and hooked it up and had a nice long listening session, and i am just unable to wait to share my thoughts with you guys.



this is it for me. i think i have found the missing link in my speaker amp to Susvara chain. from the first song i played, i knew it. i like it more than the dac/pass labs int-60 combo, and no, i'm not saying that just because i have to give the int-60 back soon (sobs sniff...).

i had no idea a pre would or could make such a difference to the final sound. i could bore you guys by telling you about each individual characteristic ie bass mids highs soundstage etc but just believe me that i am loving every bit of it and i cant find anything to complain about with regards to the sound. i love that it just sounds so transparent and easy/effortless, and it feels like the layering has really been taken up a notch (i would say really close to the layering prowess of the utopia). the way the music comes out of nowhere, and the imaging and placement right now, makes some music sound eerily haunting. the pitch black background really helps in making the Susvara disappear. i'm getting lovely low end weight and punch, surreal mids/vocals, and extremely well controlled highs. most importantly, it manages to do the highs so well in that there is great detail without sounding harsh or edgy, and at the same time it doesnt smooth it over excessively or make it sound boring.

if i had to place it on a scale, i'd say it is just slightly warm/warmish neutral. it has an almost palpable visceral feel to the mids/mid bass which i think the Susvara benefits from.

i rate the Athena / Apollon combo really highly. if you are looking for a pre power combo for hard to drive cans, i think you will be really happy with these two together. With the 1266 TC Phi, the bass is thunderous...! i like the combo more than anything else i have now (wa33/milo ref) or had before (gsx mini, wa22, hpa4, ahb2). One of the reasons i wanted to get the Athena was because it has 0dB gain; my Apollon puts out 227w into 8 ohm and has +26dB gain and i was worried if i stuck a pre in front of it with additional gain, there would be too much noise into the susvara or TC (which was what happened with the wa33+300b 2.5v tubes and an atma-sphere mp-3 tube pre). i'm not able to compare it with the xp12/xa25 which a lot of people say is amazing with the Susvara, because sadly i've not had the chance to try out that combo. i am glad i prefer it over the int-60, because well, the int-60 is HUGE and insanely heavy and costs a lot more too. also, having two separate components makes it easier to change out stuff in the future.

some minor downsides though. as u can see from the pic, the case finishings and sizes are not similar. and you're stuck with red for the Athena display whether you like it or not. the volume knob on the Athena also lacks a bit of the premium feel; plasticky, a bit loose both in rotation and also a little bit of left/right play. i also have some issues with the hand-finished brushed aluminium finish of my unit; some blemishes and uneven finishing on the front faceplate and top of the chassis, but Alvin from Vinshine is working to get me a replacement unit as we speak. finally, changing or inserting batteries into the denafrip remote requires you to remove 6 small screws, which, if you dont use the correct sized screwdriver, you will end up either stripping the heads or scuffing off some black finishing (revealing some silver below... groan).

at the end of the day, the Athena is not exactly cheap, but neither is it ridiculously expensive. i do think the unit is great value for money and is really worth a try! My Susvara sounds amazeballs with it!

I enjoy reading your experience. Seems like the pre-amp has a bigger impact on SQ than I thought. Gwos reported the same in his search for the ultimate susvara amp. My integrated Supernait pre-amp section is powered by an external power supply, making the Supernait almost function like separates. It sounds so much better because of it, so I should know. The Supernait sounds truly amazing, however, but is not balanced, has no volume limit, its volume control is way to sensitive, and has a 'hum' (only at way too high volume levels, typical for Naim).

I was eyeing the Topping Pre90 pre-amp, but folks are not impressed by its musicality. The Holo audio new pre-amp Azure also looks tempting. I hope someone trustworthy can compare it to the Athena.

Does the Athena allow to set a volume-limit? This is such a useful feature when amping the Susvara, it is just too easy to overload it.

 

[astropalace]

Hey all, a little late to this thread, but is anyone able to give a comparison between the LCD-4 & Susvara?

 

[BassicScience]

Anyone with any experience with NAD amps and/or bluesound streamers? My dealer getting these brands, hence wondering...

I'm using the NAD M22 V2 to drive my Susvara, with amazing results. I haven't owned any other NAD amps, but the company has a long history of providing high quality products at very reasonable prices. The M22 V2 uses Hypex nCore Class D amplifier modules along with a custom built power supply. I bought a reconditioned unit with full warranty off eBay for around $2300. It has adjustable gain (19/24/29 dB) and I'm using the lowest. The footprint is a bit large for a desktop, but it's not an issue in my setup. Highest recommendation if the size isn't an issue!

Roasty's Appolon would be a (closely related) alternative. It's smaller and less expensive (I believe). I initially thought it used the same amplifier modules as my NAD, but it uses Purifi's, which are very similar as I understand it. The Appolon does use the Hypex switching power supply. According to the info I saw, it also features adjustable gain, but Roasty hasn't mentioned that feature, so not sure.

 

[BassicScience]

Hey all, a little late to this thread, but is anyone able to give a comparison between the LCD-4 & Susvara?

I've only heard the LCD-4 twice at Canjams. Clearly my favorite Audeze, its bass was thick and luscious. As with other Audeze cans, the higher you go up the frequency spectrum, generally the worse they perform, although the LCD-4 is the most balanced of the lot. The Susvara is more accurate and resolving, but bassheads in particular may prefer the LCD-4.

FWIW and IMHO, based on limited exposure.

 

[vonBaron]

I am very positively surprised how the Susvars play with the V590, it is musical, smooth, you want to listen. Maybe purists lack more detail or resolution, but I like it: D

Of course, with Morpheus there is a better SQ, but somehow the connection with the Susvaras is not exactly right for me.

 

[astropalace]

I've only heard the LCD-4 twice at Canjams. Clearly my favorite Audeze, its bass was thick and luscious. As with other Audeze cans, the higher you go up the frequency spectrum, generally the worse they perform, although the LCD-4 is the most balanced of the lot. The Susvara is more accurate and resolving, but bassheads in particular may prefer the LCD-4.

FWIW and IMHO, based on limited exposure.

Thank you!

 

[vonBaron]

Nevertheless, I still don't see myself buying Susvara, especially since the cheaper Utopias or HE1kse aren't any worse.

 

[jlbrach]

arent any worse?...the susvara is better than either by a fair bit

 

[m17xr2b]

Depends on the setup, we've see what amp changes can do to the experience. Susvara is a pain to amp.

 

[astropalace]

would a schiit jot 2 do the trick?

 

[vonBaron]

Depends on the setup, we've see what amp changes can do to the experience. Susvara is a pain to amp.

Yes, even on the hi-end gear Susvars can play "only ok", they are very demanding on the gear, so I prefer the less demanding Utopias or HE1kse.