[Somatic]

Biggest improvement was the low end. On the 789, the lowend sounded floppy and loose. Whereas on the AHB2 its tight, punchy, brilliant.
Stage opened up, tonality was overall more controlled, just all round better

Are you still liking the AHB2?

 

[Somatic]

Oh wait!, did someone say they wanted more feedback on speaker amps?!

Some bullet-point impressions on the Susvara paired with the Benchmark AHB2, which I'm borrowing from a friend (listening to mostly jazz, some electronic, soundtrack, and some compressed stuff):

• Clean, detailed, and neutral -- these attributes above all others. It lends the Susvara a different character than what I'm used to, which by itself makes for an interesting listen. The Susvara connected to the AHB2 reminds me a bit of the RAAL SR1a, actually.
  
  
• Relatedly -- sharp, quick transients. This lends it a surprising sense of rhythm. I catch myself bobbing my head without noticing. And then I notice, and I think to myself, "Wait, what? I thought this amp was supposed to sound all 'sterile' and sh- so forth."
  
  
• Notably wide soundstage. I'm hyper-aware of instrument locations on the far ends of the x-axis. Depth is decent, though not a stand-out feature; probably better than the Bryston SST2's I've heard. Height -- which I usually don't pay much attention to -- can be very pronounced with some percussion on occasion, so that's interesting. Imaging is more of the pin-point variety, not the big-expansive-blobs variety.
  
  
• Smooth and detailed treble. The way it renders cymbals is my favorite thing about the amp so far. Very well defined without being overdone or hot, just sounds right.
  
  
• Nicely extended and controlled bass. Lower registers of bass guitar and stand-up bass are well articulated, and their fundamentals are very follow-able.
  
  
• Due to its resolution, doesn't require the volume to be turned up to fully "get" the music (the same kind of thing people say about the Utopia). Separation between instruments is easy to process cognitively.
  
  
• When listening analytically, there is much to be explored, looking into the music. Like for instance with dense and complex electronic music, where much of the appeal is in texture and 'soundscape'.
  
  
• Really shines with acoustic jazz (probably my #1 priority in terms of musical genres) for all the reasons stated above. Also, I get this satisfying sense of euphony as different instruments layer and harmonize. So like, real "euphonics" based on an effective (accurate) rendering of underlying musical intent, as opposed to "euphonic" in the sense of 2nd-order distortion introduced by the signal chain. Interesting!
  
  
• Modern, compressed material is a mixed bag so far. The typical hi-fi predicament where much of this sort of source material isn't mixed with a neutral, ultra-resolving audio chain in mind (I feel the same way about the RAALs, TBH).
  
  
• The amp responds very well to EQ though. Small changes that usually go fairly unnoticed (to me) are more readily apparent. I take this to be a very positive attribute.

So overall, a really enjoyable listen so far. I've come to prefer a denser, meatier sound most (though not all) of the time, which is why I keep a Pass Labs X150.8 despite its inconvenience, but if I wanted to have a contrasting second amp as well, this would (will?!) probably be it.

Where would you rank the AHB2? I honestly just want to fully power the Susvara and really like hearing it does well with EQ

 

[nwavesailor]

The susvara thread always comes back to............. AMPS!

 

[Somatic]

The susvara thread always comes back to............. AMPS!

We know its the best LOL ... so only AMP talk is left hahah

 

[DJJEZ]

Congrats man! Awesome lineup and gear.

Empyrean remains the most comfortable headphone I've tried. But Susvara comes close. I find the earpads a bit warm and rough sometimes, and hope someone/HiFiMan comes up with a replacement similar to the Utopia leather pads.

What amps are you thinking of trying with the Susvara? I have tried audiolab 6000a and 8300a (meh), AHB2 (neutral), Apollon 1et400a (neutral), Pass labs int60 (warmish, full sounding, some roll off up top), kinki studio ex-m1+ (slightly warm but some etch up top) and am now using kinki p27+M7 combo (still running in).

Thank you. I actually haven't heard the empyrean but they look crazy comfortable for sure. I agree about the stock pads getting a little warm. In terms of amps, the WA33, JPS and ELITE are on my list. the riviera aic-10 and the new version of the bakoon, the Enleum AMP-23R are top of my list plus various other speaker amps. Its gonna take me some time to save for it though and im welcome to any suggestions from people on here

 

[ThanatosVI]

The susvara thread always comes back to............. AMPS!

Yeah amp talk is the best and actually what keeps me coming back here even though I don't own a Susvara.

 

[normie610]

the Enleum AMP-23R

Enleum it is!

 

[SuperBurrito]

The Susvara finally joins my collection. The most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. I will report back with some comparisons against the arya and 1266TC after 200+ hours of burn in. I plan to try quite a few, much more powerful amps in the future to see how much more the susvara scale cause we all know they need alot of juice lol

Congrats! I look forward to hearing your impressions!

 

[DJJEZ]

Congrats! I look forward to hearing your impressions!

I can tell you after 1 night of listening. 8 hours straight, I am very very impressed

 

[SuperBurrito]

I can tell you after 1 night of listening. 8 hours straight, I am very very impressed

They are top notch headphones, no doubt about it! I don't think there are other headphones I would want to listen to for that long.

To give an example of what the Susvara is capable of, check out Ottmar Liebert's flamenco guitar album named Up Close. It was recorded on a binaural dummy head, and I think all the recordings are live single takes. Amazing!

 

[dukeskd]

I can tell you after 1 night of listening. 8 hours straight, I am very very impressed

Let me guess the word of the day: smooth, smooth and more smooth.

 

[FLTWS]

The more I listen to mine the more I recognize how many different categories of assessment are "almost the best" making this one of the best listening, least fatiguing phones that also happen to be very comfortable to wear.
For me, it's ability to capture the richness of tone with acoustic instruments maybe be its best quality.
I think the build quality is better than the other HiFiMan offerings I've tried, and I see no shortcomings / faults in the metal or leathers on mine.

 

[jlbrach]

They are top notch headphones, no doubt about it! I don't think there are other headphones I would want to listen to for that long.

To give an example of what the Susvara is capable of, check out Ottmar Liebert's flamenco guitar album named Up Close. It was recorded on a binaural dummy head, and I think all the recordings are live single takes. Amazing!

I find that if I listen for long periods of time without a break the HP loses what makes it special....you end up needing to make them louder to get the same appreciation...I listen to an album and take the HP off for a short while and when I put it back on I get that same rush as when I first put them on...kind of like having a drink and enjoying it but shortly needing another to keep feeling....

 

[Slim1970]

I find that if I listen for long periods of time without a break the HP loses what makes it special....you end up needing to make them louder to get the same appreciation...I listen to an album and take the HP off for a short while and when I put it back on I get that same rush as when I first put them on...kind of like having a drink and enjoying it but shortly needing another to keep feeling....

This, it's also a big reason why I have a good number of headphones. I like to switch things up just to keep everything sounding fresh

 

[llamaluv]

Where would you rank the AHB2? I honestly just want to fully power the Susvara and really like hearing it does well with EQ

I would rank it very highly.

I also tested two AHB2's in a dual mono configuration around that same period, and liked it even more.