[Erwinatm]

If your Diablo 300 and Bartok cannot provide an experience you enjoy, it's time to move on to cans with the right FR and tonality you actually enjoy listening. No point throwing good money after bad at this point, TBH.

Yes, that's why I have Cayin HA300 for headfi enjoyment, and also Oblivion coming soon

The Diablo 300 is a wonderful beast.

The SS on the Sus didn't become unnaturally wide for me on the Accuphase.

The TC did become massive on the Accuphase, but it didn't come across unnaturally diffuse, just very large, with lots of space around images, etc. However, whether someone would like that presentation or not is subjective. For instance, I find that these days I love how the TC soundstage sounds off the iCAN, which has a smaller stage, but because TC is still wide, it sounds good enough.

I have a Zahl HM1 coming in which is supposed to have some nifty stage widening features so I'll see how the TC fares on it, how much I like it, and report back.

Thanks. I still prefer the sound signature coming out from dedicated headphone amp. Let "the beast" does what its best with stereo setup.

Susvara is non-negotiable on a Dave where it needs crossfeed, HF ON and MQA first unfold via the streamer.

Crossfeed gives that grounding and midbass

HF ON perfectly cancels out the plastic high

MQA gives the perfect deepness and weight. Also takes out the ringing that makes any Hifiman annoying.

Your Diablo 300 speaker amp experience is exactly same as what I and others heard. You are not wrong. It's the speaker amp ppl who are misinterpreting it as a seemingly good sound.

Hi 801evan, I think it is not misinterpreting, it just how a stereo setup is, because you still can hear left speaker sound from your right ear and vice versa. Whilst with headphones left and right drivers completely isolated to one of our ears. That's why you need crossfeed adjustment. CMIWW

 

[801evan]

Hi 801evan, I think it is not misinterpreting, it just how a stereo setup is, because you still can hear left speaker sound from your right ear and vice versa.

I've expressed the benefits of the crossfeed and it won't magicly fix the stretched sound you are experiencing unless you are dedicatedly listening to hard pan albums. What you said will be a problem with headphone amps as well if it's a poor performing headphone amp.

For example, that implies listening to mono albums would fix the artificially wide soundstage and stretched out vocals of a speaker amp, which it doesnt.

 

[Erwinatm]

I've expressed the benefits of the crossfeed and it won't magicly fix the stretched sound you are experiencing unless you are dedicatedly listening to hard pan albums. What you said will be a problem with headphone amps as well if it's a poor performing headphone amp.

For example, that implies listening to mono albums would fix the artificially wide soundstage and stretched out vocals of a speaker amp, which it doesnt.

Exactly. I listen a lot classic Jazz like Miles Davis, Coltrane, Brubeck where It was recorded at early stage of stereo recording. It is really weird with speakers tab, the middle seems hollow/empty...

 

[801evan]

Exactly. I listen a lot classic Jazz like Miles Davis, Coltrane, Brubeck where It was recorded at early stage of stereo recording. It is really weird with speakers tab, the middle seems hollow/empty...

Hard pan albums exacerbate the quality issues of going through speaker amps. Crossfeed is a simple but effective function. While I have many issues with Roon, crossfeed in general is a subtle effect. But with that said, it is a super effective fixer-upper with the Susvara as mentioned in my previous post.

Proof in the pudding is to simply try mono or albums that aren't hard panned. If the issue is still there. It's the speaker amp method that has to go.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Yes, that's why I have Cayin HA300 for headfi enjoyment, and also Oblivion coming soon


Thanks. I still prefer the sound signature coming out from dedicated headphone amp. Let "the beast" does what its best with stereo setup.

Sure, makes sense. I also prefer headamps to speaker amps increasingly, even if I am sacrificing a bit in terms of technical performance, because my desk real estate has become an issue, lol. No space for my NUC even lol.

The Zahl HM1 headamp I am hoping will have good synergy with my hard to drive planars.

 

[Frankie D]

It depends entirely on the quality of material used. I spent about $2000 but I used pure silver wiring inside. Use copper wiring and I’m going to guess it’s half that cost. Most of it is of course is labor. Bryan is very good to work with, and can suggest Varous price points for a various types of materials and labor. He is fair.

This box is in essence a passive preamplifier in terms of switching without the volume (and I did consider also adding a passive volume control to that box, but decided against it). So I view this as a key part in my system and chain and therefore consider its cost as I would a full component in my stack. I connect to it my regular headphone amp, electrostatic amp, power amp, etc. It was worth doing well.

This sounds like the perfect solution to run one dac into multiple headlamps. Tks.

 

[UntilThen]

Yes, that's why I have Cayin HA300 for headfi enjoyment, and also Oblivion coming soon

Ah ha. Oblivion can drive Susvara.

 

[Sajid Amit]

hi y’all!

i have joined the Susvara club with a lucky deal from audio46 which ended up costing me $4700 for an “open-box” version that ended up actually just being a completely new unopened unit because they messed up their inventory.

the other units i have ordered are the Enleum 23r and the May Holo KTE, with a nirvana cable from Danacable.

my question;

the 23r (in another week) and the headphones (tomorrow) arrive the soonest, with the KTE arriving in a couple months at best and the cable even longer. is it worth setting up my amp+hp with my sad little atom dac? or should i wait for everything to arrive before i start jamming?

Congrats.

With the May and Susvara, I personally prefer HQplayer and in particular a filter that makes the May more incisive and dynamic which benefits the Susvara.

If you ever want to try the HQPlayer filter, PM me and I’ll share a screenshot.

 

[goldwerger]

This sounds like the perfect solution to run one dac into multiple headlamps. Tks.

That was my purpose.. thanks

 

[Erwinatm]

Ah ha. Oblivion can drive Susvara.

Following your steps. I wish Tomas can finish it quicker than expected

 

[PrTv]

Hi guys,

I have a question about speaker amplifier matching. I plan to buy the Susvara very soon, to integrate it with my current setup. However, knowing that my V281 is far from ideal to drive them, I have set aside the budget for a good speaker amplifier.

I prefer the speaker amplifier (power-amp) to conventional headphones amplifier, because I also have the VC / Utopia / Empy, and my V281 drives them beautifully. Also my DAC has one RCA + one XLR output, and both ports have been occupied by V281 and my tube amplifier. So using my V281 as pre-amp to connect to a speaker power-amp via XLR seems to be logical way.

Now, I'm looking at Benchmark AHB2, so I have these questions:
- How good is synergy?
- Will it sound bright? Benchmark is known for its analytical sound, and I hate anything that is bright/too analytical.
- Is resistor box required? I read some articles saying "hard to drive" headphones can be connected directly to the power amp's speaker port without the need of resistor box, provided the user can control the volume properly with pre-amp.

If you have other alternative in mind that can drive the Sus better / sound warmer than the AHB2, I'm welcome for any suggestion. The power amp should not be too large and should be within USD3K (the cheaper the better).

Thanks a lot!

 

[Takarajima]

Now, I'm looking at Benchmark AHB2, so I have these questions:
- How good is synergy?
- Will it sound bright? Benchmark is known for its analytical sound, and I hate anything that is bright/too analytical.
- Is resistor box required? I read some articles saying "hard to drive" headphones can be connected directly to the power amp's speaker port without the need of resistor box, provided the user can control the volume properly with pre-amp.

My 2 cents. YMMV

• AHB2 made a beautiful synergy with Susvara. To me, ahb2 doesn't transform Sus to what it isn't but maximizes Sus-ish-ness. OTOH, Susvara pulls out what AHB2 is capable of as a head amp. One of the best pairings I've heard with Susvara.
• I don't want to say AHB2 per se is bright. But Susvara is inherently neutral-bright to me. And ahb2 doesn't seem to darken things at all. I'd also describe the pairing a bit analytical but in a very pleasing way. Tone and timbre are not as rich as musicality-first people favor tho.
• I've avoided resistor boxes from the beginning.. so can't say much about it. I thought AHB's low gain (paired with proper preamp attenuation) is pretty spot on for Susvara's sensitivity.

 

[PrTv]

My 2 cents. YMMV

• AHB2 made a beautiful synergy with Susvara. To me, ahb2 doesn't transform Sus to what it isn't but maximizes Sus-ish-ness. OTOH, Susvara pulls out what AHB2 is capable of as a head amp. One of the best pairings I've heard with Susvara.
• I don't want to say AHB2 per se is bright. But Susvara is inherently neutral-bright to me. And ahb2 doesn't seem to darken things at all. I'd also describe the pairing a bit analytical but in a very pleasing way. Tone and timbre are not as rich as musicality-first people favor tho.
• I've avoided resistor boxes from the beginning.. so can't say much about it. I thought AHB's low gain (paired with proper preamp attenuation) is pretty spot on for Susvara's sensitivity.

Thanks for your comment.

About your 2nd bullet

• I don't want to say AHB2 per se is bright. But Susvara is inherently neutral-bright to me. And ahb2 doesn't seem to darken things at all. I'd also describe the pairing a bit analytical but in a very pleasing way. Tone and timbre are not as rich as musicality-first people favor tho.

If I'm that kind of person, do you guys have any other power-amp in mind that I should consider?

 

[dcguy73]

Thanks for your comment.

About your 2nd bullet

• I don't want to say AHB2 per se is bright. But Susvara is inherently neutral-bright to me. And ahb2 doesn't seem to darken things at all. I'd also describe the pairing a bit analytical but in a very pleasing way. Tone and timbre are not as rich as musicality-first people favor tho.

If I'm that kind of person, do you guys have any other power-amp in mind that I should consider?

Before you jump the gun, why don't you get the Susvara first and try it with your Violectric amp? That way you can establish a baseline of how it sounds with what you've got.

Then you could get an adapter made (or pick up the Hifiman version) that allows you to connect it directly to a power amp. With Susvara in hand, you could visit some HiFi stores (if there are some by you) and try it out.

I found a great deal on a speaker amp and made the jump soon after I got mine. I'm satisfied with it, but I wish I'd shopped around a little first and tried what else was out there before committing to anything. I understand wanting to have something ready when the Susvara arrives, but if you can actually try some amps out in-person, it seems more likely that you'd find a good match instead of relying on peoples' opinions.

This is a just a suggestion based on my experience.

 

[Takarajima]

Before you jump the gun, why don't you get the Susvara first and try it with your Violectric amp? That way you can establish a baseline of how it sounds with what you've got.

Then you could get an adapter made (or pick up the Hifiman version) that allows you to connect it directly to a power amp. With Susvara in hand, you could visit some HiFi stores (if there are some by you) and try it out.

Totally agreed with this advice. And that's what I've actually been gone through. I brought my Sus to a number of local meets, hifi stores, and 2ch audio friends who run interesting integrated/power amplifiers -- I made my own audition list by doing research in this thread. My advice is to start from all popular recommendations (regardless of price level) in the first round, then incrementally narrow down later. The journey was not only cost-saving but also insightful in various aspects.