HiFiMan Susvara
Feb 11, 2023 at 7:32 PM Post #20,206 of 26,554
No need to get suckered in with those reviews. Susvara is just a marginally better version of the original HEK but an order of magnitude more difficult to drive.
I respectfully disagree...as one who actually sold my susvara in order to use a 1000se before I realized how truly grand the susvara can sound...I concur in terms of how much harder the susvara is to drive but IMHO the susvara is head and shoulders better when properly sourced
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 7:36 PM Post #20,207 of 26,554
It is quite tantalizing reading all of your accounts of ‘Susvara at its best’. It is like reading a letter from a beautiful place one has never been, But can imagine, if only dimly. But it is enough to stimulate longing and then pursuit.

It reminds me of when I worked in Nepal, south of the Everest region. I realized early on that I did not have the capacity to summit Everest (29k feet), but I might get to the top of Kalapatar (18k feet). The latter was still jaw-dropping, if admittedly not the same as summitting (though I will never know how much different).

It seems that, as @Sajid Amit said in his Susvara review, that optimizing the Susvara experience is a sub-hobby of the hifi hobby- one may end up trying a series of lesser gears as one gradually pursues a more enjoyable experience. But I am wondering if I may - like I did in Nepal— achieve a ‘height’ that satisfies my personal desire while still realizing there is ‘more’.

I am happy I took the step to buy them and enter the journey. Even with my limited chain, there are glimmers of what may be experienced down the road, further “up”.

I've posted this quote before - "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is liking what you get." Ideally, you enjoy what you have, but we all get twinges of audio nervosa, esp. when we are here in online forums (like many other forms of social media, we compare everyone's highlight reel to our own personal blooper reel). Pursue upgrades if you have the means and inclination .

I also have never summitted Everest. I did do a 5-week trek in the Dolpo region and we did have an 18K pass. I will almost certainly never summit Everest, but I'm more than ok with that.
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 7:50 PM Post #20,208 of 26,554
I respectfully disagree...as one who actually sold my susvara in order to use a 1000se before I realized how truly grand the susvara can sound...I concur in terms of how much harder the susvara is to drive but IMHO the susvara is head and shoulders better when properly sourced
I'm totally with you there @jlbrach. But if an individual doesn't hear that much difference, then good for them...they get to save some coin.

It is also true that we are in an area of diminishing returns. Given that much of the gen pop is perfectly happy with compressed music on wireless earbuds, all of this is in rarified air.

Although I do think that the ability to distinguish more subtle differences can (although is not necessarily guaranteed) come with experience and exposure to many different products.
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 8:34 PM Post #20,209 of 26,554
Speaking of CFA3 and transistors, I read on head case that Kevin has designed a beefed-up version with additional 4 transistors. It’s meant to drive not only Susvara and other hard to drive headphones but also speakers (his JBL M2 which apparently got sold already since it’s too big for his room). I don’t know whether anyone has attempted to build this yet.
Interesting. I have not seen it. I do recall a post around thanksgiving where Kevin was talking about an amp capable of something like 25a w/ Sanken output transistors. The total count was less than the cfa3, though. Maybe i'm not looking at the right place, though. Mind posting or PMing me the link?
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 8:50 PM Post #20,210 of 26,554
I'm totally with you there @jlbrach. But if an individual doesn't hear that much difference, then good for them...they get to save some coin.

It is also true that we are in an area of diminishing returns. Given that much of the gen pop is perfectly happy with compressed music on wireless earbuds, all of this is in rarified air.

Although I do think that the ability to distinguish more subtle differences can (although is not necessarily guaranteed) come with experience and exposure to many different products.
Agree. I will say that I find the Susvara is very different from the SE sound wise. The Susvara is substantially better. Where I will give a little bit is that I do not think the Susvara is worth what they ask new (esp w/ Caldera being out), especially when you consider you need more amp. The gap narrows however when you consider what you can get a Susvara for used these days (roughtly 1/2 of MSRP).

What tends to catch folks is with not enough amp the Susvara can sound very good. Its just that it can sound amazing with the right amp.
 
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Feb 11, 2023 at 8:53 PM Post #20,211 of 26,554
Interesting. I have not seen it. I do recall a post around thanksgiving where Kevin was talking about an amp capable of something like 25a w/ Sanken output transistors. The total count was less than the cfa3, though. Maybe i'm not looking at the right place, though. Mind posting or PMing me the link?
PM sent
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 9:01 PM Post #20,212 of 26,554
I respectfully disagree...as one who actually sold my susvara in order to use a 1000se before I realized how truly grand the susvara can sound...I concur in terms of how much harder the susvara is to drive but IMHO the susvara is head and shoulders better when properly sourced
Who knows. Not saying Susvara does not sound good but it's not a material leap from HE1000 v1 for me. I actually think HE1000 v2 and se are side grade options from v1 with different emphasis and different sound profile. I like the big sounding HE1000 v1. Susvara to me is like a good happy middle ground between HE6se and HE1000 v1.
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 9:55 PM Post #20,213 of 26,554
I'm totally with you there @jlbrach. But if an individual doesn't hear that much difference, then good for them...they get to save some coin.

It is also true that we are in an area of diminishing returns. Given that much of the gen pop is perfectly happy with compressed music on wireless earbuds, all of this is in rarified air.

Although I do think that the ability to distinguish more subtle differences can (although is not necessarily guaranteed) come with experience and exposure to many different products.
I agree and the marginal improvements in all audio equipment and diminishing returns make it a very subjective judgment
 
Feb 11, 2023 at 11:51 PM Post #20,215 of 26,554
Feb 11, 2023 at 11:55 PM Post #20,216 of 26,554
What will make me happy is seeing my ordered 300b amp in the flesh. No that's not mine, that's the builder's own amp. Mine will be a July 2023 build. That will drive Susvara, as well as Odyssey. You can say that I love tube amps with Susvara.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/oblivion-ultrasonic-studios.902926/post-17397159
Sweet!

And what will make me happy is getting my new Woo WA22 Gen 2 to replace my 2010 Gen 1 so that I get the pre-amp outs to feed into AHB2. Arriving Monday.

Tubey pre-amp for Susvara.
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 12:02 AM Post #20,217 of 26,554
Sweet!

And what will make me happy is getting my new Woo WA22 Gen 2 to replace my 2010 Gen 1 so that I get the pre-amp outs to feed into AHB2. Arriving Monday.

Tubey pre-amp for Susvara.

My 300b amp will have preamp out in case I need to sample some solid state monstrosity. :relaxed:
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 12:54 AM Post #20,218 of 26,554
Sweet!

And what will make me happy is getting my new Woo WA22 Gen 2 to replace my 2010 Gen 1 so that I get the pre-amp outs to feed into AHB2. Arriving Monday.

Tubey pre-amp for Susvara

WA22 wont drive the susvara by itself ?
 
Feb 12, 2023 at 1:01 AM Post #20,219 of 26,554
WA22 wont drive the susvara by itself ?
It does but it runs out of runway with power sooner than it will with the ahb2. Ran this exact setup for a bit and it’s amazing. WA22 is Best Buy in TC tubes with a preamp IN MY experience.

Need enough runway for the size & load of your plane if you want to take flight.
 
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Feb 12, 2023 at 1:10 AM Post #20,220 of 26,554
It does but it runs out of runway with power sooner than it will with the ahb2. Ran this exact setup for a bit and it’s amazing. WA22 is Best Buy in TC tubes with a preamp IN MY experience.

Need enough runway for the size & load of your plane if you want to take flight.
How Would you imagine wa22 running as preamp for moon 430ha would be? Just stock tubes
 

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