[genefruit]

He asked, "has your joy stood the test of time?".

In my case, the answer is an emphatic yes! Having followed most of the summit-fi headphone threads here for years, I daresay Susvara has an above-average track record of long-term user satisfaction. Obviously, some people have abandoned them for other cans, but (notably) there have been many reports of people later repurchasing Susvara as well.

FWIW.

I should have quoted better, as I answered "if I cash in some of my retirement investments and purchase one of these Uber-expensive systems, how likely am I to experience real, settled, lasting joy in the Susvara? And will it have been “worth it” compared to my very good (if not summit fi) chain."

 

[Polygonhell]

And will it have been “worth it” compared to my very good (if not summit fi) chain."

Value is a very personal thing, I don't think anyone can answer that for you.

I will say outside of picking up things out of pure interest, and there being a few things I'd like to try, I don't feel anything in my current chain is something I need to upgrade.
But if your happy with what you've got I wouldn't rush out and buy a summit fi chain you haven't heard.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I’ve been pondering something as I’ve followed this thread, which I ask of you who have found your ‘end game’ Susvara system- has your satisfaction lasted, stood the test of time- say a year? I ask this because of the tendency of the human brain to habituate to novel stimuli, and especially the dopamine centers, which are always looking for yet another stronger ‘fix’- which is to say, if I cash in some of my retirement investments and purchase one of these Uber-expensive systems, how likely am I to experience real, settled, lasting joy in the Susvara? And will it have been “worth it” compared to my very good (if not summit fi) chain. My assertion is that if I am fully satisfied with where I am, contentment with that is no bad thing. There will always be something “out there” I may be missing out on. Many of those things could ruin me if I pursue them. As a Greek sage once wrote “ou pollu de polla” - not many things but much.

But that is not to besmirch the search for finding all you long for sonically via one of these systems. So I ask again, honestly and with no malice - has your joy stood the test of time?

I don't think anyone can gauge the likelihood of you experiencing long lasting joy. It really is just personal and comes down to your own inhibitions. That said, I think the first starting point to understand whether you like the Susvara enough for that to potentially be your end-game path. I personally wouldn't start with an end-game system without having auditioned/owned it and a few other similar level headphones to compare it against first (which, maybe you've already done that, just stating).

As for me, I have a stat system that I haven't touched or changed in I think two years now, which I'm extremely happy with. Still, I intentionally bought and compared 3 or 4 headphones this year (dynamics/planars), plus a few amps, because I'm still interested in the hobby, still want to compare things and have fun with it. I'm not emptying the bank account, and for every new thing I try, I sell something off. But I don't have any longing or feeling of need or desire to invest heavily in any sort of system or headphone improvements. That said, did spend a lot to get there. I was definitely more curious and felt the upgradeitis when I lacked an absolute TOTL amp with my favorite TOTL headphones. For me, having an absolute TOTL (for what that means to me), dac, amp and headphones cures that itch quite a bit. Although I see others that have that level of a system, that still explore similarly priced alternatives lol--I just don't have that itch really (I have 0 desire to change my dac or amp in example, even though I know great alternatives are out there). So it all just depends on the person.

 

[Chronos]

Ha, looks like you've put together a very nice setup with some great HPs since we met. Glad to see you're trying out and enjoying Susvara. Many of us would describe Susvara as a fantastic all-rounder, doing so much incredibly well, even if it's not the best in any specific area. It doesn't stand out in the same way as the staging and bass on Abyss, etc., but it does do what it does very competently.

Looks like you're having a lot of fun. Enjoy!!

Happy to hear from you. Yes indeed, when we met up I was just starting to explore full sized again but now I’m deep in the dive

 

[tunes]

I am very interested in impressions between upper tier amplifiers for Susvara. I currently have the ENLEUM 23R but looking for a tube amp to compliment and perhaps open up the sound stage more. I am not interested using it off the taps of a power speaker amps. My potential choices below:

Riviera A1C

Woo 23

Woo 33 Elite

Primavera,

Egoista 845

Envy Performance/ElrogMo

Hifiman EF1000

All of those with EF1000 and Riviera love it and think they are better than Envy. I was impressed with a short listen while in Poland recently but so difficult to choose another amp without some comparisons on similar setups. The Transformatic takes too long to get. Personally, I like a one box solution with a more compact form factor and aesthetics really nice with Envy but ultimately looking for the largest sound stage possible with Susvara and best overall performance in terms of layering and pinpoint instrument/vocals positioning without sacrificing micro details and bright treble with a silent black background.

With the Envy tube substitution using Elrogs-MO, it seems that it may be as good if not better than EF1000 according to some. Although not sure as many also feel the sound stage is much more holographic with EF1000, Transformatic or Rivera. There do not appear to be any real world head-to-head performance comparisons between these amplifiers, especially with the upgraded tubes on the Envy with the same downstream electronics with Susvara. Have DAVE with Upscaler. What was your impression of these amplifiers in more detail. How did you settle on the Envy? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[tdx]

I am very interested in impressions between upper tier amplifiers for Susvara. I currently have the ENLEUM 23R but looking for a tube amp to compliment and perhaps open up the sound stage more. I am not interested using it off the taps of a power speaker amps. My potential choices below:

Riviera A1C

Woo 23

Woo 33 Elite

Primavera,

Egoista 845

Envy Performance/ElrogMo

Hifiman EF1000

All of those with EF1000 and Riviera love it and think they are better than Envy. I was impressed with a short listen while in Poland recently but so difficult to choose another amp without some comparisons on similar setups. The Transformatic takes too long to get. Personally, I like a one box solution with a more compact form factor and aesthetics really nice with Envy but ultimately looking for the largest sound stage possible with Susvara and best overall performance in terms of layering and pinpoint instrument/vocals positioning without sacrificing micro details and bright treble with a silent black background.

With the Envy tube substitution using Elrogs-MO, it seems that it may be as good if not better than EF1000 according to some. Although not sure as many also feel the sound stage is much more holographic with EF1000, Transformatic or Rivera. There do not appear to be any real world head-to-head performance comparisons between these amplifiers, especially with the upgraded tubes on the Envy with the same downstream electronics with Susvara. Have DAVE with Upscaler. What was your impression of these amplifiers in more detail. How did you settle on the Envy? Thanks so much for your help.

I havent heard all of those but from the ones I have heard, the WA33, WA23. Egoista and Riviera would be top tier. Envy is really good but not at the same level, even with upgraded tubes.

Here's a little write up I did about different gear I tried with the Susvara, you might find it useful:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...-msb-premier-riviera-aic10-hf-susvara.961835/

 

[Shamburg]

Just wondering: will HiFiMan ever issue a nextgen version of the Susvara? Since they haven't done so yet, I'm thinking the answer is no. Which is a good thing, IMO.

 

[BassicScience]

Just wondering: will HiFiMan ever issue a nextgen version of the Susvara? Since they haven't done so yet, I'm thinking the answer is no. Which is a good thing, IMO.

If and when a competing headphone knocks Susvara off its perch as best all-around planar, HFM might be more motivated to work on a nextgen version. They put so much development effort into the current version that meaningful advances will likely depend on better underlying materials technology.

In any case, I'd be delighted if they could actually improve on the current model, but I’m entirely satisfied in the meantime.

 

[WATASHIWA]

Just wondering: will HiFiMan ever issue a nextgen version of the Susvara? Since they haven't done so yet, I'm thinking the answer is no. Which is a good thing, IMO.

He said, he don’t know what to improve there perfect

 

[Shamburg]

Very much agree. Plus, credit must go to the company for not just adding new versions or updates to drive sales.

 

[kyorakun]

Where does holo bliss kte rank amongst headphone amplifiers for susvara?

 

[Shamburg]

Anyone else using the HiFiMan EF600 for the Susvara? Not too surprisingly, I'm finding it to be a pretty good match in terms of power and sonics. The R2R DAC imparts a subtle warmth and glow while also delivering nice clarity and impact across the frequency range. I know it's not at a Ferrum level, but effective nonetheless.

 

[donato]

Where does holo bliss kte rank amongst headphone amplifiers for susvara?

It's seems to be a very solid choice and I believe the Bliss was designed with the Susvara in mind. I've never used one myself, but plenty have heard an/or owned. Do a bit of searching in this thread and I'm sure you'll find plenty of information.

 

[theveterans]

Where does holo bliss kte rank amongst headphone amplifiers for susvara?

Probably right there with the Hifiman Prelude which I demoed at CanJam. I wasn't able to compare it to the Bliss KTE but the Prelude ticks Susvara's dynamics for me on the level of the Bakoon 13R. However, Prelude doesn't have the spatial accuracy of the 13R or the wide, expansive, 3D holographic soundstage and extended airy treble of a tube amp at or 2/3rd of Prelude's street price.

 

[sahmen]

Probably right there with the Hifiman Prelude which I demoed at CanJam. I wasn't able to compare it to the Bliss KTE but the Prelude ticks Susvara's dynamics for me on the level of the Bakoon 13R. However, Prelude doesn't have the spatial accuracy of the 13R or the wide, expansive, 3D holographic soundstage and extended airy treble of a tube amp at or 2/3rd of Prelude's street price.

Could you cite an example of any of such Tube amps (with 3D Holographic Soundstage) at 2/3rd of the Prelude's Street Price?