[jlbrach]

One, of many, ZMF benefits is there is a steady market for used models and the "trial fee" of buying a used one and selling it when you've made a decision is fairly low.

problem with buying a used caldera is if I am not missing something it isnt covered for warranty

 

[genefruit]

If you keep it, consider the savings money that can go toward an unexpected repair. Or you can sell the used one and buy a new one with a warranty. Lots of options. My anecdotal sample size of one, I've never had a warranty issue with any headphone.

 

[thefitz]

The Nirvana is drastically different than stock, even the frequency response.

This should be easy, then. Let's see those graphs!

 

[Chronos]

they are making a BIG mistake...cables are at best nuanced differences and a show with noise and hustle and bustle will not be able to showcase whatever nuanced improvements there are

This is a good point. It’s really difficult to A/B open headphones at a meet, or even worse at CanJam

 

[Malcyg]

Like several others, I have had a long and varied relationship with my Susvara headphones over the years that I have owned them. They were good, but there was always the nagging impression that they could do more. Then, four years ago, I bought a Headtrip II Level II and that changed. I couldn’t get an amp anywhere in the UK to try out but, having told Jeff what I was after, he said he was so confident that his amp would meet my requirements that he would sell me one and, if I wasn’t impressed, I could send it back for a full refund. That confidence inspired me to take a chance and he was right. The amp ended up being permanently connected to my Susvara as nothing less - with Susvara - would do for me anymore.

Recently, I asked Jeff to upgrade my amp to current spec which includes the external power supply and I have had the amp back with me for about a month now. Jeff reckons it needs 200 hours to fully run in and sound its best and I reckon I’m maybe approaching halfway there. The improvement is actually greater than I was expecting to be honest and it is sounding superb. Susvara sound epic - the scale and imaging is so grand, it is almost like sitting with desktop monitors rather than headphones. It has all the punch and drive you need for Susvara to really perform but, at the same time, has great delicacy and subtlety in delivery. It is very powerful and yet so refined, it’s quite amazing how it can combine seemingly conflicting qualities of outcome. I have never heard such clarity and detail and yet the sound is not cold and clinical. It has great speed but also a warmth to it, no hard edges or fatiguing high end. It is very hard to describe really but the word that keeps coming to my mind is ’pure’.

The upgrade has also given the amp greater synergy with other phones somehow, not least due I suspect to the lower noise floor. I used to use it exclusively with Susvara but it is now getting more varied use. It has taken my SolP up to a level that I didn’t realise they had which has given me a greater respect for them. I am not a prolific poster on here and am definitely not the type to give gushing praise, though I feel that is what I am doing here and it kind of goes against the grain a bit for me! Anyway, here is a snap of the amp with a few decent cans.

It seems a bit off quoting myself, but I posted this on another thread yesterday and am putting it here in case it is of interest to any Susvara owners.

 

[psy472]

It seems a bit off quoting myself, but I posted this on another thread yesterday and am putting it here in case it is of interest to any Susvara owners.

At that price and to get even more Wattage, might as well get the dual mono Flux Mentor in a stack for 2,500 usd.

 

[Chronos]

It seems a bit off quoting myself, but I posted this on another thread yesterday and am putting it here in case it is of interest to any Susvara owners.

You have the AIC-10 and felt like you wanted more from the Susvara?

 

[Malcyg]

You have the AIC-10 and felt like you wanted more from the Susvara?

No and yes. The original H2L2 was very well matched with Susvara but somewhat less so with my other more sensitive phones for which I used Niimbus US5 Pro. The Niimbus is an excellent design imo with great functionality and flexibility, but I just didn’t gel with it sound-wise so I eventually replaced it with the AIC-10. I consider AIC to be particularly well matched with 1266 TC as I find their respective weaknesses and strengths to be very complimentary. I did not find AIC to match particularly well with Susvara in my system by comparison to the H2L2 and that was before the upgrade to latest spec. I tried speaker taps and tubes etc, but it was not a question of power or tuning - AIC has plenty of power, but it lacks certain things which Susvara with H2L2 exposes imo.

The irony is that the upgraded H2L2 is not just better than before with Susvara but also better matches with my other phones as well now, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. There could be some fall out - for example I am currently slightly preferring SolP from the H2 over the 1266 from AIC. That is a complete reversal of the previous position, but I need more time before drawing any firm conclusions. I have been tweaking things for some time now in order to finalise my headphone setup with the aim of landing on just three phones that best suit my requirements and then calling it a day. Susvara and Valkyria are clear, easy decisions in the top two with 1266 and SolP fighting it out for the third slot . Utopia and LCD-5 both failed the mission - to my ears and preferences and in my system.

I suspect someone might ask this, so Susvara and 1266 run on Superconductor cable and SolP is stock. Main feed to both amps is Taiko Extreme/Switch into Lampizator Horizon DAC/Pre.

 

[paradoxper]

This should be easy, then. Let's see those graphs!

Here we go. LOL

 

[Sand Dan Glokta]

No and yes. The original H2L2 was very well matched with Susvara but somewhat less so with my other more sensitive phones for which I used Niimbus US5 Pro. The Niimbus is an excellent design imo with great functionality and flexibility, but I just didn’t gel with it sound-wise so I eventually replaced it with the AIC-10. I consider AIC to be particularly well matched with 1266 TC as I find their respective weaknesses and strengths to be very complimentary. I did not find AIC to match particularly well with Susvara in my system by comparison to the H2L2 and that was before the upgrade to latest spec. I tried speaker taps and tubes etc, but it was not a question of power or tuning - AIC has plenty of power, but it lacks certain things which Susvara with H2L2 exposes imo.

The irony is that the upgraded H2L2 is not just better than before with Susvara but also better matches with my other phones as well now, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. There could be some fall out - for example I am currently slightly preferring SolP from the H2 over the 1266 from AIC. That is a complete reversal of the previous position, but I need more time before drawing any firm conclusions. I have been tweaking things for some time now in order to finalise my headphone setup with the aim of landing on just three phones that best suit my requirements and then calling it a day. Susvara and Valkyria are clear, easy decisions in the top two with 1266 and SolP fighting it out for the third slot . Utopia and LCD-5 both failed the mission - to my ears and preferences and in my system.

I suspect someone might ask this, so Susvara and 1266 run on Superconductor cable and SolP is stock. Main feed to both amps is Taiko Extreme/Switch into Lampizator Horizon DAC/Pre.

Wow! You should be a very demanding one. Susvara and aic10 its supposed to be a sublime pairing.
https://gpoint-audio.com/new-rivier...ted-amplifier-test-by-fidelio-on-musicalhead/
His finally words:
The RIVIERA AIC10 is nothing short of an impressive statement for headphone playback. An “end game” amplifier that conveys to the listener “Closer to the Music” the highest degree of authenticity and almost incomparably emotional. Terrific. A masterpiece.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Wow! You should be a very demanding one. Susvara and aic10 its supposed to be a sublime pairing.
https://gpoint-audio.com/new-rivier...ted-amplifier-test-by-fidelio-on-musicalhead/
His finally words:
The RIVIERA AIC10 is nothing short of an impressive statement for headphone playback. An “end game” amplifier that conveys to the listener “Closer to the Music” the highest degree of authenticity and almost incomparably emotional. Terrific. A masterpiece.

It is, having demoed it at home for 3 weeks. But we have to remember that listening preferences are extremely important, and even more so with absolute TOTL gear. Small nuances (some things that are actually "better" but small in scale, and/or things that are simply presented different but without fault) based on what we prefer, type of music we listen to etc. can make a important difference to various users. Differences in chain can also matter a lot. Again, doesn't mean that very real differences don't exist across gear at that level, just something to consider.

 

[Malcyg]

Wow! You should be a very demanding one. Susvara and aic10 its supposed to be a sublime pairing.
https://gpoint-audio.com/new-rivier...ted-amplifier-test-by-fidelio-on-musicalhead/
His finally words:
The RIVIERA AIC10 is nothing short of an impressive statement for headphone playback. An “end game” amplifier that conveys to the listener “Closer to the Music” the highest degree of authenticity and almost incomparably emotional. Terrific. A masterpiece.

Well, yes, I am very demanding but I also don’t pay much attention to articles/write ups like that one which reads like a marketing piece to me. The only opinion that matters to me is my own and that is what guides me, I don’t care what others think. I hope that doesn’t seem arrogant, but it should be true for everyone. It is after all, just another opinion. But when somebody takes the time to write such extensive detail like that, my first question is what motivates them? I generally tend to suspect that there is an earn somewhere along the line. I place more store on what real life owners on here have to say than I do on review pieces.

I also reckon that my source and DAC are on a different level to the ones used for that review, so maybe he can’t quite hear what I hear? When I first auditioned AIC, I was unimpressed but somebody on here that I communicate with convinced me that was because my source was so much better than what was used for the audition. That persuaded me to try it at home in my own system and I liked it enough to buy it.

I have found that you don’t know that better exists until you hear it and then, when you do, it’s very hard to go back. Susvara do sound very good from AIC until I switch to the H2L2, then it’s a different level imo. It’s like when folk say Sus sounds great straight out of Chord Dave. It’s good, but it can do more - although, if you like it, that’s all that matters. 1266 sound really good from AIC, as I said, the deficiencies and strengths of each complement each other to give a sum that is greater than the parts. It’s a very nice match - it so often is a case of finding complementary synergies and that is a very good example.

 

[Leto Dal]

Received my Feliks Envy Perfomance today. Been comparing it with Holo Bliss on Holo May, Susvara was the main headphone.

What can I say, Susvara feels like a different headphone with Envy and its 300b tubes, its pretty insane. Susvara gains all the "physicality and thickness"- qualities of Caldera, maintaining the giant stage, superior detail and airyness. In addition there is lush, wet tube euphonic quality to vocals. The detail retrieval, slam and stage are bigger on Envy. It sounds very real with zero digital glare. Probably I can say that I heard Susvara for the first time today, its incredible what this headphone is capable off on a right chain. Saying this its absurd how high you have to go to experience it, but with Susvara Holo Bliss (which is damn great and is not a cheap amp by no means) feels like a toy next to Feliks Envy. In regard of power - I cant get nowhere close 12 o'clock volume with Envy, with Bliss I regullary could max out the volume with some recordings.

Cant wait to try Elrog tubes with Susvara next.

 

[Exekuhtor]

Yeah, i had the same experience going from Ferrum Oor & Hypsos to the Envy with the MO's. It's a completely different headphone.

 

[Polygonhell]

Wow! You should be a very demanding one. Susvara and aic10 its supposed to be a sublime pairing.

It's very good, though I haven't heard an AIC 10 for more than a few minutes.
But there is a LOT of preference at that level, I know people who've owned them and moved onto other amps.
Reviews are just subjective pieces for the most part. And as was pointed out the DAC's used in that review weren't comparable to what a lot of people with AIC level gear use. And synergy is an important factor.
FWIW I enjoy the Egoista 845 more than the AIC 10 (from memory), though I'd like to get a long term listen (in my system) of the AIC for a real comparison.