[tjkohli]

Oh man worst choice for the Sus. You would've been much better off with the $219 Midgard. Sus sounds thin and lifeless with Jot 2 seriously

This is why I asked before… Do you have any suggestions for the best amp for under $500? You said I should go for an OOR which is like $2k!

I already blew a lot of money on the TT2 and plan to continue using it as a DAC. I just need relatively cheap Amp that I can use to determine whether the Susvara is superior to my Utopia or not.

 

[theveterans]

Under $500, Topping A70 Pro or Midgard is my recommendation

 

[ufospls2]

This is why I asked before… Do you have any suggestions for the best amp for under $500? You said I should go for an OOR which is like $2k!

I already blew a lot of money on the TT2 and plan to continue using it as a DAC. I just need relatively cheap Amp that I can use to determine whether the Susvara is superior to my Utopia or not.

TT2 rear XLR outs are your best bet in your current situation, in my opinion. I used them with the Susvara, and whilst it wasn't the best overall pairing, its better than trying random sub $500 amps in front of the TT2.

 

[AussieMick]

Ignore the haters. Do whatever you need to do to find your happy place @tjkohli

Maybe don’t even worry about superior, just “I like this the most”.

 

[OCC7N]

This is why I asked before… Do you have any suggestions for the best amp for under $500? You said I should go for an OOR which is like $2k!

I already blew a lot of money on the TT2 and plan to continue using it as a DAC. I just need relatively cheap Amp that I can use to determine whether the Susvara is superior to my Utopia or not.

Audio-gd Master 19 will beat anything for the money. Powerful enough. Crazy value

 

[OCC7N]

This is why I asked before… Do you have any suggestions for the best amp for under $500? You said I should go for an OOR which is like $2k!

I already blew a lot of money on the TT2 and plan to continue using it as a DAC. I just need relatively cheap Amp that I can use to determine whether the Susvara is superior to my Utopia or not.

I remember being in your same place. This thread gave me a headache with “only” 2000$ For an amp in this price range. Took me 1 month to research for the best amp. The HE-9 LE bettered the competition i tried. I am willing to bet M19 will do the same.

 

[chrisnyc75]

This is why I asked before… Do you have any suggestions for the best amp for under $500? You said I should go for an OOR which is like $2k!

I already blew a lot of money on the TT2 and plan to continue using it as a DAC. I just need relatively cheap Amp that I can use to determine whether the Susvara is superior to my Utopia or not.

Enjoy it on TT2 & Jot for awhile and look for an opportunity in the future to try it on something more popularly believed to be "better" - Bliss, Oor, Envy, Head Trip, CFA, Nautilus, etc. You won't know for yourself what it can do until you've heard both and can appreciate the difference and decide what it's worth to you.

p.s. Fwiw, as a longtime Utopia fanboy and recent Susvara owner (using it with Holo Bliss), I can't stipulate to "superior" as they have very different presentations. But, the only time I'm reaching for Utopia lately is where its legendary dynamic slam is at a premium, and even then I'm not quite sure it's really that much better. If you told me TODAY I had to give up one of them, it would be Utopia - but that might just be because Susvara still has that "new headphone smell" all over it.

 

[number1sixerfan]

TT2 rear XLR outs are your best bet in your current situation, in my opinion. I used them with the Susvara, and whilst it wasn't the best overall pairing, its better than trying random sub $500 amps in front of the TT2.

Easily the best decision here. And with no rush. Ignore FOMO, give it time and learn it all while researching amps and getting to know what you do and don't love about the Susvara to inform the right purchases down the line..

 

[SolarCetacean]

There's a saying in software development (which I'm sure also exists in many engineering fields) that "premature optimization is the root of all evil". Premature optimization results in added work and complexity to solve what might not actually be a big problem in a design and the act of putting all of that work in creates sunk cost inertia against moving to a better design when the real problems are found. And I think having someone spend thousands on an amp for a headphone that he might not have even heard yet is the audiophile equivalent of premature optimization. I agree that starting out with the TT2 on the Susvara is a good "benchmarking" phase to get a hang of the Susvara's overall sound before optimizing the chain.

 

[Chronos]

There's a saying in software development (which I'm sure also exists in many engineering fields) that "premature optimization is the root of all evil". Premature optimization results in added work and complexity to solve what might not actually be a big problem in a design and the act of putting all of that work in creates sunk cost inertia against moving to a better design when the real problems are found. And I think having someone spend thousands on an amp for a headphone that he might not have even heard yet is the audiophile equivalent of premature optimization. I agree that starting out with the TT2 on the Susvara is a good "benchmarking" phase to get a hang of the Susvara's overall sound before optimizing the chain.

Or more simply, like with my other hobbies (cars, etc) , just enjoy the process.

 

[LucasKA]

Use what you got and simply enjoy it, and don't read the forum too much, it will only add more to your GAS...I would suggest to use the amp you got and enjoyed the Susvara a bit, then save up a good chunk of money to upgrade the amp later. There are plenty of good 2nd hand options that will make a significant upgrade fro you.

I used to own the original Utopia and I can say I love the Susvara much more than Utopia, in terms of comfort, soundstage, ease of listen and detail.
Utopia is a bit too bright for my ears, despite its great dynamic and easy to drive. Also Utopia demands your total attention while listening, while I can put on Susvara and multitask like read a book/play games if I want to.

 

[tjkohli]

Thank you for your advice! I definitely am relatively new to the hobby.
My journey (owned items only — not counting auditions) over the past 12 months reflects slow progression:

1. Meze Liric → MacBook Pro (Mac)
2. Meze Liric → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
3. DCA ÆON II Noire → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
4. DCA E3 → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
5. Sony MDR-Z1R → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
6. HIFIMAN HE1000 Stealth → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
7. Meze Liric → Mojo 2 → Mac
8. Focal Utopia → Mojo 2 → Mac
9. Focal Utopia → Focal Arche → Mac
10. Focal Utopia → Ferrum OOR + WANDLA + HYPSOS → Mac
11. Focal Utopia → Chord Hugo TT2 → Mac (Current)

Near Future Experiments:

1. Susvara → Chord Hugo TT2 (Front) → Mac
2. Susvara → Chord Hugo TT2 (Rear) → Mac
3. Susvara → Schiit Jotunheim II → Chord Hugo TT2 (Rear) → Mac
4. ???

 

[Ciggavelli]

Thank you for your advice! I definitely am relatively new to the hobby.
My journey (owned items only — not counting auditions) over the past 12 months reflects slow progression:

1. Meze Liric → MacBook Pro (Mac)
2. Meze Liric → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
3. DCA ÆON II Noire → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
4. DCA E3 → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
5. Sony MDR-Z1R → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
6. HIFIMAN HE1000 Stealth → JDS Labs Element III Mk. 2 → Mac
7. Meze Liric → Mojo 2 → Mac
8. Focal Utopia → Mojo 2 → Mac
9. Focal Utopia → Focal Arche → Mac
10. Focal Utopia → Ferrum OOR + WANDLA + HYPSOS → Mac
11. Focal Utopia → Chord Hugo TT2 → Mac (Current)

Near Future Experiments:

1. Susvara → Chord Hugo TT2 (Front) → Mac
2. Susvara → Chord Hugo TT2 (Rear) → Mac
3. Susvara → Schiit Jotunheim II → Chord Hugo TT2 (Rear) → Mac
4. ???

Throw an Innuos Phoenix USB into the mix. The Mac as a streamer may be holding you back. Laptops are less messy than desktops, but a nice USB reclocker could be good for you. The Innuos Phoenix USB is one of the few components I own that made an immediate and pronouced SQ difference. I even use my Phoenix USB off my Antipodes K50. It's that good. I'd sell my K50 before the PhoenixUSB. It cleans up the sound real well.

 

[tjkohli]

Throw an Innuos Phoenix USB into the mix. The Mac as a streamer may be holding you back. Laptops are less messy than desktops, but a nice USB reclocker could be good for you. The Innuos Phoenix USB is one of the few components I own that made an immediate and pronouced SQ difference. I even use my Phoenix USB off my Antipodes K50. It's that good.

I'll definitely look into it — but I've seen some seriously amazing sound coming out of my MacBook Pro (M3 Max) into a Lina → Susvara before.
It's USB-C and I'm using a silver DDHifi Nyx USB cable @ 768,000 Hz all the way.

 

[psy472]

You guys are going to milk this poor man for more than his 500 USD. All the small stuff adds up.