[psy472]

Hi everyone!
I've recently got my hands on a Susvara and, wow, I'm really blown away by how amazing it sounds.
But I've noticed something - when I switch albums, it feels like my SPL Xe isn’t quite up to the task of delivering those deep lows.
I’ve been diving into this thread, which is an impressive treasure trove of 13 years' worth of insights, and it seems like the WA33 or maybe the more budget-friendly Cayin HA300 MK2 could be great matches.
However, I'm a bit lost when it comes to solid state amps.
Hifiman’s new Prelude caught my eye, but I haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet. And then there are options like Nimbus UA5 pro, Oor, and a few others I’m curious about.

Could you guys recommend three amps that pair well with the Susvara(price less than $8k)?
I mainly listen to classical music (about 90% of the time) and dabble in 50s to early 70s Jazz for the rest, with
preference of a refined sound and good soundstage.

Thanks a ton in advance for your help!

Flux Mentor, ideally 2 in a stack for dual mono (3,000 with all maxed accessories). Single works well too, costs 1,300 usd. No taxes because it’s from Ukraine. It has the benefit of black quiet background (great for instrumental separation), very detailed and impactful lows, detailed highs without sibilance, and large soundstage. As for the accessories, Flux is selling them at cost from expensive power cables to dual mono adapters. Heck even the remote control is a beast. That thing looks plastic but is secretly a solid metal weapon. The electric component is actually very slim and durable and the rest is reinforced steel.

It is also very neutral. As in it doesn’t color your music into something it’s not. Some like the coloring which is why there is such a big tube amp following. My Schiit MJ3 does just that (warmth, bass heavy, and very smooth), and does it well for the Susvara but you just don’t have the resolution that Flux has. You have detailed highs with the MJ3 (sounds like an expensive tube amp on top of that) but you lose the details on lows. Outside the Flux, you’ll need 8K+ SS amps to get those detailed lows.

Flux had to close down production recent due to being bombed by Russian missiles but they will be open for business in about 3 weeks.

 

[theveterans]

Hi everyone!
I've recently got my hands on a Susvara and, wow, I'm really blown away by how amazing it sounds.
But I've noticed something - when I switch albums, it feels like my SPL Xe isn’t quite up to the task of delivering those deep lows.
I’ve been diving into this thread, which is an impressive treasure trove of 13 years' worth of insights, and it seems like the WA33 or maybe the more budget-friendly Cayin HA300 MK2 could be great matches.
However, I'm a bit lost when it comes to solid state amps.
Hifiman’s new Prelude caught my eye, but I haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet. And then there are options like Nimbus UA5 pro, Oor, and a few others I’m curious about.

Could you guys recommend three amps that pair well with the Susvara(price less than $8k)?
I mainly listen to classical music (about 90% of the time) and dabble in 50s to early 70s Jazz for the rest, with
preference of a refined sound and good soundstage.

Thanks a ton in advance for your help!

A used Zhal HM1 is your ticket!

For budget to get that aplomb bass, Enleum 23R is a great option

 

[szanella]

Hi everyone!
I've recently got my hands on a Susvara and, wow, I'm really blown away by how amazing it sounds.
But I've noticed something - when I switch albums, it feels like my SPL Xe isn’t quite up to the task of delivering those deep lows.
I’ve been diving into this thread, which is an impressive treasure trove of 13 years' worth of insights, and it seems like the WA33 or maybe the more budget-friendly Cayin HA300 MK2 could be great matches.
However, I'm a bit lost when it comes to solid state amps.
Hifiman’s new Prelude caught my eye, but I haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet. And then there are options like Nimbus UA5 pro, Oor, and a few others I’m curious about.

Could you guys recommend three amps that pair well with the Susvara(price less than $8k)?
I mainly listen to classical music (about 90% of the time) and dabble in 50s to early 70s Jazz for the rest, with
preference of a refined sound and good soundstage.

Thanks a ton in advance for your help!

While I haven’t tried many high-end amps, my R27HE (which has the amp section of the Master 9 but with regenerative power) sounds beautiful with the Susvara. From Currawong’s review, there is some compromise on having an AIO, but believe he thought it did a great job and could easily be a perfect solution for many people. Thus, as you are looking for a solid state amp, I’d imagine the HE-9 MK3 would be a pretty good option and would be well within your budget.

 

[Frankie D]

Hi everyone!
I've recently got my hands on a Susvara and, wow, I'm really blown away by how amazing it sounds.
But I've noticed something - when I switch albums, it feels like my SPL Xe isn’t quite up to the task of delivering those deep lows.
I’ve been diving into this thread, which is an impressive treasure trove of 13 years' worth of insights, and it seems like the WA33 or maybe the more budget-friendly Cayin HA300 MK2 could be great matches.
However, I'm a bit lost when it comes to solid state amps.
Hifiman’s new Prelude caught my eye, but I haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet. And then there are options like Nimbus UA5 pro, Oor, and a few others I’m curious about.

Could you guys recommend three amps that pair well with the Susvara(price less than $8k)?
I mainly listen to classical music (about 90% of the time) and dabble in 50s to early 70s Jazz for the rest, with
preference of a refined sound and good soundstage.

Thanks a ton in advance for your help!

Holo Audio Bliss and CFA-3 ( you can get this from HeadAmp soon ) drive it very well with deep bass. The Bliss is around $3k and what I currently use, and the CFA-3 will hopefully be close to that price but definitely well under your $8k max.

 

[Ciggavelli]

Holo Audio Bliss and CFA-3 ( you can get this from HeadAmp soon ) drive it very well with deep bass. The Bliss is around $3k and what I currently use, and the CFA-3 will hopefully be close to that price but definitely well under your $8k max.

I'm guessing $4.5k for the HeadAmp CFA-3. If it gets higher than that, it makes no sense for the buyer. You can buy a custom built CFA3 with all the upgrades for around $3700. HeadAmp is probably taking that into consideration. If it's $5k+, why would anybody buy it over, say, a Dukei build?

 

[walterboss]

Hi everyone!
I've recently got my hands on a Susvara and, wow, I'm really blown away by how amazing it sounds.
But I've noticed something - when I switch albums, it feels like my SPL Xe isn’t quite up to the task of delivering those deep lows.
I’ve been diving into this thread, which is an impressive treasure trove of 13 years' worth of insights, and it seems like the WA33 or maybe the more budget-friendly Cayin HA300 MK2 could be great matches.
However, I'm a bit lost when it comes to solid state amps.
Hifiman’s new Prelude caught my eye, but I haven’t had the chance to listen to it yet. And then there are options like Nimbus UA5 pro, Oor, and a few others I’m curious about.

Could you guys recommend three amps that pair well with the Susvara(price less than $8k)?
I mainly listen to classical music (about 90% of the time) and dabble in 50s to early 70s Jazz for the rest, with
preference of a refined sound and good soundstage.

Thanks a ton in advance for your help!

I would say the Cayin HA300mk2 is a pretty compelling proposition for Susvara. Incredible value when you factor in tube rolling ability too. Drives Susvara, and brings the tubes sound to a more euphonic degree than something like Feliks Envy.

There's also a CFA3 in Classifieds currenlty. Not tried one myself, but others extol its virtues and power if you;re looking for SS amp.

 

[jlbrach]

A used Zhal HM1 is your ticket!

For budget to get that aplomb bass, Enleum 23R is a great option

for a solid state amp get a CFA3...

 

[paradoxper]

CFA3 with a tube pre is a menace.

But you should also add a DHT DAC.

And things get out of hand...

 

[vcoheda]

top choices for susvara given what i have spent time with: solid state - ferrum stack or enleum 23r; tubes - envy.

have not heard bliss, zahl, either big woo (wa33 or wa23) or the aic-10. i live a sheltered life.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Use what you got and simply enjoy it, and don't read the forum too much, it will only add more to your GAS

Very this. I have Holo Bliss, which I think pretty much everyone agrees drives Susvara as well or better than anything in the under $5K category, right alongside DNA Stellaris, which pretty much everyone agrees is "not a good match for Susvara" and I promise you the latter sounds every bit as good as, though admittedly different than, the former. I feel like maybe there's a bit of sport in gatekeeping Susvara amplification among afficionados. The difference between "not optimal" and "best in class" may be WILDLY overexaggerated.

The Utopia's are such good headphones... At that level you're just chasing different rather than better

Absolutely agreed. As of a couple of months ago, I have 3 TOTL headphones at hand and I've already realized it is a fool's errand to try to decide which one is "best". They are different; each better at something that the others are "less perfect" at. Though TBH I do get the sense that *all things considered* Susvara stands apart as being at undeniably excellent at everything, even where something else might excel slightly more in one way or another.

MScaler has more effect than a USB reclocker though

Probably true, but I don't quite understand why anyone would spend $5K+ on MScaler when $200 will get you HQPlayer which does the exact same thing arguably better.

 

[Frankie D]

I'm guessing $4.5k for the HeadAmp CFA-3. If it gets higher than that, it makes no sense for the buyer. You can buy a custom built CFA3 with all the upgrades for around $3700. HeadAmp is probably taking that into consideration. If it's $5k+, why would anybody buy it over, say, a Dukei build?

I was hoping closer to $3k. That sucks.

 

[psy472]

What do you want out of the Susvara? Did you want details and soundstage? Strong bass impact? Strong smooth mid for vocals? There is an amp that focuses on each of those. You want something that has 2 of the 3 well then you are looking at 15K plus. If you want all 3, not gonna happen. At least 2.5 is the best you can get at the 20K plus budget.

 

[jlbrach]

that is silly, there are numerous amps that are far less than 20k that give all you describe

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Not to complicate things too much, but you could also consider the WA23, too. I think if you’re wanting a tube-y sound, this is another great alternative and sounds phenomenal with the Susvara (listening to the combo right now). I listen to all genres, including classical and jazz. Retail it’s a bit more at $9K, but used you can find it for cheaper, like $7K.

Solid-state-wise, there’s the Enleum AMP 23R, though that’s quite colored in presentation. It hits like a truck, though.

Retail, if you’re willing to stretch to $9K the Zahl HM1 is another recommendation. Used, they do pop up and can be had for about $8K.

The WA33 and the Feliks Envy are fantastic tube amps and probably some of the most powerful, but they will also sound the more “solid-state.” WA33, though.

The Hifiman EF1000 or the Trafomatic Primavera or the Aries Cerat Genus with the Susvara and once you have purchased one of these TOTL Amps your done with having to waste precious time finding a better commercially available Amp (at least on the current market today) !
BUT....you must also have a very good to TOTL source input to get the best out of these AMPs and the Susvara !

 

[Spawn300Z]

The Hifiman EF1000 or the Trafomatic Primavera or the Aries Cerat Genus with the Susvara and once you have purchased one of these TOTL Amps your done with having to waste precious time finding a better commercially available Amp (at least on the current market today) !
BUT....you must also have a very good to TOTL source input to get the best out of these AMPs and the Susvara !

Your Forgetting the Riviera AIC-10