Hearing Susvara Unveiled at T.H.E. Show, yesterday, was an unexpected surprise and pleasure (I suppose all surprises are unexpected). Richard Zhang, a great fellow, I've gotten to know over the years, was in charge of the presentation and he graciously gave me plenty of time for listening.
I have big respect for HiFiMan. It's a lot of work to design, produce, market, employ, pay taxes and become a company as successful as HiFiMan. Great company with great people and they know their audience!
Naturally, the #1 question I've been asked... Immanis vs Susvara. Having heard the new Susvara, I want to know... Susvara vs Susvara.
It's been about a year since I last listened to a Susvara, so I'm relying on an imperfect memory here. I can confirm it sounds every bit as I remember Susvara. This is where a side-by-side listen of 1st and 2nd generation could be helpful for spotting where specific improvements have been made. I'm confident, if you like the original Susvara, you won't be disappointed with Susvara Unveiled. It's a fine headphone, just as you would expect.
I also enjoyed quality time with Shangri-La ($55K) with amp. There seems to be a thread of sonic philosophy running through both Susvara and Shangri-La. Not suggesting they sound the same but, both feature a smooth and refined rendering of whatever you play. They present things pretty and polite. Mildly reminiscent of photo filters used to smooth facial lines before posting a pic. Or, as Homer Simpson might say "A jelly donut glistening with a sweet, sweet glaze."
Immanis vs Susvara...
Both are worthy of high praise for achieving audio excellence. However, comparison is inappropriate. For they are of different worlds. It's going to come down to you, the listener.
As for my 2 cents, Immanis is unapologetically reflective of whatever music you happen to be listening to. It's also reflective of amps, DACs, cable and phases of the moon... I like the unvarnished individuality of records, engineers, instruments, microphones. All that stuff, be they pretty or ugly. I enjoy smooth and I enjoy rough, just don't ever bore me.