[lancaster704]

Hello everyone! My name is Adam and I am on a mission. I recently purchased the Susvara's and am using the Topping a30pro with the D30 to drive them. They sound great, but I feel like I'm not getting the full "Susvara experience". There are lots of threads on good headphone amp and even speaker amp pairings with the Susvara's, but all the serious contenders cost a lot and it's hard to get an idea of how tangible the benefits are. There is one review that gets talked about a lot:
https://soundnews.net/headphones/full-size/the-ultimate-hifiman-susvara-review/

This gives the A30pro a 7.58/10 and specifically names the ferrum OOR+hypsos as the best non-speaker amp option rated 8.58/10.

Some other things:

BadguyGoodguy audio reviews uses a Schitt Jotenheim 2 and has called the Susvara the best using it.

hifiknights in Feb 2020 pitted the Bakoon AMP-13R against the trilogy 925, Kinki Studio EX-M1, Thöress DFP, and iFi audio Pro iCAN. His rec was the Bakoon

I have come across a list of all amps claimed to sound good with the Susvara:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/headfi.org/posts/10158978976734736/

I have heard rumors of Topping trying to make a Benchmark amp competitor

My question is this to the Head-fi community. Which amp is the best bang for your buck that delivers on the Susvara's promises? Which amp in your opinion is the most future proof? And lastly, is a speaker amp the only way? Or, are there solid headphone amps with the above qualities that deliver?

From my brief review of everything, the ferrum OOR and hypsos combo seems like the best contender. Due to speaker amps having the potential to damage the Susvara, I'm leaning toward a headphone amp solution but if the tangible benefits in a speaker amp are that much improved I'd consider changing this. What are your thoughts?

 

[Gjeven]

Wow congrats on the headphones. Hope you didn't have to sell a kidney or anything! I saw a few youtube recommendations agreeing with the Jotenheim 2 for the Susvara, but $6k headphones with a $400 amp sounds a little imbalanced. I saw some people use speaker amps for them.

 

[DeweyCH]

I’ve tried several that work well - iFi Pro iCAN, Burson Conductor 3XP, Quicksilver HPA, a Luxman monster receiver from the 80s. The best sound I’ve found from it is my endgame solid state amp, a Burson Timekeeper 3ir. If you’re a tube fan, the Mogwai SE drives it great.

I’d imagine a Jot 2 would do a solid job, but the raw power put out by the Timekeeper’s speaker taps is glorious.

Oh, the Hifiman EF400 works pretty well for it too. So does a Magnius. Not to its full ability but pretty well.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

The Enleum AMP23r is my end all be all amp for the Susvara. Yes, summit fi level but absolutely incredible.

 

[lancaster704]

The Jot 2 I feel is an underappreciated amp choice when it comes to the Susvara. I've heard lots of good things about this pairing and at 400$ it seems like an obvious winner in the price/performance area. I wonder how the Jot sounds compared to a topping A90 or similar a30pro. I also wonder how it compares to the speaker amps many say give the Susvara's the peak of performance

 

[iFi audio]

but $6k headphones with a $400 amp sounds a little imbalanced.

Most folks here would agree that this paring is a fair bit on the imbalanced side, but then again if it works, well, it works

Besides, it's up to one's reference point really. Those Susvara owners who tried these cans with numerous very expensive amps will have their benchmarks set differently than those users who were exposed to one or two budget amps. Still, all the feedback matters!

 

[buke9]

I haven’t heard the Susvara on too many amps and did like them with the Benchmark HPA4 quite a bit but they are fantastic from the EF 1000 not a bang for buck amp but great sounding. Even a friend that didn’t really care for the Susvara’s was very impressed.

 

[ufospls2]

Bang for the buck? That I have personally tried? Kinki EX-M1.

Others in the price range that seem to be worth checking out, Wells Milo (have heard extensively,) CFA3 build (have not heard,) iFi Pro iCAN (have heard extensively,) FluxLab Volot (have not heard.)

Best I've personally heard? Boulder 866.

Are there better? I would guess so, yes.

Also, I would argue the susvara amp thread to end all susvara amp threads is the Susvara thread itself. Its pretty much 70% of the content of the thread. Would recommend starting there

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-susvara.853031/

 

[Gjeven]

Most folks here would agree that this paring is a fair bit on the imbalanced side, but then again if it works, well, it works

Besides, it's up to one's reference point really. Those Susvara owners who tried these cans with numerous very expensive amps will have their benchmarks set differently than those users who were exposed to one or two budget amps. Still, all the feedback matters!

Good point, if it works dont fix it. But you can still upgrade!

 

[iFi audio]

Bang for the buck? That I have personally tried? Kinki EX-M1.

Yes, one reviewer who compared five different amps said that EX-M1 was excellent and better than two more expensive products, so there's something there for sure.

Good point, if it works dont fix it. But you can still upgrade!

That's so very true, but our curiosity can lead to strange places at times

 

[shurleyss]

Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a susvara and am considering amplification.

I have a Hifiman EF6 amplifier and an unupgraded schiit Jot I could use as a preamp.

Will the EF6 alone be capable and worthy of running the Susvaras?
I could probably get 800 GBP for both amplifiers if sold--would you recomend an alternative I should jump to?
No tubes please.

DAC--Denafrips Ares

 

[HBen]

It's important to realize that its not just the amp that is important, it's the whole chain. Different DAC's and amps have their own sound signature and its the combination of both (plus to some extent also the streamer, electricity, cables etc.) that matters.
The amp and dac can be seen as ways to adjust the sound of the headphones, to bring out their strenths and somewhat cover up their deficits.
In that sense I never understand that there are always so many people who claim one specific amp is better than another without mentioning in which combination and for what kind of music.

That all said I personally like the Moon 430HA with the Dangerous Audio Convert 2 as a DAC to drive the Susvara. The Convert 2 is very musical but energetic and clean and the 430HA is ever so slightly smoother on the top end than those "wire with gain" solid state amps so that this combination maintains the Susvaras incredible speed, makes its already smooth presentation not much smoother but takes a tiny bit of the brightness.

I'm sure there are many other good combinations out there (cheaper or more expensive) ... the only way to find out imo is to experiment with different combinations and hear what fits you

 

[HBen]

Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a susvara and am considering amplification.

I have a Hifiman EF6 amplifier and an unupgraded schiit Jot I could use as a preamp.

Will the EF6 alone be capable and worthy of running the Susvaras?
I could probably get 800 GBP for both amplifiers if sold--would you recomend an alternative I should jump to?
No tubes please.

DAC--Denafrips Ares

Not sure about the amp - hard to say without hearing it in this combination with the Ares and I'm not sure if there are many people who have.

I had the Denafrips Ares though and thought it sounded pretty likable and "analog" but smoothed over quite a lot of details compared to some of my other DAC's.
One of the big strenghts of the Susvara is its almost electrostat like speed and the realism that comes with it and the Ares does take away from that.
If you want to combine the Ares with an amp with the Susvara I'd definitely go for a neutral solid state amp but if I were you I'd invest in another DAC first before dopping that kind of money on a Susvara.

Not sure if that helped ... just my thoughts. Cheers and all the best

 

[devilboy]

Just received a Benchmark AHB2 to drive my incoming Susvara. With all of the ancillary equipment I needed to buy to make this happen (pre-amplifier and additional set of interconnects), I hope I made the right move because I could have just gotten a used Bakoon 13r instead.

 

[iFi audio]

Just received a Benchmark AHB2 to drive my incoming Susvara. With all of the ancillary equipment I needed to buy to make this happen (pre-amplifier and additional set of interconnects), I hope I made the right move because I could have just gotten a used Bakoon 13r instead.

You may try asking about that here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-susvara.853031/page-1337

...but that thread has some 1300 pages of content related to your post, so it's a lot to digest