[riverground]

Skip everything and just go direct to susvara....

I still gotta try the Susvara… I wanna know how it compares to the AB1266. Among the open-back planars I’ve tried, the AB1266 sits on top followed by the D8000 Pro, Diana Phi, Elite, LCD-5. (With EQ though, I might put both the latter two over the Diana Phi)

I’m curious, to the other Coolereans here that are also into full-size open-back cans regardless of driver type (and price of course), what are your HP rankings? You can share however many HPs as you want that you think is relevant.

My top 10 would be the following:

- Senny HE-1 (Still the king overall, I’ve been visiting my local shop that has it for demo every week until it leaves them lmao)
- Audeze CRBN (With EQ this definitely sits just under the HE-1)
- Abyss AB1266 Phi TC (Crazy to think that when I compared these side by side with the HE-1 that it would be in the midrange that it would beat the HE-1. The vocals are just so detailed and pushed quite intimately. Really reminds me of a great IEM tuning but with the huge benefits of being an open-back)
- Final D8000 Pro (Build and design are just astonishing. I wish the comfort was better but hey, it fits my gigantic head pretty well. Sound wise, I’d say it’s like the AB1266 but tuned somewhat more neutrally)
- Diana Phi (It’s a very fun sound, I might even say it sound somewhat more “correct” than the unique tuning of the AB1266 so I understand why some people would prefer these over the AB1266 but the intimacy of the vocals on the AB1266 while still providing a spacious stage is what set these two siblings apart for me. Way more comfortable than the AB1266 though)
- Meze Elite (These cans with the foam pads are just absolute fun. I love my technicalities but man… that musicality that it has is just something else. If anything else, the design, build, and comfort are second to none!)
- Audeze LCD-5 (Without EQ, these are a mastering masterpiece. It’s pretty much flat across the board with a minor lift in the upper midrange and I love that. The tuning is somewhat similar to the CRBN where there’s definitely some more upper-mid bias and I thoroughly enjoy it. The main advantage of the CRBN to me was overall speed, vocal texture, and COMFORT)
- Focal Utopia (This is by far the best DD Open backs there are. Period. Well… until Focal decides to release a successor. Design, build, and comfort are huge pluses as well.)
- Meze Empyrean (An even more enjoyable Elite minus the added technical abilities of it. I still much prefer the copper/black colours of the Empy as well. I wonder how the Elite would look with a silver/copper colour combo )
- Senny HD800 OG (I still much prefer the OG even with its quirks. Up to this day, the staging is still quite untouchable. And it’s such a legend that it’s still being talked about now so many years after its release. This was also my end goal back when I was just starting in the hobby. Oh how naive was I? Lol)

 

[claud W]

No this the BSEP, made specifically I believe for IE900.

So, Scubi, what does this BSEP do to help the IE900? I have been thinking of cable rolling my IE 900. IE 600 seems to be great without any help.

 

[SlothRock]

OK I think going for Planar is the move. Can you get discounts on the Abyss like you can the Susvara new?

 

[Scubadevils]

So, Scubi, what does this BSEP do to help the IE900? I have been thinking of cable rolling my IE 900. IE 600 seems to be great without any help.

I thought when i first got the Brise cable that I could hear even further depth to bass and an overall fuller sound - but then the cable mostly got on my nerves as it is heavy and cumbersome, in direct contrast to the IE900 shells and stock cable. Testing again this morning, I think there were minor improvements but not obvious in the way I've found with some other IEMs. Long story short, I wouldn't recommend it!

 

[normie610]

I'd actually skip the Sus and demo the T+A Solitaire P. Less money,

Sol P actually has a higher MSRP than Susvara. And street price for a new pair of Susvara is even much lower now.

I’m curious, to the other Coolereans here that are also into full-size open-back cans regardless of driver type (and price of course), what are your HP rankings? You can share however many HPs as you want that you think is relevant.

With my current desktop system, the trifecta sounds perfect with their respective sound characteristics. But if I have to rank them, Susvara & SR1a (both EQ’d) both occupy the top spot and 1266 TC (no EQ) coming in 2nd.

On another note @riverground, I was testing the new Leica M11 the other day, and the SOOC JPEG is not bad at all (of course it’s scaled down by head-fi):

 

[riverground]

Sol P actually has a higher MSRP than Susvara. And street price for a new pair of Susvara is even much lower now.

With my current desktop system, the trifecta sounds perfect with their respective sound characteristics. But if I have to rank them, Susvara & SR1a (both EQ’d) both occupy the top spot and 1266 TC (no EQ) coming in 2nd.

On another note @riverground, I was testing the new Leica M11 the other day, and the SOOC JPEG is not bad at all (of course it’s scaled down by head-fi):

I still gotta try the Sus, SR1a, and the Sol P.

I feel like my ranking is still not complete without trying those

The Heddphone is another thing I’m curious about.

I wonder if ribbon tech would come to IEMs too

And my goodness Norm… that is a beautiful SOOC shot you have there!

I can’t wait to have more money to spend on my desktop setup

 

[normie610]

I still gotta try the Sus, SR1a, and the Sol P.

I feel like my ranking is still not complete without trying those

The Heddphone is another thing I’m curious about.

I wonder if ribbon tech would come to IEMs too

And my goodness Norm… that is a beautiful SOOC shot you have there!

I can’t wait to have more money to spend on my desktop setup

Thanks bud!

Yeah you should try those headphones, but once you decide to dive into desktop gear, the rabbit hole is a lot deeper but much more rewarding than IEMs (SQ alone, no use cases e.g. portability etc.). I don’t think ribbon would come into IEM, as SR1a needs purpose-built amps (or an interface box for regular amps).

Edit: IMHO, ribbon has the most natural & beautiful timbre, and it sounds so lifelike

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thanks bud!

Yeah you should try those headphones, but once you decide to dive into desktop gear, the rabbit hole is a lot deeper but much more rewarding than IEMs (SQ alone, no use cases e.g. portability etc.). I don’t think ribbon would come into IEM, as SR1a needs purpose-built amps (or an interface box for regular amps).

Edit: IMHO, ribbon has the most natural & beautiful timbre, and it sounds so lifelike

I didn't like the SR1a at all. The form factor was too weird. It could be that it was at a CanJam where there was a lot of noise, but the funkiness of how it sits on your head as ear speakers doesn't work for me.

 

[normie610]

I didn't like the SR1a at all. The form factor was too weird. It could be that it was at a CanJam where there was a lot of noise, but the funkiness of how it sits on your head as ear speakers doesn't work for me.

For me it’s actually the most comfortable headphone out there. It feels like “floating” on my head when I wear it. For sure an environment like CanJam will affect how you perceive the sound. But it ranks number 1 for me until I had the DHC C-15 S-Mod cable which brings Susvara much closer to SR1a (also with the same cable). To my ears the SR1a has the most lifelike sound you can hear from a pair of headphones.

 

[aaf evo]

The red module with the XE6 is slowly becoming my favorite! I wish I spent more time with this a while ago rather than writing it off straight away the week I got them. The bass presence is still fantastic and sounds even more layered and there's more separation between the notes. Almost 6 months with these and I am still in awe every time I push play. I don't know how FiR managed to put this much bass, this much body, and this much detail in one IEM.

 

[claud W]

I thought when i first got the Brise cable that I could hear even further depth to bass and an overall fuller sound - but then the cable mostly got on my nerves as it is heavy and cumbersome, in direct contrast to the IE900 shells and stock cable. Testing again this morning, I think there were minor improvements but not obvious in the way I've found with some other IEMs. Long story short, I wouldn't recommend it!

Thank You. Saved me some money. Hope I can do the same for you sometime.

 

[Doug2507]

The red module with the XE6 is slowly becoming my favorite! I wish I spent more time with this a while ago rather than writing it off straight away the week I got them. The bass presence is still fantastic and sounds even more layered and there's more separation between the notes. Almost 6 months with these and I am still in awe every time I push play. I don't know how FiR managed to put this much bass, this much body, and this much detail in one IEM.

Is that a lighter bass note with reds?

Edit: When's your 320 arriving?

 

[normie610]

I don't know how FiR managed to put this much bass, this much body, and this much detail in one IEM.

Exactly my thoughts. It’s incredible how the details are presented with that amount of bass. Just simply amazing.

 

[aaf evo]

Is that a lighter bass note with reds?

Yes its -10db of isolation so it is lighter in bass but it still sounds fantastic, I hear it mainly affecting the mid range separation. The sound overall is a bit more revealing but still maintains the overall richness that the XE6 delivers.

 

[PHLHarmonic]

I’m curious, to the other Coolereans here that are also into full-size open-back cans regardless of driver type (and price of course), what are your HP rankings? You can share however many HPs as you want that you think is relevant.

Some notes on some of the ones I've tried to varying degrees. Not exactly ranked but the better ones are towards the top.

- Spirit Torino Valkyria: I heard one demo on this at CanJam and it had the most realistic sounding acoustics I've ever heard to the point that I thought that I was hearing a speaker system playing somewhere else in the venue. Hard-wired cable, so you better not have a pet that likes to chew wires.
- ZMF Verité: It basically does a lot of things very well, and ZMF's headphones generally hold their value much better than the alternatives. Weight can be an issue depending on the wood choice, but the headband is one of the best I've tried and the ~450g variants don't feel heavy.
- Focal Clear Mg: An excellent "fun" headphone, but the headbands make me wary of them long term despite being very comfortable. Staining is another issue.
- Focal Utopia: A very brief demo of the Utopia let me to think it wasn't that massive a jump and the Clear/Clear Mg gets you most all of the way there for far cheaper.
- Hifiman Susvara: I'd never buy one at anything close to the street price because of Hifiman's QC. Tried it at CanJam and thought they sounded great, but even tied to a $10-15k amp made me think "this is it?" at the time.
- Spirit Torino Titano: A much better version of the Mistral Pro and I love the look. Excellent, comfy headband. I'd probably buy one at some point if I don't go higher up their offerings, but I dislike that the more expensive ones generally have hard-wired cables.
- Spirit Torino Mistral Pro: Currently using these having gotten them for a good deal. They're comfortable, well made and good for some genres. Less bassy than I'd like.
- Hifiman Arya (v3): Great soundstage, albeit rather "fake" sounding. Hard to explain. Extremely comfortable, but like most other Hifiman headphones the headband scratches itself which is a bad design. Typical QC risks. Wouldn't pay more than $1000 for them and I think that's a stretch.
- Audeze LCD-X (2021): Extremely heavy and there's no two ways about it, but they're built like a tank and they sound pretty good if you're okay with the specific sound, ignoring the ability to be EQed. The weight really brings them down though.
- Hifiman Sundara: It's fine for the bottom of the barrel prices you can get them for these days. Probably even still the best in the sub-$500 range.
- Hifiman Edition XS: Tried it momentarily and hated it. Awful headband.