HiFiMan Susvara Review - Almost perfect!

00:00 Introduction
04:04 Accessories
06:45 Design & specs
11:28 Planar power myth
24:55 Sound quality
34:09 Susvara vs Utopia
38:59 Susvara vs Empyrean
44:41 Final conclusions

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[hunter]

This is so much more than just a product review. IMO this is a beginner's guide/mythbusting video regarding a lot of the snake oil and confirmation bias on the most common myths in the hifi community. I love your videos for doing this, more people should talk about the myths/misconceptions regarding hifi gear as there is a LOT of them.

[retro_boy_advance]

What a great video to wake up to on a Sunday morning! This was such a good watch, Lachlan!

[e]

One thing to consider in regards to power is that many headphones have a variable impedance especially dynamics, planars can have variances but they tend to be in the range 0.1-4ohms. Something like the focal clear can be advertised as having 60ohm impedance, but when measured shows a 342ohm peak at ~60hz. Bass takes more power on certain transducer types(and more importantly on specific implementations) and absolutely affects headphones just as much as loudspeakers. The clear is a freak and almost any other dynamic driver won't exhibit such extreme variation.

[sabreenreffai]

Thank you so much for putting in the time and effort to make this amazing review. Much love from a fellow Victorian, cheers!

[anuryry]

And Ladies & Gentleman - This is how one reviewer stands up to burst the myth and stop making a fool of ppl trying to tell only expensive amps are good. I am running Abyss 1266 & Susvara via Sparkos Aries and then ran it via a famous $4500 USD power amp . 0 diff in sound rather Aries had clearly better control over 1266 & Susvara than the power amp .

This is one of your best Lachlan .

Thanks for having the guts to say that you don’t need power amps to power 1266 & Susvara and even more importantly backing it up with sensible reasoning.

My favourite YouTube Audio review till date .

Way to go mate !

[curlmythic]

Lachlan, your channel is top of my long list of audio subscriptions. I really appreciate your hard work, candour and dedication. Thank you.

[fsi]

Susvara owner. I describe them as the most boring headphone, not because they're bad, but because they're that good. There are no nasty surprises. I use mine alot more gaming, watching movies and series than listening to music. Not because they're lacking but because they make the audio visual experience far more real, than anything else I've heard. I often will hear a siren or bird chirping in the background of something I'm watching, thinking it's somewhere around me.

[ryderhu]

Thank you for this very specific and passional review!

[JordansTake]

I've had some time with the Susvara's now and I can confirm they are incredible. Startlingly intimate and real, there's nothing between you and the artist. Other headphones for much cheaper achieve a similar intimacy and detail (21 LCD x) comes to mind, but the difference is the intimacy feels more processed and digital. Like you are listening to the flavor of the mics the music was recorded on as well as the music. You hear the gear.. Where with the Susvara's the gear falls away and there's nothing between you and the music.
They are also detailed without ever being harsh or sibilant. They don't have as much bass as the He1000v2 or Arya's but both of those I found much more harsh and sibilant. If you like electronic and hip hop mainly I'd probably recommend a different headphone (LCD 4)(abyss 1266 Phil tc) or you are gonna need some pretty dramatic eq. But if you are into folk, singer songwriter, orchestral, movie scores, acoustic pop, or any music played on organic instruments with vocals.. these are the best headphones I've ever heard at those genres..

[kyron]

Driving low frequencies in headphones is actually the limiting factor in amplifiers.
Assuming that the headphones have a flat impedance versus frequency response a 1 volt 100 Hz signal is going to require the same power as a 1 volt 1 kHz signal and also a 1 volt 10 kHz has signal.
The thing with music is there's a lot more voltage produced at low frequencies than higher frequencies. That's just the nature of music. That's why amps can struggle with low frequencies when driving headphones.

As long as the amplifier has the ability to quickly supply enough current and voltage then it won't be a limiting factor. Amplifiers can fall down when they can't supply the voltage and current quickly enough not to disrupt the waveform. This could be easily checked with a tone burst test.

[JSym]

Having compared the Susvara vs Empyrean extensively on a high-end chain (MScaler+DAVE+Solaris), I completely agree with you. The Susvaras are a clear cut above and beyond the Empyrean in terms of quality of reproduction, but the Empyrean wasn't any less enjoyable to listen to. And for certain genres like especially electronic music, the Empyreans are just more enjoyable overall.

[bruceposey]

Another great review sir. As an owner of the Focal Utopia’s I’m always interested in how other TOTL headphones match up. I would like to see an in-depth discussion of sonic floor modulation and how it affects one’s perception of recorded music. Keep up the good work.

[soisaid]

I am so glad you are bringing this "power" issue up.

[cdhankerson]

Truly quality interview, excellent job. thank you

[babaker]

Great review as always. My favourite part is always the comparisons when you discuss the tracks you used. So if I wanted to see something more in the hobby it would be discussions of the music by reliable reviewers such as you. Thanks

[ryantew]

Thank you for addressing the planar power myth, I'm finally pulling the trigger on a pair of HE1Kse's and I was not sure if I need to upgrade from my current L30 Amp.

I have been scouring online someone who addressed this matter. Thank you so muchh!

[deadline]

Wow,
You knocked this review it out of the park :)

[marcfoss]

Brilliant review, thanks Lachlan. Great content and explanations. I learned so much. The detailed headphone comparisons were worth their weight in gold! Keep up the great work.

[yogiwp_]

The power thing is still a bit confusing. My HE6se (slightly less sensitive than Susvara -- 82.5dB/mW) seem to sound better on $200 Emotiva A-100 speaker amp than $1K Soloist 3XP. Deeper bass and smoother highs on the A-100. (Though the 3XP wins in imaging and probably detail). But yeah as you said that may not be because of power but because the amps themselves sound different. But I'm still surprised that a speaker amp sounds better than a dedicated headphone amp 5 times the price.

[anthonyhopkin]

Excellent review - really illuminating - thanks!