The Gold Headphones! HiFiMan Susvara Review
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- Опубліковано 2 гру 2017
- HiFiMan's flagship planar headphones have amazing sound quality, but a tremendous price.
Thanks to HiFiMan Japan for lending me the headphones.
Support my videos by buying the HiFiMan Susvara via this link:
APOS Audio: www.hear.audio/go/susvaraapos
Audio46: www.hear.audio/go/susvara
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For a written review with pictures, check out hear.audio
#HiFiMan #Susvara #headphones #review - Наука та технологія
I extremely enjoyed the last few minutes and you are my hero
Great video - I tried a pair this week, I concur no glaring weaknesses in terms of presentation.
Biggest problem is the over pricing at. $7500 AUD. The Utopias are $4000 AUD, The new Stax 009S are $6500 and the 009 are $4299AUD so serious competition here. Pity because the Hifiman Susvara has a really nice presentation. I did find them more comfortable than my Utopias. Similar detail.
Agree! Susvara is good but competitive when price is a consideration. It's a luxury item when even compared to he6se v2 or the new Edition XS (A$500 or ￥2500) which are half the price of Susvara but way more than half of the sound quality than Susvara.
@@alexchen8833 Umm, late reply I know!! Think you've got Arya, Ananda and Susvara's in a muddle!! These are 6000 dollars vs your mentioned 500 dollar XS's. Not entirely sure why I just wasted my time typing this pointless reply lol
totally agreed with your point... sometimes there are people out there who made fortunes quickly decorate their homes and personals with all expensive items, just to show-off money, rather than passion and enthusiasm...
What do you recommend, that's light & comfortable, and a full step above Stax SRS-3100? I tried Stax L300 Limited Edition, and it was far more detailed, but far less smooth. Thanks!
The higher-end Stax rigs maybe?
I own a pair for my mixing and mastering work. They are the best!
As always- awesome review. Thanks so much. Utopia is my go to as well. I notice you are not using the stock cable. Neither do I. What are you using? Thanks!
At the moment, I'm using an APOS Audio cable with them.
I had the opportunity to hear these out of Emotiva A-100 which is $229 50 watts per channel amp that you can jumper all the power to the headphone jack and that made the Susvara sound great. I listened to these headphones at RMAF this year with other amps and was not impressed for the price. The amount sound is less on Susvara then H1000V-2 since the drivers are smaller. What is the name of that new amp you has with adjustable impedance ?
Audiovalve Solaris
i contacted Audio-GD, i said i am using Hugo 2 DAC. they suggested that i should get Balanced DAC. is Hugo 2 bad as a DAC for HE-9 + Susvara or? since its not pure balanced DAC. what would be the draw backs? i am trying to know before i buy both amp + headphone. Thanks in Advance.
If you use a single-ended DAC for the Master 9 or HE-9 you lose some gain. That is all.
Is it worth the money and sound compared to Abyss Phi? My current amp is Cavali gold and future Woo audio WA33.
I haven't had the Abyss headphones here yet. I really should ask if I can borrow a pair.
Excellent channel. Happy I discovered it.
What’s the best sounding headphone for $600? Something that has a lot of detail but also sounds great for rock and edm.
I currently have Grado 325is and I just bought iSine20, which I really like for their details, but they are missing the bass on some electronic music. So I have other options for this price that sound better than iSine 20?
I'm going to be doing a review of $800 headphones soon, such as the MrSpeakers Aeon Flow Open and Campfire Audio Cascades. That might interest you.
Currawong Awesome! That’s a great one. Can’t wait! Never heard them, but based on what I’ve read, I would give the notch to Campfire because of the extra bass. I presume Campfire are better for EDM and Rock, while Aeon Flow might be better for acoustics.. Looking forward to see your take in this and form a better opinion on them.
Focal elex is going for 599$. It's got everything your looking for, if you're still looking after 4yrs
Fang is kidding himself with that 6k price tag.
`this didn't age well ;)
Even used 3.8k USD to 4k USD still probably the best HPs on Earth sound quality wise (not counting 20k+ USD headphone systems).
you would need to test the stax l700
which one got more sparkly Treble? Utopia or Susvara? also Audio GD (HE-6 edition) is good enough to power it? i used to have Utopia before.
The HE-6 edition of the Master 9 (or HE-9) should work fine. I find I notice the treble with the Susvaras more than the Utopias, even if it is toned down a bit compared to the HE1000.
so for Treble heads, you think HE1000v2 is the way to go? i like fast music and i loved HE-6 + sepaker amp. sadly i too had Utopia + DAVE. it was the worst combo. made me stop for almost a year and a half now. i am Shini44 from Head-fi, if you recall me xD
Thanks for the fast reply.
i lean toward Susvaras now yet HE1000v2's Treble sound seducing for me as a Treble Head. yet if H1000v2 isn't as fun (dynamics wise) vs Utiopia. then Susvara + HE-9 amp it is right?
using Hugo 2 as DAC here.
Thanks again bro.
Probably not a bad idea to buy hifiman used. Their prices drop a lot
Picked up a pair for $4k, definitely a good suggestion.
Can I ask you something, I would love your take on this do you feel that headphone sound is hitting a plataue? I dunno after owning my utopia and the sony z1r and the hd800S...to me though different in presentation the sounds are really beginning to all pretty much be the same clear and wide or clear and laid back... I don't know I just feel like at this point what I pay for isn't for something that's better sounding. I think at this point for me it's what sounds the most "different".. I'm starting to turn away from headphones for this reason. I just think we have pretty much reached the end of headphone sound and fidelity at this point. What are your thoughts brother?
TheFijianGuy If you don't mind me giving my 2 cents.
Well. That is not plataue. But rather, I can say z1r is a shitty tuned headphone. It should not sound the way it does and getting that much love in the community. Utopia wise, awesome bass, but not that great high frequency. It is not as smooth as it should be. Hd800s is good but still bit problem around 6k but much much better than the original hd800. Susvara sounds really good when powered right. He1000v2 is pretty perfect to me. ether/ether flow are pretty well all round too.
Instead of calling it plataue, I say it's a matter of shitty tuning versus stupid customers. Forgive me if I am being too harsh on this. But there is a sound that is right /true /correct. There are preference on bass and highs but the mids should be following the target.
I do understand the difficulties on making headphones but I really feel that manufacturers can do a lot better than now by just tune the headphones better.
John Yang no problem brother I love hearing others opinions. I actually liked the sony z1r I enjoy it more then the hd800s but that's a matter of preference more so then anything else. The utopia is great, but well can I justify what I speant on it? Probably not.
TheFijianGuy Yeah. I heard many people love z1r. To me in the first seconds it does sound a lot like a closed utopia, which is pretty amazing. However what sony need to do about z1r is on the mids. After 10 seconds, I can clearly hear a 'hhhhaaaa' sound like you place your hand around your ears. I can see people loving bass, there is nothing wrong with it. But sony should do a lot better on this due to the problem in the mid range.
I think dynamic and planar headphones are getting closer to the "ultimate" level of electrostats. But also the DACs available now are far better, so I think overall you can get a much more resolving system than you could a few years ago.
Can you guys recommend a pair of headphones around the 500 dollar range since you seem to really know what you're talking about.
When is the Fiio x7ii review coming up, by the way can Hugo 2 drive these comfortably. Thanks
Lone Star Answer to the latter. No hugo 2 cannot directly drive susvara well. But can be a nice dac in the system. Susvara does need a really really good amp to pair with.
My recommendation will be burson conductor v2 btw.
How does this compare to the he1k v2 in terms treble extension?
Both have a very capable treble. The HE1000 V2 is slightly brighter across the same treble frequencies though.
Just picked up a pair from HeadAmp open box for just over $4k US with 60 day return policy. A better value proposition?
I reckon you did well there.
I demoed them. Still the HD 800's offer more detail retrieval and have greater PRAT. I can't support a 6K price tag for these CANS.
They need like 5 WPC to sound good.
Opinions vary. I still haven’t heard back about what you think about the HEDD headphones. Guess it is hard to do reviews and read all the comments. I am patient and I will hope to hear back. $6K, yeah, right. Won’t sell many at that price, you’re right!
Any luck on in ear prophile 8?
Your Hugo 2 gives more depth than your Schiit Iggy?
Robert Good question but if i had to guess, and I am guessing but the hugo 2 should be the cleaner listen with greater micro detail but I have to math or facts to base that upon.
the review is a bit older but still
the crackling noise comes from dust or dirt on the driver that gets burned away and the drivers can get damaged.
This perfectly illustrates why, unless HiFiMAN finally get serious about QC and build quality/materials, I would never even think about spending anywhere near this type of money for a pair of their headphones.
So good price to buy under 4k USD .... I'm looking for one at this price new ... will find it :)
Susvara should be paired with Aries Cerat Genus amp.
This combo will beat anything out there.
I personally own the headphones and in my honest opinion, the He1000v2 is very close alternative to the Susvara. This is just for those who is finding the Susvara overpriced. Hifiman’s sound signature are not tuned for being clinical, there is this imperfection about the signature that made it so unique.
to be honestly , the X7 II review would have been such appreciated, i am not sure how many of US would be actually interested in being this headphone at this price.
I agree. I have to share the X7II with someone else for reviewing, and he has been busy as heck too. I was just about to see if i could borrow it back, as I pretty much know what I want to say in the video.
Thank you for coming out and saying what some of us have known for quite some time: BURN IN is real, especially when it comes to Headphones.
It might be mental or physical, but I think it is a thinf
Awesome headphones, but never 6k awesome unles they are made or some expensive material which they are not.
Memo: Dr. Bian Fang
There is a law called the process of diminishing returns. The HiFiMan HEK V2 is an excellent can for half the price of the Susvara. Apparently the new model may very well be an improvement over the 1000 but at twice the price? It would be surprising if this model sells and let's keep in mind, they are built in China, not Japan, not Germany and not the U.S.A.
Utopias look and feel like a tank, amazing headphones, but if you b2b with HE1000SE you won't ever diss the HiFiMan. These are hugely impressive headphones and good to have some competition out there.
Just a heads up dude, There's a slight quiet hum in the background. Have checked against other vids and sources and its definitely your video. ( Paul Graham on the HF forums ;) )
Yup. Persistent mic problems which I've partially solved in the very latest videos.
Who puts out a headphone that crackles out of the factory? Sheesh. And for that kind of dough they have visible imperfections? I'd think THIS would at least be the price-range for absolutely no compromises in quality. I have some guesses where they pulled that ridiculous asking price from.
16:06, you are right, however it is so sad
Next up: Edition 12, which stands for $12K.
I'll stick to my modded 007s
i demo both stax 009 and susvara @ a show, susvara comes near but in no way it can touch the stax
William Ng Well Susvara needs a lot of power to be driven
they were powered by Woo audio WA33, i think that's a powerful enough amp to drive it?
from the interviews i watched on dr. hifiman, he's more of money man than his products
it's pain to see the more hifiman charges their customers, the shitty quality remains the same
it's not a matter of could be better, it HAS to be better as the price for some will be their end of their end game headphones and when the thing starts to break apart in only a few years is a joke and when that happens, the company will be finished in ultra highend segment.
I think we should boycott this one. Even if it does sound great, just to say that we won't pay for such ridiculous prices.
Boycott? You sound as if people are being forced to buy them.
Heh. That is true, but the point is that we should pass up on this headphone in my opinion just to notify them that the price is unreasonable. As you say, even though its thought of the be "better at a higher price" in China it should really be brought down to compete with other headphones, it's just a bit unreasonable
with the community outcry at the price tag, i think hifiman already got the message.
You weren't going to buy it anyways
I definitely won't be contributing to Fang's get-rich-quick scheme.
I prefer(Enjoy) HE1000 to Susvara, I compare them on mojo as DAC> iCAN Pro with balance cable. the HE1000 gave better bass slam and dynamic and sweet midrange, the susvara was more accurate and faster and more detailed but the bass less impactful compare to HE1000
So right now the best value high end headphones are
1/ Utopias $2500
2/ Sr009 $3000
3/ z1r $2k
4/ HD800s at $2k
?
You forget Focal clear , Stax l700/007 and the basic Hd 800, utopia/Hd 800S are extremely overpriced.
@@akshat3516 i heard the clears are indeed a hitter. I wish i can get a listen to those!
@@akshat3516 utopia is the best headphones for me
@@cool28990 Well you can still agree that diminishing returns are quite high right?
Arya too. It competes with those you mentioned and costs less. It even sounds better in some areas than those listed. Their bass is much better than the 800S's and z1r's, from a SQ standpoint, maybe better than even the 009's.
You could buy a car for this amount of money. This is really for people who love headphones.
I don't believe in high power amp for better quality, to my test I believe high power amp gives more distortion which gives weight to the sound. And take any Amp in the world and check its power vs THD and you will see that the first watts will have more distortion until you get middle way.
Another test, is to listen at very low volume and most likely you will prefer the lower power one for resolution.
But please not to compare a lower quality amp to higher power amp.
No. Try ragnarok to other amps. ragnarok is extremely clear and smooth.
But whatever. You like whatever you want.
I used to work for a headphone manufacturer, I hate to say this but to make their most expensive headphone the cost was under $20. I wonder what the markup is on these? LOL
Did they make drivers with gold-coated nanometer film though? Not that I don't expect the raw parts cost isn't very small, as it is with any product, but the costs aren't just for manufacturing.
its fucked that this headphone makes an sr009 look like a bargain
It still looks cheap for that price tag, Hifiman can never produce quality
Ye, it doesnt look good
It must cost really cheap to produce that.
In terms of build quality alone Hifiman has ways to go. However, I have seen reviewers who say that they have been using Ananda, Arya etc for a long time without any build quality issues whatsoever. Not to mention, they love the sound quality as well.
日本に住んでたとは知りませんでした(^_^)ﾉ
To be honest, the they don't need to setting high price to make people think it is a good headphone. It's only an excuse for their greed. In China most people from audiophile communities won't be able to afford headphones with this kind of price tag(afterall, the average income is only $1440 in Shanghai, which is the biggest city in China). They are targeting people we call "老烧"(old-audiophile) in China who would spend huge amount of money, sometimes even millions, in audio equipments.
China has a lot of billionaires that spoil their children as well. This is the target market
TL;DR + my opinions: Must be good, heavily overpriced with "hand-crafted" parts, released to test the market and not worth buying.
Oh speed, so they do not have bass.
The only downside to the Susvaras is they require a speaker amp to power them. Other than that they are one of the best headphones on planet Earth. From what I can tell the Benchmark AHB2 is the best amp pairing for the Susvaras, where as for say the Abyss 1266 the better pairing is the Woo Audio WA33 tube amp.
If you can't get the headphones under 3000 dollars - don't even try it's not worth it anymore.
So much snake oil
What would be really hilarious I reckon is if one or another maker of high-end headphones used a snake skin instead of regular leather headpad.
Man do they have to make them look so ridiculous when worn? It's like their trying to make them look stupid.
It's far better than making them look good, but uncomfortable. They aren't fashion items, and if you're looking in the mirror when listening to music you're doing it wrong. ;)
That's a great point. Every headphone company should pay a licensing fee to Dan Clark and use his nitinol headband design because nothing is as comfortable as that. I wish I could transplant my Æon headband to my Elex somehow. I'd be in heaven.
Snobphones.
Slow down. You talk entirely too fast. Enunciation. You are a good reviewer. Why should I have to work so hard just to listen to what you are saying, which is very informed indeed. After all, this is about listening. I need to be able to hear the human voice - your's.
I am a fucking Chinese and English is my second language. I have zero problem understanding him 99% of the time.
Might be an accent thing. Just a wild guess here, namely that Robert Bryant is US American. In my experience many Americans are not used to any other accent than their own (living in a bubble). Processing other accents, even if they are native English accents like Australian (like Currawong), Scottish, South African, etc, can be very difficult. More difficult than for non-native speakers like you and me.
@@johnyang799 Shut up thats his opinion. His hearing is different then yours.