I find it ridiculous when people complain about someone judging a product which they have not heard solely on the basis of measurements. How many people will ever have the opportunity to hear a Susvara. I am an audiophile of nearly 50 years, own two flagship headphones, a Smythe A16 Realizer and live in Music City (Nashville) and I have no clue on where I could go locally to audition them. And based on their measurements and their price, why would I bother?
I think it's entirely fair to judge the Susvaras on the basis of their measured distortions and their price. Headphones are the one venue that allows anyone to play music just as loud as they want: Doesn't require a 3000 watt amplifier or a $50k set of speakers with 18 inch subwoofers, or a house in the middle of nowhere. Just get a reasonably efficient, low distortion pair of phones, a decent high powered headphone amp, and a room where you can be alone, and you can crank it to your heart's content. But not if they're Susvaras which is inexcusable. And for all those who contend that they're not about to play them at 114db ever please remember that if you play them loud, the peaks will approach 114 db, and they will be distorted, audibly, in the very range where the ear is most sensitive to distortion. It was probably that distortion Amir heard when he talked about a "static" crunch while not playing it all that loudly. He called it a deal breaker, and I don't see how anyone can disagree.
Moreover, they apparently have faults that can't be EQ'd away. Cup reflections are a huge issue. For some apparently that creates a "diffuse, ethereal" presentation that makes for a unique sonic signature befitting an edge of the art headphone." Whatever.
So is it fair to jump all over an offering just because it commands an ultra premium price, but doesn't deliver edge of the art, impeccable measurement? Of course. I can remember reading an early issue of The Audio Critic in the late 1970's where Peter Aczel did a survey of high end preamps. In it, the most expensive one retailed for $1800. It was roughly 3x as expensive as the next most expensive, and Aczel tore it to shreds because it didn;t do things like have an accurate RIAA curve or a moving coil step up device, and he just went nuts about that. So taking a manufacturer to task when they ask a big price without matching performance is a time honored method of doing audio criticism, and no one should have an issue with it. It's called consumerism, and places like TAS could learn a thing or two from Peter Aczel.
Poor value is unforgivable with a top of the line product. No one was doing this kind of criticism of the Dan Clark Stealth or Expanse because they cleared the hurdles of offering first rate measured performance for their asking price, and no one would be doing this with Susvaras either if they measured even half so well.
Last edited:
