Amp for Susvara?

[MalinYamato]

The Singxer SA-1 will need a DAC with a higher output voltage (from about 6 volts) for the Susvara, otherwise you will not reach the required volume.
Alternatively, you could also check out the Violectric headphone amps. These work with a higher voltage on the transistors of approx. 2 x 30 volts (compared to the usual 2 x 15 volts or even only 1 x 24 volts). In addition, the gain setting is much more practical in 5 steps (-12 - +12dB or -18 - +18dB), i.e. perfect from sensitive IEM to Susvara.
I recently stumbled across the Fluxlab FA-10 and FA-10 Pro (16W into 32 ohms, wow) but haven't heard of this one. They work with 2 x 40 volts. If that's not enough, they also have the VOLOT as Dual Mono Class-A with two 55W toroidal transformers .

after all, getting Susvara requires a much better amp to appreciate it according to you guys and experts out there, so I am getting an Audeze LCD-5 instead which with proper EQ-ing won't be that bad with my Singxter SA1. I did my hearing tests and LCD 5 beats Focal Utopia....yet, sure your Susvara is the King but I am not prepared to pay for having a king.... Currently, I am using the closed-back dynamic King Denon Ah-D9200 and Audeze will provide me that Jazz mid that no other phones may give me. I listened carefully to the Audeze and at 12 kHz its treble is better than anything else and Focal Utopia should commit harakiri for not performing well at that range.

The price diff between Susvara and LCD-5 is now USD 1400 to USD 1600 -- is Susvara that much better?
Susvara USD 6500 + Ferrum Audio OOR amp USD 2300 = USD 8800 -- I feel so poor among you guys and need a boyfriend with a thick wallet or one of you who has what I want.

 

[MalinYamato]

I've had Susvara for a while, and just got back from CANJAM, so I've heard it on a variety of amps. FWIW, I bought a Ferrum Oor while I was there, specifically because of how well it drove Susvara. It will be replacing my A90 as my daily driver / desktop reference.View attachment 156445

FWIW, A90 is somewhat better than "barely can make it," but it also leaves room for improvement. My main SS reference for Susvara has been a spare 2 channels on my McIntosh 8207 surround amp. I have a Goldpoint level control in front of it for trim. The difference from A90 is slightly tighter bass, and slightly better separation. Magnitude of the difference is subtle but consistent enough that I stopped listening on A90 once I got the McIn-chain established.

I also have ZMF Pendant, which drives Susvara quite well. Tubes smooth the high end end a bit and soften dynamics. The overall sound is super-pleasant. I actually prefer this chain for most listening, except for orchestra and score music, where extra accuracy of SS yields more believable timbre. For things like vocals and electronic music, though, tubes are awesome.

My current SS reference amp is a Violectric V280, which has plenty of power for Susvara, but doesn't sound quite as neutral as A90 or my McIntosh chain. However, it is the only amp I own (save, perhaps, the Oor--I'll find out once it's delivered) that drives every headphone I own well, including both Susvara and the 600-ohm 880s. There's a bit of warmth to the sound that isn't really what I'm after with Susvara, specifically, but performance is still great.

While at CANJAM, I got to hear the Oor, Bakoon R13, Amps & Sound Nautilus, and a few other chains. The Oor was very reminiscent of my McIntosh setup, but in a tiny desktop form factor, which is why I jumped on it. Bass is slammy, and overall sound was quite lively at higher volumes, with clarity and detail sounding superb at lower volumes as well (at least to the extent I could tell before the show floor started to get busy).

The Bakoon is a bit of a meme-amp for Susvara, and I finally got to hear why. People have described it as "tube-like," which makes sense to me. I confirmed some detail extension sacrificed for a better "warm" than V280. Subjectively, it was one of the more pleasant amps I listened to, though I personally prefer more neutral-clean sound for Susvara, like I got from the Oor, and I'll go to Pendant for a more euphonic listening experience.

Finally, the Nautilus is seriously pricy, and tubes, so grain of salt and all that. However, it made every headphone I listened to sound its best. Mainly, I listened to my Verite Closed and Susvara, but I also spent some time with the new DCA Stealth and really liked it. Others in my group had more mixed opinions of Stealth, but I think everyone who heard it on Nautilus liked that chain. FWIW.

Anyway, apologies for a subjective brain dump, but I wanted to try to create a context for A90. It really is a fantastic amp and does "do justice" to Susvara, so if you go that route as a holdover, don't feel bad about it at all. It's enough amp to enjoy Susvara for however long it takes to let your wallet heal; there will always be more / different chains to try. It's also a standout for being so competent with Susvara at its price point.

now you don't need to look for gears the rest of your life, you got them all. Congrat!

 

[tifune]

The price diff between Susvara and LCD-5 is now USD 1400 to USD 1600 -- is Susvara that much better?

That much better? No. Just different, which may or may not fit your taste. Almost everything in this thread is a fantasy, don't stress it. My favorite is one of the first few posts where he basically jacked Amir's review format but instead of graphs put in photos of rainbows or whatever.

I sold my AH-D9200 because I promised myself if I kept my DCA Stealth, it has to be the only headphones I own due to price. There are definitely days I wish I kept the 9200 and bought some DCA open back for home use as Stealth isn't nearly as portable as I'd like. 9200 is one of all my time favorites and if Stealth hadn't been invented, I'd still own them. Literally my own complaint about them is I'm a XXL human with ears to match and so the rectangular cutouts in the earpads were too small and got uncomfortable after a bit.

I drove Stealth with A90 for a time, but now use CENtrance Ampersand so I can wander around my house/yard. No audible difference to me except on extremely bass heavy tracks like Cradle to the Grave by Max Richter. Honestly I only use that track to test gear, I don't typically listen to that style so it's basically irrelevant.

I can't fathom spending many thousands on a tube amp in the year 2022 unless it's for an aesthetic purpose. I wouldnt even buy a HPA that requires a mains connection at all; if you're going to tie yourself to a desk there's so many great speakers at that price point. There are a lot of valid counterarguments to that, not least of which is the difficulty in getting speakers to sound as good as headphones; it's just a personal preference of mine.

I feel so poor among you guys and need a boyfriend with a thick wallet or one of you who has what I want.

Well, there's always that option... Never been a woman or had a sugar mama so not certain the hidden cost of such an arrangement.

 

[MalinYamato]

That much better? No. Just different, which may or may not fit your taste. Almost everything in this thread is a fantasy, don't stress it. My favorite is one of the first few posts where he basically jacked Amir's review format but instead of graphs put in photos of rainbows or whatever.

I sold my AH-D9200 because I promised myself if I kept my DCA Stealth, it has to be the only headphones I own due to price. There are definitely days I wish I kept the 9200 and bought some DCA open back for home use as Stealth isn't nearly as portable as I'd like. 9200 is one of all my time favorites and if Stealth hadn't been invented, I'd still own them. Literally my own complaint about them is I'm a XXL human with ears to match and so the rectangular cutouts in the earpads were too small and got uncomfortable after a bit.

I drove Stealth with A90 for a time, but now use CENtrance Ampersand so I can wander around my house/yard. No audible difference to me except on extremely bass heavy tracks like Cradle to the Grave by Max Richter. Honestly I only use that track to test gear, I don't typically listen to that style so it's basically irrelevant.

I can't fathom spending many thousands on a tube amp in the year 2022 unless it's for an aesthetic purpose. I wouldnt even buy a HPA that requires a mains connection at all; if you're going to tie yourself to a desk there's so many great speakers at that price point. There are a lot of valid counterarguments to that, not least of which is the difficulty in getting speakers to sound as good as headphones; it's just a personal preference of mine.



Well, there's always that option... Never been a woman or had a sugar mama so not certain the hidden cost of such an arrangement.

thank you for all your information Today I got my Audeze LCD-5 and I will keep my Denon AH-D9200, Argons for the time being, but sell my HFM Sundaras.

 

[MalinYamato]

Hi all,

as the tile says, I just purchased a pair of Hifiman Susvaras and I'm kinda lost as to which amp to get for them. Currently I have a Matrix Audio Mini-i 3 Pro which I absolutely love but unfortunately the HP amp section doesn't seem to be enough to drive the Susvaras. So I have a couple of options, and would love your advice:
- I could keep the Mini as a DAC and then get an amp that's not too pricey to go with it and drive the Susvaras. (A90? Gustard H16? Singxer SA-1?)
- Or I sell it and get a stack (ot even an all in one) that has enough juice for the Susvaras. But in that case I'm even more lost, since there are so many possible options.

Either way trying not to spend a fortune (my wallet took a heavy hit from the Susvaras) but also I don't want a "barely can make it" amp that I would have to replace down the line because the headphones are not properly driven...

Would love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations on this.

Thanks!

Hifiman recommends this amp -- about USD 15 000 -- I could not find one with a red knob so I passed on this one

 

[SalR406]

Hifiman recommends this amp -- about USD 15 000 -- I could not find one with a red knob so I passed on this one
View attachment 193730

I just listened to this combination at the CanJam NYC show. Really phenomenal performance. The price is certainly an obstacle, but I couldn't fault the sound.

 

[StarWarder]

Hifiman recommends this amp -- about USD 15 000 -- I could not find one with a red knob so I passed on this one
View attachment 193730

I tried this amp at CanJam at both the Bloom Audio and Hifiman booths. It was *terrible*. It's digital and unfortunately the intervals between gain levels were too large and was always listening either too loudly or too softly. Turning the knob "up" sometimes turns the sound down or did nothing and vice versa. This happened at both examples at the show so I know it was literally designed that way. Unbelievable.

 

[ZzZzZ]

Anyone has used Burson Timekeeper 3ir with susvara ?

 

[archerious]

My arguement about "breaking in" headphones is simple, the more you wear them, the more wear on the pads, if the pads are mushed in a bit they can measure slightly differently.

Papa Crin has shown this on his site.

So breaking them in didn't "warm up the drivers to tame the treble", the owner literally mushed in the pads from wearing them during their 1000-hour break in or 2000-hour break-in session and caused the treble to veil/recess slightly.

 

[okok]

So breaking them in didn't "warm up the drivers to tame the treble", the owner literally mushed in the pads from wearing them during their 1000-hour break in or 2000-hour break-in session and caused the treble to veil/recess slightly.

sorry bud, the big whole point is missing, breaking in is leaving the thing on your desk with pink noise and not wearing them on the head, pads won't change.

 

[okok]

Driving them "good" is a myth, just like the he6 all over again, nothing can drive them to satisfied, better to move on

 

[staticV3]

sorry bud, the big whole point is missing, breaking in is leaving the thing on your desk with pink noise and not wearing them on the head, pads won't change.

Pads won't change and the driver won't change either:
https://www.rtings.com/headphones/learn/break-in

Burn-in is a myth born from placebo and exploited by scummy manufacturers to make their customers miss the return window.
Don't play right into their hands, please

 

[Rosscbro]

Hi all,

as the tile says, I just purchased a pair of Hifiman Susvaras and I'm kinda lost as to which amp to get for them. Currently I have a Matrix Audio Mini-i 3 Pro which I absolutely love but unfortunately the HP amp section doesn't seem to be enough to drive the Susvaras. So I have a couple of options, and would love your advice:
- I could keep the Mini as a DAC and then get an amp that's not too pricey to go with it and drive the Susvaras. (A90? Gustard H16? Singxer SA-1?)
- Or I sell it and get a stack (ot even an all in one) that has enough juice for the Susvaras. But in that case I'm even more lost, since there are so many possible options.

Either way trying not to spend a fortune (my wallet took a heavy hit from the Susvaras) but also I don't want a "barely can make it" amp that I would have to replace down the line because the headphones are not properly driven...

Would love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations on this.

Thanks! too late to give you advice

Hi all,

as the tile says, I just purchased a pair of Hifiman Susvaras and I'm kinda lost as to which amp to get for them. Currently I have a Matrix Audio Mini-i 3 Pro which I absolutely love but unfortunately the HP amp section doesn't seem to be enough to drive the Susvaras. So I have a couple of options, and would love your advice:
- I could keep the Mini as a DAC and then get an amp that's not too pricey to go with it and drive the Susvaras. (A90? Gustard H16? Singxer SA-1?)
- Or I sell it and get a stack (ot even an all in one) that has enough juice for the Susvaras. But in that case I'm even more lost, since there are so many possible options.

Either way trying not to spend a fortune (my wallet took a heavy hit from the Susvaras) but also I don't want a "barely can make it" amp that I would have to replace down the line because the headphones are not properly driven...

Would love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations on this.

Thanks!

Just bought Susvaras to replace HE1000SEs. I use an Audio-GD Master 9 headphone amplifier and it drives them with ease at it’s medium gain setting. Master 9 is neutral, hyper-detailed but not overly analytical and has strong but well controlled bass. Excellent value too. I use a HoloAudio May KTE DAC, so the only other headphone amplifier I might try one day is the HoloAudio Bliss KTE. Highly recommended the Master 9 though.

 

[Meller]

Driving them "good" is a myth, just like the he6 all over again, nothing can drive them to satisfied, better to move on

People who experienced the Susvara and other headphones with different amps and DACs do see (hear) a big exploration with more powerful amps. The Susvara gets so much elevated and explores itself when used with the Bakoon 13r.

check out this reviewer:

 

[ILoveBeryllium]

Has anyone compared the Susvara to the new Utopia? I have an older Utopia and thinking of upgrading to one of these.

Thanks

 

[Human Bass]

One crazy but actually practical thing is to get a speaker amp like the Topping LA90D and a adapter from speaker cable to headphone connector. Massive power yet super clean for less than 1k

 

[ILoveBeryllium]

I happen to have a AHB2 that I use for my bookshelf speakers and I am actually looking at getting the adapters. People seem to indicate the AHB2 is a good pairing with the Susvara. If it sounds that good I guess I would have to find ways to quickly disconnect between the bookshelves and Susvara

 

[all24bits]

I can't fathom spending many thousands on a tube amp in the year 2022 unless it's for an aesthetic purpose.

Lol what does the year have to do with buying tube amps? That's like saying it's 2025, why would you mess with vinyl? Or it's 2025, why would you buy a manual transmission car?