HIFIMAN Susvara Headphone Review

[Curupira]

Myself, I would steer clear of headphones that were that choppy.

I have a hypothesis that this, together with the bright leaning tonal characteristics of the headphone, gives off the illusion/perception of "detail" retrieval. But I could be wrong, as that jaggedness could easily be smoothed over by our brains like in speakers.

If someone can point me to studies done in this regard, I'd be much appreciated.

 

[usern]

FR jaggedness is perhaps result of comb filtering

 

[Lotus78]

Good marketing GM was successful with this in the 80’s

Life style luxury.

Sorry this thread should have been shut down about ten pages ago. Way below ASR standards.

 

[majingotan]

the poll in this susvara thread asks people here to rate it...62% suggest the susvara is poor....does anyone think 62% of people on this site have listened to the susvara?...yeah right!...how are they suggesting it is poor?...from talk of graphs and measurements..

It's objectively mediocre objectively hence the poll results. Still don't know what makes you so worked up and truly understand that not everyone that are objectively focused wants poorly measuring gears (at least in THD and max SPL excursion with Susvara) / headphone audio chain setup. Liking what you hear out of the Susvara or any other headphone is ALWAYS subjective because it's inherently biased to one's unique preference

 

[solderdude]

There is definitely something going on around 5kHz. It has a resonance there and at its 2nd harmonic. The 10kHz resonance is right where most fixtures dip so may not be spotted on those fixtures.

 

[MayaTlab]

FR jaggedness is perhaps result of comb filtering

Unlikely given the wavelengths involved and the excess group delay Resolve measured in the above graph.

 

[tanglewire]

This is a review, listening tests, EQ and detailed measurements of the HIFIMAN Susvara Planar Magnetic Headphone. It was kindly drop shipped by a member and costs US $6,000.
View attachment 336679
Owner was advised that the Benchmark AHB2 power amplifier would be the right device to power it so I tested it with that as well as my normal Topping A90 headphone amplifier.

Hifiman aces the design of the Susvara coming in a modern and elegant looking package. It is rather lightweight for its size as well, making it comfortable to wear. The only minor issue there was feeling the strap on my head but otherwise, it was excellent and I almost forgot I was wearing it. You can't see it but the metal strap is rectangular which I am not fond of in general but it kind works here. Whether you are getting $6,000 worth of luxury here I don't know but a good effort has been made to make you feel you are getting a flagship headphone.

If you are new to my headphone measurements, I highly recommend that you watch my video tutorial on headphone measurements which ironically uses Hifiman HE-6 as an example.

Hifiman Susvara Headphone Measurements
Let's start with frequency response of the Susvara and compare it against our desired target:
View attachment 336680
I was very surprised by the highly variable nature of the measurements. It is beyond noisy. Other measurements that use high level of smoothing don't show this as much and with it, hide potential issues there. That aside, we lack bass which is typical of a number of other headphones. Response is also insufficient in the 1 to 3 kHz which likely is there to keep the headphone form sounding too bright (given the lack of bass). Developing eq to correct the high frequency response is going to be a bit challenging but we will try using the deviation for our target response:
View attachment 336681

I was disappointed to see high levels of distortion where our hearing is most sensitive:
View attachment 336682
Narrow spikes usually indicate resonances so they are audible beyond their distortion characteristics and point to design issues. We can also see how fast they escalate. 94 to 104 dBSPL causes a 3 3X or so increase but go to 114 dBSPL and they shoot through the roof. What's more, if you go just 1 dB beyond, the drivers bottom out and just buzz! Wanting to rule out Topping A90's own distortion I switched to Benchmark AHB2. Alas, I was not able to get above 113 dBSPL as AHB2 ran out of voltage drive. Taking this into account, we see that the problem is the headphone and not the amps:
View attachment 336683

To make a more level matched comparison, I tested again but at 104 dBSPL:
View attachment 336684
Ignoring minor deviations, we see that the response is identical so there is really no need for the Benchmark AHB2 in this application. The Topping A90 is actually more capable of driving the Susvara. As noted, this is due to AHB2 not having enough voltage drive due to rather "high" impedance so SUSVARA (as compared to a speaker):
View attachment 336685
The Susvara is very insensitive so you definitely need a very capable amplifier to drive it:
View attachment 336686

Back to our distortion, here it is in absolute levels:
View attachment 336687
Even at 94 dBSPL we are exceeding our target between 4 and 5 kHz. I searched and there is at least one other measurement on the web that shows a similar issue so please don't say this sample must be broken. There is clearly a design issue here. The super messy Group Delay points to multiple sound sources (i.e. resonances):
View attachment 336688
I don't think I have ever seen such broad messiness across almost the entire audible band above bass.

Let's agree that objectively we are not doing well here. But "how does it sound?"

Hifiman Susvara Listening Tests and Equalization
I was listening to music on my everyday headphone and decided to just switch to Susvara without going back to my reference test clips. First thing I noticed -- which was odd -- was the high frequencies being distorted. When I went back to my standard tracks, this did not stand out. There, the tonality was "OK" but nothing exciting for me. So out came the EQ tools to correct the frequency response errors:
View attachment 336689
Ignore Band 5 for now. Addition of the two filters at 1900 and 4500 Hz filled in the treble area but now the headphone was bright. So I added a pair of filters to boost the bass region with similar slop to the inverse of Susvara frequency response. Once there, overall response was far better with good bit of bass and much improved spatial qualities. Alas, I was still sensing brightness. I pulled down the response at 4500 Hz and that helped but it was still bright. So I broke my usual rule of not messing with > 8 kHz and dialed in a negative notch filter at 12.7 kHz. That tailored the tonality to what I liked.

I sat back and started to enjoy the fidelity which was at times quite excellent. That was at low and medium levels. With my dynamic tracks I crank up the volume and I was quite surprised when I started to hear static when I did not even have it super loud. Suspecting EQ being the problem, I defeatured the whole thing and problem remained (although required a bit more volume to get there). This is a showstopper in my book as the problem is not even the elevated bass with EQ where the problem usually occurs. I think the issue is the high frequency issues we have found.

I know some will claim to not hear this or complain that the above level is too loud. I have my standards of how much power a headphone needs to be able to handle and the Susvara falls way short of that. I want perfection at this price point yet even if this was a $400 headphone, I would complain about this problem.

Conclusions
Hifiman nails the look and overall industrial design of the Susvara delivering a headphone that puts a smile on my face every time I look at it. It is also very comfortable to wear. Alas, objective measurements show issues across the board. Response is quite variable beyond typical noise. Has deficiencies against our target. And importantly, appears to have serious resonance issues that manifest themselves in distortion graphs. Listening tests confirm those distortion finding with the headphone creating static at levels that should not remotely be possible with a flagship headphone.

If you don't exceed medium loud levels distortion would not impact you. And maybe you are OK with this type of tuning. Neither is my cup of tea, leaving me with the sadness that such a great looking headphone is saddled with serious technical problems.

I can't recommend the Hifiman Susvara headphone. I also don't recommend pairing it with Benchmark AHB2. Even though it can almost drive it, it costs a lot more than a capable headphone amplifier.

P.S. I know some are going to be upset with the findings in this review. I highly recommend you watch my video tutorial on headphone testing before commenting.

------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

you just saved me USD6K master chief!! thanks

 

[allmanfan]

I suspect most ASR readers saw the price and expected top performance. It lacked that. Not many have actually heard it and people base their opinion on what they see and read.
Best to simply accept that's how it works at ASR.
You can't expect ASR readers to have heard all headphones, speakers, amps and DACs.

no, it lacked the measurements that the site worships..if you dont hear a HP you cannot pass judgment on it...simple as that...amazing to me that anyone would think otherwise

 

[solderdude]

no, it lacked the measurements that the site worships..if you dont hear a HP you cannot pass judgment on it...simple as that...amazing to me that anyone would think otherwise

What measurements are lacking that are worshiped on ASR that other review sites are not lacking ?

Amir did measure and hear it so why can't he just pass judgement on it ?

It is amazing to me you would think this is not the case other than the fact you do not agree with the judgement.

When your concern is the poll then you should realize that about 20% of the 350 responders seems to have heard the headphone and thinks it sounds fine. I'm one of them, I just cannot defend its price.

 

[migo77]

Susvara is sounding really very good when not listened at extreme volume levels. But it is overpriced like all top of line or so called "highend" products.
But I don't get why some people can't accept Amirs opinion.

 

[allmanfan]

What measurements are lacking that are worshiped on ASR that other review sites are not lacking ?

Amir did measure and hear it so why can't he just pass judgement on it ?

It is amazing to me you would think this is not the case other than the fact you do not agree with the judgement.

When your concern is the poll then you should realize that about 20% of the 350 responders seems to have heard the headphone and thinks it sounds fine. I'm one of them, I just cannot defend its price.

I didnt say it lacked measurements I said it lacked whatever measurements the site demands to regard a HP as good,my contention is very simple you cannot judge any audio product without listening to it...to say otherwise is absurd

 

[usern]

a strong consensus would perhaps suggest it has been the best all around headphone available.

To say a single headphone model is best for every taste is absurd

 

[allmanfan]

Susvara is sounding really very good when not listened at extreme volume levels. But it is overpriced like all top of line or so called "highend" products.
But I don't get why some people can't accept Amirs opinion.

susvara is one of the most popular high end HP's for 7 yrs...it is a consensus choice of many reviewers as the best HP available....it has tons of owners who rave about it but here we have people who declare it a poor HP because they read a graph and havent even listened to it...overpriced is a subjective judgment ...all I ask of people here is to admit that the sites criticism of susvara and so many other products is all subjective which it is...declaring a judgment due to a graph and measurements is the definition of subjective ....

 

[oceansize]

susvara is one of the most popular high end HP's for 7 yrs...it is a consensus choice of many reviewers as the best HP available....it has tons of owners who rave about it but here we have people who declare it a poor HP because they read a graph and havent even listened to it...overpriced is a subjective judgment ...all I ask of people here is to admit that the sites criticism of susvara and so many other products is all subjective which it is...declaring a judgment due to a graph and measurements is the definition of subjective ....

Uh, no.

Subjective:

subjective /səb-jĕk′tĭv/

adjective​

1. Dependent on or taking place in a person's mind rather than the external world.
2. Based on a given person's experience, understanding, and feelings; personal or individual.
   "admitted he was making a highly subjective judgment."
3. Not caused by external stimuli.

Objective:

objective /əb-jĕk′tĭv/

adjective​

1. Existing independent of or external to the mind; actual or real.
   "objective reality."
2. Based on observable phenomena; empirical.
   "objective facts."
3. Uninfluenced by emotions or personal prejudices: synonym: fair.
   "an objective critic."

 

[solderdude]

I didnt say it lacked measurements I said it lacked whatever measurements the site demands to regard a HP as good,my contention is very simple you cannot judge any audio product without listening to it...to say otherwise is absurd

Amir did listen to it... he just did not like it when it was played loud and did not prefer the tuning. Just Amir's opinion.
Why would someone get all in a knot about someone's opinion if that deviates from those of others ?

 

[allmanfan]

actually, I have zero problem with amir or anyones opinion ..all good..my problem is people here who never listen to the susvara or other HP's suggesting it doesnt sound good based on a graph or measurements...just say it is all subjective or that others might like different measurements and its all good..if one prefers the harman curve just say simply I prefer the harman curve and this HP doesnt adhere to it ..thats fine, just do not represent the curve or measurements as objective truth and again if you havent listened to a HP you cannot say it is good or no good

 

[Resolve]

It's objectively mediocre objectively hence the poll results. Still don't know what makes you so worked up and truly understand that not everyone that are objectively focused wants poorly measuring gears (at least in THD and max SPL excursion with Susvara) / headphone audio chain setup. Liking what you hear out of the Susvara or any other headphone is ALWAYS subjective because it's inherently biased to one's unique preference

I'm curious... apart from the more modal response of this headphone, what about these results indicate to you "objectively mediocre"? Sub 2% harmonic distortion at 114dB is solid. To me this indicates more that there's something wrong with Amir's unit, at least for distortion performance, since there are seemingly no issues with this one.


Edit: just a note - this is a retail production unit, not a demo unit sent by HiFiMAN.

 

[majingotan]

I'm curious... apart from the more modal response of this headphone, what about these results indicate to you "objectively mediocre"? Sub 2% harmonic distortion at 114dB is solid. To me this indicates more that there's something wrong with Amir's unit, at least for distortion performance, since there are seemingly no issues with this one.

I personally also don’t find any issues with my own Susvara even at near IMAX Movie SPLs (114 dB SPL peaks) but I was responding to the poll results comment from one of the member citing/explaining that jaggy FR graphs + distortion measurements plus the 6K pricing were the cause of ~62% poor (headless panther) poll results

 

[Resolve]

I personally also don’t find any issues with my own Susvara even at near IMAX Movie SPLs (114 dB SPL peaks) but I was responding to the poll results comment from one of the member citing/explaining that jaggy FR graphs + distortion measurements plus the 6K pricing were the cause of ~62% poor (headless panther) poll results

Meh... if all I saw was the interpretation of the original post I'd probably think it's also mediocre. The results would probably have been different with the unit I measured.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

I'm curious... apart from the more modal response of this headphone, what about these results indicate to you "objectively mediocre"? Sub 2% harmonic distortion at 114dB is solid. To me this indicates more that there's something wrong with Amir's unit, at least for distortion performance, since there are seemingly no issues with this one.


Edit: just a note - this is a retail production unit, not a demo unit sent by HiFiMAN.

Yes, unit variation is definitely a thing with hifiman.
I listened Sus couple of times and each time my feelings were different.

For 6k.....