HIFIMAN Susvara Headphone Review

[IAtaman]

If you're defeated by the real estate market, buying expensive stuff you can use in an apartment makes sense. Especially if all you do is work at your desk.

The rise in headphones is completely explicable by this trend in my opinion.

You might be right, but I think there is more to it. You can get an KEF R3 Meta and a Buckeye Purifi amp for half the money and can still fit into an apartment. I think headphones offer something more than just space saving.

 

[IAtaman]

Well, all the reviews with no measurements at all are certainly less objective, providing no real data. For me personally, I only pay attention to the measurements and I listen to the gear myself, since the only subjective impressions that matter are your own.

Fair enough. I ignore a lot of talking heads and don't consider them as reviewers, so forget they are part of "headphone review" landscape sometimes. In larger context of reviews, having measurements with proper rigs is indeed a gem. Problem is, you can not tell if sth is good or not form the measurements. Best review is to pick up your Qudelix 5K and go to the dealer.

 

[majingotan]

You might be right, but I think there is more to it. You can get an KEF R3 Meta and a Buckeye Purifi amp for half the money and can still fit into an apartment. I think headphones offer something more than just space saving.

I 100% prefer to be absolutely isolated when I want to focus all my attention to listening to music hence why I prefer headphones over speakers anyday. Speakers purpose for me is just for background listening or only podcasts/YT vids

 

[Laniciffo]

No, you can not.

If there is no way to make 2 systems sound the same (or very similar), especially headphones that do not depend on room or seating position, then do you deny the whole concept of fidelity ?

 

[IAtaman]

If there is no way to make 2 systems sound the same (or very similar), especially headphones that do not depend on room or seating position, then do you deny the whole concept of fidelity ?

It might be possible, I am not sure. It is for sure not as simple as measuring them on a measurement rig and applying the difference in EQ though. As solderdude tried to explain, headphones are trickier than speakers in many ways.

Recommend this talk from Axel Grell for a bit more reliable insight.

 

[617]

Relative tonal magnitude is only a part of fidelity, and arguably a small part.

All speakers and headphones reproduce pitches at the exact right pitch, harmonic structure is portrayed within any audible threshold even with the most retro tube gear. Tempo is portrayed perfectly, melody is totally discernable. Space isnt generally part of musical expression since performers don't modulate the space they perform in for musical effect.

When I was a kid I had the headphones which came with my Panasonic portable cd player, which had three seconds of anti skip. I didn't enjoy them less than the stuff I have now. Was I a less sophisticated listener because my crappy headphones lacked detail? Or was I more sophisticated, since I used my imagination more when I listened?

Not defending this product. Buy some Dan Clarks or Sennheiser and give the rest to charity.

 

[asrUser]

No. I only listened to Topping A90.

It would be interesting to know your subjective opinions on the AHB2.

 

[CleanSound]

You might be right, but I think there is more to it. You can get an KEF R3 Meta and a Buckeye Purifi amp for half the money and can still fit into an apartment. I think headphones offer something more than just space saving.

If you're defeated by the real estate market, buying expensive stuff you can use in an apartment makes sense. Especially if all you do is work at your desk.

The rise in headphones is completely explicable by this trend in my opinion.

I had a friend who who lived in an apartment (in the US), he preferred speakers but is a headphone user, it wasn't necessarily for space savings, but really because he just doesn't want to disturb his neighbors and have them complain. After awhile, he really got into headphones, after all, enjoyment of something less preferable is still better than no enjoyment.

What I don't understand is, he owned his apartment, why didn't he just sound proof it, not just for listening to audio, but for general privacy and decibel freedom for when you have friends over, etc. Understanding it's easy said than done (particularly for those who aren't as handy) I priced out for my friend how much it would have cost to sound proof a 1,000 sqft apartment if he did it himself (and I offered to help out and how him what/how to do it), it's about $6k-$7k at the time, which is the cost of this horrific performing headphone. He ultimately decided against it because it was just too big of a project to take on while the apartment was occupied.

For those who own and lives in an apartment, seriously considered sound proofing your unit. It's not all that expensive and it will increase your resale value.

 

[woof!]

highly unlikely as the largest excursions would be present for lowest frequencies only not at 1kHz to 5kHz where the excursions are much smaller.
Besides it seems resonance related.
And the reason it is so insensitive is because the magnets are further apart (from the membrane) so another reason that this cannot be the case.

Could it possibly because of the Topping A90? I have A90 and it does create static noise when it's cranked at or above 12 o'clock on high setting. I remember some review awhile back also talk about this. I remember Amir mention that he only listen through A90 in one of the previous page.

 

[CleanSound]

It would be interesting to know your subjective opinions on the AHB2.

Amir does not do subjective opinion on electronics. The believe is that electronics has no sound signature except for the audible distortions which shows up on the measurements anyway.

 

[fordiebianco]

ethereal tonality

Please explain.

 

[617]

I had a friend who who lived in an apartment (in the US), he preferred speakers but is a headphone user, it wasn't necessarily for space savings, but really because he just doesn't want to disturb his neighbors and have them complain. After awhile, he really got into headphones, after all, enjoyment of something less preferable is still better than no enjoyment.

What I don't understand is, he owned his apartment, why didn't he just sound proof it, not just for listening to audio, but for general privacy and decibel freedom for when you have friends over, etc. Understanding it's easy said than done (particularly for those who aren't as handy) I priced out for my friend how much it would have cost to sound proof a 1,000 sqft apartment if he did it himself (and I offered to help out and how him what/how to do it), it's about $6k-$7k at the time, which is the cost of this horrific performing headphone. He ultimately decided against it because it was just too big of a project to take on while the apartment was occupied.

For those who own and lives in an apartment, seriously considered sound proofing your unit. It's not all that expensive and it will increase your resale value.

Soundproofing existing construction is expensive if you're trying to block bass. You'd lose a few dozen square feet best case scenario.

How were you planning on doing it?

 

[CleanSound]

Soundproofing existing construction is expensive if you're trying to block bass. You'd lose a few dozen square feet best case scenario.

How were you planning on doing it?

Well, bass is very difficult as you alluded to, even moreso there is an element of physical vibration, the best you can do is damp it.

I proposed to rip out the drywall, hard wood floor and ceiling and install multiple various of sound proof material of various options on the market. There are various techniques. But you are right where bass is very difficult to dampen.

 

[majingotan]

Please explain.

Demo a Stax headphone or any electrostatic headphone sans Warwick Bravura and Aperio (those two have the least pronounced ethereal sound) and you'll know what it means instantly. I suck at describing sound personally.

 

[solderdude]

Please explain.

extremely 'airy' and 'fragile' sound (at least that's what it means to me)

 

[solderdude]

Could it possibly because of the Topping A90? I have A90 and it does create static noise when it's cranked at or above 12 o'clock on high setting. I remember some review awhile back also talk about this. I remember Amir mention that he only listen through A90 in one of the previous page.

Amir said it performed the same, the AHB2 just could go a little louder.

Static sounds could be from a faulty pot. I have no idea what else could cause this.

 

[617]

Well, bass is very difficult as you alluded to, even moreso there is an element of physical vibration, the best you can do is damp it.

I proposed to rip out the drywall, hard wood floor and ceiling and install multiple various of sound proof material of various options on the market. There are various techniques. But you are right where bass is very difficult to dampen.

I've studied this and had discussions with some acoustic consultants and yeah, if you want to really do soundproofing it's nothing fancy but you'll want offset or double stud walls, rc and two layers of gyp with resilient glue. You'd lose about 180mm/6 inches which is 1sf per every 2 foot of treated wall. That's a good amount of leasable area.

I think desk monitors with a nearby sub is a good compromise. The sub being close by means you don't have to run it very loud. Superior to headphones, for me.

 

[Chagall]

Could it possibly because of the Topping A90? I have A90 and it does create static noise when it's cranked at or above 12 o'clock on high setting. I remember some review awhile back also talk about this. I remember Amir mention that he only listen through A90 in one of the previous page.

Amir said it performed the same, the AHB2 just could go a little louder.

Static sounds could be from a faulty pot. I have no idea what else could cause this.

There were some reports of static when connecting DAC with RCAs, but Amir would solve this issue on the first listen by connecting XLRs.
Static isn't amp related I'm pretty sure.

 

[solderdude]

Some potmeters can have bad contacts at specific points or over a certain range that can give a 'static alike' effect when adjusting the volume or spontaniously. That could possibly be an explanation for the A90 observation (not in the Susvara case though)
Also some semiconductors when on the brink of going faulty could give 'static alike' sounds.

I wish Amir had recorded an example of what he heard so we could understand what he meant.

 

[woof!]

There were some reports of static when connecting DAC with RCAs, but Amir would solve this issue on the first listen by connecting XLRs.
Static isn't amp related I'm pretty sure.

Really, mine have it on XLR connection. My topping A90 RCAs is even worse. I can't listen it with RCA on medium on high setting at all. I don't have this problem with other headphone amp like Singxer SA-1 or My RME ADI-2 Dac FS. Also have an AHB-2 I don't have problem with AHB-2 either other than when I tried to use it with a sensitive IEM for obvious reason