FINAL HEADPHONE SHOOT-OUT 

Thank you for posting your honest opinions! I completely agree with this verdict. Susvara’s timbre is unbeatable and with a 2db bass shelf it can play other genres very well. I also pair it with my SVS SB16 ultra

I sold my TC and went Susvara. Comfort matters a lot. Also, with a stereo amp, the Susvara is king. Tc gets a little bright at times, some fatigue. Never with Susvara

Another great shoot-out! Thank you, Sajid, for this and for all your three very interesting parts!!! You should definitely listen to and test the new Stax SR-X9000. If the SR-009s is already your number three of best-in-class headphones in the world (in your eyes), there's a good chance the X9000 will become your best overall headphone in the world (X9000 paired with the KGSSHV Carbon which fits very well). The X9000 outperforms the 009s in all categories, setting the bar so high that it's at least one "league" above the 009s (I'd expect it to be “a league and a half” above). It's more precise, it's faster, it has more airiness and an almost overwhelming spatially precise presentation. Just another dimension. And at the same time - although "razor sharp" - never annoying or being "bright", but so natural and pleasant to listen to and so beautiful in sound. This is to be expected especially with highly complex music (large orchestra), natural acoustic music and human male (bass, baritone, tenor) and female (soprano, alto) voices. However, the full increase in performance of the X9000 over the 009s can only be heard with natural and/or highly complex natural music. With “kind of artificially” mixed and mastered modern music (mixed studio music or even live music as coming technically amplified through a PA sound system), it's still significantly better, but the gap between X9000 and 009s isn't as audible as with natural music. In my view, the X9000 is a truly incredible (revolutionary) achievement by Stax, based on their 80 years headphone heritage and deep e-stat experience. "The Empire Strikes Back" ;-) after long 10 years of “silence” in a truly vibrant decade regarding emerging new competing flagships in the domain of dynamics, planars and e-stats. SR-009 was released in 2011. SR-009s in 2018 was technically considered no real step above, it was just a “reform” (more or less other tonality tuning), but far from a “revolution” (half of the fans prefer the 009s over the 009, the other fraction vice versa). But the X9000 from 2021 is a technical revolution, a contemporary masterpiece. So, please try to listen to X9000, Sajid 😊

Thank you for your work , I can only afford one headphone and you helped me decide on the Susvaras ,.

It is a very engaging statement to say: This is the best headphones! There are a lot of variables like: how your hearing does work; what is your library; what a rig you have;.... I will dare to mention only headphones I had deeply tested. 1/ I still cannot justify 4 times more expensive Susvara over the Arya 2021 ed.; yes, the Susvara is definitely better but what about the cost!?; 2/ If you have a good rig with a good R2R dac and a Burson 3XP with Arya, HD800s and LCD-4, what gives you the real upgrade? I was straggling for long. And I found the answer for me - it is a Stax. A LNS gives you the warmth, bass and supreme vocals, followed by well detailed and smooth highs; the bass is very similar to 007mk1 but mids and highs are better, for me; If you want to upgrade - it is the 007 mk2; a bit less bass but far better control, supreme mids and highs detailed like HD800S but with far better smoothness and the sound stage = an Arya, not that exaggerated like HD800S; vs 009s - bass is deeper and far more authoritative and mids and vocals are not that recessed, or lightened if I may say. The 007 mk2 runs on 007t modified by Mjolnir, sourcing from Ares II. The rig of an Ares II and Soloist 3XP or 007t Mjolnir gives you the tools to judge any DD, Planar or Electeostatic. All other rig upgrades are just improvement to the reply but are not changing the performance of the mention above headphones in a reranking way. The series you did is close to perfect but the final conlusion is lucking variables and the library.

Great discussion on tonality!

I'm contemplating whether i should spend over 500$ on a headphone meanwhile you have probably over 50k worth of audio equipment in one room. Wouldn't it be better to sell all or most of your equipment and just get the Sennheiser He- 1 instead?

Great shootout, thanks ☺️ I'd probably be saving for either of the top two if it wasn't for the accompanying gear that's also needed. Not saying that it can compete on paper with the top two, but it sounds like given the ease of synergy, low power requirements and no obvious shortcomings (perhaps not "best in the world" in any aspect, but also free from any flaws that would make it genre-specific) the Utopia could still be the perfect headphone for someone who is unable/unwilling to buy extra gear and is not looking to collect different headphones for different genres.

We all knew the verdict in advance 😂. Now that you have all the best headphones in production, you need to search for the legendary ones: Sony MDR-R10 and Sennheiser HE90. Gotta catch’em all!

Ok, i think the next logical review/preview should be the chord dave since you "nonchalantly I might add" mentioned and you own it. and of course thank you very much for the all the informative content you're putting on youtube and on the head-fi community. cheers.

Great series !

...And your comment about Susvara being best "all-rounder"? I can see that. While it doesn't have as much "flash" or "bling" as some as my other headphones, it consistently reproduces the sound characteristics most adeptly in listening sessions for every genre from Wintersun to Roger Waters to Holst.

Enjoying this a lot, thanks for your thoughts. I have the 1266 and lcd-5 which have been great so far. Still need to get my ears on a susvara to see what I think. I love the sound of the 1266 with the modern music I listen to so have been hesitant to try a susvara. Have you heard some of the dan clark offerings like voce or the new stealth?

Bro your chin whiskers are scratching your mic , beyond that very nice vid Bro.

Please try kennerton headphones, I heard good things about them specifically bass response and for soundstage.

Great final video of this series. I agree 100% with your comment about Susvara needing a good, warm amp. I find mine shines best with my old HK-870 power amp. Heddphone and everything else I own except for He6se v2 & Susvara runs perfectly fine off just a Burson Audio Soloist 3X. Those two headphones are the only ones that really NEED that last mile of performance to sound their best.

Finally!!!!

Why is it that so many RU-vidrs proclaiming to be deeply attuned to the quality of sound don’t know how to create a good mic set up? In this case Discussing intimate details of SQ with constant static like interference. Odd.

the hairs on your chin is touching the mic and can be heard. Thanks for the review. As always quality review.

As much as I love my LCD-5 and think the sound is truly world class, I feel Audeze really cut some corners regarding its design. From the insane clamp of the initial headbands to the twisting issue which was not mentioned, to some connectors being pulled out of the cups, to my personal experience of the Audeze logos being loose on the cups (just barely glued on apparently) and the glued on faux leather pads, I feel Audeze shot themselves in the foot because they wanted the largest profit margin possible. Really too bad. I will continue to love my LCD-5, but I question where Audeze stands ethically and will be hesitant to buy from them in the future.

Damn, son. Let me borrow a few of those for a bit :)

The focal all the way in back 😂.

I like the content you gave on tuning. Resolve has done several videos on harman and the different curves and how they are fitted/scaled against a target. Many reviewers have developed their own preference curves and measure against that. They then use objective measurements to speak in relative terms to a subjective curve. I tend to prefer deviations to the curve on tuning and I like different flavors. The phi tc and 009s would be the perfect combo for me. I own the Phi tc and have been searching for a second paring. Also looking at verite closed and d8k pro. I think you might actually be able to do better than chord Dave and Holo May for similar money.

Is there a good budget dac/amp for LCD-5 with broad and airy sound stage?

What do you guys think of the DCS lina amp for Susvara and what cables?

How has your thoughts on the Susvara changed after getting the Ferrum stack if at all?

Try goldplanar gl 1200, stax l700 mk2, Abyss Diana TC, MEZE Empyrean Elite

What did you think of shang jr?

Thanks for the shootout! Whats the crunching sounds Sajit lol

The HE-1 is the ultimate Harman tuned headphone because it has the bass shelf and the treble clarity as an open back. Ignoring the price and knowing that you've demoed it, would you say the HE-1 has better clarity and nicer timbre than the Susvara or do they offer comparable performance/sound quality?

What are all your degrees/awards/certificates on the wall? :)

Nice 3 rounds! How would you compare the hd800s with susvara?

Hey will you be trying any vintage stax like lambda signature

Why no one is talking about the Warwick acoustic aperio headphone system ? It's such an amazing product from what I've read

What rank is Verite Open, ADX5000, and 007 MK2?

Where do I get the resolve EQ for lcd-5? I’ve just recently ordered it

where would you place the h31k se ?

the Abyss look stupid on - seriously thats why you didnt even show the camera with them on your head

if you can move your microphone away from your neck, that'd be nice D:

Sorry to say that, but as an audiophile one should look for basic sound reproduction as well and sound here is terrible, not just because the beard is scratching on the mic all the time.