HIFIMAN Susvara: A Long-term Review 

Your reviews are consistently great. I love that you spend so much time with everything

This was really enjoyable to watch, and extremely informative, particularly that most of us can't compare these headphones all once in real life. Thank you for the effort you put into it!

This is an AMAZING review, man. Thanks so much!

I finally decided to purchase a Susvara after listening to your review and others on repeat for the past 4 weeks. I just got it today and you're right; it truly is incredible. Honestly, I can't get over how comfortable it is and the dynamics are fantastic; way better than I was expecting.

By far the best (and most accurate) review on the Susvara yet, and well-articulated as usual.

Thanks for all your contribution to the community, Sajid!

Amazing review! Helped me decide :) Thank you 🙏🏻

If there ever was a review that sold me the Susvara, this is it! What an in-depth review that provides every possible detail that one could ask for. This is on my list to buy next now.

Thanks for the review. Really helpful

incredible review mate....thanks a lot for sharing your experience! !

Thank you for such a thorough review.

Amazing review….thanks a ton

Brilliant job! Watched the whole thing.

Absolutely brilliant review, I ordered the Susvara last week, now I just need to wait for them to be delivered. I will be using the rear xlr out on the Chord Hugo TT2 until I get something like the AHB2 or OOR headphone amp.

Top-notch review of the HiFiMan Susvara headphones!

Very informative and professional

Great review…👍🏾

You are right I was emotional when listening to the Susvaras midrange

Another amazing, through and articulate review! If the Susvara is the best all round headphone this is likely the best all round review of the Susvara on RU-vid (and I’ve seen them all multiple times)! Reviewers like you add so much to the community (especially to those of us that are relatively new to the hobby). Thank you for that. I’m likely to pull the trigger an a pair of Susvara very soon and pair it with the May and likely the Burson Soloist GT - any experience of that particular combination? Also, what usb and interconnect cables are you using with your current Sus chain? Again - thank you!🙏

Hi, I’m really in love and enjoy your reviewing audio by far. I owed Utopia for nearly a year and really love the sound of it. I’m currently interested with Susvara, unfortunately you dont have Utopia to compare with Sus at the time you make this video. Can you kindly share more about how mid-range and treble of them? I quite understand about bass of them both. Just need some more information about mid-rang and treble.

Another awesome review and I appreciate you’re passionate drive in this hobby. When I got into this hobby many years ago in the middle of the price range I always saw people that owned the Susvara also owned the 1266 TC and I always wondered why? In a nutshell they both compliment each other very well and depending on your musical mood you can pickup one or the other and be so involved with the music. Now I am surprised that no one ever thinks about the Woo Audio WA33 amp this amp is extremely versatile and most of all it can pair with ANY headphones. I see it selling on the used market for under $5k with the base model, and if you want to step it up even more than go for the Elite version where you get the very best volume pot on the market $1300 to be exact. Not to mention a ton of tube options as well. On another note regarding the Topping A90 with the Susvara’s I think it is a huge mistake. I see so many people getting a highend headphone in this hobby and pairing it with a $300 Schiit stack and saying this headphone sucks. This is like buying a new Porsche GTS but only having enough money to buy 1990 Toyota Corolla tires to put on it and after driving it saying this car sucks. I’ve tried many headphone amps A90 = totally sucked, Violectric v281 okay way better than the A90, Emotiva headphone amp unleashed 50w better, my Yamaha AS3000 very good and many more but do not buy this headphone with crappy source and expect a miracle in sound. In my opinion the Susvara is one of the best sounding headphone out that plays most of 99.9% of all music genres with ease. Just don’t feed it 💩 amps and dacs and you will be extremely rewarded.

You do great reviews. You are always detailed and do not rush, and also share your bias which I like a lot. Currently I am on a crossroad - I have three electrostatic headphones, HD800s , Arya ( the edition before the stealth), an Eikon, Z1R iem, UM Mesk, ZM72, two Focals,.... and I wonder which way to go. Let's forget the Staxes, according to you what is better the Susvara or the LCD-5? Please, do not calculate the chain - I have a good streamer, Denafrips Ares II, Myteck Liberty dac, Burson Soloist 3X, so the rig, I think, is good. Also, I already have good idea what you like and why. So, opinion Susvara or LCD-5, please!?

Nice one I did not realise you were on RU-vid LOL we literally launched the channels simultaneously as I can see 😀🐅

Fantastic review. I’m torn between keeping my HiFiman HE 1000 se driven by my Luxman p-750u headphone amp or getting the Susvara and buying a stereo amp. I have no problem letting go of the HE 1000 se for the upgrade to the Susvara but the Luxman is such an amazing amp, I’m scared to let it go. Oh, I forgot to mention my Sonnet Morpheus DAC has a volume control. I listen mostly to classical music and electronic drum and bass/jungle.

Hi Sajid and thank you very much for your great review! And for all your great reviews in the past which I really liked a lot. You describe everything very well and your descriptions fit perfectly to my own experiences (in case of certain headphones I could listen to). In your other video from 2nd of November and again now in this new video in the comparison section you state that a well driven SR-009s (e.g. via KGSSHV Carbon) is at the same sonic quality level as a well driven Susvara if looking at the sum of all sonic properties, i.e. the overall performance. Of course, both have their individual pros and cons at different selected fields, they are different in tonality, holographic sound/airiness, detail retrieval, etc., but with regard to the overall performance there is a "tie". Right? I think exactly the same. Recently, I could thoroughly test the new Stax SR-X9k. And this was an extreme WOW experience when I compared it to my SR-009 (I also used a KGSSHV Carbon by Mjoelnir Audio). Before that comparison I was quite skeptical and thought Stax could have achieved only subtle improvements (if any) as the SR-009 was already so good. But when I made these comparisons with different type of music (preference was classical, large ultra-complex orchestra works like those by Gustav Mahler, and intimate vocal music and acoustical music and also pop/rock music tracks), I was literally blown away by the overall performance of the X9000. That X9k was far better than my SR-009 by really every property. Again even more detailed and fast, crisp, sparkling and extremely holographic with spatially ultra-fine resolution. And besides that a very beautiful tonality and overall impression. Yes, "beautiful" (or heavenly!) is the right word. Besides ultra accuracy far beyond that of the 009, a wonderful musical beauty! Absolutely incredible. I really wonder how it compares to Susvara, or Sennheiser HE-1 or Shangri-La Sr. After these extreme improvements over the already excellent SR-009, I would not be astonished if the X9k could have surpassed the HE-1. At least after a Harman correction via EQ (which the HE-1 also does by its built-in DSP/DAC/EQ closed system). But, of course, I don't know. I would be very interested in your impressions and maybe a video or head-fi forum posting when you had them. Thanks a lot again, kind regards and Cheers!

ty subbed

Thank you for this fantastic, comprehensive, and fun-to-read Hifiman-Susvara review Sajid. I understand why you recommend an integrated amplifier for the Susvara. What is your opinion about matching them with the new Purifi or Hypex Class D power amplifiers? For example, Audiophonics HPA-S400ET. Thanks, Aviad

Love the review. Any headphone amps you'd recommend for the Susvara that have a good crossfeed function?

Brother I finally splurged for a Susvara thanks to you. I hope Dr. B thanks you haha. I am wondering if I currently have a Topping D90 and I am wanting the most separated sound horizontally and depth (that somewhat unreal separated sound) is there a Dac that does this significantly better than the D90?

Great video. What do you look for when A/B comparing two different DACs?

a very nice review and thanks! i did a good listen while commuting. while i do have a question, a lot of reviews mutually exclude mid and bass.is it even possible to achieve both perfect mid and bass? i think there may not be too many serious audiophilers that are into KPOP, which i am among. KPOP often has a lot of bass element and scales pretty well with dynamics but at the same time, has lots of good singers with unique voices where u almost want to hear them closely. in the past i have been trying DAPs in the 3k to 4K range and IEMs in the similar range and focal utopia, yet i am struggling to find one with best of breed for both close up mid vocal and heavy and quantity bass slam with dynamics... hence i am really looking to up scale my investment

You really would enjoy trying a prion4. It made the silver dragon sound warm, muddy, congested in comparison.

Thanks for the great review. Appreciate the info you have given the community. Wondering if you have listened to the AHB2? I am running PC Optical Out > Chord TT2 > Benchmark AHB2. I find the quality of the bass and extension to be good but bass quantity is lacking. Wondering if you have heard of dual mono AHB2 setup? Wondering if these cans produce enough bass quantity to my liking?

Try Fog City Cables (pure Japanese copper in 22 awg) which elevates all signals; bass mid and treble! A really superb cable about twice the price of Periapt! As far as amps, try a Violetric V281....absolutely synergistic! Your reviews are absolutely 'TOP SHELF, my friend!"

Great review! I’m rocking a HE6SE v2 with a Pontus II to Burson 3XP GT; one to ten, how great of benefit is the Susvara? I know you probably not tried the same chain but, I respect your theoretical opinion. Thanks, again. Great review.

Thanks for the info/recommendation on the Benchmark AHB2. This looks pretty amazing for the price and if it adds that much to the Susvara then I'm impressed. How does it connect to the TT2 and would I be using the SE out on the TT2 for the Susvara? I am new to power amps. Is there anything I need to know about it and how to use it with headphones? I also have the LCD 5, ZMF Verite Open, Meze Elite, Arya, and HD800s. Is it safe to use the Benchmark with these headphones? Thanks for any help and recommendations you can give me. All the best!

Hi Sajid, great review, thanks! I wonder if you may have had a chance to try the new Diana TC? I wonder how it compares..

I have a GS-X mini, which I run in fully balanced mode to fully take advantage of its power output. I have given some thought to purchasing a used Susvara. At about the 29/30 ish minute mark, you mentioned that it had some difficulty in driving the Susvara during quiet passages. For your review, were you running the GS-X mini in balanced or unbalanced mode?

Hi Sajid, I have an Accuphase E-408, it’s 180w into 8 ohm, is that too much power with the Susvara? Would I have enough wiggle room with the volume dial or would it be very loud at 8 o’clock?

Thank you for the great and extremely thorough review! I appreciate everything you covered and very much agree with being an extremely happy Susvara owner! I hope you get to try the new Abyss Diana TC soon and compare that to the Susvara. Have you tried the Susvara with the Chord Hugo TT2? That is what I am currently using and it sounds pretty great to me. I can't tell if I am missing anything not going to a speaker amp. The bass has nice impact and rumble at times which sounds great to me. I am going out of the rear XLR jacks. Have you ever tried the Susvara with a tube amp and if so what are your thoughts? Thanks again for the great review!. You do a great job! Hopefully, you can try the Abyss Diana TC. That one is on my radar. All the best!

Please review the Sonoma acoustic bravura or aperio headphone system 🙏

Could you compare susvara vs LCD 4? does the LCD 4 also benefit when you drive it with a speaker amp ?

I just purchased a Yamaha AS3200 speaker amplifier & have been looking at different top headphones. I’m realizing I can probably skip buying an expensive headphone amp and just use the Yamaha with the Susvara instead. Do you have any experience with the Susvaras on any of the top Yamaha Amps?

Nice so good. What was the speaker amp your currently using again? I didn’t catch it. Thanks

Is it a good idea to pair the Susvara with a tube amp?

have you tried the susvara with the burson soloist 3x?

Awesome review!! I'm just looking at Accuphase and I will most likely end up with e380 or e480 🍻

13:22 , try the aperio then you will be blown away how resolving they are 😉

HI, just acquired the new DCS Lina system, How do you think Susvara will do in this chain? Currently using 1266’s. I know the LINA raw power rate is not on the strongest end , but I also see a lot of conversation around the entire chain at this level being more important?

Nice video do some iems 👍

I was surprised to hear that you didn't like the Holo May Dac with the Stax 009s. I thought I remembered reading in a review of yours that both paired well... Any dac recommendations for that headphones, apart for the Ares 2?

How would one connect headphones to a speaker amp?

Hi wat dac will drive the susvara

What u think of gucraftsman cable?

so what is the best headphone at your opinion?

waiting for your DAVE impression.

Can anybody comment on stock susvara cables requiring replacement? also Can anybody comment on the 2.5mm vs 3.5mm versions of susvara?

Would you say it is worth the extra 3k over he1000se?

okay,, harman cruve is now replaced with the much better Susvara curve that all other phones should strive to tune towards ... LOL

Nah, gsx is overhyped. I had gsx mk2 before, and A90 is clearly a better(more hifi) amp than mk2. The sound stage u feel in gsx is more of a distortion thing(that added distortion in gsx gives u the illusion of a bigger sound stage)

Your mic is too hot man! Add a compressor if you want it that loud

To me the Susvara was boring. It sounded like a microscopic view into the music, too much separation, it became sterile to me.

Nice review. How do they compare to the HE6SE which you can get for as low as $540?