High-End/Summit-Fi Headphone Shootout: Exploring the Mountain Top 

Every episode I watched from you so far is greatly appreciated. You are Very practically speaking. Nothing fancy but so to the truth and with clarity. *WaveTheory, Thank You Very Much*

I own two out of the four and I think you hit the nail on the head with describing them. One request please : Consider comfort and fit as well.

On the SR1a driven by the HSA-1b: If placed on the head correctly and with the flaps adjusted according to the music you're listening to, they can give you an almost otherworldly experience in a way none of the others can. Soundstage, transparency, clarity, detail retrieval, tonal balance, and - yes - even bass are all simply fantastic! Live recordings of classical/jazz music sound like you're in the room with the musicians. Well-recorded rock/pop songs shine like never before. And bass-heavy tracks also sound great; the bass is very present and articulate, but never overwhelming or showy. IMHO the only serious competitor out of this bunch is the Susvara, for people who prefer the traditional ear cup approach. ;-) My two cents...

And then few years later you discover how Susvara scales with the gear, and find out that it can slam better than Utopia and outresolve HE-1 on the right chain. All hail Susvara.

Absolutely awesome comparison, just the kind of TOTL headphones shootout video I was looking for.

Thank you for doing this. For some of us building a collection rather than buying the next new thing this is really useful. Better to wait and buy some of these headphones than buy 3-4 midfi alternatives.

excellent work 👍😀 if I may add something, for those wondering where the LCD-5 among this fight. I would say it's a mix of the Susvara with the 1226TC, but easier to drive.

I absolutely and totally agree with everything you said about the susvara, 1266tc and focal utopia. I own these 3 and you review of these 3 are definitely on point. It would be interesting for me to know what amps you feel push these 3 sound their best. Currently I use the flux labs volot, enleum amp 23r and ferrum Oor/hypsos. Out of these in my opinion the ferrum stack is simply the best especially with the focals. Again, thanks for your review WaveTheory. I look forward to your future vids.

Very interesting comparison. I've owned the Focal Utopia for a while now and to this day I find it difficult to describe the way it sounds... It's almost as if it was dark and bright at the same time. Or "warm bright". It's the only headphone that I've ever had where I don't touch the EQ at all - it seems to be tuned masterfully in a way that is not always the most exciting, but feels very convincing, like ultra-quality studio speakers (in terms of the cohesiveness of all frequencies). It's an intimate presentation of sound, but very deep and it literally makes me feel like I'm inside the recording (in comparison the HD800 makes me feel like there is a space between me and the sound - impressive at first, frustrating in the long run). However, when I feel like "going for broke" in terms of being overwhelmed with a high quality wall of sound - I use my Hifiman HE1000se. A very moderate EQ (bass boost, reduction at 6k, small boost at 8.5k, reduction at 12.5k) makes this thing sound unbelievably good (no EQ for classical/jazz though - the crazy extension and sound stage make these genres feel almost ethereal). I got a good deal on both these headphones and even though I have never heard the Susvara or the Abyss, I feel like I have made the right choice getting those two. I can absolutely believe that the Susvara would sound more natural, but it would likely also be less exciting and would require an additional big investment in a suitable amp. To anyone looking for cohesiveness - I recommend the Utopia. To anyone looking for a "wall of sound" type of experience at the highest technical level - I recommend the HEKse + EQ. Or you can just get both and be done with the hobby... Well, well - famous last words... :-) One of the reasons for not buying the Susvara is to have something to look forward to... hehe : -)

Thank for sharing your view. One thing I find difficult to find information about is which high end headphones are best for the spoken human voice. Personally I listen maybe 50% of the time to podcasts or as you know in this very moment to a RU-vid presentation about headphones. 😃 So for me the importance of how natural a headphone sounds with spoken and song is the most important followed by how it soundstages. I assumed that I am not alone in thinking. So I wish you could make a sequel of higher end headphones where you look for the ones with the most natural sound of the spoken and sung voices. Greetings from Denmark

Excellent comparison. I really like how you compare for different use cases, and are really down to earth with the comparisons and descriptions. Now I just need to wait for some of this to trickle down to cheaper headphones :)

I have TC and Utopia and had the Susvara. Your comments are spot on.

Pretty awesome content wave! You’re living our hifi dream

Thank You for video, good luck to Your channel!

You are very very good 😊

I hesitate between the SR1a, Susvara, SR-X9000 and Shangri-La Jr as my potential "endgame" HP. Do you think the Shangri-La Jr might be a good contender? (resolution, soundstage and natural timbre are my main criteria and of course, I will have to hear them before buying, not just hearing the sound demos available on the internet...) :)

When you eq the bass shelf on the susvara, can you make the punch sound comparable to the 1266?

You mean it’s too hot/over-leveled ?

I've got the Dan Clark Audio Stealth today and it looks like it beats all of them . It's just perfectly balanced between them all. WE NEED A REVIEW 🙏

LCD-5 and Mezeaudio Elite ??

Where does the LCD-5 fit in? What about ZMF VC?

Dude your mic is way too loud.