The Hifiman Susvara is the perfect headphone for hardcore audiophiles with deep pockets.
The Hifiman Susvara headphones.
What makes it so special? Firstly, Hifiman has fitted the Susvara’s with its latest planar magnetic drivers which have evolved into the thinnest, lightest and most responsive on the market. Susvara’s « Stealth » magnets in front of the diaphragm are said to be more acoustically transparent than other headphones’ magnets and impedance is rated at 60 ohms.
Susvara doesn’t thrill the ear by going overboard with « detail » and « resolution » — it sounds above all natural. There’s a remarkable sense of ease, clarity without a hint of grit, grain or edge. Hifiman’s previous flagship, the HE1000 V2 is still a great headphone, but sounds softer, less present, and it’s less comfortable than the Susvara.
On rock music Susvara takes no prisoners: This headphone dishes out visceral kicks, raunchy power chords and rhythm with gusto, the low bass profoundly deep. I noted again and again that because the Susvara’s sound is so clear I tended to play it louder than other headphones. When I realized how loud it was I turned it down to safer levels.
The Abyss AB-1266, left, and the Hifiman Susvara headphone, right.
All true, but for sound quality the AB-1266 is still my reference. Compared to that one the Susvara sounds like a more conventional headphone, albeit one with superior midrange, so vocals and acoustic instruments sound more natural, and imaging focus is more precise than what I heard from the AB-1266. The Susvara is also more comfortable than the AB-1266 or any full-size Audeze headphone.
Summing up, the Hifiman Susvara is a true statement design and a must-have for any serious and wealthy headphone connoisseur.
