Hifiman Susvara

So in conclusion, do I recommend the Hi-Fi Man Sysvara? Well, this is a $6,000 headphone and for anybody who is hearing me gush about a $6,000 headpho...

Because sometimes amps can reach a headphone to full volume, but, still sound atrocious because the paring is bad. IMO, I wouldn't be surprised if $500 headphones that come out in the following years will beat the TOTL models of today that are worth ten times that amount. Technology is improving, and while TOTL makers seem to really jack the price up on a lot of models, I have no doubt that new and exciting technological advances in headphones will start coming out in the following years, and, I doubt that all of it will be the price of an Abyss TC or a Susvara.

Very good. HiFiMAN Susvara and Shangri-La Jr: Both are very well-tuned; the Shangri-La Jr. comes off more vanilla to my ears, but circumvents some of the traditional limitations of electrostatic headphones. Susvara was instantly impressive.

Shoves all the details in your face but is never fatiguing. Snare and hi hats are the best I’ve head on a headphone, and coupled with a strong and imposing bass response, really makes for an engaging and exhilarating listen.

Some people think the 1266 TC needs a lot, but the Susvara actually requires about 4x as much power to be the same volume as the TC and more than 100x for the focal utopia. Additionally, while TOTL IEMs sound better than I ever thought they would, the amount of maintenance for the IEMs with ear wax in addition to the detrimental effects on ear health from either consistent use or long hours put me into the market for closed backs. While there are many options for TOTL open backs in the under 4K range, the opposite is the case for closed backs.