Someone with an Envy and Elrogs please do a comparison with the Envy 25th Anniversary. Then tell me there’s not a meaningful difference! 
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Wow, so it seems like you’d take Susvara over the new Raals?
That’s a steep price increase IMO. Love the look and I’m sure its a bit better than the standard with the internal upgrades, but once you throw some elrogs on a standard and some solid driver tubes, it’s probably very close. Could be wrong tho, but again that’s a big increase.
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I trust that he is right here, Bill.
Very comfortable. The cups are quite large and deep, ala Audeze or ZMF, and I don’t recall thinking either one felt heavy.
Yes, but mostly because I already have an amp that will drive Susvara perfectly, so the cost of entry for Susvara for me is a fraction of the Raals. Same reasoning for e-stats. I’m not anxious to have more gear on my already full rack, and I’m not sure estats or ribbons constitute a meaningful improvement over Sus for my use case? Time will tell, though - three years ago I would not have predicted I’d end up where I am now, so I won’t pretend I have any kind of road map for this stuff. lol
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@Andris CanJam 2024 Awards!!!
I’m most tempted to buy one
Dan Clark Audio E3
Believe the hype. Balanced yet also fun tuning, ridiculously resolving, sounds incredibly open for a closed back, comfortable to wear, not too tough to drive, and half the cost of flagships. I do find the Stealth a touch more refined and “hifi” sounding, but at $2K, the E3 knocks it out of the park.
Highest cost, biggest meh
Hifiman Shangri La Sr
Driven by the Viva Egoista STX, this headphone came with legendary status, and it’s just not for me. Very airy (too airy), no punch or tactility, and I found the tonality and frequency balance bizarre and wholly unnatural to my ear. Temptation, avoided!
My Utopia could be in trouble (?)
Raal Immanis
For anyone unaware of my headphone preferences, I prefer the Focal Utopia (OG) to every other headphone I’ve ever heard, regardless of price (and that list includes the new Utopia and Sennheiser HE-1). It’s not a principled stance of any kind, though, and I’d be thrilled find a different headphone I prefer. The Raal Imannis is the first headphone I’ve heard in a long time that I’d consider a real challenger. I owned an SR-1a some years ago, but it just lacked bass to a degree I found unnatural. However, keep that speed and precision, make it dig deeper in the frequency range, and make it comfortable? Now we’re talking. With the important caveats of a noisy show floor and mostly unfamiliar source, I could tell the speed and transparency were on a level untouched by even the best electrostats. At over $9K, it isn’t happening any time soon, but consider me intrigued…
Amp me up!
Riviera AIC 10
Holy shi… I heard this in the Abyss room hooked up to the reel-to-reel, but I really don’t think the reel-to-reel was the star. If anything, I thought the source was a bit tinny and lacking resolution and cleanliness, but I heard the reel-to-reel on another amp, so I had some reference for what was amp and what was source, and I want this amp. I can’t have it though. $19K+. Yikes!
Cheap(ish) and cheerful
Aune AR5000
Never heard of Aune, but this $300 dynamic driver headphone was friggin fantastic. I may have to pick one up to replace my Drop 6XX and 58X. Nice balance, punch, and resolution in a comfy package. Sweet! Also, Aune is apparently based in Wuhan, China, which would just be a fun fact to tell people 
Best new source gear
Ferrum Wandla (Goldensound Edition)
The Wandla appeared in several places throughout the show and really elevated the equipment around it. I particluarly enjoyed the tube mode and impact+ mode. Just as claimed, they’re very tastefully implemented, and I feel like I could leave them on without feeling like there was a gimmick. Hats off to some great stuff @goldensound!
Other Impressions:
Viva Egoista 2A3
Clearly an incredible amp. Clean, spacious, and excellent holography. I’d give it a serious demo if I were in the market for a tube amp, but I’m happily married to my Stellaris 
Warwick Acoustics Aperio
I thought it was very good, but it didn’t blow my mind. It still has a bit of that electrostat light touch that isn’t my taste, despite having decent impact at times. Resolution is excellent.
Drop + Grell Headphone
I can’t put my finger on it, but something doesn’t seem quite right with this headphone. Yes, I know the driver is way up front pointing back, and I was really hoping I’d like that staging, but I’m not positive it works. I do want to try it again, though. Maybe it was just the newness or show environment.
LTA Z10e
I loved this amp both with the Abyss Diana TC and my Utopia (source of Ferrum Wandla). I was expecting similarities to the LTA MZ3, but it doesn’t have the slight softness I remember from the MZ3. Really clean, resolving, with good depth and layering.
Meze Empyrean II
I wanted to love this headphone, but the tonality just isn’t for me. I found it too bright and not nearly as resolving as the E3. Too bad, because it looks so good and is SO comfortable.
Austrian Audio Composer
Punchy! Like, really really punchy! Like, maybe more punchy than Focal punchy! Not crazy resolving, but generally liked the tuning and it’s comfortable to boot. Pleasant suprise for a new-ish company.
Final D7000
I found this to have more planar plastic-iness than I find acceptable. Resolution also didn’t seem so great, especially on microdetails. Overall balance was solid, though.
HEDDphone 2
Crazy fast and airy, much like the first edition. Way more comfortable, though. Good bass extension, even though it isn’t weighty bass, per se.
Mass Kobo 465
I first heard this at the Mass Kobo booth, and it was insanely noisy around me, and that stand had it sourced by a… Topping D90SE. That’s right. The $17,000 amp had an $800 DAC upstream of it. I wanted to like the amp, and I thought it was probably good, but it was just so absurdly obvious the source was not up to the task. Thank goodness Mimic Audio also had a unit with a properly high-end Meitner DAC upstream of it, and I got to hear this on Sunday - which was much quieter. NOW the magic started to come through my Utopias. Sweet, but not warm. Incredibly resolving and holographic. Clearly a one-of-a-kind type of amp that I’d love to have, but not $17,000 love to have.
Mass Kobo 433
This was next to the 465, and I actually thought this was really really good as well. Not quite as refined as the 465, and not with as much depth to the staging, it’s clearly a really fantastic amp with similar DNA at a price that makes a whole lot of sense: $2,500.
Abyss Diana MR
I thought this headphone has a really fun tuning that isn’t as refined as some others, but still enjoyable. Really good timbre for a planar, and it resolves incredibly well. The fit doesn’t work for my head, but otherwise, I really enjoyed it.
As usual, I most enjoyed spending time with fellow audiophiles and talking about each others’ impressions, likes, dislikes, and NYC experiences. A special shoutout to @andrew, @taronlissimore, and @GoldenSound, who took extra time to chat and make the experience really friendly, welcoming, and memorable. See you all next year!
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Dude always incredible to see you and read your show impressions. Any time you walk onto the show floor and I see that Andris smile I know it’s going to be a good day!
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Attended the Show, it seems really well attended. Finally got yo meet some of the people who I have corresponded with over the past couple of years and have bought their equipment.
Shout out to Joe at Abyss , thanks for taking the time to chat , enjoyed it. Also Dr Woo at Woo audio , that’s for sharing that live Beach Boys track “good vibrations live” quite impressive. Awaiting deliver this week of my WA 33 Elite with JPS wiring. Lastly it was great to meet finally meet Cameron of Golden Sound whom I emailed often about my Aperio set up. good luck with your new amp venture ,
Great show, really worth attending, Almost forgot, stopped by DCS to visit as well as I also own some Lina gear.
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Thank you @chrisnyc75 and @andris for your extensive impressions, very interesting!
Sounds like it was an absolute blast, and a lot to take in.
There are times I wish I lived on the East Coast! CanJam in LA is something I’d like to attend at some point…
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Happy birthday Robson!! 
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I really liked Shangri-La Sr when I listened to it last year (via Grand Cayman prototype), it definitely has that e-stat whispiness, but I distinctly recall thinking it was weightier & warmer than any other estat I had heard at the time (I had not yet heard Aperio or HE-1).
Glad to hear you liked the Raal Immanis so much - even mentioning it in the same breath with Utopia is seriously high praise from you. Maybe my ears weren’t broken in yet when I heard it - it was the FIRST thing I listened to when I got there. Definitely keeping an open mind… but like you, that price puts it on a “maybe someday” list at best.
Was great seeing you
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Awesome report dude, thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Bill! Much appreciated
Hi Chris
Hope you are well. I saw your report of the show.
I have a couple of questions for you if you don’t mind.
Firstly I didn’t understand your comment that you already have amps for Susvara but cost of entry for Immanis would be much higher. Any amp that is good for Susvara will drive Immanis when used with the 32 ohm interface. The interface is included in the price of the Immanis so I am confused by your comment. I think both of your amps would be great and give you 2 distinct ‘flavours’.
The second question is about your ‘revelation or gimmick’ comment about Trifecta. Contrary to my normal ‘neutral’ preference I bought Trifecta last year and use it with my SP3000 whenever I travel. I’d be happy to talk about this with you.
Speak soon.
Cheers,
Neil.
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Immanis is $10K, while Susvara can be had for under $4k. That’s a BIG difference.
Trifecta’s presentation was undeniably unique, and very pleasing, but I learned early on in my journey that “unique” sometimes equals “gimmicky”. Sometimes there’s a reason no one else has ever done a thing - what is mind-blowingly unique and pleasing at first can become tiresome over time. I’m just not sure which thing Trifecta would be for me. But I’m intrigued enough that it’s definitely on my radar for further consideration.
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Haha, yes there is that. Somebody who owns some Raal gear already can buy it naked for less than $7K but that’s still a gap to Susvara. Susvara been around for quite a while, maybe an update due in the near future?
Trifecta purchase was instigated by my dealer who knew it would be ‘different to my normal choices. First 15-20mins was a bit of a shock for me…so much dynamic bottom-end energy. But that passes the more you get used to it. Only takes a couple of minutes now for the brain to adjust. It balances very nicely when I travel with the Nutopia. Trifecta does all the flying and ‘noisy-listening’ activities while Nutopia does my main listening sessions when it’s quiet enough. I do think occasionally of getting a more ‘neutral’ IEM but then I ask myself when would I use it? I prefer to use the Nutopia when I can but use Trifecta when I sit outside or just for a fun listen. I wouldn’t call it suitable for long relaxing listening sessions, it’s very much a fun listen for a short blast. If I didn’t have Nutopia with me I would definitely want a second more neutral IEM for longer listening sessions; Trifecta is for the adrenaline hit.
I just went a bit crazy this last couple weeks, as well as ordering Immanis I’ve ordered one of the Feliks Envy 25th Anniversary Edition amps. That will have to be it now; no more spending big on head-fi stuff for a few years. My dealer has done the same so at least I’m not alone in my madness.
All the best.
Neil
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Yeah, this was very much in my mind when I was in those last moments deciding to click “Buy” or not. But I figure even if they do come out with a new one, that new one is going to be $8K with no discount anytime soon, and is it REALLY going to be any better than the OG? 
I envy you already having the setup to make Immanis a reasonable prospect. It’s definitely still on my radar, though to be perfectly honest my real hope is that Susvara fills the last gap in my “use case” scenario and I am blissfully happy for the rest of my days. 
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There’s always a rumor floating around from some unnamed dealer, he latest one from CanJam floating around on head-fi, is an easier to drive lower quality version, which just seems odd, why would they even call that a Susvara.
Even if it existed and was better it wouldn’t make the existing one worse, might depress used prices a bit I guess, Still it’s a headphone that floats in and out of my top 2, and recently has gotten more play than the others, so I’m not sure I’d rush to move on.
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Doesn’t really matter if the Sus replacement is better doesn’t suddenly mean the OG is poor. If you really like it and can get it for a good price that’s all you have to think about. The original Raal phones haven’t gone down in price as far as I can see so there’ll be no discounted Immanis’s in the next few years, except for early adopters deciding it was the wrong choice. There’s a good chance there’ll be a new version of the SR-1b with more bass but if that is from Raal 1995 it will be in the higher price range and is likely to be 2 years away.
You’d have to cut yourself loose from Head-Fi and the other forums if you want to remain blissfully happy. Realistically it won’t happen because once we get used to what we have the thrill of the chase kicks in again and we go off in search of the next best thing.
I’m hoping the same. Immanis and Envy AE are by far the best headphone gear I’ve ever bought so hopefully it will keep me happy for few years.
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