So I finally got a chance to evaluate the Susvara. Here are some preliminary thoughts.
HPN compensation with stock pads
So this might be the best headphone. Fullstop.
This could change depending on pad swaps, but so far here’s how I’d score it:
Build/Comfort - 9/10 (it feels surprisingly solid)
Detail retrieval - 10/10 (first time?)
Speed & Dynamics - 9.5/10
Stage & Imaging - 9.8/10
Timbre - 9/10
Tonality - 9.5/10
So even after all the headphone reviewing I’ve done, and getting a chance to hear truly top tier headphones like the LCD4, Utopia, D8000 Pro, Verite, HEDDphone, etc., the Susvara is still able to make me go “oh - I didn’t notice that little detail before” when analyzing my music. Part of this has to do with it also having a frequency response that’s very detail forward, so I might be noticing those elements as a result of the FR related clarity as well. If I had to nitpick, the 7khz region is just right on the edge for me. I don’t think it’s sibilant for 90% of my music, but there are occasionally some tracks where it gets close. It’s helped by having such crazy performance though that it doesn’t feel harsh when that happens.