I am currently using my susvara with the CFA3 which has more than ample power and I find the bass excellent,I also have the abyss for comparison
Nice review! The Susvara is also my favorite headphone although the Caldera comes in a close second (I actually returned it which I regret some as it would be a great companion for rock music as you say… maybe if Zach makes a closed back version in the future i’ll invest in that).
I was using the Enleum (updated version of Bakoon) and liked it very much but am now using the Holo Audio Bliss which I much prefer.
Out of curiosity, which headphone cables are you using with the Susvara?
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As long as you’re enjoying them, that’s all that should matter.
But they’re not for me … and no amount of amp rolling has ever even approached making them being satisfying enough for me to bother with (HM-1 with the bass turned all the way up was the closest, and yet still not there). Even EQ won’t get them there for me … it’ll give the levels (at the cost of other issues) … but not the slam or impact.
Not even off a $650,000 pair of amplifiers that are more than capable of savaging a pair of Wilson WAMM Chronosonic (XvX) never mind properly driving the comparatively flea-powered needs of even a pathologically inefficient headphone.
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I currently am using a cable custom made by Halby Cables on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/HalbyCables
I am definitely interested in the Bliss. Would like to try it soon since I already have a matching DAC for it. 
But what’s the silver looking cable in your review? Are you now using a paracord wrapped cable?
Oh, that is a silver Lunashops cable. I am currently using that with my HE400SE at work.
Where did you get them? Ali express?
What do you prefer on the Bliss?
The Enleum has a slight mid bass boost which might help give Susvara some impact.
I do think the Vinnie Rossi LIO is excellent with Susvara, both the 25W speaker amp and the headphone amp (which, according to stereophile, is only 1W @ 32R). It’s all about current capability in this case, more so than just power.
Looking for the best cable for Susvara? What do you use?
Very happy with the Double Helix Cables Prion4. Some prefer the Danacable Lazuli Nirvana or the higher tier DHC Chimera and of course there are many more reasonably priced cables out there (Viking Weave, Norne and others)
Viking Weave do make some amazing cables at reasonable prices (and they are great guys too!).
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Not sure I have a grasp as to how much amplifier is needed to drive this thing.
Anyone tried the Susvara w/ the Ampsandsound flagships (Red October or Nautilus)? Considering adding the Susvara to my current Nautilus+VO setup but would prefer to not have to change amps. Thanks.
I very much agree, an amp with sufficient power to drive Susvara is a must but only the beginning. I have a dcs lina stack. I have really enjoyed it with my 1266’s. It drove the Susvara just fine for sure. Then I heard the Susvara with the HIFIMAN EF 1000 amp tuned to Susvara. I have to tell you it was transformational for me and my ears. So much so that I have started selling off the Lina stack and bought the EF 1000 to build my system around Susvara.
It’s not a base issue at all , the Lina AMP again was fine. I’m keeping the Lina DAC as i think it is one of the best all in out there. The EF 1000 I ran with the Lina Dac it was glorious. I love the 1266’s. numerous treads abound about the Susvara vs 1266. I am one of them i kept both as I went back and forth all the time with which i enjoyed more. It’s wasn’t until I heard the Susvara with is proper match that I no longer had any Question. For me the Susvara was the one I wanted to build my system around no question. Don’t know how to say it better than it just seems perfect! BTW I’m still not sure that I can part with the 1266’s, they are in a league of their own in a very different way. I guess in my view it comes down to the individual EARS. For me that’s Susvara overall. However I can totally see building a system around either of these two titans . Personal preference is all that separates them IMHO. Everything else beyond these two is next step down.
PS- this hobby is arguably a bit crazy and expensive (I guess that’s part of the fun) I am now beginning to drive myself crazy over researching electro stats. I had many electro static speakers and have never shaken the clarity of the sound, I add subwoofer base and was in heaven. I’m retired now and my reality no longer supports large units in my living room blasting away while everyone sits out on the patio ( after 50 years the wife wins the battle finally) Which is why I’m totally into Headphones, I can listen in peace anytime i want and disturb no one. Good only know where this will all wind up but I’m happy hunting.
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If you like the Susvara and researching electrostats I think you’d most likely love the Stax X9000. To me they are both worthy of building a system around and also having both in a collection for different reasons. Susvara being a better all rounder with the ability to be in the background if needed while the X9000 is a more critical listening details and clarity in your face and more specific genres type of headphone.
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What amp do you use with the star 9000
There are many that can do it justice depending on your budget and rest of the system.
I personally tried it on the Woo Audio 3ES, Linear Tube Audio Z10e, Viva STX. All drove it well.
I also heard from others I trust that Eksonic T2 and Mjolnir Carbon CC are good options and that with the right conventional amp you can even use something like a Woo Audio Wee transformer and it’ll be good.
Dac would be the DCS Lina Dac,thx
I like how the narrative has shifted from, your not using the right amp to power susvara so you arent getting good bass, to it will never have that bass quantity with a good amp. I tested my my he6-sev2 against susvara and the he6-sev2 definitely has more dynamics than even the susvara. But in the end its still relatively flat bass, and can only be unlocked by bass toggle (i use the ifi ican one). It truly sounds engaging at max bassboost
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What amp were you using with the sus?
I have demo the susvara at on 3 different chains, but I was able to test the susvara on the ifi micro idsd signature at the headphone.com booth at canjam. They are nice enough to let me plug it into my own gear. This way I was able to compare the he6sev2 to susvara on the same chain, the ifi micro idsd signature
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