Hifiman Susvara Unveiled Planar Magnetic Headphones - Official Discussion Thread

[taronlissimore]

This is the official thread to discuss the new Hifiman Susvara Unveiled flagship planar magnetic headphones, releasing June 10th, 2024.

From Hifiman
Long-Awaited SUSVARA UNVEILED Open-Back Planar Headphone
New Reference Model Features Newly Developed Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm and “Magnetic Veils” Back Panel
​

We are thrilled to unveil the long-awaited new version of Susvara: SUSVARA UNVEILED!

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8sYtEMSGNg&ab_channel=HIFIMANElectronics

“We named the new model SUSVARA UNVEILED because every detail of well-recorded music is unveiled by the headphone’s design and components,” says Dr. Fang Bian, Dr. Fang Bian, Founder, and CEO, HIFIMAN Electronics. “As the follow-up to our successful SUSVARA reference headphone, SUSVARA UNVEILED is the manifestation of our ongoing commitment to continually improving upon even the most successful and highest performing products in our line.”

Most headphones incorporate a metal mesh as a grill to protect the drivers. HIFIMAN’s top tier models including HE1000 and the original SUSVARA are specially designed to maximize the exposure rate of the grills because the nanometer-thick diaphragm is so lightweight that reflections from the grill disturb the movement pattern of the diaphragm.

As Dr. Bian explains: “The most effective way to avoid sound wave reflections and refractions from the grill is to eliminate the entirety of the grill design, leading to complete openness of the diaphragm. The result is sound that is demonstrably more detailed and open, which is why we refer to this approach as ‘unveiled’ technology.”

The open section of the headphone inspired Dr. Bian to create a removable back panel, called Magnetic Veil, that is a result of HIFIMAN using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technology, a process of relying on computer software to control the movement and operation of machines that cut, carve, and engrave materials. Magnetic Veils fit over the ear cups, helping to avoid damage caused by the absorption of magnetic objects when the headphone is not in use.

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqZntr8TINk&ab_channel=HIFIMANElectronics

New to the SUSVARA UNVEILED is a metallic silver conductor layer, as silver boasts the highest conductivity of all metals. Sensitivity is maximized, subtle details are revealed, and a sense of “air” that is so important for high-end audio performance is greatly improved.

The SUSVARA UNVEILED incorporates HIFIMAN’s Stealth Magnet technology, featuring an asymmetrical, double-sided magnetic circuit that gradually adjusts the magnet’s gap and cross-sectional shape, both inside and outside of the diaphragm. This approach achieves maximum sound transmittance and diaphragm control force at a refined balance point, reducing distortion to a bare minimum for sound that is naturally warmer, with maximum imaging and transparency.

Specifications:

• Frequency Response: 6Hz-75kHz
• Sensitivity: 86dB
• Impedance: 45Ω
• Weight: 430 grams/16.16 ounces

Package Contents:

• Pair of headphones
• 3m headphone cable (4-pin XLR plug)
• 3m headphone cable (6.35mm plug)
• Pair of Magnetic Veils
• Pair of ear pads (mounted on headphone)
• Pair of Magnetic Veils
• Owner’s Guide

MSRP: $8000

[genefurit]

Do the earpads use the same fixture as the original Susvara? If so, seems like an opportunity to shed the brown and install black pads and headband.

[Alexandra]

I really hope they bring a unit to canjam london and a normal susvara so people can A/B test

Would also be the best kind of “marketing” for them. “We are so convinced this is a major upgrade we are not afraid to let people A/B it directly”

We will see. The susvara impressed me the most out of every headphone so far. I am not a neutral/flat response sounding headphone person, but the susvara blew me away and are definitely on my list of headphones I wanna pick up eventually

[antdroid]

@taronlissimore Please bring to Seattle meet-up so I can steal/demo it.

[ufospls2]

The looks are sort of growing on me? I’d love to see an all black version though, that would be really cool (with black pads and black headband too.) Curious how it sounds, looking forward to more impressions rolling in

[generic]

I see them revisiting the 1970 to 1974 design aesthetic with the silver, brown, and sharp edges. Lots of products alternate between black/stealth and bright/flashy every generation. It keeps things fresh, or at least distinct from the last product. They’ll likely wait a while before going black.

E.g., McIntosh from 1970 to 1975:

Pioneer of 1974:

[Lothar_Wolf]

It‘s 8800 € here in Europe……. it‘s about $ 9449 to date….

HiFiMan – Susvara Unveiled • Magna Hifi

[Alexandra]

Germany and Audio Gear is not always a good time, I speak from experience ^^’

[Lothar_Wolf]

@Alexandra

Germany and Audio Gear is not always a good time,

We are actually pretty well supplied when it comes to simply purchasing various brands.

What affects us in Germany and the whole of Europe is the import duties, which really push the prices up.

If you keep an eye on these shops, you can get pretty much anything your heart desires, but sometimes at exorbitant prices.

Germany:

Home

Projekt Akustik - HiFi, HighEnd, Heimkino und Kopfhörer online kaufen

WOD Audio - iFi Audio Onlineshop - WOD Audio Onlineshop

Hifi-Passion

https://www.audiodomain.de/

Thomann - Willkommen zu Hause!

———————

EU:

Magna Hifi - Leidenschaft für MusikWissen über Audio & Technik

SMSL

High End Dacs | Denafrips EU

I have relatively good contacts with all of these companies and occasionally get a test product sent to me, but often the prices are significantly higher than in the USA or the Asian market.

This is because our 19% import tax and shipping costs are a real thorn in the side.

[Alexandra]

I really appreciate this wonderful gesture of you listing me decent suppliers for Germany and Europe.
It’s gonna be very handy.

Yeah the biggest Issue is always the hefty import duties and fees they put on top of it.

It’s so bad at times, it’s cheaper to order it directly from the source, ship it to a friend in NL (I think I dont need to mention how annoying german customs can be), pay customs there, then have her ship it to me in Germany or Luxemburg.

I am at least glad to see availability has gotten better even if it costs you a lot.

I am really curious about the susvara unveiled. I already adore the original susvara.

[Lothar_Wolf]

@Alexandra

ship it to a friend in NL

By the way, there is headphones paradise, Heaven of headphone fulfillment, every headphone lover’s dream……… in Amsterdam ……

https://www.headphoneauditions.nl/

If you ever go there……. Enjoy

@Alexandra

I am really curious about the susvara unveiled.

THE brand-new $8000 super flagship planar Headphones from Hifiman. SUSVARA UNVEILED 2024.

[Alexandra]

@Lothar_Wolf

https://www.headphoneauditions.nl/

Been there! Extensive collection and really good knowledge. We don’t get along on a personality level, but it’s still a blast to go try out things there.

Another lovely place in NL I can recommend is https://the-soundkitchen.com/
The collection isnt quite as big, but being able to demo everything while drinking specialty coffee and tea is also a wonderful experience. I bought my HEDDphone Two there.

Lovely video on the unboxing!
I am personally not to keen on the brown, but if the sound is as good as I am suspecting it to be, this “faux-pas” in color choice can be more then forgiven

[Resolve]

Here are the Susvara Unveiled measurements:

Raw (B&K 5128)

Calibrated (B&K 5128)

HpTF Variation (5128 & GRAS)

Here we’re comparing the calibrated results across two different heads. We can do this by using the rig-specific DFHRTF calibration for each system, and the outcome is a comparable dataset that shows HpTF variation across two different heads.

So in short, this shows how the headphone behavior changes from head to head. In purple is the response on the B&K 5128, while green shows the response on the GRAS ‘head’. You can see it measures a bit warmer on the GRAS head in a few spots.

Comparison with OG Susvara (B&K 5128)

I don’t think it’s as straightforward as one being outright better than the other. Some people who have difficulty with the OG Susvara’s upper treble will have an easier time with the Unveiled, but those who are more sensitive to mid/lower treble might find the Unveiled more fatiguing.

When I did my earlier measurements of the original Susvara I noted that relative to High Res Harman there is quite a bit of excess treble around 11khz that some may have found fatiguing. I never personally had this issue, but this is one area where the Unveiled is notably more subdued.

At the same time, the mids are definitely better on the Unveiled, being more filled in around 2khz. Not so much that the headphone sounds ‘intimate’, so it still has the spaciousness effect to it, but not as lean in that region as the original, sounding more cohesive overall.

Impedance curve

Note the rated sensitivity is still 86dB / mW so even though its low impedance it’s still recommended to use an amplifier.

Less Important Metrics

Harmonic distortion

95dB

105dB

114dB

No issues with harmonic distortion. Even at extreme volumes it’s largely kept under 2%, and at normal volumes it’s completely gone.

Excess GD

No issues with ringing or internal resonances - this also indicates the headphone is sufficiently minimum phase and as such we don’t need to worry about any time domain information as in this case it’s proportional to FR.

Notes

• Easier to drive than the original Susvara but still needs an amp
• Build and comfort are a bit better than OG Susvara I find. I especially like that they ditched the silly wooden inlay on the original Susvara that always looked gaudy to me. The new one looks a lot better.
• The lack of a grille makes me extremely nervous, having worked with planar diaphragms in the past. Yes… the people buying this headphone probably won’t be using it with loose screws around that could get yeeted through the diaphragm, but there’s a lot of open surface area here that can very easily get punctured from any random object, even non-metallic things. People don’t realize just how fragile these diaphragms are, and I have to say that not having a grille or mesh of any kind is just categorically a bad idea.
• To combat this issue, which HiFiMAN are also well aware of, they’ve supplied magnetic covers to attach to the grille when the headphone is not in use… I would implore folks to remember to use these covers, but do not think this makes it a competent closed-back headphone. It does not.
• Subjectively it sounds every bit as detailed as the original Susvara, just with some subtle changes to the tonality as indicated above.

So in summary, they definitely improved on some things with the Unveiled, particularly the midrange. But it’s also not true to say the Unveiled is better in all regards. I do expect many will like the Unveiled more, but I have my concerns about the design itself, and having exposed drivers to the world the way they’ve done here should be met with a certain amount of criticism. Judge for yourself how much you think is appropriate.

When talking strictly sound quality, the the Susvara Unveiled is a worthy entry into the flagship arena. And even though it’s not better in all aspects, the changes are significant enough to where those who didn’t like the original Susvara have a reason to give the new one a listen.

[chrisnyc75]

@Resolve

I don’t think it’s as straightforward as one being outright better than the other. Some people who have difficulty with the OG Susvara’s upper treble will have an easier time with the Unveiled, but those who are more sensitive to mid/lower treble might find the Unveiled more fatiguing.

This is consistent with the consensus of early reviews/impressions I’ve heard. It makes sense - some people are more sensitive to one than the other or prefer one over the other. Neither is “better”, just different flavors for different palates.

@Resolve

I especially like that they ditched the silly wooden inlay on the original Susvara that always looked gaudy to me. The new one looks a lot better.

Wooden inlay aside, I beg to differ. The brown color scheme alone is enough to make me want to spend my $8,000 elsewhere.

@Resolve

Subjectively it sounds every bit as detailed as the original Susvara, just with some subtle changes to the tonality as indicated above.

This is a fair assessment, and frankly the ONLY assessment I think is reasonable. Realistically, there has to be a ceiling on possible headphone performance, and Sus-OG is no doubt bumping up against it, much as Utopia OG was. The best Sus-U and Nutopia can do is offer a flavor variety - a different shade of “perfect”. And there’s nothing wrong with that. What else could we expect? Magic?

[yoda]

Thanks for the impressions! I remember watching your susvara vs utopia comparsion, and you describing how the utopia has a sense of engagement due to its punchiness. I agree completely, and I’ve also thought that the susvara’s recessed midrange reduces that sense of engagement. Would you say the unveiled has a higher sense of engagement, perhaps getting slightly closer to that utopia presentation?

[Resolve]

I don’t find any differences for that particular quality, personally at least. Utopia is still the best for it IMO.

[Resolve]

Just adding the Susvara Unveiled review and comparison with the OG Susvara that @GoldenSound and I did.

Susvara Unveiled - Yes, but at what cost?

[hottyson]

Absolutely brilliant video with Golden Sound’s take. I hope to have him join you in more videos. You two really complement each other’s views and explanations so that even I could understand everything clearly and logically. Yes, I do hope that you continue with the this format in terms of well versed dynamic duo. Thanks for such a top notch presentation.

[robinsyl]

I didn’t spend too much time with the unveiled as I didn’t want to hog it at CanJam, but my impressions are that I didn’t like it as much as the original Susvara. I found it to be a bit hot in the top end. The OG sounds more “correct” to me.

[Resolve]

That was my main issue with it. The treble was better on the original IMO