@MrCypruz If you are going to compare the SR1a’s to other headphones, the obvious first-best solution is to compare them using the same stack, with an amp that is capable of superbly driving everything from loads of 100mw to 100w. This is difficult but do-able. The best amps that I have found for this job are the Nagra Classic INT and the Accuphase E470, two super-clean integrated amplifiers with good power reserve, but is also capable of delivering with cans as sensitive as the Utopia and HD800S with good results. Specific to the Susvara and the Abyss Phi (which I own and drive with the INT) and the Phi TC, technical performance isn’t much of a contest outside of bass quantity and performance with suboptimal recordings.
The SR1a’s simply scale up better with high-level sources. Now, there are certainly things that one might prefer in a Utopia/WA33e setup or a TC/Egoista combo over a SR1a/Nagra INT combo - and tube synergy with the SR1a’s is either very expensive or very particular to genre. But the point is that yes, you can indeed have it all - at least regarding bass texture, speed, detail, imaging, staging and dynamic range - even compared to dynamics/planars being driven to the highest levels, provided that you’re willing to pay to play and invest in amps that are on the part of the performance curve that the SR1a’s can still scale up at.
With Electrostats there are no amps that allow for a direct comparison, and a second-best option might be to look at systems that match pricing. A directly price-matched competitor to the Mjolnir KGHSSV Carbon+009 combo would be something like the AHB2+SR1a, or a Pass INT150 against a BHSE. Here there’s a lot to like on both sides. The SR1a easily wins on staging, imaging and bass speed and texture, while a well-sorted 009 setup has better density, intimacy and probably more refined upper-mid presentation compared to the unmoderated sharpness and sweeping dynamics of the SR1a’s. A benefit of the 009 is that its top tier amp pairings are mostly tube-based while it’s pretty difficult to find a great sub-$10k tube amp for the SR1a’s.
Finally, at the budget level - comparing the Vidar to, for example, a IESL for the 009 or a WA3 for the Utopia, and the amp’s flaws are going to show up much more readily from the SR1a. The staging and imaging are going to suffer the least, but I think that you can drive a 009 or HD800s with $500 and, on the whole, possibly have a more well-rounded setup than anything would do for the SR1a at that range.
Ultimately, if you care a lot about speed, staging and resolution, the SR1a is a great choice regardless of how much money you put into amping it. The other aspects of performance are going to depend very heavily on the robustness of the amp. You can run it on a budget setup, but the urge to upgrade is going to be pretty strong 