Spirit Torino Super Leggera – Blue Is The New Awesome

Spirit Torino Super Leggera – Blue Is The New Awesome

Spirit Torino Super Leggera is a really unique headphone, made to sound and feel like an Italian Sports car, and it is priced at 2000 USD. The tech inside includes a Mono Drive Spirit System, and they have two cables made by Portento Audio, and will be compared to the best flagships from across the world. The comparison list includes Rosson RAD-0, HIFIMAN He6SE, Kennerton Thror, and even HIFIMAN Arya. The pairing list will include iBasso DX300, FiiO M11 PRO, and HIFIMAN R2R2000. 

 

Introduction

Mr. Andrea Ricci, and the company Spirit Torino are actually Titans of the Audio World. This is a boutique company, making really high-end headphones with a ton of detail and unique tech, and they are here to take the world. Usually, I talk about whether you can trust or not a company, and how good their warranty is, but we get handmade headphones from Italy here. You’re far less likely to need warranty for Spirit Torino than anything else. Even if you do, they are the best of the best, and are managed by really responsible people who take pride in their work. 

It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Spirit Torino, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I’d like to thank Spirit Torino for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in Spirit Torino Super Leggera find their next music companion. 

 

Product Link

You can purchase Super Leggera from here: https://www.spirittorino.com/en/super-leggera-hi-fi-open-back-headphones/

 

Packaging

First things first, let’s get the packaging out of the way:

We’re looking at a high-end package with high-end cables, and extras made by true professionals. Everything is presented even better than sports cars are, and the good number of extra cables brought a smile on my face. 

If anything is missing from the package, that would be a carrying case, the headphones being small and easy to take with you making sense as portables too. 

We have three cables with the Super Leggera, and those include an XLR Balanced Cable, one 4.4mm Balanced cable, and one 3.5mm Single Ended Cable. 

There’s also a really cool metallic card that can swap to be a USB stick with some awesome music, a manual and other misc. files. 

The entire thing is packaged like it is more than a flagship, with a wooden logo inside the case, and the package of the Super Leggera is a 10/10. 

 

Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort

The build quality of Super Leggera is insane. We’re talking about Metallic headphones with a leather headband, made by hand in Italy. We’re talking about true flagship works here. The cables that the Super Leggera comes with are top of the line cables, made by Portento Audio, also in Italy. It is easily visible that Spirit Torino is not joking about the quality of the components of their IEMs. 

Out of the three cables, the XLR one is the least useful, while the 4.4mm Balanced one is the most useful one. To explain a bit, Super Leggera is relatively easy to drive, is also easy to overdrive, but doesn’t distort at really high volumes. You will hear if you’re using too much of something, or if you’re used to playing instruments and know how something can become overdriven despite not being too loud in terms of loudness. Here, I noticed that SuperLeggera prefers higher quality sources and reveals source distortion a bit more than most headphones with this type of signature (natural, warmer). 

When I started playing with the cables I noticed that the sound of the SuperLeggera is actually tinted a bit by the cables, and all of the cables are slightly warm in sound. To confirm this, I started swapping the cables of the SuperLeggera with the cables of stuff like HIFIMAN Sundara, Verum One, and HIFIMAN Arya. All of those rely on the same 3.5mm connector at the headphone level, and they helped me determine that the cables of the SuperLeggera are part of why they are a touch warm, and I actually have to say that I liked their sound with other cables a bit more (for tonality reasons). 

The actual wearing comfort of the SuperLeggera is average, with the cups being large enough for my head and most heads I can imagine, but the overall shape pressing a bit on my head and giving me a slight discomfort after a while. I also noticed that the cups can’t sound good if the ports are covered, so it is an open-back design made to stay open-back. This translates to no passive noise isolation, and extreme amounts of leakage, so they are headphones made to be listened to while you’re alone. 

The overall color looks much better in person, and they feel much better to the touch than my photos can ever reveal. The cables are not microphonic actually, and I was pleasantly surprised by the overall ergonomics of the cables, as they are not tangle prone either. 

 

Sound Quality

For the sound quality part of today’s review, I went with many pairings and many comparisons over a period of a few months to truly determine how the Super Leggera sounds like. I basically wanted to make sure that what I’m reviewing is the final thing, and that I’m sure on my words rather than rushing the review and failing to comprehend the true sound of the Super Leggera. I tried to swap their original cables with the default cables of other cans too, because Super Leggera has warmer cables from the factory. I also spent a great deal of time pairing Super Leggera with DAC/AMPs and DAPs like Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, iBasso DX300, Lotoo Paw 6000, FiiO M11 PRO, HIFIMAN R2R2000, Shanling M2X, and even with ultraportables like FiiO BTR5, and Hiby R3 PRO. 

The overall sound of the Super Leggera can be described as natural, sightly thick, well extended both in the bass and the treble, with an amazing level of detail, and an excellent background instrument presentation. There’s a good sense of rhythm, and pace, and Super Leggera is super euphonic. They work excellent at both low and medium volumes and don’t change their sound overly much with the volume. Since Super Leggera is a bit easy to overdrive, they do not favor extremely loud listening levels. 

The bass is dominated by a really strong sub and mid bass, while the upper bass doesn’t necessarily color the sound. That really strong sub-bass can be a bit too textured at times and may give the sensation of too much reverberation, but at the same time it is able to move at the drop of a needle, so it is not distorted, instead having a unique more rattling kind of presentation that can transfer to the upper bass and lower mids as well. The midrange is slightly colored by the bass with some warmth and thickness. The bass is rounded, deep and lush. 

Moving forward to the midrange, we can hear a ton of space in the music, while the voices and forward instruments are forward. This means that there’s an excellent separation between the forward and the recessed instruments, background is background, lateral sounds are also really lateral, while the center image is strongly presented in the center. I would call this the ultimate imaging and stereo separation I’ve heard. Female voices are generally emotional, while male voices are generally natural and a bit brash. Musicality is everywhere and Super Leggera is Super Euphonic with a real kick for long, slow notes, including both guitar and other instruments. Long bass notes are clean and the midrange is quite fluid, with no harshness or sibilance in the upper midrange ever. I would call the sound a bit laid back too, especially in the upper midrange, which has some uplift compared to the lower mids, but that’s exceptionally kept out of the voices. 

Last up is the treble, which has a natural texture and airy extension. I noticed a very dynamic sound coming from the Super Leggera, combined with a smoother treble overall presentation. This is tricky to describe because the treble changes its character from the lower to the upper treble, and especially cymbal crashes are presented natural while everything that’s not a cymbal crash is smoother and more liquid. This means that blowing instruments like trumpets are enjoyable instead of brash and strident. I love this as it opens up my listening possibilities to classical, orchestral and Jazz or Blues considerably more than more analytic headphones where blowing instruments are too aggressive. That natural cymbal crash also helps tons with keeping music exciting and interesting, so SuperLeggera falls right in between being euphonic while being active and engaging. 

 

Comparisons 

The main comparisons I went for are with Rosson RAD-0, HIFIMAN He6SE, Kennerton Thror, and HIFIMAN Arya. They are all within the ~2000 USD price point of the Super Leggera, and all of them can be considered nice flagships. 

There are many others that would make good comparisons with the Super Leggera, but those I found to be most appropriate to compare to the Super Leggera, especially based on your questions and requests. I would rate SuperLeggera as the easiest to drive, and as the one that comes with the most cables from the start. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera vs Rosson RAD-0 (2000 USD vs 2600 USD) – If you want a thick, warm presentation with tons of bass, RAD-0 is your main choice. It is so thick and warm, liquid and smooth, that it makes my first choice when I’m looking for this type of signature. It surely ain’t perfect, and while RAD-0 can make everything musical, happy and fluid, sometimes we want something that can portray a wider range of emotions, something that can bring a tear to your eye, something that can stay happy while the music is happy, and can get sad when the music gets sad. This is where Super Leggera comes in. Where the comfort of RAD-0 is better, the cables of Super Leggera are better. The overall sound is thicker with much more body and much more bass for RAD-0, where it feels snappier, quicker and more natural for SuperLeggera. The overall tonal balance is more even on Super Leggera, with a more even presentation and a more neutral tuning. SuperLeggera is a bit fluid by itself, but RAD-0 is on another level entirely. If you want a honest presentation of your music, super Leggera is much more honest, all while staying warm and musical, where RAD-0 is fluid, happy, and will color everything in its default colors. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera vs HIFIMAN Arya (2000 USD vs 1600 USD) – Arya is more comfortable, and harder to drive than Super Leggera. The overall sound can be described as more airy on Arya, with a similarly warm midrange, but with a deeper bass. SuperLeggera is actually moren forward than Arya, and listening to the two side by side, Arya is better where you need a really laid-back and huge stage, like with Classical, Orchestral, Country, and scenic music, where Super Leggera is best with music where you want to hear everything contoured together. Arya tends to reveal detail a bit more, while both are pretty euphonic and musical. Super Leggera has more body to music, is more lush and more romantic, whereas Arya is far more spacious, but has less body. I would pick Arya if my listening taste revolved around Orchestral, Country, Slow Pop, Symphonic, and certain slower EDM styles, and I would take Super-Leggera for Rock, Metal, Pop, Punk, Rap. They go for a similar style and both are excellent, the largest differences being by far the drive factor, as Arya needs a much better and stronger source, and the comfort, where Arya has larger cups. Super Leggera comes with much better cables from the factory. Super leggera is made of mostly metal and leather, whereas Arya is made of mostly plastic. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera vs Kennerton Thror (2000 USD vs 3000 USD) – Thror Oh Thror, a headphone so large and well made that it is scary. Russian for sure, Thror has better overall comfort than Supern Leggera thanks to a more over-the-ear fit and larger cups made of leather. The cups are also adjustable in every direction making the Thror an excellent companion for every head out there. In terms of sound, Super Leggera is warmer, more musical, more friendly, more forgiving, leaner, with a more open soundstage, and presents music in a more euphonic way. Thror is more correct, dead neutral, and not necessarily more detailed, but highlights details more. Thror can get harsh and sibilant much quicker, where Super Leggera is always smoother, warmer, more relaxed and easier to enjoy with Jazz, Classical, Metal, Rock, Country. Thror is absolutely perfect for those who want a perfectly neutral reproduction of sound. Super Leggera is for those who place an euphonic, warm and musical presentation first. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera vs HIFIMAN HE6SE (2000 USD vs 2000 USD) – HIFIMAN He6Se has larger cups so it stays a bit better on the head than the Super Leggera. I prefer the overall drive factor of Super Leggera, as He6SE is ridiculously hard to drive and trying to make it sing can be considered a quest in itself. I also enjoy the overall detail of both, but He6SE focuses far more on resolution, and detail, where Super Leggera is more euphonic, more musical and more focused on sounding natural. Especially music where a lush presentation with a warm midrange is important, like Jazz or Classical, is highlighted better by Super Leggera, where HE6SE is excellent as a studio monitor that reveals everything, shows you the finest details in your music, and cuts open your songs to reveal their innards. 

 

Recommended Pairings

The main pairings I considered for SuperLeggera are with iBasso DX300, FiiO M11 PRO and HIFIMAN R2R2000. All of those have been chosen because they are portables that can totally drive the SuperLeggera Nicely. As I presented earlier, despite coming with so many cables and looking like a serious headphone, they don’t need a ton of power to sound good. 

While they can handle tons of power distortion-free, most portables will be more than enough for the SuperLeggera. Being the easiest to drive out of the flagships also means that Super Leggera is the least picky with the source and you can potentially enjoy them a ton with portables like Lotoo Paw S1, or FiiO BTR5. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera + HIFIMAN R2R2000 (2000 USD + 2500 USD) – If you ever wanted to see the most juicy, colorful and vivid midrange you can push from the SuperLeggera, R2R2000, the concept flagship design DAC/AMP from HIFIMAN is a great way to start on that road, with a ton of power and an impactful presentation. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera + iBasso DX300 (2000 USD + 1200 USD) – There’s nothing quite like the impact and power that DX300 can push into the Super Leggera. A huge surprise for me was to discover how much the SuperLeggera leaks sound, and covering the back ports surely is not an option for it. I am listening so loud sometimes that I fear I am disturbing my neighbors, as the SuperLeggera sounds like a mini speaker on the outside. A huge factor for me going so loud with it is the excellent control and zero distortion, which makes me push the volume more and more. 

Spirit Torino SuperLeggera + FiiO M11 PRO (2000 USD + 650 USD) – M11 PRO is one of the best DAPs to pair with the SuperLeggera, as it has a slightly brighter sound which will counter SuperLeggera’s default musical and warmer sound. The stage is still excellent, with a strong sense of space, and the impact is amazing, while the dynamics are top notch. This is surely one of my favorite all-time pairings if I want to stay within a more decent budget when driving the SuperLeggera. 

 

Value and Conclusion

Like all flagships out there, Spirit Torino SuperLeggera has a slightly lower value than most mid range headphones, but for the effort, great package, awesome presentation and for the quality of the headphone itself, I would say that the value is actually really high.

Most flagships do not come with the cables that SuperLeggera does, and most of them are made much simpler in terms of build, some of them even a bit frail, where Spirit Torino and Mr. Andrea was not afraid to use actual leather, metal and an entirely new concept for the earpads. 

The headphones are so great that I simply have to add the Spirit Torino SuperLeggera to Audiophile-Heaven’s Hall Of Fame, they stand out nicely for both their build, comfort, but also for their sound.

A romantic headphone, with a slightly warm sound, something to enjoy both in the evening and in the morning, and a nice all-rounder that can sound amazing with rock, metal, pop, classical, and pretty much anything your heart desires. 

At the end of today’s review, if you’re looking for a pair of headphones and if you want them to be a proper flagship, Spirit Torino SuperLeggera has one of the best overall designs, sonic performances and comes with three high-quality cables from the factory. 

 

Product Link

You can purchase Super Leggera from here: https://www.spirittorino.com/en/super-leggera-hi-fi-open-back-headphones/

 

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Full Playlist used for this review

We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature.  I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5

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