Ultimate Flagship With Boundless Sound – HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled is the $8000 USD flagship pair of headphones that are the culmination of Dr. Fang Bian’s research in the planar magnetic driver and how to optimize the acoustic properties of a flagship pair of headphones. Today we will review the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled and also compare them to the best flagships available on the headphone market today including HIFIMAN Susvara (6000 USD), Audeze LCD-5 (4500 USD), T+A Solitaire P-SE (3900 USD), and DCA Dan Clark Audio Expanse (3999 USD).
Introduction
HIFIMAN is a central player in the audiophile industry, producing almost a quarter of all the most popular headphones on the market, and having a varied offering of products, from entry-level and fairly acceptable price points, including the Edition XS, all the way to ultimate end-game flagship headphones that will make your heart pound with joy and happiness with every song played. Today we review such a headphone, a pair that stands out in the crowd as one of the best if not ultimately the best sounding pair of headphones ever created, and arguably one of the most technologically advanced pairs of headphones created to date.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XAWEHx
Official Link – https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled.html
Build Quality / Aesthetics
I absolutely love short and prompt descriptions of a product, and HIFIMAN are champions of this, most of their product pages are so short I sometimes still have questions, but they are not here to talk too much about their products, and instead they let the sound speak for their products.
On the official page of the Susvara Unveiled we learn that this is the literal pinnacle of headphone development, allowing us to remove the last part that was sitting between us and the perfect sound, namely the reflection that comes from the earcup, and the name unveiled is not as much about how unveiled the driver is, as Susvara Original never sounded veiled, but about how much the new version can unveil the beauty and intricacies of music to the listener.
We know that the idea behind making the new unveiled drivers is that HIFIMAN’s own nanometer diaphragm drivers are sensitive to sound waves reflected from the ear cup and the back of the driver, so the final cut is to remove the earcups entirely. Most headphones have a lot of reflections and sonic interactions between the magnets and the diaphragms, ear cups and all the other components, all which increase the THD or Total Harmonic Distortion of the headphones. HIFIMAN originally invented the stealth magnets and window shade designs, which all considerably reduced the amount of reflected sound waves coming from the back of the driver and the earcup, but now all the reflections are completely gone.
Two magnetic cup protectors are there only for the times you’re not listening, to protect the drivers of the Susvara Unveiled, and at the core we have the Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm. The thickness of this diver membrane is under a millionth of a meter, being extremely light and responding efficiently to the impulse, leading to an incredibly high dynamic range and resolution.
To further complement the diaphragm, HIFIMAN used a gold coating conductor layer on the Original Susvara, but gold is not necessarily the most conductive material, so Susvara Unveiled uses metallic silver as the conductor layer, to increase the sensitivity of the headphones and improve the technical performance of the headphones. We naturally have the stealth magnets which will not reflect the sound waves back to the driver and which allow us to hear just the music with no issues. HIFIMAN also uses improved earpads which are angled, and high-quality cables that run a single crystalline copper wire alongside a single crystalline silver wire. Although those cables are fully capable to bring out the life in Susvara unveiled, I still would recommend upgrading those cables for ergonomic reasons.
HIFIMAN further recommends using a high-end amplifier like their own EF1000 DAC AMP, and while we are still waiting for a chance to review it, I can confirm that both EF600, Serenade and Prelude are excellent for driving the Susvara Unveiled. It needs much less power than the original Susvara and with an impedance of 45 OHMs, and a SPL or Sensitivity of 86 dB, it is not just much easier to drive but they can also scale more easily with the source, being more sensitive to the source quality and resolution instead of raw power. We know that the numbers seem similar, but the original Susvara has a SPL of 83 dB, and an impedance of 60 OHMs, so the drivers are significantly harder to drive (almost twice as hard to drive) between 83 dB and 86 dB, as the numbers are logarithmic and not linear, and the impedance also further makes the original Susvara incredibly hard to drive, while the new unveiled lowers both the impedance and increases the SPL.
Fit / Comfort / Subjective Usage
HIFIMAN promises us a pair of headphones that weighs just 430 grams and Susvara Unveiled feels lighter than the original Susvara, and this can be confirmed as Susvara the original has a weight of 450 grams. The weight distribution and earpads are much deeper on the new Susvara Unveiled, and the whole headphone just feels better on my head, with a better overall comfort, more room for my ears inside of the earcups, and better overall comfort in general. The only minor disadvantage I’ve noticed in the design is that my hair, when long, can touch the drivers and membrane and it has a sound, but if I cut it shorter or tie it up, it is not an issue. It won’t destroy the headphones or damage them in the slightest bit it is an effect
I don’t want to incite against the default cables of the Susvara Unveiled as they are quality cables with an excellent sound, but as I listen mostly at my desk, the comfort of the original cables simply does not work for me, so I mostly have been using upgrade cables including LavriCables Grand silver V2 with a 4 Core and the 8 Core Version, Audience Studio One cables for headphones, ddHiFi BC150B and even Lavricables Master silver to drive the Susvara Unveiled. The effect those upgrade cables have on sound is incredible and we’re talking about fairly large improvements, but I don’t want to dwell on it too much, it is the ergonomics and the comfort I am after right now as I adore having such comfortable headphones with such a nice build, and having an aftermarket cable can improve the handling, as the original ones are quite stiff, springy and microphonic too.
First thing you will notice when first placing the new Susvara Unveiled on your head is that they are finally, truly open. Most open-back headphones have a couple of decibels of passive noise isolation, even if just 3-4, even susvara the original, but the new unveiled has absolutely zero. There is literally not a single decibel, you leak absolutely everything in the room, and as a testament to how well the unveiled and stealth magnets work, you hear your own breathing and sound in the room as if you were not wearing any headphones at all. This is excellent from a design standpoint, but it also means that the acoustics of the room will play a big role in your experience while wearing the Susvara Unveiled.
My comfort is literally excellent, and this is something I love about the Susvara Unveiled. It is basically the only pair of high-end headphones that is actually comfortable, as most flagships tend to be heavy and hard to transport, while Susvara Unveiled is simply brilliant for comfort. There’s also the nice case and package, but inside the package you can find those cup protectors that are really handy. On the Unveiled driver, they are easy to protect and you won’t ruin them easily. In fact, I’ve been wearing the Susvara Unveiled for around 3 months now, since January of this year, and they are still in one piece. I brushed them with my fingers, wet hands, dry hair, wet hair, and everything on my desk. What can kill this driver, is if a small screw, or a small magnetized particle enters the driver and punctures it, especially if it damages the conductor traces. So keep those protections on at all times you’re not wearing the headphones. It is not possible to listen to the Susvara Unveiled while they have the earcup protections still installed.
Sound Quality
Pairings – While HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled is far easier to drive than the original Susvara that we’ve just reviewed, it still is very sensitive to the source quality, driving power, and will scale greatly with the source. I recommend using just the best desktop sources, as although it is possible to drive the Susvara Unveiled from a portable source, it really shows its strength when paired with a high-end desktop DAC Headphone Amplifier.
For today’s review I’ve been pairing the new HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled with a multitude of sources, including FiiO K17, FiiO K9 PRO ESS, iBasso D16 + iBasso PB5 (notably good even though it has a small form factor), although for most of my listening I had to rely on much heavier equipment, even though Sus Unveiled is easier to drive than the original. This means mostly using Sparkos Gemini driven by an Aune S9c PRO DAC, Singxer Sa-1 V2 driven by a Musician Pegasus II R2R DAC, HIFIMAN Serenade either standalone or in combination with HIFIMAN Prelude, HIFIMAN EF600, Dethonray Listening M1, and the most affordable sources that can drive HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled well include JDS Labs Element III Mk2 and the stack made out of Topping A50 III and Topping D50 III. Susvara Unveiled scales a lot with the source, changes signature with the source, and it prefers a source that is bassy, controlled and has a low distortion. The best sound can be achieved when HIFIMAN Prelude is used as an Amplifier, and I especially like how it pairs in a combo with FiiO K17.
Overall Signature – HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled is the most engaging, vivid and emotional sounding headphone I’ve heard so far, quite different from the Original Susvara, sounding more emotional, engaging and younger. The original has a certain seriousness and balance in its sound, it is balanced and well calibrated while Unveiled sounds energetic, punchy, dynamic and extra vivid. There’s so much life and personality in the sound of the Unveiled, they give music punch and substance, although the overall signature is very similar when compared to the original, a mix of well-deserved balance, vocal presence and I would call the tuning generally alive. Vocal is actually a bit less centric, and Susvara Unveiled just sounds balanced, tonally correct and organic, natural and clean.
Bass – Starting from the deepest point, Susvara Unveiled presents music with a strong kickbone, it has a nice reach down to 20 Hz, but bass is generally neutral and balanced relative to the midrange, allowing the mids to breathe and be projected forward. Bass is fast, has a full body, and it is generally ever so slightly sloppy, presenting music with realistic and full body. The unveiled version achieves a controlled and deep bass with a strong extension more easily than the original Susvara, it is easier to control and has an easier time delivering a full bass with less powerful sources.
Midrange – Susvara unveiled has a more vivid, more organic and more engaging midrange than the original Susvara, and this is a big factor I would consider in purchasing them. I hear so much life and power in the sound, there’s simply a more forward voice and Sus Unveiled gives you the driver seat in the fastest sports car, it feels engaging and alive, it feels like the first row at a concert. We get the most emotional and vivid presentation I have heard from a pair of headphones, both male and female voices sound realistic, both have a really strong presence but Susvara unveiled does not push voices too forward, just keeps the midrange in balance. Compared to the original, Unveiled will be much more direct, more raw, more present, making the original slightly laid back and relaxed.
Treble – We hear an extended treble, up to 20 kHz, nicely balanced with no specific peaks or dips, allowing each song, each band, each piece to shine exactly the way it is meant to. This means that each song has its own high-end extension and presentation, and this is a key characteristic of the susvara Unveiled, it is generally transparent and besides a high transparency and high resolution, it does not impose its character on music, making it really good for mixing, mastering and music production in general too. This applies stringy to treble, for some songs it sounds like a rich cymbal crash, for others more like an aluminium foil, and a headphone like susvara makes the difference really obvious, showing what songs are recorded, mixed and mastered well, and which were not.
PRaT / Textures / Dynamics – HIFIMAN made the lightest, snappiest and most responsive driver, so Susvara Unveiled has the fastest impulse response of any pair of full-sized headphones I’ve seen so far, but beyond impulse response there is control, there is body and an organic texture. Somehow, as it has no earcup, there is basically very little acoustic beyond the driver, and Susvara Organic manages to simply sound real, it renders male voices, female voices, and even hard to render instruments, guitars, pianos, flutes, really realistic. Although they allow me to enjoy my EDM, Rock, and metal music, susvara unveiled makes you love classical, orchestral and paints acoustic instruments as rich, colorful and real.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – While this usually is a part where we talk about volume, I have to keep it short, susvara unveiled does not struggle at any volume, it has the same characteristic sound and tuning / signature at all volumes. There is a chance. That your DAC and AMP will struggle to keep up with the power demand, but Susvara itself is very consistent. There is no added THD up to 130 dB, and I would suggest not testing beyond that for the sake of your ears, but I am willing to bet they can stay consistent even above.
Soundstage – This is likely the most interesting part of the sound where Susvara Unveiled differs considerably from what I was expecting, they sound much more forward, laterally separated and engaging and more forward, focused than I was expecting. Basically, Susvara Unveiled is a uniquely direct, personal and lively sounding pair of headphones with a rather powerful sound. The soundstage places you in the first row of each concert, most of the times right in the center of the scene, everything plays around you, and you play along with each instrument, you are the start and Susvara Unveiled makes you feel and live every second of each song.
Comparisons
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled vs Dan Clark Audio Expanse – (8000 USD vs 3999 USD) – The first comparison will show that the most important differences can be found in the details. Although DCA Expanse comes with better cables out of the factory, they use the DCA connectors, which is much less common than the 3.5mm connectors that HIFIMAN uses. Expanse folds to be ultra portable and small, but Susvara Unveiled is easier to drive, and although you can transport the Expanse more easily, you can’t use either pair of headphones on-the-go. While both headphones are comfortable, Susvara unveiled is more comfortable to wear, while Expanse sits more tightly on my head. Susvara Unveiled has no passive noise isolation, while Expanse has a couple of dB of passive noise isolation, and leaks much less than Sus U. As Expanse is much harder to drive, I found it hard to find a good DAC AMP for them outside of iBasso D16 + iBasso PB5, while Sus Unv works really well with most DAC AMPs as long as they have a ton of power.
Sonically, Expanse sounds more U-Shaped, but also has a pretty present voice, and they make Sus U feel like a fairly direct upgrade sonically, in resolution, technical performance, details and overall presentation, while having a slightly similar signature. Susvara Unveiled is more forward, more dynamic, more punchy and has a stronger kick, while Expanse is more laid-back, although with most sources you will hear the sub-bass extension better, Sus U needing a really good source with low distortion for you to hear the sub bass properly. The midrange is clean and detailed for both, while the treble of Susvara U is more open, brighter, and has a more crisp tuning. Expanse has a slightly darker sound, a warmer bass, bloomier sound in general, and also a peakier treble, with more bite for rock and metal, while Susva Unv is a more vocal, brighter, more emotional headphone. Out of the two, Sus U is more revealing, emotional and faster, Expanse is darker, heavier, more serious and produces male voices with more presence, while Sus U produces female voices more forward and with more accent.
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled vs T+A Solitaire P-SE – (8000 USD vs 3900 USD) – We start with the build, and Solitaire P-SE is the only pair of headphones in the whole world as open as Susvara Unveiled, offering zero passive noise isolation, both are highly transparent, and both are leakaging everything you’re enjoying to the outer world. More interesting, both come with nice cables, but Solitaire P-SE, although using the same 3.5mm connectors, they are deep inside of the ear cups and it is not possible to replace the default cables on the Solitaire P-SE while it is not only possible but very easy to replace the cables on the Susvara Unveiled. My Solitaire P-SE comes with a 4.4mm balanced cable, so although the cable is too long, it is generally good and I can easily use them with my current DAC AMPs. The actual wearing comfort is slightly improved on the susvara Unveiled, they are a lighter pair of headphones, with more depth inside the ear cup for my ears, larger earpads, a more natural pressure applied to the entire ear and head, and better weight dispersion, and they also feel a bit lighter when being worn. Susvara Unveiled is considerably easier to drive, and they scale more with the source, but are more sensitive to the source too, changing the signature with different sources more.
Sonically, Solitaire P-SE has always been a top choice for atmospheric music, creating the widest, most holographic soundstage out there, but with a neutral, clean and precise tuning. HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled is not here to take away that crown from Solitaire P-SE, but instead has a vastly different sound, with a warmer bass, cleaner overall presentation, more depth, impact and punch, and also more kick to the sound, Sus U sounds much more organic, more natural, richer, deeper and has a much stronger presence for the voices, music is more forward, and puts you at the center, gives you the seat of a sports car, while Solitaire P-Se puts you in the audience in the world’s largest theater and plays music around you. The two headphones go for such different signatures and tunings that you can’t really consider them direct competitors, Sus U is simply the best you can look at for a vivid, detailed and crisp sound, with an engaging and dynamic sound, but Solitaire P-SE is an atmospheric, really wide and holographic sounding pair of headphones, and they have sound more neutral, colder. Susvara Unveiled achieves much better transparency, and a much higher resolution, revealing more information and details, but the way Solitaire P-SE layers information will reveal the background layer more loudly.
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled vs Audeze LCD-5 – (8000 USD vs 4500 USD) – We have a very different build, as HIFIMAN uses a very common cable 3.5mm connector at the earcup side, and you’re likely to already have some nice cables for the Unveiled, while Audeze uses mini XLR which is a rare standard that is almost exclusively used by them, and a few other headphones from other companies. Susvara Unveiled is much lighter, has a lower clamping force and feels far more comfortable than LCD-5, which is a heavy, tank-ish pair of headphones. The only advantage LCD-5 has is that they are more resistant to wear, having a thick leather earpad set, and not having the drivers exposed, but that thick protection inside of the ear cups also has sonic effects. LCD-5 is so hard to drive that you’ll have a very hard time finding any source that’s really able to drive them, and altough they are ever so slightly easier to drive and pair compared to the Susvara the original, the new Unveiled is so much easier to drive.
Indeed, when playing music on both LCD-5, and Susvara Unveiled, it becomes apparent that with HIFIMAN you’re paying more for the Susvara Unveiled, but they also have a considerably higher resolution, improved clarity, and a much cleaner sound that is more natural in the midrange. As some fans and friends have pointed out, LCD-5 is a bit too neutral for their own good, and although both headphones have a strong bass extension, LCD-5 has a slightly unnatural bass, while Susvara Unveiled can convey a more natural, cleaner bass that has a longer decay and fuller body. The soundstage of the sus Unveiled is much more holographic, imaging is better, and sound in general more engaging and vivid. LCD-5 can reveal details really well, but Susvara Unveiled is a big upgrade. This being said, LCD-5 is more recommended for studio work, as they are far less sensitive to the room acoustic, leak less and have a couple dB of passive noise isolation, while Susvara Unveiled has absolutely zero dB of passive noise isolation.
HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled vs HiFiMAN Susvara – (8000 USD vs 6000 USD) – Susvara versus Susvara is as far as it gets, but there are a few key differences, including that the Original Susvara sits more flush on my head, but this means that the Unveiled has a deeper earcup that creates more space for my ears, those ear pads feel slightly larger, and the whole headphone is a bit lighter too. The original is far harder to drive, and this has been a huge thing, because if you’re using the original you really have to be careful with how much power you’re driving the unveiled as you may risk burning them. Default cables are ok on both, but I would replace them for both the original and the unveiled for ergonomic reasons. Both headphones rely a lot on having a high-end source for the best sonic quality. Overall, the new unveiled is a bit more comfortable and feels slightly better made, but having the drivers exposed is also a risk if you have any small metallic objects that could be sucked in by the magnets and puncture driver, an issue which is not present on the Susvara. The new susvara isolates far less than the original, leaks more, and is more sensitive to the room acoustics.
Sonically, the new Unveiled version is not necessarily a direct upgrade from the original, because it follows a slightly new signature. Removing the grilles at the back and optimizing the drivers has multiple effects on the sound including an improved perceived resolution, a much higher engagement factor, a more holographic and laterally wide sound, although a less depth sound. As there is less reverberation and interaction between the driver and the earcup, you hear music as it comes to you, with your room playing a far greater role in the acoustics of your setup. The raw resolution is higher as presented by the new Susvara Unveiled, they give music more kick, more punch, they sound far more revealing, especially background bits of information are much cleaner, but the new Unveiled gives you the steering wheel, puts you in the driver’s seat and makes the listening experience direct, engaging, vibrant and captivating. By contrast, the original susvara is more relaxed, puts you at the center and plays music around you, creating a more balanced, more rounded experience that can be described as calm and smoother, more laid back. I personally find the new Unveiled to be a better overall choice, both due to it sounding more engaging, and also as it has a better resolution, and being easier to drive means less struggle with pairings.
Value and Conclusion
Although the price of the Susvara Unveiled is undeniably one of the highest prices for a pair of headphones that we’ve reviewed, and they are some of the priciest headphones in the whole world, the sound they deliver actually matches the price point and they score highly in every aspect a pair of headphones could deliver, including comfort, ease of usage, drivability, design and technical precision. HiFiMAN Susvara Unveiled is in every literal sense the ultimate flagship and if you purchase it you will most likely have reached an end-game above which no ulterior upgrade would be possible anymore, with everything else being more of a side grade or a different flavor.
Award – When embarking to review such a pair of headphones, I was not expecting to find such love, and Susvara Unveiled is quite literally my favorite pair of headphones currently, HiFiMAN delivered everything I wanted from a pair of headphones, and above what Susvara already completed quite nicely in my book, the Unveiled version is much easier to drive, more comfortable and although the idea of unveiled drivers feels more fragile, it deserves a place at the king seat of our Hall Of Fame, as one of the best headphones you can ever purchase.
At the end of the day, there are good headphones, and there are great headphones, and then there’s the new HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled, the headphone I could single out as my choice if I had to live with just one pair of headphones. With a really vivid and colorful sound, excellent comfort, and hard to drive, but not too hard design, they are pure perfection and the pair I would recomemnd to anyone looking for the best headphones in the whole world.
PROs
- It is one of the most comfortable flagship headphones
- Fairly easy to drive
- Beautiful design
- Extraordinary Technical Performance, highest resolution and detail out of all headphones I’ve reviewed
- Incredibly rich, natural and organic sound
- Wide soundstage, but a present, forward voicing
- Incredible listening experience, one of the best you can hear
- Better than average cables included in the package
Cons
- High Price
- Cable still needs an upgrade
- Unveiled drivers are more sensitive to real-world usage than traditional Planar Magnetic Headphones
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/3XAWEHx
Official Link – https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/susvara-unveiled.html
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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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