HiFiMAN Susvara

HIFIMAN has always prioritized sound quality and natural presentation, even at the expense of other factors including cost and industrial design. Its founder, Dr. Fang Bian, is a vocal fan of classical music and thus you can see why I resonate with many of his products and tuning philosophy too. I still maintain that the original Susvara is the most effortless-sounding set of headphones I've ever used, and there is a reason it has managed to hold its status as a flagship set of headphones for so long despite its high asking price of $6000 even back when it was released >7 years ago. Many flagships have come and gone since, including a lot of iterative takes and updates, yet the Susvara has almost become the stuff of legend in some people's minds as this mythical thing to aspire towards. I have no doubt that HIFIMAN not releasing any successor in the time since has played a big role here, so even launching the Susvara Unveiled is a bold move in itself. You know what is even bolder though? Removing the grilles off the back of an open-back set altogether in that quest for sound quality and natural presentation. The Susvara Unveiled is not for beginners even if it cost $80, let alone $8000. I can't emphasize enough the initial sense of anxiety I had when opening the headphones and using them, especially knowing how fragile planar magnetic drivers can be. Random things kept coming to mind—was my hair too long? Should I get a haircut first in case my hair went around the sides of the ear cups and potentially touched the diaphragm? Was the room clean enough of dust and/or random loose objects? A lot of this is no doubt because the Susvara Unveiled is an extremely expensive set of headphones, but it's also the first time I have ever used something this open. To HIFIMAN's credit, there are magnetic veils provided which help when the headphones are not in use, but it is still inconvenient and you will need to change how you handle headphones. I wondered if perhaps a dynamic driver-style surround may have helped here, but it's not cost-effective for a product that won't enjoy the large volumes/MOQ-based pricing to develop or purchase from others. After a couple of days I felt more comfortable using the Susvara Unveiled, and eventually it got to a point where I had a routine developed naturally to remove the veils, place the headphones over my head, and start listening. What helped get me over the anxiety was the part where the Susvara Unveiled is a fantastic sounding set of headphones. It sounds appreciably different from the original Susvara as outlined in the previous page, and is likely to be more divisive with its tonality as a result. There's a reason HIFIMAN is not discontinuing the older set, and may also offer a lucrative upgrade program to further confuse people on what to go for. I suspect many will end up content with the original Susvara or even outright prefer it. I also believe that even more are likely to prefer the shiny new Susvara Unveiled, especially since HIFIMAN has effectively addressed the few complaints that kept popping up about the original set. The Susvara Unveiled is easier to drive and doesn't require extremely expensive or powerful amps to get to its best, has a noticeably wider soundstage, is more dynamic and generally more engaging across the board, and has a smoother treble with fewer resonances and a more correct timbre in my opinion. You also get a set that sheds 20 g with the removed grilles, so that's a small win for comfort too. Not that it really matters, the Susvara Unveiled is extremely comfortable. The bold move in making a fully open-back set, in addition to the changes done to the drivers, helps make the Susvara Unveiled a better fit for my preferences compared to the original Susvara, as well as several other flagship headphones I have access to. It's either #1 or #2 of all the headphones I have here depending on what I am listening to. Not everyone may be as enamored with the Susvara Unveiled though. While this goes beyond just an iterative take, I am sure there will still be people who wanted HIFIMAN to update its industrial design. There's also the part where the Susvara Unveiled is not $2000 more than the Susvara (and more compared to some others), rather the difference is actually larger when you consider actual street pricing for the older sets. But this point is somewhat moot since most people reading this review are doing so for only out of interest. Very few people can afford to outright purchase something this expensive, even on a payment plan which isn't the smartest idea if you needed that money elsewhere in the first place. As such, anyone who actually has the budget for a flagship set of headphones may well justify they might as well get the best, it's easy to keep going up the ladder once you have started. You will see more reviews come out for the Susvara Unveiled, and I bet most will be positive to where you may indeed consider this to be the best. The Susvara Unveiled undoubtedly deserves a lot of props, all I ask is that anyone who is able to afford and want one should demo it extensively first—make sure this is the best for you.