Note that this is a discontinued product. You may want to visit the brand's page here to browse their newer products.
What reviewers think
Bloggers and YouTubers have tried this product—so we've summarized their strongest opinions below. Links to full reviews follow.
Product Strengths
- Exceptional natural sound, with naturalness of tone and timbre, and an overall accurate rendering of music
- Detail retrieval is among the best, allowing listeners to discover new things in familiar recordings
- The design is comfortable, especially for long listening sessions; the weight is well-distributed, and the earpads are soft
- Impressive technical performance, with speed and dynamics described as fantastic; noted as both a technically impressive and a fun, lively headphone
- The soundstage is wide, spacious, and precise, with excellent imaging and instrument separation; the depth of the soundstage is also highlighted
Product Considerations
- Requires a very powerful amplifier to perform at its best; many reviewers recommend using speaker amplifiers or high-powered headphone amplifiers
- The stock cable could be better
- Revealing nature can highlight flaws in poorly recorded music
- One review notes the headphone weighs 450g
- Some note the slightly brighter sound signature and a small peak around 7kHz, potentially causing slight sibilance on certain recordings
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs. Audeze LCD-4: Considered better overall due to a more balanced tonality, larger stage, and lighter weight, although the LCD-4 might have slightly better slam/punch
- Vs. Final Audio D8000 Pro: Offers better technical performance, detail retrieval, a larger soundstage, and is more comfortable
- Vs. HiFiMan HE1000se: Has a more realistic tonal balance and lacks the HE1000se's treble peak, although the HE1000se is easier to drive
- Vs. ZMF Verite: Is better for detail retrieval and instrument separation, but the Verite might be more natural sounding and have better slam
- Vs. Focal Utopia: Has more detail retrieval and better space and stage characteristics, although the Utopia might slam harder and is a more 'normal' headphone
- Vs. Audeze LCD5: Delivers better performance when it comes to detail retrieval and overall image clarity
Takeaway: The HiFiMan Susvara is a top-tier headphone known for its exceptionally natural sound, detail retrieval, and comfortable design, making it enjoyable for hours of listening. For those seeking a flagship headphone that delivers the best sonic experience possible, the Susvara could be a worthwhile investment.
What are hifi reviews useful for? (1) Identifying products you should demo in person at a dealer. (2) Learning which products reviewers unanimously praise as the best they've heard (this means they probably are legitimately great). (3) Identifying a product's attributes that satisfy your idiosyncratic needs and tastes. Beyond that, we often discount what reviewers say because they heap praise on most products—and are often apprehensive about publishing strong criticism or comparisons between products. Further, they seldom have more than a few products on-hand, often relying on their memories to compare past products. Always listen for yourself.
All
Susvara
reviews
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An excellent review of a great product
/
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
An excellent review of a great product
Publisher
/
3/1/2022
Video Review
Manufacturer details
Features
Specifications
- Frequency Response : 6Hz-75kHz
- Impedance : 60Ω
- Sensitivity : 83dB
- Weight : 450g (15.9oz)
Description
The latest generation of HIFIMAN headphones combines breakthrough technologies with premium craftsmanship. An ultra-thin nanometer diaphragm (<1 micron) pairs with acoustically-invisible Stealth Magnets to deliver lifelike detail, extreme dynamics, and a naturally pure sound. The patented Window Shade grill enhances openness and imaging while protecting the drivers, and a CNC-milled metal headband with asymmetrical earpads ensures lasting comfort. Supplied with high-quality crystalline copper and silver detachable cables, this headphone blends innovation, elegance, and uncompromising performance for the most demanding listeners.
Release Timeline
Manufacturer Site
Brand highlights
Taking a step back to look at reviewers' thoughts of the brand's entire lineup—not just this product—what stands out most is the following:
- HIFIMAN offers a wide range of headphone models, varying in tonality from warm to neutral to balanced, allowing for different listening preferences and catering to various audiophile tastes.
- The brand is known for their "Stealth Magnet" design which reduces wave diffraction turbulence to lower distortion and improve transparency.
- They incorporate planar magnetic drivers in many of their headphones, known for their speed, detail, and impactful bass response.
Select products
Select product comparisons
EDITION XS:
- Positioning: An entry-level headphone offering compact design and affordability.
- Description: Features stealth magnets design with a frequency response from 8Hz to 50kHz and low impedance for basic home or portable use. Compared to the mid-range options like AUDIVINA and HE1000SE, it provides essential performance for smaller rooms.
AUDIVINA:
- Positioning: A mid-range headphone balancing clear audio performance with a reasonable price.
- Description: Uses refined driver technology to deliver a natural sound signature and balanced frequency response for typical home listening setups. Compared to the simple approach of Edition XS and the more precision-focused HE1000SE, it offers enhanced detail while keeping costs moderate.
HE1000SE:
- Positioning: A mid-range headphone engineered for improved clarity and dynamic range.
- Description: Offers an extended frequency response from 8Hz to 65kHz and higher sensitivity for clearer audio reproduction in critical listening. In contrast to AUDIVINA's balanced performance, HE1000SE emphasizes precise tuning and a robust build.
SUSVARA:
- Positioning: A high-end headphone crafted for immersive and detailed sound reproduction.
- Description: Incorporates advanced driver engineering that extends its frequency range from 6Hz to 75kHz, supporting a wider and more open soundstage. Compared to mid-range models like HE1000SE and AUDIVINA, it offers broader performance and refined tuning.
SUSVARA UNVEILED:
- Positioning: A premium headphone representing the pinnacle of the brand's lineup.
- Description: Features cutting-edge materials and driver technologies that produce exceptionally detailed sound across its wide frequency spectrum. When compared with SUSVARA and other models, it delivers superior engineering and an expansive performance.
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Avg. Product Price
$5,001-$10,000
Used For Sale
13
Available (Scroll Down)
Brand Popularity
286
of 900+
Badges
Top 50 Brand
Top 250 Brand
Products Listed
92
Founding Year
2007
Our take on the brand
HIFIMAN is a hifi brand known for its planar magnetic headphones that use extremely thin diaphragms and acoustically transparent "Stealth Magnets" to reduce sound distortion. The company pioneered high-resolution portable audio players and creates electrostatic headphones that bring high-end sound quality to more accessible price points, as well as widely renowned flagship models such as the Susvara.
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Brand Page
Our interview with the brand
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What are your favorite tracks for showcasing the strength of your products?
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Used
HIFIMAN
All of the Brand's Used Products
What if you spend more?
Spirit Torino
Valkyria Titanium
12000
12000
/
1
Reviews
Spirit Torino is a hifi headphone brand that pioneered the Twin Pulse Isobaric System, which uses two synchronized drivers working as one to deliver speaker-like dynamics and weight uncommon in headphones. The brand follows an "inertial frame" philosophy with heavy, mass-loaded aluminum shells and user-tunable mechanical filters that allow listeners to adjust sound signatures without EQ.
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Video review
Our take on the brand
Spirit Torino is a hifi headphone brand that pioneered the Twin Pulse Isobaric System, which uses two synchronized drivers working as one to deliver speaker-like dynamics and weight uncommon in headphones. The brand follows an "inertial frame" philosophy with heavy, mass-loaded aluminum shells and user-tunable mechanical filters that allow listeners to adjust sound signatures without EQ.
Product Page
Product Page
What competes at this price?
HIFIMAN
Susvara Unveiled
8000
/
Released
2024
Blending cutting-edge technology with artisanal craftsmanship, this flagship headphone features HIFIMAN’s Stealth Magnetic Circuit, nanometer-thin diaphragm, and diffraction-optimized Window Shade grill for pure, detailed, and expansive sound.
HIFIMAN is a hifi brand known for its planar magnetic headphones that use extremely thin diaphragms and acoustically transparent "Stealth Magnets" to reduce sound distortion. The company pioneered high-resolution portable audio players and creates electrostatic headphones that bring high-end sound quality to more accessible price points, as well as widely renowned flagship models such as the Susvara.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Outstanding sound quality with clarity, texture, and detail
- Natural sound provides a you-are-there presence
- Improved microdynamics make them quick and fast
- Easier to drive than the original Susvara due to a changed metal trace on the diaphragm
- Very comfortable, with good weight distribution
- Driver is exposed, making it vulnerable to damage
Product Considerations
- Can be unforgiving on poor recordings
- Lacks soundstage depth and layering compared to some competitors
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs Mesa Elite: The Mesa Elite offers greater bass weight and depth in the soundstage
- Vs Audeze LCD-5: The LCD-5 provides more insight into the music, but the Susvara Unveiled excels in reproducing the attack and energy of plucked strings and in bass reproduction
- Vs Focal Utopia 2022: The Utopia balances everything well—tonality, punch, detail, staging—however both have a little edginess from the treble
- Vs HiFiMan HE1000 Unveiled: The HE1000 is brighter and seems a little faster and more detailed, but the Susvara Unveiled is smoother
- Vs Original Susvara: The Unveiled model is more agile and lively, with added energy, clarity, and upper-treble extension, and the original is more laid back
Takeaway: The Susvara Unveiled provides detail and resolution that one has likely never heard before, making them astonishing headphones. If the priority is a reference-style tuning for orchestral music with excellent balance, scale, and tonal response, these headphones can provide a massive sonic treat.
Video review
Our take on the brand
HIFIMAN is a hifi brand known for its planar magnetic headphones that use extremely thin diaphragms and acoustically transparent "Stealth Magnets" to reduce sound distortion. The company pioneered high-resolution portable audio players and creates electrostatic headphones that bring high-end sound quality to more accessible price points, as well as widely renowned flagship models such as the Susvara.
Product Page
Product Page
Stax
SR-X9000
6200
/
Released
2021
SR-X9000 is the new flagship Earspeaker that marks the pinnacle of Stax electrostatic headphones production. A major technology advancement is the "MILER-3" (Multi-Layer-Elect-Rords) - a four-layer fixed electrode combining mesh electrodes and conventional etching electrodes that are crimped by thermal diffusion bonding.
Stax is renowned for pioneering electrostatic headphones, which deliver an airy, ethereal sound signature with unparalleled clarity compared to traditional dynamic and planar magnetic drivers. The brand has cultivated a devoted following of "Staxists" who collect multiple models, drawn to their ruthlessly revealing nature that exposes both strengths and flaws in recordings.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Astoundingly resolving, pulling out a lot of detail from the music signal
- Very light unit made with nice materials and a comfortable design
- Detachable cables with thick pins, spaced far apart to prevent damage and shocks
- The best electrostatic that Stax has made, a culmination of their experience
- Purity, tonal neutrality, rhythmic ease and resolve that reviewers have not previously experienced with headphones
Product Considerations
- Head size adjustment could be more solid, and it slides on the head a bit
- Bright tonality and forward resolution can be fatiguing after long listens
- Lacks bass punch or slam, it's there but not powerful in rumble or physicality
- The bass region on these headphones is a hit and miss
- Underwhelming soundstage
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr: The Shangri-La Jr is a little warmer but not as detailed, nor as holographic in its spatial presentation
- Vs Susvara: Susvara has more warmth and fullness, a more natural timbre, and more sub-bass rumble and slam, whereas the SR-X9000 can come across as a little bit dry at times
- Vs SR-009S: SR-X9000 smoother, richer, and had better micro-details, while the 009S seemed a tad more dynamic and brighter
- Vs Meze Elite: SR-X9000 is the clear winner on soundstage size, speed, transient response, instrument texture and realism, however, the Elite was the winner when it comes to density, body, dynamics, and bass
Takeaway: The SR-X9000 is the most complete and competent Stax headphone, its resolution is stunning, and its spatial presentation is very holographic. It is worthy of being in that top-of-the-line tier, a solid effort from Stax.
Video review
Our take on the brand
Stax is renowned for pioneering electrostatic headphones, which deliver an airy, ethereal sound signature with unparalleled clarity compared to traditional dynamic and planar magnetic drivers. The brand has cultivated a devoted following of "Staxists" who collect multiple models, drawn to their ruthlessly revealing nature that exposes both strengths and flaws in recordings.
Product Page
Product Page
RAAL-requisite
Immanis
9460
/
Released
2024
Upon its release (Feb. 2024), IMMANIS quickly caught the attention of headphone aficionados everywhere. Superlatives began appearing as IMMANIS was making the rounds at the various audio shows. The praise and appreciation was further spread as bloggers began posting their impressions of this revolutionary development in headphone engineering. It only takes a few minutes of listening to discover why this triple-ribbon design is so talked about. The soundstage is enormous. It's fast. It's transparent. It's lively and exciting.
RAAL-requisite pioneered the world's first full-range true-ribbon headphones with their SR1a, which uses corrugated aluminum ribbons clamped only at the ends and floats freely outside the ear without cups to create a speaker-like soundstage. The brand's extreme low-impedance ribbons require specialised interface units to be run inbetween the amplifier and headphones.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Product Strengths
- Offers a combination of electrostatic resolution with dynamic timbre and planar bass extension, delivering the 'best of all worlds'
- The build quality is superb, with premium materials and craftsmanship that surpass competitors
- Delivers perfectly extended bass with a planar-like slam, with detail, texture, and physicality
- Has a wide soundstage with excellent imaging that creates a holographic feeling of voices and instruments, with a true 360-degree experience
- Very comfortable to wear, despite being somewhat heavy, with good weight distribution and no hot spots
Product Considerations
- Requires a powerful headphone amp to get the most out of it, due to the need for a current drive interface/transformer
- The weight (610g) may be a concern for some users, though the weight is distributed well
- Some vocalists, particularly some female vocalists, may sound more distant than desired
- Bad mastered songs tend to immediately show problems
- Frequency response is dependent on synergy with the amplifier
Comparisons (according to reviewers)
- Vs HIFIMAN Susvara, it combines the weight of the original Susvara with the soundstage and resolution improvements of the Susvara Unveiled—more power is needed
- Vs Abyss 1266, it has more body of sound, smoother highs, and tighter, more natural bass, while the Abyss has a wider soundstage, better positioning, and more bass impact
- Vs Dan Clark Audio Stealth, it has a wider soundstage and feels more effortless, and is more open, while the Stealth is closed, has more bass quantity, and a more pleasing treble
- Vs RAAL-requisite CA-1A, it improves upon the CA-1A in terms of body of sound, bass, and timbre, while remaining comfortable, and the CA-1A has a lighter and more forward soundstage
Takeaway: The Immanis is an exceptional headphone that blends various sonic qualities together, boasting great build quality and an immersive sound experience. With the right equipment to support it, one can enjoy a detailed and spacious sound that makes it a top contender in the flagship headphone market.
Video review
Our take on the brand
RAAL-requisite pioneered the world's first full-range true-ribbon headphones with their SR1a, which uses corrugated aluminum ribbons clamped only at the ends and floats freely outside the ear without cups to create a speaker-like soundstage. The brand's extreme low-impedance ribbons require specialised interface units to be run inbetween the amplifier and headphones.
Product Page
Product Page
Spirit Torino
Pulsar
6000
/
Released
2025
Spirit Pulsar is an open dynamic headphone, driven by a powerful Twin Pulse isobaric motor, equipped with prestigious Revolver drives with 13.8kg of magnetic thrust to achieve absolute control of membrane movement. The two revolver drives, with their exceptional weight/power ratio, each generated by 13 powerful neodymium magnets, arranged to concentrate all magnetic flux on the moving coil, are able to drive the patented isobaric motor group until every smallest sound detail reaches the threshold of audibility.
Spirit Torino is a hifi headphone brand that pioneered the Twin Pulse Isobaric System, which uses two synchronized drivers working as one to deliver speaker-like dynamics and weight uncommon in headphones. The brand follows an "inertial frame" philosophy with heavy, mass-loaded aluminum shells and user-tunable mechanical filters that allow listeners to adjust sound signatures without EQ.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Video review
Our take on the brand
Spirit Torino is a hifi headphone brand that pioneered the Twin Pulse Isobaric System, which uses two synchronized drivers working as one to deliver speaker-like dynamics and weight uncommon in headphones. The brand follows an "inertial frame" philosophy with heavy, mass-loaded aluminum shells and user-tunable mechanical filters that allow listeners to adjust sound signatures without EQ.
Product Page
Product Page
RAAL-requisite
Magna
7569
/
Released
2024
MAGNA (dual-ribbon) is ideal for those seeking authenticity of timbre, scale & proportionality in mid-size and smaller ensembles, regardless of genre. String quartets, piano trios, singer/songwriter, classic jazz and blues, all presented with stunning clarity of space, while kicking like a mule, when the music calls for it. Light weight and comfortable for many hours of enjoyment, MAGNA does it all with uncompromising audio excellence.
RAAL-requisite pioneered the world's first full-range true-ribbon headphones with their SR1a, which uses corrugated aluminum ribbons clamped only at the ends and floats freely outside the ear without cups to create a speaker-like soundstage. The brand's extreme low-impedance ribbons require specialised interface units to be run inbetween the amplifier and headphones.
Expand Details
Our Summary
Video review
Our take on the brand
RAAL-requisite pioneered the world's first full-range true-ribbon headphones with their SR1a, which uses corrugated aluminum ribbons clamped only at the ends and floats freely outside the ear without cups to create a speaker-like soundstage. The brand's extreme low-impedance ribbons require specialised interface units to be run inbetween the amplifier and headphones.
Product Page
Product Page
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