What It Really Means To Be Real, i.e. What Gear Do We Actually Use

I bought a new HE-500 with rust and a shitty paint job. Comfort was ass. Suffered for a while before moving it on, sound was alright but i felt betrayed. I still read way too many complaints about their QC as well.
Second chances are entirely dependent on the level of fuckery going on.

 

Whatever happened with HFM at TheSourveAV hurt HFM I assume a little in Los Angeles. Losing HFM demo units in their amazing headphone showroom really sucked.

 

So you're saying the Susvara needs...

 

Spider chart please, and include former leader of a youth gang

 

I, too, "boycotted" HFM, but after HE-400S. Holy shit that was garbage. Hearing all this shitty low-cost spy nonsense further reinforces my suspicion that all of their gear is 90% a ripoff. I'd like to be proven wrong by a $400 HFM planar that sounds great plugged into damn near anything, and scales appropriately.

I'd just like to add, generally, that the more a piece of gear is dependent on highly specific ancillary gear and concomitantly exorbitant prices, the further one may find one's self to settling. In other words, Sus, or RAAL, plus the one-and-only-holy-amp, and nothing else even comes close is really missing the forest for the trees, IMHO. I tend towards the Alton Brown anti uni-tasker heuristic.

 

Note should have also said: does not include potential on the spectrum activities or exploded Christmas Tree tube amps in addition to does not correlate to ability to hear things and enjoy music.

On the flip side, some starving family in a 3rd world country probably thinks we are all dumb for buying audio equipment that probably costs them more than they collectively make in a year. Doesn't stop any of us from doing it.

 

@penguins wants to be a degen.

 

Give me $50M+ and I would probably quit everything and do it. First stop would a Florida adventure with you as my tour guide. 50% chance the trip would end in Cuba or the Bahamas with no recollection of how we got there.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand - I've lost the urge to upgrade my DACs lately. I'm sure I'll still want to do it eventually, but I've had a lot of fun just trying to find new music lately... all for the cost of a subscription instead of the cost of a DAC.

Also agree with sentiment on past few pages that more $$ is not more better-er. Have heard systems that weren't properly setup (not their fault though - show settings) with probably $500k+ of equipment that included tape reels, mega isolation transformers, on and on or individual SS amps that were $100k+ several years ago that I lost interest in in less than 5 minutes.

 

The tour ends at my house all alone…..

Also, f**k pricey shit, just give me booze and cigars. That’s my good life while I almost lost 25 pounds.

 

Upper-Mid-Fi™ is the new aspiration. Don’t need a F1 car…a ‘Vette is fine.

 

As an observer of SBAF since a few years ago, I do think a lot of valid points were made by @wbass and @purr1n .

The Susvara can be had for significantly cheaper money these days off the second hand market and barriers to entry are less. That being said, I did read @purr1n 's review of the Susvara way back when it was making noise for $6k usd. Heck, it was that review that made me buy one out of curiosity. A lot of what was said and has been said about it still rings true today. SBAF's taste, at least from my POV, just doesn't lean towards the ethereal sound of modern HFM. I've noticed e-stats haven't gotten the love here, and by extension, current HFM which follows that sound doesn't get a lot of fans here too.

@wbass is right in that there could be more content for Summit-Fi headphones here, but at the same time, I feel like the community here, as compared to Head-Fi, already knows the sound that they are looking for. That's not to say everyone is into using HD600s, JAR800s or ZMFs. Each member has their own taste. It's just that most people here seem to be contented by the systems already, and thus, are more skeptical of the next best thing (or the next new toy). I feel that while this really highlights truly exceptional gear, it also overshadows a lot of other gear that could be tried, tested and measured here. For example, I really love the EC SJR and will always be grateful for SBAF for the knowledge and information about amps like these. However, a lot of people don't have access to small boutique manufacturers (especially here in the Philippines) and thus, we're normally forced to get what's available here (Violectric, Chord, Ferrum, etc).

I'm guilty of not being able to share impressions of Summit-Fi gear as much as anyone, but I have nervosa myself that sharing info would step on people's toes, and thus, mostly either keep to myself or share a few words, but not too much.

 

The charm of Mid-Fi is all the products are characters. They each have a thing that's charming and flaws that annoy. When you learn to like the flaws is when you can be content and it's probably best some things are out of reach. You have the luck (or curse) to afford a search for perfection then you'll always be DiCaprio jumping to the next hot thing. You don't settle, you're just lingering until something else catches your fancy.

 

I think you mention some very wise points here as I've been using Susvara as my main headphone for a couple of years here. I had to sell my pair because of financial difficulties during COVID but things have gotten better and I was able to buy them again a couple months ago.

I still think that Susvara is the most well balanced flagship with not much weaknesses other than that "ethereal" property and they're also very highly resolving, I think #1 or #2 probably. I think @purr1n mentioned good point that they arrived in the market too early but just like good legendary headphones like Focal Utopia OG, Senn HD800 and STAX SR-007 they stand the test of time well.

Susvara is definitely in a way easier to maximize their potential because amps like Ferrum OOR or Holo Bliss match with them very well and they can be bought without too long waiting time and are reasonably priced.

Not too long ago I finally properly hear an Eddie Current Balancing Act for the first time and the sound is quite haunting with Caldera and Utopia but thinking twice I wonder if hunting it down is worth the effort.

 

The new Vettes don't look like American cars at all, they are Italo-Disco wanna be looking likes. Give me the older 80s/90s Vette any day of the week.

Just because it is newer doesn't mean it is better or your preference.

 

It's the new Fiero