Today, Marcus reviews the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled, which is a new set of flagship headphones with a unique fully open-back planar magnetic driver design. They are priced at $8000.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank the team at HIFIMAN for their support.
To read more about the HIFIMAN products we have previously reviewed on Headfonics click here.
Note, that this post follows our current scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
The HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled is for many, an end-game experience. At $8000 this is where the audiophile train will stop for many hard-core audiophiles.
Its supremely detailed and spacious-sounding presentation has very few if any competitors which might go some way to justifying the investment.
Redefining a ‘God Tier’ set of headphones is inherent with risk. Things can always go wrong, inducing negative opinions and being considered a flop.
HIFIMAN has taken that risk with their new flagship open-back Susvara Unveiled which technically supersedes one of my all-time favorite headphones, the Susvara.
And when I say open back, I mean exceedingly open with zero grills, exposed drivers, and an entirely new silver conductor layer combined with an updated external design and finish.
The price has gone up. At $8000 this may well be beyond what most people will be prepared to pay for a pair of headphones, especially one without a protective grill.
However, as an engineering ‘can do’ statement and what a TOTL headphone can sound like, the Susvara Unveiled is an incredible achievement. Speed, resolution, and staging openness are all there in abundance.
Yes, this is a different and, in some ways, superior-sounding headphone compared to the original. However, preference is a funny thing so, I can see some sticking with the old rather than ushering in the new.
Quite why and how, if you should stick or twist or even avoid altogether and choose another competing headphone brand, is fully explained in my full review below.
Features
In many ways, the HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled shares a driver technical foundation similar to that of its older sibling.
That includes an 80mm planar driver with a 1µm or nano-thickness diaphragm, the ‘Window Shade’ design for distortion and unwanted resonance control, and a dual stealth magnet array that debuted with the original Susvara in 2017.
However, within that framework, some major ‘tweaks’ have been carried out to create the ‘Susvara Unveiled’ concept. The less talked about change but one I think is almost as critical, is the change in the driver conductor material from gold to silver.
Quite apart from the improved conductivity of silver over gold, which generally brings a stronger perception of air and clarity you also get a better sensitivity rating and lower impedance from the new driver.
That means the Susvara Unveiled is technically easier to drive than the original at 45Ω compared to 60Ω impedance with a sensitivity rating of 86 dB/mW instead of 83 dB.
This is still not an efficient planar headphone but certainly one that will open up a wider selection of amplifiers for pairing than its predecessor.
Fully Open
The more talked about change is the switch to the fully open-back acoustical design around the Susvara Unveiled drivers. This incorporates removing the outer grill and redesigning the ‘Window shade” system leaving you with a very exposed or open driver.
The concept here is to completely remove any potential disruption to the soundwave dispersion from the driver. Given headphone grills are physical barriers that can produce reflections, these can affect the performance of this sensitive diaphragm.
Of course, that means a very high risk of damaging your driver if you accidentally touch the exposed surfaces during use but it might also attract potentially damaging dust when not in use.
I believe HIFIMAN recognizes that with the inclusion of two magnetized metal plate covers to slip onto the cups to protect the drivers when not in use.
However, do not confuse these cup plates as being able to produce a closed-back performance out of the Susvara Unveiled. Trust me, it sounds awful with the plates attached.
Design
Open
The classic ‘gentle teardrop’ Susvara Unveiled form factor and lightweight design is more than a reintroduced original without a grill.
Granted, the silver open driver and uniform window shade grills in the center of the cup are the dominant characteristics of the refreshed design.
However, beyond that there is a surprising high-end debut for the tans and silvers first seen on the DEVA and DEVA Pro, something I was hoping to see in other HIFIMAN headphones at some point since I am a fan of that color scheme.
Of course, others will prefer the more traditional wood veneers of the original Susvara, a popular addition to many HIFIMAN headphones since the decade-old HE560 and the debut of the HE1000 in 2016.
Combined with the black pressure strap and similarly colored hybrid pleather and fabric HarmonyPads the older Susvara has a much darker complexion when compared to the Susvara Unveiled’s brighter mix of tanned fabrics and silver/metal framing.
Covered
Arguably, the Susvara Unveiled has two looks because once you attach the two silvery metal plate covers you change the aesthetic considerably not to mention adding more weight.
Mind you, weight isn’t an issue with the plates attached since they are for non-use conditions only.
Attaching them is very simple as they are magnetized and lock on when pressed against the cup at the correct angle. There is a small lip at the base of each plate that you can grip onto to remove them safely.
My only criticism of the plates is how easy they are to knock off with even the slightest touch. They are built well though so they are unlikely to suffer any damage even if dropped to the floor.
Rather, it’s the quasi-shock value and noise of them sliding off that bothers me so, I recommend you handle them with care when putting them on or taking them off.
Comfort
As with the original, the Susvara Unveiled is an excellent pair of headphones for fit and comfort.
The excellent articulation in the yokes combined with the large and soft pad inner cavity opening makes for a very flexible set of headphones for heads of all shapes and sizes.
There are plenty of adjustment notches to get the height just right. However, I recommend avoiding fine-tuning the notch level while mounted in case you accidentally touch the drivers.
There is an official 20g weight reduction over the original with the Susvara Unveiled weighing in at 430g compared to 450g but I suspect you will not notice that difference too much. The main reason for that is the excellent pressure distribution.
I have always felt that the classic HIFIMAN arched metal headband and wide pressure strap system provide the best pressure distribution system out of all of their headband generations.
Lateral pressure is more to the relaxed side with vertical the more dominant of the two forces. However, the strap combined with the soft memory foam of the gently angled pads dissipates the pressure so nicely that you hardly ever experience an annoying hotspot from prolonged listening.
430g is not what you should consider light but somehow that is exactly how the Susvara feels on your head. It is up there with the Meze Audio Empyrean II as one of the most comfortable planar headphones on the market today.
Stock Cable
Like its predecessor, the Susvara Unveiled comes with two 3m cables finished with balanced 4-pin XLR and 6.35mm plus respectively and the newer 3.5mm stereo jacks with the original launched with the older 2.5mm mono jacks, (now changed to 3.5mm).
The cable wire has been changed from the original’s three-core crystalline copper with silver-plated wire geometry to a single crystalline copper wire alongside a single crystalline silver wire. There is no mention of any wire gauge change
I would consider the Susvara Unveiled stock cables a considerable upgrade on the original Susvara versions, at least externally.
The initial offering was almost like surgical tubes with a rubbery flyaway quality from its PVC jacket combined with slightly banal-looking but still good-quality Neutrik connectors.
Now we have a higher-grade fabric jacket which helps deaden the cable’s movement and create more discipline combined with a more refined black barrel jack enclosure from Rean and a smoothly-finished black splitter.
They even come with some handy reusable rubber cable ties rather than the throwaway metal twisties which I much prefer to see at least from an environmental basis.
Packaging & Accessories
The HIFIMAN Susvara Unveiled uses the company’s older but more premium display box cases reserved only for their high-end headphones. These used to be their standard approach to almost all of the headphones but now the lower-end gets a more standardized cardboard box.
The finishing is almost the same as the original Susvara box with its faux black leather outer, latched-based lid, and foam-contoured inner. However, the Susvara Unveiled version has additional satin on the foam, as well as 2 slim slits to house the cup covers.
The headphones and the plates come in small string pouches to protect the drivers from damage during transit.
You get one for each plate plus two larger versions, one for each cup. If you are planning long-term storage like a vacation the pouches might prove useful as additional protection when not in use so do not throw them away if you can.
Aside from that, you get a gorgeous hardback booklet similar to the original Susvara but of course, updated with everything relating to the Susvara Unveiled including measurements.
One comment on the packaging is a recommendation to switch from black to the tans of the HE1000 Series case instead. Its color scheme is far more complimentary to the silver and tans of the Susvara Unveiled.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and recommended pairings.
