This is my top picks
SR-009
SR-007
STAX L700
Utopia
Lcd4
Hd800/He1000/Ether flow/LCD3 and X/TH-900 = All tie
Susrava/Z1R
Elear/LCD2/HD600/HD650/PM-1/He400i/M1060 = All tie
You're making me extremely curious to text a SR-009 sometime in the future!
I would agree with this if it were about sound alone. But assessing the build quality of an item can be done in minutes.
The biggest problem with the Susvara probably isn't the sound, but its shabby build quality. Borrowing the headband assembly from previous headphones and not improving it in any way is not helping HiFiMan justify the 6000$ retail price.
I just bought an Edition X V2 with much apprehension about the build, and this apprehension was confirmed when opening the box. The build is quite horrible, and does not correspond to a product in this price range. I don't think the Susvara is very different from it when considering build quality alone, and I can only imagine what a disappointment it must be.
Woah
I have only tested 4 things from HiFiMAN in person, so I can only speak about the build quality of those. I know that this is no indicator for the build quality of every single product in their line, but since those are more recent, I have high hopes that Susvara being recent will also offer an improved build quality. Since I didn't notice any problems with He-560 when I tested it, I am left with a good impression in general, but of course, this might be wrong from my side. I will do my best to properly test the build quality of everything I review and such, but so far HiFiMAN looks really good with their build quality. If I ever manage to test a Susvara itself, I promise to let you know how it goes and what are my feelings about its build quality. As for the products I tested already from HiFiMAN:
- HE560 - Excellent build quality with no apparent problems, but I tested it for only a few hours
(Sorry, no photos...)
- Megamini player - Incredible build quality for a DAP, everything clicks in place, no way I can complain about its build quality. It is a mini player and its software is minimalist, but the build quality is really good.
- RE-800 - They are literally built like tanks and they are the most comfortable IEMs I ever placed in my ears, there is no space to complain in any way about them so far
- RE-2000 - The IEM body is a tank, literally. There are no apparent problems with it whatsoever, it looks and works amazingly well and it also looks like it can endure a whole before showing any sign of fatigue.