I haven’t own a LPGT in 2 years. My favorite thing about that DAP was the PEQ. For some reason, that DAP takes EQ really well and my favorite headphone pairing is the Onkyo A800 which also took EQ really well. I forgot what I did in the EQ, but I got bass to certain level on the Onkyo A800 to the point where I wanted to see how far I could take that headphone.
I say the LPGT a clean neutral DAC in its stock form. It gets really fun once you play with EQ.
I have been playing with the EQ on the LPGT a lot and loving it so far. Need to figure out next what is the way to create custom PMEQ setting.
Most curious to know which direction to lean towards, either HEkSE or save up more for Focal Utopia with LPGT as the source for now. That will determine probably if I should grab a WA8 or a Mass Kobo 475!
I should point out that my current headphones are the Focal Clear OG!
Sometimes the headband on the sus would bother me a little so I remembered I had the beautiful audio headband for the utopia laying around and tried it out. Fits and it’s super comfortable. Had to adjust the slider to second to last position but all good. Much more comfortable for me.
Are you liking the Sus better now with the Aic and mpd8?
Definitely. It’s a different headphone. I like it more off this than I did the WA33, Envy, and Bliss.
AIC is amazing and I think this DAC takes it to another level. Very happy with the Sus and 1266 on this.
That’s great. If you get the chance try the Sus unveiled on it, its amazing.
Are you using the speaker taps?
I don’t want to try them 
I’m happy at the moment.
Nah I may down the road. I’m not paying that new tax right now. Maybe once they’re closer to OG prices. Hate the brown too. I’d def swap the pads and cover the suspension strap.
Any comparison between the he1000 unveiled vs the regular susvara yet?
Im guessing the he1ku would still be easier to pair with amps
Wavetheory’s review covers that comparison at time 41:10
His conclusion is that the hekuv closes the gap to susvara, especially in tambre, but on the right chain susvara is still the top performer. As you pointed out, the hekuv does this while being MUCH less signal chain dependent. Hekuv still scales with chain, but doesn’t have as high of a barrier to sonic goodness. (This is my paraphrase of his review, I’ve not done the comparison myself yet. But his description of the hekuv strongly matches my experience with it, it’s a very impressive headphone)
I stopped using speaker taps on the Aic for along time because I got speakers. Today I tried Hek Unveiled from the speaker taps, it revealed bass and slam that was hidden in this HP lol, I’m not complaining at all! The sound is grander and more open instantly. Now Its complete.
Thanks
Makes a ton of sense
Now im just wondering how long will it take for the unveiled to start devaluating, probably sooner or later
Every single hifiman ive gotten has massively devaluated, I still havent recovered from when I paid 1k for the ananda v2, 500 for the $80 r9 and 1700 for arya v2 
I know the he1kunv would be awesome on the pass but I think ill take the final audio route
I also have a He1000 Unveiled and Arya Unveiled, and Susvara OG.
At first, I also thought the He1000 Unveiled was the one that resembled the Susvara, but the He1000 has little microdetail in comparison. It’s a headphone more focused on macrodetail, and that’s why it sounds very mellow, rounded, and smooth. It’s not offensive. On the other hand, because of this, we don’t have instrument micropositioning like an SR-x9000 or a Susvara.
However, the overall layering level is on par with the Susvara. But the one that does have the same level of micro sound positioning, even better than Susvara OG (in only a few songs), is the Arya Unveiled. However, the Arya is dirtier and less refined in terms of edge softness compared to the He1000 Unveiled and Susvara. Mind you, I’m not saying it’s sharp or has a raised treble, not at all. The new HiFi Man Unveileds have a very mellow and rounded timbre, but the Arya, compared to Susvara, is a little dirtier and less refined, but with the same layering and micro imaging.
They’re brutal.
And before I forget, the Susvara OG still has slightly more micro-detail and bass capability compared to both the He1000 Unveiled and Arya Unveiled. For that reason alone, I still rate the Susvara OG higher than the Arya; otherwise, things would be very sad for Susvara owners.
When you first put on the HE1000 Unveiled, what impresses most is that creamy timbre. It’s like the first time you hear a Chord Hugo 2, or an Astell Kern Ultima and feel that famous liquid timbre for the first time.
That’s what happens when you hear the HE1000 Unveiled. And if you add to that the fact that it’s NOT overly bulky like an Audeze LCD-4 or a Meze Elite, sony z1r or empyrean, and that it’s liquid, smooth, and super clean, with Susvara-level layering, you’re left speechless.
But after trying it for weeks, you realize that it’s NOT the best out there. It’s a headphone with deficiencies in micro-detail and micro-positioning. That leaves it as a distinct option to the Susvara.
On the other hand, if you listen closely to songs with great stereo panning with an Arya Unveiled, you can realize that these ping-pong effect capabilities or micro-positioning of instruments are no longer only possible with some Stax or Susvaras connected to ridiculously powerful amplifiers, but a simple $1,500 headphone with an entry-level system like an Adi 2 FS is capable of giving you that performance. The Arya Unveiled is the true hidden gem among the new Unveileds. It’s dirtier than the He1000 Unveiled, but whatever! That doesn’t matter, it’s just a little.
This just makes me feel like everyone needs to have a pair of NtraX Mod Design pads first. Hifiman pads are an absolute travesty to everything they make. Detail, stage size, stage precision, bass, and clarity take a hit with stock pads. And for what its worth, a Fiio KA17 with an Altor USB isolator absolutely thrashes the ADI-2 in every imaginable way. The ADI-2 is complete and total dog shit and I’m not going to give up saying that no matter how many people tell me it’s just fine.
The problem with the adi2 is the power supply (all the path/device). In blind tests, I still have a hard time differentiating the Hugo 2 and the Hugo TT2. However, when I compare the adi2 and Hugo 2 in blind listening, I can’t tell them apart, except that the adi clearly sounds a bit harsher and dirtier. But that’s because of the power supply, which is quite dirty. It’s a good DAC like any other, but they need to address those parasitic noises that leak in. The problem with this is that it’s mainly reflected in bass that’s NOT TIGHT (and therefore inaccurate) and treble that doesn’t sound entirely fluid or smooth. But by fixing the power supply, I assure you it’s already the same as the Hugo 2. The Hugo TT2 doesn’t, because it has internal DSP sound modification.
I don’t know why you mentioned adi2, hahaha. Regarding HiFiman pads, having owned 15 or more HiFiman pads in my collection, I can say I 100% agree with you. Let’s not forget that the pads ultimately serve several functions, but the main one is to match the acoustic impedance, and this drastically changes the components of both reflection and transmission, as well as the standing waves, which can even lead to mode excitation. The synthetic leather HiFiman uses (I think my Unveiled pads are genuine leather, but I’m not sure) tends to wear out quickly, modifying the acoustic impedance over time. Not to mention the firmness of the foam. HiFiman should already be doing something with ZMF and Dekoni quality on their pads. It’s a shame.
On the other hand, when you talk about modifying the soundstage, I think that to modify this completely different material, dimension, and geometry. That’s something extremely complicated to design in FEM, hahaha. But if you’ve found out which ones through empirical testing, please pass along the tip to try them (at least for Susvara, but without modifying their body, density, or detail).
Regards
It’s well-known that Hifiman delivers some of the best audio experiences available in headphones. However, it’s also widely acknowledged that their quality control is nearly nonexistent. Despite this, many overlook these issues, perhaps because they believe Hifiman offers excellent customer support.
I’d like to share my personal experience. I own a 3.5mm Susvara that’s about six years old. Recently, its headband began oxidizing unexpectedly, so I contacted Hifiman to explore options for resolving the issue.
After nearly two months of email exchanges, they presented me with two options:
Pay $1,200 USD for an out-of-warranty replacement.
Pay $425 USD for a new headband.
I don’t find it reasonable to spend $1,200 in this scenario, especially since my Susvara has new pads and the drivers are in perfect condition. Moreover, $425 seems excessively high for just a headband. I engaged in further correspondence, requesting only the metal part of the headband—excluding the yokes, strap, and other components.
Their response was an offer to sell me just the metal part for $300 USD.
Consider this: you invest $6,000 in a flagship pair of headphones, paying a premium for R&D and other value-added aspects. Then, this premium product begins to oxidize, and the manufacturer’s response lacks any apology or solution that doesn’t involve profiting from the situation.
How much do you think it costs Hifiman to manufacture a metal headband without the yokes and strap? I wouldn’t mind covering the production cost and shipping, but $300?
I explained to them that if they chose this path, I would share this experience within our communities, as the reputational cost to Hifiman would outweigh the expense of resolving the issue in a fair and honest manner. Their response was:
“Hi, so if that’s how you want to be and threaten, you are welcome to do so, but may I suggest it’s not how to encourage anyone to actually want to help you.”
I only mentioned sharing this story after over a month of attempting to reason with them politely and after feeling treated like someone who would blindly pay $300 for a headband simply because I could afford to purchase top-of-the-line headphones repeatedly. When I suggested that the part probably costs around $5 to produce and expressed my discomfort with the $300 price, their response was:
"I think you misunderstand how things cost if you think it costs $5 to produce one of the headbands.
Blame you, no, you are free to say what you want. I’m just pointing out threats don’t inspire anyone to help others with a problem."
Keep in mind, this metal part is shared between the Susvara and the HE1000 lineup. Do you think they would charge $300 if I were requesting a HE1000 part? It seems they’re charging extra simply because it’s a Susvara component, showing no commitment to assisting their customers and instead seeking additional profit from a quality issue.
Before owning a Susvara, I had to deal with other Hifiman issues:
A Sundara with a dead right driver.
Not one, but two HE6se V2 units with stuck driver membranes.
And now this.
To me, it’s time to reevaluate if I should continue rewarding a company that operates like this. I was someone who would defend Hifiman with the “they have great customer support” argument. Well, that is not even true anymore. With such great options in the high-end market, why would we keep rewarding them for acting like this?
Anyways, my intention with this post is to warn the community: this is how Hifiman does business. They will not see a single cent of my money ever again. You will do as you will, of course, but I strongly suggest you also consider not supporting this company moving forward, or we will just continue being treated like that.
This picture shows the metal part in question more clearly, the one they want to charge me $300 for. I have exchanged that between my HE1000SE and my Susvara, as i care less about how the HE1000SE looks.
I somehow managed to get lucky enough to try the Susvara Unveiled for 2 weeks at home as a loaner. I got the Unveiled Wednesday and pretty much been listening to it the entire time until today when I wanted to do some comparison just to get it out of the way and use the rest of the week to just enjoy the Unveiled. I only have 17 hours of burn-in so far and I really like them so far.
I only had 3 days of a real session with it and Sunday I use that day to compare it to the DCA Stealth and Mysphere 3.2 to see if I still miss Susvara or not.
I might change some of the notes when I have to write my impression for the 2 week loan, but that’s how I feel so far with them which is basically the same feeling I have for the OG, but maybe better resolution, closer mids, and maybe more airy sounding.
I did a couple of test tracks and compared the Unveiled to the DCA Stealth and Mysphere 3.2. Unveiled is more technical and more resolving overall than the DCA Stealth. The only thing I would probably prefer the DCA Stealth over the Unveiled is maybe EDM music and modern rap music, because the subbass sounds more boosted and tickles my ears more. Both of them isn’t visceral on my setup, but you can hear and feel that the subbass in the music. I used the tracks Mirage, Perfect (Of The Trees Remix), and Tomboy by CloZee to test the bass and both the Unveiled and DCA Stealth are really fun with those tracks. The Unveiled to me also sounded more natural than the DCA Stealth when playing an orchestral music like “II. Dramma musicale, eroico, lirico e gioioso - Hilary Hahn - Barber & Meyer Violin Concertos”. The Unveiled had this airiness and echo to it that I feel the DCA Stealth is missing. The DCA Stealth to me is a pretty dry-sounding headphone. Its great for studio produce music like pop music and stuff, but I am not too much of a fan of acoustic music on the DCA Stealth.
After getting done comparing to the DCA Stealth with the Unveiled, I pretty much move on to the Mysphere 3.2. Instantly, the Mysphere 3.2 just sound like a different level than the Susvara Unveiled. I feel like I always repeat this whenever I am talking about the Mysphere 3.2, but the Mysphere 3.2 is STILL the most realistic sounding headphone I have heard for acoustics. I used the same violin concerto piece when I compared to the DCA Stealth and see how the Mysphere 3.2 compares to the Unveiled. Even though the Unveiled layering was better and sounded bigger compared to the Mysphere 3.2, the Mysphere 3.2 for the mids just sounds cleaner, clearer, and somehow more natural sounding. I do not know why, but the Mysphere to me just have perfect mids and sounds so dang clear. That is why I still think it’s the most realistic sounding headphone that I have heard. The Unveiled is a really clear sounding headphone too, its a level ahead of the DCA Stealth. But, the Mysphere 3.2 to me just sounds like another level above the Unveiled on how clean and clear the mids can sound. I also think Mysphere 3.2 percussion hits harder on the Mysphere than the Unveiled, so percussion feels a little more satisfying on the Mysphere. Anything female vocal related, I would always choose the Mysphere 3.2 over the Unveiled as well. But, I probably would never play pop songs, rock songs, and EDM on the Mysphere. I honestly prefer to just only listen to like female vocals with acoustic and orchestra music on the Mysphere. The Unveiled is more usable to me since I liked every song that I played on the Susvara Unveiled no matter what the genre is.
I still like the Unveiled the best for layering, instrumental separation, and getting to hear all the little details in the music very clearly. The Unveiled also sounded bigger compared to both the Mysphere 3.2 and DCA Stealth, which is really nice. The Unveiled is more comfortable to wear compared to the Mysphere 3.2 and DCA Stealth. I sacrifice my DCA Stealth comfort by using a clamp force kit on it. I use 2 washers on the clamp force kit and the DCA Stealth pretty much have a vice grip on my jaw, but in return, the bass response is much better because I got a good clamp now. That is why the Unveiled is more comfortable to wear vs my DCA Stealth to me. The Unveiled is also still the most resolving planar headphone I’ve heard and every sound that comes out of that headphone just sounds really good and clear. It also seems like I am downplaying the Susvara Unveiled resolution, but that headphone resolution is really good and one of the best I’ve ever heard. It’s just that I think my Platimon Speakers and Mysphere are clearer sounding compared to the Unveiled on my setup. Unveiled probably sounds much more amazing on better gear. Just focusing on sound quality alone (not hardware aesthetic), I feel like if I own the Unveiled, it will most likely get used a lot more than the Mysphere just because its more genre friendly vs the Mysphere. I would still use the DCA Stealth more overall since it’s a closed-back.
Negatives on the Unveiled so far are I really hate the expose driver idea. Maybe because I don’t own this headphone and its a loaner, but my hands always feel shaky when covering the drivers because the magnetic pull is kinda powerful when putting the covers on. Pulling out the covers always gets me nervous too. The only time when I am not nervous is when I am wearing them for a music session. Price also kinda stings because you can get a used Susvara OG for under $3K while the Unveiled is just just much more expensive. It will probably get cheaper over the years like the OG Sus. Last negative I can think of is that it also gets maybe a little harsh on the Ssssss, but I don’t really mind and its mostly just on pop music that I listen to. I don’t mind the treble on well-recorded music.
I haven’t tried my Allnic amp on the Susvara Unveiled yet as I just wanted to see what the Valencia could do to the Susvara. But I will probably run it with the the Allnic amp sometime this week. I probably want to spend the rest of the week enjoying what little time I have left of the Susvara Unveiled before returning it.
My setup for this impression is Antipodes S Series Set (S30, S20, S60) > Mojo Audio Mystique EVO B4B 21 > Custom 45 Supratek Cabernet DHT Preamp > Orchard Audio Valencia.
Tubes on the Supratek: KR Audio 5U4G; RCA 6L6GC; Sylvania 6SN7GTA Chrome Top; EML 45 Globe
I tried Allnic HPA-5000XL alone, and Allnic HPA-5000XL with the Supratek preamp vs the Valencia with the Supratek Preamp. Same tubes on the previous post.
Both sounds amazing with the Susvara Unveiled. The Allnic HPA-5000XL is much more airy and spacious sounding than the Valencia for Susvara Unveiled. On certain genres and track, that can sound really magical. But man… the Valencia to me sounds more resolving and have more clarity on everything that just comes out of the Unveiled drivers. It just sound so dang good. It feels weird preferring the Valencia over the Allnic mainly because of the huge price difference, but I guess that’s how it be sometimes. I just prefer Susvara Unveiled with the Valencia and man imma miss having the Unveiled for the Valencia. Clean sounding headphones and Valencia is like peanut butter and jelly, it’s freaking good.
