Summary. Today's very specific subject had sound quality as my sole focus to neither care about price tags, size, topology nor primary functions. I used every measure to get the most from HifiMan's Susvara and am very happy that I did. The idea of using a linestage or muscular class AB amp on these might seem debatable if not unreasonable and sketchy but results would beg to differ. Big, heavy and hot-running 100wpc+ amps are a ticket but not necessarily the golden one. Although the correlation between an amp's bass potency and rated power was clear, it wasn't as important as many would think. This report's notorious load cared less about ultimate power and most about quality.

Of everything I used, only the Thöress DFP fell short on sheer drive which wasn't that surprising considering that it's foremost a preamp with sufficient drive for regular headphones. Even though iFi's 14wpc/16Ω Pro iCAN positioned itself below all my other contenders on sonics, this versatile all-rounder was still perfectly fit for Susvara and is for every other planar/dynamic/IEM to market. Individuals in possession of multiple cans plus Susvara really should investigate iFi's machine. That's my sincere advice. Let's draw the line there and move on to the big guns.

Kinki Studio's EX-M1 (215wpc/8Ω, pure transistor, class AB) had emerged as a gem of an amp for speakers months ago and now as a fabulous companion for HifiMan's top planarmagnetic.

Publisher's comment. In this context it feels only fair to give another shout-out to the EX-M1 in headphone mode. So I'll mention our ribbon-based headfi system in Ireland. The Kinki anchors it by driving Raal's interface box. That presents the 0.018Ω near dead short of the SR1a open-baffle floating ribbons as a very happy 6Ω. Simultaneously the Kinki delivers the up to seven amperes of current which these exotic loads will consume right at clipping. Meanwhile most the amp's voltage gain is burned up by the interface box's resistor array. "Kinki for Raal president" would be the associated bumper sticker. Ed

Now back to Dawid…

.. I found this Kinki/HifiMan combo as impressive as it was synergistic. If I hadn't mapped the performance of the remaining two amps on Susvara, the EX-M1 would have been a very easy top pick. If you're shorter on cash, Kinki Studio's integrated stands out as a great bang for the buck with no strings attached. Although it seems silly to pursue a Trilogy 925 (135wpc/8Ω, valve/transistor hybrid, class AB with 10-watt class A envelope) for Susvara, their joint performance surpassed my early expectations by the proverbial country mile. Their effort rang my bells in just the right way and was entertaining enough for the 925 to secure second place.

I had multiple reasons when, above, I awarded the Bakoon AMP-13R (25wpc/8Ω, a current-driven class AB power amp with lightning-fast true variable gain) with our 'Victor' badge a year ago. Today this petite deck stretched the red mark as a full-blooded headphone amp. I still need to investigate other headphones on it and regular competitors to become a story for another day. With today's AMP-13R and Susvara combo, my ears simply found themselves closer to sonic perfection than I'd heard until now. I've not encountered another headfi system more exquisite, emotionally loaded, involving, alive, complete or balanced all at the same time. Nor do I think that I will, anytime soon.

"Works awesome."

Indeed.

Publisher's comment N°2. As you might have gleaned, the amplifier driving Susvara in Ireland is none other than another Bakoon AMP-13. Two reviewers, two different sets of ears, two personal preferences yet the very same choice.

Postscript: Within days of syndicating this review, Bakoon's AMP-13 won the 2020 IR World Design Guide award. "The AMP-13R challenges the perception of the bigger the amplifier, the better the sound. Designed for audiophiles with discerning ears and eyes who value minimalism, it is the smallest possible high-end analog audio amplifier without being just another 'square box'. The floating illusion of the slim case is achieved by the hidden heat-sink footers and the tallest component, the power transformer, is seamlessly built into one of them. All functions are controlled by a single red Urushi- lacquered knob and 10 LEDs ingeniously display all 50 steps of the volume, offering a hypnotic focal point for this unique and efficient design."

Bakoon website | iFi Audio website | Kinki Studio website | Thöress website | Trilogy Audio website