Susvara limits. I played some cinematically arranged 'heroic' stuff like "Ke Lavouse Aromata" with George Dalaras on lead vocals. Whilst everything scaled loud enough, compression and metallic edge particularly between massed strings snuck in where Oor sailed through untouched. I'd hit upon Erco's limits when mating Susvara to overly exposing fare. The challenge wasn't SPL or bass but retaining unwavering clarity, separation and low distortion during traffic congestion.

Of course nothing of the sort occurred with "Holobiont" from the inspired Joscho Stefan/Peter Autschbach album Sundowner. Total success of going after one of (the?) toughest headphone loads extant thus depended on what I spun up. So I can only give Erco a conditionally clean bill of Susvara health. That obviously matched my assumptions going in so was fully expected. Susvara duly departed and HE-1000 moved in to keep things in the HifiMan family. From ferrum's perspective, it all was most sensible. Why promote a dedicated flagship headamp when your mixed-use deck can equal it completely?

Lightening the load, now "Ascent" with Alireza Ghorbani leading Le Trio Joubran with Habib Meftah on big drums didn't come off the rails by even an inch. I was in Erco's sweet spot though admittedly still goosed by Hypsos and Pasithea. On the desktop, I'd have a gander at just Erco later.

For now and because that was great fun…

… I went back to a similar well for stylistic seconds.

Finishing off the Persian angle was Mohsen Namjoo with his amazing vocal modulations, glottal catches and falsetto surrounded by wonderful instrumental solos and an ensemble of exotic timbres.

Female prayer vocals by Dikla wrap up this session.

Time for some sonic analysis.