Hifiman Susvara Unveiled review: a fresh take on the classic sound

Intro:

I’ve previously reviewed the original Susvara, and it left a strong impression. It’s one of the few summit-fi headphones that actually feels like it lives up to its reputation. That said, I’m not a fan of the price and the same goes for this one. But I’m sure there are enough of you out there for whom all that matters is sound.

True to its name, the Susvara Unveiled takes a bold design: the protective grille is gone, leaving its planar drivers fully exposed. This “naked driver” concept is meant to eliminate internal reflections and refractions that can colour the sound. Does it pay off? Let’s dig in.

Before you ask: no, these cannot be used as closed-back headphones with the magnetic cover on.

For those who want to jump right into detailed measurements, check out the final section of this article.

Disclaimer: This unit comes from HIFIMAN’s official loaner tour organised on Head-Fi. Kudos to them for offering a demo program for such a high-caliber headphone. There were no strings attached – we simply get to try them out, and all they ask for is an honest review. So here it is.

Specs & Comfort

Price: $7,999 USD / $13,599 AUD
Driver size: 100 mm (frame); 80 mm (effective)
Driver type: Planar Magnetic
Sensitivity: 86 dB/mW @1kHz
Impedance: 40 Ω @1kHz (measured)
Connector: dual 3.5 mm TRS
Weight: 430 grams (excl. cable)
Clamping force: light-medium
Comfort: 7.5/10 (just a bit weighty)

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Measurement & Sound

For more comparisons, visit my squiglink database.

Tonal balance:

Overall, the Susvara Unveiled delivers a crisp and clean presentation with a well-balanced tuning. You can still sense the DNA of the original Susvara — excellent tonal balance paired with top-tier resolution. But the Unveiled carves out its own identity in how it presents that information.

Bass
The bass is tight and well-controlled, with a snappy attack and clean decay. It’s a little less impactful than the OG, but more agile — like a more disciplined version of the original. If the OG’s bass felt expansive and lush, the Unveiled packs it into a tighter envelope, yet still delivers plenty of power. It’s somewhat reminiscent of a midpoint between the OG and the HE-6: punchy and defined, but slightly less grand in scale.

It perhaps exemplify what might be described as “typical planar bass” — fast, textured, and precise. While it might lack that mid-bass warmth that immediately grabs attention, it’s far from lacking body or impact. Instead, it shines through its nuance and speed more than brute force.

Midrange
I really ike the mids on the Unveiled. They’re articulate, clear, and more forward than on the OG, offering a presentation that feels cohesive and engaging. One of the OG’s more common critiques was that its midrange could come off as a bit too polite or reserved. That’s no longer the case here.

The Unveiled trades the OG’s more laid-back, relaxed mids for something more immediate and lively. There’s a sense of presence that brings vocals, especially female ones, further forward in the mix. Where the OG might render them with a soft, romantic tint, the Unveiled opts for clarity and definition. In this sense, I appreciate the direction Hifiman is taking with this latest gen of headphones. Both the HE1000 Unveiled and the new Susvara show a clear move toward a more engaging and present midrange.

Overall, the midrange leans toward neutral, but with just enough richness to stay musical and well-balanced. It feels more cohesive across the spectrum, better integrated with the rest of the tuning. That extra energy in the mids gives the Unveiled a fresh, vivid character without sounding thin or harsh.

Treble
This is where things get interesting. On the one hand, I really enjoy how the Unveiled handles the upper treble: it’s smooth, airy, and exceptionally well-extended. It captures treble nuances with finesse, allowing natural decay and a strong sense of space. The “air” region feels more open than on the OG, contributing to an expansive, holographic presentation. It’s also more refined in this region than both the OG and the HE1000 Unveiled, which can occasionally sound a bit splashy around 10-12kHz.

On the other hand, the mid-treble is a bit more prominent than on the original Susvara. The Unveiled brings out more detail in the lower- and mid-treble region, which makes certain elements like hihats, string harmonics, and upper vocal textures stand out more. It’s not a night-and-day difference, but it’s noticeable, especially if you’re familiar with the OG.

This added presence does come with a trade-off: the Unveiled isn’t quite as smooth or forgiving with poorly mastered material. That extra treble energy can amplify sibilance or sharpness on brighter content — something the OG tends to round off more gracefully. That said, for acoustic and classical music, this added emphasis can be a strength bringing out extra articulation and sparkle where it counts.

Other qualities:

• Soundstage
  The soundstage is natural and expansive, among the most realistic in the headphone world. In terms of raw size, it’s comparable to the OG. However, some may find the Unveiled a bit more intimate in its imaging. Indeed, istruments and vocals tend to be placed slightly closer, giving the presentation a slightly more immediate feel.
  
  Where it stands apart is in how it handles spatial cues. Decay feels more natural, with less of that “reverby” trailing effect that the OG shows. As such, the Unveiled gives the stage a clearer sense of shape and dimension. It’s spacious and natural, without leaning into the exaggerated width or artificial openness that some associate with headphones like the HD800 or Abyss 1266. And when the music calls for distance or scale, the Unveiled still stretches wide and deep with impressive realism.

• Clarity
  Top-tier. It edges out the OG in this department, which is already one of the most resolving headphones out there. The Unveiled delivers a cleaner, more precise presentation, especially when it comes to imaging distinctiveness and maintaining control during busy passages. The Unveiled has a slightly more transparent quality, making it easier to track nuances across the frequency spectrum. I used to feel the Audeze LCD-5 had an edge over the OG Susvara in midrange resolution, especially for vocals. But with the Unveiled, that gap has effectively closed, and in the bass and treble, the Unveiled pulls ahead by a comfortable margin.
  
  One should avoid treating “detail” as a measurable spec, and the Susvara Unveiled offers a great example of how resolution can coexist with excellent tonal balance. It’s not about hearing more, it’s about hearing things more clearly, without losing coherence.

• Dynamics
  The Unveiled feels more agile and lively than the OG. It’s not as visceral or hard-hitting as something like the Focal Utopia or the Abyss 1266. But it still carries commendable impact with more control. Compared to the OG, it has slightly less weight behind macro swings, but gains in immediacy and responsiveness. Notably, the Unveiled shows no signs of dynamic compression. It maintains linearity under demanding bass volume at 104dB, with no audible distortion — an impressive testament to its headroom and engineering. So, if you prefer adding a bit of extra bass punch via EQ, the Susvara Unveiled should handle it with ease.
  
  Microdynamics are also excellent. Subtle shifts in tone and volume come through with nuance. It also sidesteps the slight haziness some listeners associate with the OG’s tone decay. The Unveiled retains a touch of that lingering character but reins it in, providing a more defined decay. This makes it potentially a more compelling choice for those who prioritise clarity and realism.

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Conclusion and value:

At $7,999 USD / $13,599 AUD, the Susvara Unveiled sits firmly in ultra high-end territory both sound-wise and price-wise, and with that comes the usual value debate. This isn’t about whether it sounds good (it absolutely does), but whether it offers enough over more affordable models, like Hifiman’s own HE6se or HE1000 series. The diminishing returns are real, and hard to justify unless you’re chasing those very last btis of performance. It’s out of my price league, no doubt. But if you’re in deep enough to be shopping in this range, the Unveiled is a serious contender.

That is not to deny that the Susvara Unveiled is a remarkable headphone. It keeps the core strengths of the OG — excellent balance, refinement, and technical ability, but brings a different flavor. It’s more agile, a bit less full-bodied, but with added energy, clarity and upper-treble extension. Whether it’s better than the OG really depends on what you’re after. The Unveiled feels fresher, more immediate, and more revealing. It’s probably not a replacement, but certainly a compelling alternative to the OG. One that, for some listeners, might just make the OG feel a little too safe.

In a world of summit-fi headphones that often come with esoteric tunings or aim for niche appeal with dramatic presentation styles, the Susvara Unveiled sticks to a carefully honed, reference-style tuning. Its tuning is solid, confident, and versatile, making it a top-tier all-rounder and a thoughtful evolution of the Susvara legacy.

PROS:
+ Well-balanced tuning with exceptional technical performance
+ Improved clarity and treble extension over the OG
+ More immediate and engaging midrange presentation
+ Exceptional microdynamics and detail retrieval

CONS:
– Extremely expensive
– Slightly leaner than the OG
– Can sound a bit sharp on poorly mastered recordings
– Naked driver design may pose durability and fat-finger concerns

Tonal Grade:

Subjective Qualities Grade:

Value Grade:

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Notes on Ear Pads and EQ

As an open-back planar, the Susvara Unveiled is very accommodating for pad-rolling, allowing users to fine-tune the sound or replace the stock pads as they wear out.

In my experience, certain denser foam and hybrid-material pads work well. Two standout options are the Dekoni Elite Velour and a set of cooling gel pads originally made for the Sundara/HE6se. Both help to bring forth the midrange and tame some of the treble peaks. The trade-off is slightly smaller stage. But if you’re chasing a smoother, more balanced tonality, it’s a worthwhile compromise. This is generally true across pad types: reducing front volume tends to yield a more linear frequency response.

In terms of EQ, this headphone requires little adjustments to sound well-balanced. That said, there’s still room for fine-tuning.

My EQ setting for this headphone:

Preamp: -5.5 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 35 Hz Gain 5.5 dB Q 0.500
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 220 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 1.500
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 1800 Hz Gain 2.5 dB Q 1.500
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 4400 Hz Gain -1.5 dB Q 3.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 6500 Hz Gain -3.0 dB Q 2.500

If your goal is to EQ the response to match the Harman Target, consider the AutoEQ function provided by Squiglink as a convenient starting point. I personally recommend customising the filters to better suit your own hearing, especially in the treble. While the AutoEQ provides a useful baseline, individual adjustments can opften significantly improve your listening experience.

If you’re new to EQ, I’d recommend checking out this video by Resolve from The Headphone Show — it’s a really solid intro and walks through the basics in a clear, no-nonsense way. Great place to start!

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MEASUREMENTS

Frequency Response Average (unsmoothed):

The response is obtained by an average of 5-6 positional variations. The FR shown on the graph is unsmoothed.

Positional Variation:

This graph illustrates how headphone placement on the head affects perceived tonal balance: with the ear positioned at the front (blue), centre (purple), and back (red) of the headphone. The FRs shown on the graph are unsmoothed.

Leakage Tolerance:

This graph demonstrates how leakages to the front volume can result in FR change: blue (good seal), purple (thin arm glasses), red (thick arm glasses). The FR shown on the graph is 1/12 octave smoothed.

Comment: Like most open-back planars with low diaphragm tension, this headphone shows a slightly bass boost when the seal is compromised. This means that a perfect seal is not required for maximum bass performance. In fact, breaking the seal slightly might increase perceived bass amount.

Linearity and Dynamic Compression:

Linearity and dynamic compression testing plots the headphone’s frequency response at two input levels to show how it reproduces signals as loudness changes. Any divergence between the high-level and low-level curves points to where the transducer’s dynamic range begins to compress or distort. Here, the measurements are superimposed to allow direct comparison.

Impulse Response:

The impulse response test measures the initial response, overshoot, and decay of a transducer upon receiving a signal. An initial upshoot indicates a normal polarity, vice versa.

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD% 2nd-9th) & Excess Group Delay (94 dB):

These measurements are conducted in quiet, normal room conditions (as opposed to an anechoic chamber), meaning there may be some influence from ambient room and external noise. These results should be considered a preliminary assessment of performance, primarily for identifying major issues, and do not reflect the best-case performance scenario.

Channel Matching:

Channel matching graphs are intended for quality control checks and do not relate to the perceived sound profile. A specialised configuration is used in this test to capture differences between channels, mitigating interference from positioning on the rig and the asymmetry in the GRAS pinnae design, a legacy of KEMAR. The left (blue) and right (red) channels are measured using a flat plate coupler with an IEC60318-4 ear simulator.

Comment: Channel matching on this particular unit is good, which may contribute to imaging precision and the clarity of spatial cues.

Electric Phase & Impedance:

The above graph shows the measured impedance (green) and electric phase (grey), measured under free-air condition (minimal front volume coupling).

Comment: This headphone’s impedance curve is typical of a planar headphone – flat and low.

END OF THE ARTICLE

Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored or endorsed by any business or related entity. The headphones reviewed are my own unless stated otherwise. Any links or recommendations included are purely informational and do not involve any financial affiliation or endorsement on my part.