I didn't notice any obvious resemblance. Even subtle shifts in tuning (plus differences in the character of the sound produced by the different headphones) can make a significant difference.
I'm glad you liked it. I've stopped doing it in my new approach as it was a LOT of work and didn't seem to add enough value for most people. It's nice to hear that you really liked it.
@@PassionforSound I would be just as happy with a static image rather than a slick animation. By the way, I just started learning DaVinci Resolve after you mentioned it in a recent video!
@soulshinobi unfortunately, it's still complicated to piece together. I'm using a different, quicker approach these days that's hopefully still clarifying the chain.
I don't have the Sundara anymore to compare. From memory, though, Sundara has better bass and perhaps better stage size/depth. The Para will win out on the upper frequency quality thanks to its excellent sense of refinement.
The idea of judging them on a high end chain is that it allows each headphone to perform to its maximum. Using a lower end chain can limit the max performance of the headphones and therefore tells you more about the chain than about the phones.
@@PassionforSound i think the typical user of a $300 headphone would like to know how the headphones will sound on a gear they can afford and it would be more representative of real world usage. you can also compare the sound of the same headphone on more price appropriate gear and your high end audio chain and describe how that headphone will scale with better gear and it will make the reviews more pragmatic. after all is there any point in describing the sound of a headphone if none of the potential buyers of that headphone will ever hear it on their sub $1000 audio chains?
What you're both talking about is a review of the source chain and that's going to be different for every person's setup. By testing the headphones on the best gear I can, it tells people what the headphone is capable of at its maximum and then everything else comes down to the limitations of the source chain which they can choose based on the reviews of those devices. Deliberately limiting the perforamnce of a headphone with lower level gear is likely to result in misleading or incomplete reviews.
@@PassionforSound I think powering a $300 headphone with $10000 gear is more likely to result in misleading reviews as the typical buyer will never get to experience the sound you are describing.
I would be thrilled if you could review the Gustard Audalytic AH90 Streamer, DAC, Headphone unit. It comes in at 599. I would be really love your take on this unit.
I have a Dragonfly Cobalt few years ago and I really enjoy it with my IEM, the Para looks good for me, is it possible Cobalt can drive Para? If not then may I know what headphones would you recommend? (as long as Cobalt can drive it and similar price with Para)
You'd probably get ok volume from the Cobalt, but it might be stretching it. As for alternative options, I really like the HarmonicDyne Athena at around this price point. A lot of it depends on your preferences and needs.
I ordered a pair, tried them and immediately returned them. Mud city with any kind of real volume. Really surprising for a planar. And they don't take EQ well. Sad effort in my opinion, even at 300 bucks. My HD560s blows them away for like half the price.
@@PassionforSound Source is fine. RME UFX II interface. Other cans have 0 issues on same source. I don't think burn in will fix this. Nobody else has mentioned them needing burn in to fix mud. I've never had any other headphones need burn in to fix that.
Interesting headphones, thank for the review Lachlan.
Very interesting. The FR looks very similar to Empy 2, with less low end. Do they actually sound alike?
I didn't notice any obvious resemblance. Even subtle shifts in tuning (plus differences in the character of the sound produced by the different headphones) can make a significant difference.
Great review, Thanks! You will have Amos dusting off his vintage loudspeaker amps to tackle those headphones. 🤔
Very true!
Very curious how these would compare to the Sennheiser HD 600 ($350 on Amazon), which are also intimate in staging and vocal focused.
3:21 love this visual of the source chain
I'm glad you liked it. I've stopped doing it in my new approach as it was a LOT of work and didn't seem to add enough value for most people. It's nice to hear that you really liked it.
@@PassionforSound I would be just as happy with a static image rather than a slick animation. By the way, I just started learning DaVinci Resolve after you mentioned it in a recent video!
@soulshinobi unfortunately, it's still complicated to piece together. I'm using a different, quicker approach these days that's hopefully still clarifying the chain.
P.S. DaVinci Resolve is a brilliant bit of software. Enjoy the ride!
How does it compare to the sundara?
I don't have the Sundara anymore to compare. From memory, though, Sundara has better bass and perhaps better stage size/depth. The Para will win out on the upper frequency quality thanks to its excellent sense of refinement.
I think you should judge them on more price appropriate audio chains, i dont think people with $300 headphones will be using DAC/AMPS above $1000.
The idea of judging them on a high end chain is that it allows each headphone to perform to its maximum. Using a lower end chain can limit the max performance of the headphones and therefore tells you more about the chain than about the phones.
@@PassionforSound No point because people that buy dont have high end chain to use with. They will never hear the same sound like you
@@PassionforSound i think the typical user of a $300 headphone would like to know how the headphones will sound on a gear they can afford and it would be more representative of real world usage. you can also compare the sound of the same headphone on more price appropriate gear and your high end audio chain and describe how that headphone will scale with better gear and it will make the reviews more pragmatic. after all is there any point in describing the sound of a headphone if none of the potential buyers of that headphone will ever hear it on their sub $1000 audio chains?
What you're both talking about is a review of the source chain and that's going to be different for every person's setup. By testing the headphones on the best gear I can, it tells people what the headphone is capable of at its maximum and then everything else comes down to the limitations of the source chain which they can choose based on the reviews of those devices. Deliberately limiting the perforamnce of a headphone with lower level gear is likely to result in misleading or incomplete reviews.
@@PassionforSound I think powering a $300 headphone with $10000 gear is more likely to result in misleading reviews as the typical buyer will never get to experience the sound you are describing.
I think the Aune AR 5000 is a wonderful, well balanced headphone at the $299 price. It’s perfect for the price.
I'd like to try that one
@@PassionforSound Burn in is real on this one. After 48 hours, it really opened up.
I would be thrilled if you could review the Gustard Audalytic AH90 Streamer, DAC, Headphone unit. It comes in at 599. I would be really love your take on this unit.
I'll see if I can get my hands on one... 🙂
I’ve been spoiled by my LCDX for Bass!..and over all performance.
Have you tried the Avantone Planar II?
I haven't yet, but I've read good things about them
How does it compare to moondrop Venus?
I don't have the Venus here to compare, but I didn't particularly like the Venus (considering price too), but really like the Para.
Hmmm…comparisons should be interesting 🧐
I just got JDS LABS headphone amp. Will that be sufficient to run them properly?
That should do just fine
@@PassionforSound Awesome, thanks!
Why aren't my subtitles translated into another language? Is it because of a speech impediment or what?
I manually added all of the translations to this video to test what it did for view count. Answer: it didn't do much 😁
I have a Dragonfly Cobalt few years ago and I really enjoy it with my IEM, the Para looks good for me, is it possible Cobalt can drive Para? If not then may I know what headphones would you recommend? (as long as Cobalt can drive it and similar price with Para)
You'd probably get ok volume from the Cobalt, but it might be stretching it. As for alternative options, I really like the HarmonicDyne Athena at around this price point. A lot of it depends on your preferences and needs.
@@PassionforSound I heard HarmonicDyne Athena discontinued already? I also found a lot of platform and show out of stock........🥲
@@PassionforSound I heard HarmonicDyne Athena discontinued, I also try to search it but show out of stock.....😰
Damn! That's such a shame.
Check out the Phonon SMB-02 as a good alternative.
Did the earpad and the metal inside can fit Venus?
Yes. Same cup dimensions.
GM ☕️💊
Listening with interest 🧐
I now avoid any headphone with that type of headband. They eventually cause hot spots and even pain after a while on your head.
It's funny how even comfort is so subjective! 😁
Actually, that’s 91.97 dB/mW. Not hard to drive at all.
I think your calculation isn't taking the impedance into account.
@@PassionforSound My calculation was wrong, but Susvara’s efficiency is 70.8 dB/mW, so these are more than 8 times easier to drive.
No. Susvara is rated at 83dB/mW
@@PassionforSound On HiFiMAN product page, it says sensitivity is 83 dB. Sensitivity is measured in dB/Vrms. Efficiency is measured in dB/mW.
No, the term sensitivity is used consistently for headphones with both dB/mW and dB/V measurements which makes it a bit tricky for people
It costs a lot of para 💰
I ordered a pair, tried them and immediately returned them. Mud city with any kind of real volume. Really surprising for a planar. And they don't take EQ well. Sad effort in my opinion, even at 300 bucks. My HD560s blows them away for like half the price.
This sounds like either a need for burn-in or a source issue.
@@PassionforSound Source is fine. RME UFX II interface. Other cans have 0 issues on same source.
I don't think burn in will fix this. Nobody else has mentioned them needing burn in to fix mud. I've never had any other headphones need burn in to fix that.
I don't know the UFX II. Perhaps these just aren't for you