Top 3 Headphones

I just saw this review for my rock and roll headphones. The reviewer does not use the best amp for it, the RAAL VM-1a, and his comments about the headphone running a bit hot are surprising. I purposely use a hot DAC, the Benchmark DAC3B, with the VM-1a because my smooth DAC is not a match with the VM-1a. My DAC3B is too hot with my 2-channel setup.

(47) What’s a RIBBON headphone? RAAL Requisite CA-1A Review with Resolve! | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

I do have a different view of the 2 RAAL headphones from this reviewer. I am a 2-channel guy so the SR1a is the holy grail while the CA-1a is incredible in-spite of the fact that it sounds more like headphones. The reviewer liked the CA-1a more because he was not into 2-channel audio.

The reviewer really has not heard the best from the headphone using the amps he tried. He also explains why I call them rock and roll headphones.

First, I never rely on What Hifi reviews for anything, ever. I find them thin on content, comparisons, and overall substance, but that’s me. If you wanna read some really good, thorough and truly useful HeadFi reviews go to soundnews.net.

That said, it’d be much more helpful to know what specific sound characteristics you’re looking for in headphones more so than what music you listen to. Also, is it ok if the ‘phones are open-backed and leak sound both in and out or do you need/prefer a completely sealed design? Without knowing any of that I have to agree with the Hifiman HE1000 v2 recommendations above. I’m a very happy owner of Hifiman Arya Stealths and would recommend them as well, but when you can get an open-box HE1000 v2 for only a few hundred dollars more I’d jump all over them because they’re by all accounts at a higher level than my Aryas and get pretty close to the flagship Susvaras but are much, much easier to drive — win-win. BTW, I bought my Aryas open-box from Hifiman and were indistinguishable from new to me and have been absolutely wonderful, so open-box gets a big thumbs up from me FWIW…
https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/he1000-v2-open-box-3-5mm.html?utm_source=storewebsite&utm_medium=landingpage&utm_campaign=NewYearSale20221223

Without knowing anything else about what you’re looking for I’d throw out Audeze, Focal Utopia, Meze, and Abyss as other make/models to look into depending on whichever seem to offer the sound qualities you’re looking for. Hope this helps, and best of luck in your search.

Lots of good options and opinions, thanks so much.  I'm narrowing between the Focal Utopia and the HIFIMAN Susvara.   Looks like I'll save $1,000 on the Focals, but based on the above comments and the research I've done they excel in staging and midrange with the Susvara being very demanding to drive.  I would have thought the Utopias would be the higher price tag, but maybe that's a good thing!

Here’s the review I was actually thinking about where it was the HE1000 SE (not the v2) that compared favorably to the Susvara but could be run off an iPhone (if necessary). Not sure how the v2 stacks up to the SE, but just wanted to make the correction.  Incidentally the SE retails for $3500 but can be had open box from Hifiman for $2800.
https://soundnews.net/headphones/full-size/hifiman-he1000se-review-how-high-hifiman/

That said, if the reviews of the Utopias really speak to you I say go for it because that’s what matters most and you sure as hell can’t go wrong with the Focals that are surely one of the finest ‘phones extant.

@bound4h My Focal and Meze Empy dealer told me to buy the cheaper Meze over the Focal. He said was tired of doing the paperwork for the Focal warranty work. He said they have a lot of issues (you may want to Google this to confirm), I spent less money with him buying the Meze Empy paired with the Benchmark HPA4.

The Meze is a warm headphone and the HPA4 is a very neutral headphone amp. It was the reference headphone amp for Sandu at soundnews.net (same as link above). I loved the HPA4 as a 2-channel and the headphone part was a bonus, so I got into the world of headphones with the Meze Empy.

The dealers reference headphone is the Susvara.