The following shows how the Sundara measures relative to the HEQ compensation, which is based on the Harman consumer preference curve, and incorporates a bass emphasis around 100hz: The following measurement uses the HPN compensation, which is more accurate, but doesn't include the bass shelf: I consider this tonality to be extremely close to my ideal frequency response. A word from HiFiMAN:"There is no official version 2 of the HiFiMAN Sundara. And we think the Sundaras are best suited, musically, to listeners who again seek a comfortable experience and would happily forgo the last degree of tonal refinement and dramatic presence. PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE: We will match any lower price you find during the Holidays from an Authorized Dealer, Review unit provided for evaluation by headphones.com. Headphones.com, started by Andrew and Taron Lissimore, was founded in 2016 with a strict focus on delivering the best customer service possible. That’s alas not ideal. Coming in at a similar price, the Verum 1 has a more spacious and distant presentation, performing quite well throughout most of its frequency response. In any case the source files were the same FLACs, mostly in 16 bit – 44.1 kHz. My HiFiMan Sundara review is based on my own audio preferences, still I find it a great device for any music genres. For me, my ears fit in the Sundara's large earcups without touching the sides or the drivers. Please note that you should write in English, and comments in other languages will be deleted. Treble is much less emphasised, so it is much less fatiguing than the Sundara’s while also being a bit more airy. The HiFiMAN Sundara are made of metal (aluminium, it seems) with just the two ends of the headband being made of plastic. The HiFiMAN Sundara is the name of the wildly successful HE-400i which set the bar in terms of sound quality for entry-level planar magnetic headphones. I listened to the HiFiMAN Sundara using a variety of gear. Best earphones, headphones, DACs, amplifiers, DAPs. FIT and AESTHETIC DESIGN – Sennheiser HD 660 S vs Hifiman Sundara Comparison Review The HD 660 S and Sundara are very different in physical design. The HiFiMAN Sundara comes in a simple box which looks unassuming on the outside, but is rather rich on the inside. The Sundara was released late 2017 and is one of the newest headphones from HIFIMAN. I had originally called the Sundara a performance benchmark as far as its technical ability for detail retrieval, speed, and dynamics are concerned. The Hifiman Sundara are great-sounding and comfortable critical listening headphones. Design . Reach out to us through our handy live chat or by e-mail. Join the discussion about the HiFiMAN Sundara on "The HEADPHONE Community" forum. Remember that this measurement rig has a coupler artifact at around 4.5khz, and this explains the slight bump there on both graphs. You’d need to try these on for a comfortable fit before parting with your money. Hey there! The Sanskrit word “sundara” means “beautiful”. Please note the newsletter is managed by Jetpack, a service offered by Wordpress. Both or neither? HiFiMAN Sundara vs HiFiMAN HE-560: the HE-560 are a more balanced version of the Sundara. In some ways, however, it's also understandable that alternative tunings exist, when something like the Sundara - a mid-level headphone, does such an incredible job. Hifiman Sundara Review The Hifiman Sundara is the next generation of mid-fi priced full-sized open-back planar headphones from Dr. Fang Bian. Soundstage is one area where the Sundara doesn't beat the competition as handily. Still, they’re headphones that few would not like: with a current street price around $350, their value is really high. The build and design remain almost identical to what I had previously reviewed. Archetypes. The name literally means “Beautiful” in Sanskrit. HiFiMAN also went from metal, plastic and wood builds to almost entirely metal builds, with just details being made of plastic. It becomes difficult to stand out unless you do something recognizable or iconic (like an 'alternative' tuning). The Sundaras are heavier, but the top leather piece does a nice job distributing the weight. Soundphile Review: headphones reviews, earphones reviews, IEMs reviews, speakers reviews, Bluetooth speakers reviews - and more. Secure payments with Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Cryptocurrency. HiFiMan SUNDARA Review. It's the same lightweight planar magnetic headphone that I had come to appreciate, and in many ways this is a simple, yet effective design. The Sundara features a new headband, new cup, and new pads, which are more in line with their higher-end offerings. Additionally, the slam or 'punch' quality for the Sundara is surprisingly good - even better than some thousand dollar planars. Neither the drivers nor the cups have had any changes or silent revisions to them in the past calendar year. By Ryan Soo on May 1, 2019 Headphones, Reviews. Stay in the loop about all the new reviews and posts published on Soundphile Review! Isolation is, obviously, non-existent: the HiFiMAN Sundara are open-back headphones, so they’re not meant to provide any isolation. While the Sundara doesn't perform on the same level as flagship 'kilo-buck' headphones when it comes to structural definition for images or textural nuances, it's categorically superior for image clarity and distinction that anything else within its price range. This review is posted here in partnership with The Headphone List.It was originally written and published by Ryan Soo of The Headphone List on May 1, 2019. HIFIMAN SUNDARA brings the beautiful music to … This is a product review of the HIFIMAN Sundara, which is available for sale now on Apos.. Quality control will rightfully concern some potential owners, but for those willing to take the risk, the Sundara provides an addictive and highly technically proficient sound. These are small tweaks or changes to the headphone after release that don't warrant any public changes to the product line, such as a 'version 2.0'. Some people may find it even better. In general, the HE-560 are more detailed and more neutral than the Sundara. If you love headphones, you'll love our emails. Using the THX AAA 789, I can use them at a fairly high volume by using the lowest gain with the knob at 8 o’clock. Also, I forgot to take pictures of the box, so my description will have to suffice. Violins, trumpets and female voices shine, but not to the detriment of other, “warmer” instruments which sound as good as them. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The headphones rest in a pre-cut place which holds them tightly and securely. The Verum 1 is also a bit more withdrawn in the upper treble, bordering on a touch of roll-off depending on the pads that get used. Both are open-back, but the Sennheiser has oval ear cups, while the Hifiman’s are round.In terms of fit, I like the Sundara a lot more. I have an average/smaller size head and I find both to fit quite well. in Max De Aloe Quartet’s L’aria in mezzo). The HiFiMAN Sundara are relatively efficient headphones, at least as far as planar designs go. It’s a bit faster and more detailed, but it has less physical impact. The previous version had significantly more clamp force on my jaw, due to the thicker front part of the pad, and I have no problems at all with this new one - wearing it for most of the day without issue. In many cases, these revisions occur due to changes in the manufacturing process - maybe there's a way to produce the headphone more cost effectively, or maybe to improve reliability long-term. Once again, at this price, I haven't heard anything that's been able to deliver tonal balance as appropriately as the HiFiMAN Sundara - and in fact the Sundara does better than many headphones that cost thousands of dollars. The new unit, however, measures considerably better on both compensations. Introduction. The reason why the HE-560 are more comfortable is that they have a bit more padding and a larger headband, so the weight is better distributed. Changes to the pads not only make it more comfortable, it also sounds considerably better than the previous unit I evaluated, which I had already considered to be an excellent sounding headphone. All comments are moderated before being published. There’s some emphasis on treble which is mostly concentrated between the lower area and the middle one; this, together with the good extension, gives treble a primary role in the scene. In fact tracks such as Gaia Cuatro’s Coya have strong bass which is however never in the spotlight and acts as a side dish. It has all the hallmark qualities of what reviewers mean when they talk about 'planar speed', and this is a good sign for what I assume is a single-sided magnetic array. Thank you! Ok, for the review/comparison. The aforementioned extension makes treble airy and sparkly enough. Review written by Andrew Park (@Resolve) Introduction. Everything else, including the yokes and gimbals, are metal, so the Sundara should be quite durable. The Sundara seem to be quite good, though: the unit I got had apparently been used by lots of people and was a bit worn out due to this, but it still was in good overall shape and I had no doubt as to their build quality. Imaging is good in terms of positioning the instruments on the stage, as each has its own clear spot, but it fails in creating the impression that the sound comes from outside the head – most tracks sound as if the sound came from between the ears. The level of detail is rather good and one can even hear some micro-details, though those are an exception more than the norm. When I first reviewed the HiFiMAN Sundara mid 2019, I was thoroughly impressed with its performance for the price, and in fact its higher priced siblings the Ananda and Arya were also quite impressive. The Sundara feels more dynamical, it slams harder. It’s a mix of the usual headband design, with the cups that extend out of it, and the suspended headband design. Once again, I'm thoroughly impressed, and somewhat shocked at how good this is for the price, and I can't think of anything else I'd rather have within a much wider price margin.   After the initial run, there were some changes to the driver to improve reliability, but the only other difference is that the pad structure has been changed (also to improve reliability) as well as a cosmetic change to the dust cover.The pads are noticeably thinner at the front part of the angle - so where the pad is closest to the cheek. So naturally I had to find out what these changes were, especially since these three products (Sundara, Ananda and Arya) are some of my most recommended headphones at their respective price ranges. Bass is more extended and a bit more present, but it stays out of the way in the same way. While not on the same level as capable dynamic driver headphones like the Focal Clear or Elegia (or some ZMFs), once again at the $350 price tag the Sundara's impact and sense of authority is impressive. Regards, The SUNDARA has a very big orthodynamic driver of about 9-10cm diameter, it’s take the full space of headphones cups and have a square shape. As one would expect out of a planar driver, the HiFiMAN Sundara offer deep, physical bass. So as we can see, whatever was changed for the 'stealth revision', it has yielded positive results for the tonality. The inside has in fact a lot of padding with some satin-like fabric covering the moulded foam. I also find that the Sundara simply has better detail retrieval across the board, although for the upper treble above 10khz, the LCD-1 may actually perform ever so slightly better. Tonality is approaching neutrality with a touch of brightness, which many find ideal. Copyright © 2016 - 2020 Soundphile Review The Sundara offer great clarity that goes hand-in-hand with the good amount of detail that the driver offers. And this might not sound like a good thing, given that they feel less sturdy in the front, but I promise that it is. Disclaimer: I got this unit on loan from HiFiMAN as part of a review tour. reviews from Soundphile Review. HifiMAN has been making waves in the planar magnetic headphone space for nearly a decade now, with earlier models like the H400i becoming major hits internationally.With the release of the Deva, it feels like HifiMAN taking the beloved Sundara and adding Bluetooth functionality. The new design language HiFiMAN chose signals that the sound has changed, too: the Sundara are not as good as the HE-560, but they’re not too far off either. I’m confident enough they can be long-lasting, if not abused. I've only auditioned the Sundara once, and I came away fairly impressed. They also tend to press on the ears more with the earcups, so a bit of weight is lifted off the top of the head. These are small tweaks or changes to the headphone after release that don't warrant any public changes to the product line, such as a 'version 2.0'. I would describe the general tuning as moderately bright. Unfortunately HiFiMAN did not introduce any cup swivel to the yokes, which I was really hoping they would. The Sundara is also one of the tightest, most well-controlled headphones available under that same $700 mark. Buy HIFIMAN SUNDARA Over-ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones with High Fidelity Design Easy to Drive by iPhone /Android Comfortable Headband Open-Back Design Easy Cable Swapping Black: Over-Ear Headphones - Amazon.com FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases There's a newsletter just for you with all the latest news and 365-Day Returns on all new orders. Here are some comparisons with other headphones: The HiFiMAN Sundara don’t redefine their price bracket, but they offer more than their predecessors, the HE-400 (in their numerous variations). While the Sundara aims for a somewhat analytic, clarity-focused, high resolution sound that I absolutely love for most of my music (jazz, classical and acoustic genres), it's also good as an all-rounder for modern genres now that the bass elevates to the consumer preference curve and extends all the way down to 30hz. The Hifiman Sundara is a fantastic headphone that delivers big on sound with a mature but musical tuning that suits my preferences to a tee. It doesn’t extend to the lowest depths with the same weight of mid-bass, but it does reach ~40 Hz with good presence and then rolls off going further down. Thank you for your sane and practical reviews. 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