HiFiMan Sundara Closed Back are more different than I imagined. Lets look inside

If you want to WIN a pair of these, get subbed as we will be creating a one off pair and giving them away in the next video about them.
HiFiMan were kind enough to send me some of these to take a look at. I have not got my hands on any closed backed planar headphones before so it was really interesting seeing how HiFiMan tackled creating a closed version of the very popular sundara.
I will be shooting a few videos about them over the next few weeks and will have a go at tweaking the sound on them. We will also be giving one away and if you don't win those we will be raffling off a pair custom painted by swarez art for charity in another video
If you'd like to check out our shop, use the link below:
customcans.co....

[@SomeGuy-qd3li]

Everytime I watch one of your vids, I can't help but think about how criminally underrated they are

[@CustomCans]

I'm slowly getting better at youtube

[@mideff96]

@@CustomCans i know you won't but do not sell your soul! keep being authentic 🙌 great great greaat content !

[@Silverjerk]

Love my Sundara's and would love a pair of closed back, but I'm a huge stickler for wood finishes on my cans. I hope they release these with a basic black housing at some point in the future. Side note, I'd been sitting on my HD600 copper mass loading mod for months -- not sure why -- and finally decided to take them apart and give the mod a try, and can't gush about them enough. Brought the headphones to life and brought the performance closer to my tastes while still retaining all the qualities that I love about the HD600. You guy's are legends and will be my new go-to for mods and cables moving forward.

[@CustomCans]

Really glad you like it . It is some of my best work... Simple but effective

[@bastisk8]

The new hifiman-packaging doesn`t get enough credit imo! The foam-insert in the box is actually a headphone stand - for free!

[@CustomCans]

Ah - cool, I did not notice that - I will have to take another look

[@bastisk8]

@@CustomCans Yep - have a look at this picture - it shows the stand that`s "hidden" in the box preview.redd.it/78b9tgf27ry81.jpg?width=960&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=b439e7717e7e47211581b63c89639149926446af Btw. - looking forward to that giveaway and would love to win these unique Sundaras!

[@2009morovis]

We really appreciate your time and effort in making an informative and very educational video.

[@CustomCans]

Luckily, I really enjoy this stuff

[@FeyaElena]

great news! I really want to understand how much more interesting closed headphones have become. We are waiting for a detailed review!

[@CustomCans]

I will try to cover a bit more about the sound in the next video - I am going to be using them for a couple of days to have a good listen

[@Hakku1403]

and here go, the champ of Headphones is again on fire . ty very much my friend😍

[@CustomCans]

no problem

[@PhoggHawk]

This was really interesting! I too had just suspected that they had glued wood on the outside of the OG Sundara. This IS an entirely different headphone, then!

[@CustomCans]

Yes very different

[@FunFiEmpire]

It must be more of a marketing thing because other than the headband they appear to be totally different. Fascinating video!

[@CustomCans]

Yes, I think you are right - using a bit of name recognition to help them sell

[@abuanwp]

I love the open Sundara, now that the drivers are different. I will never touch that closed one with a 10ft pole. lol! No wonder most reviewers say they sound very different aside from the closed effect on one.

[@jopar3292]

Very glad I found your channel. Ive known about CC for a long time so its great to put a face to the name :) Its amazing how much you can improve headphones with a bit of modding....obviously !! :D

[@CustomCans]

Thanks - welcome aboard ;)

[@vincentquy]

Got new headphones. Immediately rip them apart. Subscribed for more ripping.

[@CustomCans]

Thanks - Don't worry there will be more dismantling of brand new headphones ;)

[@surreptitiousscreamer]

They sure are pretty. Something about wood on a headphone makes my empty wallet cry. More interesting content, TY.

[@CustomCans]

Yes - they do look really nice in real life

[@bellelll8926]

I just got myself a edition xs yesterday 😭 can't wait to catch up with your channel !!! Glad YT recommended ya on my page 10/10 quality uploads!!

[@CustomCans]

Thanks. I am hoping to get some edition XS soon so I may pull those apart in another video

[@jpimbuido2043]

Looks like your channel is gaining traction. Liked and sub, this vid just graced my feeds today. Awesome vid.

[@CustomCans]

Thanks - Yes the algorithm seems to like this vid, the channel may be getting a little more traction.

[@Twist_av_Lemon]

ohhh a give away nioce,, great intuitive with a raffle, that sounds really good.

[@CustomCans]

Yes it will be really fun working with the music works in Gloucester and Swarez modern art. Hopefully we raise a decent amount and give some people a change to get into making music who otherwise would not be able to

[@ttr_coco]

Closed back Sundara has been peaking my interest lately, how is the isolation compared to something like a HD280? Would be fun to daily drive some planars, also how is the build quality compared to regular Sundara? I've seen lots of horror stories about Hifimans breaking

[@CustomCans]

The isolation is surprisingly good - probably not quite as good as the HD280 but close - the clamping force is a lot less than the HD280 so your head does not get squeezed as much. I have had 3 pairs apart now and they seem well made. The holes on the sides of the earcup that the headband attaches to have brass inserts to strengthen them, the wood seems to be glued and nailed to the rest of the housing. I am pretty certain they would survive most use cases

[@zeikaarumi1739]

i can see some effort they put in designing this

[@CustomCans]

Yes I was surprised how much went into them

[@MustaphaMond-tt3pt]

I even didn't knew that close sundara exist

[@CustomCans]

I think they have only recently launched - there does not seem to be many reviews out yet

[@FeyaElena]

it would be interesting to do a review on HIFIMAN HE-R9

[@CustomCans]

Yes it would be interesting to compare them to these

[@IguanaFilmArts]

You sir are a legend. I remember your HD25 modding days. Great stuff. Anyhow, I was wondering if you could comment on how the wooden cup is attached to the metal yoke. Only with glue or also with screws?

[@CustomCans]

It seems to have metal stakes / nails holding it on. I have not detached the wooden bit from the plastic part so there may be glue as well

[@IguanaFilmArts]

@@CustomCans Cheers thank you for the quick reply, will buy your foam mod soon;D

[@pajda102]

Closed back Sundara... Hmmm sounds interesting.

[@CustomCans]

They definitely sound different to the open backs but I am going to live with them for a few days and have a really good listen to a load of tracks

[@pajda102]

@@CustomCans Yeah give them a chance. I really didn't like HE400SE when I got them I wanted to send them back next day. I'm glad I didn't. I like them a lot now but I really got my eyes on Sundara open back. Gonna buy them compare against 400SE and one is gonna go.

[@jstevo1349]

i wanna see that idea you had with playing with the he400se magnets. you should try retuning the closed back sundaras to add a bit of treble to the mix. maybe play with the foam on the front. id still be pretty interested if you can modify the sundaras to make them closed backs, considering the closed back version are completely different headphones.

[@CustomCans]

I will be doing a new HE400 series video in a few weeks. I suspect that making the sundaras closed may be very tricky. By the looks of it, they had to add the more powerful magnets to the driver to help them work in a closed enclosure - the driver probably needs more power as it has to pressurise the air inside the earcup rather than moving freely - as the sundaras only have magnets on one side it may not work well. I will have a play though.

[@chefsteve8381]

You should check out some Dan Clark Audio Aeon x closed back, I'm sure you will appreciate the build quality leaves Hifiman for dead.... very interesting work your doing.

[@CustomCans]

Maybe one day I will get my hands on some

[@blank-jo1xp]

The original Sundaras don't have stealth magnets, which tend to have an effect on the bass presence. Hifiman has been relaunching their earlier headphones with stealth magnets (Arya, Ananada, etc.), and I think the original Sundaras are next in line for the stealth magnet treatment. The sales price of the original Sundara has been slashed, most likely to clear inventory ahead of the next launch. I'm guessing Hifiman released a stealth magnet version of a closed back first so that the Sundara SE wouldn't cannibalize their Edition XS sales.

[@vik8023]

Oooh, I absolute love my sundaras, how substantial would a stealth magnet upgrade be ? I am not really clear on exactly what they provide.

[@blank-jo1xp]

@@vik8023 They are supposed to reduce distortion. In practice, Hifiman headphones that have been reworked to include stealth magnets tend to have a greater sense of body and warmth. Some people prefer the thinner, airier sound of the older versions, so I can't say that it will be a definite upgrade for you; it's taste dependent Maybe I'm wrong, but I've noticed that Hifiman's stealth magnet headphones have drivers with magnets of varying sizes and strengths, just like the driver that we see here. Conversely, the older ones have a uniform array of magnets. This structure seems to be part of the stealth magnet implementation. I've seen this pattern on the Susvara, Arya Stealth, Edition Xs and now the Sundara Closed

[@gideonx5]

Great breakdown of the internals of the headphone. In one of the follow up videos, would you be able to identify what type of wire is being used for the driver? and where it connects to the driver? Thanks.

[@CustomCans]

I will if I remember ;) it looked like pretty standard copper wire but the attachment points were covered up

[@frederf69]

Good vid, tanks 👍 I only use closed backs when I have to; never sound as good as open or semi open.

[@CustomCans]

Yes - I am hoping to change that one day with some clever closed backed designs

[@dimaivanov7107]

I wonder if a closed sundara can be converted to an open one and how they will sound compared to the he400 and the open original sundara?

[@CustomCans]

That is actually an interesting question. I have a lot of other projects on but that might be a fun thing to try

[@dimaivanov7107]

@@CustomCans if this is successful, then a closed sundara is cheaper than an open one, and in a closed one all the latest innovations of hifiman

[@beepover]

Left the heaphone hobby and went to chifi iems. Is the Sundra better “sounding" then a ea500? I can say when I listened to my HD 650...they sound like a average $50 chifi iem. I cant even compare them to say they sound better than a $50 mele iem.

[@CustomCans]

Yes, I have been very impressed with some of the IEMs I have tried. I just can't relax with something poking into my ear ;)

[@MattJoyce01]

Super interesting.

[@CustomCans]

Glad you liked it

[@FuturePerfectContinuous]

awesome, thanks!

[@CustomCans]

No Problem

[@g.fortin3228]

Would love to know how they sound compared to other closed back like the DT770/ 250! Nice ! edit : just saw your new vid the review. gonna watch :- )

[@CustomCans]

Yes - they are quite different.

[@soulfulfool]

didnt even know they existed

[@CustomCans]

Yes, I think they have only recently been released

[@Dude.Yajirobe]

The headphone look kind of weird. So honestly, like a hamburger from Burger King / McDonald's.

[@CustomCans]

Now you have said that, I can't un-see it

[@cameronhill5653]

i would LOVE to get these, would be a dream come true

[@CustomCans]

We will be giving them away in the next Sundara video - should be out in a week or so

[@cameronhill5653]

@@CustomCans Very exciting!

[@paulgal]

Liked and subbed to your channel just found it today . Can’t wait for the giveaway as well. Loved the video

[@CustomCans]

Thanks for subbing! it will probably take around a week to get these finished off so hopefully next weekend we will do the giveaway

[@paulgal]

@@CustomCans that’s great mate good luck to everyone. I’ve binged on your videos 😂

[@MyouKyuubi]

Completely different driver, it's not really a Sundara in that case, lmao. Im really curious about them, really want to hear a demo of them.

[@CustomCans]

Yes - it is well worth having a go on them. They do sound very different from the open backed ones

[@bloodindark]

was waiting for a good closed planar , i own the oppo pm3 also but they are discontinued and i want a backup!

[@CustomCans]

I would probably check out some other reviews for sound comparisons as I am not great at that but I can tell you that they seem well built and they have clearly put a lot of thought into the driver design

[@bloodindark]

@@CustomCans of course i will check more reviews and frequency response test before deciding, but from where i buy cans , i have a return policy , and they also have a showroom where you can test without buying so , plenty of was to make an opinion

[@crybabyeliot]

i just wish they would restock the replacement headband....

[@CustomCans]

We are hoping to start stocking headbands for them but that won't be for a month or so. I have a few HE400 headbands spare though if that one will do

[@BoBo_huh]

The sundara closed back drivers are from the He R10 planar with slight changes to the magnets. There have been no 'real' new releases from hifiman recently, most of the new models they have released are just a jumble of different existing models into one 'new' product or just swapping out some of the neodymium magnets to a cheaper "edged ferrite magnets" aka their so called budget "stealth magnets" and call it a day. To me it's just them being lazy and cutting costs.

[@CustomCans]

That is pretty normal and makes a lot of sense from a business point of view. A bit like the Sennheiser HD580, HD600, HD650 and HD6xx are all based on the same headphones with subtle tweaks. I know a lot of people who purchased all 4 of them, getting sennheiser 4 sales with very little development needed. Then there are the HD58X, HD660 and others that share most of the parts with them. R&D is really expensive and time consuming so you need to squeeze everything you can out of the range to keep costs down for customers

[@anatol1204]

Nice it would be nice also some graph comparison..

[@CustomCans]

Yes - our measuring equipment is not the best but I will have some graphs in the next video

[@LeoBienDurana]

Any update on the HE400SE grill insert? :D

[@CustomCans]

Sorry - I go buried in other projects. I should have another HE400 series video in a few weeks and I will get the finished off by then

[@marcp.1752]

@@CustomCans excellent ! Hope for a final HE400se mod. The originals never sound good for my taste. Sad, but true.

[@LeoBienDurana]

@@CustomCans Take your time fellas. Thanks for the update.

[@universidadtrabajo1797]

For you, most complete closed back headphone under 600€? Only sound quality.

[@CustomCans]

To be honest, I don't have a huge amount of experience with different models - most of my headphones are in the £100 to £200 range. YOu are probably best off hunting on forums for people with a decent collection in that range

[@dontbeedgy]

Have you played with any fostex headphones, like driver teaks and damping?

[@CustomCans]

Yes but it was a few years ago. As there are already so many people modding them, they did not interest me that much but I think I have a pair of modded T50RP somewhere in the workshop so I may have to compare the sound of the two

[@UmarAbid]

Thank you fore revew im new here I was thinking of buying this but I am also think of buy the Beyerdynamic - DT 700 Pro X Studio Headphones I'm trying to find out what the best head phones these ones or Beyerdynamic - DT 700 Pro X Studio Headphones and can I ask are these ear bads removal for HiFiMan Sundara Closed Back?

[@CustomCans]

We have the DT700X coming in around the middle of next month so we will have a play with them then. You can remove and replace the ear pads on the sundara closed, if that is what you were asking

[@wesleyleigh4063]

You seem nice and you've done various things otherwise, and I appreciate the want to unbox in the vid, but why didn't you just, I don't know listen to these headphones for even a chance few hours before recording this video? Are you worried you might offend Hifiman or do you question your ability to decide on there veritable worth as a music playback device? no need to reply just some feedback

[@CustomCans]

Yes - I am doing a few videos on them. I am having a good listen over the next few days and letting the diaphragm loosen up a bit so they are sounding their best. In the next vid I will be putting them on the test rig to take some measurements and comparing them to a few other closed backed headphones in a similar price range like the DT1770 and the NDH20. That said... I tend not to be good a describing the sound, I always find it difficult to put into words, but I will try to get better with more practice

[@StatusQuo209]

Would you be able to measure these and post up the measurements?

[@CustomCans]

Yes, I don't have the best measurement equipment but I have measured them and will post it on the next video which should be out next week

[@StatusQuo209]

@@CustomCans Awesome! Anything to give a general idea where these land would be very helpful.

[@hareshrk6259]

hi, Im more into edm, synthwave, phonk.. will these sound good on the normal sundaras ? finally started earning and wanted to get good headphones. I heard a dac amp is need and the few options I have is ifi zen air dac, what would you recommend.

[@CustomCans]

Sound is a bit of a personal thing but if you want to hear the the awesomeness of analogue bass synth then these are good. They do sound very different to the open backs though

[@hareshrk6259]

@@CustomCansim a little confused, by "they" do u mean the (normal)open back sundaras ? and do I need a desk amp like the ifi zen air dac or a portable one is fine

[@CustomCans]

​@@hareshrk6259 Ah sorry - I may have misread your previous message - The normal open backed sundaras are nice but would probably benefit from an amp. The open ones to lack a bit of sub bass though

[@dragos-lucian]

Ughh, the same cable in the package.

[@CustomCans]

Yes - I think the cable in the box is probably good enough to get you going but I suspect a lot of people will end up replacing it

[@musicxxa6678]

What do you think about lcd 2 closed ?

[@CustomCans]

I have not tried them - this is the first pair of higher end closed planar headphones that I have tried. I suspect the LCD2 are a bit out of my price range at the moment.

[@torukmahtomahto409]

How you can see a stealth magnet ?

[@CustomCans]

You have to look at it off axis or they are invisible ;)

[@torukmahtomahto409]

@@CustomCans I know,was a joke..

[@darrenpitchford1261]

Subscribed.

[@CustomCans]

Welcome aboard ;)

[@UmarAbid]

wow amazing subed

[@CustomCans]

Thanks for the sub ;)