HiFiMan Sundara in 2021: Outstanding!

[@IlluminAlec]

Bought mine a few weeks ago, basically feels like what I imagine getting a hearing aide is like when listening to your favorite songs with plenty of sounds you've never heard before that enhances the relisten

[@lukepatto4366]

Are you just listening through your phones or motherboard?

[@IlluminAlec]

@@lukepatto4366 through a soundblaster g6, smile.amazon.com/BlasterX-External-Headphone-Surround-Sidetone/dp/B07FY45F2S/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=sound+blasterx+g6&qid=1625771219&sr=8-2 you can get it for cheaper usually but this is the only thing that works on ps5 and pc with the tempest audio. i used to use the usb and optical cable to the mobo but i figured out using usb only is fine after using a 20 foot usb extension and hub to play on a tv

[@DawsonPearse]

@@IlluminAlec Hey, are you applying any EQ settings to your Sundara?

[@Joeknowsit-ALL]

Try it with the iFi Zen Can....it will blow your mind how the Sundara will sound like 3 times its price.

[@audioaficionado9494]

I have Sundara running balanced through a Schiit Jotunheim 2 and also HiBy R3 Pro Saber DAP. Very dynamic and detailed on both.

[@somgun23]

I really enjoy your videos, and I know it’s something you probably are already working on, but investing in a better mic would up the quality of things 100% and I think more people would stick around to hear you speak if your voice isn’t compressed and muffled

[@AudioFixation]

Thanks for the feedback Malcolm!

[@limmingjun7930]

Good advice

[@ActionMan153]

I bought mine recently open-box for $299, total steal. It does need some cable upgrading. I am nearly half-way through the burn-in time recommended in the user-manual.

[@craiggamble4431]

Just picked up a pair of these after receiving a faulty pair of hd 650 and a ifi hip DAC. You’re the first reviewer to mention the hip DAC. On the iPhone 5 I have playing a track called empty by emperor which is a black metal track the mids defiantly drop off but it still sounds good. With the hip DAC and iMatch on it’s got all the clarity. Through my iPhone 12 with the lightning dongle they run fine though, just quiet compared to the hip DAC which is fine. But I’d say they are defiantly a worthwhile headphone to pick up.

[@carloswhite3675]

Good review, I am looking at these for my first open back as well as first planar headphones, I am just not sure I will benefit from them yet as I have two small children and I do not want to be that dad keeping everyone quiet so I can listen to music while working from home, I am also currently deciding between a dragonfly red or zen dac v2. Pleased to see more you tubers from the UK too. Subscribed.

[@Anomalyn1]

Dont buy a zen dac if you dont have an amp. Get the Zen Can instead. The dac doesnt have enough power to drive them properly.

[@sergiobrinas2452]

@@Anomalyn1 Using the balanced 4.4 output the Zen Dac feeds them adequately, but of course, it requires buying the cable separately.

[@tropicalscot]

This is different packaging than I've received. I have styrofoam moulded into a headphone stand shape (that you can pull out and use as a stand). Pretty sure they are genuine (sound and build quality are great) but I'm not sure I have an older or newer version? I bought in October 2022 and the price was £250 on Amazon. Very happy with them in any case.

[@gsabz37]

Thank you for this brilliant review. I'm happy you did a comparison with the HD650.

[@DamZFXBeats]

This is great review! Just ordered myself a pair too. Very excited! Will be pairing this with the schiit modi and magni 3plus. Hopefully that stack combination will do these justice :)

[@AudioFixation]

Great combo Damon!

[@cozzernator]

How does they sound with that stack, got mine coming tomorrow with the sundaras

[@DamZFXBeats]

@@cozzernator depends if you're used to planar headphones. They're very tight sounding bass with VERY little distortion, if any. It's a real crispy sound with very high frequencies playable. It's definitely a very clear sound and has amazing separation

[@cozzernator]

@@DamZFXBeats Hey thanks, just received mine, love them! Coming from x2r's the detail in the highs and separation is amazing. A tiny bit too much treble for my liking but i think my ears are very sensitive.

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

The trebles of the sundara 😍😍😍 For the legend of spyro ost ( a new beginning/ eternal night/ dawn of the dragon) bloodborn, dark souls 1 and 3 . Nier automata, nier.. The details.. they shine . However be warned. My sundara lasted 1 years before experiencing what a driver failure is.. so take them with a 2 or 3 years warranty If possible . I almost forgot... made un abyss ost is amazing even better than on the hd600

[@tonyt7372]

I have my Sundara connected to Chord Mojo. The Mojo is connected to my Android phone running USB Audio Player Pro. With some EQ (Mophlt eq for Sundara) they sing. Using Gothic Audio pure silver USB C org. Replaced headphone cable with Koala Audio cables.

[@testplmnb]

XDDDD Pure silver usb cable for a fucking digital signals. Audiophiles can get extreme xD

[@manishbangia6921]

Information you have provided is awesome. I would recommend to use a better quality mic, may be you are not near to the mic while talking. I am the new subscriber

[@AudioFixation]

Thanks Manish - this is one of my old vids - hopefully all the recent ones have much better SQ

[@jasonhaiad]

i've found these headphones to be genuinely perfect for The Beatles stereo recordings, which on every other headphone i've tried have sounded very jarring and off putting with the extreme left right separation. with these though it all flows so beautifully and is nowhere near as sharp and painfully bright

[@sujitji495]

The ifi Zen Can 3D button helps to make extreme panned stereo recordings listenable. Or it is better to play such recordings as mono output if the amp doesn't have any such feature to provide crossfeed through analog circuitry.

[@truckerallikatuk]

Just subbed, nice work my good man, nice work.

[@Cestmoi50]

try the Sundara, but getting to a Arya Stealth or a little cheaper Ananda, and you sell the Sundara right away. I really really did not like the Sundura, but love the Arya. But connect them to a really good and powerfull high quality amp (it does make alle the difference)

[@garyrobinson6247]

Nice review. I have the Grado SR325e and have just invested in the Sundaras. In back to back tests listening via an iFi Zen DAC/AMP I’m struggling to find areas where the Sundaras beat the Grados. The Grados aren’t renowned for their bass but listen to the male bass vocalist in Voces 8 singing Barber’s Agnus Dei and there is more volume and clarity from the Grados. The Sundaras are indeed a good headphone but it is a close run thing with the SR325e. I haven’t listened to the SR325x (the latest incarnation from Grado). My recommendation though is to try them both and I’m sure it will come down to personal preference.

[@AudioFixation]

That is a great recording by the way!

[@giorgosapo4508]

Lovely review 👍 I definitely subscribed

[@adrianmorrish8494]

Great review, have u ever tried the Verum 1’s, I am trying to decide between 2020 Sundara and Verum 1 my 2?

[@AntonisAnastassiades]

Great review. Do you EQ them?

[@apoorvasharma7]

Please do a review of HD 560s. A comparison with Sundaras would be nice too

[@znoozaros]

560s has a punchier sound but lacks soundstage

[@johngotti8544]

Is this the hifiman sundara 2020 version one

[@tonyt7372]

Update. I've switched my amp to a ifi hip dac 2. Running my Sundara's in balanced mode they sound better than ever. Purchase the ifi 3.0 org cable which took the sound up a notch. More space and air.

[@AudioFixation]

Thanks for the update and for the useful cable suggestion

[@paullong1093]

have you tried the dt 1990 ? they only 50 quid more then the sundara, and i cant decide between the two, and i cant get to any place that has them both to compare, so any thoughts please.

[@AudioFixation]

Not tried them. Have had the 990s which are excellent.

[@jeofthevirtuoussand]

I love the sundara 2020 and the hd600. Now I m testing kz sounds with the kz zns pro x .to see if I like kz sound signature After I will get the moondrop aria

[@tiktik1994]

Good video, but you could use a better mic mate, it sounds muffled.

[@AudioFixation]

Working on it my man

[@LillyP-xs5qe]

you sure you haven't done youtube or video stuff before? really good quality for just 4 videos! would you check the TRN STM? I like the KZ ZSN PRO X but many written reviews I read about them said the TRN STM are better for the price range also personally I buy chi-fi stuff off the official stores on aliexpress so I won't support amazon

[@OllieLK]

Show your sub count my guy. We get it your a start up

[@AudioFixation]

108 subs as I write this reply 😀

[@OllieLK]

@@AudioFixation I know but I can't see thaaaaaaaat

[@endrizo]

that is a courtesy cable. you must buy a nicer BALANCED 4.4 cable apart.

[@chriscook7271]

Do you have any recommendations for balanced cables ideally 4.4mm

[@YektaAEmre]

my favorite man

[@insaneff8465]

Lcd 2 f or sundara..which is better..

[@victormedrano2316]

Hi, how about heavy metal? I have an HD 58X and I want to do an upgrade, between the Sundaras and the HD 600, which one do you recommend me?

[@AudioFixation]

Hmmm, tough choice. I’m going to say probably Sundara for metalheads; slightly more spacious presentation with better definition in the bass and sparkly but not fatiguing treble

[@victormedrano2316]

@@AudioFixation Excellent! Thanks for your detailed answer, I'll check it out! saludos desde México!

[@sewthuis9659]

can someone help me out i wanna buy these headphones but its open back if i turn the volume up will my downstairs neighbours able to hear me if i listen them at night (when they r sleeping) great review

[@AudioFixation]

They are quite transparent in terms of sound leakage but I think your neighbours are safe!

[@sewthuis9659]

@@AudioFixation thx i dont have time to listen during the day so its mostly at night or early morning and i listen to bands like nightwish and band-maid lots of guitars and drums so just wanted to be sure thx for ur quick reply

[@oscatMeow]

@@sewthuis9659 Unless your neighbors sleep next to your bedroom door, you should be perfect. open backs are loud only for the people in the same room as you, and if the volume is so high that people outside your room can hear you, you probably don't have the luxury of having eardrums anymore lol

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

Nice reivew

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

My main concern for this channel is that although the video are quality the review came put pretty late and might loss potential viewer to competitor video.

[@AudioFixation]

Thanks man, I'm just doing this as a bit of a hobby, so it's a bonus if anyone actually watches it 😂

[@thanawitsagulthang6471]

@@AudioFixation The quality of the video is no hobby tier at all especially the way you say things, it sound professional!

[@AudioFixation]

Thanks a lot for the kind comments 😀

[@luigismilazzo]

the graph you chosen is not the right one, you must take the after 2020 revision

[@franciscooneto5790]

Can I use those for music production?

[@AudioFixation]

I don’t think they are the most analytical for that purpose, I’d choose the DT1990 pro

[@franciscooneto5790]

@@AudioFixation Thank you

[@DeathofHeavens]

what amp would you recommend using with the sundara, I have the btr5 is a little weak for it for me :x

[@AudioFixation]

If you want a portable dac, the ifi HIP DAC works really well. For a desktop solution, I love the topping e30/L30 combo.

[@makafuniruni]

I have them paired with the Zen Can and Zen Dac from Ifi. I can only say that the combination of the bass boost on the can and the overall tonality of the ifi stack really mkes the sundaras come alive.

[@makafuniruni]

And on a sidenote i will say that in my experience they really benefit from power. They sound noticably greater in scale when driven from the can rather than the dac ,which initself doesn't have enough power to really do the sundara justice. Get an amp with a lot of headroom is my no.1 advice. :)

[@ziikzaaak]

Qudelix-5k (balanced)

[@mpamphsphoenix4402]

These are amazing and need a lot of power. But to me 660s are better.

[@dinethrukshan3302]

sundara in sinhala also means wonderful what the heck?

[@johngotti8544]

Is this better then the Philips fidelio x2hr that I have bass wise

[@AudioFixation]

Sorry I don't have the fidelios to compare to

[@johngotti8544]

@@AudioFixation well it's time to get one to compare

[@attepotterrmmefiremerkersm68]

Hi John. I have both headphones, and they are somewhat different in most aspects, in my opinion (therefore I keep them both :) The X2 has a more pronounced/"boomy" bass, whereas the Sundaras has a more lean/neutral, but precise bass response. I find the Sundaras overall more neutral and "natural", compared to the X2s that are bass and treble heavy (V-shaped) and more "fun" for rock and heavy + have a great soundstage. So I tend to use the Sundaras for acoustic, jazz and classical music, and X2 for rock and pop (yes, I like multiple genres of music.. :) But both are really outstanding headphones for their price, in my opinion. Btw, the Sundaras (like most planars), likes a bit more "power" than the easy-to-drive X2s, and really shine with a powerful and quality amp. Keep enjoying the music!

[@Qjemuse]

@@attepotterrmmefiremerkersm68 which of these 2 would you say is more comfortable to wear?

[@attepotterrmmefiremerkersm68]

@@Qjemuse I would say they are both comfortable to use, but the X2's are more "bulky" and heavier on the head for long listening sessions. Many don't like the stock material in the earpads of the X2, but I really haven't had an issue with it. I think the main difference between the two isn't user comfort, but their very different sound characteristics + the Sundaras need/like a bit more power to shine ( a dedicated headphone amp). If you like heavy bass, you'll probably want to EQ the Sundara as well :o) So it really depends on your taste in music and whether you like a "v-shaped" headphone like the X2, or a smooth and well-balanced headphone like the Sundara. I like to alternate between them :o)

[@CptMark]

Headband looks cheap and uncomfortable.

[@AudioFixation]

It's alright actually. Feels sturdy and is really comfortable although it won't win any design awards

[@CptMark]

@@AudioFixation For a £300 headphone this should be much, much better.

[@theodorezurla496]

@@CptMark it actually punches waaaay above it's price

[@CptMark]

@@theodorezurla496 Judging by the build, it doesn't seem so. But HE400SE could be interesting.

[@fluffeh8814]

It is very comfortable actually

[@Tripokaridos22]

I dont like these Robot voices