HiFiMAN Sundara Open Around Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

Read full InnerFidelity review here: www.innerfidel...

[@turbomustang84]

Absolutely the only KZbin reviewer that would sway my purchases and now he's gone, I never understood why he did not continue when he decided to travel the country but I hope he is happy and well.

[@scubaman2546]

Indeed! I’d like to think InnerFidelity can “rise from the ashes” and produce more content. Doesn’t look promising... :-(

[@leonisbacher1772]

he was loosing his hearing.

[@jabbertab]

Robbie's Incoherent thoughts why u look weird u need haircut

[@akashafofo6939]

@@leonisbacher1772 Yo uare wrong. In his final video, he said that he is leaving while he can still hear. He doesn't want to see himself giving inacurate reviews in the future due to aging.

[@leonisbacher1772]

@@akashafofo6939 idiot I didn't say he was deaf but that he was loosing his hearing which is totally accurate.

[@m.e.p.r]

He is literally the nicest man in the world. The only competition he has is perhaps David Attenborough

[@roshanmujeeb935]

M E P R Bob Ross

[@choppersplace]

i miss his videos....hope he's enjoying life

[@ItsaDaPope-a]

@@choppersplace same. I'm just moping around his old videos.

[@kopaszmarton]

But he is wearing windows wallpapers.

[@clauricaune]

Tyll's face says a lot about a headphone even before he starts talking about it. I knew this was going to be good just by watching the first few seconds of this vid.

[@scubaman2546]

Of all the reviews (for this model), this has the most details given to the viewer. Thank you, sir.

[@d4rkpkzz]

So Zeos Pantera, Joshua Valour, Tyll, and all my other fav reviewers love this headphone... I am definitely going to get them, especially since they're no longer $500 but $350.

[@alrasekhoon1]

Definetly worth it, just bought m and they really sound unmatched

[@AosaBid]

@@alrasekhoon1 Hi, could you please give me your opinions on the Sundara after experiencing them for over a month? I'm thinking of getting a pair and was wondering how good is the imaging on them

[@userk2876]

Some say they are very harsh, i hope its not DT 770 Pro harsh, didnt like them at all because of it. Can you confirm it?

[@jurgentrockenbau9321]

@@userk2876 I bought the HE 400s today. Came for the Sundara, but its treble was a bit too present and sometimes even too sibilant for me. I'm mainly into Metal, was a drummer for many years and my hearing is very very good up to 16 Kilohertz (proven by ENT physician)... Sundara is a bit too bright, bit too cold and yes it can be a little "harsh". All of that is missing on the HE 400s plus it has a bit more bass and just that tad more full-bodied, warmer mids. Perfect for me. And if you compare Tyll's reviews of those two cans you'll just realize he says about the same. If you're unsure I suggest giving both a try. Or maybe even find other options... Hope this helps. Best regatds from Germany 🤘🏻 Oh, I forgot: No, it's not 770 harsh. Faaar away from any Beyer-Peak...😆 I still own a pair of 770 Edition 250 Ohm...

[@musicxxa6678]

@@jurgentrockenbau9321 770 250 ohm harsh ? wow. DT 1990 really harsh but dt 770 pretty sweet imo.

[@manikdesilva1]

Wow I miss this channel. Fantastic reviews !

[@sultanabran1]

i wish this man was still around.

[@michaelhayes5316]

Nice hawaiian shirt bro,you snappy dresser you! I'll miss you soo much you're the best.God Bless and happy trails.................

[@IguanaFilmArts]

I get the feeling Tyll really loves these headphones. He sold me on these. My headphone collection reeks of warm headphones so this would be a very welcome complimentary addition.

[@totalbliss1]

Hi-Fiman 400 was one of the best deals you can get on a headphone in a long time. That to me was one of their best products and it was all because of that bass balanced with a beautiful non bright sound.

[@MadsTer]

I listened to them some weeks ago and had the same impressions as you. A bit on the cold side but still near to neutral and bass punchy. It seems Im improving my listening to have the same impressions as you xD

[@babyitsnatural]

The hawaiin shirt tells me that I can trust this man

[@erickruse4679]

I've had these for about a day. Gotta say that when I first put them on, I didn't hear what I was hoping to hear. My first thought was "syrupy". But that's after coming from listening to the MSR7's for the last 6 months. They are growing on me. I keep thinking of the original Grado 325 (the silver housing) as I listen to them. They must have some similar qualities.

[@erickruse4679]

Now that I've had them for over a week, I can confidently say they are the best headphones I've listened to so far. There's quite a change over the course of the break in period. I can hear the bass coming through nicely, the treble is more detailed, and the soundstage has widened a lot. I also have noted that I can hear quite a large difference between the various sources that I have available.

[@arthurwatts1680]

Something our hobby desperately needs is *'long-term ownership reports'* : I appreciate that Tyll and others can only report on the review samples they are sent but Tyll basically reviews a headphone and moves on to the hundred or so other requests he has to review Acme Corp's new wonder toy. I own the Beats Solo2 and other headphones bought on Tyll's recommendation over the last few years and - to my amazement - they are still in one piece and still serviceable headphones. IEMs havent fared so well in my 'care' and I'm less than impressed with Sennheiser (despite owning several of their headphones) : I laughed at the Amazon claims re crap cable etc but I'm not laughing now. Thanks for the vid, Tyll.

[@dystasia]

Woah Tyil! I think you are right on target. Coming from headphones that are around the same price these are above and beyond the value. For me they sound much better than any of the sub 500 category headphones. Looks like HIFIMAN found the right value per sound quality for this one. Nice review!

[@totalbliss1]

"Little bit on the bright side of neutral" - Virtually most Hifiman headphones.

[@obviousanonymous358]

Thank you so much for naming out actual frequencies instead of ONLY using audiophile buzzwords that make no sense like "fluent" and "thumpy" when it comes to frequency response. Like what does thumpy mean, spike at 60Hz or 120Hz? I can tell you now the difference between spike at 60Hz and 120Hz is night and day and other reviewers never communicate that. Thanks :)

[@daysofgrace2934]

I use them with Peace/Equalizer APO on a PC tuned to the Harman target (you can get it from the Audio Sciences Review) or WIIM Pro (streamer + inbuilt 4 band PEQ + DAC/ADC)->Arcam rHead (headphone amp)

[@johnyang799]

I got a pair sounds superb.

[@johnyang799]

But my first pair had silent right side. Got a new pair so far so good.

[@lambdastorm7787]

Are they hard to drive like the HE560?

[@johnyang799]

Lambda Storm As easy as he400s. But top ceiling is over 560 by a margin with also better tonality.

[@johnyang799]

Lambda Storm The better front end you get the closer to the susvara. But it's never gonna get there tho. Susvara will have warmer fluid sound and better control around 4-8k. That's what susvara will never have.

[@Paddy234]

How would these compare to the HE 400i and 4xx. Is the differences really noticeable and is it a worthy upgrade or sidegrade?

[@BjornEnglund123]

Had the joy of listening to a pair of these today. Damn sweet stuff. Smooth/comfortably sounding indeed. I found them a lot more enjoyable than the LCD-2C's, which I actually found quite overwhelming in the upper mids/lower highs, which stopped me from cranking up the volume further. Might have be the recording though, so I'll have to get back to them. With the Sundaras though, I could just go on, and on, and on, increasing the volume. The one thing that I was not so convinced about was the comfort of the pads. I found them rather stiff. Anyways... I'll try the LCD-2C's again to verify my impressions and then continue to a bunch of other headphones in the local headphone store. And by the way, I tried the HE-1000 V1 a couple of years ago and I absolutely loved them because of their amazingly smooth sound. Hoping to get to listen to the V2's some time soon. Definitely enjoying the hifiman smoothness so far. PS I listen to a lot of messy metal, electronic stuff, early music and choir, so that's what I've been checking out the cans with.

[@skipsterz]

We miss you Tyll! Hope all is well!

[@correzzana1992]

How does this, even if planar, compares to an HD 660S(evntually 600/650)? Even if senns are dynamic I would have still made a comparison, they're at exact same price. Not interested in 500$ category, just very curious.

[@AndriiPyndyk]

I wonder if Tyle will run out of cool shirts?

[@sig4974]

Definitely the bright side of neutral.

[@Blahmanwhysoserious]

forget the headphones, let's review that epic shirt

[@NaveedKhan-bs1sc]

I was so close to buying this headphone but read that the build quality is not great so I went for the hd660s I hope I made the right decision. If only hi fi man get there quality control on point.

[@overkillonslash]

Agreed completely on the LCD2c sounding a little muffled

[@ujean56]

Beware! After owning a pair of these for 15 months (1 year, 3 months) the right channel began distorting and then died completely, This was not a cable problem. For the first 12 months I was not able to register these headphones on the Hifiman website due to endless errors in page scripts. Despite errors on their side of registration, they refused to extend the warranty and are asking US$180.00 as a replacement and want the money up front before even providing the details of how replacement will happen. Otherwise, nice headphones - if they worked.

[@MrBileTooth]

I'm so glad I have a 3 year warranty on these beauties.

[@doodoobutter4406]

BileTooth where did you get that warrenty?

[@SoulKon23]

@@doodoobutter4406 you can get in on Thomann.

[@ChillToMusic87]

Just buy another pair.

[@bleedy13]

I would love a pair and I almost bought one today but ended up getting the 400I. The Hifiman QC scared me too much to drop hundreds on a new headphone. I'd prefer to buy a second hand pair I know works.

[@Assimilator702]

Sadly this was Tylls last real headphone review. One More Triple Drivers are much too gimmicky and Skullcandy surely doesn’t count as a Hi-Fi headphone. What happened to the Wall Of Fame? Is it no more?

[@conduit242]

Tyll, any chance you’ll be reviewing the Monoprice M1060C’s sometime soon?

[@avatarion]

How different would these sound to my AKG K702's?

[@m.g.i2480]

Hey Tyll, what exactly didnt you like about the M1060 compared to a LCD 2 for example? Because et least the Rev 2 which is have is almost a complete copy of the LCD 2s. The LCD 2 are a bit warmer and less open while the M1060 is less dark and the midrange seems a bit less linear. But i have no 4700Hz peak and 5khz fall off or anything that strays far away from my LCD 2s, i got the non fazor ones from 2011 where i bought them because of your review at the time.

[@IHearEverythingDude]

Have Heard them. Reallly nice sound, still I went with HE 560

[@charlesnr]

The Sennheiser 424 and the HiFiman 400S were both price/sound quality breakthroughs. Therefore, a direct comparison to the 400S would help put in relationship to this new model. Can you drive the new model universally as the 400S? How do the you compare the balance between the two models? Do you need a high end headphone amp? An addendum attached to this video would really be helpful before Axpona.

[@johnyang799]

charlesnr sundara is easy to drive like 400s. But it can be drastically improved if you pair them with something like ragnarok. Tonality is similar to suavara. Neutral, slightly bright. I plug mine into burson cv2 which sounds great. I can plug that into my phone and still sounds good.

[@johnyang799]

Tonality is also pretty similar to 400s from memory. But it's actually better than 560.

[@andrecostin1288]

You can probably tune the sound with pad rolling. I wanna try these.

[@katalysis]

Love the Sundara. I'm trying to find a balanced cable for these. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[@thehawk05]

Late reply but for others who might be looking periaptcables.com/products/8-type-8-dual-3-5mm

[@MarianIanchis]

How does this compare to iSine 20? Would you say that iSine 20 has more detail?

[@jimmyblues59m76]

You can get these for $349 + tax on Ebay as of 12/22/19.

[@glennaa11]

that seems to be the retail price now everywhere

[@dudowillowbottom8056]

Actually sounds as if this one is built just for me. :)

[@bepresent4235]

What music do you listen to?

[@TiagrajI]

I bought these and love them. Great detail and clarity with music. I love the treble and the defined bass. This is my first planar headphones. The build feels sturdy and fits well. Love them. I don't recommend for gaming.

[@kavemankarl2588]

And they're beautiful to boot 😎

[@PoRRasturvaT]

They are absolutely perfect for gaming. The exceptional soundstage makes the positioning of sound sources very accurate. The trebble response make ennemies reload sound and footsteps very clear. What do you ask for gaming headphones if not this?

[@adnaannamazee9763]

Do u use an amp for them

[@Paddy234]

How do these compare to the HE 400i and 4xx. Do they exceed in all categories and is how much of a difference is there?

[@criarcanal]

@Mike B have you heard both ?

[@lyndonramchatesingh105]

Hi inner fidelity I have an arcam rcube n d tweeters both of them is blown there is no video to fix or repair I tried opening it d bottom is the main board but I don't know what to do

[@carageaelvis6321]

Now for 350 are those even more worth it or you can find something better?

[@endrizo]

are they easy or hard to drive? cos i have read both. can a fiio M11 or btr 7 drive them well? thanks so much

[@frosty6845]

Will it break in a week like every other Hifiman product does?

[@johnyang799]

FrostyP I would say. They do a little bit. But apart from that there are a little bit sharpness. The cause of that is not the headphone itself but the acoustic in combination of your ear/heaf and the headphone housing. But it's really acceptable. This is one of my favorite headphones so far.

[@ashneel]

It wouldn't be a Hifiman if it didn't

[@johnyang799]

oh you mean break. oh well. It didn't break. The right side was silent. I got a new pair and sounded awesome.

[@johnyang799]

Everyone I know who had Hifiman had issues. But Hifiman sounds good. So we still buy them.

[@johnyang799]

Just Pelé Are you sure that you didn't replaced the broken one? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@lindastevens6926]

I. absolutely love mine, much stronger than in the past. They sound great

[@johnyang799]

Kyle Stevens With the best amping they will be close to suavara 'tonal wise'.

[@thoyo]

John Yang Do you think the Chord Mojo will sufficiently drive the Sundara?

[@michabarlev4449]

Those vs HE560 that compares to the same price ?

[@porridgeandprunes]

Their sound seems too be sensitive to the amplifier that you use them with. It seems that the high frequencies are exaggerated when the amp has a low output impedance. Switching my amp from 4 ohms to 8 ohms made a noticeable improvement.

[@porridgeandprunes]

I have just noticed that that manufacturer recommends a "burn in" period of 150 hours before these headphones reach their maximum audio potential. As I only received them a couple of days ago I might wait a while before I make a judgement.

[@PuppetMasterdaath144]

are these a upgrade from x1, if I though x1 raped k712 because of the bass on the x1 , and the total lack thereof on the k712, any insights would be appreciated

[@tacanacy]

I'd like to know how it compares to HE-500.

[@squall6789]

Seems like it has much more pronounced treble.

[@AraneyNodl]

Hi. The he-500 has less treble, and more swallow, more bass kick and punch Sumdara - faster bass, sparkle treble with uncomfortable peak, more musician, more detailed The end

[@FlorentDorinMusic]

Hi! You guys might help me here. I bought the Sundarars and a Ifi Zen dac. I wanted to plug my headphones to the balanced output so I bought an extra 3.5mm female to 4.4mm male jack adaptater. The problem is that it got worse, so much worse... there was a buzz sound and the music got all messed up. Si I send back my adaptater thinking it had an issue... So my question is : is the Sundara stock cable balanced ? Do I just have to get a working 3.5mm to 4.4mm adaptater to use the Ifi zen dac balanced output? Thanks. Hope someone find this message

[@ludwig2952]

The stock cable is not balanced, and it’s pretty crappy for unbalanced use too.

[@DaftBunny]

Thanks for the great review, Tyll! Will you also be reviewing the Klipsch Heritage HP-3 any time soon? I'm a secret basshead, but don't really want to give up the detailing of my KISS modded HD6XX's for just more sub-bass... From what I've read the new Klipsch's might be the ones to save up for and draw me away from my beloved 6XX :) Would love to hear a good review on them! I can't find them anywhere near just yet...

[@andrasnelhiebel6726]

If you like good detail retrieval a nice soft sound and a huge impactful sub-bass, then I would give a shot to any of the available Fostex TH-X00 variants.

[@DaftBunny]

Thanks for the tip! I never really considered them becose they're closed and I'm afraid that soundstage will suffer too much. But whilst reading up on them, that doesn't really seem to be the case!

[@andrasnelhiebel6726]

I am not great in estimating soundstage size, but I can tell that the TH-X00 has significantly bigger one than the HD600. It may come from its well extended treble response. They are tastefully V-shaped bass cannons. The sub-bass is gorgeous.

[@DaftBunny]

Thanks man! That sounds like a headphone for me! I'll keep an eye on Massdrop for the regular version as it's 100 dollars cheaper and I'll also have to pay import and shipping for The Netherlands.

[@johnyang799]

He didn't like the hp-3 because of the bad measurements. I may recommend lcd2c since you like the 6xx.

[@HumbertoNalves]

did you sir have tested the HE560 pls need some review about those

[@CT37BN]

Please come out with a video review of Monoprice M1060 and tell why you did not like it. Maybe grab the closed version as well and compare the two. A true expert advice is valued. Bought 400S ( and Focus pads ) because of your review.

[@herbyverstink]

who cares why he doesnt like it?...im listening to my pair and they sound wonderful..ill be my own critic..you be yours

[@bennettjoseph9970]

If Tyll really doesn't like a pair of headphones he doesn't even write a review or post a video about them. He disliked that M1060 so much he won't bother. He's done this with other headphones.

[@MrStingraybernard]

I want 1hopefully the build quality is better then the previous headphones I bought from him

[@adnaannamazee9763]

Do i need to buy and amp for them

[@TheHugginMonkey625]

This headphone is tempting.

[@TheForgoten100]

Hi, I'm in the process of buying new headphones and this pair sounds very lovely. However no where can I see if the cable that it comes with is balanced or not. Thank you in advance

[@jasongose2975]

It does not come with a balanced cable.

[@jonnyboi9026]

Wow you didnt like the m1060's? Can I ask why?

[@yooanto9465]

Sony MDRZ1r is the best close headphone for my taste dark with very good bass what I believe better than LCD X

[@ndrwyeo5765]

where can i get the sundara 4.4mm balance cable?

[@wolandphotography]

so those are much better from m1060?

[@MrOliver1444]

Could you review the Beyerdynamics Amiron home, please?

[@ELSA-ex4ph]

I ended up giving my m1060 away bought because of zeos and dms , Josh volur reviews raving about it to be honest it's a mess of a headphone like a Frankenstein of a planar the build sucks the wood started to crack then the constant modding to get it to sound just ok it's too sibilent the bass leaks into the mids and then you have to buy 100 pads to curve the 5k ringing that's over 400 to make them just decent I just bought a used he500 and ifi micro black label together for $600 much better than the crap from monolith anyone saying that $300 on crap is value is Steerling people in the wrong direction . If I wasn't influenced into buying the m1060 I would have saved the 300 and bought the aeon flow open with a ifi micro bl. I unsub from anyone saying that the m1060 is a great buy smh!!!

[@m.g.i2480]

Idk i have the rev. 2 and i dont feel bad quality, no peaks and a very big soundstage. Their are just like my LCD2s a bit dull sounding at first or very very sweet sounding lets say, but with slight eq in the treble theyre very much to my taste. I mean people say the headband is shit, but the HE1000 has the same headband. Wooden cups crack... well LCD2s did too.. sometimes you have a woodpiece that lifelier than another one... thats probably the reason for the 5 year warranty. Generally its well put together and very solid. Most headphones in that pricerange either dont use and screws or use plastic ones and are overall most of the time completely plastic^^ Idk im very impressed with what they achieved with the M1060. But this Hifiman also looks very interesting $.$

[@ELSA-ex4ph]

Michele Giuseppe Iurlo ok you like them I have no problem with that but when reviewers saying that their end game and better than hd650 and just like lcd2 great god really? No because I couldn't really tell that much difference from using it from my phone to a OPPO ha2 se to a ifi micro bl it doesn't upscale like my hd650 and he500 does the m1060 soundstage is weird like just your left and right and much too the back the mids are resset and lack life then when modding them it got to high in the treble it's ok but more like $150 is where the price should have retailed for

[@m.g.i2480]

I just dont have that problems ... mine apparently sounds completely different. My Soundstage is about the amount of an AKGK712. The signature is with all of the resolution like my LCD2 with more high end. I also have had the HD650 and now own the HD660 and i will prefer the HD660 over both LCD2s and the Monolith for many things because they are to me more natural than both of them. I personally dont believe in upscale anyway... the sole purpose of an amp is to increase volume and not color anything or add anything, the only reason of a dac is to decode without adding anything or losing anything due to statics or bad analog endstage. I have had Woo WA5s and the Vallhalla.... now i mostly use my Creative AE5 soundcard... ESS 32bit dac Ultra (one of the best dacs out there...) and 2 linear amp stages for each driver. No coloring, no static noise, minimum loss because of the low distance and interference sources. But that is my standpoint after 10 years of audiophiling and feeling like i need to start shitting money everyday... You may feel different or have a different experience. Dont get me wrong, if i had the issues you apparently and also some others have id not say what i said... im very picky. The AKG K712 for example didnt impres me... neither did the Hifiman HE400i or the HD700.... Its not like id praise bad gear, but my experience was with the M1060 very pleasing. Its the most mellow headphone i have besides the LCD 2 and fit right into my collection. The HD660S is now my Reference with the HD540 for acoustic. The Philips X2s are my headphone for just rocking out like 30min a day on 90dB.... Im really confused why the opinions differ so much on the M1060 and im actually not a fan of the modding... i mean foam out ok... but 150$ pads... adding fazors? wtf if thats needed to bring out the sound you like just buy a different can.^^ thats my opinion on the Frankenstein syndrom with these.

[@alvarg]

i have to agree i got the m1060 due to zeos and at first listen was immediately disappointed with their sound, the 5k ringing was loud and annoying and i dont understand how anyone could listen to that headphone and not notice it. how do you like the he500?

[@alvarg]

i dont think they sounded anything like LCD2s, way brighter, less bass, also can you describe what the hd660s are like compared to the hd650s?

[@SugaHoneyIceTea36]

This or the HE560 paired with a idsd bl

[@loucipher7782]

*you know headphone above $300 isnt worth paying for when even the Sundara at $500 still gets recommendation. You just dont get any real improvement anymore tbh and its all just about preference when you break the $300 cap. Even the HE400i who once sold at $499 and people call it a good budget planar now selling at $169 with the same damn driver and people calll it entry level and fair price all of sudden lmfao*

[@chrisfaircloth9078]

true, I was just watching a review of the 400i,

[@miladesn]

Sundara is maybe like 20% percent better than he400i if I wanted to put a number on it. he400i is not entry level SQ at all. It's pretty damn good. The main thing is that they made a diaphragm that is a lot thinner than he400i and that makes it more natural sounding. The improvements are there for sure but its not even close to 2x performance. Honestly nothing is until you get to Focal Clear and similar caliber of headphones.

[@Assimilator702]

That might have been true before the Focal headphones were released. For what the Focal headphones do nothing can touch them regardless of the tuning of each model.

[@mikafoxx2717]

@@miladesn I've heard both the older 2016 400i, and the 2020 earpad revision Sundara, and the Sundara has a much better tonality in the treble region, a little deeper bass response, but both are pretty good when EQ'd well. I don't find them bright, moreso neutral but well extended, however I find their lower treble/high mids a little bit wonky compared to with oratory1990's EQ. Slightly boxy. I'll have a Sennheiser 58x to compare with in a few days though.

[@fei19317]

When people say "Flat respone bass" means headphone plays what really presence in the record?

[@pequod4557]

Yes.

[@manopheamjinda4914]

hi.. fiio k5 can full drive Sundara?

[@NighteeeeeY]

So im looking for a bright planar headphone like the Philips SHP9500 but planar and with better bass, but still, bright. Is there something like this? At any price point?

[@johnyang799]

NighteeeY sundara is your choice period.

[@murliasnani1451]

These or Beyerdynamic Amiron?

[@johnyang799]

Murli Asnani These.

[@x3LightNinG]

have you try both of them and compare?

[@nl_2652]

Good video! I was slightly distracted by the amount of "um"s, perhaps record the video a couple times so on the final take you are prepared to launch into your fantastic insight. :)

[@znojnyj]

It's spelled "Tsundere" not Sundara❕

[@zeke937]

It says "Sundara" on HIFIMAN's website.

[@jasonhemphill6980]

@Zeke Whooooooooosh

[@scotthume9935]

What about sound stage though, how does it present?

[@johnyang799]

Scott Hume Like speakers put up against your head. Very big full soundstage. Not so distant. Lots of details. If you can mod these to like k1000, you will have far superior imaging and vast soundstage. And you still won't lose bass.

[@RangKlos]

08:45 Mellow - I think that was the word you were looking for.

[@dtz1000]

Did Tyll ever manage to review the Hifiman Ananda? He is still the only reviewer i trust. All the current youtube headphone reviewers talk a load of rubbish. I listened to them when they told me the ananda was better than the sundara, but they are all frauds. Incompetent cowards every single one of them. The Sundara is better than even the V3 Ananda Stealth. These new youtube reviewers can't tell the truth like Tyll used to.

[@MeteoraEra]

I have this headphone and the top headband becomes really uncomfortable after an hour of listening, the pads feel like they're gonna torn apart soon, whenever you want to put it on your head you feel like its gonna break from several places. Unsatisfying build aside, the sound is amazing apart from the fact that I like mids especially the vocals to be intimate which is not the case with thus headphone, at all, vocals are relatively distant and around the head. Doesn't give you the joy of vocals which sennheiser does. But instruments sound fantastic and crisp and beautiful. The bass is sufficient eventhough I'd prefer more. I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy this instead of 660s or 650. I don't change the reliability of sennheiser and their mids with anything. I don't understand why everyone is gushing over sundara, they're Nothing crazy, really aren't at least in my opinion.

[@jpined14]

I own the 660s and recently got the Sundara. After adjusting my ear to the Sundara it’s a better headphone than the 660s IMO except for vocals Sundara is not as comfy as the Senn but it’s not uncomfortable at all. I’m using an IFI Micro BL dac/amp with purifier3 and a good cable. What’s your rig?

[@MeteoraEra]

@@jpined14 The mids and the sound body does not exist on Sundara, Ive tried them with other stuff too but right now Im using ifi Zen Dac with them and they are still really not good at mids, yes highs and subbase and lows are juicy and beautiful but no match with sennheiser equivalents, Sundaras are only good for instrumental music not for songs in my opinion. everytime i put on any sennheiser, I bob my head without being aware of doing it and i ENJOY music, Never has been the case with Sundara, I really wanted to like them and have them every chance but no. theyre not my type of headphones and overrated.

[@jpined14]

Rez A Agreed. the HD660S definitely provide a smoother musical experience and I tend to prefer it for certain genres and songs. I’m heavy into instrumental music so I guess that’s where the Sundara stood out to me. If you’re curious I’d suggest buying an ipurifer3 for your Zen dac. It made such a big difference in overall fullness and body to my Micro BL. Whoops I realize it’s as expensive as the Zen but if you can find a deal it’s worth considering.

[@MeteoraEra]

J Pineda yep certainly not worth it, 660s doesn't need any of these extra expenses to sound great to begin with or at least it doesn't need "this" much expense.

[@jpined14]

Rez A I wouldn’t say it’s not worth it as it made my DAC sound noticeably better. I’m certain we can achieve an optimal sound from our headphones from integrated amplifiers and DACs. I don’t understand the logic behind buying cheap components you’ll get bored of.

[@vote4ulvio]

Which would you pick of the three headphones. Audeze classic, Mr speakers aeon open or hifiman sundara?

[@SamCampbell]

Tyl's answer will probably be Mr Speakers Aeon

[@johnyang799]

sundara

[@johnyang799]

Sam Campbell Not the open one. I think tyll will take lcd2c over aeon open in general.

[@johnyang799]

aeon open warm v shape 2c warm neutral natural sundara flat accurate

[@odkKoma]

Aeon Open was a big disappointment. Closed Aeon sounds tons more transparent and ironically even has bigger soundstage. Æon Closed is the best sub-1k headphone, IMO, even though I didn’t buy it. I will get Sundara and compare to 660 S

[@kimir_sux]

How comparable is this to the HE-400?

[@johnyang799]

kimir Much much better. They are a bit better than 560 overall. And sounds pretty similar to well amped susvara tonal wise.

[@woopygoman]

If it offers the same low end slam (or better) and slightly less sibilance, then the Sundara would be a killer offering. I wish it was available for listening at my local hifi store.

[@johnyang799]

woopygoman It's already not so sibilant. If you can pair with ragnarok, it will be super smooth.

[@mab1776]

I tried the susvara at can jam and i think i prefer the he-500 more, it seems like the bass impact was non-existent in comparison. I did try it on the shangri-la jr, i did not compare on a solid state amp. I normally use a Lyr 2 at home.

[@ELSA-ex4ph]

Mark Balcerak he500 is in my opinion better than the lcd2

[@MFHRaptor]

I completely understand why Tyll didn't like the M1060 (and why he chose not to review it out of respect for Audeze guys). Headphones' sound has two aspects: 1- "Physical" aspects (for lack of a better word): like soundstage, separation, imaging, and depth. 2- Tonality of sound: Tyll sticks to the Harman Target Response Curve as a scientific staple, and everything that deviates significantly from that, or has appreciable defects or flaws in that regard will not earn his approval. I understand it and completely respect it, but we are not all professionals, and what seems unlikable to some serious listeners can appeal to others that can't perceive its flaws or simply choose to ignore it.

[@bennettjoseph9970]

I don't know if he didn't review the M1060 "out of respect". He doesn't write reviews or post videos about headphones he really dislikes.

[@bakerlefdaoui6801]

He just said he loved the LCD2-C which are far from Harman Target Response Curve

[@MFHRaptor]

baker lefdaoui He said in his review of LCD-2C that they're more neutral than Aeon Flow Open, which are themseves neutral, although not to the degree of their flagships. MrSpeakers Ethers are a lesson in neutrality and adhering to HTRC. Aeons are also in the same vein, although deviating a bit from the Harman Target Response Curve. Neutrality usually means following HTRC, but not to the letter, and Monoprice M1060 just sounded wrong for me off the bat, although I could ignore that to appreciate what they bring to the table. This explains their need of a mod to make them shine.

[@wric01]

You are paying for latest high tech thinner speaker membrane vs the rest with old thick membrane.

[@daniellundin6807]

Same price as the Amiron Home in the EU hmm

[@tungt88]

The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home is a really nice headphone, as is the Audeze LCD-2 Classic (I have both). They sound very different from each other, though (the difference is easily and immediately audible). I do want to try out the HiFiMan Sundara sometime.

[@20puskinas1992]

tungt88 hey man, what can is more energetic and harder hitting? Can you describe them more?

[@tungt88]

I went into some more detail here: www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/7yaqv4/moving_on_from_sony_mdr_1as/duhcntp/?context=0

[@kristofersens7918]

Playback @ 1.75x

[@thejackofclubs]

hifiman products tend to break easily despite seemingly being made out of nice materials, then the company wont warranty repair their product or sell replacement parts for you to fix it, youll end up having to ship it to china to have them repair it and in the end itll up costing near what you paid in the first place, and then itll probably break the same way again... you want to like them but the company is just terrible.

[@theonetuby]

thejackofclubs is this your actual experience or are you just repeating what you’ve heard? My year old 400i had a jack go bad after it took a fall. It was under warranty and Hifiman had me send it to NY and I live in California. But that’s far from returning them to China. Had to pay shipping to them but not the way back, they sent the new pair as soon as they received my return. It was fast and painless.

[@chrisjeong424]

I sent my edition x v2 to get a new driver. Cost $180 + shipping and fast and no problems.

[@imscruffy5488]

It is the truth. Many emails have been sent to them regarding the round plastic slide through piece that the headband adjusts through, breaking on the right cup of my HE-500's. THIS is my ACTUAL experience. Many emails to them. The problem is either the language barrier or them not really giving a crap about me. Sending whole headphones under warranty from them is one thing, having these headphones for a long period of time and something breaks that ONLY they HIFIMAN can repair or has parts for....forget it!

[@imscruffy5488]

What did I do? Yeah, I bought the HifiMan edition x V2. Hopefully these will last, but I am not counting on it.

[@johnyang799]

Except that you can get a replacement if you get it from a authorized store.

[@marcswan3559]

Great review but seriously man I can uhm count like uhm a thousand uhms!!......... -uhm yeah

[@krzysztofkrawiec3211]

Prefer um to like any day.

[@Microwave414]

Didn't like the m1060?! and here I am using m1060 enjoying every moment. Goes to prove everyones tastes and hearing is different, though I do have to admit I took the foam out.

[@johnyang799]

GregLH0 Objective is the thing. You might like it but Objectively it's not a well designed planar with all the flaws you would expect from a planar.

[@Microwave414]

I gotta be like zeos then because whatever those flaws are, I like if not love them or they are not affecting me like that apparent 5k peak people talk about. I ended up putting away my old tried and true HD 580's because I ended up enjoying what these headphones do. Neutral they are not but I do like the sound signature, plus the sound stage and the depth they can produce my god at $300 I can't believe they can do believable depth, you remove that foam and the highs come out... Alright i'll stop but man, if people hate them for their flaws then give me more flawed headphones.

[@johnyang799]

GregLH0 I don't need to say too much. Just listen to more headphones. And you will find out. I'm not saying you are wrong. Buy it seems to be the tuning in general is to your liking. You just want to listen to more different headphones.

[@MFHRaptor]

I completely understand why Tyll didn't like them. Headphones' sound has two aspects: 1- "Physical" aspects of the sound (for lack of a better word) like soundstage, separation, imaging, and depth. 2- Tonality of sound: Tyll sticks to the Harman Target Response Curve, and everything that deviates significantly from that, or has appreciable defects or cons in that regard will not earn his approval. I understand it and completely respect it, but we are not all professionals, and what seems unlikable to some serious listeners can appeal to others that can't perceive its flaws or choose to simply ignore it.

[@johnyang799]

MFHRaptor I would say, just listen to more different headphones. If you or them still like m1060 the most then fine. But I highly doubt that tbh. Just go to the stores and demo some more. It's rewarding.

[@a5kobe313]

Tyll's wall of fame now is like little rich young brat changing wardrobe every season

[@brandonbreuer6589]

Since Tyll seems to trust headphone measurements more than actually listening to them, I think instead of listening to music he should just measure songs and look at graphs of them instead of listening to them. That would be the scientific way to do it right?

[@buster7618]

Brandon Breuer No, even scientific methods include physical experience if it is applicable. I see your point though. I have really enjoyed phones that he doesn't like based off of things he sees on a graph... Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.

[@jpined14]

Old comment but I agree. Or better yet they should learn music theory to truly analyze music.

[@acjacj5662]

The cable and headband of my HIFIMAN 560 broke in the first two months. Please don´t buy it.

[@chrissheppard1555]

I want to watch your videos. I really do. I mean you absolutely no disrespect, but the amount of "Uhhh" and "Uhmm" that you say is frustrating. It really takes away from the point that you're trying to make. I'm so distracted by these that I can't properly receive your message. Silence is okay. Take a breath, think for a second or two. We don't mind.

[@KeiBrightwing]

Came here to say the same thing. It's like he's not really prepared to do the review and just ad libs everything.

[@loremipsum7471]

you're a liberal

[@uskypg]

:)))) man this is the Godfather of headphones , I bought all my headphones "blindly" based only on his reviews and couldn't be more happier . I did not find yet a reviewer to take more seriously this headphone testing/measuring/reviewing

[@ErnieKimNo_14]

I personally don't have a problem with it, but I can see why one might. You should try his written reviews, which I think are a bit more concise.

[@buster7618]

He does drop uh's and um's, but he actually a decent speaker who is very good at describing sound off experience, not a script. I think it's bothering you because you're looking for it.

[@totalbliss1]

"Little bit on the bright side of neutral" - Virtually all Hifiman headphones.