HiFiMAN Sundara Headphones

Product Information

I am playing most of the songs from Tidal (Turkey one - cause its cheaper) and everyday I am discovering a new sound in songs that I have been listening since last 10-15 years. I am not an audiophile and probably will not ever become one, but I know my music and enjoy it. These planars enrich the experience of enjoying music. The Sundara is not just an iterative upgrade on either though. Hifiman is pitching two key areas that I think will resonate with Hifiman fans; build and sound quality. All of this is wrapped around the phrase “beautiful” which is the literaltranslation of the word Sundara (Sanskrit). To my ears, hifiman Sundara sounded good right out of the box although with a touch of restrain and sound being just a tad bassy for my taste, they got me good right from the start. But something about the headband, it felt like the ear cups on either side are trying to cave into my skull. and I am convinced to the bone that Sundara are the headphone I been looking for. The sound is clean, very well separated and appears to be just pleasantly flowing out of the ear cups while sundara barely seem to be making an effort in making that sound so good. Although I still find the bass on sundara, to be a shade more for my taste but that doesn’t come in my way of enjoying the music anyhow. Also the handband seems less hostile and seem to hate me little less now.

HIFIMAN Sundara Headphones — Audiophilia

This is part two of review series where I will look at the HiFiMan HE400se, Sundara, and Ananda. Stay tuned for the final installment with the Ananda! On the second version, you could see a stamped ROHS logo under the steel spring which was not there on the first version so I’m guessing that’s a way of telling which one you have. Ever since this version was released I noticed a slight increase in clamping force plus the headband could not stretch as wide. Oh wow! The transformation was dramatic. Sub-bass came into play like nobody's business. Even at lower volumes I could feel the nice vibrations in my head! The notch filter took care of the highs being exaggerated and a bit harsh. And the fine but broad filter around 2.1 kHz helped the spatial qualities improve even more. Overall tonality now was warm with tons of detail especially in string instruments. Very lovely. The Sundara’s bass is unobtrusive in what can be a good or a bad way. While not as indulgent and textured as some of its planar siblings (Audeze comes to mind), it is relatively well-extended, fast, tight, and neutral – the Sundara is not a muddy headphone. When called to perform, the Sundara can provide a nice, reverberant thump, but it will always be a very clean thump, perhaps even a polite one.

How do you connect the HiFiMan Sundara?

Treble accuracy measured well, with no excessive sibilance. It is on the brighter side, sometimes a little too much. When listening to Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, with Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti and Bonynge with the Royal Opera House Orchestra (1972Decca CD) or to Strauss’ Elektra with Inge Borkh and Fischer-Dieskau with Bohm and the Staatskapelle Dresden, (1961, Deutsche Grammophon LP) there were some arias the headphones didn’t respond well in the high tessituras. Volume had to be lowered, otherwise, they ‘stung’my ears. This was my only‘disagreement’with the Sundara sound.

HIFIMAN Sundara Review — Headfonics

It has been 3 years since Hifiman last focused on its entry-level or mid-fi range of planar headphones.Despite all that, Hifiman still hasn’t managed to pry loose the old thorn in their sides that is quality control. Driver failures abound, and the manufacturing quality of their headbands still varies wildly. These issues seem to be commonplace enough that some dealings with Hifiman customer service should perhaps even be anticipated. And you can go ahead and buy an aftermarket cable right off the bat – the included one is no good. Although more expensive to make, planar magnetic headphones offer a number of advantages over conventional dynamic ones. These include lighter diaphragms for a faster response and a linear spread of sound across the speaker, reducing the level of distortion.

HiFiMAN SUNDARA Over-ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones HiFiMAN SUNDARA Over-ear Full-size Planar Magnetic Headphones

Like the HE400se, the Sundara’s bass tuning is the same most of the HiFiMan headphones. Flat. Needless to say, there is not a hint of bloat or mud on this headphone. Unlike the HE400se however, the bass of the Sundara sounds fuller with more depth to it. I would not call the Sundara anemic in any way. Bass has a nice sense of slam, control, and resolution, so-called “planar bass” if you will. Though there is a slight roll-off at the very lowest octaves, rumble is plenty present. It’s quite a bit better than the HE400se but do I get the feeling that there’s some performance still to be found. Perhaps in the Ananda. Mids I didn’t perceive a large, wide soundstage. The location of sound seemed more‘focused’,‘close’.I’ll describe it more as a‘chamber orchestra’ than a‘symphonic’sound. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The strings, for example, sounded fuller—one can imagine the violins close to the cellos and violas in collaboration for a specific sound space. This, in contrast to afull -blown‘heavy’sound.Driving the Sundara is easy as it is just 37 Ohms with a sensitivity of 94dB. A smartphone is ‘ok’ and can drive it to loud enough volumes, but wasn’t ideal. An audiophile DAP or desktop set up is still the most optimal way of using them. Previous issues with this area breaking on the HE400i and HE560 prompted a slight rethink in headbandform and function to prevent this. As a result, Hifiman is pitching the new design to be their best and most durable quality build to date. By doing away with the numbering sequence Hifiman has been able to craft a specific pitch for the Sundara that breaks the numbering chains of their previous headphones. The only thing we have to go on is the price. As for me, the Sundara is right up my alley, handling many of the genres that I consider close to home supremely well. Classical, ambient, and drone are some of the genres that suit the Sundara best, with the Sundara bringing what Tyll Hertsens calls an “ inviting and pleasant softness to the sound” while boasting the resolving power necessary to play even the busiest orchestral passages. Note: The measurements you are about to see are preformed using standardized GRAS 45CA headphone measurement fixture. Headphone measurements require more interpretation than speaker tests and have more of a requirement for subjective testing as a result. In addition, comparison of measurements between different people performing it using different configurations requires fair bit of skill. So don't look for matching results. Focus on high level picture. Listening tests are performed using RME ADI-2 DAC and its headphone output.