[Lindholdt]

It's mostly subbass, and information below 15hz is virtually nonexistent in 98% of any audio content anyway, even very bassy tracks. The midbass increase is barely there. At 80hz, for example, there's only a 3db increase in the second setting. At 100hz, you can hardly hear a difference.

"Thinness," or the antithesis of body, is not determined by the bass frequency response, as experienced users would understand. You can test this by using a bass boost for male vocals; mostly, more bass doesn't make his tone any richer, and at some point it just sounds weird/off. Body is more a function of decay and timbre. The Sundara on many amps does sound thin, for sure. On my XLS, it is full-bodied without being bloated. It's natural/transparent, in other words.

I also have a separate midbass setting, but only occassionally use it, because I find it affects vocal clarity and accuracy, though it does fall in line with the Harmon curve. It really depends on the recording.

No thin was an incorrect choice of words from me, I was just blown away by the +14dB at 15hz 6db is still quite a bit at 30hz IMO, not something I feel is needed for my use case with the Sundara.
But thats the beauty of this hobby, we all have different experiences
Ha e you considered using a peak filter instead of a shelf, to lessen the stress on the driver by letting content below say 20hz drop off again?

 

[tigon_ridge]

No thin was an incorrect choice of words from me, I was just blown away by the +14dB at 15hz 6db is still quite a bit at 30hz IMO, not something I feel is needed for my use case with the Sundara.
But thats the beauty of this hobby, we all have different experiences
Ha e you considered using a peak filter instead of a shelf, to lessen the stress on the driver by letting content below say 20hz drop off again?

Keep in mind, the Sundara does have a low end roll off. My EQ does add more subbass than is true linear response, sure, but mostly it's just to offset the Sundara's roll off. At 30hz, it's more like +3db than +6db, and at 20hz, +4db, if the roll off is accounted for. Regardless, frequencies around 30hz are fairly low in quantity in the vast majority of recordings, and you don't hear them as much as feel them, if they're even in the mix. Yeah, it's definitely a subjective preference thing. I personally enjoy these rumbles a lot. When one of those dragons in the movie How to Tame Your Dragon growl or blast out a breath, you can literally feel the visceral texture of these vibrations. 4 watts per channel can only give you a small taste of that. 1 watt would be impossible. My speaker amp provides the wollop of energy to give the full experience, and man it's so much fun!

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I had sold my Sundara a bit ago, but seeing the deal on Hifiman website for $309 for Sundara + Travel Case, I used some CC rewards and grabbed them.

For some strange reason, these require a bit more power to drive than my previous pair. I've owned 3 copies of the Sundara in the past and they all took the same amount of amp power, which was slightly less than what my HD6xx for example required.

This pair seems slightly quieter. It requires the same amount of juice now as my HD6xx. They sound exactly the same as I remember, but seem more power hungry. Weird.

For reference the specs on this one are:

32 ohm
94 db sensitivity
355g

At least thats what is on the package. This combo comes with the case in the newer style brown box, with the headphones inside. So who knows if the sticker on the box is accurate or just leftover from a previous run of this combo.

Interestingly the last pair I owned from Amazon had the 2023 specs with a 342g weight.

 

[tigon_ridge]

I had sold my Sundara a bit ago, but seeing the deal on Hifiman website for $309 for Sundara + Travel Case, I used some CC rewards and grabbed them.

For some strange reason, these require a bit more power to drive than my previous pair. I've owned 3 copies of the Sundara in the past and they all took the same amount of amp power, which was slightly less than what my HD6xx for example required.

This pair seems slightly quieter. It requires the same amount of juice now as my HD6xx. They sound exactly the same as I remember, but seem more power hungry. Weird.

For reference the specs on this one are:

32 ohm
94 db sensitivity
355g

At least thats what is on the package. This combo comes with the case in the newer style brown box, with the headphones inside. So who knows if the sticker on the box is accurate or just leftover from a previous run of this combo.

Interestingly the last pair I owned from Amazon had the 2023 specs with a 342g weight.

Hifiman seems to do a lot of ninja revisions, so there's an issue with consistency. When I measured the load of my Sundara, it was 39 ohms, a decent amount over the advertised 32. I also have another pair, my first one, but haven't measured that one. My first Sundara had the pivot screws glued down, so that it's impossible to remove the yoke from the housing. My current doesn't, but that allows the screw to loosen over time. I'm dealing with it, but at $300 I shouldn't have to.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Yeah, I do have the inkling that each of the now 4 pairs of Sundaras I have owned over the years have all been slightly different, whether in sound or just in build oddities.

Anyway, I am glad I have a pair again. I sort of went down the HiFiman rabbit hole a bit with the current black friday sales. Bought an XS and Ananda SE within the past month. Honestly though, I think I'm just happy with the Sundara. The huge egg-shaped ones are just sort of way too big to be a daily driver, casual use headphone for me. Also even though the Ananda SE sounds definitively better in terms of technicalities, it just feels way more comfy to use the Sundara. Its a comfortable sound that isn't attacking my ear drums, in a decently compact form factor with good comfort.

I feel the same about the Sundara that I do about the HD6xx in some ways. It may not be the best headphone out there, but its the right combination of everything at a good price, and each are more than enough to be all you need. I had this opinion before delving into higher end HiFimans, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to try the next models up. Thankfully I feel like I've stopped myself before going to the Arya and above and spending loads of cash lol.

 

[Lindholdt]

I had this opinion before delving into higher end HiFimans, but curiosity got the best of me and I just had to try the next models up. Thankfully I feel like I've stopped myself before going to the Arya and above and spending loads

That was my mistake. I was shopping/ Demo'ing Ananda Stealth, but the shop owner offered me to listen to HE1000 Stealth, that sneaky b*stars! Once I tried them, going back to the Ananda was just too underwhelming :/

 

[HWB3]

I feel the same about the Sundara that I do about the HD6xx in some ways. It may not be the best headphone out there, but its the right combination of everything at a good price, and each are more than enough to be all you need.

I feel the same way. I enjoy the Sundara's as well as the 6XX's, but... However sometimes good enough is just that.

 

[IXOYE]

I have owned Sundara before but I regret selling them, I saw that Amazon here in Sweden have them on sale now for $288, so I am thinking of buying them again, after trying more expensive headphones I have realized that the HD600 or Sundara sounds just as good or even better in several cases, the difference is only subtle in my opinion.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I have owned Sundara before but I regret selling them, I saw that Amazon here in Sweden have them on sale now for $288, so I am thinking of buying them again, after trying more expensive headphones I have realized that the HD600 or Sundara sounds just as good or even better in several cases, the difference is only subtle in my opinion.

Agreed. Harsh reality of this hobby for me. After trying so many headphones, its pretty clear that more expensive doesn't always mean better, and the Sundara and Sennheiser HD6 series are prime examples of that. Price often affects a user's impressions too I think.

The Sundara are so damn good, I think they along with the Senn HD6 series are a clear inflection point in diminishing returns.

 

[MisterMudd]

Agreed. Harsh reality of this hobby for me. After trying so many headphones, its pretty clear that more expensive doesn't always mean better, and the Sundara and Sennheiser HD6 series are prime examples of that. Price often affects a user's impressions too I think.

The Sundara are so damn good, I think they along with the Senn HD6 series are a clear inflection point in diminishing returns.

Listening to my new Sundara inflection point now. They are awesome, in my opinion. More later on, but I don't think I want to move up from here. Just awesome headphones!

 

[ardilla]

Hi all, just wrote a comparison of the Sundara and the Edition XS if anyone's interested


https://www.headphoneer.com/hifiman-edition-xs-vs-sundara-review/

 

[voja]

I came across a great deal on the HiFiMan Sundara at Apos Audio.

You can snatch a pair for $250 from Apos Audio's Certified program (refurbished gear which Apos Audio guarantees looks and works like new)
https://apos.audio/collections/apos...agnetic-headphones?sca_ref=1034090.v9m163wpTk

or brand-new for $300
https://apos.audio/collections/our-...agnetic-headphones?sca_ref=1034090.v9m163wpTk

or brand-new with Apos Audio's Flow cable of choice for $360
https://apos.audio/collections/our-...ar-magnetic-headphones?variant=40210400903339

--Do note that the above links are affiliate links from which I gain a commission if you purchase it through that link. I have kept my situation private till now, but I've I’ve been struggling to make ends meet in the past few months. My reviews take a lot of time to write, format, choose the creative direction, and also research. I decided to share good deals and discounts I find on Apos Audio as I've had positive experience with their affiliate program in the past, and most importantly, they have a positive reputation. For anyone who stays understanding and/or supports me, thank you.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Honeymoon period with my Arya SE has worn off, and dare I say I may prefer the Sundara to them. The main difference is the tuning, its just more natural and "correct" on the Sundara, which for me makes up for inferiorities it may have in the detail and soundstage department vs the Arya SE.

I think I am slowly realizing that the upper mid/low treble dip that the egg shaped Hifimans all have isnt to my liking...

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I have owned Sundara before but I regret selling them, I saw that Amazon here in Sweden have them on sale now for $288, so I am thinking of buying them again, after trying more expensive headphones I have realized that the HD600 or Sundara sounds just as good or even better in several cases, the difference is only subtle in my opinion.

Did you end up buying a pair again?

 

[psy472]

Price devaluation is one of the reasons I don’t immediately buy anything HifiMan. You have something like the Ananda at 900 bucks becoming 399 on a sale for a couple months. That means they are ripping you off the other months of the year. The only HP stuck on high price is Susvara but that’s because their high price is driven by head-fier, ironically enough. The closer to Chinese new year it is the lower the price will be.