HIFIMAN Sundara Closed-Back

Sundara Closed-Back - Ignore the name, this is a stunning headphone at its price​

It can be hard to look past a name but I believe early reviewers assumed this headphone would sound like the well-loved Sundara “Open back” but with more sound isolation, but of course it does not. And now that Hifiman have recently lowered the price of the Sundara Closed-back to $149, I believe it is time to revisit this headphone for what it is and not for it’s name.



While the Sundara Closed-back shares some of the same technology and design as the ’normal’ Sundara it is very much its own headphone and the most distinct aspect is the gorgeous wooden ear cups. The quality of these alone make this headphone a unique proposition at this price point.

I would like to thank Mark from Hifiman for providing the Sundara Closed-back for the purposes of review

Introduction​

So lets get into the details, and see if this headphone can stand on its own and be a good choice to add to your collection.

Packaging and Unboxing​

The Sundara Closed-back comes in usual Hifiman premium packaging.

Inside you will find the headphones securely nestled within a protective foam, accompanied by box containing a detachable cable manual, one recent change I believe is the packaging does not now turn into a headphone stand as it did previously:

Build Quality​

The Sundara Closed-back boasts a robust construction, with a metal frame and high-quality plastic ear-cups, ensuring durability and a premium feel. The materials used strike a balance between strength and lightweight comfort, contributing to the headphone’s overall excellent build quality.



Pictures probably do not do it justice how nice the look of the wooden ear cups :

Comfort and Fit​

Headband​

I very much prefer this headband over the one used on the Edition XS or HE-R9, for my large head it provides extra support allowing for longer listening sessions. The headband is padded with a soft, breathable material that provides comfort without getting warm. The weight is evenly distributed across the headband, minimizing pressure points and enhancing comfort.

Adjustability​

Especially in adjustable this is the best of the hifiman headband styles and will allow a comfortable fit the majority of head sizes, ensuring a secure fit for most users.

Clamping Force​

The clamping force is firm enough to keep the headphones securely in place without causing discomfort, suitable for long listening periods.

Ear-cups Size​

The ear-cups are generously sized to accommodate different ear sizes, ensuring a comfortable fit.

Cushioning​

The cushions are made from a soft, breathable material, providing comfort and enhancing sound isolation.

Sound Isolation​

The Sundara Closed-back offers excellent sound isolation, for the past few weeks I have been using these in a large noisy open-plan office environment, and they have been fantastic both in isolating me from the outside noise but also allowing me to get into deep concentration playing loud music without causing any of my colleagues to complain.

Sound Quality​

The general sound signature is different from most Hifiman (especially their planars) it is more mid-centric with a good but not boosted bass and a slightly recessed treble compared to Hifiman normal treble response. Therefore, this does not have the typical Hifiman ‘house sound’ but it can be a very enjoyable sound signature on its own, with fast bass (I personally think the ‘harman bass boost’ is a little too much so the bass on these is very close to my personal target) and a great midrange. With the treble I personally would like slightly more, but for those who are susceptible to sibilance this could be the perfect sound signature.

Let’s get into the details

Bass​

The bass is tight, controlled, and detailed, with enough punch to satisfy without overwhelming the balance of the sound profile. I really enjoyed these with “The Hunter” by Bjork, the bass was very present but never drowned out Bjork’s vocals. Portishead’s ‘Roads’ sounded the amazing, I could play it much louder than I normally would, with nice controlled bass laying a foundation for the gorgeous vocals, strings and snare drums.

Midrange​

The midrange is probably the star here, nicely forward in most songs, very clear and natural, presenting vocals and instruments with lifelike clarity and depth. “Baby plays around” by “Anne Sofie van Otter and Elvis Costello” was just fantastic, every subtle detail in her voice could be heard. With “Diamond on the soles of her shoes” by “Paul Simon” all the layers of vocals and subtle interplay of vocal was clear and forward in the mix making it a great pleasure listening to that whole album again.

Treble​

As I mentioned earlier the treble is an area that might be either perfect (if you hate sibilance there is no chance with these headphones) or you might feel it little lacking especially compared to other Hifiman headphones. Some EQ can easily solve this problem and bring back some of those ’technicalities’. So with ‘Japanese House’s ‘Over here’ the vocals which can get sibilant with some headphones and IEM’s sounded refreshing detailed without being overly sharp. With ‘Corrie Bailey Rae’ ‘Enchantment’ the subtle symbols where present and sharp but never overbearing. The treble on ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson sounded incredible with its percussive drum machine really providing the foundation for the rest of the track.

Soundstage and Imaging​

Despite the closed-back design, the Sundara offers a good soundstage and some precise imaging, creating a sense of space and directionality while not as good as their open backs was excellent. With The Beatles ‘Her Majesty (2019 mix)’ the vocals moved precisely from the right the left. With Led Zeppelins ‘Whole Lotta Love’ the middle section with the ‘swirling guitars’ clearly moved forward and backward in the mix rotating around Robert Plants vocals.

Audio Quality Conclusion​

If you set your expectations correctly, the Hifiman Sundara Closed-back delivers an excellent audio experience. I personally would EQ these slightly (see my EQ recommendations later on) but in most of my test tracks other than this being a closed back I never felt it lacking. Some people will like more sub-bass (and maybe slightly less mid-bass) and others will no doubt want a little more treble but that is the beauty of a headphone collection, you should have different headphones with different sound profiles.

If you want a closed back in this price range with pure ‘Harman target’ tuning then go for an AKG K371, but I bet you will end up applying some EQ to that headphone, so why have an ugly, uncomfortable closed back when you can have a gorgeous closed back like the Sundara Closed-Back and do a little EQ if you do not like the sound signature.

Specs and Measurements​

Frequency Response​

The Sundara Closed-back shows good channel matching and you can see that this is a mid-centric headphone. But this is very easy to EQ as you will see later:

Distortion​

Distortion is minimal, even at higher volumes (I measured this at nearly 90db), ensuring a clean and accurate reproduction of the audio.

EQ​

While you can easily enjoy the Sundara Closed-backs with EQ, it takes incredible well to EQ. Oratory has provided some highly recommended (even by him) EQ (here)[https://www.dropbox.com/s/r3g7nq13j5ozy36/Hifiman Sundara Closed-Back.pdf?dl=0]

With this EQ effectively provides a harman sub-bass (which I would not personally not bother with), lowers the mid-bass (to match the Harman target) again not necessarily, he then tidies up a bit of the midrange and uses a few filters to even out the lower treble.

Mods​

One interesting aspect of the Sundara Closed-back is its potential for modding and at its price it makes complete sense, check out the ‘Custom Cans’ channel on YouTube for lots of detail of how to mod the Sundara Closed-back.

Rating​

I gave the Hifiman Sundara Closed-back a pragmatic rating of 4 for its exceptional looks, comfort and even though the sound signature is not perfect its easy to EQ.

Summary​

Hifiman Sundara Closed-back an excellent choice for those seeking a high-quality listening experience balanced with a striking design and extreme. It’s not perfect but at $149 it is an exceptional pragmatic closed back with no rivals.

General/Build/Comfort/Packaging
Having tested the Sundara previously and had a very good experience with it, its only natural that i have the same expectation for Sundara Closed , the differences between the Sundara and Sundara Closed, of course one being open backed and the latter a closed back, Sundara Closed is using stealth magnets whereas the Sundara does not. For your information, Sundara Closed is released five years after the original Sundara, which until today, is still the most sought after headphones of hobbyists, be it those new to the hobby, or even a seasoned audiophile. The earcups are made out of wood grains and look very classy and stylist, the head band is similar to the Sundara’s. In terms of comfort, the Sundara Closed is a little bit heavier compared to Sundara, possibly due to the wood grain earcups, yet, it doesn’t weigh down on your head when you are wearing the headphone. Packaging is the same as Sundara’s, I personally think that a headphone storage case will serve a better purpose than the headphone stand.



Gears used for this review

• Earmen Tradutto -> Earmen CH-Amp
• Earmen Colibri
• Hiby R6 II
• Hifiman Sundara Closed Stock Cable

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression
Sundara Closed sounds quite different compared to Sundara to my ears. I would describe the Sundara Closed as a more “fun” sounding headphone compared to Sundara. In terms of tonality, Sundara Closed is warmer and sounds fuller compared to Sundara.

Bass

• Bass is quite speedy and has good control overall, certainly not “loose” sounding
• Sub bass has slightly better extension due to it being a closed back, mid bass is also punchier and the bass sounds full overall
• Handling tracks like Slipknot’s People=crap! speed drumming like a champ, good speed for the asking price,
• The bass doesn’t bleed into the mids

Mids

• The mids are somewhat lacking in terms of resolution, yet it is not recessed nor in your face
• Vocal for both male and females has good enough textures to them, they both sounded very full and not dull at all
• Upper mids are generally safe to my ears and not certainly not shouty
• Details of this range is good enough for the asking price

Treble

• The treble has enough energy yet it is smooth at the same time, certainly not dark
• Detail retrieval is quite good, micro details can be picked up easily
• The treble performance is safe overall, never sibilant nor has any weird peaks

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is a little lacking in my opinion, partly due to it being a closed back i believe
• Just slightly out of your head to not sound overly congested, depth and height perception is quite good, not exceptional, but not bad either
• Instruments can be picked up easily where it is coming from
• Good layering and separation

Driveability

• Sundara Closed is very easy to drive,doesn’t require a lot of power to perform at its best, unlike its sibling the OG Sundara
• Dongles released recently will power the Sundara Closed just fine
• However, as with most Hifiman headphones, Sundara Closed does scale with better source and amping as well

Comparison (Sundara)

• Sundara sounds more technical compared to Sundara closed
• Not as warm as Sundara Closed
• Harder to drive compared to Sundara Closed
• Bass is tighter and has better speed
• Mid range is very detailed
• A little bit more energy on the treble
• Slightly wider soundstage

Final Thoughts
Sundara Closed is quite different from the OG Sundara to my ears, in terms of tuning and of course the design. The Sundara Closed is more of a headphone with the “Fun” characteristic and can handle a little bit of occasional critical listening sessions. If you already have the OG Sundara and the tuning is not something that you prefer, i don’t see a point for you to buy one, but, if you are someone who’s in the lookout for such a signature, the Sundara Closed is for you. Recommended for a fun listening session rather than critical listening!

*EDIT:
At the sale price of 149$ currently, instead of the usual 399$, this deal is a no brainer deal and highly recommended especially if it priced at a sale price for 149$

*The Hifiman Sundara Closed was sent over by Hifiman for the purpose of this review, I received no monetary compensation nor was I influenced in any way to produce this review.

If you are interested in getting a pair, head over to their official store to grab one now! It is currently available for 149$, i repeat, 149$ instead of 399$, for the performance and value, a total steal!

Hifiman Sundara Closed - Non affiliated
Hifiman Sundara Closed Product Page

It’s been 5 years since the original Sundara was released, yet it remains one of the most sought-after audiophile headphones on the market. In terms of popularity, I would put it right up there with Sennheiser’s HD6xx line and Beyerdynamic headphones.

Design​

The now-iconic Sundara silhouette is immediately recognizable. My favorite part is the headband. In particular, the yoke. The fork which holds the ear-cups attached is twisted at the either end, which adds character and depth to the design. But the way it transitions to the top part (that goes on your head), is genuinely done well. Most headphones with an internal height adjustment system hide it with an overly long and bulky piece. Here, despite it being long, it’s slim and perfectly integrates into the headband. It works even better with the black-silver color scheme. Moreover, if we were to exclude the silver details, the headband is fully black. Speaking of those details, the height adjustment part features HiFiMan’s letterform logo, while the two metal pieces at the ends feature the company’s name (left side) and the headphones’ name, Sundara (right side). Aside from that, the only other ‘visible’ details are hidden underneath the headband, and they are certificates (CE, RoHS, WEE Directive), all laser etched.

The ear-cups are… different. The original Sundara used metal ear-cups and were very flat in design, whereas the new Sundar Closed uses wooden ear-cups. They are still circular in shape, but not semi-spherical. They start out as a semi-sphere, but then they are smoothly “flattened” to a circle area by using one very soft and gradual bevel.

Technology

Per usual, HiFiMan’s strongest field, the technology. More specifically, planar-magnetic driver technology. Over the years, there’s no doubt that the company innovated a number of concepts in this field, many of them gaining a die-hard fanbase. The Sundara Closed is no different, with it featuring a brand-new driver, as well as some familiar technology such as the Stealth Magnet Design and Neo “supernano” Diaphragm.

Before we get into the new stuff, let’s go over what the latter two technologies are. As most are already familiar, a planar-magnetic driver consists of a dielectric film + conductive layer sandwiched between an array of magnets on either side. Stealth Magnet Design alters the magnets by having them rounded on the outside, for which HiFiMan claims to reduce reflections and diffraction, resulting in an improved sound performance. NsD (Neo supernano Diaphragm) is just the company’s branding of its own thin diaphragm, which is claimed to be 80% thinner than that in “more common headphones”.

Now, the good stuff, the new driver. When I took off the ear-pads, it was quite a remarkable sight, unlike anything I’ve seen in the past. A horizontally oriented oval driver? And that’s not even all of it!! So, the whole driver is covered in a standard dust cover, but below it we can some sort of white foam that surrounds the driver. I’m speculating it’s an acoustic dampening foam. Regardless, the driver itself is recessed further back, behind another piece of thinner foam. What’s interesting about this second layer of foam is that it has a 10 pointed star shape cutout for the driver. If anyone is familiar with Dr. Fang Bian, they will know about his obsession with shapes.

Build Quality​

It cannot go without saying that HiFiMan’s rich portfolio comes with the infamous build quality. Let’s face the truth, there’s always someone around the corner sharing their negative experience with either the build quality or the QC. I’m sorry to break it to you, but I’ve yet to encountered this. In fact, my first thought after taking the Sundara Closed out of the box was, “This isn’t as bad as everyone online makes it out to be”. I wouldn’t say I was impressed, but surprised at the very least.

There’s a bit of everything, plastic, metal, and wood. The yoke is made of thicker metal which is very sturdy. It doesn’t flex one bit, and even better, the finish is actually what I’d consider premium. It’s smooth all-around and doesn’t have any imperfections. The headband construction consists of three materials: spring steel, anodized aluminum, and plastic. The very top part, which is responsible for the clamp force, is made of spring steel. Then, there’s the height adjustment system part, which consists of two thin anodized aluminum pieces, and a long plastic piece between them. I’d suspect that this is the part which is responsible for most build quality complaints. For one, the metal pieces are glued to the plastic part. For two, there are no screws, making the repairability aspect questionable. As far as this matter goes, I cannot comment, as I am unfamiliar with HiFiMan’s customer service quality or customers’ feedback on the same.

On a brighter note, the beechwood ear-cups left a positive impression on me. They have gorgeous sheen, grain, and look premium as a whole. Might I add, the grain matches on both sides! So, yeah, the wood is pretty nice. My pair suffers from wood discoloration on the edges, where it isn’t as rich in color as the rest of the cups. The plastic driver housing makes up the second half of the ear-cups. It doesn’t look like the shiny cheap type of plastic, so at the very least, that’s a plus.

I must admit that I haven’t used the headphones long enough to be a valid judge whether they stand the test of time.

Cable

At this point, I cannot run away from being called a harsh cable critic. I will say though, there’s not much I demand from a cable, it just needs to be a good and functional cable.

Let’s dig right into Sundara Closed’s cable. It appears very similar to my Deva cable, if not the exact same. To be honest, I cannot find anything that bothers me about it. It does its job as a cable. It’s slightly chubby, but not thick, and it’s very soft. I mean very, very soft. It’s like a noodle, you can kind of stretch when you pull it. Also, it has light sheen, which gives it nice appearance. On the amp end, it has an L-shaped 3.5mm connector with an integrated strain-relief. On the headphone end, it has two 3.5mm connectors with hard rubber housings. And that brings me to the next point, which some people already mentioned, it would be appropriate to see metal housings here.

Also, I like how the cable holds its shape when you roll it up and put it away. And another thing that I like is the Y-splitter, which is low enough to not bother you when wearing the headphones… unlike the HD6XX cable, khm khm.

There will be a decent number of people craving for a balanced cable, and I can’t disagree that it would’ve been an appropriate addition.

Comfort​

I’m not going to lie to you, I panicked once I realized that the ear-cups lack of horizontal rotation. However, that concern went away as soon as the headphones were on my head. Also, they have the tiniest amount of horizontal wiggle, so it’s not as if they are completely fixed. Turns out it was just enough to get a comfortable fit.

For whatever reason, I don’t remember the Deva sharing these nice pads, but it turns out they are very similar to the ones that are on the Sundara Closed. They are hybrid pads, with the outer side made of pleather, the face made of really nice and soft mesh, and the inner lining made of perforated pleather. All in all, the mesh feels quite comfortable and soft on the skin, and it even keeps the pads cool!

As I have hair on my head, I cannot comment about the headband, since I already my hair serving as a cushion. It’s a very thin leather headband with even thinner foam lining, and the part that goes on your head is made of some sort of a synthetic fabric.

The clamp force is slightly above average, which lets the headphones cup really nicely around your ears, and you also don’t have to worry about the headphones constantly sliding around your head.

Sound Performance​

Setup:
iBasso DX320 + AMP13 (Maximized Output)
Volume: 42
Gain: Low
OS: Mango OS

Lows

The Sundara Closed doesn’t employ a heavy sound, it effectively makes use of voluminosity instead. The problem with weight is that it can work against both the headphone and the listener, at a certain point it starts to negatively affect sound quality. What I like about the sound in this headphone is that it takes the so-called weight and distributes it around a greater space, essentially hollowing out the heft in a sense. Think of it as increasing the volume [not volume as in loudness]. The end result is a very pleasing sound to the ear.

The bass response leans more towards the relaxed side, with the attack being slower, and the attack being faster. This can be heard in both MOON’s “Hydrogen” and Lee Curtiss’ “Smoking Mirrors”, but it’s more obvious in the latter track. Daft Punk’s “TRON: Legacy (End Titles)” is a perfect example of all of the above-mentioned qualities. When listening to this track, you are reminded that bass can be plentiful without having that classic thick ’n heavy sound. Even when putting it to the test with a faster-paced track like Tiësto’s “Adagio for Strings”, Sundara Closed doesn’t fall behind in terms of speed; each beat and hit doesn’t get lost due to the more laid back bass response.

Quantity-wise, I wouldn’t say that either the mid-bass nor that the sub-bass is too forward. Speaking of the sub-bass, don’t expect to hear growling or rumbling. Take for instance Hans Zimmer’s “Why So Serious?”, my reference sub-bass test track, where we can hear a very gentle yet sufficient sub-bass extension at the 3:26 minute mark. It’s deep enough to pulsate your ears, but it’s not thick enough to give you a physical sensation of rumbling. The same applies for Robbie Robertson’s “Theme for The Irishman” at the cello sections of the track. Saving the best for last, my special track of choice, “Do I Wanna Know?” by Arctic Monkeys. What I focus on is the first few seconds, aka the introduction. There’s a consistent drum kick, and that’s what we are listening for. Only a handful of headphones and IEMs pull it off, and by this I refer to the kick possessing the rumble quality. Even less common is to hear the physical sensation of rumble. While the Sundara Closed doesn’t possess either of these qualities, it does give the kick fullness and heft. Believe it or not, there are headphones where the kick sounds very flat and boring, but that’s not the case here.

Mids

At first, the Sundara Closed sounded a bit restrained, and I must admit, muddy and lacking in clarity. However, after letting the headphones break-in for a couple of hours, their potential opened up.

There is a fair amount of warmth in the mids, making long-listening sessions easy on the ears. The Sundara Closed is the type of headphone you want to take out to have some fun. It sounds heavenly with pop. I mean, the global hits like “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk, Rihanna’s “Diamonds”, or Sia’s “Chandelier”, all sound phenomenal. The vocals are lush and don’t get in the way. There are some male vocals (e.g. Ronnie James Dio) that give off slight hints of honky quality, but others, like Pharrell in Get Lucky, sound perfectly normal. I did enjoy listening to female vocals more, and I’d say warmth is responsible for that.

As for strings, it does the job for casual listening. Acoustics strings are my preference, and it didn’t disappoint in that area. Plucks are audible and have the necessary qualities, guitars don’t sound dull, and there’s no distortion or unpleasant qualities. Pink Floyd’s “Dogs”, “Hey You”, Deep Purple’s “Soldier of Fortune”, and Yao Is Ting’s “One More Time” are among the tracks that I played and truly enjoyed listening to. However, the single performance where Sundara Closed impressed me was in Rainbow’s “Temple Of The Temple”, it captures these very fine nuances in the guitar plucks and it sounds heavenly!

Highs

Oh, don’t get me started! There are many things I like about this headphone, but treble is certainly one of my favorites. It’s exactly to my liking and fits my preference. Sundara Closed is a brighter-sounding headphone, though it might not appear as one immediately.

Percussion sounds so lively with these, it just pops. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t have a blast listening to the “Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow” album. The crisp percussion is such a treat to the ears that it made me euphoric. Looking back, there is no point in time where I found myself longing for sparkle. Another great example is Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing”, where the percussion sounds exceptionally snappy and Sundara Closed doesn’t have an issue keeping up with its speed.

This top end extension is much appreciated in instruments such as guitars, saxophone, trumpet, mouth harmonica. In Russian Circles’ “When The Mountain Comes to Muhammad”, at the 4:26 minute mark, we can hear a trumpet entering the already busy mix. Even though it’s a subtle element, Sundara Closed captures the very fine nuances in the higher notes, and produces this silky smooth edge that you’ll catch if you listen closely. Later on in the track, at 7:20 minute mark, we get to hear the trumpet in a less crowded setting. I heard this exact silly smooth edge in Miles Davis’ “Portia”. The latter track is where most headphones and IEMs sound either too blunt or too sharp, but the few that perform well are the ones that manage to stay on the edge without cutting and irritating your ears, as is the case here. It’s an experience, let me tell you that.

Soundstage & Isolation

I think this is the only area where Sundara sounds just average. It’s not bad, it’s not good. It sounds like a closed-back headphone, with the soundstage reaching no wider than outside of the ear-cups. It is enough to not make them sound congested and completely in your face. As for isolation, it dampens sound, but due to the comfy pads and the ergonomics of the headphones, it doesn’t create a vacuum-like seal.

Conclusion​

Some people were expecting to see the “closed-back version” of the Sundara, but HiFiMan made something new, something fresh, something that I am a big fan of. It’s likely not what people were expecting, but you can’t fault them… It’s hard to overlook the “Sundara” in the name. If I’m being honest, the market is oversaturated with headphones that try sound “reference-grade”, but end up being a poor attempt at just that. I’d rather a headphone bring something special and unique to the table. Of course, it must possess the necessary qualities in order to pull it off and sound good. In my opinion, the Sundara Closed does that. It’s a well-made headphone that’s different. Also, it’s quite the cozy pair of headphones, your ears will thank you for being able to enjoy music for hours on end.

If you’re a fan of a more intimate listening experience with extended highs, then I strongly suggest you give the Sundara Closed a listen. What will immediately strike you is its voluminous quality and lively presentation.