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.

Hifiman sundara closed​

Hifiman sundara closed:
Instagram:

Prelude:
On the market, planar headphones are still a solidly developing part of the market, while we have quite a lot of open headphones in this technology, if we want to combine them with a closed design, we have to make a lot of effort to find something interesting. Unfortunately, this is a kind of headphone niche and hifiman should be commended for taking the gloves and releasing a closed edition of one of the most appreciated headphones, which were sundars.

Unboxing and ergonomics:
Unpacking and ergonomics: As for the packaging, it is a classic gray cardboard box with a print, we also have a styrofoam headphone stand and a standard black cable with a large jack adapter. The headphones themselves are made based on the sundar design, so we have the same headband layout and a similar earcup shape. This model, however, is a closed structure, and their back is wooden shells in light wood color. The use of real wood, as in the case of the sivga robin v21 model, and not plastic, is a very good move, and the wood is of very high quality and does not contain any imperfections.


Sound:
During the tests I used xDuoo mt602 and ta01b amplifiers, in the DAC section I used xDuoo mu601 and in the mobile version I used xDuoo xd05plus and iBasso DX170. I used files from tidal, apple music and my own music library. I used a conical cable because I wanted to maintain the consistency of the music reception.


Bass: When testing the classic sundare, I noticed that it has a well-realized bass for open headphones, but having contact with the closed version, I noticed even better bass quality. Bass is punctual, accurate and fast. He hits hard at the right moment and his speed is very natural. The low tones are deep and well developed. Which is due to the closed type of construction and the use of still great transducers with a planar construction.

Midrange: Vocals and mids are strongly accentuated and set in my opinion much closer to the front than in the classic sundar. Their quality and purity are phenomenal. We can not only hear, but also almost touch every instrument and our artist standing nearby. The bass is in the background and the layer of instruments plays the first violin. This makes us feel like we’re recording our favorite song in the studio. This positive effect is the stronger the better quality spades we serve.

Treble: The treble is less accentuated as in the classic sundar version and the amount of information is still large, the headphones are detailed and technically strong. However, the amount of information is less and the stage has become a bit narrower with still very good depth. The plans and layers are great for a closed-back design. However, they still remain alive, natural and beautifully sounding. Which makes for a great experience. If you don’t like a lot of treble, here you will find a reasonable and well-thought-out compromise.

Comparison:

1.Hifiman sundara closed (220USD) VS SUNDARA (299USD)
The classic Sundara sounds a bit more spacious, with more details but also with more distant vocals. The closed version, in addition to good isolation, is easier to drive and, above all, has better bass and a more direct transmission. The amount of low tones has also been reduced, which translates into a slightly darker presentation.
2.Hifiman sundara closed(220USD) vs hifiman R9(199USD)
The closed Sundara is primarily a calmer, less bass sound, the headphones themselves are also more ergonomic. However, they have a slightly smaller stage because they don’t play on set V like R9. The R9 also benefits from being compatible with the bluemini. Sundara closed, however, sounds more natural and monitor-like.
3.Hifiman sundara closed (220USD vs hifiman deva pro (280USD)
Deva pro are open headphones, so they lose due to the lack of isolation, but they provide a darker and more entertaining sound, putting less emphasis on vocals and more on highs. Deva pro headphones are also larger but also lighter.



Summary:
The most frequently asked question concerns the differences between the sundara and the closed sundara, and in my opinion they are actually two separate models, apart from the similar design of the headband, they sound completely different. The Sundara is more open and less bassy, and the closed version is more direct and monitory. To be honest, if I was looking for headphones for the city or for a trip, I much prefer the closed version, but if I was looking for something for quiet home listening and I would like more details and a stronger accent on the treble, then the classic sundara is excellent. Overall the closed sundara is an excellent pair of earmuffs with a beautiful natural and charming sound signature. On vocal tracks it literally charms, and on instrumental tracks it relaxes with its smooth and coherent tuning, it all puts this pair of headphones very high considering their current price of 229USD which is a great deal.



MatAudiophiles

Hifiman is famous for their Mid-entry level open back planar headphones Sundara for quite a while and still, it’s one of the easy recommendations under $500. Later 2022 they launched their Closed back version of Sundara. As per Hifiman Sundara Closed-Back is highlighted by elegant, hand-assembled beechwood ear cups that serve to isolate the listener from background noise and emphasize the natural bass response of the original recording. Like the open-back version, the new Sundara Closed-Back features HIFIMAN's ultra-thin Super Nano diaphragm, which is up to 80% thinner than diaphragms in more common headphones. Along with this, they’ve incorporated their Stealth Magnet Technology which supposedly makes their drivers disappear. Let’s see how similar or different they actually are and if they’d be able to live up to the expectations.






Disclaimer: -
HIFIMAN Sundara Closed-Back was provided free of cost as a part of a review tour organized by TheAudioStore in India. I have no monetary benefit with this review, neither I am influenced by anyone to write positive or negative about the pair. All thoughts are based on my usage with the pair for about 7 days. I am no professional reviewer, just sharing my thoughts. If interested, you can check out more information on TheAudioStore website from the link below(non-affiliated).

https://www.theaudiostore.in/products/hifiman-sundara-closed-back-planar-magnetic-headphone


Note : From now on I’ll refer to Sundara Closed Back as Sundara CB and Sundara Open back as Sundara OB.





Design & Build:-
Sundara CB incorporates the same headband as the other Mid-range Hifiman headphones such as the Sundara OB and Ananda. I find this style of headband design to be the most comfortable among the lineups. Here Hifiman has used hand-assembled beechwood ear cups that look very premium and very elegant. You can see the natural wood grain and enamel laker coat which has been polished to give it a super smooth and premium in-hand feel. The rachet system is ok-ish on these as I don’t like them very much as they tend to get stuck sometimes but this will probably loosen a little over time. Hifiman has used their palipads on these which is way more comfortable than the HE400i and HE400se. It is a hybrid style pad with a very soft cloth rather than velour or suede which sits sort of on the ear as I have big ears, but for medium, to small ears, they’ll fit like over-ear headphones.


These use a different clipping system than your usual circular Hifiman as you can see here, the opening for the drivers is also smaller than usual and the foam cutout is also in a Star like pattern, this will probably help with bass.

The cable provided with them is the same as you get on the He400se and it’s worse than what you get on Sundara OB, IMO as they’re a little more prices than Sundara OB they should at least given a decent quality cable.



Fit and Isolation:
The clamping force on these is a little higher than I like but it helps them to stay on your head and it actually helps if you’re using them outdoors while traveling or commuting. Sound Isolation in these is below average as you still hear some of the outside noise if it's a little loud outside but the Sound leakage is very good as very little to no sound goes out.



Power Requirements:-
I was easily able to drive them off my Xduoo link 2 bal with more than adequate volume levels out of Single-ended output and with Balanced out I didn’t even need to go past 20 percent and it also improved the dynamics.

With ifi Zendac V2, Sundara CB needed only 15 percent of its power and it sounded a lot better with an overall better dynamic range and a stronger bass response.

But as many planar headphones out there, it surely sounds best with a dedicated desktop DAC/AMP like the Hifiman EF400, which is specifically designed for Hifiman headphones.

The rest of my sound section will be done with the EF400 and I’ll also share how it sounds with different sources from portable to desktop and talk about synergy.

Cable Rolling/Swapping
The stock cable is of an inferior quality which makes them sound a little bright and sharp at times.

With my DIY 4.4 Pure copper cable they sounded a lot smoother, has better dynamics, and a wider soundstage.

With a Generic SPC cable, it sounded smoother with less edginess along with a better sense of clarity.

(I personally believe Planar headphones, specially Hifiman sound really good with pure copper cables)



Tracks used for testing
My playlist consists of Anime/jpop tracks, Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B and some Bollywood.

• Shinunoga E-Wa · Fujii Kaza
• 夜に駆ける · YOASOBI · Ayase
• KICK BACK · Kenshi Yonezu
• NIGHT DANCER · imase
• Fire · Queen Bee
• Suzume (feat. Toaka) · RADWIMPS
• Royals · Lorde
• Low · SZA
• Sign of the Times · Harry Styles
• Glimpse of Us · Joji
• Until I Found You (Em Beihold Version) · Stephen Sanchez
• Under the Influence · Chris brown
• Starboy · The Weeknd
• Creepin' · Metro Boomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage
• Do It Again – Pia Mia feat. Chris Brown and Tyga
• Collide (feat. Tyga) · Justine Skye
• Don’t gamble with love – Paul Anka

Sound Impressions:-
Hifiman has done an amazing job developing these closed-back headphones, they are tuned very well with a nice and hard-hitting bassline along with a fairly detailed top end, with a little hint of treble sparkle, Midrange on these is sweet and fairly smooth sounding. the overall frequency response on these headphones is tilted towards the V-shape side as you can feel the sub-bass and mid-bass taking the center stage with a hint of boosted Treble that can get piercing at times, overall it's a fun-sounding headphone.

If we talk in detail about the sound of these headphones firstly the bass speed is decent along with the mid-bass quantity, it makes your track sound fun with a punchy bassline and deep hard hitting sub-bass but at times the male vocals can get a little bit muddy but that's very rare it depends upon the track. Now if we talk about the mid-range the male and female vocals sound very smooth with a sense of realism, they sound very lively, and the female vocals sound rich, with a little bit of EQ to the lower mids the male vocals come through beautifully. The treble on these is mostly smooth but at times it can get Peaky at times the detailed retrieval on these is very good with cymbals and claps sounding sharp and it sounds decently airy.

If you talk about these technicalities, the soundstage is decently wide for a close pack and wider than some of the budget open-back headphones in the market. Transient response is fast being a planar headphone, but it could be faster. Being a close pack, the imaging is superb you can precisely pick instruments from where exactly they are coming from. Detailed retrieval on these is just above average for a planar headphone, if we compare it with Sundara OB, the Sundara OB is far superior in terms of technical performance, and it surpasses the Sundara CB in pretty much every way you think of except the Bass.

But if you talk about preference, I would take the CB any day with it’s more fun sound an easy to listen tuning as in the open back the treble spike is unbearable for me for long hours.



Comparison

Sundara CB vs Sennheiser HD 650
The first thing I noticed while comparing these two is how effortless the 650 sounds, with smooth vocals, and airy treble, treble has more details, and these are way more comfortable than Sundara CB. What you feel is missing is that hard-hitting bass. Sundara CB sounds intense and not as fatigue-free compared to HD 650. Well, that’s the nature of HD 650 and that’s why they’ve been loved for the past 20+ years. It’s really hard to pick among these but Sundara CB is a little easier to drive and that bassline is just addicting.



Sundara CB vs Sundara OB
Sundara CB shouldn’t be this headphones name as it sounds poles apart from it,s open-back sibling, It’s totally different and the driver array is totally different, it’s not just a Sundara with its opening covered with wood. Sundara CB sounds sweet, and rich, and has a punchy bass line, although its technical performance is above average but it’s an addicting headphone, Compared to this Sundara OB sounds neutral to neutral bright with superb technicalities, better details, wider stage, and better imaging.



Synergy:
With Tanchjim Space, it sounds it sounded adequately loud, but the soundstage was a little narrow and the sense of dynamics was missing. The bass impact was decent, but the synergy was not well as Sundara CB has a little treble spike and Tanchjim space is designed for IEM and headphones with a little darker tone.



With Xduoo Link 2 bal, the primary thing you notice is the improvement in bass impact and soundstage. The details come through decently well. This could become a decent portable setup as the sound leakage is well under control on Sundara CB.



With ifi ZenDac V2, I was more than happy with the sound output. It has a sense of realism, it sounded wide, natural, and very detailed and with that Trubass button, it’s such a fun Dac amp you can’t get over it.



With Hifiman EF400 it come to life and I felt like it synergized best with this DAC/AMP, Soundstage was wide and felt like that of an Open back headphone, bass was hard-hitting with smooth vocals along with detailed highs.



Hifiman EF400 + Anode Acoustics No.4 (Class A amp single-ended only), It has all the perks of EF400 with better dynamics along with a harder-hitting bass line.



Final Words: -
Hifiman has done a fantastic job tuning these, they sound fun, punchy, and fairly wide for a closed-back headphone. The build is fairly solid with some nitpicks, these look amazingly premium, and decently comfortable. The only gripe I personally have was the earpad system which makes pad swap a pain and the cable, at least it’s quality could’ve been better. In the market of Closed back headphones, it sounds better than most of the offerings out there. It’s surely become an easy recommendation!!

Review OF The Hifiman Sundara Closed Back​

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Introduction​

Several audiophiles applaud Hifiman, a Chinese firm recognised for its extensive line of high-end headphones, for their outstanding performance and appealing sound quality. Hifiman, which specialises mostly in planar magnetic technology, is proud of their accomplishment and it is evident in each new pair of headphones they introduce. In addition to producing headphones, they also produce in-ear monitors and dac/amps. The Sundra open back planar headphone, one of their most well-known and lauded models, is one that many audiophiles have come to love and recommend, though I only had the chance to listen to them and not review them. It's okay, though, since today I'll be discussing the brand-new Sundara Closed Back, which is their updated take on the Sundara Open Back. But first, let's take a quick look at a few things.

Disclaimer​

*Since this unit tour was organised by the Pritam Halpawat at Audio Store, I am grateful to him. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these Headphones as "Sundara."
*Finally, I will only evaluate the Sundara based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.

Specification​

Sundara is a closed-back planar headphone with planar magnetic drivers made of stealth magnets and neo diaphragm. A metal framework supports the wooden earcups, and a leather strap is attached to the lower metal frame to aid in holding the headphones over the head. The headphones' flexible body makes them easy to use, and they have detachable earpads that are simple to pull out of locks. The headphone can be adjusted around the area where the hinges frame connects to the overhead metal frame at various levels. Although the headphones weigh about half a kilogram, I don't find them to be uncomfortable or tiring on my head during extended listening sessions. I would say they're pretty comfortable, but they are on the larger side in terms of size. Apart from that, the headphones performed perfectly. There is a 3.5mm jack in each earcup. The Sundara's included cable has a 3.5mm connector and ends in a 3.5mm plug. A quarter-inch adapter that was tested with the Sundara is included in addition to the cable. They have a premium, adaptable aesthetic. They feel sturdy and long-lasting in the hand. Technically speaking, the impedance is 20 Ohms and the sensitivity is 98dB. 6Hz to 50kHz is the frequency response range.

​

Sound​

The Sundara closed back's sound is remarkably similar to that of the Sundara open back, but in my opinion, the closed back sounds much better. I never anticipated how much better closed-planar headphones would sound. The only assumption I made was that the presentation would be adjusted with a boomy bass and less treble and air. In this case, I was mistaken because I thought the Sundara sounded much better than the original open back ones because it is so light and airy and has fantastic upscaling details and resolution. I may have felt that the originals were too flashy and sparse because of their lean nature, but when I listened to the one with the closed back, I was pampered by the lovely tonality and precise details. I should add that even though the treble was crisp and clear, I still found the midrange to be very enjoyable and have a good front approach. The bass surprised me the most; I thought it had excellent control and extension for a closed-back planar. I have only ever heard closed back planars, such as the Dan Clark Aeon 2 closed back and the Audeze lcd 2 closed back, and I always found them to be uneven, whether it was the dimming tonality or the poor technical performance. The Sundara closed back, however, felt steady and relaxed. Although I prefer IEMs, I know that if I had to choose a closed-back headphone, this would be my top choice. Let's explore the sound more thoroughly.

Treble​

The Sundara's treble has a lively, enlivening sound. It amazes me how much expression there is in this area while still maintaining balance and fairness with the presentation as a whole. It sounds clear, airy, crisp, and extended in the upper treble. The presentation feels sparkly, and the details are vivid and clear. The high octave notes of any other instruments, as well as the cymbal crashes, sound very well-established, controlled, and spiced up just enough. The vocals stand out because they stretch out beautifully without any interruption or breakdown. Particularly the female vocals sound lovely and calming. Due to its energy and assertiveness, the lower treble fits in the mix perfectly. The medley between the instruments and the vocals makes me feel happy and reach out for more, and it gives me that, making the sound very resolving and playful. Although I occasionally find the timbre to be more on the metallic side, the vocals have a good presentation with good note weight, and I have no complaints because it more than meets my desires. I should also add that I don't detect any sibilance or hotness in this area. I recognise that the treble in the upper and lower ranges is comforting and unobtrusive. Whether in the lower or upper treble, the notes have a precise and sharp play in the mix, but it doesn't sound particularly edgy and maintains the harmony of the entire response. Overall, the region is represented in a light, vivid, and surprisingly detailed manner.

Mid Range​

The mid range has a rich, clean sound that is immersive. The presentation is great because it puts the vocals and instruments front and center without obstructing the flow of any of their characteristics, but I still detect some unevenness with them that I will discuss later. The upper mid range picks up most of the characteristics from the lower treble and is very energising and more responsive to it. As previously mentioned, the presentation is very forward and lively, and the vocalists and instruments don't hold back in giving it their all. The notes are presented lightly and are properly positioned in the mix. The instruments try to make the most of the entire mix and sound energetic, while the vocals feel calming and embrace the entire mix. Although the notes have a slightly metallic feel, they are expressive, and I don't think they obstruct any details from emerging. The lower mid range has a soft, somewhat clean sound. It doesn't sound particularly clumsy or muddy. The instruments sound clean and unobtrusive, and the vocals have a resolving quality. I do think there are times when they feel less okay and more muddied and drowning. The upfront and forward presentation of both the vocals and the instruments, which gives the impression that they are competing to be heard or noticed, is what makes me uneasy. They obviously don't let either of their sounds get lost in the process because both the instruments and the vocals sound unaffected, but because of the level of detail in each, it's difficult for me to concentrate on just one aspect without thinking about the other, which makes me stop listening and become less surprised. This is not to say that they sound dull or intricate; perhaps they just have too much excitement for my taste. With the exception of this problem, the mid range is presented overall in a lively, energising, and well-staged manner.

Bass​

For a closed-back planar headphone, the bass is surprisingly strong and really, really hits you. I mean, if I had to compare this kind of bass to anything, I'd definitely point to the "7hz Timeless," as for me, it produced the same bass response, albeit one that was more detailed and better textured. The planar bass undoubtedly maximizes the bass's potential. Additionally, the sub bass has good range and is deep enough to sound punchy and rumbly. The characteristics of such punchy impacts are so skillfully sculpted with fine details and very controlled sounds. The rumbles are more than enough for me to continue having fun. Although the mid-bass is more prominent, it doesn't sound particularly slammy, thick, or boomy. The proper amount of impact in this area gives the entire response a very harmonious sound. The bass notes have striking differences and nearly adequate note weight and density. The bass, however, strikes me as being more artificial than warm and welcoming from my perspective. I also perceive it to sound wobbly and wet. But only when listening to tracks with very low bass. The best thing about bass is that, even when listening to bass-heavy tracks, it never dominates or renders the other region inaudible. I'm satisfied with the bass' performance throughout the entire response. Though occasionally I felt that the bass made the lower mid range sound subdued, it didn't affect any other area. Of course there is the impression of mid bass bleeding into the lower mid range, but it doesn't make it sound bloated or excessively muddy. Overall, I think the bass response is well-controlled, powerful, and enjoyable.

Technical Performance​

Regarding the technical performance, I had the impression that the Sundara might be lacking in some aspects, particularly the soundstage and separation, but these actually perform really well in these areas. The stage is large and unobstructed, and the imaging is clear and sharp with effective layering. The separation is noticeable. Excellent resolution and detail retrieval are combined with a planar's lightning-fast speed.

Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation​

For a closed-back headphone, the stage is surprisingly expansive and wide, mostly presenting in a 360-degree circle around the listener's head. It also has good depth. The imaging and layering are excellent because the details are clear and vivid and the elements are positioned expertly with good legibility. Every element has a distinct separation, and each one sounds far enough away to allow for breathing. Most of the factors acting out in which direction are easy for me to identify.

Speed & Resolution​

Although for a closed back planar headphone made me assume these won't perform that way, the tuning and the driver makes it sound very resolving and extract the last of details from the presentation, which is admirable for a planar headphone. Another area where planar excels is speed, and these notes unquestionably did so with their quick attack and decay, which produced a very clear response.

Sound Impressions​

Sundara Closed Back Versus HD6XX​

The HD6XX is a dark-sounding headphone that is tuned to focus more on the midrange, which is where the vocals and instruments reside. The HD series from Sennheiser, in my opinion, excels in one area, namely the timbre and how natural the sound can be. Although the HD6XX still fills the void and allows the entire response to achieve balance, I am aware that it is not particularly good at bass extension or any bass resonating exposure. The treble region of the HD6XX is similar in that it is not as expansive or airy but still provides a good idea, making up for it. Overall, I believe the HD6XX to be more natural, clean, and tonally superior than any other pair of headphones I have listened to, but that is only my opinion since I am only comparing it to the Sundara closed back in this comparison. Although the treble on the Sundara closed back is superior and well extended with rich details, I find that part to be too lean. The HD6XX dominates in the midrange, but when it comes to the bass range, the Sundara closed back performs significantly better and provides what my beloved 6XX cannot. One thing I notice about the HD6XX is that, despite the treble's darkness and lack of sparkle, I find it to be more pleasing and natural-sounding. Perhaps this is due to the open back design. Of course, I understand it that way. The Sundara performs technically better, without a doubt. Even though it is unfair to compare a closed-back headphone to an open-back headphone, I adore the Sundara and believe that it slightly outperforms the HD6XX overall.

Sources​

Tempotec V6 - When paired with the V6, I noticed that the treble was crisper and more detailed, the midrange was more forward, and the bass was deeper and punchier. However, I thought the Sundara's planars weren't being sufficiently powered by the V6, that the response wasn't very clean, and that technical capabilities like imaging and separation were lacking.

iFi Hipdac - When paired with the Hipdac, the treble seemed to feel rounder and better to my ears with a more direct approach. I was hoping for the mid range to feel more forward and the vocals to stand out more. The bass got punchier and rumblier with a more boomy, slammy approach. I had enough power because the Hipdac and the heaphone's drive were sufficient. However, I felt that the technical performance was lacking because the stage seemed to be less big and expansive, and the resolution was grainy and off. I was nonetheless amazed.



Aune X7S - The issues I had with the V6 regarding technical performance, imaging, and separation felt better and were sufficiently pleasing while using such an amplifier with the V6 and the Hipdac. Additionally, the bass became more prominent and the treble became more lively. The amplifier improved the sound quality and pushed the resolution when paired with the Hipdac. But the V6+Aune X7S I felt was the best Sundara pairing.

Tracks Used​

Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere(Remastered)
Toto - Africa
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy (End Titles)
GOJIRA - Amazonia
Fergie - Glamorous
50 Cent - In Da Club
Skrillex - XENA
Skrillex - Torture You
The Neighbourhood - Sweater Weather
Luna Haruna - Overfly
Blck Cobrv - Candy Shop
LMYM - 0 (zero)
Indila - Love Story
Marina Hoiuchi - Mizukagami no Sekai
Wayne - Not Enough

Conclusion​

I'd like to conclude this review by saying that these closed-back planar headphones are the best I've ever heard. This would have been my personal favorite to listen to every day if I weren't into IEMs. A closed-back headphone with such impressive technical performance and a tone that suits my preferences. I heartily concur the recommendation of Hifiman Sundara Closed Back.

The Hifiman Sundara Closed Back have been loaned to me directly by Hifiman for me to test them and share my opinions in this review. As always, they have not requested anything specific and I will do my best to remain unbiased and sincere in my review, however, it is always worth considering the fact that it has not cost me anything to try these headphones.

You can find the official page of the Hifiman Sundara Closed Back here: https://hifiman.com/products/detail/324

This is a non-affiliate link, as are all links that I share.



Intro…

Before getting on with the review, l am going to do a little reminiscing…

I have a special place in my heart for the Hifiman Sundara, the original open back that is, as it was the first set of headphones I ever reviewed. Back in June 2019, before I had even thought about a blog or YouTube channel, I was included in a tour of the Sundara, with the agreement that I would publish my thoughts on Head-Fi after it concluded. I did so, publishing them also on the headphones.com forum, where they actually got published on the main page.

Also around that time, I was looking for a set of closed back headphones, as I was sharing an office at the time and that meant could no longer opt for using speakers (which are still my favourite means of listening to music), and I really didn’t find anything that was in a decent budget range and that could live up to the quality of other similarly priced open back alternatives.

I have had chance to try a few higher end closed backs since then but I haven’t found anything that has made me want to run out and buy it at the price point it sits. My closed back option has been the Custom Studio Pro for quite a few years now, which is a decent set of headphones, at a decent price, but is by no means anything special.

All of this is to say that, when Hifiman released the Sundara Closed-Back version, I was very interested in getting to try it out, both due to the above and to see what Hifiman are capable of doing in the closed back space in comparison to their open back range (which I have been lucky enough to try out plenty of models, from budget to high end, and have quite a few on hand).

So, after that bit of a ramble, let’s talk about the real subject, the Hifiman Sundara Closed-Back.



Presentation…

Hifiman has changed their presentation recently, now optiong for plain brown cardboard boxes for most of their products, with a black strip that identifies the contents, in this case the Sundara CB of course.

Inside the box, the packaging has also changed. Instead of the silk covered foam inserts that were the standard for Hifiman, they now opt for a different foam without the silk lining. One of the things that I have to say about this new presentation is that the insert is shaped like a headphone stand and can be removed from the box and used for that exact purpose.

Personally I cannot store headphones on stands as I live in a place with a very high level of dust, so leaving a planar headphone (or any headphone for that matter) out of its box is a recipe for disaster. Therefore, all of my headphones live in their original boxes and in the case of this new presentation, I can grab the headphone and the temporary stand from the box, use it while I need it and then put it back. I feel it is a very useful way to make the most of the packaging.

Included with the headphones, we don’t get much. A standard 3.5mm cable, an 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter and the usual documentation is the extent of it. As always, a storage case would be a positive but in my case, I just use the box so I am not complaining (although others would probably prefer a case of some sort).



Build and Aesthetics…

The Sundara Closed-Back opt for using wooden cups which I am quite fond of. It is nothing extravagant as far as wood goes, just a light coloured Beechwood, but it still gives them a premium feel. I don't see any flaws or blemishes in the finish of the wood but even if there were some irregularities to the grain, that is what makes wood special.

One thing that I am extremely happy about is the choice of headband on this model. Now this is a very controversial topic as there are people in both camps, those who hate this headband and those that love it. The majority of Hifiman models lately are using the headband found on things like the Edition XS, whereas the Sundara CB opts for the one with the suspension strap.

The main difference is that this headband (on the Sundara CB) does not have any cup swivel, whereas the other headband (Edition XS) has swivel but no suspension strap. Personally I don’t miss the swivel as the headphones that use the suspension strap system just happen to fit me correctly without the need. However, the version with no strap does cause me a hotspot on the top of my head after a while. Sure, I would love to have swivel on this headband also but if I have to choose, I go with the suspension strap over the swivel. As I said, this is a controversial subject and everyone has their own preference.

As far as build quality, the only thing I have noticed on the set I have is that the right hand slider doesn’t click into place the same as the left slider does. It’s not really an issue, as the resitance is enough to keep it in place. For the rest, I really can’t say anything sticks out as an issue but only time will tell as always. There is a bit of driver flex when putting the headphones on but this is to be expected with closed back planar drivers, as they are so thin and there is nowhere for the air pressure to go. It is not noticeable in use, no matter how much I head bang



Sound…

All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Spotify, etc.)

I have been using the Sundara Closed-Back for quite a while now, powering them from a selection of systems, however, my main use has either been in the office, powered by the iFi Gryphon, or at home powered by either the Hifiman EF400 or the Feliks Audio Echo Mk2 (fed by the EF400). I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how well the Gryphon powers these headphones even if I do personally prefer them connected to my home system.

I have also been using the Viking Weave cables with these headphones, I am not saying that it makes a sound difference but it sure does make them look great

Before getting into the description of the sound in my usual way, let me just say that, if you are thinking that the Sundara closed back is going to give you the usual Hifiman planar sound in a closed back, then I’m afraid that is not what we are getting here.

Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing, I am not saying it in a negative way, I am just trying to make it clear from the start that if you think that these are going to be an exact replica of the Sundara but in a closed version, that is not the case.

With that said, I am going to evaluate these headphones on their own strengths and weaknesses, not as a comparison to other Hifiman open models that I have on hand. I may drop in a reference here and there just for explanations sake, but a comparison is not something I believe to be useful as they are different headphones.

So starting off with the subbass, here we have the usual extension of the planar driver reaching way down into the lowest notes. The roll off of subbass frequencies starts around 35Hz and does drop quite quickly after that point but is well balanced down to that point.

Putting them through my usual test with “Chameleon”, there is no boost to these lower ranges but the clarity and lack of roll off makes the bottom end impressive. If you are someone that is looking for skull rattling rumble in the low end, then that is not what you can usually expect from planar drivers and the Sundara Closed-Back are no different. However, if you are looking for a clean representation of that subbass, then they will certainly give you that.

“Royals” by Lorde may actually be a more suitable track for these headphones as they give you that subbass presence without boosting it and actually present the track the way it is (in my opinion). In other words, that low end hit is clean but the following rumble is a little dirty, if that makes any sense.

Moving the focus onto the midbass region, with things like “No Sanctuary Here” or “Sun Is Shining”, the bass is clean, detailed and well balanced, without things sounding out of place. I find that many closed backs create to much of an emphasis on the midbass region, losing the control that I Iike so much with open back headphones, however, the Sundara CB does a good job of keeping it together and not pushing it too far.

I am still a big fan of a good dynamic driver for the bass regions, especially for bass guitar, and there are only a few planars that have really made me feel like I could live without a DD for some of those amazing bass performances. I think this is mainly due to the fact that, as a bass player, I have been so used to listening to my bass through dynamic driver cabinets that that is what I associate with correct. In the case of the Sundara Closed-Back, I can’t say that these have made me reconsider my preference for dynamic driver but they are a pleasant experience especially for those fast moving complicated bass lines, due to the speed and response.

If we take “Elephants On Ice Skates” as a sample from my playlist, I feel that the lower notes are missing a little “body and warmth”, leading to a timbre that I find a little cold and distant, yet there is no issue with keeping up with the speed of the bass in something like “The Room” by Ostura. The same could be said for things like “Whole Lotta Love”, where every bass note is clear and defined, yet the timbre is just a little “cold” in the low end.

Moving into the mids is where I have my reservations with the Sundara Closed-Back and this also ties in with the bass I just mentioned. As we move into the lower end of the mids, there is a bit of a bump that does restore a little of that body that I mentioned was missing in the bass, however, this can result overly exaggerated with certain tracks, more so because it seems there is a lack of mids in the center of the mid range.

I don’t have the equipment to measure over-ear headphones correctly, I only have the MiniDSP EARS and they are not the most reliable when it comes to measurements. Therefore I usually don’t bother measuring over ear headphones and depend on graphs from others such as Resolve (The Headphone Show) when I want a visual representation. However, it seems that the Sundara Closed-Back are not something that has been graphed by anyone I know at least that I can find. Therefore, as the EARS are “sort of accurate” in the midrange, being the part that can be trusted the most from the device, I decided to throw the Sundara CB on them to see why Iwas getting strange experiences in the mid range that varies from track to track.

Here is what the EARS showed me (this is an average of the 5 most repeatable measurements, although I took a lot more):



The reason that there are two lines is because I took the measurements in two ways, the blue line is with the headphones just placed on the EARS and the orange line is with slight pressure guaranteeing the seal. I have only posted the graph to really comment on the lower to central mids but thought I would show the full graph anyway, just don’t count on the shaded areas being a true representation of the actual headphone.

Anyways, back to the mids. As I mentioned (and as shown in the graph) there is a boost in the low mids followed by a dip shortly after. I have found that this interacts in strange ways depending on the track. There are songs where the instrument or even vocals don’t seem to be affected by that peak and dip, yet in other tracks, it can clearly make both instruments and vocals sound recessed or overly present, depending on just where they fall in the frequency range.

To give some examples from my usual test list, “Crazy” by Daniela Andrade sounds nicely balanced in the mid range during the main parts of the song, yet in the chorus, the vocals seem to take a step back and place themselves behind the guitar. This is something normal due to the nature of the song but the Sundara CB does seem to exaggerate this.

“Hallelujah” is an acapella track with many voices and this song actually exhibits behavior that depends upon the voice. Here the main male vocal is actually more recessed than the backing vocals, missing some presence in the lower parts of his range, whereas the female vocal takes a step forwards and places itself in front of the backing vocals.

Moving to something more electronic, such as “Light Years Away”, here the effect is a lot less noticeable and, if anything, it actually works in favour of the track. That boost where the midbass moves into the lower mids actually makes this track very punchy, which, added to the detail, makes for a very enjoyable listen.

One last track before moving on is “Killing In The Name”. The guitar here does suffer slightly from some imbalance in their lower ranges. It is not necessarily bad but it is different to what I come to expect from this song. Zack De La Rocha’s voice does take a little step back, with the lower end of said guitar becoming a little blunt, missing a bit of presence in the center of the mids for my preference.

Moving on to the upper mids, here we have the typical Hifiman dip that is something that has never really bothered me too much, putting a bit more emphasis on that 3kHz mark which is good because it does go a long way to clean up the sound. I feel that if the 3 to 4kHZ range wasn’t as present, then we would be looking at a very dull sounding set of headphones in the midrange.

Moving up into the higher ranges, there is a nice extension which I have come to expect from planar drivers but there is a little bit of “sizzle” in the highest ranges. This is not to be confusd with sibilance as sibilance is controlled well, with Patricia Barber being very listenable in the usual “Code Cool” test. Although “Code Cool” is another track that does suffer a little with that mid range imbalance.

Details and speed are something I certainly cant complain about. The Sundara Closed-Back deliver the amount of detail that I have come to enjoy (and expect) from Hifiman planars. However, once more, that mid range does take away the sensation of detail in those ranges, especially on the lower ranges of electric guitars and vocals that have their roots located in that dip. This gives the sensation of those ranges being blunt and lacking details, however, it is more that they are masked behind that boost that precedes them.



Conclusion…

I am going to repeat what I said at the beggining of the sound section. The Sundara Closed Back are not a headphone with the typical Hifiman “house sound”.

As some of you probably know by now, I am a big fan of the Hifiman sound and I have quite a few models on hand, from the budget HE400se up to the Arya or HE1000se, with quite a few in between. Although there are clear differences between the different models of the Hifiman line, there are also a lot of similarities, making all of them clearly Hifiman in their overall sound.

The Sundara Closed Back breaks away from that usual house sound and give something that is very different in the mid range. Because something is different, doesn’t mean it is bad, there are lots of songs that I have enjoyed very much on the Sundara CB but there are also lots of tracks that I haven’t enjoyed, finding that the variation in the lower mids has a negative effect on how I expect the song to be presented.

Again, I am by no means saying that the Hifiman Sundara Closed Back are a bad set of headphones, just that they are a “different” set of headphones. Usually, if you have tried something from the Hifiman line and like the sound, you can relate to other models that will improve on certain aspects but will, in general, sound similar, giving you a good reference point. With the Sundara Closed Back, that is not the case.

I would certainly urge anyone looking into the Sundara Closed Back, whether they have had previous experience with Hifiman or not, to give them a listen and find out whether they work for you or not. If you are someone who uses EQ, then I don’t think you need to worry as the drivers always respond well to EQ, but if you are someone who just plugs in and goes, then you may or may not like these headphones, depending both on your personal tastes and, more than ever, on the music you listen to.

As always, this review is also available in Spanish both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)

Introduction​

Sundara Closed – a new release from the HiFiMan raised many questions. Join me on a quest to answer them all. Let’s dive in and see if it is worth the noise around it.
Sundara Closed was a huge announcement. HiFiMan is one of the leaders in the headphone market, no wonder why everybody got excited when the first information started pouring in. I was lucky to meet the HiFiMan crew at CanJam in London this year. If you ever have any chance, take your time to talk to them. They are amazing people, very passionate about audio. Also, very chill and down-to-earth. Remember, kids, audio shows are as much about people as they are about gear.
One of the many cool toys they had was the new Sundaras, and I didn’t hesitate to try them on. After a brief listen, I knew that it was a solid headphone (ups, spoiler). They even proposed that I take a pair immediately so they “won’t have to pack all of that again” LOL. Sadly, I couldn’t take them with me at the time, but long story short, they have arrived in my hands.

Packaging and Comfort​

This is the coolest packaging I have seen. It’s super intelligent. Inside a normal-looking box is a filler made of closed-cell
foam. But here’s the kicker: the bottom part of the filler works as a stand for the headphones! With the HiFiMan logo and a plastic base for stability, it’s a proud part of my wall of happiness. How thoughtful and efficient is that? I love it, especially since it is done in a relatively not expensive product.

The rest is pretty much standard. The first impression: a solid piece of headphones, on a heavier side (432g). The whole thing uses a leather strap to place pressure on the user’s head equally. The clamping force is medium, and the entire thing is comfortable for extended periods, but that will depend on the person due to the weight.

Build Quality and Tech​

At first, Sundara C. looks like a classic Sunara with wooden cups strapped on. The headband is mainly made out of metal with some plastic pieces. The headrest is a leather-like material that can move freely with your head.
I only want to see the adjustable angle of the cups, which is available even in cheaper HE400se. That would be a level-up in comfort, especially with a heavy pair of headphones like these. A new part, wooden cups are machined od of a solid piece. Wood is well known for its acoustic properties, but what amazes me is that they were able to secure a consistent, high-quality source of wood for such an incredible production scale. I wouldn’t think it’d be possible if you had asked me half a year ago.

While the headband and the base of each earpiece come from the older brother, the driver is very different. Underneath the earpads, we see a set of acoustic filters: a distancing foam, semi-transparent cloth, and a star-like filter on the driver. Their purpose is to tune and smoothen out the Sundara’s frequency response. The driver features HiFiMan’s proprietary tech, namely stealth magnets, and NEO Supernano diaphragm. It has double-sided magnets, which provide the extra drive required to perform in a closed-box headphone.

Also, that gives them higher sensitivity than the OG (Original Gangsta) Sundara: 98dB vs 94dB. The impedance is lower at 20 Ohms compared to 37 in OG Sundara. Don’t expect to drive them with your smartphone. Like all planars, they like juice, and 20 Ohms is low. Pads are made with synthetic leather and have perforations on the inside, aiding in tuning the headphone.

Sound​

From all the HiFiMans that I have recently listened to, I think I like the Sundara C. the best. The newest release from HiFiMan has a darker tuning that goes very well with my clean, linear setup. Matter of fact is that I like a little darker tuning, so there is my bias. Everybody has one. If they say they don’t, they are lying. It’s important to understand that and differentiate a good product from a product I like.
Back to the topic at hand. The Sundara C. sounds very good straight out of the box. Burn-in didn’t change much, but I did it as usual. Custom Cans @ YouTube measured them before and after burning in, and the difference was pretty small (shout out!). When you make darker-sounding headphones, you need to introduce a sparkle somewhere. Otherwise, they will sound dull and boring.

HiFiMan decided to insert a peak in the lower midrange. It gives a nice brightness like pickled cabbage helps out a fatty, breaded pork chop. Just a cutlet will be super heavy to eat, but crunchy, sour cabbage cut’s through the richness and brings balance to the dish. Exact same situation here. The tuning is dark, but there is not much warmth to it. It still is the HiFiMan, after all. One of the first impressions I have shared with “The Boys”, I mean the staff at Ear-Fidelity, was: “it sounds like a closed HiFiMan should”. As a manufacturer, they have their sound profile. The Sundara C. fits under it, although it has a slight deviation. The core is here intact: the resolution, speed, and control are exemplary.

This is a very resolving headphone (but not as much as Sundara OG). A closed can is a compromise trading sound staging for bass extension. The space is close but not confined. Shrank in size, but not bound to your head, which I hate with a burning passion. For a closed headphone, it’s decent, I heard better, but they were much more expensive. The most important thing is that it can create a convincing illusion of being there. The resolution is very good. Thanks to careful tuning, the extended bass doesn’t influence the amount of detail retrieved from the source material. This is one of my absolute favorite combinations: punch and resolution.



Bass

Let’s start with one of the most over and simultaneously underrated artists of generation Z: Billie Eilish. My Strange Addiction has a mysterious, toned-down character with powerful bass. I can recall clearly that at release, people were throwing turds around the mastering. The fun part is that the album is mastered very nicely. Most home audio systems just can’t handle this amount of bass, and even some headphones struggle with that. Worry not, my friends, because Sundara C. lives for tracks like that. The bass is entirely flat for the lowest lows of hell. It’s utterly uniform in character, meaning that the driver is working effortlessly throughout the whole range. The next thing that catches your attention is the resolution and speed. The electronic bass notes are presented with zero coloration. If you like EDM, you’ll be thrilled. As long as your amp can handle it, nothing can stop Sundara C. What about non-electronic instruments? Riders on the storm by Doors has a simple yet catchy bass line that often gets overpowered by other instruments. Sundara C. can deliver separation between ranges that allows you to easily pick up the bass lines even when a lot is happening at once. The bass sound natural and has a very pleasant timbre to it. There is nothing wrong I can say about this bass. Unless you want an elevated bass response or added warmth, there is no reason not to choose this headphone.

Mids

Bass is not the whole picture. How about the mids? One of my test albums for voices is Korn Unplugged. Especially the cover of Make me bad/In between days when Jonathan Davis sang with Robert Smith from the Cure. The contrast between the aggressive, nasal voice of Davis and the smooth, clean voice of Smith is something else. The Sundara C. catches that perfectly, delivering the emotional impact of the song. The timbre of the midrange is clean. There is a slight edge added to the vocals, primarily male. An accent boosts this relatively narrow band. To be frank, I like it, and I wouldn’t want it to be flat. The midrange gains some life thanks to that, and without it, I think it would be a little flat. Just the right amount of bonus energy fixes that. With female voices like Dusty Springfield’s classic Son of a preacher man, there is a tiny bit of sibilance at the top of her range. It pops up occasionally, but I wouldn’t call it a deal breaker. As previously mentioned, it brings a sparkle of life to the sound. If we are talking string instruments, there is no way not to mention Carlos Santana. I might come up as ignorant here, but I have a soft spot for tracks like Smooth and Maria, Maria. That was what I was listening to when I was a kid. It’s possible I was picking up girls at school dances to those songs, but that’s not confirmed. In the latter song, there is this fantastic, simple riff; I’m sure you know which one. The master’s guitar sounds sharp and crisp. It really brings all the boys to the yard. Wrong song reference, my bad. To sum it up. There is a spark of life in the midrange that can cause some sibilance in extreme situations. Overall the tone is neutral, and there is a lot of detail and textures. Definitely holds its own against the competition.



Treble

I think you already know. The treble is rolled off, and it shows—the darker tuning forces that. The treble plays a secondary role, supporting the other ranges. What they lack in volume, they hold in quality. What we get is very good indeed. In Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean (I know, I’m not too fancy today with music selection. Beat It…) the sound of cymbals and violin is a little smoothened out but still rich with information and textures. In the Cantina Band from Star Wars New Hope, you can enjoy many cymbals and other high-pitched instruments. Enjoy is a word I have chosen specifically. This song can get overwhelming in a brightly-tuned system, but here you are perfectly safe. It’s hard for me to explain that because they still preserve their sparkle while being laid back. The instruments sound very natural, with the right timbre and natural decay. It’s a nicely tuned natural range that is a great addition to the overall tuning. The dark presentation doesn’t have to mean bad treble, and HiFiMan proves that with the Sundara C.

Soundstage

Soundstaging of these headphones is something special. Many people accuse closed-back headphones of completely destroying the sense of space. Let us be honest with ourselves. We have heard that time and time again. Remember when I told you that it sounds like a “closed-back HiFiMans”? It also applies to the soundstage. Think of Sundara OG, but shrunk down. You might not even catch that when you listen to simpler mixes. Think of EDM, for example. But when you go into more complex music, you start to notice the sound is bound between your head and the wooden cups. When you listen to Snuff by Slipknot, you can feel a very good separation between instruments, panning, and overall order. Everything has its place, and it’s easy to “find”. In a composition with a big soundstage but a small number of instruments, you can hear the natural reverberation of the recording. The wooden cups might slightly amplify it compared to the super clean Sundara OG. For example, you can take any overplayed, overhyped, and overengineered tracks from the Stockfish label. I’m not mean. I love Stockfish. You can buy one album from them, and that’s it. They all sound the same. Back to the topic at hand. They emphasize vocals making them super powerful, in the center of the events. The Sundara Closed can replay that with no issue, with all of the reverb behind them and the few instruments that are used. Being contained in a small space, the “stockfish effect” gets even slightly amplified. To sum it up, Sundara Closed offers one of the nicest soundstages I have heard in closed headphones, especially at this price range.

Pairings​

JDS Labs Element III

My daily driver now is the newest Element III from JDS Labs (review coming soon). It features a single-ended output which drives Sundara C. very well. Together they deliver a detail-rich, powerful sound that sits on a pitch-black background. Looking at current pricing, it suits Sundara C. nicely in this too. This type of sound fits EDM, metal, rock, and other intense music genres. This is a set for you if you want absolute control over the sound.

Hifiman EF400

The HiFiMan’s DAC/AMP took the world by storm. No wonder why reasonably priced R2R DAC with a powerful and clean amplifier can get you really far. Combining that with Sundara C. brings them to another level. There is much more breath, a much more natural tone. The Element III sounds strained and nervous in comparison, but it has more impact in the low bass. It’s definitely an upgrade over the Element III, but this amp is in another price range. Using a balanced connection as always helps, but in this case, less than usual. That might be due to how powerful, and capable this amp is even in SE. This indicates that Sundara C. has the ability to become secondary headphones for a higher-quality main setup.

Comparisons​

Hifiman Sundara



And the question we all want to be answered. How does it stack to the OG Sundara, and is it worth the extra cash? I like the closed version better. OG Sundara is a brighter-sounding headphone with a more neutral characteristic. It’s also cleaner sounding. The sound stage of the open version is superior. It is one of the best bang for a buck you can get on the market. The characteristic of the OG is flatter and smoother. But on my system, it sounded a little too lean for my taste.

Bass

There is just no comparison. Everything OG Sundara does, the closed does better. Thanks to reasonable tuning, the bass of the closed version isn’t tiring and overpowering, which could be a point for the OG.

Mids

Here it gets interesting. I have mentioned the peak in closed Sundara, which might cause some sibilance. The OG doesn’t have that, providing a perfectly smooth response and vocals. Open-back construction gives more breath between the notes and words sung. The OG might be a nicer choice if your focus is on acoustic instruments or vocals.

Treble

OG Sundara has much more to offer in this range. The treble is extended in comparison and has a nicer edge. The attack is faster and crisper. The cymbals sound much more natural, having a more natural, not smoothed timbre. Overall, the Sundara Closed would suit people who prefer a safe approach to the timbre.
Overall, both headphones score very high on my list. Sundara Closed costs more, but for me, the investment is worth it since it fits my taste better. It’s a great product, but I believe the OG Sundara is a better bang for a buck. Not by a lot, though. It comes down to your preference: Acoustic, jazz, light rock, voices – OG Sundara. EDM, metal, punk – Sundara Closed.

Hifiman HE-400SE



This is a very interesting case. The quality-to-price ratio of the HE400se is crazy high. Is the Sundara C. able to even close the gap? At first, I listened to the HE400se. There is nothing wrong with it, really. But Sundara C. really showed me how much I was missing. The resolution, engagement, and overall quality jump were incredible. Interestingly, the soundstage of the Sundara C. was not much smaller but more precise and separated. That’s impressive for closed-back headphones. The overall smooth sound of HE400se was masking detail compared to the star of this review.

Bass

The He400se has a full bass for an open-back headphone (fuller than the OG Sundara). It’s warmer and rounder than the Sundara Closed. As mentioned before the Sundara C.’s bass blows everything else in its class, so yeah. There is that.

Mids

The HE400se is much smoother and more forgiving than the Sundara C. It’s much safer for users who listen to music of various recording qualities. That said, the detail and resolution of the Sundara C. are addicting. Hard to go back.

Treble

The HE400se has a much more pronounced treble and is a much brighter-sounding headphone. It elevates the cymbals and other high-pitched instruments, giving them the space to shine. The Sundara C. holds its own in quality, believing it’s better than quantity.
Sundara Closed is a much better headphone than the HE400se. More than I expected it to be, fully justifying the price difference. Both are excellent choices in their price range, and when it comes to sound HE400se is safer, while the Sundara C. is better.

Summary​

TLR – it’s awesome. Thank you for joining my TED talk.

Sundara Closed is a brother (sister?) of the well-known Sundara open back. Just that is a lot of pressure. I’m happy that it exceeded my expectations hitting my taste just right. Despite the price bump, it is an excellent deal. It features all of the newest bells and whistles from HiFiMan, including stealth magnets and NEO Supernano diaphragm. The headphone itself is a new design using parts of Sundara’s chassis but with a brand new driver. While the looks are… controversial, the sound isn’t.

It has a very pleasant dark tuning with rolled-off treble and bass that is flat to 20Hz. Rolled-off treble doesn’t mean a flat sound. Incredible bass and exciting mids provide drive and fun. The treble holds its own with sufficient detail and crispiness. It’s a dark sound, not a dead one. The sound staging is very good for a closed-back. Music is close but not on top of listeners’ heads. It can even rival some cheaper open-back headphones in this regard. The headphone is not the easiest to drive due to their low impedance. The JDS Labs Element III does that with no problem, but my DAP couldn’t handle them. In the end, the most important thing is that those are awesome headphones, and I had fun doing this review.

Highly Recommended.

Big thanks to HiFiMan for providing us with the Sundara Closed for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion. HiFiMan hasn’t seen this review before publishing it.

So...it turns out Hifiman really liked my past reviews. They liked it enough to send me the new Sundara Closed-back for me to sample. How exciting! I guess I would be taking this review a little more seriously this time and actually take my time to describe more aspects of the headphones.





Intro and prelude

About the original Sundara’s- I used to own one alongside my Arya, but quickly sold it to one of my professors since it didn’t provide anything for me that’s better than what the Arya could do. It sounded good enough on its own, I understood it was a step up from my old HE-400i in terms of technical performance, but I didn’t necessarily always prefer it over the 400i. I do have a friend who owns a pair of Sundara’s so I was able to borrow them for a side-by-side comparison with the new, closed-back version.

My relationship with closed-back headphones is that I put a pair on when circumstances requires them, such as recording on-location or commuting on a train or a plane. For some commuting scenarios that aren’t extremely noisy, I actually prefer wearing open headphones to stay connected sonically to the outside world.

When it comes to Hifiman closed-backs, I’ve had a pair of R10D’s. I thought they sounded fairly rich and good, not in any sort of flat/reference kind of way. I tried using them for location recording gigs. They sounded fine for that purpose, but after a few trips I started to leave them home and continue to use my Beyer DT770’s for that purpose. The R10D were too bulky, fragile feeling and didn’t isolate as well; whereas the DT770’s didn’t have to be taken care of, were indestructible, and sounded good enough.

Packaging, design and accessories

Anyway, back to the Sundara closed-back’s. They came in this new Hifiman packaging, which I quite like. There are so few items inside the box, I didn’t have to throw away any unnecessary material. The cables and the headphones are really the only items in the box, along with a foam piece that doubles as a headphone stand. I don’t use those, because my desktop space is scarce as it is, I’m not about to give up more for a headphone stand. It’s nice to have nonetheless. The cable is the same as the rest of the mid-tier Hifiman cans, this sticky rubber type that terminates at a 3.5mm L-shaped plug, with a 6.35mm adapter already attached.

The headband design is actually my favorite from Hifiman, although I don’t own anything that had this headband. It provides the perfect clamping force for me, which might be too strong for others. The ear pads are very soft, and looks to be made of some sort of protein-pleather material. I would prefer them to be firmer.

In terms of the wood cups, they are quite an improvement over the ones you find on the R10D. The R10D wood had me second guessing myself, but the Sundara CB is definitely solid wood (I’m almost 100% sure it’s maple), and makes a nice sturdy sound when knocked on with a knuckle. They are really orange in color; I personally like them because I am familiar with newly made violins of this color, but can also see how they might turn certain people off. My partner, for example, would never wear clothing of that color while I’m a guy who has multiple pieces of bright orange outerwear.



Sound

Now, about the sound- this is where it gets really interesting. My first thought when I put them on was “Wow, they sound exactly like the name”. It is unmistakably a Hifiman house sound, detailed, leans on the bright side, but with a firm bass as the foundation. They sounded almost exactly like how I imagined- intimate soundstage, mid-forward, and stronger bass presence when compared to the OG Sundara’s. One of the reasons I didn’t feel too hot about the OG Sundara’s was the politeness and the lack of that fat bass, which I get with the Arya. The closed-back Sundara has just enough bass to make it a much more fun piece of gear than the open version. They actually remind me of Senn HD600’s in terms of tuning, but not timbre.

That said, the open-back Sundara’s are more neutral, airier, and provide a more “correct” sonic experience, when driven properly. When you compare them side by side out of a hefty amplifier, it’s easy to conclude the open Sundaras are the more balanced pair of headphones in terms of tuning. The thing is though, the closed-back version is 4 dbs more sensitive than the open version, with impedance at 20 vs 37 ohms, which makes them quite a bit easier to come alive. All of these factors combined results in a pair of headphones that has a presentation somewhat like the OG Sundara’s but more intimate, more fun, with abundant bass.

Digging deeper

Taking off the earpads, one can see this star-shaped cutout on a dampening material, much like on the R10P. The drivers also look very different from the OG Sundara’s, so I have reason to believe this is either a product designed from scratch, or took inspirations from the R10P. In either case, I am really impressed.



In terms of isolation, they are fairly okay at diminishing high frequency noises, as long as there is music being played through them. The physics of our universe dictate that low pitched rumbles such as car and plane noises cannot be effectively blocked out by a piece of wood or plastic, since bass energy can only be effectively reduced by a sizeable cavity. So if you’re expecting those to reduce the noise of a plane, you might want to look at ANC cans instead. I am writing this bit onboard an old Boeing 737, and the engine noises are coming through strong. On local commuting, they work fine, and might be a bit too engaging for me to focus on where I’m going. They don’t leak sound outward.

I had a listening night with a friend who is also an audio engineer. We put our gear together and listened to about 11-12 pairs of headphones, among which are HD600’s, HE1000se, Arya, Sundara Closed-back, Stax SR-003 (with heavy EQ because, you know, they need it), Sony 7506, among others. The two most similar pairs beside HE1000se and Arya-se were actually Sundara CB and HD600’s. They are both mid-forward in a similar way, although Sundara CB has much better resolution and bass representation.

For pros

They work great for location recording monitoring, and have since replaced my DT770’s for that purpose. I wouldn’t produce a final mix on them (Why would you do that on a pair of closed headphones?), but have done some successful first-drafts under unfavorably noisy conditions, and have found them to translate quite well. Do keep in mind they are mid-forward. They are roughly in the price range of DT1770’s, I can see them posing a serious threat to the Beyer’s in the pro market.

Final words

There is a term I like to use, “density of sound”, which I can perhaps describe as the sound having a smooth, polished, continuous surface, as opposed to a porous sound that has gaps between bits of information. I personally cannot stand a porous sound, even if the tuning is nearly perfectly flat. The Sundara Closed-back provides a very dense and holographic sound, so dense that I did not feel disappointed listening to them right after a pair of HE1000se’s. It did take me a few seconds to adjust to the tuning, but once my ears accepted the sound signature, I did not want to stop listening. To me, they are just that good.

I have had two pair of open-back Sundara’s at different points, but I ended up passing them on to friends (both of whom love theirs) because they weren’t interesting enough for me, an Arya (and now HE1000se) owner. The Sundara Closed-back? I’m keeping it for sure.



Gear used:

RME Fireface UFX II

Hifiman EF400

Hifiman HM-901r

Drop THX AAA 789


Partial playlist:

Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

Marais: La rêveuse et autres pièces de viole (2003)

Royal Handel ( Eva Zaïcik & Le Consort, 2021)

William Lawes- Consort Music (Fretwork, 2005)

A Closed Subject
HiFiMan Sundara Closed
Introduced July 2022


Included - this headphone stand

I'm surprised to be the first to do it, having felt that I was somewhat late to the party, but here's my take on the review sample of the Sundara Closed, which is now on sale in all decent outlets.

Introduction



HiFiMan have found another way to reinvent the wheel. They have added to their small selection of Closed Back Headphones, of which the HE-R9 is the least ($369) and the HE-R10P ($5500) the most expensive. Why the wild diversity in price? One of the reasons is the driver. The R9 is a dynamic, the R10 P is a Planar. Up until now the R10 P was the only Closed Back HiFiMan could sell you. Of course, this price level is out of range for a normal headfier. But $399, that could just tempt a few to see whether a Planar might overcome their misgivings about full size Closed backs.


About the Sundara Closed



The move by our Chinese friends to do a Closed version of the Sundara is significant. The Sundara is their top seller. It has been out for a while and is still selling well. It has a 2022 version which features the NSD diaphragm, a super thin affair as featured in the Susvara. No mention is made of Stealth Magnets for the new open back version, so please correct me if I have that wrong.
Let's assume, for the sake of common sense and logic, that the Closed Sundara is a transplant of the heart of the Sundara Open Back. The driver, headband and cabling are the same. But will the sound have the same characteristics of the Open Back?
If they have managed this and if the company can persuade people like yourself to try a closed back, they could be onto a winner.
Let's look at the differences between the two . The impedance of the Closed Back is 20 Ohms and 98 dB , the Open is 32 and 94. This, theoretically makes the Open much harder to drive than the Closed version. In reality, the Closed Back goes much louder, much quicker than the Open. It is much easier to drive, but doesn't get particularly loud when driven through a smartphone such as my Samsung A52. No surprises here. The Closed Back version of a popular Open Back will need many practical advantages to overcome any obstacles that may present themselves in a direct shoot out.
The cups have had much work done to them, both to produce a more traditional finish than their HE-R range and to make the cup aesthetically easy on the eye. It has a few ridges to it, but it won't polarise the buying public in the way those triangular cups did on the R 10Ps, which also attracted their fair share of controversy due to their rather close relationship to a much loved Sony Closed Back.
The packaging is stark to say the least when these came through the post. The one redeeming feature here is that you can use the foam insert for a rather decent looking headphone stand....

Open v Closed



Is a debate prevalent among these hallowed pages. For the purist (and I include myself in this camp) only an open can deliver the airiness and extract the hidden secrets of an exquisite piece of music. There are some exceptional headphones that buck this trend-but who has $5500 spare? In truth, Focal, Sennheiser, Audeze, DCA and the like have made some valiant attempts to get decent sound bouncing off the inside of your cul de sac cans, but today's high end market is dominated by the open backs.
It wasn't always that way. Sony's finest headphone, the MD-R10, was a closed back. It was the World's first CAD designed headphone and had a highly unusual shape. It has a mythological status. I've yet to hear a pair, although I spent 2 months with HiFiMan's copy. That brief partnership had me torn as to whether I preferred the sound of the R10 P over the Susvara. The Flagship Planar eventually won the War. The battles were unforgettable and the HE-R10P was no slouch when it came to elegance and micro detail retrieval.

Closed - the positives


The audio sampling, as per YouTube vid, done by Roland Binaural In Ear Mics and Olympus Digital PCM Recorder

What is the point of headphones? Surely they have been made for private music listening, have they not? There are so many times when we headfiers feel compelled to enter our own secret World. Whether it be on the bus, the train, the gym, the plane, the studio, the workplace or the home, there are multiple options for you.
And yet, for many of us, the go to, favourite, poshest headphones are the ones that are the most limiting. I'm talking about open back full sized headphones. And why is that? It is because they leak sound. Sure, it isn't as loud as putting on a set of loudspeakers- nothing like. This means that you can listen to your favourite when all is quiet in your household. How many times does that happen? If its when everyone's gone to bed, isn't that what you need to be doing too? Of course, for decent listening one only has to go to a room that's not being used and no one will hear you, even at high volume levels.
What a closed back allows you to do is to take your music into a room where someone else is there. Revolutionary stuff! You can spend time in someone's company , your family can do their thing, you can do your thing, in splendid isolation, no longer alone.
I state this as a fact but of course I am exaggerating for the sake of painting an idyllic picture. Some Closed cans leak more than others and some listen to music at levels so high that it can be picked up at close quarters. Ultimately these folks will damage their hearing. Conversely they may be doing it because their hearing is already damaged...

Closed -the negatives


Featuring the ATH W1000Z (foreground) and the Sundara Closed (background)

I have developed an anti closed back prejudice. This is despite having a much better experience with them at CanJams, where the noise is constant and distracting. Some of the most celebrated models have equally loud rivals beside them on the tables and one ends up hearing more from the LCD4 than the LCD5 you're wearing. Such is life, but a closed back can overcome. IEMs are very popular at headfi events and you can see why....A closed iem is the ultimate in isolation and intimacy and can block out pretty much everything . An IEM will almost always be my go to for travelling, of any type.
So, despite this, why do I hate them so much? Well...hate is not quite the word, but you get the picture. It is because of three things . One- the bass. The low end on a closed back just doesn't seem quite as realistic as their open counterparts. I often experience bloated bass which leaks into the midst and can become fatiguing or in some other downright annoying after a while.
Two- the highs. I find that many closed backs I have tried in the past are rolled back in the top regions , destroying micro detail that would be plain sailing for an open headphone.
Three-the soundstage. That imaginary musical picture created by your brain that gives a shape to the music you are hearing and the illusion that the band are in front above and to the sides of you. By definition, an open headphone has more space to play with and a closed back has only the space between the cupswith which to toy and confuse you. Of course, the space between the cups includes your brain. Much can be done with that....

Does the Sundara Closed overcome all these obstacles?
Sound Quality - the verdict



Diligent readers will already know the answer to this. The Sundara Closed Backs are almost there in the all important sq category. Bass is slightly slower than my old Open Back Sundara. I'm not going to do a big Sundara Open/Closed comparison because I don't yet possess the 2022 Open Model. Please take the comments as applicable to the old Sundara. Significantly, the bass never gets annoying, and on some tracks, I'm thinking classical symphonic works in the main the extra warmth can be most welcome thank you.
The bass on the Closed doesn't bleed into the mid ranges. This makes vocals easy to follow. It gives the main instrument focus and makes us remember why we prefer hifi and not consumer sound signatures.
There is no dullness to the upper midst and highs, micro details can be enjoyed if you are in the mood for a detailed listening session. I confess that sometimes I just want the music to wash over me pleasantly rather than to dive deeply into its depths.
The sound stage is drawn inwards, when I compare it to the Sundara Open. I understand that I am getting into taboo territory here because HiFiMan's claim of "huge soundstage as offered by open planars" appears to be in dispute. The Closed has a review rating of 4.5 stars. This means that I was impressed with pretty much every aspect of the Sundara Closed, including the sound stage. I agree, the sound stage is large. However the instrumentation and vocal give the impression of being closer to the ear than that of its open partner. I don't find this a disappointment. The picture is believable, the clarity is good and the personality of the producer can heard in the mix.

Conclusion
Can you have your cake and eat it?



By which i mean can you listen to music in the same room as your faithful companions, without compromise? The answer is yes. You knew that before i said it, didn't you? This can is $399, it's a Planar and it doesn't possess any particular weaknesses, cosmetic appeal of the beechwood(which I personally like) notwithstanding. The bass in a closed back will always be the stumbling block for someone that likes a fast lean linear focus to their signature. I didn't dislike it and the inhibitions disappeared after a few minutes sat next to the TV. Sat next to the TV, but I couldn't have been farther away from it in those first few, irreverent moments of the Pastoral Symphony.