[morndewey]

I pretty much exclusively use this brand of cables.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0798S39HG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I love their build quality and they're relatively inexpensive for aftermarket

Hey thanks for the recommendation. Got these today. So far, so good! My first balanced 4.4 experience on R5 Sundara. Also major improvement over stock Sundara cable insofar as stock is so stiff, never laying there relaxed. This fabric cable is nice. See how durable it is

 

[Shane D]

If any Canucks are looking for a great price on these, there is a guy on CAM asking $400.00 for a pretty much new pair. I think he bought on the same open box deal I got a few weeks ago, in his town.

Just an FYI.

 

[DivineCurrent]

Hey Sundara owners, have any of you heard or owned the Focal Elex to compare them with? I have the Elex and I love them, but I would like to try out a planar. I had the HE-400i years ago, and I tried out the 4XX two or so years ago but decided to sell them. I've been hearing great things about the Sundara and so I'm wondering what any Focal headphone users think about them, and specifically how they compare when it comes to bass definition, dynamics, and tonal balance.

 

[Shane D]

Hey Sundara owners, have any of you heard or owned the Focal Elex to compare them with? I have the Elex and I love them, but I would like to try out a planar. I had the HE-400i years ago, and I tried out the 4XX two or so years ago but decided to sell them. I've been hearing great things about the Sundara and so I'm wondering what any Focal headphone users think about them, and specifically how they compare when it comes to bass definition, dynamics, and tonal balance.

I own both and love both. Different sounds, but very good. The Sundara is harder to drive and the Elex cost double what the Sundara's did. But I think they make great companions. I am currently rotating Sundara's, Elex's and Grado GH2's. They are all VERY different and make a great collection for someone who likes variety.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I own both and love both. Different sounds, but very good. The Sundara is harder to drive and the Elex cost double what the Sundara's did. But I think they make great companions. I am currently rotating Sundara's, Elex's and Grado GH2's. They are all VERY different and make a great collection for someone who likes variety.

Thanks for the input! I went ahead and ordered them from headphones.com, I'm pretty sure they have the latest revision of the pads and drivers.

I did like the 400i a few years ago when I had them, from what everyone is saying I'm guessing the Sundara is a little smoother than the 400i/4XX with better bass response. The 400i/4XX did many things I found the HD650 lacking, so I'm hoping the Sundara will give me a similar experience and better. Will give my impressions when they arrive.

 

[Shane D]

Thanks for the input! I went ahead and ordered them from headphones.com, I'm pretty sure they have the latest revision of the pads and drivers.

I did like the 400i a few years ago when I had them, from what everyone is saying I'm guessing the Sundara is a little smoother than the 400i/4XX with better bass response. The 400i/4XX did many things I found the HD650 lacking, so I'm hoping the Sundara will give me a similar experience and better. Will give my impressions when they arrive.

I owned and hated the HE4XX's. I thought they were complete junk. I tried them with six amps, every genre of music and even putting them away for a month. Nothing worked.

I took some advice on another forum that the Sundara's were Very different from the HE4XX's. And they really are a huge step up.

I am currently listening to them on my Liquid Platinum. Everything sounds good, but I just went through a bunch of Kings of Leon material and it has never sounded better! Vocals are clear and out front, you can hear every hit on the drums and you can really enjoy the guitars on quieter songs.

For the price I paid, these are a home run! I am really glad I didn't swear off the brand after one bad experience.

Congrats on getting a pair. They are a nice add to any collection.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I owned and hated the HE4XX's. I thought they were complete junk. I tried them with six amps, every genre of music and even putting them away for a month. Nothing worked.

I took some advice on another forum that the Sundara's were Very different from the HE4XX's. And they really are a huge step up.

I am currently listening to them on my Liquid Platinum. Everything sounds good, but I just went through a bunch of Kings of Leon material and it has never sounded better! Vocals are clear and out front, you can hear every hit on the drums and you can really enjoy the guitars on quieter songs.

For the price I paid, these are a home run! I am really glad I didn't swear off the brand after one bad experience.

Congrats on getting a pair. They are a nice add to any collection.

Great to hear you like them a lot better than the 4XX. I always prefered the HD650 over the 4XX, there were some weird midrange and treble issues on the 4XX that I just couldn't ignore.

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the Sundara with any of the Dekoni pads? I'm curious how well the Elite Hybrid pads sound with the Sundara: https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-hybrid-earpads-for-select-hifiman-headphones/

If they don't affect the stock sound much, I would prefer the memory foam of the Dekoni since the Hifiman pads are notorious for not lasting very long. I'm going to be using some EQ anyway. Thoughts?

 

[Shane D]

Great to hear you like them a lot better than the 4XX. I always prefered the HD650 over the 4XX, there were some weird midrange and treble issues on the 4XX that I just couldn't ignore.

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the Sundara with any of the Dekoni pads? I'm curious how well the Elite Hybrid pads sound with the Sundara: https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-hybrid-earpads-for-select-hifiman-headphones/

If they don't affect the stock sound much, I would prefer the memory foam of the Dekoni since the Hifiman pads are notorious for not lasting very long. I'm going to be using some EQ anyway. Thoughts?

I find the stock pads very comfortable and I tend roll headphones pretty consistently. If I ever get back to work, these wouldn't get more than one weekend a month.

Even while being home, I am on day three with these and tomorrow I will start with a different headphone.

Have you priced the pads from HiFiman?

 

[yeboyi]

Great to hear you like them a lot better than the 4XX. I always prefered the HD650 over the 4XX, there were some weird midrange and treble issues on the 4XX that I just couldn't ignore.

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the Sundara with any of the Dekoni pads? I'm curious how well the Elite Hybrid pads sound with the Sundara: https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-hybrid-earpads-for-select-hifiman-headphones/

If they don't affect the stock sound much, I would prefer the memory foam of the Dekoni since the Hifiman pads are notorious for not lasting very long. I'm going to be using some EQ anyway. Thoughts?

They should measure it like they did with the dt 1990.

 

[Krassi]

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the Sundara with any of the Dekoni pads? I'm curious how well the Elite Hybrid pads sound with the Sundara: https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-elite-hybrid-earpads-for-select-hifiman-headphones/

If they don't affect the stock sound much, I would prefer the memory foam of the Dekoni since the Hifiman pads are notorious for not lasting very long. I'm going to be using some EQ anyway. Thoughts?

Hi !

I got Dekoni Hybrid Pads on my sundaras..
Well i like them a lot.. Leather is better but its not a real difference to the stock once in any big terms.. comfort is great and well i dondt regret upgrading.. and now they are in my shelf and i dondt use them )

Well on my new tube amp and E1DA pdv2 they suddenly are much better than i thought.. so no regrets on them
And you can do some magic with EQ on them too

 

[MalinYamato]

Hi there,

Thank you for purchasing our products.
As the manufacturer, we noticed the online review that mentions the Stealth Revision of SUNDARA as well. But we assure that there's nothing has been changed to the driver to tweak the sound of SUNDARA. We've only improved the stock earpads for enhanced comfort and durability, but nothing changed to the size or shape of the earpdas, so actually we never have the "Stealth Revision version".
If you'd like to buy the latest batch of SUNDARA, you could always place an order at our official stores, either through the HIFIMAN eBay store (hifimanofficial) or HIFIMAN website.
We feel sorry for the misunderstandings. Feel free to email us if you have any other questions.

Thank you!

April

some (respectable reviewers) report that sound has improved by the -stealth- revision. Is that so?

 

[ThanatosVI]

some (respectable reviewers) report that sound has improved by the -stealth- revision. Is that so?

My guess is, that those are "normal differences" every headphone has.
Audeze is rumored to have noteably different sound for cans that should be identical, I guess that this might Fall under the same category.

 

[MalinYamato]

Today I bought a pair of used Sundara, and I'm absolutely happy with it. Compared to my HD598, Sundara just sounds so natural!
It's notably heavier than HD598, and the clamping is a bit stronger. I'll have to see how that turns out in the long term.
The only thing I don't like about Sundara is its cable that is shorter than ideal and too rubber-ish. A guy from Japan offers hand-made cable for $80-ish, so I might look into that.

Also, just in case anyone has auditioned / is going to audition Sundara at e-earphone Akihabara, Tokyo, beware that the Sundara on display sounds a bit weird imo. The soundstage seems to be off-center and is not as wide as a normal unit would present.

I could not find any Sundaras at e-earphones or kakaku.com. Are they on display at Akihabara? They seem to be available directly from Hifiman Japan through Amazon.co.jp at JPY 37,900. I am looking for cable that I may use for Sundara as well as Denon AH-D7200 -- should be ok for both. Can you provide a link to the one who provides hand made cables in Japan. Is it Nobunaga?

 

[SkyZippr]

I could not find any Sundaras at e-earphones or kakaku.com. Are they on display at Akihabara? They seem to be available directly from Hifiman Japan through Amazon.co.jp at JPY 37,900. I am looking for cable that I may use for Sundara as well as Denon AH-D7200 -- should be ok for both. Can you provide a link to the one who provides hand made cables in Japan. Is it Nobunaga?

e-earphone does list Sundara, but it's out of stock right now: https://www.e-earphone.jp/shopdetail/000000194624/
Btw Fujiya Avic also lists it, but out of stock as well: https://www.fujiya-avic.jp/products/detail159739.html
Due to the COVID pandemic I don't expect it to be back in stock any time soon.

And fyi all e-earphone shops are closed at the moment due to lock down. (Technically it's not a lock down in Japan, but many stores are closed.)
The last time I went to e-earphone Akihabara in the middle of March, Sundara was still on display.

The hand-made cables are provided by a guy in Yahuoku. Just search 'Sunrada' at https://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/
I never ordered it, as I had to return my Sundara back to the shop for some static noise.

 

[Chodi]

I received my Sundara today I ordered direct from Hifiman and it arrived in 5 days. I am listening now and I hear much of what I missed in parting with my long gone HE500. I could not handle the weight. The Sundara are noticeably lighter but the clamping force is a bit much. First impression it is the Hifiman sound I missed but with more detail and dynamics than I recall in the HE500. We shall see how this goes but a very good beginning. Certainly has excellent tonal balance for anything near this price point (and beyond).