[Chodi]

I see... Does the Arya and HD800S have much bigger sound stage compared to Sundara though? Not sure what expectations I should have. Can't find much info online directly comparing the them.

Yes the Arya and the HD800s have larger better defined sound stage. The Sundara is at a completely different price point and performs very well, better than most in its price range. If you use good associated components the Sundara has good width and depth beyond most anything in the $500 range (yes there are some exceptions).

 

[ftlaudHP]

Ordered a Sundara last night off their site. Figured I would give them a try. Now the dreaded shipping wait time.I will definitely report back with my initial impressions. How long is the burn in if there is one?

So they arrived on Thursday. I was so excited to try them out. Played my HP demo playlist on Amazon. Still fine tuning songs on the list (new Amazon Music user). Anyways, the Sundara initially sounded fabulous. Something didn't sound right though. After testing more tracks my pair has a channel imbalance. Switched cables and HP's to confirm. Put on some vocals and all female singers were located forward and close to my right shoulder. Male voices were still not centered by less pronounced. They are going back - just sent email to Hifiman. If you get a good pair they sounded great from my initial testing and are a steal price wise. I read about possible QC issues (it happens on most products), but after this experience I do not want to chance my money. I have 10yr old Sony's and 5yr old JVC's with pads that fell apart and both still sound great. Luck of the draw I guess.

 

[wideload]

So they arrived on Thursday. I was so excited to try them out. Played my HP demo playlist on Amazon. Still fine tuning songs on the list (new Amazon Music user). Anyways, the Sundara initially sounded fabulous. Something didn't sound right though. After testing more tracks my pair has a channel imbalance. Switched cables and HP's to confirm. Put on some vocals and all female singers were located forward and close to my right shoulder. Male voices were still not centered by less pronounced. They are going back - just sent email to Hifiman. If you get a good pair they sounded great from my initial testing and are a steal price wise. I read about possible QC issues (it happens on most products), but after this experience I do not want to chance my money. I have 10yr old Sony's and 5yr old JVC's with pads that fell apart and both still sound great. Luck of the draw I guess.

I just got Sundaras this week also. Out of the box, the right channel sounded weaker than the left, although my right ear is also weaker (I’m old!). Turned them around, now weaker on the left. I put them on the stand and plugged into music stream and gave them 24 hours of music. The next afternoon they sounded great! Hopefully yours just need a break-in also. Good luck!

 

[elvergun]

The HD800 has a large sound stage for sure, but you won't find any headphone that comes close to speakers.

Sony F1...but good luck finding an F1 in good condition.

 

[Chu]

Just got my brand new set. And oh hey QA issues.


Not sure what happened here but somehow the metal got gauged out and the adjustment takes almost no force to move. I hate to return them for such a minor issue but I find it incredibly annoying. Plus I don’t know how that slips through QA considering the other side is fully matte black.

Is this a common issue? AITA for returning them over this?

 

[limaaa]

I don't understand how come 350$ headphones can have such a bad quality?

 

[bigjako]

I don't understand how come 350$ headphones can have such a bad quality?

I just got my Sundaras on Friday ($259 open-box from headphones.com). I was worried after all the QC reports, but that price was too good to pass up. Then I was worried they'd be too bright for my treble-sensitive ears. But so far (knock on wood) I haven't had any real problems. I did have a couple close calls that worried me a little - once, the cord caught and I stopped hearing anything from the right side (just had to pop the connector back in) and I bought some 2.5mm-to-3.5mm adapters so I could use an existing balanced cable, but the right side would only produce sound if I was holding the connector in place. I chalked it up to bad connectors, but I'm a little paranoid about the right side even though its been just fine other than those two false (?) alarms.

In any case, its an amazing sounds, I'm glad I scored that deal. The drum lines at beginning of Soolaiman from Neil Diamond were like extra-sensory percussive hits, I could feel the air hitting my ears. It's an airy soundstage, but the mids are still fairly warm. A nice complement to my darker bassy Nighthawks.

 

[Chu]

Even though my set are going back for QA issues, I have to say I'm super impressed by the resolution of them and will be looking for a non-defective pair. One listen of "Sticky Drama" by "Oneohtrix Point Never" (one of my favorite, if not my absolute favorite, critical listening test tracks) brought out details I've never heard with any other cans before. Also the big swell in "Smashing Pumpkins" "Through the Eyes of Rudy" you could almost pick apart all the overdubbed guitars, of which there are literally dozens. Including one specific guitar that isn't really following the rest of the overdub that I never noticed before. Kind of wish I could unhear that one!

This is my first pair of Planars and I'm wondering how much of this is a result of Planars in general, or are specific to the Sundara. Will have to get to a meet when Corona is over to find out.

 

[Mhog55]

Okay, I'm gonna be that guy. I haven't read through the entire thread - guilty! Listened to a sound demo, and liked what I heard. Use to own the he400s, and liked it quite a bit. If anyone is willing, could you please provide a short breakdown on the differences and similarities between the 400s and Sundara? Also, will the 99 Classics cables work with these? Afraid the plugs might be too large.

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Just got my brand new set. And oh hey QA issues.


Not sure what happened here but somehow the metal got gauged out and the adjustment takes almost no force to move. I hate to return them for such a minor issue but I find it incredibly annoying. Plus I don’t know how that slips through QA considering the other side is fully matte black.

Is this a common issue? AITA for returning them over this?

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused, we have also received your emails, please be assured that we will help you solve the problem asap.

Best regards,
April

 

[joshUKUSA]

I also recently purchased a sundara and had channel imbalance issues, upon eqing it feels like there's around a 3db difference with the left driver being louder than the right. I got in contact with the store I purchased from and this was the response

"I am very sorry to hear there is an issue with the headphones. May I just check that you are sure there is an imbalance? We’ve had a few reports from customers mentioning one of the earphones sounding louder than another by 10-15% but upon checking and providing a replacement we are certain this is how Sundara headphones sound normally."

I can get a replacement at this time but is this really just how the Sundara sounds? Should I try burning them in further or just eq out the difference instead of wasting my time sending out for a replacement?

 

[Chodi]

I also recently purchased a sundara and had channel imbalance issues, upon eqing it feels like there's around a 3db difference with the left driver being louder than the right. I got in contact with the store I purchased from and this was the response

"I am very sorry to hear there is an issue with the headphones. May I just check that you are sure there is an imbalance? We’ve had a few reports from customers mentioning one of the earphones sounding louder than another by 10-15% but upon checking and providing a replacement we are certain this is how Sundara headphones sound normally."

I can get a replacement at this time but is this really just how the Sundara sounds? Should I try burning them in further or just eq out the difference instead of wasting my time sending out for a replacement?

In my opinion anything more than a 1 db difference between channels would be unacceptable. Mine came straight from the Hifiman online store in China and my pair have no problems. They are very picky about amping but I can't blame that on Hifiman.

 

[G0rt]

I also recently purchased a sundara and had channel imbalance issues, upon eqing it feels like there's around a 3db difference with the left driver being louder than the right. I got in contact with the store I purchased from and this was the response

"I am very sorry to hear there is an issue with the headphones. May I just check that you are sure there is an imbalance? We’ve had a few reports from customers mentioning one of the earphones sounding louder than another by 10-15% but upon checking and providing a replacement we are certain this is how Sundara headphones sound normally."

I can get a replacement at this time but is this really just how the Sundara sounds? Should I try burning them in further or just eq out the difference instead of wasting my time sending out for a replacement?

I had imbalance issues initially, which I traced in short order to a hit or miss connection in the left earcup.

I replaced the stock cable with one that fitted better, and now only rarely have the problem. A quick reseat or 2 fixes it.

Sundara sounds way too good to be deterred by a funky connection. If I have to, I'll weld a cable in place.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

In my opinion anything more than a 1 db difference between channels would be unacceptable. Mine came straight from the Hifiman online store in China and my pair have no problems. They are very picky about amping but I can't blame that on Hifiman.

Audible channel imbalance is unacceptable..but then again I’ve maybe tried on the first 10 different Sundaras and never bumped into this issue. I have 4 friends who also own a Sundara (one is on his third pair) and they are just as oblivious to this problem as I seem to be. Three of them even work professionally with sound and the first thing they do when receiving a new headphone is to check up on these things so as not to have gotten a dud.
It would be kinda funny if Hifiman started posting the measurements of the returned headphones with (supposed) channel imbalance. My guess is that most of them measure like they should and that far too often people simply hear ghosts

 

[joshUKUSA]

Yeah that kind of channel imbalance is unacceptable..but then again I’ve maybe tried on the first 10 different Sundaras and never bumped into this issue. I have 4 friends who also own a Sundara (one is on his third pair) and they are just as oblivious to this problem as I seem to be. Three of them even work professionally with sound and the first thing they do when receiving a new headphone is to check up on these things so as not to have gotten a dud.
It would be kinda funny if Hifiman started posting the measurements of the returned headphones with (supposed) channel imbalance. My guess is that most of them measure like they should and that far too often people simply hear ghosts

Yeah this is why I'm slightly hesitant to return at this time. At the end of the day I'm not a sound engineer and my 3db figure just comes from A/Bing them with my Fidelio X2 which to me sounds like it has perfect channel balance and subtracting volume from the left channel with the sundaras until they sound about the same. Obviously this isn't a foolproof system and I may just let them burn in for longer until I make a judgement that there's 100% something wrong