Hifiman Sundara (HE400i upgraded, around $500)
Oct 9, 2021 at 12:48 PM Post #3,646 of 4,239
Guys my headband isn't holding adjustment on the left side, i am thinking of swapping it with another one, although the stock isn't terribly uncomfortable maybe i should experiment a different shaped one?


Which headband have you all found most comfortable with the Sundara?



this one looks way more practical than the stock headband, anyone tried it out?

this
other one looks more comfortable though.. but the price is double

other options?
 
Oct 10, 2021 at 4:30 PM Post #3,649 of 4,239
Is DT1990 still the king or got it beaten for under 500
In my side by side comparison, I found the Sundara to be a fairly good step up from the DT1990 in the treble tuning and bass. The 1990 treble tuning has that typical Beyer substantial elevated 8k treble peak that I find hard to completely remove. With the Oratory bass shelves, the Sundara has a very satisfying rumble and punch. The DT1990 (not atypically from an open back dynamic) was pretty weak in this department, having punch but not a lot of low bass rumble. The 1990 also had that typical high bass hump that bleeds into the mids, which can be punchy and fun for some - but I don't prefer it. I only tested the 1990 on the balanced pads.

The 1990 has very good build quality, which is the only thing I found that was notably better than the Sundara.
 
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Oct 10, 2021 at 5:22 PM Post #3,650 of 4,239
In my side by side comparison, I found the Sundara to be a fairly good step up from the DT1990 in the treble tuning and bass. The 1990 treble tuning has that typical Beyer substantial elevated 8k treble peak that I find hard to completely remove. With the Oratory bass shelves, the Sundara has a very satisfying rumble and punch. The DT1990 (not atypically from an open back dynamic) was pretty weak in this department, having punch but not a lot of low bass rumble. The 1990 also had that typical high bass hump that bleeds into the mids, which can be punchy and fun for some - but I don't prefer it. I only tested the 1990 on the balanced pads.

The 1990 has very good build quality, which is the only thing I found that was notably better than the Sundara.

You have to change the Pads to Dekoni Suede and use the ring pads from the amiron home instead and the bass gets very deep with vibrations like the lcd x. The 1990 is a really strong headphone. The Sundara is to clinical and dosent hold up very well
 
Oct 10, 2021 at 7:09 PM Post #3,651 of 4,239
You have to change the Pads to Dekoni Suede and use the ring pads from the amiron home instead and the bass gets very deep with vibrations like the lcd x. The 1990 is a really strong headphone. The Sundara is to clinical and dosent hold up very well
I agree and I'm a huge fan of the Sundara. I'm running the DT1990s with Dekoni hybrids and usually run it on the BH Crack. I do eq the 8khz treble spike pretty aggressively for full disclosure. With this setup the 1990s becomes one of my favorites. It's punchy, dynamic, full bodied, yet smooth (provided its eq'd).

I did a comparison with both on my Sansui AU-719 integrated a couple of days ago. The 1990 was much fuller, meatier sounding while being just as detailed as the Sundara. In stock trim with no eq I would definitely choose the Sundara. If you put a little work in with the 1990s they become something really great however. The effort is really worth it IMHO.
 
Oct 10, 2021 at 7:22 PM Post #3,652 of 4,239
I agree and I'm a huge fan of the Sundara. I'm running the DT1990s with Dekoni hybrids and usually run it on the BH Crack. I do eq the 8khz treble spike pretty aggressively for full disclosure. With this setup the 1990s becomes one of my favorites. It's punchy, dynamic, full bodied, yet smooth (provided its eq'd).

I did a comparison with both on my Sansui AU-719 integrated a couple of days ago. The 1990 was much fuller, meatier sounding while being just as detailed as the Sundara. In stock trim with no eq I would definitely choose the Sundara. If you put a little work in with the 1990s they become something really great however. The effort is really worth it IMHO.
Hey, I'm glad you guys have found something you really like.

From the experience I had testing the Beyer, it sounds to me like you guys are putting a ton of work into the DT1990 and are biased towards it. The bass is quite rolled of on the Sundara in stock tuning, but it takes EQ very well and has excellent bass - far superior to the DT1990 I tried. The Sundara needs +12db to the bass to get it linear according to the Oratory 2018 Harman target (if that's your preference). It can easily do this and then some. Those small dynamic drivers on the DT1990 were no match! The 1990 sounds pretty good for an open dynamic headphone, but the Sundara can outperform many closed back headphones with that massive planar driver.

You don't need any special equipment or pads, just a couple low shelves as recommended on the Oratory EQ...
 
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Oct 10, 2021 at 7:43 PM Post #3,653 of 4,239
Hey, I'm glad you guys have found something you really like.

From the experience I had testing the Beyer, it sounds to me like you guys are putting a ton of work into the DT1990 and are biased towards it. The bass is quite rolled of on the Sundara in stock tuning, but it takes EQ very well and has excellent bass - far superior to the DT1990 I tried. The Sundara needs +12db to the bass to get it linear according to the Oratory 2018 Harman target (if that's your preference). It can easily do this and then some. Those small dynamic drivers on the DT1990 were no match! The 1990 sounds pretty good for an open dynamic headphone, but the Sundara can outperform many closed back headphones with that massive planar driver.

You don't need any special equipment or pads, just a couple low shelves as recommended on the Oratory EQ...
Change of Foam and Pads will take the 1990 on another level.
 
Oct 10, 2021 at 8:27 PM Post #3,654 of 4,239
Hey, I'm glad you guys have found something you really like.

From the experience I had testing the Beyer, it sounds to me like you guys are putting a ton of work into the DT1990 and are biased towards it. The bass is quite rolled of on the Sundara in stock tuning, but it takes EQ very well and has excellent bass - far superior to the DT1990 I tried. The Sundara needs +12db to the bass to get it linear according to the Oratory 2018 Harman target (if that's your preference). It can easily do this and then some. Those small dynamic drivers on the DT1990 were no match! The 1990 sounds pretty good for an open dynamic headphone, but the Sundara can outperform many closed back headphones with that massive planar driver.

You don't need any special equipment or pads, just a couple low shelves as recommended on the Oratory EQ...
Thanks but I'm far from biased towards the 1990. In stock form the Sundara is superior to the 1990. Not debating that. If anything I was far more used to and pro Sundara. You can check out my support for it on many, many posts throughout this site.

I bought my 1990s used locally and they already had the Dekonis on it so it's not like I went on a mission to improve them with aftermarket add-ons. I bought them and listened and the treble was way to hot for me. I did some research for eq settings for them and tried them and some custom settings. The results shocked me. And yes I aggressively eq my Sundara also. You have your preferences and I have mine so go with what you like. It's all good. But don't say I'm biased on one phone or the other when I have and enjoy both. I can play either whenever I like (along with many others). I let my ears make the decision and quite frankly I reach for the 1990 much more often. Ymmv.
 
Oct 16, 2021 at 12:31 PM Post #3,656 of 4,239
Is the Sundara better than a Aeon 2 Closed Back 2 Standard / Noire?
They are good complimentary sets which would not create a too jarring adjustment between house sounds vs adding something Audeze with either one above - if you want a closed and open set of cans pairing.

A2c has more natural treble than Sundara, mids a bit more forward and 'sweeter' on A2c....a2c generally has a more vivid and jump-out presentation and Sundy more linear and controlled to my ears between the 2.

I finally settled on a modified outside and in set of M565C for my closed-backs vs LCD-XC, and they also sit nicely with Sundaras as an open/closed pairing with Hugo2....Sundara treble sounds a tad icy and artifical when going to them after A2C or M565Cs...

Again, just my ears and gear, you may get to a different conclusion testing those cans.
 
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Oct 25, 2021 at 10:34 PM Post #3,657 of 4,239
Guys what aftermarket cables are you all using?

During move i lost my cable and the 3.5 adapter so i am hunting for another cable, would love something with the best bang for buck
Using an 8-cores: 4x Neotech UPOCC 28AWG solid silver + 4x Neotech UPOCC 24AWG solid copper, Neutrik terminations, built by teknorob23. Still waiting through "burn-in" with the Sundara, but am really enjoying this cable with the HifiMAN so far. (The cable was originally made for the Focal Clear, when I had them [quite] awhile ago.)

Wire: 21 ft. x 1.10/ft. (Neotech PTFE 24AWG solid UPOCC copper) = $ 23.10
Wire: 21 ft. x 3.66/ft. (Neotech PTFE 28AWG solid UPOCC silver) = $ 76.86
Termination: 1x Neutrik NC4MX 4-pin XLR (male)..................= $ 05.59
Termination: 2x Neutrik NYS226BG (male).........................= $ 03.00
TOTAL (parts)...................................................= $107.59



IMG_20210114_092455166.jpg
 
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Nov 1, 2021 at 10:57 AM Post #3,658 of 4,239
I had to give up my Sundara. I loved the sound but they were just too heavy for my neck. So far I haven't been able to find anything to substitute. I wish there'd be a sub-300-gram planar someday.
Speaking of which, I wonder why Deva is merely 10 grams lighter than Sundara. Deva use plastic housing and Sundara use metal housing, and I thought that'd make a bigger difference.
 
Nov 1, 2021 at 1:28 PM Post #3,659 of 4,239
I had to give up my Sundara. I loved the sound but they were just too heavy for my neck. So far I haven't been able to find anything to substitute. I wish there'd be a sub-300-gram planar someday.
Speaking of which, I wonder why Deva is merely 10 grams lighter than Sundara. Deva use plastic housing and Sundara use metal housing, and I thought that'd make a bigger difference.
Wow! This is really surprising to me since I find them to feel light on my head. I am a small guy with a small head and I constantly move my head around to the music. I listen every night for 3 hours and never even notice them on my head. Are we talking about the same headphones? I have owned many planars over the years and these are by far the lightest.
 
Nov 1, 2021 at 2:17 PM Post #3,660 of 4,239
Wow! This is really surprising to me since I find them to feel light on my head. I am a small guy with a small head and I constantly move my head around to the music. I listen every night for 3 hours and never even notice them on my head. Are we talking about the same headphones? I have owned many planars over the years and these are by far the lightest.
I am aware that I'm extremely picky when it comes to headphone weight, probably because of my 'flat neck'. Sundara are definitely no so heavy to give me neck pain, but I'd feel uncomfortable after a short while.
It may have something to do with the headband, as I felt much more comfortable when I tried Deva. But I couldn't decide to buy it as I knew the difference in weight is very small, and I feared my neck would get uncomfortable after all. But it could be placebo.
 

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