[Ufasas]

Balanced 3.5mm X 2 to 2.5mm cable of Philips Fidelio x3 doesn't fit Sundara, lol, only 1 earcup is playing out of 2, it's just Philips, wiring their 3 metre balanced cable just for x3..

PS. Ran well with Fiio BTR7 in 3.5mm socket, same with Steelseries GameDAC gen2, which is delivering 150mw into 32ohms, the wavering and warm controlled bass still stays there in Sundara, though quieter than with K7, Fiio K7 seemed to be doing the best with these cans, giving all the juice it needs

P.S.S. 06/02/2024 Checking with Shanling up4 2020, 91mw @ dual DAC mode into 32ohms, at volume 30/100 windows11 seemingly drives Sundara smoothly, i thought i will need 160mw @ Balanced to manage them. Times better than Realtek laptop soundcard with 100/100 volume on win11.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I'd really love if HifiMan could make an egg-shaped model with the tuning and frequency response of the Sundara. Sundara just sounds way more correct in terms of tuning than XS, Ananda or Arya do to me. That upper-mid dip on the large egg shaped models becomes really noticeable to me and always ends up sounding a bit off. When I switch back to Sundara, it just sounds more correct in comparison.

I imagine a model with the large drivers and cups of Ananda, but with the tuning of Sundara with the bass and soundstage improvements you get from the egg shaped models would sound amazing.

 

[bagwell359]

I'd really love if HifiMan could make an egg-shaped model with the tuning and frequency response of the Sundara. Sundara just sounds way more correct in terms of tuning than XS, Ananda or Arya do to me. That upper-mid dip on the large egg shaped models becomes really noticeable to me and always ends up sounding a bit off. When I switch back to Sundara, it just sounds more correct in comparison.

I imagine a model with the large drivers and cups of Ananda, but with the tuning of Sundara with the bass and soundstage improvements you get from the egg shaped models would sound amazing.

Do you use PEQ? Do you have more than 2 wpc@50 ohms? What do you listen too?

On the egg shaped front you need to get to the HEK Stealth to have good tuning in the 2k area (but still a bit hot 5-7k) and its expensive ($1399)

On the round cup front - the HE-6 SE (v1 or v2) used refurb are well better IMO - with the juice, PEQ also useful.

But, if you are happy with the Sundara...

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Do you use PEQ? Do you have more than 2 wpc@50 ohms? What do you listen too?

On the egg shaped front you need to get to the HEK Stealth to have good tuning in the 2k area (but still a bit hot 5-7k) and its expensive ($1399)

On the round cup front - the HE-6 SE (v1 or v2) used refurb are well better IMO - with the juice, PEQ also useful.

But, if you are happy with the Sundara...

I was anti-EQ for the longest time, but dabbled with it for a bit last year. Still not a fan.

I am happy with Sundara, but the egg shaped Hifimans are pretty special in terms of staging. Would be nice to have better fr too.

 

[bagwell359]

I was anti-EQ for the longest time, but dabbled with it for a bit last year. Still not a fan.

I am happy with Sundara, but the egg shaped Hifimans are pretty special in terms of staging. Would be nice to have better fr too.

Yeah the round cups don't have that. I know every HEK and Arya cans well - except Arya Nano. The Arya Stealth is the best of that line The HEK v2 has the biggest soundstage. The HEK Steath has the best bass impact and is the best overall deal. The HEK SE has the best ethereal treble but its expensive.

As for EQ I gave up on it decades ago until about 3.5 years ago - being in the speaker world I used custom rooms and ASC tube traps so no EQ needed.

Headphones can't be deat with that way, and mods are not granular enough. But even SoTA headphones need PEQ (consider the reflections/cancellations/reverberations/FR affects of the cup, etc - the problem is the Harman curves commonly promoted are wrong. They actually use user preferance to set bass under 100 Hz - which over the past few years has become very bassy, and the curve in the 3-5k area is also too high in amplitude according to some experts and I agree. But I find it worth it to maxiize performance of my headphones and PEQ (not EQ - nowhere near accurate enough) is a useful tool.

 

[Nick727]

Purchased a refurbished Sundara from HiFiMan and they're pretty beat up. Lots of nicks and scratches all over the ear cups and the head band, with 2 good deep scratches into the metal. I know refurbished you should expect a bit of wear, but I found this excessive and will be returning them.

Also the lack of ear cup swivel is a very odd design, not sure why they decided not to just use the headband from the Arya on these, it would increase the comfort significantly.

 

[Joker5]

Hi,

I'm in search for a quality balanced 4.4 cable for my Hifiman Sundara 2020, any recommendations (Europe)?

Thanks!

 

[Ichos]

Hi,

I'm in search for a quality balanced 4.4 cable for my Hifiman Sundara 2020, any recommendations (Europe)?

Thanks!

Lavricables.

 

[tigon_ridge]

Hi,

I'm in search for a quality balanced 4.4 cable for my Hifiman Sundara 2020, any recommendations (Europe)?

Thanks!

I don't recommend expensive cables, as I don't believe in cable voodoo. I would get the cheapest stuff I can find with OFC, or silver plated cable, for corrosion resistance. How about this one?

I built mine a decade ago for my HE-400 and HE-560, then replaced the connectors to use with the Sundara.

$20 worth of parts. Maybe 2-3 hours of labor (mostly hand-braiding). OFC silver plated. 8 ft long. After 10 years, still working strong, without any broken solder joints. My braiding wasn't perfect, and it doesn't look fancy and professional, but the silver braids look exactly like the Amazon-linked one above. Back then, balanced cables were pretty expensive. The soldering skill you learn may come in handy, because even aftermarket cables can (and do often) develop connection breakages, due to stress fatigue, and you'll be able to relatively easily repair it. If building from scratch, you'd need a cheap multimeter also to know which end leads to which end.

 

[PinkyPowers]

My Sundara has lain in a drawer the last few years because it started to buzz on me, and I had other, more expensive headphones, so I wasn't super inspired to send her in for repair.

But I've been enjoying a resurgence of interest in all my less-used gear. I rediscovered my love for the HD6xx. And I finally felt moved to reach out to HiFiMan about sending in Sundara. I gave her a listen tonight, to try and remember how bad the buzz was and in which driver. But wouldn't you know it... the buzz is gone! I'm half way through TOOL - 10,000 Days, and she's dead quiet.

Also, I'm overwhelmed by how good these sound. Truly, they are one of the most perfectly tuned headphones of all time.

 

[idairyou]

If you have not, try the ZMF pads for the Sundara that were released recently.

Nice bump in the base without altering the FR response on the Hybrid version.

Better seal and seems more durable overall.

 

[Matoriv]

Hi all, I am thinking of upgrading to a Fiio K7 BT to power my sundara.
currently using a styleaudio HD1V from eons ago.

Just to check what would be the noticeable difference(s) if I switch to the K7?

 

[PinkyPowers]

Hi all, I am thinking of upgrading to a Fiio K7 BT to power my sundara.
currently using a styleaudio HD1V from eons ago.

Just to check what would be the noticeable difference(s) if I switch to the K7?

Unless you really need BT, I'd recommend a 2-unit Schiit stack, like the Magni + Modi.

 

[seanwee]

Unless you really need BT, I'd recommend a 2-unit Schiit stack, like the Magni + Modi.

How do the magni + modi stacks compare to single unit dac/amps nowadays? I haven't heard one in almost 10 years

I still have my O2 and while it's still fine I would definitely recommend the Topping L30 II over it.

 

[PinkyPowers]

How do the magni + modi stacks compare to single unit dac/amps nowadays? I haven't heard one in almost 10 years

I still have my O2 and while it's still fine I would definitely recommend the Topping L30 II over it.

With Topping, you know you're going to get a clean sounding device. With Schiit, you know you're going to get a magical sounding one. I choose magical, anytime. But it's not my purchase, so it's really up to the buyer, what they're looking for.