[ezduzit2500]

Arya imo
The best among the affordable Hifiman headphones

1000% agreed, IMO. OR...you can do what I did and jump on the HEK Stealth as a midway point between Arya and HEKse - having many very good traits of both.....

 

[tigon_ridge]

So, I'm always keeping an eye out for the HE-500 on the used market. What a huge surprise it was for me to see this:

So, the same person who put up a listing to buy a used Sundara that I was referring to a while back here has just now put up their legendary HE-500 for sale, citing the Sundara as the reason.

Here's the listing: https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/hifiman-he-500-rare-like-new-with-extras.74580/

To quote the seller, "I am selling these because I actually prefer my Sundaras and always find myself reaching for them. I know that sounds crazy but those Sundaras have beaten out many other much more expensive headphones (ZMF VC and Focal Stellia just to name two)."

Anyways, people have yet to know about the full potential of the Sundara, which only comes out with the right hardware paired with. It seems this will continue to be a very hidden treasure for a very long time to come. Perhaps only a small handful of people will ever get to know it. If Hifiman ever discontinues it, I'm gonna have to snatch me a backup or three.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

My favourite is also the HE500, but sometimes I prefer listening to my Silver Sundara. Where the 500 is a little ‘creamy’ and ‘thick’, the Sundara feels more ‘nimble’ and light on it’s toes. I gather it’s a matter of tastebuds.
Both headphones have also beaten out way pricier headphones in my arsenal. As it is I think the Sundy is Hifiman’s best current offering regardless of pricetag. The eggshaped ones have never sounded as good as the round cup models.

 

[tigon_ridge]

My favourite is also the HE500, but sometimes I prefer listening to my Silver Sundara. Where the 500 is a little ‘creamy’ and ‘thick’, the Sundara feels more ‘nimble’ and light on it’s toes. I gather it’s a matter of tastebuds.
Both headphones have also beaten out way pricier headphones in my arsenal. As it is I think the Sundy is Hifiman’s best current offering regardless of pricetag. The eggshaped ones have never sounded as good as the round cup models.

Definitely a matter of taste, but also a matter of gearing. With a typical SS amp, which has a stereotypical SS sound, the Sundara could even come across as too fast, analytical and thin.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Definitely a matter of taste, but also a matter of gearing. With a typical SS amp, which has a stereotypical SS sound, the Sundara could even come across as too fast, analytical and thin.

I also used to think gearing mattered a bunch, but after I started listening to gear blind pretty much all my preconceptions fell flat on the floor. I’ve run both the Sundara and HE500 with Riviera AIC-10, Violectric V281, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Lyr 3 etc etc but once levelmatched and hid behind a big box, the differences I heard whilst looking at the amps, magically disappeared.
Anyhoo I’ve satisfied my own curiosity with regards to these matters. I still have friends that feel otherwise and that’s just fine

 

[drummerman1]

Definitely a matter of taste, but also a matter of gearing. With a typical SS amp, which has a stereotypical SS sound, the Sundara could even come across as too fast, analytical and thin.

I use mine with two SS amplifiers and love it.

 

[tigon_ridge]

I also used to think gearing mattered a bunch, but after I started listening to gear blind pretty much all my preconceptions fell flat on the floor. I’ve run both the Sundara and HE500 with Riviera AIC-10, Violectric V281, Schiit Ragnarok 2, Lyr 3 etc etc but once levelmatched and hid behind a big box, the differences I heard whilst looking at the amps, magically disappeared.
Anyhoo I’ve satisfied my own curiosity with regards to these matters. I still have friends that feel otherwise and that’s just fine

I've had the same experience with several SS headphone amps (Schiit Asgard 1, Asgard 2, Mjolnir 1, Vali 2++, and THX 789); they all sounded pretty much the same to me, more or less, after level matching. I plug these into my Crown XLS 1502 speaker amp, and the difference is immediate! The precise layeredness of sounds comes alive. There is thickness/texture and weight, and height, width, and depth to the Sundara. It remains clear and transparent, but no longer somewhat sterile.

Sometimes, the search bears little fruit even after a long slog, but if you continue to persist, perhaps taking an unconventional route, you might stumble upon something really special.

 

[tigon_ridge]

I use mine with two SS amplifiers and love it.

That's interesting. Can you attest to whether those amps have the stereotypical SS analytical sound? My Crown XLS doesn't, as it's rather musical, but thankfully it's also very affordable. My HD600 also sounds excellent with it, and it actually sounds very much like my EQ'd Sundara, except without the powerful bass performance, and the soundstage is smaller. SS amps can vary in sound by a lot, but it still seems the vast majority of them, especially the more affordable options, err toward the "typical SS" presentation, which many believe may be just "neutral." I think it might be somewhat thinner than true neutrality.

 

[drummerman1]

To be honest, I don't really know. I've heard £2500 amplifier/DAC's which did nothing to make some headphones sound good to me. Others, like the ones I have, seem to perform way above their price levels (to me). It's all about trying a few, matching and finding a sound you like. Cost is not always a good indicator on SQ (or personal preferences) either.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I've had the same experience with several SS headphone amps (Schiit Asgard 1, Asgard 2, Mjolnir 1, Vali 2++, and THX 789); they all sounded pretty much the same to me, more or less, after level matching. I plug these into my Crown XLS 1502 speaker amp, and the difference is immediate! The precise layeredness of sounds comes alive. There is thickness/texture and weight, and height, width, and depth to the Sundara. It remains clear and transparent, but no longer somewhat sterile.

Sometimes, the search bears little fruit even after a long slog, but if you continue to persist, perhaps taking an unconventional route, you might stumble upon something really special.

Like I said, I’ve satisfied my own curiosity. Tried way too many amps that didn’t do anything - including a stereo amp that I used banana plugs for. Initially though I thought it was better with more slam and so forth. Turns out it was turned up about 5 dBs more than the Violectric I was comparing it to…and well louder is always better
These days I look at other headphones if I want something different.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

I drive my Sundaras (2024 rev.) from a Mj3. I'm very happy with this pairing and have no plans to change it.

JC

 

[tigon_ridge]

I drive my Sundaras (2024 rev.) from a Mj3. I'm very happy with this pairing and have no plans to change it.

JC

Read many great things about that amp. For me, the 2wpc limitation is a deal breaker (beside the price being way out of my budget), although I'm sure it's more than enough for most users.