[kid vic]

Which electrostatics are you saving for ?

Budget says ESP950, but I want either the stax L700 or Enigmaacoustic Dharma (electret's)

 

[SilverEars]

I would suggest the Rupert Neve Designs : RNHP Precision Headphone Amp, if you are able to use more then just a Dac with your Laptop.
This Headphone amp is world class sound, yet affordable and has a GREAT Volume knob.

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This is a pretty transparent amp, not gobs of power, but sufficient.

 

[acekc]

Got my sundara second time, worked for an hour and now the sound volume from right channel is lower than left. Complete opposite of what happened last time. This is some sort of sick joke. I think there are only a handful sundaras out there which work, Yaby1979 has one of them! These are going back to Amazon tomorrow.

I’m very sorry to hear that; the fear of that happening is exactly what kept me from rolling the dice again. I may try to get some Sundaras at some point in the future (ironically a used pair may be a safer bet) but for now I’ve picked up a used pair of Aeon Open Flows and I’m very pleased.

If you order another pair, my sincere wishes that the third time is the charm!

 

[MarkArtz]

I’m very sorry to hear that; the fear of that happening is exactly what kept me from rolling the dice again. I may try to get some Sundaras at some point in the future (ironically a used pair may be a safer bet) but for now I’ve picked up a used pair of Aeon Open Flows and I’m very pleased.

If you order another pair, my sincere wishes that the third time is the charm!

I must be lucky. I received my Hifiman Sundara on March 15, I have used them everyday for 5hrs avg. without a problem. TBH, I bought these with lots of skepticism. I really thought I would return them before the 15 days of trial that Hifiman offers.

The Sundara have become my favorite hps. I love my HE-560, but it gets fatiguing after 30 mins. I can listen to the Sundara for hours, even music I couldn't stand I am now learning to appreciate thanks to the easy listening experience of the Sundara.

I dont like the built on the Sundara. I think its cheap and hifiman should had done better, but they are comfortable and the sound quality is amazing.

 

[buntyster]

I must be lucky. I received my Hifiman Sundara on March 15, I have used them everyday for 5hrs avg. without a problem. TBH, I bought these with lots of skepticism. I really thought I would return them before the 15 days of trial that Hifiman offers.

The Sundara have become my favorite hps. I love my HE-560, but it gets fatiguing after 30 mins. I can listen to the Sundara for hours, even music I couldn't stand I am now learning to appreciate thanks to the easy listening experience of the Sundara.

I dont like the built on the Sundara. I think its cheap and hifiman should had done better, but they are comfortable and the sound quality is amazing.

I agree the SQ is excellent, which is why I took the plunge and bought them again. Perhaps I am just unlucky.
By the way, instead of returning to Amazon, I have decided to give these to a friend of mine today to tinker with it, he is an electrical engineer and thinks maybe a cable is lose inside?!
It is risky and will void my warranty but I just want to get to the bottom of the problem, luckily I can afford burning $600 in doing so. Will update later today or tomorrow.

 

[buntyster]

I’m very sorry to hear that; the fear of that happening is exactly what kept me from rolling the dice again. I may try to get some Sundaras at some point in the future (ironically a used pair may be a safer bet) but for now I’ve picked up a used pair of Aeon Open Flows and I’m very pleased.

If you order another pair, my sincere wishes that the third time is the charm!

Thanks Acekc. I also think a used pair from a reliable source would be a good choice, few months down the line. For now, even though I can order them again, I just won't, out of principle. By the way, the richt channel this morning simply cut out, meaning not lower volume but no sound at all. My friend will open them today, will post some pics later.

 

[Chillzone21]

Would love to read some in depth comparison between the HE400i and the Sundara... Especially with the title of this thread. Not much help... :/ (Big HE400i fan looking with hungry eyes at the Sundara )

Went to the Hifi shop and brought my modded HE400i's. Tested them against the Sundara and the HEX on a highend Moon intergrated amp in store.

HE400i > seemed more realistic, more like you would think a headphone would sound like, RAW.
Sundara > step up from my HE400i's in refinement, better sound closer to the HE560 but not holographic like the HEX/HE1000. Has more of a new age sound signature, detail, balance, digital and pleasant come to mind in respect to the HE400i.
HEX > My favourite and next purchase on the used market, the thin diaphragm and openess of the drivers is very much like the HE1000 and what makes them so suited to the A8 Realiser. They have that holographic sound which takes the Realiser up another level. I would like the HE1000 but the HEX is my kind of price on the used market.

I thought the Sundara with its new %80 thinner driver might bring some of that holographic magic from the HEX/HE1000 over to the Sundara, but not so. Still an upgrade from the HE400i in my opinion, closer to the sound signature of the HE560 in its overall refinement.

Favourite song in the store that they had available and what I thought really showed what they could do was "Norah Jones / cold cold heart" (in High Res Audio), the vocals really showed the magic in the HEX. The instrument separation was just perfect and the vocals placed you there with Norah. The Sundara was nice, but not like you were there with Norah as was the case with the HEX. The HE400i and the Sundara sounded closed in and in your head compared to the HEX. The HEX was able to give me Vocals so close to my face but at the same time spread the instruments around you. The vocals sounded so real.

 

[buntyster]

done with Sundara, sending then back today. Cant be bothered anymore. Maybe in a few months again.

 

[acekc]

done with Sundara, sending then back today. Cant be bothered anymore. Maybe in a few months again.

Did you friend crack them open or did you decide against it? I suspect the same thing as you, that connections to the drivers are getting compromised or completely broken by the vibration of the drivers during use. I'm speculating but given the number of failures reported specifically with the Sundara I wonder if the new "thin" driver is a factor.

 

[dwinnert]

How are these just breaking, I too would like to see pics. I mean, I have seen tear downs of other HiFiMan HP's and boggles my mind that they can be this fragile. Is it a simple solder point failing?

 

[acekc]

How are these just breaking, I too would like to see pics. I mean, I have seen tear downs of other HiFiMan HP's and boggles my mind that they can be this fragile. Is it a simple solder point failing?

To the best of my knowledge no one has done a post-mortem yet, which is understandable because you'd be voiding the warranty on a $500+ product that is known to be broken. Anecdotally, the symptoms suggest something like a failed solder joint; the headphones start out working OK and then fail in use, suggesting that the normal vibrations of the drivers are enough to cause the failure.

 

[Light - Man]

Bunty, why not give us some pics or info on what could be going wrong inside your Sundara?

I for one will click the Like button and I hope that many others here on HF, who are concerned about getting a repetitive strain injury in their Like finger, will throw caution to the wind and click Like!

Otherwise some dudes on here might accuse those with problems - of being Senny-Heads or Beyer-Heads, etc?!?!

P.S. the pads are relatively easy to get back on using a flat plain kitchen knife which can help nurse the final lug/clip into place.

 

[buntyster]

Bunty, why not give us some pics or info on what could be going wrong inside your Sundara?

I for one will click the Like button and I hope that many others here on HF, who are concerned about getting a repetitive strain injury in their Like finger, will throw caution to the wind and click Like!

Otherwise some dudes on here might accuse those with problems - of being Senny-Heads or Beyer-Heads, etc?!?!

P.S. the pads are relatively easy to get back on using a flat plain kitchen knife which can help nurse the final lug/clip into place.

Will post pics shortly once I reach home.

 

[Light - Man]

Will post pics shortly once I reach home.

Only do so Bro, if you are happy and take your time, otherwise just return it.

Remember, do not scratch nothing, otherwise no-one will know no better (who writes this stuff! )

 

[buntyster]

So, as promised :
My "technically superior" audiophile friend checked the cables first. They were not the cause as he carried multiple different ones with him and the problem of unbalanced (low volume) right channel was there with all cables tried. The sound would also completely cut off, intermittently, on the right side. He suspected the issue to be lose soldering, so he opened the right cup up.There is a sleeve covering the cable that goes to the planar magnetic diaphragm and the cable that goes into the 3,5mm jack. SEE PHOTO. Initially it looks fine but when we tried to delicately remove the sleeve, the joint (was poorly soldered) gave and split. SEE PHOTO. We thought this was the problem and if so, soldering it back would fix the problem. I had a glimmer of hope and a grin on my face. Alas, soldering it back still had the low volume on the right channel issue. What we realized is that when I press on the diaphragm at a certain spot, the problem gets fixed for a few seconds. SEE VIDEO. This is odd but has to do with the actual diaphragm itself and nothing to do with the cables or soldering. At this point, my technical friend raised his hands and said that this was beyond his expertise. So, there you....

Video : https://www.dropbox.com/s/gb67rfa4jedfhbr/WhatsApp Video 2018-04-11 at 11.08.12.mp4?dl=0