[franz12]

I am waiting for Tyll's review. He said it should be coming soon a while ago...

 

[braaam]

I definitely felt like the Sundara was an upgrade over the 400I. The 400I is no slouch but the Sundara just seems to do everything better. I've only used my headphones with 3 different combinations none of which were a dedicated headphone amp or amp/dac, but I've definitely been shopping for one lately. I've used them straight from my iphone 6S which sounds great but plugged into my APPJ PA901 tube amp with headphone adapter sounds much more full and life like. The source for that is outputs from my Onkyo RZ800 receiver(which has a really nice AKM dac chip). The sounds stage definitely increases as well as the clarity. The other way I had it hooked up was through my Onkyo RZ800 receiver headphone output which sounds good but a bit off compared to the tube amp and iphone. It has an output impedance of 330 ohm which is way to high, no dampening. The frequency response sounds uneven in comparison. I've been going back and forth trying to choose which amp to get for these headphone. There are so many its hard to narrow it down..

The APPJ’s are great! I’ve listened endless hours to the HE-400i through an APPJ PA1502a, and rolled 100s of pre/power tubes. The 400i came to life with it. It was fed by the Pioneer sc-lx77 Sabre DAC. Later on I switched to the Modi Multibit DAC and this was a clear improvement with vocals and piano/guitars/classical music compared to the Pioneer.

Recently I got the Audio-gd R2R 11 which has a great DAC section, and its amp also sounds great with Sennheiser high impedance HPs like the HD600/650. But compared to that, the 400i sounded a bit lifeless in the midrange - I preferred tubes with it. I feel the 400i needs something extra to really enjoy it, where the R2R reproduces everything very organic and doesn’t emphasize anything.

After writing this I don’t know if this helps you - it may make the choice even more complex

 

[Spandy87]

So I also spent time with the Sundara today and I left wanting to hear more. Even though I don't really have a need for another open-back planar, I was so close to buying them on the spot. Here's my analysis:

Build Quality and Design: A

I was very impressed with the build quality, certainly a huge improvement over their previous lineup. The new headband style looks amazing, as do the grills/cups. Two things to note, there is only minimal swivel to the yokes, which was a bit disappointing, but I don't think it matters because of how nice the pads are.

Comfort: B+

I am a total comfort freak, and if I can't wear a headphone for more than 6 hours comfortably I won't even consider it. When I first put these on it felt kind of weird to be honest. Since the yokes don't really have much swivel to them, you can't really adjust where you want the headphone to sit on your ears the way you can with something like the Aeon Flow. But after about 15 minutes I started to get more used to the fit and found that it was actually completely wearable. The Sundara is infinitely more comfortable than the HE-500, 4XX, and many of their older designs, but about on par with some of the newer ones. I'd also put this as a step up in comfort from the Fidelio X2, and close to the Aeon Flow. The one thing I wish they had added was an elastic or stretch type headband design, but most people will find the comfort of these to be just fine.

Sound: A

Definitely an improvement over the HE-400i (and its variants). Wide soundstage, excellent highs with no sibilance, smooth and detailed mids without any glare. I'd have to do a more discerning listen to compare the microdynamics and resolution but my initial impression was that there was nothing I was missing out on that other cans like the HD650 could deliver, and then on top of that these had the planar speed that I just love, all throughout, including a big strong yet reasonably tight bass presence. I'd be curious to A/B them with the AFO just to see which presentation I prefer, but I'd say that the Sundara is probably a bit closer to neutral, while the AFO is a bit warmer. I also think it's probably got a bit more bass presence than the HE-560, but I didn't get a chance to compare that directly.

Overall: A-

So why didn't I buy this? I might still buy this, who am I kidding I'm an addict. But part of me feels like there will be an HE-560 replacement with the same build quality as the Sundara for under $1000, and I'm tempted to hold out for that, and I'm also not really in the market for a new planar since I'm pretty happy with my AFO at the moment. But this headphone is probably better than what most of the current reviews are suggesting. I didn't hear any of the driver buzz that was a concern earlier with the HE-560 and other newer models (but I didn't get a chance to do the audiocheck test). I was thoroughly impressed, and would love to hear it again. If I do buy it I'll update this.

 

[franz12]

So I also spent time with the Sundara today and I left wanting to hear more. Even though I don't really have a need for another open-back planar, I was so close to buying them on the spot. Here's my analysis:

Build Quality and Design: A

I was very impressed with the build quality, certainly a huge improvement over their previous lineup. The new headband style looks amazing, as do the grills/cups. Two things to note, there is only minimal swivel to the yokes, which was a bit disappointing, but I don't think it matters because of how nice the pads are.

Comfort: B+

I am a total comfort freak, and if I can't wear a headphone for more than 6 hours comfortably I won't even consider it. When I first put these on it felt kind of weird to be honest. Since the yokes don't really have much swivel to them, you can't really adjust where you want the headphone to sit on your ears the way you can with something like the Aeon Flow. But after about 15 minutes I started to get more used to the fit and found that it was actually completely wearable. The Sundara is infinitely more comfortable than the HE-500, 4XX, and many of their older designs, but about on par with some of the newer ones. I'd also put this as a step up in comfort from the Fidelio X2, and close to the Aeon Flow. The one thing I wish they had added was an elastic or stretch type headband design, but most people will find the comfort of these to be just fine.

Sound: A

Definitely an improvement over the HE-400i (and its variants). Wide soundstage, excellent highs with no sibilance, smooth and detailed mids without any glare. I'd have to do a more discerning listen to compare the microdynamics and resolution but my initial impression was that there was nothing I was missing out on that other cans like the HD650 could deliver, and then on top of that these had the planar speed that I just love, all throughout, including a big strong yet reasonably tight bass presence. I'd be curious to A/B them with the AFO just to see which presentation I prefer, but I'd say that the Sundara is probably a bit closer to neutral, while the AFO is a bit warmer. I also think it's probably got a bit more bass presence than the HE-560, but I didn't get a chance to compare that directly.

Overall: A-

So why didn't I buy this? I might still buy this, who am I kidding I'm an addict. But part of me feels like there will be an HE-560 replacement with the same build quality as the Sundara for under $1000, and I'm tempted to hold out for that, and I'm also not really in the market for a new planar since I'm pretty happy with my AFO at the moment. But this headphone is probably better than what most of the current reviews are suggesting. I didn't hear any of the driver buzz that was a concern earlier with the HE-560 and other newer models (but I didn't get a chance to do the audiocheck test). I was thoroughly impressed, and would love to hear it again. If I do buy it I'll update this.

I want to hear more about dynamic punch if possible. I wonder whether it has as much dynamic punch as AFO.

 

[Spandy87]

I want to hear more about dynamic punch if possible. I wonder whether it has as much dynamic punch as AFO.

It doesn't have as much as the AFO, but it's not unsatisfactory in that department. The AFO really shines there though. Tough to beat that.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Its alright similiar to the 400i slightly better id take the 560 over it especially with the price drops recently.

 

[czy6412]

I brought my Sundara to a mini meet and all of them are impressed by Sundara and prefer it to HE560

 

[Hedonism]

So I also spent time with the Sundara today and I left wanting to hear more. Even though I don't really have a need for another open-back planar, I was so close to buying them on the spot. Here's my analysis:

Build Quality and Design: A

I was very impressed with the build quality, certainly a huge improvement over their previous lineup. The new headband style looks amazing, as do the grills/cups. Two things to note, there is only minimal swivel to the yokes, which was a bit disappointing, but I don't think it matters because of how nice the pads are.

Comfort: B+

I am a total comfort freak, and if I can't wear a headphone for more than 6 hours comfortably I won't even consider it. When I first put these on it felt kind of weird to be honest. Since the yokes don't really have much swivel to them, you can't really adjust where you want the headphone to sit on your ears the way you can with something like the Aeon Flow. But after about 15 minutes I started to get more used to the fit and found that it was actually completely wearable. The Sundara is infinitely more comfortable than the HE-500, 4XX, and many of their older designs, but about on par with some of the newer ones. I'd also put this as a step up in comfort from the Fidelio X2, and close to the Aeon Flow. The one thing I wish they had added was an elastic or stretch type headband design, but most people will find the comfort of these to be just fine.

Sound: A

Definitely an improvement over the HE-400i (and its variants). Wide soundstage, excellent highs with no sibilance, smooth and detailed mids without any glare. I'd have to do a more discerning listen to compare the microdynamics and resolution but my initial impression was that there was nothing I was missing out on that other cans like the HD650 could deliver, and then on top of that these had the planar speed that I just love, all throughout, including a big strong yet reasonably tight bass presence. I'd be curious to A/B them with the AFO just to see which presentation I prefer, but I'd say that the Sundara is probably a bit closer to neutral, while the AFO is a bit warmer. I also think it's probably got a bit more bass presence than the HE-560, but I didn't get a chance to compare that directly.

Overall: A-

So why didn't I buy this? I might still buy this, who am I kidding I'm an addict. But part of me feels like there will be an HE-560 replacement with the same build quality as the Sundara for under $1000, and I'm tempted to hold out for that, and I'm also not really in the market for a new planar since I'm pretty happy with my AFO at the moment. But this headphone is probably better than what most of the current reviews are suggesting. I didn't hear any of the driver buzz that was a concern earlier with the HE-560 and other newer models (but I didn't get a chance to do the audiocheck test). I was thoroughly impressed, and would love to hear it again. If I do buy it I'll update this.

I also own the AFO, and was looking for a complement to them. Would you be able to write more notes comparing the two?

One thing I find is that the AFO doesn't do as well as I'd like with large-scale orchestra. Do you think Sundara would be better in this regard?

 

[braaam]

I brought my Sundara to a mini meet and all of them are impressed by Sundara and prefer it to HE560

Can you describe what they liked more about it and what sources/amps were used?

 

[czy6412]

Can you describe what they liked more about it and what sources/amps were used?

They use Jot and the dynamic is significantly better on Sundara than HE560

 

[Spandy87]

I also own the AFO, and was looking for a complement to them. Would you be able to write more notes comparing the two?

One thing I find is that the AFO doesn't do as well as I'd like with large-scale orchestra. Do you think Sundara would be better in this regard?

Yeah I actually think that might be a good use of the Sundara over the AFO. I think the Sundara has a much smoother and more neutral sound with a more open feeling soundstage, more air. At first listen I may actually prefer the highs on the Sundara but I'd need more time at home with them. The AFO has more energy, intensity (in a good way), is punchier, faster, and better bass response with much stronger macrodynamics and slam, which admittedly some people might care about as much as I do. Texture on the AFO was also a lot more fun. It has a nice crunch to the midrange that I always look forward to that I didn't quite get with the Sundara. So I do think they would complement each other nicely. I think overall the AFO is probably a bit more technically capable and is the more cohesive headphone, but the sound is different enough that I wouldn't really say they need to compete for head time. It's more what kind of music you'd want to pair them with, and I definitely think classical would be the Sundara's strength. The AFO is so nice with jazz though, I just love the sound of an upright double bass line on the AFO that hardly any other headphone I've heard can do better with.

 

[mtoc]

I am waiting for Tyll's review. He said it should be coming soon a while ago...

silence means he doesn't like it atall

 

[franz12]

silence means he doesn't like it atall

He liked he400. In his recent review, he said sundara is still on the way, which means that he has not received it yet..

 

[henree]

Do you think if I listen to rock music with these headphones at night. It could be heard by my next door neighbors? I am in an apartment.

 

[mtoc]

He liked he400. In his recent review, he said sundara is still on the way, which means that he has not received it yet..

it was tons of weeks ago, bud