I don't know what is with tidal and loudness normalization on but it sounds great with the Sundara. Soft and smooth and borderline sweet. Anyone that find the Sundara treble a bit too much and can't enjoy it for long should give the loudness normalization a try.
The difference isn't as noticeable on my speakers.
I was experimenting more with EQ on my Sundara yesterday, and now they sound even better than what I was using before. The past 2 months of owning the Sundara, I found them to be a bit too bright for my tastes, there seems to be a hump around 12-13 kHz that brings out cymbals and metallic instruments a little too much. This is in comparison to my reference headphones HD600, HD58X, and Focal Elex. However, this time I finally got the EQ settings right in that area and now they sound very balanced. Adding a low shelf at 150 Hz and a dip at 4 kHz, and now they are often more enjoyable to me than the HD600 or 58X. So don't be afraid to use EQ on headphones, even small adjustments make a huge difference in my experience.
I was experimenting more with EQ on my Sundara yesterday, and now they sound even better than what I was using before. The past 2 months of owning the Sundara, I found them to be a bit too bright for my tastes, there seems to be a hump around 12-13 kHz that brings out cymbals and metallic instruments a little too much. This is in comparison to my reference headphones HD600, HD58X, and Focal Elex. However, this time I finally got the EQ settings right in that area and now they sound very balanced. Adding a low shelf at 150 Hz and a dip at 4 kHz, and now they are often more enjoyable to me than the HD600 or 58X. So don't be afraid to use EQ on headphones, even small adjustments make a huge difference in my experience.
Hey all! Got to try the Sundara today, first time trying HP and really liked it! (My daily is a RE600 IEM) Only complaint is I was expecting a bigger sound stage. It was definitely more than my puny IEM's, but wasn't the speaker experience I was expecting, more like small box around my head.
Anyone recommend an HP that's like the Sundara, but with a bigger sound stage? I'm thinking Arya or Senn HD800S, any thoughts?
Cool, yeah I agree the Sundara doesn't really need EQ, but I'm a perfectionist so I want the smoothest most natural sound possible. It gets fairly close to the Sennheisers with this EQ, but it may still need adjustments in the 6.5 - 7 kHz range as it's boosted slightly compared to the HD600 or 58X.
Either of those would be great for the Sundara. They have similar power to the JDS Labs Atom, and it drives them great. If you listen to quiet music like classical though, you will need to use high gain.
Either of those would be great for the Sundara. They have similar power to the JDS Labs Atom, and it drives them great. If you listen to quiet music like classical though, you will need to use high gain.
I see... Does the Arya and HD800S have much bigger sound stage compared to Sundara though? Not sure what expectations I should have. Can't find much info online directly comparing the them.
The 58X is warmer in the bass in mids and less treble than the Sundara. The Sundara is brighter and has a larger soundstage, and has a flat line planar bass instead of the slight bass jump you get with the 58X. So the bass sounds tighter because it’s a planar, but the 58X has more of it. 58X is more vocal and mid centric, while the Sundara is airier and more tilted to the treble.
I am now a believer in burn-in. I didn’t do the 150 hours (yet!), but my Sundaras sounded poopy out of the box. 24+ hours on a stand with Amazon HD and they are much improved. Also, another testament to “It takes more than an iPhone to drive”. It is listenable, but I’m pretty sure it will improve when the amp arrives.
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