[JamminVMI]

Hi guys,

Just want to share my current experience with the Sundara. I got them about 3 weeks ago, so early days yet. They work brilliantly with my xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP (AK4493EQ, stock op amp) with excellent technical ability and some amazing detail retrieval.

However they have been taken to another level using the xDuoo AUX out / DAC only to my Little Dot I+ with Voskhod 6Ж1П-ЕВ tubes. Breathes some realism and natural timbre to the set that I only now see was missing. Works a treat with acoustic/classical etc. No apparent loss of stage / imaging / detail retrieval, in fact the details in the treble sparkle with so much more life but with zero sibilance.

I think there may be some slight loss of attack, depth and texture to the bass but certainly not to an anaemic-level. If I do want that bass back I can just switch back to the xDuoo DAC/AMP combo (I also have some Mullard tubes on the way which may help this setup reach a little deeper).

I hope others get the chance to experiment in a similar vein too!

Pretty much what I did. I live close enough to the Schiit mother ship to go there and try all their line, so I wound up with Lyr 3, right now with a Sylvania/Baldwin 6SN7. Glad you found your best combo as well!

 

[jkwanness]

Hi guys,

Just want to share my current experience with the Sundara. I got them about 3 weeks ago, so early days yet. They work brilliantly with my xDuoo XD05 Plus DAC/AMP (AK4493EQ, stock op amp) with excellent technical ability and some amazing detail retrieval.

However they have been taken to another level using the xDuoo AUX out / DAC only to my Little Dot I+ with Voskhod 6Ж1П-ЕВ tubes. Breathes some realism and natural timbre to the set that I only now see was missing. Works a treat with acoustic/classical etc. No apparent loss of stage / imaging / detail retrieval, in fact the details in the treble sparkle with so much more life but with zero sibilance.

I think there may be some slight loss of attack, depth and texture to the bass but certainly not to an anaemic-level. If I do want that bass back I can just switch back to the xDuoo DAC/AMP combo (I also have some Mullard tubes on the way which may help this setup reach a little deeper).

I hope others get the chance to experiment in a similar vein too!

I really like the Sundara.. i got it last month after a 8 year hiatus from headfi.. I had hd800 and beyer T1 then.. not sure if it's today's tidal, my hearing improvement, or its the sundaras themselves but i'm really enjoying the sound im hearing..

i have ifi HipDac with them as an re-entry rig to headfi... I feel that i should have gone to idsd signature for the extra power for the sundaras and improvement as you have upgrading downstream...

really love the sundaras

 

[mcgo]

A week in with my Sundaras and I have to say I am very happy with my selection. Pretty much everything I read about these cans was true. Great sound and build for the price point but watch out for the bundled cable!

I have already modded the stock cable — the main issue I had with it is a lack of strain relief on the two jacks that plug into the cups. A few days after use, one of the wires was already heading 90 degrees - not good! I fixed this by adding a couple of pieces of black heat-shrink tubing. I left it unshrunk since it is tight enough around the jack and it is doing the job. My suggestion to HiFiMAN would be to make the strain relief much longer since what is there is beyond useless. I would not let the quality of the bundled cable disuade a purchase. The aftermarket for compatible cables is strong.

I was hoping my mothballed 2016 Magni 2 Uber would do amping duties with these cans and I am happy to report it does! I found I prefer the amp on high-gain (1.5W into 32 ohms). It works well enough to delay additional expense since I’m trying to keep this second setup budget friendly and not go crazy!

The DAC Box S FL is doing conversion duties. I really love the performance of this NOS dac. Everything sounds great through it. I’m convinced it is the natural impulse response these dacs produce.

Edit 01/26: I replaced the stock HiFiMAN cable with OEM Meze 99 Classics (amzn: B0756HSDNK) for $20 shipped. Works fine with the Sundaras and much better suited for my purposes.

 

[sebek]

A good all in one dac / amp that drives Sundara well? Use from smartphone.

I have a BTR5, can the 240mW at 32ohm balanced output do the job?

In case can you also recommend a suitable balanced cable, good and not too expensive?

 

[ParaLoganGrado]

A good all in one dac / amp that drives Sundara well? Use from smartphone.

I have a BTR5, can the 240mW at 32ohm balanced output do the job?

In case can you also recommend a suitable balanced cable, good and not too expensive?

I know this is a controversial topic (regarding being efficient / easy to drive), but the Sundara is the most power hungry of all my full sized headphones. I've got a Grado GH2 (very sensitive), Audeze LCD2 closed (what I USED to think was power hungry) and now the Sundara. Of the three:

• GH2 will reach nearly painful levels off the Apple DAC/amp dongle, can't barely turn the volume past 1 o'clock on the Asgard 2 before distortion of drivers kicks in
• LCD2-CB at around 70 ohms gets close to 1 watt per channel with my Asgard 2 at full volume and is also painful, yet doesn't clip until I turn the 20Hz knob full clockwise on my Schiit Loki
• Sundara can take the full 1 watt per channel from the Asgard 2 with flat EQ settings, but if I turn the bass up even moderately, it clips the amp audibly before I reach the fully clockwise volume position.

So I guess it depends on if you want to add a lot of bass boost, as bass frequencies usually need a good amount more current on tap. I ran these from my Apple dongle and they definitely get louder than I would listen to them in a room with other people with that, but I'd definitely recommend a standalone headphone amp for them if you plan on cranking them fairly often, want really good dynamics, or love bass and want to EQ them!

That being said, the stock tuning is really good out of the box! To be honest, I hardly ever engage the Loki when listening to the GH2 or Sundara because they are tuned well. So for every day listening, the 240mW would be enough for them to sound pretty good but MIGHT leave you craving a bit more (IMO)

 

[Flognuts]

A good all in one dac / amp that drives Sundara well? Use from smartphone.

I have a BTR5, can the 240mW at 32ohm balanced output do the job?

In case can you also recommend a suitable balanced cable, good and not too expensive?

Chord Mojo and call it a day.

 

[sebek]

Chord Mojo and call it a day.

Too ugly

 

[JamminVMI]

I know this is a controversial topic (regarding being efficient / easy to drive), but the Sundara is the most power hungry of all my full sized headphones. I've got a Grado GH2 (very sensitive), Audeze LCD2 closed (what I USED to think was power hungry) and now the Sundara. Of the three:

• GH2 will reach nearly painful levels off the Apple DAC/amp dongle, can't barely turn the volume past 1 o'clock on the Asgard 2 before distortion of drivers kicks in
• LCD2-CB at around 70 ohms gets close to 1 watt per channel with my Asgard 2 at full volume and is also painful, yet doesn't clip until I turn the 20Hz knob full clockwise on my Schiit Loki
• Sundara can take the full 1 watt per channel from the Asgard 2 with flat EQ settings, but if I turn the bass up even moderately, it clips the amp audibly before I reach the fully clockwise volume position.

So I guess it depends on if you want to add a lot of bass boost, as bass frequencies usually need a good amount more current on tap. I ran these from my Apple dongle and they definitely get louder than I would listen to them in a room with other people with that, but I'd definitely recommend a standalone headphone amp for them if you plan on cranking them fairly often, want really good dynamics, or love bass and want to EQ them!

That being said, the stock tuning is really good out of the box! To be honest, I hardly ever engage the Loki when listening to the GH2 or Sundara because they are tuned well. So for every day listening, the 240mW would be enough for them to sound pretty good but MIGHT leave you craving a bit more (IMO)

You’re bang on, there. I always wondered about the advertising saying Sundara was easily driven by DAPs. Planars, especially open backed, are power hungry beasts. Sundara sings with my Lyr3, not so much with lower power amps.

 

[seanwee]

You’re bang on, there. I always wondered about the advertising saying Sundara was easily driven by DAPs.

250mw @ 32ohms is the minimum from my experience. I ran it on my N5ii balanced like that for a while. My DX160 drives it very easily.

 

[sebek]

For those who use Sundara on 2.5mm balanced output: which cable do you use? Can you suggest me some good and not too expensive ones?

Although I'm a little tired of buying balanced cables. I'd like a portable device with normal 3.5mm output and enough power for more demanding headphones. Obviously with good SQ. Is there anything under € 200?

 

[FullBright1]

Chord Mojo and call it a day.

The Chord is good.

You should try this one...

FiiO BTR5 - 24bit
Hi-Res CSR8675
Bluetooth 5.0
USB DAC/DSD
Headphone Amp with LDAC, aptX HD, AAC.

ITs about the size of the Dragonfly and it sounds incredible.
It has filters, eq.....whatever you need.

Price? $110 USD.
-

 

[sebek]

The Chord is good.

You should try this one...

FiiO BTR5 - 24bit
Hi-Res CSR8675
Bluetooth 5.0
USB DAC/DSD
Headphone Amp with LDAC, aptX HD, AAC.

ITs about the size of the Dragonfly and it sounds incredible.
It has filters, eq.....whatever you need.

Price? $110 USD.
-

I already have BTR5, but it forces me to use balanced output... SE is only 80mw at 32ohm and sounds less good than balanced even with easily drivable IEMs. And even on balanced I don't know if it's powerful enough for more demanding over ears.

I was thinking of Topping NX4 DSD which has a little more power - 293mw at 32 ohm - and I shouldn't be buying balanced cables every time I buy a headphone ...

 

[FullBright1]

I already have BTR5, but it forces me to use balanced output... SE is only 80mw at 32ohm and sounds less good than balanced even with easily drivable IEMs. And even on balanced I don't know if it's powerful enough for more demanding over ears.
I was thinking of Topping NX4 DSD which has a little more power - 293mw at 32 ohm - and I shouldn't be buying balanced cables every time I buy a headphone ...

I seldom used Balanced, except for my Alpha Primes, and the HDZeus, and the soon to arrive Rossen Rad-0.
The little tho mighty BTR5 seems to have a lot of reserve power.
It sounds good with the Sundara and the LCD-X and the Arya.
I like its sound quality and simplicity.

 

[sebek]

I seldom used Balanced, except for my Alpha Primes, and the HDZeus, and the soon to arrive Rossen Rad-0.
The little tho mighty BTR5 seems to have a lot of reserve power.
It sounds good with the Sundara and the LCD-X and the Arya.
I like its sound quality and simplicity.

Do you use Sundara on the unbalanced output of BTR5 and does it sound good then? I thought it was not possible, I have read other users according to which even on balanced output I struggle a bit ... Thanks for your opinion, I'll keep in mind!

 

[FullBright1]

Do you use Sundara on the unbalanced output of BTR5 and does it sound good then? I thought it was not possible, I have read other users according to which even on balanced output I struggle a bit ... Thanks for your opinion, I'll keep in mind!

I use Balanced, on this gear.
Ive had the Sundara's a week.., so add that to the balanced list.
The sound is sweeter then you find with say, the Monolith 789 which to my ear is sterile and dry and analytical.

Also, using the Sundara with the Headroom Max, which is an analog out, really changes them...., as expected.
They lose much of the typical over=sharpened FR you find with Planars.
Analog sound coming out of a set of Planar headphones, is a good thing.....different.