[tdl2024]

Hi There,
I am considering buying a Sundara to extend the lower part of the spectrum from my HD650.
The sundara sound like an appropriate candidate.
I'm on the verge of buying one, but I am wondering if Hifiman still has quality issues on the recent production ?
Reddit and many other places are full of people complaining about mostly failing drivers on Sundara. To be fair most of these complaints date from 2 years ago.
Has this issue popped up recently in here ?

Dunno about anyone else but I've had mine for almost a year (bought April 2020). No issues whatsoever, and I listen to them ~4-8hrs a day, every day. Dunno if it's a revised model thing, but overall I've been very happy with them (outside of the comfort issue...I have bigger ears unfortunately)

 

[Benaudio]

Same for me, except I have smallish ears, so comfort is good.
very happy !

 

[ManuLM]

Thanks everybody for your feedback.
I placed an order on their shop finally (thanks donkek ).

 

[gubar]

Hi,
Would and all in one like a Denon ceol 9, benefit from a set like Sundara? Or do you really need a dedicated headphone amp/DAC or separates to enjoy a set like these?
Thanks,
G

 

[529128]

Hi,
Would and all in one like a Denon ceol 9, benefit from a set like Sundara? Or do you really need a dedicated headphone amp/DAC or separates to enjoy a set like these?
Thanks,
G

Sundara is actually quite effective. I am very certain that some would try to convince you to invest in a headphone amp as they would claim that Sundara sounds terrible without it. I suggest you give it a go before investing. Unless there’s an impedance mismatch it can be difficult to distinguish between amps. If you feel the Sundara needs some extra power you have plenty of options at a very reasonable price level. Start with JDS Labs Atom, Schiit Magni or Topping L30 and progress. Most people would have a very hard time to identify even very expensive amps from the three if in a blind test. Much of this hobby is affected by placebo.

 

[JamminVMI]

Sundara is actually quite effective. I am very certain that some would try to convince you to invest in a headphone amp as they would claim that Sundara sounds terrible without it. I suggest you give it a go before investing. Unless there’s an impedance mismatch it can be difficult to distinguish between amps. If you feel the Sundara needs some extra power you have plenty of options at a very reasonable price level. Start with JDS Labs Atom, Schiit Magni or Topping L30 and progress. Most people would have a very hard time to identify even very expensive amps from the three if in a blind test. Much of this hobby is affected by placebo.

Sundara, like all planars need power to sound their best. They are thin and weak without. It’s not all about low impedance.

 

[539465]

Sundara, like all planars need power to sound their best. They are thin and weak without. It’s not all about low impedance.

so much this, my amp puts out 12W at 33ohms which is a scratch away from Sundara's 37, it starts at 6 o clock and maxes out at 4 o clock, in order to get bass really pumping, which by the way sounds good, like I could EQ the crap out of it and never distort.... but I have to push the dial to about midnight that's on BASS heavy songs.... so yeah you need POWER, for the record my DT990 600ohms maxes out at about 2 o clock....

 

[Flognuts]

The mojo and sundara are an incredible pairing, people always talk about synergy between amps and headphones and I never understood it until I heard these two together. Its basically end game for me....and to have it as a portable device is a dream.

 

[seanwee]

The mojo and sundara are an incredible pairing, people always talk about synergy between amps and headphones and I never understood it until I heard these two together. Its basically end game for me....and to have it as a portable device is a dream.

I've heard a lot of pairings and the mojo is just average, the best I've heard was with the Audio GD R2R 11.

 

[ics1974]

I have been listening to my Sundara on my Darkvoice 336SE lately and I like the sound with tubes. It widens it a little and makes the sound bigger. It also smooths out the sound to quite an enjoyable level. I get all more detail on my Fiio K5 pro but this is a very nice relaxing change.

 

[Xenderos]

I am looking for a compact (desk) DAC/AMP combo for Sundara around 200-300$. Currently, I have Lotoo Paw S1 but I heard that Sundara will benefit from a stronger source. What do you think about iFi Zen DAC? Anything better in this price range?

 

[Benaudio]

Zen DAC has pretty poor measurements and seems to deliver way less power than advertised, at least according to audio science review.
i haven’t hear it myself, just a heads up

 

[rlanger]

I am looking for a compact (desk) DAC/AMP combo for Sundara around 200-300$. Currently, I have Lotoo Paw S1 but I heard that Sundara will benefit from a stronger source. What do you think about iFi Zen DAC? Anything better in this price range?

Have a look at the XDuoo XD05. I have the Basic version, which sounds great. But for a little more money you can get the Plus version which puts out twice the power.

You can also roll the op amps to tweak the sound. I haven't done it yet, but I've got a couple of op amps on order to see which one works best.

 

[ics1974]

I am looking for a compact (desk) DAC/AMP combo for Sundara around 200-300$. Currently, I have Lotoo Paw S1 but I heard that Sundara will benefit from a stronger source. What do you think about iFi Zen DAC? Anything better in this price range?

I use Fiio K5 Pro and it’s excellent

 

[Xenderos]

I use Fiio K5 Pro and it’s excellent

I had many problems with Fiio BTR5 USB driver I prefer not buy anything that uses Fiio USB driver.

One question is: Are Zen DAC or XDuoo XD05 upgrades over Lotoo Paw S1? It offers 120 mW/channel (240m mW in total?).

Or maybe you can recommend some separate DAC and AMP for that price?