Alfredo3001
100+ Head-Fier
Just wow. I really appreciated the time and effort for your reply. You just sold a new edition xx . I really like the he4xx the Sundara not so much. Yesterday I sold the Sundara. Late night I gave them another try before parting with them. I lowered the volumen and start playing some songs. For a moment I was having regrets. So I decide to put my dt880. After A/B them for 1h, I knew why I post the Sundara for sale. I find the dt880 more enjoyable.I bought my HEX V2 which are essentially the same as the XX with MAYBE very minor differences. I couldn't hear it, so anyway comparing the HEX V2 and Sundara i was blown away by how much better the HEX V2/XX sound. I bought my Massdrop XX after i sold the Sundara's I remember buying the Sundara's blindly without hearing them based on people's reviews which i never done before and compared them to my HE 4XX and while i did like the more airy soundstage they just lacked that energy the 4XX had especially in the bass department. They did imaging very well, but i just found music more fun sounding with the 4XX which i didn't want to admit at the time.
You say the Sundara's were more forward sounding, is that because you felt the need to put the volume way up as i found them to be quite laid back and more distant which i feel was done to highlight their airiness, smoothness and impressive imaging?? The only area i feel the Sundara's lacked compared to the 4XX is in energy and bass response. Anyway i was anxious about spending $1280 NZ another pair of headphones i never tried whenever the Sundara's improved on some aspects but lacked in others. I was worried the HEX V2 would be the same but as soon as i put them on and played some house music i was in WOW mode.
They have PLENTY of energy in the sub bass and mid bass, what i would describe as neutral as they output what each genre accurately requires. Some would call them boosted here but i disagree, they punch just as they should. The best bass i ever heard in a headphone because it is clean, powerful and snappy and doesn't bleed into the mids, essentially a much better 400i/4XX. I feel if you like the 4XX you'll LOVE the XX, the XX just does everything better. Bigger soundstage, smoother, better imaging and extremely comfortable to wear. My experience of the Sundara's was strange because i listened to them for almost a year really liking them but as soon as i got my HEX V2 and left them in the back for a few weeks i never went back to them until i was about to sell them. I remember listening to them many weeks later just as i had them up for sale and really disliking them, like i felt i couldn't enjoy them at all, everything through them felt quite boring, they sounded quite distant, the HEX V2/XX has more presence and energy while at the same time still feeling quite airy, think of a nightclub environment. This was obviously after listening to the HEX V2 for several weeks which i had become accustomed to. I feel the HEX V2 carry on the line of the 400i/4xx,560 and improve on them so if you enjoy these headphones then you'll love the XX. The Sundara's were so different to these headphones. Not that it's a bad thing but i just needed at least the same energy i was used to with the 400i and 4XX and the HEX V2 improved on all of that. The Sundara's are for those after quite a different sound signature which i myself still enjoyed but wasn't what i was after but still beats ALL the other competition at this price point based on what it does well. Honestly after hearing quite a few headphones by the competition the only competitor Hifiman has in it's price range $1000 and below is itself. I'm still curious to hear the LCDC2 though
The XX at $600 US is the best value for a headphone that exists right now, it's endgame material as you'll have to spend thousands to get better, the ONLY issue i can say that exists with the HEX V2/XX is that it has that piercing peak at times especially with vocals, you''ll notice it as the vocals climb higher and higher and just pierce before rolling off forcing you to turn the volume down to a less energetic stage, it happens rarely but if Hifiman can fix this by having the peak resolved in a smoother way then it would be such an improvment. I would buy another an upgraded headphone for that issue to be resolved alone
The Sundara really give the boost of energy in the morning listening sessions with coffee. That was the only time of the day I like them.
But no means I am saying the Sundara is bad, the amount of detail and fast driver( clean bass ). Is the best I have tried on headphones ( under 350$). But thy are not for me. For my personal taste.
Thank you again for your reply.