SchwizzelKick66
100+ Head-Fier
Does anyone have experience with the 8xx and Sundara? Wondering how the two compare.
This feels like a setup, but I’ll bite - a little. The Sundara is a very nice headphone for $349 - I owned a pair of the most recent ones for a month and they were not my cup of tea - lacked both bass slam and detail IMHO - so I returned them. To me, they were a bit boring. YMMV. The 8XX are a take on an acknowledged world class headphone, and while they too are a little weak on bass slam, they are MUCH more detailed and extended in both frequency extremes, and, even if you don’t love their tuning out of the box, are anything but boring. They are fast, full, detailed and dynamic. The Sundaras are flat by comparison, but it’s a decidedly unfair fight. Please, no insult intended, but you’re asking to compare a Camry to a Mercedes - they are simply not in the same league, and I doubt very many buyers would be choosing between those two particular models. If the difference is NOT obvious to you, by all means save $750 and get the Sundara. The 8XX is much more difficult to drive, but if your amp can handle it, they will run rings around the Sundara in virtually every respect. If your amp is not up to it, then, again, you’re probably better off with the Sundara. To reiterate, the Sundara is a very nice $349 headphone, but it was never intended to compete with an 800 series Sennheiser, even a Drop tuned version. I’m not suggesting in any way shape or form that the 8XX is the end game headphone for me (although it could be for some) but rather, that you are comparing apples to porter house steak and asking which is better. It’s a hard question to answer because the differences extend way beyond obvious sonic differences to things like build quality, included cables and necessary investment in ancillary equipment. There are more differences than similarities. I hope this sheds some light and again, no insult is intended to either headphone, both of which are good choices in their class.Does anyone have experience with the 8xx and Sundara? Wondering how the two compare.
I felt the same way about the Ananda, which is also a nice headphone for its price. The Hifiman to compare with the HD8XX is the Arya. As for the Sundara, get it if you’re on a budget and can’t afford the HD8XX. It’s a very good $350 headphone. Get it if you have an entry level DAC & amp. Get the HD8XX if you can afford it and you’re willing to EQ it. Get it if you have a tube amp.The Sundara is a very nice headphone for $349 - I owned a pair of the most recent ones for a month and they were not my cup of tea - lacked both bass slam and detail IMHO - so I returned them. To me, they were a bit boring.
I actually preferred the Sundara to the Ananda which, to me, completely lacked bass slam. I was very disappointed because I really liked the Ananda but the lack of bass slam was a dealbreaker for me.I felt the same way about the Ananda, which is also a nice headphone for its price. The Hifiman to compare with the HD8XX is the Arya. As for the Sundara, get it if you’re on a budget and can’t afford the HD8XX. It’s a very good $350 headphone. Get it if you have an entry level DAC & amp. Get the HD8XX if you can afford it and you’re willing to EQ it. Get it if you have a tube amp.
Here's the list I put together other than Oratory as mentioned above:
AutoEq:
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/harman_over-ear_2018/Sennheiser HD 8XX
Crinacle:
https://drop.com/buy/drop-sennheiser-hd-8xx-headphones/reviews/2849368
Some played with it with these settings:
Gisslybuz:
https://github.com/grizzlybus/8xx_EQ
Daniel Lagoe:
https://drop.com/buy/drop-sennheiser-hd-8xx-headphones/reviews/2860547
The Daniel Lagoe is very interesting. It's totally unconventional (weired) curve. It smoothens everything out. The preamp preset to an odd -12db. Something you can try to see how far the headphone will tolerate.
If you bring the preamp of Oratory and AutoEq to -8 to -12db and compensate it with your volume knob, the sound is sweet, clean, no veil, and open.
These are just starting points. Adjust to taste depending on you associated DAC and amp. The 8XX is an excellent headphone that performs a lot more than its price.
The other thing I noticed is the 8XX benefits a lot from burn-in. Run it on a mix of pink and brown noise 24/7 for at least 3 days to achieve the best result.
..or the pentacon cable.Just noticed Drop lowered the price of 8xx to $799, but you have to buy their XLR balanced cable for $199.
... And of course, this was less than 30 days since I bought mine... Wonder if they'll do a price adjustment.Just noticed Drop lowered the price of 8xx to $799, but you have to buy their XLR balanced cable for $199.
They should definitely do, or ask for a cable!... And of course, this was less than 30 days since I bought mine... Winner if they'll do a price adjustment.
It's showing $999 for me still.Just noticed Drop lowered the price of 8xx to $799, but you have to buy their XLR balanced cable for $199.
Same for me....It's showing $999 for me still.
Yeah it's basically the same price in cart with the balanced cable added. You "save" $300 on the 8xx (from $1100) but add the $200 cable, so it's still $999.Same for me....