[Jman841]

they sound very lumpy. not very natural. but i guess the planar novelty helps justify the suffering.

You do realize I have the Sundara's on my head right now.

Furthermore, if you read the review I posted, there was a change to the earpads in early 2020 that brought the bass extension up and tamed the treble peaks, but sure, the charts and recordings from Pre-2020 help you know better how a headphone sounds that you never heard vs. than me wearing them.

 

[mvule]

Interesting point from the headphones.com guy, about the positioning and clamp causing differences in sound.
Seems fair enough.

 

[conquerator2]

To be fair,

You do realize I have the Sundara's on my head right now.

Furthermore, if you read the review I posted, there was a change to the earpads in early 2020 that brought the bass extension up and tamed the treble peaks, but sure, the charts and recordings from Pre-2020 help you know better how a headphone sounds that you never heard vs. than me wearing them.

This is interesting though; in this review HFM explicitly stated they were no change to the earpads or other sonics, yet many people say the 2020 is a bit different. Which is it? Is it just the pad structure change that accounts for a better seal?

https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/hifiman-sundara-review-2020-stealth-revision

A word from HiFiMAN:
"There is no official version 2 of the HiFiMAN Sundara. Neither the drivers nor the cups have had any changes or silent revisions to them in the past calendar year. The only changes have been a cosmetic improvement to the dust cover, as well as improvements to the pad structure to ensure reliability and longevity. There have not been any changes to the pad material."

 

[cel4145]

To be fair,

This is interesting though; in this review HFM explicitly stated they were no change to the earpads or other sonics, yet many people say the 2020 is a bit different. Which is it? Is it just the pad structure change that accounts for a better seal?

https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/hifiman-sundara-review-2020-stealth-revision

A word from HiFiMAN:
"There is no official version 2 of the HiFiMAN Sundara. Neither the drivers nor the cups have had any changes or silent revisions to them in the past calendar year. The only changes have been a cosmetic improvement to the dust cover, as well as improvements to the pad structure to ensure reliability and longevity. There have not been any changes to the pad material."

There can often be slight differences in production runs of products.

 

[Jman841]

To be fair,

This is interesting though; in this review HFM explicitly stated they were no change to the earpads or other sonics, yet many people say the 2020 is a bit different. Which is it? Is it just the pad structure change that accounts for a better seal?

https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/hifiman-sundara-review-2020-stealth-revision

A word from HiFiMAN:
"There is no official version 2 of the HiFiMAN Sundara. Neither the drivers nor the cups have had any changes or silent revisions to them in the past calendar year. The only changes have been a cosmetic improvement to the dust cover, as well as improvements to the pad structure to ensure reliability and longevity. There have not been any changes to the pad material."

They changed the pads which changed the sound signature. You can see the difference between the two pads if you look where the stitching is. The old version it's on the outside corner, the new version is a bit tighter in. I believe the angles changed as well.

The measurements are clearly different from what Resolve measured with his new pair and is in line with many other reports as well. Mine do not have a weak bass like original reviews suggest and the measurements show it extends further with the new ear pads.

 

[grwgergergg]

still doesnt change the fact they measure worse than a akg k701 in the midrange rofl

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

Interesting point from the headphones.com guy, about the positioning and clamp causing differences in sound.
Seems fair enough.

Its true of the entire 5 series line. Because the drivers are angled and they have the E.A.R. technology, which is basically structures within the cup that bounce the sound around to increase perceived soundstage- like the little jut out in the back of the cup.

If you position a 5 series headphone with your ears further to the front of the cup, they get brighter and less bassy. If you push your ears all the way back they get more bassy and muffled. Correct positioning it with your ear hole in the middle of the cup, so that the jut out is like directly behind your ear hole.

This is not a property of the 6 series, as the drivers are not angled. Moving your ear around within the cup doesn't do much for sound.

I can definitely see how head positioning changes the sound, depending on your head shape.

 

[mvule]

Its true of the entire 5 series line. Because the drivers are angled and they have the E.A.R. technology, which is basically structures within the cup that bounce the sound around to increase perceived soundstage- like the little jut out in the back of the cup.

If you position a 5 series headphone with your ears further to the front of the cup, they get brighter and less bassy. If you push your ears all the way back they get more bassy and muffled. Correct positioning it with your ear hole in the middle of the cup, so that the jut out is like directly behind your ear hole.

This is not a property of the 6 series, as the drivers are not angled. Moving your ear around within the cup doesn't do much for sound.

I can definitely see how head positioning changes the sound, depending on your head shape.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know it is a trait of the 5 series.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

can anyone confirm if the HD560s earbads are deeper than the HD6X0 series?

 

[rev6]

can anyone confirm if the HD560s earbads are deeper than the HD6X0 series?

Yes they are.

 

[ColdsnapBry]

Yes they are.

Gotcha, I might have to try a pair as my ears hella touch on the 6XX series.

 

[FeedYourHead]

So I was super hyped to come back from my run and find my 560s had arrived a day early! Unfortunately, my excitement didn't even last long enough to plug them in.

[rant on]

Holy hell, the clamping force! By far the heaviest clamp I've ever experienced. What would drive Sennheiser to make a headphone so small?? I promise this would be tight on many children's heads. I don't have an abnormally large skull; my hat size is 7 5/8 and fits a bit loose. Evem my wife at 5'5" with a good bit smaller head than me was astounded at the clamp. Maybe I got a weird example? I know many have commented on a moderate clamp, but nothing like what I'm experiencing! For all the focus on the Sivga Phoenix and their poor fit and small sizing, they fit like an absolute dream compared to these, once I did a reverse bend on the steel headband.

And that brings up a good point, a plastic headband in 2020 just isn't cutting it, for this reason alone: it's mostly un-adjustable where clamp force is concerned. If you must do a plastic headband, for the love of god, err on the side of caution and make them loose. You'll get way more complaints about comfort than you ever will about them falling off (especially when these clearly aren't aimed at portability).

[rant off]

 

[conquerator2]

You can still bend it, no? I've bent a few plastic headbands without issues, you just need to be careful.

 

[FeedYourHead]

You can still bend it, no? I've bent a few plastic headbands without issues, you just need to be careful.

I guess, but I don't think I'll get nearly the amount of movement out of plastic I'd need to make these tolerable.

It's also not a problem I thought I needed to be worried about in the slightest; my Hd-598 are the most comfortable cans I've ever put on my head! Why would they change the mold? These literally fit inside of my 598 without spreading the earcups!!

 

[conquerator2]

I guess, but I don't think I'll get nearly the amount of movement I'd need to make these tolerable.

It's also not a problem I thought I needed to be worried about in the slightest; my Hd-598 are the most comfortable cans I've ever put on my head! Why would they change the mold? These literally fit inside of my 598 without spreading the earcups!!

Hmm, that sounds like you might have gotten a bad apple. I'd probably try bending them enough but if you determine that's not possible, probably ask Sennheiser for a replacement or return them if the sound doesn't work for you