HiFiMAN Sundara Headphones

Product Information

The midrange is extremely sweet, and at least for me, it is the highlight of the Sundara. It is not a forward midrange, and I really love that, it is neutral in the overall presentation, ever so slightly cold rather than warm. This compliments pretty much everything I have in my library, especially metal and guitar notes, and when paired with a high-quality DAC/AMP or DAP, you can hear a ton of detail from Sundara, in fact, making them just one step below Arya or HE6SE, both of which are uber expensive flagships. If you’re using an iBasso DX220 + AMP7 from iBasso, there are moments when you wouldn’t be able to say that Sundara is a 500 USD Headphone, especially for how dynamic, detailed, punchy, and clear the midrange is. The midrange is ever so slightly on the cold side, but this compliments guitars quite well and gives the entire sound a very dynamic and snappy presentation, compared to a lush presentation which usually imposes more weight on each musical note.

Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), slightly better tonality on the Sundara, a lot cleaner and more detailed as well with better timbre. Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal/instrument tonality and timbre are a lot better on the Sundara.Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), more mid-bass quantity on the KPH30i but a lot cleaner on the Sundara due to the faster and tighter bass. More texture and a lot more detailed as well on the Sundara.

In this set, everything is mainly about our preferences, because the sundara will sound less entertaining, a bit more technical. The quality of the sundara itself is also better in my opinion. Instead of plastic, we have high-quality metal elements. Deva pro, however, wins with a more bass and entertaining form, and great functionality of bluemini which gives us a really ready-made solution in the field of amplification and DAC for our headphones. Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal tonality and timbre are slightly better on the R70X but cleaner, more detailed and more clarity on the Sundara. Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre, texture and detail are a lot better on the Sundara. Violin tonality is better on the HD560S, but timbre, detail, timbre and treble-extension are better on the Sundara.

Large, Open-Back Enclosures

With a chassis constructed from sheet metal, not plastic, the SUNDARA headphones are durable and long lasting. Despite this, the slim, aluminium chassis design means they’re comparatively lightweight – especially given their enveloping design. A relatively high sensitivity makes the SUNDARA easy to power. Although a dedicated headphone amp will always sound best, the SUNDARA’s are efficient enough to be driven by most built-in headphone stages or even a smartphone.

Ranganatha Ramayanam, a Telugu version of Valmiki Ramayana written by Gona Budha Reddy, also describes this episode. Smooth upper mids, something many headphones in this price point struggle with - no offensive grain or harshness in the upper mids, no classic planar recession here either. Comparatively, the Sennheiser HD 650/HD 6XX is a grainy mess in the upper mids. The HE-5XX is more forward in comparison, and has slight upper mid recession resulting in less "air". Vocals sound very authentic.

Conclusion​

It’s the treble, more than the mids and bass, that belie the Sundara’s status as one of the budget members of Hifiman’s lineup.

As such, the Sundara Headphones areneutral-sounding headphones, but so much more. Their accuracy andtimbral accuracywill have you reaching for different genres to engage with. They are also fun. Whenclear imagingandanintimate soundstage arecoupled with the musicyou love and listen to most, it’s aperfect match.I can recommend these headphones without hesitation. Hiroyuki Sawano – Pretenders (01:18-01:47), a bit more bass quantity on the R70X but similar texture while it is faster and tighter on the Sundara. A bit more tonally correct on the R70X and better timbre but cleaner and more detailed on the Sundara (treble is also more refined on the Sundara and less peaky). I am playing most of the songs from Tidal (Turkey one - cause its cheaper) and everyday I am discovering a new sound in songs that I have been listening since last 10-15 years. I am not an audiophile and probably will not ever become one, but I know my music and enjoy it. These planars enrich the experience of enjoying music.Headphones and IEMs require a certain level of power to sound their best and work at their full potential. When your headphones or IEMs are underpowered, they can sound thin or muffled. Robert P. Goldman; Sally Sutherland Goldman, eds. (1996), The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India: Sundarkand, Princeton University Press, pp.80–82, ISBN 978-0-691-06662-2 Despite all that, Hifiman still hasn’t managed to pry loose the old thorn in their sides that is quality control. Driver failures abound, and the manufacturing quality of their headbands still varies wildly. These issues seem to be commonplace enough that some dealings with Hifiman customer service should perhaps even be anticipated. And you can go ahead and buy an aftermarket cable right off the bat – the included one is no good.