HiFiMAN Sundara Planar Magnetic Headphones

[Frederik S]

The HiFiMAN Sundara is the name of the wildly successful HE-400i which set the bar in terms of sound quality for entry-level planar magnetic headphones. The Sundara is roughly the same form factor, but a lot has happened on the design front. The Sundara features a new headband, new cup, and new pads, which are more in line with their higher-end offerings.

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[mab1376]

subjectively, how do you like this compared to the HE-500?

Head-Direct HiFiMAN HE-500 Headphones Review

Headphone producer Head-Direct seems unstoppable when it comes to releasing new orthodynamic based headphones. The newest arrival is named HE-500 and slots in between the HE-5LEs and the HE-6s. New for the HE-500s is a special driver setup that allows for much higher efficiency.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Space Lynx]

I have tested Sundara, Ananda, and about 100 other headphones. The diminishing returns are real.

You are better off getting the Sennheiser HD58X for $160 shipped off massdrop.

 

[BArms]

I have these and the Massdrop HD6XX's, powered by either a FIIO E10K or Creative G6, both external DAC/AMPs and they both drive them pretty well. The Sundara's sound appreciably better to me than the HD 6XX's and are more comfortable, have much better imaging in games so it's easier to pinpoint where sounds come from, and better overall sound quality to my ears at least.

 

[Space Lynx]

I have these and the Massdrop HD6XX's, powered by either a FIIO E10K or Creative G6, both external DAC/AMPs and they both drive them pretty well. The Sundara's sound appreciably better to me than the HD 6XX's and are more comfortable, have much better imaging in games so it's easier to pinpoint where sounds come from, and better overall sound quality to my ears at least.

HD58X sounds better than HD6XX just fyi, and also has improved imaging/soundstage. Sundara has a treble that hurt my ears, but everyone's ears are different.

 

[gamefoo21]

HD58X sounds better than HD6XX just fyi, and also has improved imaging/soundstage. Sundara has a treble that hurt my ears, but everyone's ears are different.

That's broad strokes, it's hugely dependent upon what you want. The HD58X is a great set of cans no doubt, they are more like being in a audience, larger sound stage, better imaging but it comes at the cost of clarity. More bump, but less sparkle in ways.

The HD6XX on the other hand is more intimate sounding, like having a private performance, with some real detail retrieval, but they are a very even headphone and some people hate the 'veil'.

For gaming the HD58X are better. For vocal(especially female) heavy or classical type music the HD6XX is better.

If you want a set that shits the bed, then falls out face planting in a puddle of cat piss screams... Beyers are your treat. Most people learn on the V shaped sound reproduction cans. Some people honestly do prefer boosted lows, recessed mids and bumped up highs, nothing wrong with that.

End of rant...

As someone who can't stand sibilance, and it's downright painful, sizzling treble is lithium to my water. -_-

 

[Space Lynx]

That's broad strokes, it's hugely dependent upon what you want. The HD58X is a great set of cans no doubt, they are more like being in a audience, larger sound stage, better imaging but it comes at the cost of clarity. More bump, but less sparkle in ways.

The HD6XX on the other hand is more intimate sounding, like having a private performance, with some real detail retrieval, but they are a very even headphone and some people hate the 'veil'.

For gaming the HD58X are better. For vocal(especially female) heavy or classical type music the HD6XX is better.

If you want a set that shits the bed, then falls out face planting in a puddle of cat piss screams... Beyers are your treat. Most people learn on the V shaped sound reproduction cans. Some people honestly do prefer boosted lows, recessed mids and bumped up highs, nothing wrong with that.

End of rant...

As someone who can't stand sibilance, and it's downright painful, sizzling treble is lithium to my water. -_-

sundara has sibilance to my ears

 

[gamefoo21]

sundara has sibilance to my ears

Honestly it's why I'm leery about any of the Hifiman planar magnetic models, the ones that I consider obtainable all have that tendency.

PM type cans can hammer on the bass, but they also tend to sizzle and snap painfully in their highs often. There are some that restrain the highs but they tend to be quite expensive.

 

[BArms]

I think they sound great. But then again, I used to think audiophile was a compliment until I started researching headphones I'm not sure they're worth $500 which is what I paid, but they're definitely the best sounding cans I've heard myself for both gaming and music and best of all I have no more addiction to researching and buying more headphones.

 

[Deleted member 157276]

HD58X sounds better than HD6XX just fyi, and also has improved imaging/soundstage. Sundara has a treble that hurt my ears, but everyone's ears are different.

No it doesn't, "fyi". Soundstage on both are pretty identical and (the fact that the user below you say the 58X sounds like being in an audience is hilarious and goes to show how little you ought to take "audiophile" community seriously), and imaging on the 6XX is better. 6XX (or rather 6x0 family) have fantastic imaging for their price range, and the best quite well into their price range (including against the Sundaras). This is true of overall sound quality in fact: the 6x0 series is the king of mid-fi.

58X uses the inferior 500 series drivers (probably 598) in a 6x0 chassis with an attempt at 660 tuning. It is demonstrably inferior in detail, grain, imaging, etc. to a 6x0 headphone. Is it a good value? A great value, like the entire 6x0 family. But the 598 with 6x0 tuning has the same quality for even cheaper price, and would be the better pick in that regard.

Here's a guy with functioning ears (no placebo), who'll give a proper analysis of the 58X and how it compares to the others in the 6x0 series:

 

[Space Lynx]

No it doesn't, "fyi". Soundstage on both are pretty close up in fact (the fact that the user below you say the 58X sounds like being in an audience is hilarious and goes to show how little you ought to take "audiophile" community seriously), and imaging on the 6XX is better. 6XX (or rather 6x0 family) have fantastic imaging for their price range, and the best quite well into their price range (including against the Sundaras). 58X uses the inferior 500 series drivers in a 6x0 chassis. It is demonstrably inferior in detail, grain, imaging, etc. Is it a good value? Yes. But the 598 with 6x0 tuning has the same quality for even cheaper price.

Here's a guy with proper ears who'll give a proper analysis of the 58X and how it compares to the others in the 6x0 series:

Sounds like you need to pair your headphones with the right amps/dacs then, because HD58X has amazing soundstage, rivaling K7xx even, on my custom made tube amp.

dacs/amps can transform headphones, no headphone is bad period, it all depends if you can find the right dac/amp it synergies with.

 

[Deleted member 157276]

Sounds like you need to pair your headphones with the right amps/dacs

There's no such thing. DACs and amps' job is to be as transparent as possible. The idea between amp and DAC pairing is nonsense, and so long as they are technically clean and powerful enough to provide sufficient SPL, then there's not much more they should do. Coloration of sound may have made sense in the past when we had only tube amps, and their coloration was our only way of adjusting the frequency range. But since the invention of the transistor, and with the introduction of solid state amplification, as well as the introduction of DSPs, where you can turn your headphone to uout liking (to get that "synergy" you are talking about -- one of those impressive words people in this community use about things that make no sense), the need for Amps and DACs for coloration is both redundant and stupid. Amps and DACs should be transparent. If not, you end up splitting a problem up in more branches, forcing people to make the redundant job of "pairing". DACs and amps should be transparent and let the job of coloration, which clearly people enjoy in one way or the other (some people like more bass than usual, for example), be up to only the EQ, or even just one of the factors (the headphone).

If you have a hard time understanding this, I suggest you ask an actual audio engineer about it on: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php

And I've owned my fair share of "pairs", including quite recently THX-789, which, apart from being really well-perfoming and transparent, as demonstrated by objective measurements, is overpowered in output levels (the only area where you can really provide and argument, as it has impact on bass -- though slight). I sold that off for the JDS Atom, as it's almost as clean (both are beyond any audibility in this area anyway), and provides still more than enough power for my needs (even after -11 dB EQ for my HD800).

 

[Frederik S]

subjectively, how do you like this compared to the HE-500?

Head-Direct HiFiMAN HE-500 Headphones Review

Headphone producer Head-Direct seems unstoppable when it comes to releasing new orthodynamic based headphones. The newest arrival is named HE-500 and slots in between the HE-5LEs and the HE-6s. New for the HE-500s is a special driver setup that allows for much higher efficiency.

www.techpowerup.com

I think the new ones are a bit better in all aspects except for the tuning, which is easy to fix with na equalizer. The Sundara are also much more sturdy.