Planar headphones often have a diffuse, dithered, grainy sound versus dynamic drivers. I don’t think you have a bad pair.
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Hoy can i solve tris? With a better dac or amp?
Yes, a DAC or an amp could well make a difference. You’re using just the Dragonfly Red right now? I’ve not heard it, or the Sundara, so I can’t comment on the pairing. But it’s possible that some pairings of DACs and amps can accentuate certain characteristics of headphones that people find displeasing.
You might like to experiment, then, with other gear. I’ll let others offer recommendations for you. You might need a warmer or darker DAC or amp.
Sometimes, though, you can’t completely get rid of the inherent characteristics of some headphones. You can mitigate or ameliorate things you dislike, but they may not go away altogether. If that’s the case, you might get used to the graininess or come to tolerate it, or you may decide you need to try something else. Good luck!
Also, you might consider switching spotify for a higher-quality streaming service like Tidal or Qobuz. They won’t make for a vast difference, especially as you get into the hobby, but the high-quality source can make an appreciable improvement once you’re used to the sound of your gear. This shouldn’t be your first priority, though. See what people say about good DAC and amp pairings for your Sundara.
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Anyone who owns the new revision of the sundaras. How is the build quality since then? Did you have to replace it? Just wondering what’s people experience with the sundaes build quality and driver quality are.
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Just wondering what’s people experience with the sundaes build quality and driver quality are.
I know this is just a typo but the Hifiman Sundae has a nice ring to it.
I’ve had two Sundaras and the first started to exhibit some channel imbalance so I exchanged for a new pair which performed admirably. Everything started in @Resolve’s review about the recent revision is true.
That’s what my HE-560s did before one driver blew. They required more and more and more amp power to generate the same volume. I think the standard failure path for HiFiMan involves the progressive cracking of the circuits as the membranes vibrate.
Per the original question, my HE-560s were always a bit grainy/diffuse from the very start. I actually liked that about them.
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I have owned mine for a couple of months now. They replaced the Senns HD650. I am running them from my MojoPoly and have no complaints whatsoever. Fully agree with @Resolve’s review. Great value and very flexible in terms of genres. Listening to pop, rock, indie, electronica, jazz, acoustic, live. Everything’s fine. They’re also very comfortable cans. Enjoy!
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Yikes, that sounds bad. I decided to not let it get to that point I actually have another pair on the way as I like them so much.
I’ve only had mine for a couple of months. They’ve seen very light usage. Sound is perfect but the size adjustment mechanism has gotten very sticky at the smaller sizes and doesn’t “click” into place. @Chrono said in his review that he was concerned about the build quality in this part of the headband and he was right.
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Even worse, the same headband’s on the $1,800 HE6se.
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So I’ve been listening to my (3rd) replacement pair and within a few hours use the drivers have started to fail. Weird distortion in the bass slowly spreading to all frequency ranges and decreased volume output. 2 out of 3 defective pairs is not a good sign for me. I’ve arranged for a replacement to be shipped via Amazon, but I’m starting to lose faith in the brand. If the replacement pair does not perform, I may give the Senn HD560s a shot. Makes me a bit sad, because when the Sundara works, it’s fantastic.
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If three headphones in a row die the same way in a very short period of time, you may want to also investigate whether or not other factors have something to do with it. What amplifier are you using?
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The first pair that malfunctioned started showing channel imbalance but didn’t show the same distortion that this new pair did. I’m using an Atom stack to drive them on low gain and the DAC and amp haven’t exhibited any issues before with other headphones.
Is there another issue I should be looking out for?
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This post has a photo of my HiFiMan (HFM) HE-560 driver after it cracked all over and
died as well as a stock photo of a fresh driver:
The good/functional driver had as many cracks and looked almost the same, but didn’t have the circuit-breaking crater (lower left edge).
If you read the HE-560 thread, many or most users had issues with the product. In lasting 18 months, @pwjazz said mine were age 70 in Sennheiser years. And my HE-560s were not the first/worst generation with plastic yokes – that version would cry and stop working out of spite if you looked at it funny.
My takeaway is that the same thing that makes HFM products unique (i.e., delicate, airy sound) is the same thing that makes them fail quickly. They rely on fine, thin, electric circuits that constantly vibrate in use. This is fighting an uphill battle, as heat and constant flexing lead to work-hardening and cracks. I replaced my HE-560s with the Focal Clear and never looked back. Given the technology and proven reliability issues with HFM, I’d personally never spend more than $200 to $300 on any of their products and also assume they would fail (i.e., usable only during the warranty period).
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It’s possible it’s just several bad headphones, and the constant reliability issues are part of what keeps me away from HFM.
With that said, I did have an amp eat a pair of Eikons once by failing to output an ac signal and dump a crap load of dc directly to the voice coil over a period of time (thereby turning it into a heater coil). FYI - Headphones are not supposed to smoke.
Now, obviously, planar drivers don’t have coils, but I imagine they will fail just the same if that happened. That’s why I asked.
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I am a very happy Sundara-owner but have started to worry about how long I will be able to enjoy them before they fall apart. 
Has anyone managed to keep them running without problems for an extended period of time, ie longer than the actual warranty period?
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One additional thing about my HE-560s, they seemed to require a ‘charging,’ ‘saturation,’ or ‘magnetization’ phase if I didn’t use them regularly. The drivers sounded flat or hollow for a few hours if they hadn’t been used for a couple weeks. This pattern continued predictably for 12+ months, and then they started drawing more and more power (getting weaker) for the last 2-3 months before dying.
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I see. Other than some minor volume pot issues, my Atom has performed admirably, but I’ll keep an eye out to see if that changes.
It’s sad that this is happening with my planar Hifiman, but it is notable that my dynamic driver Hifiman IEMs have been absolutely bulletproof over the last 5 or 6 years I’ve owned them.
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I love the sound so much that I’m willing to roll the dice one more time to get a good unit, but after this time, I may be forced to look elsewhere so I’m a little sad as well
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This kind of concern led me to sell my Sundaras. Great headphone, but every time I put them on or away, I felt this kind of paranoia that they might break.
The Sundaras only came out slightly less than three years ago, so you’re not going to find anyone who’s had them for longer than that.
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