Needs more cowbell. 
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Any word on whether this is another pad change or something internal?
Check the date on that measurement 
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Damnit, Iâve been pwned. 
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HiFiMan announces the Sundayra for 2021. Itâs both a set of headphones and an ice cream sundae bowl.
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Today I was tempted to write on the HE6 thread, âHey so now that Loveless is streaming, my normal HE6 amp canât drive them to the levels I need to listen to Loveless any recommendationsâ but I donât own an HE6 and I like this joke better.
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I ended up returning the Sundaraâs. Ultimately, they just eeked out over the SHP 9500âs âto my earsâ, but they werenât nearly as comfortable and the earcups didnât fit quite right over my ears. If they came out with a larger earpad for them and a little less clamp force, I would have kept them. Unfortunately, they didnât sound $280 better than the $70 SHP 9500âs that I started with.
I LOVE the sound profile of both the Sundara and SHP9500. I also have the KPH30i with add-on Grado earpads, as well as the SHP9600. The 9600âs sound so âhollowâ to me compared to the Sundara/9500. I really like the KPH30i for the price too.
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I have a question, why the 2021 measurement of the revision Sundara looks so smoothed and different from the other ones including the 2020 and the new April 2021 measurements?
The treble is very smooth, all of them share that characteristic 9.5Khz dip and sudden gain afterwards except for that one. By the way is it only Left or channel combined?
The oratory1990 measurement of the revised version is actually your 2020 measurement, as claimed in the footpage of PDF. We still need him to measure it for confirmation (of FR).
Read Oratoryâs FAQ on why the 9khz dip should be there. Thatâs essentially concha interaction, and according to his FAQ, every good headphone will show some dip in that region.
For smoothing and averaging, these measurements are generally smoothed to 1/12th (fairly normal) and averaged from a number of seatings. If youâre looking at the most recent comparison, that one unit is from 2018 with the old pads - so it measures differently. It has the same 1/12th applied.
This issue has been put to rest given that there are now numerous examples of the new ones measuring differently. Even Sean Olive has measured it, showing the same results (roughly) as what I got, and within unit variation tolerances. There should be no more confusion on this subject - at least until they make another revisionâŠ
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I just got my Sundara and I have no sound!.I unplug / replug and sometimes I get sound from right earcup, though I canât see what Iâm, doing differently. This is with 3 different sources: phone, PC, receiver. I verified that sources are outputting sound with another pair of headphones. It doesnât have the power requirements the Sundara has, but surely my old Pioneer receiver is putting out plenty? Volume is up
So, I figure, bad cable? I donât have another 3.5mm to dual 3.5mm or another pair of headphones that uses the same connection, so I tried connecting a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable to one earcup at a time. Same thing happens: sometimes I get sound from right cup, again no idea what Iâm doing differently, never sound from left cup.
The connections seem good, they click in firmly and donât seem loose. The sound when I do get some does not cut in and out.
Any ideas whatâs wrong? Thanks in advance.
PS: are the earpads supposed to ber lopsided? Theyâre thicker on top and squished at the bottom.
PPS: I ordered mine on 4/.22/21. Do I have the latest revision?
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Welcome to the community - Iâm sorry youâre having this problem. Given your explanation, it seems as though thereâs something wrong with the left headphone.
I can think of two potential problems, which isnât to say there arenât others: 1) with the wiring in the headphone, or 2) with the driver itself.
Unfortunately, you wouldnât be the first to suffer from a defective or broken HiFiMan. In fact, it wonât take you long to find many examples of people experiencing dead drivers.
I wouldnât expend any effort trying to diagnose the problem; just get a replacement or a refund, if you can.
Good luck
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Does anyone know if the HE400i 2020 headband would work on the Sundara? Am interested to change the headband to improve comfort.
Hello all!
Quick question: I have the 2020 Sundara and am Iâm looking to purchase a balanced DAC. Iâm particularly drawn to either the Topping D70s or the Schiit Bifrost 2, but I wasnât sure if that would be grossly overkill for the headphone itself. Is there a ceiling for the type of DAC that would really make the Sundara sound great? As if, should I get a more âbudgetâ balanced DAC like a Schiit Modius or Soncoz LA-QXD1 to get the most out of the Sundara? Hopefully my question makes senseâŠ
Thanks!
Derrick
My suggestion is get the DAC that is higher performing so that down the line, if you upgrade your headphones, you should be setâŠ
If you donât plan on upgrading in the future, then you should be fine with the budget DACs imo.
Hope that helps!
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My, very personal, surprise candidate, the Hifiman Sundara, connected to the Rebellamp, in high gain mode, the volume-control pulled up until it starts to hum, then turn back about an hour (about 1:30 p.m.), the volume is then controlled on the DAC, WOW , the Sundara performs, so set, well above its price range.
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In my experience the DACâs technology is more important than balanced architecture. In my experience balanced anything doesnât make much difference for planar headphones.
Iâm using the balanced Bifrost 2 with the NON-BALANCED RebelAmp which renders balanced pointless. Iâm using the standard RCA output (also see @Lothar_Wolf and the RebelAmp).
Overkill may be desirable for the amp, while the DAC sets the stage for the potential of the amp. The Bifrost 2 is more nuanced than my AKM DAC â see my comments in the Bifrost 2 thread.
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Iâm looking into a balanced DAC because I already purchased an amp that only has balanced in/balanced out (Geshelli Erish), but I appreciate the thoughts on the DACâs technology being more important than the balanced architecture.
My question is more geared toward understanding if the Sundara would still get the most out of a Topping D70s or Bifrost 2 or if the Sundara has its limits, so much that I should stick with a more budget friendly DAC like a Schiit Modius or Soncoz LA-QXD1.
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Yes, I understood and wrote my thoughts on the Bifrost 2 here: Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC - Official Thread - #379 by generic
With the Bifrostâs improvements to my AFC, Clear, and HD-600 I think you may well hear improvements even with the Sundara. However, the amp is likely to have a larger impact.
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Today is the day when I have to expressly apologize to @Resolve :
Andrew 
My previous experiences with Hifiman headphones have been rather negative, due to poor workmanship and exaggerated tonal tuning, I wasnât really able to gain anything from Hifiman products.
With the Sundara, since years of abstinence from this brand,
I have dared a âfresh startâ for the first time and found it from the beginning, in connection with my Rebel Amp and a Questyle DAC, above average in its price class, but the total enthusiasm of Andrew, I couldnât quite understand this intensity, especially since there are some really good headphones in this price range.
Iâve had to revise that since last Friday;
I dare to say that the Sundara is REALLY superior to any headphones in this price category.
Why?
Well, because of this little âhelperâ, which really proves again how important the interaction of hi-fi components really is!
I paired it with the sundara for the first time on that day and tried out various settings.
And lo and behold:
Suddenly the, xBass & 3D switch really make sense.
Before, I only used them on one or the other of the in-ear headphones and on my GRADOâs so far.
And it made: 
Such a large number of details,
precise spatial representation,
pronounced selectivity in the imaging of the various voices and instruments,
the possibility of exact localization of each reproduced tone in the room,
the ability to reproduce low bass frequencies and controlled with a powerful slap and punch (a skill that many of these talk about headphones)
and hardly overwhelmed with really busy tracks.
And the whole thing, almost across genres,
you really rarely donât have the feeling that you have to reduce the volume during a song.
Iâll give you a few examples from my test track list to support these statements:
1.)
A challenging busy track:
After 48 seconds a deep bass starts in the background, which comes across as really grumbling,
from minute 1:22 the violins play their way into the foreground and Björkâs voice is inserted into a ring of instruments, so to speak.
At no time does the voice get lost or is âoverplayedâ by the orchestra around Björk.
(The concentrated Sennheiser 6xx series presents a certain âmushyâ at the latest, and is a bit overwhelmed in these passages)
Nevertheless, you can always focus on each individual instrument if you want.
Even my beloved Grado SR2e doesnât get the 3-dimensionality and airiness between the instruments shown in this form 
.
2:)
A track with a lot of small details that only a few headphones, especially in this price range, are able to reproduce so clearly.
Practically from the first second, the foot pedals of the piano can be heard, from second 20, onwards there is one or the other mechanical noise of the cable pulls.
In addition, the strength of the touch of the keyboards is wonderfully perceptible, and the quality of the tonal decay of the played tones is fabulous spatially available.
From a second 38 onwards, Saraâs breathing technique starts audibly.
After 1:10 minute you can hear the lips moving apart and sticking together slightly.
From minute 1:15 it gets interesting, from then on there are a few words that contain the letters S, F, T, and the recording shows that these, with most headphones, cause stabbing on the ear drum, not like that with this AMP headphone combination.
The Sundara is able to convey this passage extremely refreshingly and sparkly to the listener.
The highly acclaimed Focal Clear in particular absolutely disappointed me with this song, all of these details were only roughly hinted at with this one.
3.)
An example of the deep bass capabilities of this Can.
First the very crisp depiction of the falling stones / pearls, then the spacious echo of the singing bowls.
Then in 11 seconds the powerful bass element swashing in from left to right in the background.
Which strikes ryhmically and very deeply from the second 23 onwards. Before 35 seconds the bass gets really intensely punchy.
Here, in turn, the Focal Clear has its âshining momentâ, it masters this genre like hardly any other headphones in my collection.
4.)
A wonderful example of how the size of the room can be perceived by simply reproducing a few tones (piano strokes) and their fading away in the room.
When Lou after 43 seconds just loosens her lips and opens her mouth, the arc of tension literally rises, in anticipation of what will be presented next.
This kind of emotionality that can be created by simply reproducing the recordings and the headphones is what I talk about when I rave about my GRADOâs.
Especially the GS3000e and the RS2e are fantastic at it.
Again, the Focal Clear is unable to do this, it just sounds too mechanical / technical for that.
This is where he has his qualities.
The same applies (technically sounding), with the exception of live recordings and classical music performance, also for the Sennheiser HD800s, in this genre it is (for me at least) the master of all classes.
5.)
Here we have an example of detail, spatiality, bass and a âdifficult voice.â
Right at the beginning, you hear very brief mechanical noises, then the tones that sound in the room, at a tonal frequency that can hurt one or the other headphone.
From 18 seconds onwards, the bass drum, which with other headphones
(Sennheiser 6xx series),
sounds rather washed-out, but is reproduced in a somewhat structured manner due to the recording with my comboâŠ
At 1:13 the sudden fade-in of the audience, where every viewer can be clearly located.
At 1:24 am Emiliana starts singing, her voice is just as âborderlineâ for me as the lady following in the next example.
The Sundara, together with the signature, actually makes it possible for me to endure this voice with a Planar magnetic headphone, even with a certain enjoyment factor 
Until then, unthinkable for me in the planar headphone sector.
Compliment 
If you want to know what Iâm talking about, you should listen to this song on a Beyerdynaic DT1990 pro, then this peron will probably have to consult an ear doctor.
6.)
One last example of how this combo, and thus of course the headphones themselves, can shine with a very busy, high-pitched, fast song with an intense vocal range.
First the reproduction of the double bass (where the focal clear occasionally starts to clip), which is reproduced here cleanly, accompanied by Petra Magoni, who is sharply separated from the rest of the instruments.
(Here Dan ClarK headphones have time and again problems separating them)
The track lives from a constant increase in intensity, from minute 3:18, the voice register is then in the high range that drives many headphones crazy,
if not even before the driver through the vibrations of the bass, the drivers have started to flutter.
With many headphones, such pieces of music can only be played at a very limited volume, otherwise mechanical problems arise with the drivers.
Here at the latest, my beloved Koss absolutely reach their limits, to present this kind of music cleanly.
So here too, compliments to Hifiman 
For all these reasons I tried the Ananda in the same pairing, and lo and behold:
An increase in what I have experienced with the Sundara is absolutely noticeable.
Now I am considering whether to buy the Susvara, but I still have such slight inhibitions for this price, based on my previous experiences.
Possibly just an Abyss Diana Phi, with V2 pads, is probably the more solid choice,
letâs see 
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A great writeup @Lothar_Wolf and I love your song comparisons too.
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