I’ve been using my Sundara cables for my Elex since the stock ones both died. Seem to me to work fine, even though the cup-end plugs on the Elex were trs, and the Sundara are trrs.
Thanks for the quick reply, I had the same thought after posting, duh!
Periapt cables uses the same termination plug for Focal and later Hifiman models, so I think that’s my answer…
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Hey guys!
Really thinking about stepping up from my DT 770 Pros to a Sundara.
I got a Qudelix 5K as my portable DAC/Amp, do you reckon it is a good choice for the Sundara? Or do I need something more powerful?
Thanks!
I don’t own the Sundara, but by the numbers it needs a little over 2 Vrms, so you’d probably want to run the Qudelix in high output mode and use a balanced cable.
Thanks! When I get it, I’ll post here and/or the Qudelix topic 
So I’m new to the audiophile experience. Earlier this year I bought AirPods Max and it gave me a glimpse into how good audio could sound. After many hours of YT videos and audiophile blogs I finally took the plunge and purchased the Hifiman Sundara and paired it with the Topping E50/L50.
I couldn’t be happier with my decision! I’ve been listening to new music and re-experiencing songs I’ve known for years.
Per the instruction manual I’m doing the 150 burn in to improve sound quality even further. I’ve been playing music continually to reach the 150 limit as quickly as possible.
My questions for the forum:
- what volume is recommended for burn in when not actively listening to music? I’ve been using a comfortable listening volume and using various genres of music.
- what improvement have you noted after the burn in period? Some reviewers have mentioned a slightly wider sound stage. What has been your personal experience?
Thanks in advance for your insight and help!
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Congrats!
I recommend burning in the headphone by actually listening to it, as the differences in sound can likely be attributed to the pads breaking in, not the headphone internals; the pads won’t soften up if they’re not clamped on your head (or a simulated head headphone stand). Moderate volumes will be just fine.
Enjoy!
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Ah, that makes sense! I wasn’t quite sure why the electronics needed burn in.
Appreciate the insight!
Following up here!
My Sundaras just arrived. What a beast.
The Qudelix 5K is driving it fine in low gain balanced, reporting only 100-180 mV on the output for moderate volume levels. Anything above 500 mV is way too loud for me, and I suppose also unsafe for long listening sessions.
Detail and extension seems to be on par with what I was expecting - I don’t have any other amp to try it on tho.
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Has anyone who owns the Sundara have any experience with Dekoni pads on it? If so, which ones? What do you think? Thanks!
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I have the Dekoni sheepskin (non fenestrated) pads and love them. Removes the sibilance and brings out the low end a good bit… for me at least. YMMV. They’re a bit firmer than the stock pads though, so if the clamp force is too much already, the Dekoni’s definitely won’t help. I have a tiny head, so it’s a non-issue for me.
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I’ve tried these. Looks like i’m in the disliked camp. What a subjective hobby.
First and foremost, the comfort is very bad for me. Almost ties with the M50X in the most uncomfortable headphones i’ve used category.
Character/signature: It’s a bit energetic and aggressive type of sound. Not my favourite type for general, extended use.
It’s little bright and sharp to my ears. Little rough. Is this what people call dry? I mean i don’t mind Beyers, i don’t know how Sundara offends me with this treble. Treble splashes can be nasty. I think i hear treble peak but not 100% sure. No measurement (except audiosciencereview) show treble peak.
Tonality wise it sounds correct but somehow hot, sharp, incisive. Sundara sounds more ‘‘correct’’ to my ears than Ananda. Ananda have too much imbalance between 1k-5k to my ears.
Soundstage isn’t good. Forward and claustrophobic for my taste. No atmosphere or immersive’ness. Everything is bombarded to my ears from right and left. Restricted soundstage. Everything fights for my attention, they don’t exist in harmony with impressive images.
The bass is one note and monotonous. Mids are good, it’s zoomed in and has good texture/detail to it. Treble is somehow forward and artificial?
Feels like Hifiman did good mids and throw in energetic bass/treble to spice things up. Mid bass is present and thumpy, treble is present and energetic. Sub bass is poor even with EQ.
Compared to Ananda, everything is noticeably worse except the dynamics. Since it’s more forward, it has more pressurized sound compared to Ananda which makes dynamics a bit better. I’d say they are fundamentally different headphones. Ananda is not ‘‘better Sundara’’.
Especially the bass difference is huge i think. Ananda’s bass is whole another world of detail and nuance. Soundstage is also another big difference.
This is my humble opinion. I’ve used Ananda for more than a year(died couple weeks ago) and Sundara for couple of days/hours so no long term evaluation here. Not my favourite type but it’s a good headphone overall if you don’t mind the soundstage and comfort. Energetic lows, highs and pretty good mids. A bit incisive but tonally correct headphone. I find the difference between Sundara and Ananda quite big so i can’t say it’s a better value compared to $700 Ananda. Haven’t heard Edition XS but i guess it bests these two headphones in value department.
Overall, the soundstage and comfort dealbreaker for me.
Edit: Sundara actually sounds like a cheaper DT 1990. I’d say 1990 slightly better in every metric but it’s a bit extreme in terms of intensity of the sound. Sundara is a bit safer choice. On the other hand 1990’s build is way more safer, would probably last decades with no problem. You never know with Hifiman planars.
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I can add my 2 cents.
I bought a used 2020 revision Sundara a couple of weeks ago (before that the 560s was my best headphone) and got my Fiio K9 amateur a few days ago (JDS Atom before that)
And yes, it sounds amazing, extremely immersive, super smooth, insanely detailed.
Verrrrrrry fatiguing but the highs have nothing to do with it - the reason is the extreme immersiveness - I can not simply listen and enjoy - I get steamrolled by an enourmous mountain of music that hits me like all trucks. Every song flushes me with emotions of all sorts.
Sure I’m really new to this, a few month ago I listened to a 10 euro BT in-ear and now to this monster setup but nevertheless… I was kind of prepared trough the Atom and the 560s - still… this is so cool 
I didn’t even try out my other headphones on the K9 (AVG 361, Grado SR60, Tygr), the Sundara destroys them all. I totally lost interest for now.
Still I’ve already mentioned this in a DMS comment, I wouldn’t recommend to buy the K9 - the Atom is more than enough for the Sundara. Buying the K9 is a bit like adding a nice gaming mouse, a wooden keyboard and maybe a fancy new case for my already great pc. It smoothens it but isn’t needed. The wow effect was already there.
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I still need to try out that amp, on his recommendation. Maybe one day I can ask to borrow it from him hah.
Yes both the comfort and the sound too fatiguing for me but i see your point with the immersion. It sounds intense.
I wonder how fit affects the tonality with these. Sundara feels almost like an on ear headphone on my head. Earpad opening is around 5.5cm i think. Average male ear is 6.3cm. Mine is about 6.5cm with no headroom. What is the intended fit with these?
Earpad material, lack of swivel, clamping force bad for me too.
Sundara has 58mm and yes male ears are that big and they grow for about 1cm later. Seems i have small ears. Luckily.
Since the headband is Made of Steel i simply bent it a bit and the clamping force was gone. Mostly.
Edit:
Maybe it is that small because they measured chinese ears. Could be. Chinese XXL T-Shirts are usually more Like l for me
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Hello !
I am new here (I have sundara since a month)
New Sundara
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Welcome!
I’m quite curious to see how the closed-back Sundara performs. If it’s anything like it’s open-back brother, I imagine it will have a warm reception in the headphone community.
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Ah, shoot! How’s a guy to get out of this hobby if irresistible stuff like this new closed-back keep dropping every few months?
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Happy Cake Day @InvisibleInk.
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