You guys aren’t making it any easier to not order a pair!
My excuse is that I am waiting until the amazon.es site is definitely the upgraded version (although I had no real issues with the original!)
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My first post to The Headphone Community: If I were to order a Sundara from Headphones.com today, would I definitely get the “stealth revision” version?
Thanks!
Jeff
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I believe they will be but, as this forum is relatively a separate deal from their store front, the best way to get that answer is to ask directly via the storefront chat or email =)
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I bought some from Amazon about 4 months ago. Sorry if I missed it above, but how do I tell if mine are the newer variant?
Edit: Rereading @Resolve’s post above, if mine have pads which are thinner in the front, is that the revised version?
Cheers,
D
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I think they are all angled pads, but my impression was that the later version’s pads are more angled than the earlier pads. Mine, which I assume are the earlier version (purchased 2/19) are approximately 24mm in the rear and 18mm in the front. The only other thing I thought @Resolve mentioned was perforations on the inner circumference of the pads, but mine do have those. Maybe Andrew can chime in here.
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They all have perforations on the inside as well (for this pad type). In general, most people who bought one in the past year will likely have the latest one, and I’m also assured that the only changes made were to the pad structure and the dust cover. The driver/cup has remained the same. And for the pad structure, it’s mostly just that the angle is slightly more extreme. I think the way the material fits around the cushion part of the pad might be different as well, but I was told that the material itself hasn’t changed either.
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My new Sundaras are on the way from headphones.com, and I should have them tomorrow! I’m stoked, as these will be my first new serious 'phones in about 10 years. They’ll be joining my trusty HD650s - and to a lesser extent my DT990s - as my go-to headphones.
A question for those who are very familiar with the Sundaras: What burn-in time is recommended prior to my first serious listening session?
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I didn’t notice any changes. Not sure they require it.
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I agree with @Resolve. I only had them on loan for two weeks, being brand new, and they sounded just as good the first day as the last 
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This is great news, as I plan to listen-the-heck-out-of-them tomorrow evening. 
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I was able to get to the bottom of the Sundara revisions in a conversation with Fang Bian at CanJam NYC. I figured I’d post the video here as well:
Basically, my suspicion that it was only pad structure that was changed has been confirmed. There were no driver or cup revisions for at least a full year, so you can be confident you’re getting the best version regardless.
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Man… I got these a while back and returned them because I didn’t have anything to drive them properly.
Considering buying again since I got a BTR5…
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Lord knows I have been wrong before, but I suspect that the btr5 may have insufficient current to drive the Sundaras optimally.
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Single ended probably not, but It’d probably be more than decent balanced.
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After reading all the comments, I still can’t tell the difference between the old and the new unit. I am ready to buy a unit, but my country dealer said that the unit was purchased in December 2018 and does not know if it is the revised unit.
Can someone help me differentiate these units?
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If your dealer has a Sundara from 2018 it won’t have the latest pad revision.
@Resolve could speak more to how the pads were changed.
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Yeah the main difference I noticed with the pads is that for the most recent one, the center part bulges out more. So the non-leather part of the pad that’s on the surface (the part that comes into contact with the side of the head), bulges a bit more. The other key difference is that the angle is more extreme - so the front of the pad is thinner than on the older unit I evaluated. So if the unit you’re looking to buy has a completely flat surface area for the pads, it’s the older unit. If it bulges out a bit, it’s likely the revised pad. But beyond that, you should be able to hear it. The old one has a bass roll-off and upper midrange shout, while the new one is almost perfectly ‘linear’.
Here’s a quick image of the pad bulge I’m talking about:
Notice how where the leather connects to the hybrid part, the pad structure bulges rather than being flush to the corner.
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As soon as I get to my unit I see if it has these characteristics of the new unit. Thanks for the explanations taronlissimore and Resolver!
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So sad. I really won’t have the “silent revision”, but as soon as I arrive I’ll post pictures here so we can compare.