HiFiMAN Sundara Headphones

Product Information

Technicalities: Shiro Sagisu – Hundred years war (02:24-02:57), soundstage is slightly wider on the HD560S but a lot deeper and more holographic on the Sundara. Imaging, micro-details and timbre are a lot better on the Sundara while macro-detail is a bit better on the Sundara. What made these headphones really shine is the outstandingseparation andexcellent timbral accuracyof the instruments. Specific location is not an issue with these headphones. What is created is a sort of alively presence, an acousticfeel which is my preference. If you happen to enjoy chamber music—an intimate experience with the solo voice of an instrument—these will be right for you. I put on Narciso Yepes Albéniz & Granados(2017 Deutsche Grammophon CD) pieces and they felt alive and in wonderful sound. My experience has always been with wireless over-the-ear headphones( Sennheiser PXC 550-II, Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose SoundLink—the Sennheiser’s are for me the clear winner of these threeby the way). I had no need for wired headphones and the amp to drive them. I’ve had wireless headphones exclusively—some Apple AirPods Pro earphones as well because they are just so practical. Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the Sundara, with faster and tighter bass along with more texture, although a bit more quantity on the Phoenix.

This should, to hear Hifiman tell it, allow the drivers to “ produce tremendously low distortion levels yet offer a highly dynamic response.” The distortion levels of the Sundara are indeed relatively low. It boasts the typical low impedance and low-ish sensitivity of a planar headphone, meaning it won’t be the easiest to drive, but more on that later. The included cord is short and comes with right angle connector. It has a nice (silicon?) insulator. It did not seem microphonic to me. The Sundara is a brightly tuned headphone, but at no time annoying by sibilants or the like. It rather invites to listen a bit louder. Resolution and details are present in sufficient quantity and in this price range, in my opinion, can not be topped. I have to get out an LCD-5 to hear a clear difference. The Audeze offers the more commanding treble rendering and places instruments accurately in space, whereas the Sundara's imaging is not at that level. It doesn't have to be, the Audeze costs about 13x the Sundara! But it's not 13x better by a long shot. Midrange: The vocal-instrumental range is always a challenge, because placing the midrange too close will translate into a tiring and unrealistic presentation, and moving the midrange too far away will give the effect of sitting in a dungeon or in a container. Hifiman in the sundara model made sure that the midrange sounded natural and very engaging. It is slightly moved away, making the stage more spacious. However, the amount of information is astonishing. Each instrument or voice has its inseparable place and delights with realism and light natural warmth. This is a very good compromise between a warm, entertaining sound and a cool and analytical approach. The vocals are clear, lively and can literally take you to the venue of a live concert. This is a great way that, in my opinion, audio manufacturers should follow. The cups don't swivel. That, and being new made for slightly uncomfortable feeling around my ears. The weight is inline with other headphones in this class at 390 grams. The cup is round and has inside diameter of 59 mm and depth of 18 mm.Mids are more recessed than the 560S, but not bad at all. Similar level of midrange detail at first listen. Doesn't have the same awful midrange shout of the 560S. (Yay!)

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot more mid-bass on the Sundara and more textured, it is faster and tighter on the R70X but bass strikes are more distinct on the Sundara. Brighter on the R70X but much more tonally correct and still similar detail on the Sundara. Tonality: Bass-boosted neutral. That is pretty balanced between warmth and brightness. Timbre is very good, although a step down from well-tuned DDs. Neutral and technical. These have the best frequency response that I have ever heard. Bass extends well, never boomy or bloated. Mids are dead neutral, no upper midrange shout. Treble is wonderfully balanced with no large peaks and dips. Since the unit I’m reviewing is mine, I can successfully evade certain suspicions that I’m being encouraged by a distributor or manufacturer to give a positive review for some kind of monetary gain.Score -1.5dB@ HF: default Harman curve decreased by 1.5dB at HF. looks closer to the initial response Without EQ, I would not be a buyer as I love my deep bass response and highs that are a bit more sedated. With EQ, the Sundara transforms beautifully providing excellent spatial effect with respect to instrument and channel separation while providing the deep bass response that I crave. I have to agree on everything about sound like u said , if i have to say something more is that 660s imaging is better and Sundara separation is better … Both are fast but i feel like u said 660s are tighter smoother more natural…like a vinyl. Sundara sound artificially clean like digital CD. Fit: Very good, its pretty big for me but the clamp isn’t too weak/strong so it works well. If you have a very small head, it might be too big for you though.