Hifiman Sundara is one of the most popular planar magnetic headphones on the market. Although they have been around for like 5 years, a silent revision in 2020 made tuning of them even better and gave the edge against their competitors. When Sundaras first came out, their MSRP was 499$ then it came down to 349$ for the longest time. Lately, Hifiman have reduced the price to 299$ to stay relevant against competition, especially their own Edition XS which is sold for 499$.
Pros
- Decently Wide Soundstage
- Decently Clear and Detailed, especially for the Price
- Comfortable and Safely Stays on Head
- Mostly Metal Materials
- One of the Best Tunings on the Market
- Good Impact for a Planar
Cons
- Lack of Swivel Makes them Uncomfortable for Some
- Subbass Roll-off
- A little Grainy Compared to Other Options
- Harder to Drive than Average
Disclaimers
Without boring you too much, I don’t necessarily have a sound preference. I tend to enjoy different sound profiles as long as they do well at what they intend to do. I’m not very sensitive to treble so I can enjoy the most notoriously bright headphones, however I’m somewhat sensitive to the upper mids area. Please keep these in mind. Also, I bought Hifiman Sundara as well as other headphones mentioned here with my own money. If a unit I reviewed is given or loaned to me in the future, I will say so here.
Build, Comfort and Trivia
Hifiman, as a brand needs no introduction, at least for the Audiophiles and Sundara is undoubtedly one of their most successful headphones.
Sundaras have round cups and pads are hybrid made out of fabric and protein leather. Insides of the pads are perforated. Almost all of the headband and cups made out of metal except the part that hides the sliding mechanism. They are definitely better made than Edition XS. However, Hifiman being Hifiman, there are still a few issues with the build. First, cups don’t swivel horizontally making them uncomfortable if your head doesn’t complement the headphones’ shape. Also, circular cups are not that big. My ears are on the small side and they still touch the edges on the top and the bottom. Lastly adjustment mechanism scratches the surface and paint comes off. It doesn’t matter how careful you are, it is how it is.
Sundaras are mostly comfortable. They have a decent clamp force is going on which make them stay on the head safely unlike Edition XS. If you ask me clamp is a little too much but I’d rather have this clamp instead of having them fall when I tilt my head.
Weighing 372g, Sundaras are not particularly heavy either, being metal and all that. Suspension strap helps the weight distribute evenly on your head so there won’t be any hotspots, though I’m sure some of you prefer padded headbands.
Like every other Hifimans, Sundaras also come with a crap cable. They are the most rubbery thing ever. Mine still keeps its coiled shape. I went with different balanced cable so don’t even remember how they sounded with the stock cable, so keep in mind my review is done by listening to them through balanced outputs of my amps with Tripowin GranVia Cable. However I remember reading somewhere that Sundaras’ cable although feeling worse, had better resistance values than the newer cables those come with Edition XS etc.
Unfortunately, they need a little bit power. From the headphones I own, the only ones harder to drive than Sundaras are Beyerdynamic DT880 600 Ohm, Sennheiser HD600 and Dekoni Blues (T50RP MKIII Mod). They are not a hungry monster but you won’t get away with your laptop, phone or a dongle. A good DAP or a portable DAC/Amp can do them justice though, especially through their balanced output.
Technical Specifications:
Impedance: 37Ω
Sensitivity: 94dB
Frequency Response: 6Hz-75kHz
Weight: 372 grams
Sound
I’m not sure if I want to keep this part short or describe every part one by one. After all, Sundaras are one of the best tuned headphones out there. Every aspect of the frequency response is how it should be, except…
Bass
Sundara has a noticeable subbass roll-off and this is the weakest point of its tuning. After looking into it I learned that their cups and pads can easily produce an airgap. I tried to address it by pressing them down to my ears more but couldn’t notice a big difference. Still, what I noticed was there were more subbass than HD600 so even this amount might be sufficient or they fit on my head so well that there isn’t much of a roll off in my on particular unit on my head. Edition XS had noticeably more subbass though. I will experiment on this if I ever have my own measurement rig.
Midbass has a nice texture and impact for a planar. Transience is fast but not the fastest. There is the slightest hump in the midbass making them suitable for most of the genres from classical to EDM.
Mids
I like Sundaras’ midrange tuning a lot. It is not shouty nor recessed. Nothing comes forward or takes a step back more than necessary. I don’t know what else to say. All the instruments are vocals are clear. Yes, if you put your bassy headphones on and then Sundaras, they may come as lean and boring but when you turn the volume a little they respond and joy comes with it.
Treble
Sundaras’ treble is neutral for me. Yes, I said it. I know most people consider them bright but when I remember our studio sessions and live performances I’ve been to, I think cymbals and high-hats should be snappy like Sundaras present them. Still, when I consider the masses, I have to agree they are brighter than most and can get fatiguing in the longer listening sessions.
Technical Performance
Sundaras are fast as you would expect from a planar. Not the fastest, then again, they are only 299$. If you read my Sennheiser HD600 review, I said I wouldn’t listen to Metal with them. Well, I definitely would with Sundaras and enjoy my time very much. On Opeth’s Deliverance at 9:48, Drummer Martin Lopez makes starts serial high-hat hits without stopping it for the songs infamous elongated 4 minutes ending. With Sundaras you can tell exactly when he hits while the high-hat still rings. HD600 present this like a one long note. Likewise individual drum kicks perceived nicely. As you would understand, Sundaras are nicely resolving and detailed headphones. Some of this perceived detail can be attributed to brighter nature of the headphones but still they are adequately resolving.
Timbre is nice though not at HD600 level. Everything aside HD600 manages to convey more emotions and sound more natural altogether.
Soundstage on Sundaras is again wide. Imaging in this soundstage is nicely spread so it doesn’t have the 3-blob effect the HD6** series have. Though I have to admit, I have heard headphones to better imaging, imaging on Sundaras is not pinpoint. Notes just don’t have the enough weight.
Quick Comparisons
Hifiman Sundara vs. Sennheiser HD600
Throughout the review, I have referred to HD600 several times to make more sense, so I want to keep this part short. Hifiman Sundaras are, at least for me, a better extending HD600 on both ways. Altough rolls-off, subbass presence is more on Sundaras. Midbass impact is harder on HD600. Dynamic Drivers FTW. Still, Sundara has pretty decent impact. Bass texture is slightly better on Sundaras.
Mids are different. Sundaras’ mids are more forward than most of the other planars but they won’t shadow the rest of the frequency response. HD600’s mids does. But HD600’s mids, with their exceptional timbre is to die for.
Sundaras overall brighter headphones. Although I like their energy, they can get fatiguing. Relative to Sundaras, HD600 sound veiled but can be easily listened for longer sessions.
Sundaras are wider, more resolving and detailed. Imaging is a coin toss. While HD600 has 3-blob effect but placement is more precise. On the other hand Sundaras placement of instruments are spread nicely but placement is not really pinpoint.
Hifiman Sundara vs. Hifiman Edition XS
Since I compared them earlier on my Edition XS review, I’m copying that part here. If you are interested, you can check out that review too.
Bass rolls off on Sundara earlier than Edition XS, therefore weaker. Well, most of the Sundara users only complain about its bass. Timbre is more natural on Sundara too. Male vocals take a step back on Edition XS and sound nasally somehow compared to Sundara. On the contrary, female vocals come closer on Edition XS and they become more similar than different. They are clearer and more emotional on Edition XS, more neutral on Sundara. Sundara is a little warmer, also hazier. Sundara is not necessarily a warm headphone. In comparison Edition XS is leaner but clearer. They are also, as you would guess, brighter, airier but more fatiguing.
Staging is noticably better on Edition XS. Sundara is no slouch but these are that good. Sundara is a little harder to drive. Edition XS clearer and more detailed across the frequency range. Sundara’s imaging was a little better in my opinion but they are both decent. Layering and instrument seperation are better on Edition XS with the help of its resolution capability and the size of its soundstage.
Conclusion
I like Sundara’s tonality a lot. There was a time I considered selling these after acquiring much more expensive cans. But after returning to them for reviews and comparisons I remembered how these do a lot of things very well. About the sound, my only gripe would be subbass extension, but if I haven’t heard better extending headphones, I wouldn’t even know what I missed to be honest. You might find them inoffensive or even boring. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Sundaras are a great benchmark in their price range.
Apart from their tonality, Sundaras are are also decently technical, though Edition XS overshadowed them in this aspect and redefined how a sub-500$ should and could sound. Still Edition XS have its own problems which Sundaras don’t. I could easily justify having them both. But for you, my suggestion would be, if you use EQ, go for Edition XS. If not, well, still a hard decision but Sundara is tonally a little more universal in my opinion.