I just ordered SR7K, I have tried it in China, it actually sounds exactly like what you said in the video. It doesn't sound like an closed back at all, it's a super super natural sound type!
Though it sounds like an open back, does it leak any sound? I'm worried that since it sounds like an open back and doesn't really feel like a closed back that it leaks sound
Fantastic review, Andy! I am extremely interested in this set of closed back headphones. I just got back from a cruise and the Fiio FT1 is pretty much sold out and I wanted to try a "similar" set and went with the Sundara closed back. Even after all the negative reviews, I bought them. They actually sound amazing! Now whenever the lighter colored FT1's become readily available again, I will pick that set up as well and possibly this set.
I'm super late to this but FWIW I think the bass on these headphones is excellent and great for dance music. I'm listening to drum and bass in them right now and the balance is perfect. I developed an EQ profile for mildly enhanced subbass and elevated midbass but now I don't use it. I think some of the "no bass" comments might be mistaking punchiness for bass frequency. And these don't hit like Focal, but the speed and punch is spot on for me.
I have the AR5000 and I think its excellent. I would like to try the SR7000, but I wish it wasnt double the price, maybe 50% more would be alot more inviting. I know with the SR7000 you get the case and the balanced cable, but still double the price is just a bit too expensive. Thanks for the great review.
I had the SR7k, and I really love the sound. To me, bass is an essential part of music as it provides the support for overall musical presentation. If a headphones compromise on the bass, then we no longer listening to the same music
@@Ricer-b4n Big time burn in time. I heard Aune recommends 100 hours of bass-heavy music but not sure where that came from. Mine have really opened up in 1/3 of that time.
I think it uses the same principle as KEF Meta to reduce driver reflections of the back of het headphone (Kef uses it on the end of the driver magnets.)
Hola Andy, los Sr7k haran algo parecido a los Closed back de Ultrasone, que hacen que parezcan abiertos por el gran soundstage que tienen mis Ortofon One hechos por la marca de Bavaria
Sir Andy, my wallet can’t quite keep up!! For the AR7K , would the crispness in the treble touch the bright/lean or even fatiguing level with a typical solid state amp?
Could it be the transparent open back with sub bass code has been cracked? Too bad I just spent all my dough on a pair of Fatfreq IEMs. Thanks for the informative and interesting dual review. Your videos are always a must watch.
Very nice review. There's just one thing that bothers me. For a video pretty much deidicated to comparison between the two Aunes and soundstage, you didn't include a comparison between the soundstages of the two headphones. So which one has wider or better image?
I would like to know what the AR5000 would sound like with similar pads to the AR7000 as it's sub bass would probably be improved bringing it even closer to the sound of the AR7000. I have the AR5000 so this was very interesting, 🙏
I don't think it will influence much because the lows on SR7000 are tuned such way and being closed back it does help with Subbass. Open backs are known to be less dominant with Subbass
Might be my set of cans. I was hoping DT 1770 Pro (Gen 1) will get me further from my favorite closed backs Superlux HD662F, but no, I still prefer $30 cans to $600 cans for their much more impactful frequency response and in-your-face character. DT 1770 Pro are a V-shaped bass galore. I don't like that. Will wait for when these will appear on the market where I live to test drive these as 640 Euro price tag is too far away from what I consider worthy of buying blind.
@@lampros1112 it's not the question of the price point per se. It's the question of search for neutral-sounding closed backs. Unfortunately, manufacturers follow what is called "Harman curve" and Harman curve is really bad for analytical listening and for entire genres of music (metal). I've discarded critically acclaimed AKG K371 right away and not enjoying DT 1770 Pro much due to how bassy and V-shaped they are. My open back AKG K702 are better (really good for classical music and jazz), but lack energy in mid frequencies for metal. Again, K702 are open backs. I need closed backs for work and for commuting. Had the market something in this vein to offer around $300, I'd be more than happy.
@@tweed0929 This may be a bit of an underground reccommendation but a friend of mine bought the ollo audio s4r some years back. They are a bit on the heavy side (for me) but i would reccomend you look them up. They may interest you, i don't know how the availability is for these though.
I listen to a lot of Dnb in these and love them. I even mix in them because the neutrality, but the bass sounds balanced and natural. I have a modest EQ profile to boost mid bass just a little but often don’t use it.
M1 and SR7000 are very closely matched really. With the SR7000 a bit more emphasized with Subbass where M1 more of Midbass, both being colored for monitoring standards, but both pretty much similar technically, perhaps M1 a bit more dynamically energetic and SR7000 a bit more polished
@@AndyAudioVault Thank you. I was in doubt between these, the Fiio FT1 and the MDR-M1. The Fiio FT1 seems to be more colored and less neutral than the other 2, so I ruled it out first. I guess the winner is the Sony because there does not seem to be a good reason for the 3 times price of the aune. Sony MDR-M1 it is!
That's is true. Wear it wrongly and you leak out some sound resonance which is part of closed back tuning. The ear pads of AR7000 are special and positioning over the ears will determine the listening experience
Somehow sounds cleaner than my sundara, lacks that metallic artificial planar sound. Tough to compare them side by side but I think the imaging is better with similar soundstage. Havent done much testing in games but it should be great. Explosions would benefit from more bass. Build quality feels great and they are lighter on my head than my sundara. My only criticism would be the lack of bass. How does my sundara have more bass while being open back? It sounds clean with good detail but lacks that punch. My ears barely vibrate at all. Kinda boring sound to me tbh. The detail kinda makes up for it but it cant replace the punch. Had hoped for a more fun sound but oh well. I'll keep them anyway as I dont have any other closed back. Hopefully Aune can improve the bass on a second version. The rest is great.
The perceived lack of bass is because it is tuned to be closer to neutral target with subtle emphasis on Subbass. AR5000 is even flatter and more transparent/uncolored. By any standard, Sundara is tuned to be colored with the lower frequency and that's why you get denser lows - which in turn making it more fun sounding (but not accurate for monitoring purposes)
To me, a closed back is (almost?) never a competitor to an open back headphone. Meaning that it concerns 2 different use cases. Given the price/performance ratio everyone should only look at open backs. UNLESS you want sound insulation. So that you are not disturbed as much by environment noise, and the surrounding people are not disturbed (too much) by the sound playing in the headphone. So only if you want sound insulation, closed backs are a valid option. And they only compete with other closed backs. Because open backs are useless if you want sound insulation.
Just got mine. Pretty disappointed. Paid $650. Good thing is It doesn't sound like a closed back. But still not as open as a true open back. - Has practically no bass. Maybe need more burn in time? My cheap open back HD560s has more bass, its also cleaner and tighter too. Everything sound more cohesive on the sennheiser. However, the HD560 is slightly harse on the upper mids. - The midrange on the sr7000 are over emphasized as if someone went crazy with the equalizer in the mid section making vocals sound shouty. Worst part is they sound thin. Not lush and rich. Switched to a more powerful fiio K7 amp, it didnt help. K7 has less mids, so it helped toned down the shoutyness. - Theres nothing special to the treble. Its a bit crispy compared to the sennheiser. Compare to hifiman ananda stealth. This sr7000 sound cheap and tiny. Theres more mids, but that's about it. The Ananda sound a couple class above this. It's lush, rich, natural and very airy. Bass is deep, strong and full adding another deph to your music. Right now the anandas are alot cheaper than Aune. Sr7000 sounds like a better more open version of my Beyer dynamic DT7xx. Beyer dynamic sukks. Ha ha Going to trade it in for hifiman Arya stealth. They're currently same price as SR7000.
I just ordered SR7K, I have tried it in China, it actually sounds exactly like what you said in the video. It doesn't sound like an closed back at all, it's a super super natural sound type!
Though it sounds like an open back, does it leak any sound? I'm worried that since it sounds like an open back and doesn't really feel like a closed back that it leaks sound
@@classiccj2569 i don't think so , mine is still on the way, i will test it, you can ask Andy about this.
No. There's no leakage of sound, just like any other closed back
@@AndyAudioVault thanks! I'm thinking of maybe picking them up, they seem to be exactly what I'm looking for
Thank you for the review! Now try the FiiO FT1 and compare it with the SR7000.
Looking forward to it
Great and honest review ! Another important thing is that the sr7000 is closed. For noisy environment like mine is essential
Precisely 🙏🏼
Fantastic review, Andy! I am extremely interested in this set of closed back headphones. I just got back from a cruise and the Fiio FT1 is pretty much sold out and I wanted to try a "similar" set and went with the Sundara closed back. Even after all the negative reviews, I bought them. They actually sound amazing! Now whenever the lighter colored FT1's become readily available again, I will pick that set up as well and possibly this set.
What's more important is what you hear. And if you are happy with what you hear, it no longer matters what others have to say about them. Cheers
Very honest and brief review!👍
In my opinion, sr7000's 899$ is not worth at all only for subbass.
Ar5000 would be nice.
I been seeing it for $600 on amazon.
There is something strange going on with the pricing, in Europe it is 'just' €639 = $665 and that includes 20% or more sales tax (country dependent).
@@Amariths1 you US is always cheaper than Europe for Chinese products. But sales tax isn't included in their pricing.
@@D1N02 That sucks
Thanks looked it up you are right saved me $400 bucks AU
I'm super late to this but FWIW I think the bass on these headphones is excellent and great for dance music. I'm listening to drum and bass in them right now and the balance is perfect. I developed an EQ profile for mildly enhanced subbass and elevated midbass but now I don't use it. I think some of the "no bass" comments might be mistaking punchiness for bass frequency. And these don't hit like Focal, but the speed and punch is spot on for me.
I have the AR5000 and I think its excellent. I would like to try the SR7000, but I wish it wasnt double the price, maybe 50% more would be alot more inviting. I know with the SR7000 you get the case and the balanced cable, but still double the price is just a bit too expensive. Thanks for the great review.
My pleasure 🙏
I had the SR7k, and I really love the sound. To me, bass is an essential part of music as it provides the support for overall musical presentation. If a headphones compromise on the bass, then we no longer listening to the same music
Mine has no practically no bass out of the box. Could be defective or need more burn in time?
I think it could be defective...
@@Ricer-b4n Big time burn in time. I heard Aune recommends 100 hours of bass-heavy music but not sure where that came from. Mine have really opened up in 1/3 of that time.
I think it uses the same principle as KEF Meta to reduce driver reflections of the back of het headphone (Kef uses it on the end of the driver magnets.)
Great review, imho aune should have priced this set around the $400 mark would have made it much more appealing. I’m sticking with my AR 5000 set.
Thanks!
Man I have been eyeing this HP. Especially because this is closed back, and I love this grill.
Very interesting because others said it's a big difference between them
Its definitely good
But im not sure if its double AR5000 price good
Hola Andy, los Sr7k haran algo parecido a los Closed back de Ultrasone, que hacen que parezcan abiertos por el gran soundstage que tienen mis Ortofon One hechos por la marca de Bavaria
Gracias!
In Europe it can be ordered with a Aru-1 Dongle dac cable ( cs43131 + ct7601 )
I love the color of the SR, stands out. :)
I want the SR7000 by my side :P
Great review.
Thanks!
Sir Andy, my wallet can’t quite keep up!! For the AR7K , would the crispness in the treble touch the bright/lean or even fatiguing level with a typical solid state amp?
Not fatiguing otherwise we would already have mentioned it
Could it be the transparent open back with sub bass code has been cracked? Too bad I just spent all my dough on a pair of Fatfreq IEMs. Thanks for the informative and interesting dual review. Your videos are always a must watch.
🙏
What tube amplifier is he using? Green one
That's xDuoo XD05T, I did a full review on it too
Very nice review. There's just one thing that bothers me. For a video pretty much deidicated to comparison between the two Aunes and soundstage, you didn't include a comparison between the soundstages of the two headphones. So which one has wider or better image?
It's AR5000 with outright expanse of space wider by minot margin. But SR7000 offers bit more of strength with imaging
I would like to know what the AR5000 would sound like with similar pads to the AR7000 as it's sub bass would probably be improved bringing it even closer to the sound of the AR7000. I have the AR5000 so this was very interesting, 🙏
I don't think it will influence much because the lows on SR7000 are tuned such way and being closed back it does help with Subbass. Open backs are known to be less dominant with Subbass
Might be my set of cans. I was hoping DT 1770 Pro (Gen 1) will get me further from my favorite closed backs Superlux HD662F, but no, I still prefer $30 cans to $600 cans for their much more impactful frequency response and in-your-face character. DT 1770 Pro are a V-shaped bass galore. I don't like that. Will wait for when these will appear on the market where I live to test drive these as 640 Euro price tag is too far away from what I consider worthy of buying blind.
Why not try something on a lower price point first? (Around 300$)
@@lampros1112 it's not the question of the price point per se. It's the question of search for neutral-sounding closed backs. Unfortunately, manufacturers follow what is called "Harman curve" and Harman curve is really bad for analytical listening and for entire genres of music (metal). I've discarded critically acclaimed AKG K371 right away and not enjoying DT 1770 Pro much due to how bassy and V-shaped they are. My open back AKG K702 are better (really good for classical music and jazz), but lack energy in mid frequencies for metal. Again, K702 are open backs. I need closed backs for work and for commuting. Had the market something in this vein to offer around $300, I'd be more than happy.
@@tweed0929 This may be a bit of an underground reccommendation but a friend of mine bought the ollo audio s4r some years back. They are a bit on the heavy side (for me) but i would reccomend you look them up. They may interest you, i don't know how the availability is for these though.
Terbaikkk boss 😎🤘
🤘🏼
Good video 😊
so what is bassy enough for you for electronic music.. what would you recommend for a close lightweight comfortable one?
For that I would say something like SIVGA Robin SV21. Great Subbass and exceedingly comfortable
I listen to a lot of Dnb in these and love them. I even mix in them because the neutrality, but the bass sounds balanced and natural. I have a modest EQ profile to boost mid bass just a little but often don’t use it.
Nice!!
A nice review!
Speaking of AR5000, I wonder how you would compare it to HIfiman Edition XS in terms of neutrality.
Xs has more resolution, ar5000 is more true to the sound nuetral.
What is sound signature open back and closed back?
Open back normally airy and flowing. Closed back sounds like everything is in a closed room to create isolation when needed
Now I have to go cancel my order.
However, can it beat the Sony MDR-M1?
M1 and SR7000 are very closely matched really. With the SR7000 a bit more emphasized with Subbass where M1 more of Midbass, both being colored for monitoring standards, but both pretty much similar technically, perhaps M1 a bit more dynamically energetic and SR7000 a bit more polished
@@AndyAudioVault Thank you. I was in doubt between these, the Fiio FT1 and the MDR-M1. The Fiio FT1 seems to be more colored and less neutral than the other 2, so I ruled it out first. I guess the winner is the Sony because there does not seem to be a good reason for the 3 times price of the aune. Sony MDR-M1 it is!
How are these compared to the Focal Lensys?
Haven't tried Lensys yet. Hopefully someone can chime in
People are saying the Aune SR7000 needs a perfect seal otherwise the sound is underwhelming. Do you feel that is accurate?
That's is true. Wear it wrongly and you leak out some sound resonance which is part of closed back tuning. The ear pads of AR7000 are special and positioning over the ears will determine the listening experience
Somehow sounds cleaner than my sundara, lacks that metallic artificial planar sound. Tough to compare them side by side but I think the imaging is better with similar soundstage. Havent done much testing in games but it should be great. Explosions would benefit from more bass.
Build quality feels great and they are lighter on my head than my sundara.
My only criticism would be the lack of bass. How does my sundara have more bass while being open back? It sounds clean with good detail but lacks that punch. My ears barely vibrate at all. Kinda boring sound to me tbh. The detail kinda makes up for it but it cant replace the punch.
Had hoped for a more fun sound but oh well. I'll keep them anyway as I dont have any other closed back.
Hopefully Aune can improve the bass on a second version. The rest is great.
The perceived lack of bass is because it is tuned to be closer to neutral target with subtle emphasis on Subbass. AR5000 is even flatter and more transparent/uncolored. By any standard, Sundara is tuned to be colored with the lower frequency and that's why you get denser lows - which in turn making it more fun sounding (but not accurate for monitoring purposes)
hi andyy!!
🙏
To me, a closed back is (almost?) never a competitor to an open back headphone. Meaning that it concerns 2 different use cases. Given the price/performance ratio everyone should only look at open backs. UNLESS you want sound insulation. So that you are not disturbed as much by environment noise, and the surrounding people are not disturbed (too much) by the sound playing in the headphone. So only if you want sound insulation, closed backs are a valid option. And they only compete with other closed backs. Because open backs are useless if you want sound insulation.
Just got mine. Pretty disappointed. Paid $650. Good thing is It doesn't sound like a closed back. But still not as open as a true open back.
- Has practically no bass. Maybe need more burn in time? My cheap open back HD560s has more bass, its also cleaner and tighter too. Everything sound more cohesive on the sennheiser. However, the HD560 is slightly harse on the upper mids.
- The midrange on the sr7000 are over emphasized as if someone went crazy with the equalizer in the mid section making vocals sound shouty. Worst part is they sound thin. Not lush and rich. Switched to a more powerful fiio K7 amp, it didnt help. K7 has less mids, so it helped toned down the shoutyness.
- Theres nothing special to the treble. Its a bit crispy compared to the sennheiser.
Compare to hifiman ananda stealth. This sr7000 sound cheap and tiny. Theres more mids, but that's about it. The Ananda sound a couple class above this. It's lush, rich, natural and very airy. Bass is deep, strong and full adding another deph to your music. Right now the anandas are alot cheaper than Aune.
Sr7000 sounds like a better more open version of my Beyer dynamic DT7xx. Beyer dynamic sukks. Ha ha
Going to trade it in for hifiman Arya stealth. They're currently same price as SR7000.
Wider than hd600 is not impressive.
The SR7000 is way to expensive, 3x the price of the AR5000, Aune priced the product out of the market.
hd800 is still better for 800$