Hifiman Sundara Review - 2020
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- The Hifiman Sundara is one of the most recommended headphones under $500. Today we take a comprehensive look at the build quality, how it measures and evaluate it's competency with movies, music and games.
Hifiman Sundara: amzn.to/2UaqWjj (affiliate link)
Note this set was purchased new direct from Hifiman in fall 2020.
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Ahh yes, legendary Hifiman build quality and quality control.
Having owned the Sundara and now the Ananda, I would love to see an Ananda review as I think it's significantly better, especially for gaming.
Yeah, I do want to try both the Ananda and the Arya. Thanks for checking out the video!
How they sound while gaming
Just got mine the other day paired with a Fiio BTR5 and a balanced cable. I’m thankful I don’t have the pad issues. I’m not a bass heavy guy, but this provides enough for me, especially amped.
Well that is Hifiman's quality for yall. I've never remotely considered buying one because it's russian roulette when it comes to QC, even for their 3k to 5k $ models can break at any time. And due to my job I move to another country every 3-4 years (mostly under developped ones) so getting Hifiman support to fix the headphones or sending me replacement is not possible. And I do want to try planar but the Audeze Penrose might be a good cheap starter set for gaming. The Mobius without all the head tracking 3d audio gimmicks
How do you speak with such conviction over something you've never even experienced in real life? Lol. Just say you can't return them and can't afford to take a risk based off what you heard on the internet, which is more than a fair reason. Really weird to preach like you definitively know something, on something you've never experienced for yourself.
I own these by the way, and I disagree on a couple of his core points like the metal being cheap or build quality feeling fragile. I also didn't experience the pad shape issue, however I don't really like these headphones because of how hot they make your ears feel. This review is good though, and does touch on the pros and cons of this headphone pretty well overall, but people do own these and love them for years all the time
Thanks for the review. I found it informative. I'm still searching for my next pair of headphones. I don't think the Sundara are going to make my shortlist.
Adorama should to a collaboration to make a hifiman sundara but with a hifiman 400i headband that would be awesome it'd be also awesome if we could choose all silver or all black as a color choice
I have DT 880 Black edition 250 ohm, HD 650, both was using with hybrid tube amp and both sounds amazing but when i got Sundara 2020 (on solid state amp), i felt in love and i cannot go back to the other headphones, i enjoy Sundaras too much.
And you can get the bass with EQ, its simple. I was always using EQ with all headphones but with Sundaras, i have only minor EQ, basically bass boost from 105hz down + sub bass boost from 28hz down and then -2,5dB at 6600hz, other than that, only very small adjustments under 1dB
Also my pads are very symmetrical, i mean everything, shape, crossing between leather and cloth
The only thing i didnt like was cable, but i got very nice cable from amazon for around 16€ i think, it was maybe 2 years ago so i dont remember
Thanks. Was a great review
Thanks for checking it out!
I havent seen the pads ever misshaped like that on Sundara. Worst case try out aftermarket pads like from Dekoni or ZMF. Great vid bro
thanks. i do have some ZMF pads to try with it.
Please get your hands on some Monolith M1060 !
good review..... can you compare them to dt1990 pro, if heard them ever??
I've done two videos on the 1990, so you should check them out if you haven't. as long as you is a passive filter or can use some specific EQ, I vastly prefer the 1990. I don't think it's close.
$1000 sound
$100 build
Are you sure its the pads? or the driver itself is fked? i got my Sundara and it felt like the left driver is clearer and louder while the right is somewhat weaker and further sounding and a bit blur too lmfao. But the difference is only very slight not sure if i should go through the trouble of returning it.
Thanks for the review.
In past years used more competitive headphones like ATH-AD700X, 900X, PC37X, DT990, K7xx, etc. but these days less sweaty and want to get something better for music and non-FPS games. I just got the Hifiman Sundaras, and while they're super detailed, seem a tad bright and instruments like guitar/piano sound weird to me. Also the ear cups are kinda small, and not enough bass as you indicated.
Would something like the Aeons Flow RT Open give the detail but with a bit more laid back sound and more bass capability?
The Aeon Flow does all the things you suggest and may be a good fit for you.
@@gamingaudioguide9292 Thanks for the response. Now I went through most of your vids, I might also try Denon AH-D7200. That ability to image in game but still get fun for music/movies sounds like what I'm looking for.
@@frunction one of my favorite headphones all-time. i worry for you about fit. ear cavity is fairly small (you can fix by pad swapping) and top of headband bothers some people. just throwing caution out there.
thanks for checking out the content!
Just EQ them 🤷🏻♂️
Sundara or lcd-2c for bass response and fun listening??
I also like Big sounding headphones.
LCD-2C for me and it's not close.
Another great video. Any thoughts on the 5xx? vs the 4xx. I'm ruling the sundara out. What about the 560v4 which is going for 269 at adorama?
Thank you for the feedback!
The 4XX has always been a great value. I read good things on the 5XX but have not tried it. I would lean towards the nicer unit just for the potential upside. Unfortunately, I also have not tried the 560 v4.... Toss up there between that and the 5XX. Adorama has great service and return policy, so that always makes me feel good ordering from them.
10:44320 - In this price bracket you have better dynamic driver headphone. Can you share what are those 'better' headphone?
Sure. Depending on which taste profile you prefer and assuming priced new, I believe the following dynamic driver headphones that cost less are "better";
DT880 (if you prefer neutral FR)
Tygr 300R (if you prefer V shape FR)
Sennheiser 6XX (if you prefer laid back highs)
All three have equal to or better build, bass response and imaging. The Sundara might have a tad more resolve than the 300R and 6XX but it's awful close.
@@gamingaudioguide9292 you should try ath-r70x
@@syncwork I have. If you go through my reviews, I did a video on them. ;)
@@gamingaudioguide9292 I didn't find review of ath-r70x. Can you share the link?
@@syncwork sure! ruclips.net/video/tqd8r7NCGsY/видео.html
pad design is intentional, they are not symmetrical by design from what I understand.. are you saying they are not consistent in shape from one earcup to the other, basically saying they warped?
exactly. I am aware they are supposed to be angled pads. however, the foam on the two ear pads do not share the same angle or degree of slope. on top of that the cloth wrapping is misaligned on both pads. you can see the stitching is not at the proper placement and that is causes bunching/wrinkling of the material. like a sock that has been put on sideways.
Hifiman acknowledged they were bad pads and offered to replace the pads or the headphones, which is great. they do have good service.
the sub par QC is my concern, as it has a higher error rate and lower build standards than other brands. at least that has been my experience and similar experiences to several folks I follow online that review their product.
@@gamingaudioguide9292 Hey thanks for the quick response! great video by the way! interesting, were they offering to replace your headphones with another sundara or different model?
@@MrSnoops3d no problem. thank you for watching! they offered to replace for another Sundara.
What gear (dac/amp) did you use, which ones did you prefer with Sundara?
I use a MOTU ultralite mk4 with a THX 887. Overkill for most. I find a lot of utility with the mic inputs, mixer, EQ, etc. I also like the 887 since it has XLR 4 pin, 1/4" and 3.5mm - along with tons of power and low distortion.
I'm pretty sure you've been wearing the headphones backwards.
i admittedly laughed. it's all good. not everyone is going to agree on all headphones. i completely respect that a lot of people enjoy these. they are consistently recommended.
@@gamingaudioguide9292 gave me a good chuckle as well
The pad is shaped to compensate for the ability to swivel
Not sure what you are driving at. Hifiman confirmed the pad irregularities were indeed defective. Their service is pretty good. Their QC, not so much. Good value in some cases. Good example, the HE6se that I reviewed earlier recently had a driver fail. Outside of warranty, pricey headphone. To each their own, but I want higher QC standards. Totally get it why some people are willing to overlook it.
Yeah. They revised the pads to compensate for the lack of cup swivel.
Your Sundara pads don't look right. They look very misshapen. Mine look nothing like that.
that's exactly the point. their QC is not good. if you search the net there are a lot of complaints about pads falling apart in folks hands as they pad swap etc. if you get a good set, awesome! don't mess with them much :)
They revised the pads to compensate for lack of cup swivel. The angled pads are the revised pads.
@@crainger bruh, the channel already explained why lol
Vs LCD 1?
Sundara sounds better. LCD-1 has much nicer build.
Thanks for pointing the pads defect out. I can't take a headphone seriously that has this kind of basic and also critical flaw.
That's like someone from their house making headphones in their garage and selling them at a premium with some lame pad deformation because they haven't done this a lot. Lol hifiman tf
I see
Well hello metal. Anything specific you "see"? Thanks for checking out the video!
Just keeping an eye on seeing where the reviewing scene goes from time to time is all
@@gamingaudioguide9292 and don't be a stranger. If you ever want to pick my brain about something just message me on Twitter and what not
Hi metal571 hows it been
vs dt1990s plzz???
I've done 2 videos on the 1990 already - you should be able to watch and determine which is best for you. in short - if you have a passive in-line filter or EQ - 1990 all day.
@@gamingaudioguide9292 yes, i watch those. Actually i am curious wether sub bass impact of dt1990 is on par or better than sundara?
@@shahkhan110 the Sundara is pretty light on sub bass. you can expect the 1990 to be slightly more impactful with the analytical pads and significantly more impactful with the balanced pads
THEY PADS ARE ANGLED, that's how its supposed to be
take a closer look at the photos. it's not the angle I took issue with, it was the poor QC. the fabric wrapping over the foam was wrinkled, off-centered and unaligned. Hifiman agreed offering to send new pads or RMA.
while the sentiment was appreciated, it also shows a pattern with HF QC as far as my experience with them goes.
Lol assume much, you just got schooled by the channel with some facts 🙈
Don't get it !!! The vocals are shite. Thin and recessed
I love my Sundara.
They are very detailed and accurate! I am glad you like them.
The bass on these to me sound better than my dt770 pro.. and that’s saying allot. I do use a balanced cable attached to a 789 amp.. but these are my go to’s. For gaming not so much,the highs could be a little to much for my liking while gaming not enough soundstage detail yes but for soundstage I use a K7XX. Great review... these need to be taken care of, there like babies lol
terrible review
thumb down,annoying music stopped watching bye.
thanks for the feedback