HIFIMAN SUNDARA Closed-Back Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Wired Hi-Fi Headphones with Stealth Magnet Design, Detachable Cable, Wood Ear Cups for Home, Studio, Recording

The HIFIMAN Sundara Closed-Back are a lot better than their reputation suggests. They look fantastic — the wood cups are genuinely beautiful and give them a premium, standout appearance. Build quality is solid and familiar if you’ve used HIFIMAN before: sturdy, well assembled, and confidence-inspiring without feeling overly heavy. I think these headphones get a bad rap mostly because of the name. People expect them to sound like the open-back Sundaras. They don’t — but that doesn’t make them bad. They’re a closed-back planar, and once you judge them on that basis, they make a lot of sense. Sound quality shows many of the strengths planar fans appreciate: Tight, controlled bass with good extension and no boominess Clear, well-defined mids, especially for vocals and acoustic tracks Smooth, non-fatiguing treble that stays detailed without harshness They aren’t exaggerated or V-shaped. Instead, the tuning is balanced and easy to listen to for long sessions. Soundstage is naturally more intimate than an open-back, but separation and detail are very good for a closed design. One important note: these really benefit from proper amplification. They’ll play from weaker sources, but they come alive with an amp. I’ve had excellent results using them with a Schiit Magni, Schiit Vali, and a Topping L30. With enough power, dynamics improve, bass tightens up, and overall clarity steps up noticeably. Comfort has been good overall. Clamp is reasonable, the pads are soft, and weight is well distributed. Like most closed-back headphones, they can get a bit warm during longer sessions, but nothing unexpected. At their current price, these are a strong value, especially if you want planar detail in a closed-back headphone without spending flagship money. Go in with the right expectations and proper amplification, and these are easy to enjoy. A very solid and underrated option from HIFIMAN.

Most closed backs are dynamic headphones. This allows them to stay on the dark side with deep base. They roll off the highs and increase the base. There are cheap and expensive dynamic closed back headphones all over. Too many to even count. You don't see many planar closed back headphones and you don't see many inexpensive planars open or closed. It is very challenging to design planar drivers to work in a closed back. The Sundara did an excellent job especially at this stupid low price of $149. They are a very mids signature sound. Nice medium size soundstage, punchy lower and mid base. Kicks, snares, toms and other percussion is where these really shine. They are articulate with accurate separation. The highs are not rolled off and I did not notice any Sibilance/hiss using quality recordings. A high hat and cymbals sound like they should. Vocals are where most headphones struggle as they are so diverse. These were as good as anything even remotely close to this price range. I would not recommend these for a total basehead or those who listen to mostly Rap etc with tons of synthetic sub base. Probably not the best fit for heavy metal with massive instrument and vocals distortion. I EQ all headphones regardless of price and once a little EQ is added to these with a couple of days of burn in these really sound great. Thus you get the deeper base and keep the beautiful mids. I listen to all lossless recordings. It cracks me up these guys who play some poor production from some 1970's rock band in 128kbps quality then say they don't like some headphones. At least leave what equipment you used, specific recordings and recording quality/source as well as what headphones in that price range they loved when they leave negative feedback. The Sundara closed are quite comfortable with a good suspended headband and soft cushion cups that seal well. The softness just absorbs hair or glasses and keeps a solid seal. A person next to you would not hear anything unless you are blowing your ears out. The round shape and size leave a wide variety of 3rd party cups available. The construction is great for sitting in a room and listening to headphones. They are not for dropping them, forgetting you have them on and walking away, traveling all around with them or letting the kids/dog play with them type build. Basically fine for people who respect their gear and have a controlled environment. These are NOT a $1000 open back planar. As a total package these absolutely blow the doors off headphones like AKG 361/371 the DT770 pro's or anything else in the $149 price range as I have many of them. You have to buy closed headphones in the $500 range to compete. Outstanding buy

Simplemente una opción muy buena por este precio sonido claro y suave, un sonido más juguetón y cálido qué hermoso, pero no deja de ser muy bueno, el único contra que tienen es que te presionan la cabeza y más aún si eres cabezón como yo, y que la unida qué me llegó tiene un defecto y es que el auricular del lado izquierdo es mucho mas rígido qué el del lado derecho por lo que al momento de ponérmelo el ajuste se complica, incomoda y cansa con largos periodos de escucha.

Once you've EQ'd them they sound fantastic. They are very competent headphones. They're also very comfortable and leak very minimally on my head. For their discounted price, they are a steal. If you're up for EQ, I recommend you give them a go.

Looks fine, better in person compared to the product photos. It sounds a little honky stock, but cleans up remarkably well after Oratory’s eq. It’s definitely a recommended buy if you eq it. It sounds cleaner and more spacious than my Beyer DT770 and a lot more fun than my Senn HD650.

Premessa: questa cuffia non suona come la Sundara aperta. Non aspettatevi lo stesso sound profile. È chiusa ,i materiali sono (parzialmente )diversi e la curva in frequenza è diversa. Sembra scontato ma non lo è assolutamente per molti . Oltretutto lo stesso driver è diverso, più efficiente. Detto questo posso dire, dopo alcuni ascolti ,che ci troviamo davanti a una signora cuffia chiusa. Molto dettagliata e con un basso che io personalmente non ho mai sentito così preciso e dettagliato in una cuffia sotto i 500 euro. Non ci sono paragoni da questo punto di vista con le altre cuffie da me provate , le quali molte sono Bestbuy nelle loro relative fasce di prezzo.. Grado, sennheiser, Audiotechnica , AKG , fino ad arrivare alla top di gamma chiuse Shure 1540. Anche lei ha fallito al cospetto di questa. Per quanto riguarda invece le altre caratteristiche , questa è sicuramente una cuffia polarizzante. Il soundstage è precisissimo ma poco esteso. sopratutto in profondità. Le voci risultano molto vicine. A chi apprezza un suono più intimo e “dentro la testa” non potrà che apprezzare queste cuffie che comunque mantengono il classico timbro neutro Hifiman che ha reso famosa questa marca nella cerchia audiofila. I medi a mio parere risultano molto naturali così come le alte frequenze che brillano con incisioni di tutto rispetto. C’è sicuramente meno aria tra gli strumenti rispetto alla Sundara Open ma i suoni non risultano mai congestionati. La cuffia è pilotabile anche da uno smartphone ma scala tanto cambiando sorgente. Consiglio un ampli dedicato. In conclusione : per chi cerca una cuffia chiusa dal suono molto dettagliato , intimo, neutro e con un basso preciso e controllato questa è un best buy. perfette per il rock , Metal e pop ma capaci di adattarsi anche ad altri generi. Sicuramente se volete una cuffia per ascoltare esclusivamente la musica classica non è la cuffia che fa per voi. Brava Hifiman che ha fatto un altro centro.

The Sundara CB (closed back) is an underrated hi-fi gem. Pairs very well with the Fiio Q3 (AKM4452). The Sundara CB is paradox in itself, smooth yet detailed, closed yet open sounding. Well suited for long listening sessions. Bass has a solid slam that doesn't muddy or colour the mids, sub bass adequately rumbles, mids for vocals and pianos deliver very well without any of the 4khz peaks or honkiness, trebles have a good sparkle without any glare or sharp discomfort to the ears. As a design package, the Sundara CB provides good clamping force that is just about right, headband rests on top of the head without additional pressure, the ear cups are round but large enough to accommodate my Dumbo ears. The earpads are soft hybrid leather-velour combination which provides comfort, bass seal and stays cool. The only gripe will be the yoke length adjustment. It's very, very tight. But once you have that set, you won't have to do it again. I highly recommend it. 5/5 stars. *other headphones I have used as a means of comparison* Hifiman HE400i 2020 AKG K612 Pro Audio Technica R70x Audio Technica AD900x Audio Technica M40x Sennheiser HD598 Sennheiser HD58x ISK HF2010 ISK HD9999 HyperX Cloud 2