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

Maybe you need to be British to understand the headline, but essentially it seems that these headphones split opinions and people either seem to love them or hate them. Personally, I really like these. Many reviews on the internet point out the wierd 300Hz hump in the midrange frequency response, but honestly I think unless you are a purist with different sets of cans for different genres of music, you will neither notice nor care much.Taken as a whole, these are still very good headphones that provide very good sound quality. They will likely sound far better than anything you are coming from if you are not already an audiophile. If you are an audiophile, then you will probably want a set of open backed headphones and not accept any compromise with a closed back. And that's ok. But don't slam these for what they are just because they don't offer £1000 performance.And as for the price - at the current price for £149, the value proposition is amazing. Perhaps they would be a harder sell at £399 and I can understand if people feel the quality doesn't match that price. But at the current price point these are really good. Nice bass response, great clarity, nice midrange and the trebles are not harsh. I would agree with others that these sound a bit darker/warmer. Listening to something intimate and jazzy like Diana Krall presents an amazing warm silky vocal with awesome details in the soundstage and her voice. The experience is made so much better if you use a balanced cable and appropriate DAC/headphone amp. It still sounds good with the standard cable, but switching to a balanced cable and amp does seem to open up the sound and add a little bit more sparkle.So in conclusion - and in my own humble opinion as I'm not trying to tell you what is right and wrong - if you are on a budget there is one question you need to ask yourself first. Do you want open back or closed back cans. These will not replace an open back. Once you have that question out of the way, I really think you should give these a try. For the price they are amazing. And if you don't like them, you can return them. However, I am keeping mine!

I was quiet skeptical after reading all the reviews of these headphones.For £119 I thought it is a must try ... if no luck will be returned.I really wanted a good-sounding closed back for everyday use, which is comfortable to use for many hours of listening, gaming, video conferencing while having some isolation from home noises.First impression:Extremely comfortable, good weight/support balance. Breathing pads, with good seal even with thick plastic glass temples.Soundstage - exceptional for this price range. I just love it - being a huge soundstage fan.Treble - average, with good separation, noting exceptional.Mids - a bit muddy but actually fits well into the overall sound signature of thh headphones.Bass - very good, detailed and punchy, especially for planars.Overall - no fatigue for long time with a broad range of listening (movies, music (most genres (probably not for rock and vocals)).Compared to:Beyerdynamic DT770Pro 250ohm closed back. The HifiMan has more detailed treble and punchier bass. Equally comfortable. For the same price I would go with the HifiMan.Sony MDR-1AM2 closed back. Different league. The Sony is my travel companion, very versatile and VERY comfortable. Interestingly the overall sound signature of the HifiMan is so uniquely and well balanced that it is easy fall in love with. At home the HifiMan will have more head-on time.Monolith M1060C closed back. The HifiMan is way more comfortable. The Monolith is heavy and difficult to keep in place if I move my head around a bit. Also I had to modify it by replacing the internal foam inserts with wool which actually achieved similar sound signature that the HifiMan has out of the box. For almost third the price the HifiMan is probably better out of the box.

This is a preliminary review, and it should be noted that I haven't given these a massive amount of burn-in time yet. I would expect with more use that the sound should "fill out" a bit. Still, they've had about 10hrs so far, enough to form some first impressions.Build quality seems basically good, though my pair appear to suffer from "planar crinkle" in the lefthand driver if the ear cup is moved in and out around the ear - the suction seems to cause noise from the diaphragm. Doesn't seem to affect the sound as such. The wood cups are an interesting feature, the headband is pretty sturdy, the supplied cable connects via a pair of 3.5mm jack plugs and seems un-necessarily thick. There's no tactile indication of left/right, except for the earpads being thinner at the front and the cable plugs angling slightly forward. They're not easy to get the right way around in the dark, or if you're visually impaired. Similarly, the left/right indication on the two plugs at the headphone end of the split cable are almost indiscernible - very faintly moulded L and R.Physical sound isolation isn't all that good for closed cans, and they are large and fairly heavy, and don't fold down. But they are nonetheless very comfortable.Moving on to the sound, my expectations are set by competition from conventional dynamic headphones at a similar price. I paid around 120 pounds for the HiFiMAN SUNDARA closed-back, and I'm comparing them with both over-ear and on-ear Sennheiser Momentum II headphones. I paid around 170 for the over-ear Momentums, but they dropped to around 125 when discontinued. These Sundaras apparently originally had a MSP of around 300 and, had I paid that, then I have to say I would have been disappointed.Details of the way they sound to me are, obviously, subjective and personal. I've enjoyed the Momentums for years, and you get used to a particular presentation, and the way the headphones physically couple to your ears - which depends on the individual shape of your ear canal as well as the ear pad design etc. - is significant.The closed-back Sundaras are to me bright sounding, very crisp. The soundstage is better than expected for closed-back cans, albeit a bit imprecise. There's not much by way of extended bass, especially compared with the Sennheisers. And despite the extended bass response of the Sennheisers, to me, the Momentums also sound snappier/punchier in the bass.It might be a consequence of separating out the sounds pretty well (presumably because of planar diaphragm speed) but the sound of the Sundaras is slightly "hollowed out" seeming, to me. It's hard to pin down - everything is clear enough, but midrange and vocals lack emphasis, and to some extent realism. Maybe they are accurate and un-coloured, but I'm not at all certain thats the case. Bass stuff seems to lack detail, compared with the Sennheisers, and there's less of it. HiFiMAN claims a response down to 6Hz, but these are definitely not "bass monsters".To some extent the jury is still out, because as I mentioned, I haven't yet given the Sundaras time to burn in, but right now, while I think they're impressive for £120, I nonetheless still prefer my old Sennheisers.Note that I don't have the open-back Sundaras to compare, but other reviewers report that these closed back ones sound very different, have different drivers, etc. They are styled similarly, they're still planar magnetic, but they're not the same headphone with a closed back.Still, planar magnetic headphones for a small amount over a hundred quid, that's some kind of bargain I think. It's not like they sound *bad* - they're way better than most in this price bracket. However, my personal preference in modestly priced closed-back wired headphones remains my Sennheiser Momentums.[UPDATE] After many hours of burn-in (estimated over 100hrs) these started to fill out in the midrange, and they're now much more balanced. They're still not quite as involving as the Sennheisers (and don't have the (probably unrealistic) bass extension), but they have do a pleasantly transparent quality to them. The "planar crinkle" seems to have disappeared - it may be that as the ear cups have worn in, they don't make such an airtight seal. They're not wearying to listen to, and they remain super comfortable, if enormous. I'm still not convinced about the cable, and I'd prefer a single sided cable entry, but with 3.5mm jacks on the cans, the cable ought to be pretty easy to replace if necessary. Possibly with one that has a remote for devices.

Despite sharing the name Sundara, the two are really not the same. If the originals are 'bright and airy', then these are 'warm and cosy'. In fact, you may even find these claustrophobic.One of the issues with the original, was their bass was a little on the weak side, the closed back of these really lifts that bass up. The highs are still there, just not as prominent due to the increased bass.Being planar magnetic headphones, they are really detailed, and sounds that should be crisp are much crisper than with dynamic headphones.The soundstage on these is incredibly narrow, pretty much everything happens inside your head, this is pretty normal for closed backs though.I brought these for £120, for that price they are up against things like the DT770 Pros, and it really is no contest, these won before the Beyer Dynamics have even got their boots on. If anything, I would say these are comparable to my HD660s (v1).

Strange pathway into audiophile territory. The Sundara’s open back recommended with DAC amplifier but I ended up purchasing the closed. I have been listening to wireless headphones for a long time Sony’s and B&Ws. If anyone is hearing muddy sounds with these I’m not. No expert but if there is better sound available at this price I would be impressed. Further research states that these don’t sound the same as the open back but to some they may sound better to those who aren’t obsessed with reference grade sound. Enjoying them immensely compared to my wireless noise cancelling headphones.

Good , but not as loud as some less expensive headphones I’ve been using . Did some research online and it seemed like the ideal set but didn’t work out as imagined

As someone who owns several pairs of premium headphones AKG and Beyerdynamic (£250 being my limit in price) these are top quality ...Sound quality is very balanced...mids I have read are slight reserved but through a headphone amp etc these headphone deliver a premium quality sound.Bass response is the deal for me ...very balanced but not shallow ....presence is very much there which is refreshing for a more expensive rating headphone.Treble does not lack ...vanilla eq is the base point ..work from there.Construction is high quality...fit is secure but not uncomfortable...i would easily wear these for long music listening sessions, feel and weight is premium.Sound isolation is very good..buy these if you want a premium closed back experience...recommended

I'm a big HiFiman fan already - have got the Drop 4XX & Mk1 HE560's (both planar) as well as the Drop Senn. HD6XX.Wanted to try a closed back and this had good reviews - specially at the reduced price.Build quality & presentation were good but that's where it ended.Don't know if there was something wrong with mine but even after a week it was still so strident and 'toppy' they were impossible to live with. Not 'sibilant'......just very high frequency with a bit of bass. Not what I expected.I really wanted to like these but maybe it was because they are sort of a 'hybrid' being a closed back PLANAR...After reading a few more reviews I went for the Fiio FT1.It has a BIG 60mm (conventional wood pulp) driver - no more HF 'stridency' & a LOT MORE bass!Its far from perfect but 'different' to what I already have - which was the point.

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.

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 2020AKG K612 ProAudio Technica R70xAudio Technica AD900xAudio Technica M40xSennheiser HD598Sennheiser HD58xISK HF2010ISK HD9999HyperX Cloud 2

Acheté suite à des tests lus sur le net je ne regrette pas mon achat, le son est bien équilibré et convient parfaitement à mon type d'écoute, métal et jazz. Testé sur smartphone avec dac, pc et Yamaha RV4a avec source Qobuz hi res, donc FLAC 24bits 192khz. Le casque est confortable.