HiFiMAN - Sundara (2021)

when i received this headphone and heard first time, i was not that impressed. But after burning @ 50 hrs, listening experience is drastically changed and it is out of world. I am very much thankful to Raghav and headphone-zone team for introducing this masterpiece in India. You guys are doing wonderful job. Thanks again.

Great Product, sounds fantastic (its a bit dark compared to similar planars), I've hear that the Audeze ones are a little warmer. In any case, do keep in mind that this will be a little heavier than your usual headphones and would be restricted to mostly listening sessions at home. There is a bit of treble, but very controlled, in certain cases this would be very enjoyable.

This would require an amp.

My only gripe here is that the product seems to come not manufacturer or factory sealed, therefore keeping you guessing about its newness. I feel a manufacturer seal is essential when it comes to expensive products, so that the consumer has confidence on what he receives. I have highlighted this to the HFZ team. They seem like a friendly bunch and i recommend having a chat with them about any product listed before placing an order.

It all started when I got bored for using my 8 years old Beats Solo HD on xbox and was not interested in using the Sony 1000XM3 while playing games. I was searching for gaming headphones and reading about them and then read few articles on how Philips SHP9500 + V Moda boom pro is the best gaming combination. They said since Philips SHP9500 is an open back so the sound staging is better plus I thought I could hear my wife calling me. So open backs, huh! Started looking for the Philips one but couldn't find one in India which is selling at correct price.

My next choice was Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro with Schiit stack (all based on readings/videos - no experience with openbacks yet). Meanwhile I started switched off the equalizer on my Sony 1000XM3 and started enjoying it. While I was discussing the headphone with my audiophile friend Kashyap (also known as KCM) and Addy, they told me about Hifiman Sundara. The price was double my budget but they said it is a different technology. Planars, here I come.

I discussed further with Salim from hpz, and he asked me what kind of music i listen, I told him almost everything and he suggested Sundara and Audeze LCD 2. I watched more reviews and my bank account and finalized Sundara and was waiting for it to be restocked. Meanwhile, I had some points at work which could be converted to Amazon vouchers. I checked that hpz accepts amazon pay as one of the payment method and we were sorted.

One fine day I got an email that headphones were in stock, I ordered instantly and they were delivered after 2 days. I also ordered ifi hip dac and that too arrived. Time to test the new headphones. I was excited.

I connected it to my computer and played a flac file. It sounded very shrill and sharp. I could see all my new headphone dreams flushing away but then I got reminded of the burn thing. Not sure if it true or not but started using the headphone and within 2-3 days I noticed that the sound is more clear and smooth now. I don't know if burning is a placebo or Stockholm Syndrome, but I started loving the sound. I experienced what a sound stage is, how bass sounds great without being over bassy. Everything sounded better and open (did we say this IS an open back). I could converse to my wife while listening to music and it was a different experience.

I am playing most of the songs from Tidal (Turkey one - cause its cheaper) and everyday I am discovering a new sound in songs that I have been listening since last 10-15 years. I am not an audiophile and probably will not ever become one, but I know my music and enjoy it. These planars enrich the experience of enjoying music.

PS:- Now I am looking for a case for this one, along with the headset and mic combo i talked about above.
PPS:- Register with Hifiman to get an extra 3 months of warranty.

“I am not an audiophile or an audio-whatever”. Having said that, you have been warned to take my layman review with a grain of salt/ sugar/ aspartame or whatever that suits your weight loss plan. With that out of the way and without wasting any more time in the foreplay of fondling with the build quality, comfort et Cetera. I’ll dive in directly into the thick of thing—the sound.

Here go,

To my ears, hifiman Sundara sounded good right out of the box although with a touch of restrain and sound being just a tad bassy for my taste, they got me good right from the start. But something about the headband, it felt like the ear cups on either side are trying to cave into my skull.

It’s been a month now listening to Sundara
and I am convinced to the bone that Sundara are the headphone I been looking for. The sound is clean, very well separated and appears to be just pleasantly flowing out of the ear cups while sundara barely seem to be making an effort in making that sound so good. Although I still find the bass on sundara, to be a shade more for my taste but that doesn’t come in my way of enjoying the music anyhow. Also the handband seems less hostile and seem to hate me little less now.

I must say Sundara do sound adequately loud when I drive them from my iPhone but as many have noted, they do scale a lot better with a good amp. In my case I use FIIO Q5, at low gain with volume dial resting at 1’ o clock; which is my preferred spot when I am listening to sundara. I rarely have to dial the volume past 2’o clock unless I am listening to full dynamic range recording like Bolt Thrower’s 1989 album ’Realm of Choas’.

I am not exactly a ‘high volume junkie’ but
if I’ve to pretend being one for a while and crank the volume all the way up to 80% or more so on my Q5. Sundara still sounds very coherent without busting a single seam at any frequency range. Vocals, Cymbals, snares and guitars continue to rein in their domain without any serious trespassing issues. In fact, I really enjoyed listening to Sundara at the volume I wouldn't have dared to listen if it was my rather misbehaving but beloved —M50x.

My only gripe against Hifiman Sundara, is the cable. While there’s nothing bad with the quality of cable; it’s just that annoying quality of the cable to hold shape. It refuses to be straight or lie flat on the table. They can rightfully be called—The memory cable.

Finally, I would want to thank my headphone Guru, Salim Lakdawala for showing me the light...errr Sound.

I had worked my up from the Grado SR80E to the Sennheiser 599 SE then to the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro and finally the Audio Technica ATH R70x. Each stop along the way had been an enriching experience - with each headphone bringing its own distinct sound. With the ATH R70X I had felt that I had reached the pinnacle as I was not sure if there could be anything better. But I wanted to try a planar. The Sundara had rave reviews across considerable time from all reviewers - so that was the obvious choice. And it turned out to be even better. The separation is even better than the R70X; the sound is faster. And I've not even played the headphones for the duration recommended by HiFiMan for burn-in. So I'm pretty much certain that this will be my last headphone purchase in quite some time if not forever. An electrostatic one? Maybe - but definitely don't see myself feeling the urge anytime soon

This is probably the best buy if you are looking for a starter high end headphone. The sound reproduction on these pair is amazing. The detail in the bass is amazing and the treble is crystal clear. (if you are just looking for bass and vocals go with sennheiser).
It is a easy to drive headphone so amp is not need for most parts but a dac with a little warmer signature will make your day.
The build quality is also amazing and the ear pads are very comfortable
There have been issues with Hifi Man quality control so you might get unlucky and have the driver fail on you for that I would suggest to immediately contact hifiman service center.

I’ve been a huge Audeze fan and these are my first Hifiman pair of headphones. Just two words can describe the overall performance of this pair and those words would be “clean” and “natural”. Yes, they sound clean and natural in all frequency ranges. The bass is fast and can go a little below 30hz which is great and not too overpowering, mids are clear and highs are sufficiently natural and clean. These have become my favourite planars at this price range as they exceed all expectations in terms of performance and sound at this price point. My reference point of comparison are my Audeze LCD1 and LCD2c. LCD-1 seems brighter than these in the highs and LCD2c sounds a bit darker. Overall, these are a perfect balance for any genre of music that I’ve tried them with.
And they’re efficient. They don’t require a high end amp to drive them to their limits. I’m a total metal head and the way my music sounds on these is just spectacular.
Best of all, headphonezone’s excellent delivery times and commitment to serve customer needs in these different and somewhat tough times has me won over completely. Thanks for making this brand available in India at affordable prices and kudos to the audio engineering behind this pair.

Being stuck between the K712 and the Sundara for a while, I was earlier aligned towards the AKGs for their massive soundstage as I needed cans for both critical listening and occasional mixing. The Sundara although known to have a slightly narrower soundstage were said to be much more detailed and deep which was something I preferred more and so I finally went with the Sundara. I must admit though that there's a great deal of R&D gone into Planartech in recent times which is pretty evident from the sound. There is a massive improvement over HifiMan's first gen planars like the HE400. The Sundaras are fairly easy to drive, even from a typical android(Wouldn't recommend it though). The Sundara achieves an unprecedented level of fidelity and boasts of unmatched rivalry at this price point. In short you really do get the sound you've paid for, if not just more. I would recommend not to judge them immediately before the burn-in as it significantly flexes the driver and makes it much more capable of imparting vibrations into the diaphragm(post 80 hours of playback) after which the Sundara becomes much more Sundara. The recommended burn-in is around 150 hours.

Speaking of color it is particularly neutral in the Mid range with comfortable Highs and fast, clean, thumpy Lows extended well below. It does justice to all frequencies, giving a near flat response. Leaving aside the 800 series, these can compete with HD600s IMO. In terms of comfort, I really vouched for IEMs over cans, but now I've realised that certain cans can be extremely comfortable even for extended periods of use(~3-4 Hours, the only bummer being the heat) all thanks to the enlarged contact surfaces of the pads, they significantly reduce pressure around your ears. I've come to realise that planars do have the potential to pave their way into the future as they tend to mimic the characteristics of electrostatics (which undoubtedly are the holy grail of sound production) under a budget. But again that's just my opinion.

After much thought, I decided to get rid of my isine20s and jump onto Hifiman bandwagon. Glad that I did.

I took a leap of faith as I had read a lot about QC issues with hifiman products. The unit feels well built and has a robust feel to it.

These do a Harman target very nicely.
Bass is sufficient and has definition. It is not boomy or thumpy.
Midrange is sweet and with just a hint of forward.
Treble is kind of okay. I would not term it as super resolving.
I prefer to use them without eq.

Sundaras have made me a Hifiman fan. Arya is next on the radar.

Tip: Register for an extra 3 months of warranty.
Unboxing: https://youtu.be/42zRk8NU7bk