Hiroyuki Sawano – Scapegoat (00:57-01:17), vocal tonality and timbre are better on the Phoenix but cleaner and more detailed on the Sundara. Instrument tonality is better on the Phoenix but better timbre on the Sundara. Now, the driving part, Sundara takes a lot of power to be driven well. If they are playing some music, it doesn’t mean that they are driven well. To place things in perspective, most DAPs below 300 USD simply won’t do for Sundara. They will still sound good, but not amazing. For proper amazing sound from Sundara, you need something like iBasso DX220 + AMP7, FiiO X7mkii + AMP5, Chord Mojo, or the like, something with really high power and driving ability. Neutral and technical. These have the best frequency response that I have ever heard. Bass extends well, never boomy or bloated. Mids are dead neutral, no upper midrange shout. Treble is wonderfully balanced with no large peaks and dips.

The Sundara belong to the new course of HiFiMAN design: whereas the previous models were equipped with a fixed metallic frame with a moving headband, the new headphones use a fixed headband with the frame that extends. It’s a mix of the usual headband design, with the cups that extend out of it, and the suspended headband design. I was sceptical at first – I found the previous design to be as good as it gets – but after trying the Sundara I had to make up my mind. Not only is the design lighter and more appealing, but it’s also as functional and comfortable as before. Some people may find it even better. HIFIMAN Sundara + QLS QA361–QA361 is like a more minimalistic version of a player. It really is magical as well, but it is a softer nature, more gentle, more easy on your ears. It is more splashy and more clean, yet manages to have similar dynamics and depth when you compare it to DX220, but with Sundara in particular they are really similar. QLA QA361 has an excellent depth, detail and clarity. In fact, with Sundara it may gather and reveal the most detail I’ve heard, but it fails just slightly behind, when it comes to Dynamics, although before hearing DX220 and AMP7 with Sundara, I thought that QA361 is the kind of sound with little Sundy. The impact is also amazing, although the treble gets even more soft, which compliments Sundara and lets even more detail shine through in the treble. Overall, if you like a minimalistic DAP, QA361 should serve you extremely well. Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), cleaner on the HD560S due to the lower bass quantity and very peaky treble.

I'm happy to be of help! About the cable, I actually complain about it mostly becuase it is very hard to source aftermarket cables, compared to Sundy which you can find cables for from any noname producer. HIFIMAN Sundara vs Sennheiser HD660S–Sennheiser HD660S is quite a bit more expensive than Sundara, especially if you find Sundara on sale, but I know many of you were wondering how the two compare. Now, on comfort, both are comfy, but sundy is a bit more heavy, yet feels less hot, you sweat less with Sundara, and it is less tight on the head. On the other hand, the sound is considerably different, Sundara is quite a bit wider in the soundstage, and both are similarly hard to drive, although Sundara may get louder a bit easier than HD660S, which is both hard to drive and control properly, but also hard to get loud. The soundstage is wider on Sundara, and also deeper, while it is more intimate on HD660S, at least when using most portables. When going to a full blown desktop DAC/AMP, HD660S can get a bit wider, but only with very specific ones. HD660S cannot be used outdoors at all, since it comes with pretty proprietary connectors, comes with a long cable, and gets hotter than Sundara in the summer, plus is harder to drive. The detail is actually similar, but Sundara exposes more detail overall, while HD660S is smoother in general, with a bit more emphasis on a more liquid sound, where Sundara is slightly splashy and also slightly soft, but still bearing a touch more detail. The bass is deeper on sundara, with more impact, and tighter on HD660S, with slightly more precision. The treble is actually a tie between the two, in terms of detail and overall clarity, but I could say that the treble of HD660S is more dry, and more revealing as well, while with Sundara, the treble is a bit more splashy, which also makes it more fatigue-free. Overall, both are excellent headphones, but each is made for a slightly different public. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Despite all that, Hifiman still hasn’t managed to pry loose the old thorn in their sides that is quality control. Driver failures abound, and the manufacturing quality of their headbands still varies wildly. These issues seem to be commonplace enough that some dealings with Hifiman customer service should perhaps even be anticipated. And you can go ahead and buy an aftermarket cable right off the bat – the included one is no good. Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre and texture are better on the R70X but cleaner and more detailed on the Sundara. Violin tonality, detail, clarity, texture and treble-extension are better on the Sundara. Timbre is better on the R70X.

Metallica – fight fire with fire (01:11-01:52), a lot more mid-bass on the Sundara and more textured, it is faster and tighter on the R70X but bass strikes are more distinct on the Sundara. Brighter on the R70X but much more tonally correct and still similar detail on the Sundara.What about me? The drivers, while the channels are relatively well-matched, exhibit a curious whine at specific higher frequencies, indicating some artifact of the poor construction within the sound – but it’s not audible when listening to music. At least, not usually.

Ground-Zero’s Consume-Red, for example, ends in a nearly 30-minute assault of constant cymbal crashes. Heard through the Sundara, these cymbal crashes are quite bright, and also clearly hazy and blurred-together. Detail in the treble becomes hard to make out because of the ringing here. As such, the Sundara Headphones areneutral-sounding headphones, but so much more. Their accuracy andtimbral accuracywill have you reaching for different genres to engage with. They are also fun. Whenclear imagingandanintimate soundstage arecoupled with the musicyou love and listen to most, it’s aperfect match.I can recommend these headphones without hesitation. Isolation: Next to none, also leaks a lot, to the point where you can listen to it on the other side of the cup. The flip side: the smoothness of the Sundara’s mids, while it can be a very nice quality, does come about at the cost of a loss of “detail” in the upper mids. Don’t get me wrong – the Sundara certainly has the ability to resolve most everything that comes its way, but it’s not always going to be starkly evident. Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality, timbre, texture and detail are a lot better on the Sundara. Violin tonality is better on the HD560S, but timbre, detail, timbre and treble-extension are better on the Sundara.Overall, Sundara has a sound that is at least amazing for their price range, reaching the golden levels for their price easily. PS:- Now I am looking for a case for this one, along with the headset and mic combo i talked about above.