Treble accuracy measured well, with no excessive sibilance. It is on the brighter side, sometimes a little too much. When listening to Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, with Joan Sutherland, Pavarotti and Bonynge with the Royal Opera House Orchestra (1972Decca CD) or to Strauss’ Elektra with Inge Borkh and Fischer-Dieskau with Bohm and the Staatskapelle Dresden, (1961, Deutsche Grammophon LP) there were some arias the headphones didn’t respond well in the high tessituras. Volume had to be lowered, otherwise, they ‘stung’my ears. This was my only‘disagreement’with the Sundara sound. 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. I am using PEQ (PK) as from my experience the definition is more consistent across different DSP/platform implementations than shelves. Also i find HD660 way lighter and easy to use outside the headband is one piece and connectors why does this matters to use outside ? Also long cable that i dont like why is this also a con ?

The Sanskrit word “sundara” means “beautiful”. HiFiMAN’s latest models are all named after some Sanskrit word, but this one appears to be spot on. The HiFiMAN Sundara are in fact beautiful headphones, though more importantly they sound good. The Sundara is a brightly tuned headphone, but at no time annoying by sibilants or the like. It rather invites to listen a bit louder. Resolution and details are present in sufficient quantity and in this price range, in my opinion, can not be topped. I have to get out an LCD-5 to hear a clear difference. The Audeze offers the more commanding treble rendering and places instruments accurately in space, whereas the Sundara's imaging is not at that level. It doesn't have to be, the Audeze costs about 13x the Sundara! But it's not 13x better by a long shot. The Sundara is reputed to be a relatively stylish headphone, and I do like the way the earcups look. They’re very nice and circular, and the minimalist design hits all the right cues – it’s perhaps a bit less special than something like Audio-Technica’s Air Dynamic series, but it certainly looks relatively nice. Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), Sundara has a lot better tonality, timbre and not as peaky treble.The soundstage of Sundara is actually interesting, they have an excellent overall instrument separation, but a natural soundstage. I can’t say that their soundstage is the largest ever made, but even when going from a true flagship to Sundara, which is a mid range headphone, I can still be quite happy and content, Sundara manages to have both an excellent width and depth, and they leave enough space for instruments to breathe. The overall stage isn’t HD800 wide, but it is wide enough that you won’t be needing for air. Compared to most other 500 USD Headphones, Sundara performs excellently in terms of both staging and dynamics. BTW, used to play in 1977 in CH w/ a band from Romania, the Brothers Constellation. Before you were born. 😉 Build quality is typical Hifiman that is quite good but still slightly lagging behind the competition. Bass: Djuro – Drop that bass (01:15-01:30), extends a bit lower and rumbles a lot more on the Sundara. Punch quantity is a lot higher and more textured on the Sundara, while it is faster and tighter on the R70X. Much more tonally correct on the Sundara and timbre is similar. Evanescence – Bring me to life (01:18-01:35), more relaxing and non-fatiguing on the KPH30i but a lot more detailed and cleaner on the Sundara.

My experience has always been with wireless over-the-ear headphones( Sennheiser PXC 550-II, Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose SoundLink—the Sennheiser’s are for me the clear winner of these threeby the way). I had no need for wired headphones and the amp to drive them. I’ve had wireless headphones exclusively—some Apple AirPods Pro earphones as well because they are just so practical. Mids are more recessed than the 560S, but not bad at all. Similar level of midrange detail at first listen. Doesn't have the same awful midrange shout of the 560S. (Yay!)Hiroyuki Sawano – Lose (string version) (01:22-01:59), Cello tonality is better on the Phoenix, but detail, clarity, texture and timbre are better on the Sundara. Violin tonality, timbre, texture, detail, clarity and treble-extension are better on the Sundara. HiFiMAN Sundara vs HiFiMAN HE-560: the HE-560 are a more balanced version of the Sundara. Bass is more extended and a bit more present, but it stays out of the way in the same way. It’s a bit faster and more detailed, but it has less physical impact. Midrange is more balanced, though it still is slightly bright; it’s a bit more detailed. Treble is much less emphasised, so it is much less fatiguing than the Sundara’s while also being a bit more airy. In general, the HE-560 are more detailed and more neutral than the Sundara. They also offer a similarly wide soundstage, with some added depth, plus more accurate imaging and slightly better instrument separation.

Fit: Very good, its pretty big for me but the clamp isn’t too weak/strong so it works well. If you have a very small head, it might be too big for you though. Timbre is nice though not at HD600 level. Everything aside HD600 manages to convey more emotions and sound more natural altogether. I think once you have listened to summit-fi, you start developing an appreciation for details, speed, and neutrality, combined with slam and sparkle. And in such ways, I think I prefer the Sundara over the HD 600 and HD 650. Treble: Linkin Park – Shadow of the Day (03:24-03:42), electric guitars aren’t sharp but a bit fatiguing. It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with HIFIMAN, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. This review is not sponsored nor has been paid for by HIFIMAN or anyone else. I’d like to thank HIFIMAN for providing the sample for this review. The sample was provided along with HIFIMAN’s request for an honest and unbiased review. This review reflects my personal experience with HIFIMAN Sundara. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in HIFIMAN Sundara find their next music companion.

The Sundara’s soundstage is natural, with relatively precise imaging and good instrument separation. It doesn’t typically get congested – although the treble can get a bit blurry in very bright recordings, most sounds seem to hold their particular positions in space, even during fast or loud passages. Hiroyuki Sawano &Z (02:18-02:57), slightly better tonality and timbre on the R70X and peakier treble while it is more detailed/cleaner on the Sundara.