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Bought the earlier version in 2019 and after four months the right driver started cutting out intermittently, despite careful handling. Apart from that quality-control problem, rates it an awesome headphone for immersive games.
“Bought prior version in 2019. 4 months later Right side driver intermittent drops in audio. Irritating since not used daily. I take utmost caution handling audio equipment.”
Was happy with the Sundara until something inside the left cup came loose and started vibrating. Now considering spending more on something more reliable.
“After great reviews like these I got the Sundara and they were great... until something inside the left cup became loose and started to vibrate ;(”
Bought it unheard and could not be happier. Finds it amazingly balanced and neutral, a perfect middle tier between their Audeze Sine and Sennheiser HD 800 S, and good straight out of the box.
“Just bought the Sundara only based on this review (without even listening to them!) and couldn't be happier! Amazingly balanced and neutral, the Sundara is perfect as a midtier between my audeze Sines and Senns HD800s.”
Bought it a year earlier and finds the sound fantastic, but the ear pads have started tearing away from their base.
“I bought the Sundara last year, but the pads are starting to tear from the base for me, that's unfortunate. The sound is absolutely fantastic though.”
Has used them for two and a half months and loves them, but had to replace the poor stock cable.
“I've had my Sundara's for 2 1/2 months and I love em. I did have to get a new cable, the cable that comes with them sucks.”
Has owned the Sundara for two years and thinks most people need nothing more expensive; only something like the Meze Empyrean II would be a real step up.
“Listening This Review in My 2 Years Old Hifiman Sundara. I Do Not Think Anybody Have To Buy Anything Above This.”
Just bought them and loves the detail they reveal. Unlike cheaper headphones, they don't make them feel they are hearing the headphone's own character rather than the music.
“I just bought the Sundaras and they are amazing in the sense I hear details that make listening to music very pleasing. With lesser headphones I always feel like I am listening to the headphone characteristics”
Bought a used Sundara with a JDS Atom amp and finds it a whole new level beyond their Sennheiser HD 560S. Describes very vivid, tactile detail and a stage where instruments and voices seem to surround their head.
“I bought a used Sundara and the JDS Atom arrived yesterday and am a very happy man now. My 560s was great fun but this is on a whole new level.”
Has used the revised Sundara for about six months on a Schiit Modi and Magni Heresy and loves it for music, movies and gaming. Comfortable for hours and good at letting heat out, so it works well as a daily driver.
“I have been using the revised Sundaras for about 6 months now with the Schiit Modi and Magni Heressy and I love them, they are awesome for music, movies and gaming.”
Owns the Sennheiser HD 6XX and Beyerdynamic TYGR 300 R too, and the Sundara is their favourite by far: best sound, most comfortable, better instrument separation, good bass extension and great tonal balance. Friends preferred it too.
“The Sundaras are my favorite by far. The sound is the best, and they are the most comfortable of the three. There is better separation of instruments with the Sundara”
Has used a second-hand Sundara for a year with a JDS Labs Atom, after the HE4XX. Is very pleased with it and feels no need for anything else.
“These are my 2nd headphones (after the HE4XX) so I am not very experienced but I am so pleased with them and don't feel the need for something else !”
Still uses the original Sundara with an iFi Zen Can, a balanced aftermarket cable and Dekoni fenestrated pads, and considers the package an amazing bargain that is hard to beat.
“still using the original Sundara. Paired with IFI ZEN CAN in 12 DB position with no bass boost and with Fantasia HE style silver plated 2M balanced cable from Amazon and DEKONI HE Fenesrated Ear Pads.”
Loves the sound after a year and a half, but the plastic piece the headband slots into snapped, after their earlier HIFIMAN 400S also broke at a plastic connector. Finds the plastic mounts flimsy despite the sturdy-looking metal.
“Ended up buying the Sundara a year and a half ago, and I admit, I love how they sound. However, I just went to put them on and the plastic piece that the headband inserts into, broke.”
Their Sundara feels like a tank, tougher than their Beyerdynamics.
Loves their Sundara but replaced the stock cable.
Owns the Sundara and R7DX and finds them very close in sound.
Found a cheaper headphone blew their Sundara 2020 out of the water.
The Sundara is their jazz headphone; nothing else matters when it's on.
Loves the Sundara as their endgame with perfect soundstage.
Has had their Sundara 3 years with no problems; upgraded to sheepskin pads.
Sundara is great for the price; only gripe is stock pads falling apart after months.
Has had the Sundara 2020 for a few years and loves it.
Likes their Sundara and prefers it without EQ.
Has the Sundara but finds themselves using the HD 560S more.
Ditched the Sundara after listening to the Edition XS.
Has a Sundara pair and thinks it sounds outstanding.
Has the Sundara and finds it still the best quality-to-price ratio.
Has worn the Sundara at work 8 hours a day for 3 years with EQ.
Bought the Sundara four years ago and it has held up to heavy use.
The Sundara has been their daily driver from college through to a job.
Has owned the Sundara since 2021 and loves it.
The Sundara was great until they got the Ananda.
Sold their Sundara for the Edition XS, a massive bass upgrade.
EQ'd their Sundara and can't think of getting another headphone.
Their first Sundara developed slight channel imbalance after six months; the second works fine.
Has a 2020 Sundara and Arya Stealth and says they won't break.
Sold their Sundara to buy the SR325x.
Has had their Sundara since early 2021 and it still works great.
Listening to their Sundara right now and never wants to switch.
Their Sundara broke after a week; great headphones but known for that.
Finds the Sundara perfect for their hearing.
Still happy with their Sundara daily: top-tier treble and great separation.
Owns the Sundara and says they love it.
Has dropped their Sundara from the couch numerous times without issue.
Just got the Sundara and has no build issues; it sounds great.
Bought the Sundara and absolutely loves it, now looking to upgrade.
Has used their Sundara daily for 7 years and the drivers still work.
Tried two different Sundara pairs and both broke.
Another of their two Sundara pairs has failed.
Still uses the Sundara daily since 2021, needing only a cable and pad replacement.
Loves their Sundara but modded the headband to add swivel.
Has the DT770, HD600 and Sundara on a JDS Atom 2 and prefers the Sundara.
Got the Sundara 10 days ago on a Schiit stack and is loving it.
Loves their Sundara, the daily drivers among all their headphones.
Just got the Sundara; bass is OK but they would prefer a little more.
Owns the Sundara but would never recommend anyone buy one.
HIFIMAN had to replace their Sundara pads twice in the first months.
Has had their Sundara over a year and it still looks and works great.
Finds the Sundara beats their Shure 1540 in treble smoothness.
Has daily-driven the Sundara as their main PC headphones for about 6 months.
Upgraded from the HE4XX to the Sundara with no regrets.
Returned the HE400i for the Sundara, better in every way sound-wise.
Loves their Sundara, which makes their other headphones sound muddy.
Their brand-new Sundara arrived with mould visible under a microscope.
Learned a lesson with the Sundara: never buy HIFIMAN, especially in Canada with return costs.
Just got their Sundara and finds it pretty treble-forward.
Finds the Sundara amazing for its price with godlike resolution.
Their first Sundara came scratched out of the box and was returned immediately.
Bought the Sundara 2-3 years ago with a huge channel imbalance; first and last HIFIMAN.
Has had their Sundara for 3 months and it's still perfect.
The Sundara pads don't fit their ears; the HD 560S is far more comfortable.
No longer owns the Sundara, which needed more power than their other headphones.
Was underwhelmed by the Sundara at first but it grew on them with time.
Finds the Sundara good for the price but nothing extraordinary.
Totally enjoys the Sundara and HD 6XX together since getting them.
Prefers their Sundara over the HD 6XX, though QC is better on the Sennheiser.
The Sundara didn't have the sound signature they wanted so they went with the HE400se.
Enjoyed the Sundara and preferred it over the Edition XS until trying the Arya Stealth.
Their Sundara pair is 4-5 years old.
Finds their Sundara nice but not amazing; prefers it for music and DT990 for gaming.
Was underwhelmed by the Sundara and gave it away for the Arya Stealth.
First impression of the Sundara was disappointing until the pads broke in and it sounded better.
Really doesn't like the Sundara, which sounds incredibly sterile to them.
Loves their Sundara and keeps coming back to it on various sources.
Used both the SHP9500 and Sundara for years; the difference is night and day.
Got the Sundara in October and loves it.
Uses the Sundara with a 3 dB bass boost on a Fosi ZH3 and likes it.
Found the Sundara excellent for the price over 3-4 years before the Arya Stealth.
Upgraded from the Sundara to the Edition XV; the Sundara was good but its plastic headband housing failed.
Really enjoyed the Sundara's treble sparkle and musicality, though light on bass.
Not a huge fan of the Sundara without EQ, but with EQ it's fantastic.
Started with the Sundara and switched to the Edition XS a year later, liking the XS better.
Loves their Sundara but wishes the ear pads were larger.
Sound on their Sundara is solid but the build is chintzy.
The Sundara was one of their absolute favourites with great comfort and an airy sound.
Picked up the Sundara a few weeks ago and absolutely loves it, especially the comfort.
Loved their Sundara with EQ and sheepskin pads.
The Sundara is their first open-back wired headphone alongside their IEMs.
Uses the Sundara for movies and music: neutral with a lovely soundstage.
Had to eat their words about the Sundara after trying it amid the hype.
Runs the Sundara balanced from a FiiO K7 and likes it.
Banished all their other headphones once they got the Sundara.
Finds their Sundara awesome but didn't like Oratory's EQ.
Sold their HD 650 after 7 years once they heard the Sundara.
Owns both the HD 650 and Sundara; the Sundara is their hi-fi go-to.
Had both the HD 650 and Sundara and didn't like the Sundara.
Kept the Sundara and sold all their Sennheisers except the HD 700.
Owned the HD 650 and Sundara, liked the Sundara a bit more, but kept the K701.
Has the Sundara and HD 6XX and intends to keep both.
Has the HD 660S and Sundara and prefers the Sennheiser way more.
Owned the HD 650 and Sundara and found they complemented each other as great all-rounders.
Likes their HD 650 way more than their Sundara, which is less comfortable.
A studio mixer who finds the Sundara far superior to the HD 650 in linearity.
Got the Sundara last week and finds it sounds very nice.
Loved everything about the Sundara except the comfort.
Has had their Sundara almost 3 years and keeps falling in love with it.
Runs the Sundara on a FiiO K7 and loves it to bits.
Still uses their nearly 5-year-old Sundara.
Couldn't make their old Sundara match the HE1000 in stage, detail or dynamics.
The Sundara was their first audiophile headphone and they didn't find it very impressive.
Didn't like the Sundara, finding it too bright.
Daily-drove the Sundara before upgrading to the Arya V2.
Was satisfied with the Sundara before finding a used Arya Stealth.
Had the Sundara for 5 months at $139: good bass, slam and sweet strings.
Owns the Sundara with multi-kilobuck headphones and finds it 80-90% of the way there.
Ran the Sundara from a USB-powered DX1 for a year and it always felt underpowered.
The Sundara was their first hi-fi headphone and blew their mind.
Still their go-to Sundara for everything, even gaming.
Would buy the Sundara again; very hard to beat in its price bracket.
Picked up the open Sundara for £90 recently and was immediately impressed.
Loves their Sundara but had to EQ the 6.3 kHz spike and sub-bass.
Owned the Sundara with a ZMF headband swap before replacing it with the Ananda.
The Sundara opened their ears and led to over $4,000 in upgrades.
Has the Sundara; only complaint is the bass is a little light.
Owns the DT 770 and Sundara and compares them.
Used the Sundara daily for 3 years with an Atom stack; could be endgame for mid-fi.
The Sundara was the first headphone to wow them with planar sound.
Owns the Sundara and MSR7NC; the Sundara wins on mids, treble and soundstage.
Their new Sundara is way too quiet on their stereo, PC and phone.
Has been lucky with their Sundara despite the QC complaints.
Their Sundara broke for the second time.
Has the Sundara and it sounds amazing.
Ordered the Sundara from Amazon as their first quality headphone.
Their Sundara turned one year old with no problems.
Lived happily with the Sundara for years; it knocked it out of the park on soundstage, especially with EQ.
Their first planar, the Sundara, had absolutely no soundstage to them; moving to the Ananda was night and day.
Broke the headband on their new-model HIFIMAN Sundara.
Found the Sundara uncomfortable: the pads trap heat worse than any headphone they've used, and the cups don't swivel.
Hearing a favourite song on their new Sundara setup for the first time was overwhelming.
A yoke screw on their HIFIMAN Sundara broke.
The Sundara was 95% perfect for their ears, but driver crinkle appeared the same day so they returned it.
The Sundara was already endgame for them sound-wise, but didn't fit their large ears well.
Their Sundara is so tight and big that it hurts their jaw.
The left driver of their Sundara failed after about 7 months, after an HE400 also developed imbalance, so they no longer buy HIFIMAN.
One driver of their carefully used Sundara died after three years of only occasional short sessions.
Their Sundara intermittently buzzes in the left side.
The Sundara sounded like perfection to them, and five years later they're still amazed every time.
Finds the Sundara more comfortable than the HD 560S but gets a hot spot on top of the head after a few hours; the HD 550 is far more comfortable than either.
Didn't find the Sundara comfortable: the cups don't swivel and the strap limits how wide the headband opens, so it doesn't fit their wide head, which also rules out thicker replacement pads.
“I didn't find them comfortable. The headband does not allow the cups to pivot and the way the headband works means my wideass head can't really fit as the headstrap limits how wide the headband opens.”