HIFIMAN Sundara Closed-Back Planar Headphones

Sundara Closed Back

Headphones are great, price was great, and they arrived quickly.

I found these to be uninspired. The level of detail is poor at lower volumes. I also found the sound to often be strained, congested, and/or metallic. I'm giving them a 3 rather than a 2 because they respond well to EQ - with patience, they can probably be EQ'd to something decent. Also, with EQ they can produce some solid bass - without EQ, the bass isn't anything special. Caveats: I'm new to headphones, so my basis for comparison is very limited and comprised solely of nicer headphones than this, so maybe I'm being unfair. But, it's also possible that I'm being entirely fair...for example I'm also trying out the Ananda Nanos and still believe them to be a good buy even after listening to the HD800S and the HE1000 Stealth. In contrast, at no point have I felt like the Sundara Closed-back is a particularly good buy. These were the first headphones that I listened to in many years, and my immediate reaction was disappointment.

Everything is ok except the sound. Tonal balance very strange, unnatural. Highs sound artificial, very unpleasant. There is no such a planar immediacy as for example in open back, the sound more rounded. Yes it reminds me Sundara open back in some way, but very little. For example, I found Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro much more enjoyable and more open/spacious as closed back, their fast and have more clarity. Probably instrument separation better on Sundara closed back over DT770, but it doesn’t matter with such unpleasant sound. Both headphones I tried with EQ and without. I’m gonna sell this pair.