HIFIMAN - Sundara

I also just got the same headphones and didn't realize the the thing in the box could be a stand. Great deal off AliExpress though under 100!

and paypal 20% cash back using their payment plan thingy

Hifiman sundaras. There a tad bright, but have been so close to excellent the whole time I've owned them. My elex as well has my heart, the clamp hurts me a bit due to tmj issues so they stay hung up more and more lately. I think the ayra unveiled is going to be my new always headphones. I use eq sometimes but the less I have to do, or none at all makes me so happy. Idj why, if I have to eq even if its better I just don't love it.

Personally, I wouldn’t jump from the Sonys to a $500 headphone until you know what you like. I’d recommend starting with the Sennheiser x Drop HD 6XX; they’re on sale right now for $180 and they’re a really, really great pair of audiophile grade headphones for you to see if that’s even something you like. Alternatively, the Hifiman Sundara is under $200 right now and it’s a great example of an entry-level planar magnetic headphone. If you’re committed to going all out, I’d recommend the Meze 105 AER at $399 and a JDS Atom Amp+ for $99. Reviews: - 6XX: https://daemonxar.com/2025/01/27/sennheiser-x-drop-6xx-review-seven-years-in-the-making/ - Sundara: https://daemonxar.com/2025/10/26/hifiman-sundara-a-classic-in-open-back-headphone-design/ - 105 AER: https://daemonxar.com/2025/06/05/meze-105-aer-review-another-great-meze-product/

Amex has (had?) an offer where they'd give you 50% off on something (discount up to $80) if you paid in points. I have ... like 200,000 Amex points because I basically don't ever use them. So really I didn't pay anything, but I used $79.50 + tax worth of points for them. Which was maybe the single biggest no-brainer of my audiophile journey. Do I think I'll use them very much? Nah. But having them on my wall for that price? Totally worth it for review comparisons.

I tried them six years ago and they weren't for me, then a friend lent me a pair to review this summer and damn. What an exceptional pair for the value.

The way I have to wear them to be comfortable on my ears means that most of the weight rests on top of my head; I don't find it super problematic (and they're far from my heaviest headphones, but I wish they had a little of adjustment on the suspension strap. It's a ... weird design, even for Hifiman. If I were wearing them for a long period of time, I'd probably put on a hat. But I'm also the guy who prefers the older style 5XX strap or the single-band from Edition XS or HE6se v2 over the Arya-style headbands.

If you really want closed, the FT1 is the only one I recommend without reservations under $500 (for gaming, the fractal scape at $200). If you’re open to open backs, the Hifiman Sundara is on a great sale right now and is a great gaming headphone.

Over the last decade or so, I’ve collected quite a few low fi and mid fi headphones. In a given month, I listen to all of them and a number of IEMs besides. For the price of one $1000 US headphone, I have a wide range of choices, depending on the music I’m listening to. All of my headphones have been purchased used or at a steep discount. They were purchased off of FBM, craigslist, eBay and various retailers who do sell some used items. Most of the headphones I have were $100 a pair and none over about $150. Also, I don’t sell something once I’ve acquired it. I just keep using it or repurposing it. In closed backs, I have the FIIO Ft1 and HiFiman HE R10D. In open backs, I have the Sennheiser HD 58x, GRADO 80e, the FIIO 350 ohm FT3 and the Audio Technica R50x. In planars I have the Monolith m1060c and the HiFiman Sundara. I’m running all of these balanced with the exception of the Grado. Also, I mix and match with my headphone amplifiers that are both balanced: IFI Zen Can solid state class A and Apos Gremlin tube amplifiers -each of which cost $150 or less. I believe I get more enjoyment out of my group of headphones then I would from one “ endgame” headphone - which rarely turns out to be an actual endgame headphone based on what I’ve seen in Reddit. Anyway, what I’m listening to the most right now is the FT3 on the Apos tube amplifier and the R50x on the solid state amplifier.

Closed back go for Fiio FT1, if you don't mind an open back (no isolation) Hifiman sundara

I just got the same headphones and I didn't know there was a stand in the box.

Welcome to the chase, my friend!!! I've never heard the EdXS, but I've had these: OG Sundara, HE4xx, and Arya v2 - while still owning these: HE400i 2020, OG Ananda, Arya Stealth, and HEKSE. The first HFM can that I bought was the OG Sundara - and OMG, they blew every other dynamic can that I'd heard before then out of the water! That was until I bought the OG Ananda and then quickly said: "Effit, I'm taking the plunge" - and bought the Arya v2. Prior to the Aryas I couldn't fathom spending ~$500+, then ~$750+ and THEN ~$1,000+ on a headphone....that is, until I heard the Ananda and wondered "What if"? When I got the Arya and first heard them I was very impressed, but still kinda "Is this it"? Until I read that they took a few days or weeks to burn in before they'd sound their best. I let them marinate over the nights with some pink noise and bass heavy music for a few nights and then listened. HOLY MOLY - they had totally transformed and expanded in every direction (HxWxD + midbass, subbass, texture, and smoothness)!!! Like a "Shaking your head because this is TOO GOOD - my goodness!!!" kind of emotion, LOL. Of course, then I had to buy the requisite source chain to "maximize their SQ" - so I bought a used Gustard H20 Class A BAL amp and later on a Gustard x26pro DAC to stack with it - both working together to mitigate the roughest treble edges from both my Arya Stealth and HEKSE. I'm still in Bliss..... As you can guess, I'm still stuck - but I think I'm holding off right now on even hearing the HEK Unveiled and sticking with my HEKSE. They offer me literally everything there is to offer, IMO - not lacking in any facet of SQ, especially after experimenting with ZMF hybrid and perforated lambskin ear pads for the "cherry on top" effect. Happy listening - and keep us posted....

OMG this is the first time I've seen someone else spreading this gospel besides me on here. +12db bass shelf Sundaras checking in, after 5 years of love, now I'm using a he1kse and still doing the same.

Ahh my two favourites are definitely grado sr60x and hifiman sundaras. Idk why but that treble in the grados is just so nice for so much of my music, and I really enjoy the super light on-ear feel. Then the sundaras are absolutely my most used headphones, by far. They are always at my desk and these days even next to my bed. If I’m being honest my sundaras don’t do anything that is particularly mind-blowing but I just love the sound so much. The build quality is terrible and the cable they came with got swapped out immediately alongside the pads, but the sound is just right. Honorable mentions go to kph40s which are the single comfiest headphones ever, I usually forget in even wearing them and they sound so ridiculously good for 30$ headphones. Then to hd660s which I keep at my desk as well, and since they are so easy to drive compared to hd600 and to my sundaras, I even used them out of my phone for years.

It’s surprising how bass-ey neutral can be when you are used to hd600/hd650 and grados. I myself was shocked when I realized my sundaras were not technically bass heavy. I have never been much of a fan of truly “neutral” headphones, and to me squigs never tell much in terms of how a headphone will sound to you. They are a fair bit more useful in the case of iems, but it’s still just half of the story.

I have both the hd660s and the ft1 pro, and I must say neither of them sounds as good as hifiman sundaras for me. Ft1 pros were less than half the price of what I got either of the other two, so I’d definitely say they punch above their weight. They also have much louder bass and sub-bass than either.

Gaming headsets have always been a scam, just go for studio / audio focused stuff, they actually care about what matters I've had my hifiman sundaras for 5 years and the only thing I've had to change are the earpads which are easily available on AliExpress and will last me yet another 5 years. and the coolest part is that this headset is known to be mid quality compared to most, yet it will still outlast any other "gaming" headset