I've owned the Arya, Ananda and Sundara... and kept the Ananda. Arya are great... but not worth over double the price of the Ananda. Sundara are great.. but I'd say save for the Ananda. The Sundara and Ananda are benchmark headphones in their price range
I agree with this, I tried all three and the Ananda's are the best bang for buck imo. I found the Sundara treble harsher than the Ananda, but then again the Ananda had more burn-in when I was comparing them.
Thanks for this comparison. I had the Devas and returned them. Wired or wireless I didn't think they sounded any better than the headphones that I purchased for 1/2 their price. I'm waiting for delivery off Sundaras. They are currently out of stock, I was given the option of buying Anandas at a $100 discount because they are immediately available. I really considering opting in for the Anandas but ultimately decided to wait for the Sundaras. This review reinforces my decision.
I didn't think I'd like this disembodied voice haunting from the bathroom, but I loved this video. I loved the details and attitude. I found the review understandable and believable.
That's impressive. I have the btr5 and I'm about to purchase the Sundara. The btr5, on paper only produces 220 milliwatts balanced. So I'm glad to hear that. I was actually afraid that the Sumdara might be a little lacking in bass.
@@NotCharAznable The Arya have great bass, but I'm not sure it's better. I listened to those and found that the Sundara has better treble than the Arya, with a more refined presentation of sibilance sounds. Also I like the midrange of the Sundara more. But of course we don't all have the same ears.
I have the Deva and Ananda. I’m with you on the comfort of the Deva not being perfect and use them Bluetooth only and like them for that open and wide sounding bt headphones. The Amanda’s I really love! Being a pro audio guy, I’m used to lots of treble (pro monitors unusually are very revealing) so for they sound amazing! Comfortable for long sessions!
this was one of the more helpful videos i came across in my search. thank you! for anyone on the hunt as well, if you're anything like me then the HiFiMan sound is just about perfect. I like a super clean treble (bright), and enough bass to feel but not so much that it's going to fatigue my ears. I bought some Dan Clark 'Aeon 2 open' based on a strong showing at a store, but realized later that they were way too punchy on the bass. Next day I go to a store to test out some Amp's and someone there walks in with some Sundara's. He let me try them and I was immediately blown away. They are the perfect mix of that bright response i love in the DT 1990, with strong but more recessed bass than the AO2. But they still hit. I was testing with Daft Punk "Superheroes" to see how punchy kicks are, and while I found it very fatiguing on the Aeon, the Sundara was like a perfect balance between the DT 1990 and the AO2. This is a high quality headphone for 1/3 the price. I'll be returning the AO2 and instead getting a Sundara and Arya to try. Good luck!
There is absolutely no "stealth revision" on the Sundara this had been recently confirm by Doctor Fang Bian of HiFiman. You can find the interview here on YT with the same reviewer who started this false rumor that had now spread everywhere. Very funny to see all those other reviewers repeat that same bad information and calling the Sundara 2020. The only ting they changed is the dust cover. Fan Biang explained that there is absolutely no change in sound. Also it's the same pads since they launched it. No change in pads whatsoever . There is no Sundara 2020.
@@francoisrochette3808 Actually, from what I've read they did change the pads. The updated pads are angled and supposedly more durable. Correct me if I'm wrong
@@Balconetti No they did not changed the pads. They were already angles when they laughed it in 2018. I bought a pair of Sundara first month after release in 2018 and a few weeks ago I bought another pair new directly from Hifiman for use at my office. Both are exactly the same and sound the same with the same pads. They only changed they make is with the dust cover it's now black and change of glue. They changed it for all the lines to get a better protection inside. Fan Biang in this this video below confirm that they are the same and no changed were made in sound. The person who started this rumor is the same one on made the interview. Fan Biang told him that there is no changed in sound no modifications on the Sundara. If you have the money I strongly suggest to go for the Ananda. It's a much better headphone. I own both. Ananda could easily be your end game headphone. Used it with a Asgard 3. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rgUr9UHC6F0.html
@@francoisrochette3808 so you havent heard latest version of sundara as there is change in pads from you 2018 version. Both are angled but last revision is much more so the sound also better on latest revision ( look at measurement also that some reviewers did) so ananda is worth only for sounstage upgrade and some minor differences as more subbass and a little more matured tuning.
Thanks for the review. I found an open box Sundara for $240 So that's ~110 less . I am using them as a mixing headphone. I do believe mixing with speakers but I have a home studio that is on the cheap side and not a good room. So the Sundara with a Can opener plugin and EQ'ed to be neutral was my solution and my mixes have improved. I have tried Arya's but can't justify the price. My setup is also mobile where I record live musicians, so breaking a 350 headphone is not as painful. I did get those cheaper Hifiman HE400SE. They are discounted currently at 109 and in a tracking session, they are good enough for the recordist. For the musicians if needed, I have a multi output headphone amp to TASCAM or old Sony's, or the musicians have their own IEMs monitoring setup
12:01 besides only doing more of a experience comparison i really would it enjoy see a graph comparison of the frequency response so you can kinda just objectively also compare what you hearing with what the actual thing the headphone is trying to transmit. I think would it be More visual and prob even easier to understand.
Tho I am late, thank you for the comparison! Which planar does have a very deep soundstage with good layering under 1.500$? I dont care for details, treble shimmer or exciting, punchy presentation as well as for soundstage width.
that definitely sounds like Audeze! Check out the LCD2, those are as affordable as u can get to obtain that signature. Their cheaper stuff is a little brighter so not really what you're looking for
thank you for reply! Unfortunately i already own an lcd2f, an LCD-i3 and a sine. to my ears they are fatiguing because of their uppermids. I didnt find them to have a good soundstage either. cant stand them for more than 20minutes @@chuckolatte600
Love this video! Personally looking to get the Sundara’s. What dac/amp combo did you use in your comparison? Even though I’m pretty decided upon the Sundara, I am totally up in the air for dac/amp combos. Looking to either get the Modi Schiidt Stack, Topping E30/L30, or ifi Zen Dac v2. What would you recommend?
Hi! I used my tried and true combo: the SMSL SU-8 and the THX AAA 789. I've yet to hear the Zen Dac V2 but I'd prefer the Topping E30/L30 over the schiit stack!
The plastic yoke broke within a week about 5 years ago. Makes me leery of spending 1600 on headphones with a hifiman plastic yoke. My current best are Sundaras. I can't really afford the Arya or justify spending that much, but still am tempted by it. I'll most likely get the Ananda then call it good for a good while. I want to upgrade my pc within the next few years and also get a ps5 at some point (when enough games I want launch). Already spent a lot on the thx 887 and smsl su 9. That's a lot of potential money spent. Most reviews are glowing for the Arya, but that price is also prohibitive for many. The 700 dollar price is less than half the Arya price so that may have to be my upgrade path. I've thought about trying the focal clear (new price of 990 makes it more attainable), but I think I'd still prefer the sound staging, detail, and instrument separation of the hifiman.
@@davidmason8212 You probably already did your research but I have the LCD 2C and Ananda. I was hyped for the 2C and let down. Just not my thing for the price they are asking. Build quality however is insane. Still, the Ananda is just so vast and detailed I could never pay more for the 2C.
I just wanted to ask , how are your k7xx after all these years are they still holding up ,do you still like them? Any chance you would try k712 in future?
I won't lie, I pretty much only use them for watching movies/tv shows and sometimes for gaming (when music/soundtracks are not a factor). I like them for their comfort and good sound, but when it comes to music I'd rather use other HPs lol
I'm looking for a complimentary to my 800s, I do hear a difference between the Arya and Ananda. Never tried the HE1000V2. Was wondering if you have tried the V2? If yes would like to know your opinions when compared to the Arya! haha
Hi! I wish I could help you, but I haven't. If it helps, I think the Anandas are the most different, while the Aryas are sort of a midpoint between the Anandas and HD800s
Yeah, I would definitely try out the Arya before getting rid of your Sundara. The Sundara is crisper and more detailed in the treble region which the Ananda lacks, so if you’re looking to get more of the Sundara with the Ayra, better try first.
@@homerjones3291 Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately I don't have any means to audition the Arya 😣 I'm just relying on user reviews and youtube reviews.
11:05 at the end of the video you really just took away the most value for money type of headphones and just stayed with the more expensive ones which is fine but i still think the ananda and deva are great headphones cause deva and he400se are like a cheaper version of the sundara and ananda is a cheaper version of the arya to be fair i do think the arya obviously is a better headphone but i dont think by long shot compare to the ananda. The ananda i think also sound like a very expensive headphone and not only said by me but by other reviewers as well. And in frequency response i do have seen the arya is one of the most neautral ones of all but the sundara i also do have seen in other reviews that are warmer in sound.
Sir i m currently running a shitty earphones m thinking of getting a new headphones but m not sure which i m a huge pink floyd fan and m comfused around Sennheiser hd 560s akg k702 and beyerdynamic 880 pro (250) all these 3 are basically of same cost here in india I think i can spare some cash and get some ifi zen air dac amp combo as it is cheap I will be greatfull as you are one of that actually know the sound signature and what could be the best Love to hear your input Regards
Hi! If you're gonna start venturing into HiFi, you may want to start by spending only a few hundred USD on your entire setup. The HD560S sound like a great starter HP for me.
@@dr.shivamkukreja Not too sure about the k702 nor the dt880 pro, haven't tried them yet. But YES, please get a dac/amp!! Trust me, not having one for certain HPs will be a huge detriment.
Well, stories are still heard. Through my own personal experience, I only experienced an iffy situation with the 4XX (one of their cheaper HPs). The sound would cut off if you pushed the left plug to the side (not in or out). If you left it alone, there would be no issue. That said, I think the Sundaras are worth the trouble, if any at all. I hear HiFiMAN has excellent customer support.
I got them in march 2018, defective out of the box, bought them again in 2019, defective after 5 days. Bought them 5 days ago again. So far working well, hoping to be luckier third time around. Conclusion: no product that has this level of QC issues deserves your hard earned money...Sundra might be an exception...
My advice is to not buy them without warranty. Even if you buy them 2nd hand, buy them from someone who still has warranty and can put in a warranty request for you.