Hifiman Sundara Review (headphone)

[UltraPro]

they are disintegrating where the outer pad meets the housing, so a wash might not work -) Owned since the beginning if 2020, not a lot of use really.

Yup would prefer genuine ones but would they need to be shipped from China to UK?

There exist better pads, I recommend to order something else if not too expensive. Here is one example, an helpful post. Check my own post too on that thread just above.

Removing the pads is pretty easy, you just gently bend any side of the pad inwards, so any of the four barbs (the right word?) come off. Then push off the next one to it and that's it. By the way this is totally not the best way to design the attachment of the pads, because if you are too rough you may damage the pads' backside, so bending them feels always a bit iffy.

 

[Robbo99999]

they are disintegrating where the outer pad meets the housing, so a wash might not work -) Owned since the beginning if 2020, not a lot of use really.

Yup would prefer genuine ones but would they need to be shipped from China to UK?

I just did a quick google for sundara earpads and didn't come up with much satisfactory, looks like it could be a weak point of owning Hifiman's or the Sundara. Using an aftermarket pad will change the frequency response, so really if you want to use an aftermarket pad then it's a good idea you use one that has been measured. Oratory measured Sundara with Dekoni Sheepskin Pad so you could consider that one, but I couldn't find "Dekoni Sheepskin" for the Sundara in UK Amazon for instance. Here's Oratory's EQ for the Dekoni Sheepskin Sundara:

Hifiman Sundara (Dekoni Sheepskin Earpads).pdf

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

It does roughen up the frequency response to make it harder to EQ, but it does bring up the bass as one positive.

 

[Filio45]

There exist better pads, I recommend to order something else if not too expensive. Here is one example, an helpful post. Check my own post too on that thread just above.

Removing the pads is pretty easy, you just gently bend any side of the pad inwards, so any of the four barbs (the right word?) come off. Then push off the next one to it and that's it. By the way this is totally not the best way to design the attachment of the pads, because if you are too rough you may damage the pads' backside, so bending them feels always a bit iffy.

thanks a lot ...unable to see a third party pad, unless I missed it on the page of your link?

I just did a quick google for sundara earpads and didn't come up with much satisfactory, looks like it could be a weak point of owning Hifiman's or the Sundara. Using an aftermarket pad will change the frequency response, so really if you want to use an aftermarket pad then it's a good idea you use one that has been measured. Oratory measured Sundara with Dekoni Sheepskin Pad so you could consider that one, but I couldn't find "Dekoni Sheepskin" for the Sundara in UK Amazon for instance. Here's Oratory's EQ for the Dekoni Sheepskin Sundara:

Hifiman Sundara (Dekoni Sheepskin Earpads).pdf

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

It does roughen up the frequency response to make it harder to EQ, but it does bring up the bass as one positive.

thanks a lot for the EQ suggestion, I'll keep an eye out for the Dekonis, although I would prefer stock ones ideally just to keep the sound exactly the same.
--------------------------


How disappointing, albeit predictable, that they sell a headphone internationally, with all the carbon footprint that that entails (manufacture, transportation and returns etc), without even making available replacement pads. So hifiman just expect you to throw the Sundara's into landfill when the pads need replacing? Great!

 

[Robbo99999]

thanks a lot ...are you able to suggest a better third party pad, unless I missed it in the page of your link?



thanks a lot for the EQ suggestion, I'll keep an eye out for the Dekonis, although I would prefer stock ones ideally just to keep the sound exactly the same.
--------------------------


How disappointing, albeit predictable, that they sell a headphone internationally, with all the carbon footprint that that entails (manufacture, transportation and returns etc), without even making available replacement pads. So hifiman just expect you to throw the Sundara's into landfill when the pads need replacing? Great!

It does seem like a downside of Hifiman, unless some UK based Hifiman owners can point you in the right direction re good pad replacement options. Just a quick note on EQ, you know where to find all the EQ's from Oratory right (you probably do but I'm just being sure), they're all here for all his headphones he's measured including some that have pad changes:

index/list_of_presets - oratory1990

r/oratory1990: Mostly covering topics like headphones, in-ear headphones, acoustics, electroacoustics, acoustic tuning, headphone design …

www.reddit.com

 

[funkymoneyboy]

Ok I decided to try my luck again and I ordered a replacement set of Sundara‘s. Thankfully they work and I’m looking forward to them opening up.

 

[Intervallkoppler]

hello,

i just bought a sundara brand new for 268 euro. now it gets more cheaper. it is for sale for 235 euro. there is one shop in germany that sell it for that price. it is a trustworthy shop.
fiio shop in bremen.
i will send it back to get the new price of 235 euro.
the sundara which was delivered just weighs 355 gramm. isn't it 372?
i wonder if this is the new version?

do you guys know?

 

[Intervallkoppler]

another question:
I called them and asked if they could send me the price difference because i bought it for 268 euro and one day later it was 235.
the guy on the phone had no understanding and was a little bit angry.
i told them of course i could cancel the deal and buy it again on amazon. because the fiio shop is there too.
But he still didn't want to.
so now i cancel the deal and buy one from amazon.
i don't understand that. they get a used headphone back ( ok in my case not because i didn't opened it) and i get the good price anyway.

what do you guys think? am i a bad person? am i stingy?
every shop from thomann to just music do that without hesitation.

And i was disappointed because one day after i bought it, it was 249 and another 2 days later it was 235. So of course i send it back!

opinions?

And is the 355 gramm the new version of the sundara?

 

[Talisman]

what do you guys think? am i a bad person? am i stingy?
every shop from thomann to just music do that without hesitation.

And i was disappointed because one day after i bought it, it was 249 and another 2 days later it was 235. So of course i send it back!

opinions?

My opinion is that you bought it for 268 and thought it was a fair price, then it underwent discounts, as always happens with online products.
I don't understand what are you complaining about? Return it if you want, amazon gives you the option, but this doesn't make your reasoning right

 

[khensu]

My opinion is that you bought it for 268 and thought it was a fair price, then it underwent discounts, as always happens with online products.
I don't understand what are you complaining about? Return it if you want, amazon gives you the option, but this doesn't make your reasoning right

Agreed. Yeah, it’s disappointing. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another. Thinking you deserve a refund of the difference because the price changed the next day, though, kind of reeks of entitlement.

 

[IAtaman]

another question:
I called them and asked if they could send me the price difference because i bought it for 268 euro and one day later it was 235.
the guy on the phone had no understanding and was a little bit angry.
i told them of course i could cancel the deal and buy it again on amazon. because the fiio shop is there too.
But he still didn't want to.
so now i cancel the deal and buy one from amazon.
i don't understand that. they get a used headphone back ( ok in my case not because i didn't opened it) and i get the good price anyway.

what do you guys think? am i a bad person? am i stingy?
every shop from thomann to just music do that without hesitation.

And i was disappointed because one day after i bought it, it was 249 and another 2 days later it was 235. So of course i send it back!

opinions?

And is the 355 gramm the new version of the sundara?

I think it is fair to ask for the difference. Retailer is willing to sell the product at the new price, so should be able to extend you the discount as well. Most retailers get compensated by the manufacturer on the total quantity sold at campaign prices so I dont see why consumers should not ask of that from retailers either. It is also fair for them not to accept your request out of principle though. I think they should, I think it makes business sense to do so, but they are not obliged to. Maybe they think they can sell the return at a higher margin than the discounted original. Either case, I think it is not worth the bad press.

 

[D00M]

hello,

i just bought a sundara brand new for 268 euro. now it gets more cheaper. it is for sale for 235 euro. there is one shop in germany that sell it for that price. it is a trustworthy shop.
fiio shop in bremen.
i will send it back to get the new price of 235 euro.
the sundara which was delivered just weighs 355 gramm. isn't it 372?
i wonder if this is the new version?

do you guys know?

You bought Sundara from 1 store for 268 Euro. Then another store sell is for 235 Euro. That is a completely different store than the one you bought from.

All these stores are running business. They have policies and systems in place. Unless they have a price match policy, employee cannot just drop the price. Not sure what you are complaining about. Just return and move on.

 

[Intervallkoppler]

You bought Sundara from 1 store for 268 Euro. Then another store sell is for 235 Euro. That is a completely different store than the one you bought from.

All these stores are running business. They have policies and systems in place. Unless they have a price match policy, employee cannot just drop the price. Not sure what you are complaining about. Just return and move on.

No it was the same store.
First 268, one day later 249 and another two days later 235.


I can't see a logical Reason why a store won't pay the difference.
Because as i said i can send it back and buy the cheaper one.
Then i pay 7 euro for sending it back and they have a used one.
So i am just asking myself whats behind this decision? Why should they act like that?
Maybe there is a point i don't see.

 

[Intervallkoppler]

My opinion is that you bought it for 268 and thought it was a fair price, then it underwent discounts, as always happens with online products.
I don't understand what are you complaining about? Return it if you want, amazon gives you the option, but this doesn't make your reasoning right

Ok maybe my post was misleading.
It was the same shop.
And this shop sold the same headphone also from amazon for two euro more. But still it is tge same shop.
One the website itself it is 235.

 

[Talisman]

Ok maybe my post was misleading.
It was the same shop.
And this shop sold the same headphone also from amazon for two euro more. But still it is tge same shop.
One the website itself it is 235.

If the price had risen to 310 instead of decreasing after two days, would you have contacted the seller to ask him to pay the difference in his favour?
Even though the seller is the same, the price when you bought it was different, and you were fine with that. I don't understand on what basis you think you are right.
With internet purchases it always happens, it has happened to me a lot of times too.
And then again, if this were to become a right, sellers would be deprived of lowering a price without having to face requests for refunds.
I really don't understand how anyone can think that's a right thing

 

[Robbo99999]

another question:
I called them and asked if they could send me the price difference because i bought it for 268 euro and one day later it was 235.
the guy on the phone had no understanding and was a little bit angry.
i told them of course i could cancel the deal and buy it again on amazon. because the fiio shop is there too.
But he still didn't want to.
so now i cancel the deal and buy one from amazon.
i don't understand that. they get a used headphone back ( ok in my case not because i didn't opened it) and i get the good price anyway.

what do you guys think? am i a bad person? am i stingy?
every shop from thomann to just music do that without hesitation.

And i was disappointed because one day after i bought it, it was 249 and another 2 days later it was 235. So of course i send it back!

opinions?

And is the 355 gramm the new version of the sundara?

I think from an integrity point of view that you should honour the deal you decided to buy the headphone at, because you'd agreed to buy it at that price and it's just bad luck if it then goes on sale after you bought it. I suppose it doesn't hurt to call up the supplier (like you did) and plead for them to send you the price difference out of their good faith, but if they say they can't or won't do that, then I think a person should still just keep the headphone.

 

[GaryH]

If the price had risen to 310 instead of decreasing after two days, would you have contacted the seller to ask him to pay the difference in his favour?
Even though the seller is the same, the price when you bought it was different, and you were fine with that. I don't understand on what basis you think you are right.
With internet purchases it always happens, it has happened to me a lot of times too.
And then again, if this were to become a right, sellers would be deprived of lowering a price without having to face requests for refunds.
I really don't understand how anyone can think that's a right thing

If they have an any-reason refund policy within a certain timeframe, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask for the difference back within that time, as the alternative is returning it to the seller and ordering again, which does nothing but waste the seller's time and money on unnecessary deliveries, leave them with a returned item they might not be able to sell as new, not to mention increasing their carbon footprint due to the extra deliveries. It's just common sense to refund the difference.

 

[Talisman]

If they have an any-reason refund policy within a certain timeframe, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask for the difference back within that time, as the alternative is returning it to the seller and ordering again, which does nothing but waste the seller's time and money on unnecessary deliveries, leave them with a returned item they might not be able to sell as new, not to mention increasing their carbon footprint due to the extra deliveries. It's just common sense to refund the difference.

I think Amazon's aggressive customer protection policies have totally distorted common sense in online shopping.
The return policy should be used in good faith, protecting customer satisfaction or any premature failures, certainly not as a weapon to obtain the lowest price at any cost, even when a purchase has already been concluded and the product meets expectations.
I bought a smartwatch for 199, after two days it went on offer for 149, should I have returned it? I didn't, I shrugged and kept my product, I had agreed to pay for it at that price.

 

[markanini]

The return policy was also established at the time of purchase, so the buyer is techncially incentivised to reutrn the item to re-buy at a discounted price. The only disincentive is if the seller at that point wishes to use their right to decline business. The honorable thing, if the seller wants to make an ask, is for a gift card of comparable value. At the same time, If the seller routinely accepts numerous spurious return claims, villainizing the buyer seems somewhat misguided and probably not an effective way to change someones mind.

 

[GaryH]

I think Amazon's aggressive customer protection policies have totally distorted common sense in online shopping.
The return policy should be used in good faith, protecting customer satisfaction or any premature failures, certainly not as a weapon to obtain the lowest price at any cost, even when a purchase has already been concluded and the product meets expectations.
I bought a smartwatch for 199, after two days it went on offer for 149, should I have returned it? I didn't, I shrugged and kept my product, I had agreed to pay for it at that price.

If they have an any-reason refund policy within a certain timeframe, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask for the difference back within that time, as the alternative is returning it to the seller and ordering again, which does nothing but waste the seller's time and money on unnecessary deliveries, leave them with a returned item they might not be able to sell as new, not to mention increasing their carbon footprint due to the extra deliveries. It's just common sense to refund the difference.

 

[Intervallkoppler]

If the price had risen to 310 instead of decreasing after two days, would you have contacted the seller to ask him to pay the difference in his favour?
Even though the seller is the same, the price when you bought it was different, and you were fine with that. I don't understand on what basis you think you are right.
With internet purchases it always happens, it has happened to me a lot of times too.
And then again, if this were to become a right, sellers would be deprived of lowering a price without having to face requests for refunds.
I really don't understand how anyone can think that's a right thing

of course i would not.
i thought so too first but think about it.

1. But because of the 14 day refund policy i can do that. So i asked them to pay the difference because it would be better for me AND the seller i thought.
2. you have rights as a buyer and rights as a seller. So you have responsibilities. Take warranty for example. if 2 years are over he wouldn't let my headphone repair for free a day after. this i know for a fact.
I made experience that smaller shops are less accommodating. thomann gives me 3 years warranty. thomann sell me the stuff for the cheapest price for the most part. thomann repaired a synth 1 month after the 3 years one time. And thomann also once send me the money back after they decreased the price.
for this reason i let a lot of money there because the service is excellent.
We all know that this is poisen for smaller shops but i feel good buying from thomann.
On the other hand i got another shop which does excellent consultation so i buy here for that besides just 2 years of warranty, etc.
But for the most part it is what it is and this is convenience. people don't buy the product, for the most part you buy when you FEEL well. this can also be price.
So this small shops do what they can. so do i.
The difference is that the shop needs arguments that we buy from them. not the other way around. its a business and the costumer ties to get the best offer all in all.

But to end the story. i think i will keep it if i don't decide to finally get along with a sennheiser even if it is much more expensive.
i am thinking about buying a used hd800 for 650 euro which was used very seldom. i really like to try the hd800 out. a legend.