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K5 Pro not enough for Hifiman Sundara?

VB119

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Thought I'd add this addendum given that someone may happen upon this thread while thinking about buying the Sundaras. Having listened to them now for a month or so on a daily basis, I'm really beginning to like them. I don't know if it's the result of burn in, or if it's just my ears adjusting to them, but my previous concerns about the muddy lower mids no longer is an issue for me. The sound signature is still a bit "thick" for me and I'm sure I would still prefer the clarity of the HD800s (at 3x the price!), but I'm no longer feeling the necessity to move on from the Sundaras. Happy to settle in with them for a while and see what they have to offer in the long term. I also picked up a pair of balanced cables from Periapt and I don't know if it's the increased power from the balanced line on my amp or the cables themselves, but I am noticing an increased level of clarity.
 

pablomelguera

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Hello. I'm having the same issue with some brand new Sundaras. I'm noticiong some distortion in the bass region. Using this tester
, starting at 0:40 seconds, i hear some distortion along with the bass sine wave.

Testing with a Focusrite 2i4 at max volume, but YouTube at 45% i dont hear any problem at all. If i start cranking up the volume (50, 60, 70%) I start hearing more and more distorsion.

What do you think? Is this a driver issue or just my Focusrite who isn't capable of moving them?

The Focusrite has:
Power into 32 ohms : 24 mW
Signal-to-Noise ratio : 103 dB, ‘A’-weighted
Maximum Output Level into 32 ohms +10 dBu (+8 dBV)

Thanks very much for your help. It's not so easy for me to return them because I live in Costa Rica. I've alredy contacted Hifiman support and no response yet.
 

F1308

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Hello. I'm having the same issue with some brand new Sundaras. I'm noticiong some distortion in the bass region. Using this tester
, starting at 0:40 seconds, i hear some distortion along with the bass sine wave.

Testing with a Focusrite 2i4 at max volume, but YouTube at 45% i dont hear any problem at all. If i start cranking up the volume (50, 60, 70%) I start hearing more and more distorsion.

What do you think? Is this a driver issue or just my Focusrite who isn't capable of moving them?

The Focusrite has:
Power into 32 ohms : 24 mW
Signal-to-Noise ratio : 103 dB, ‘A’-weighted
Maximum Output Level into 32 ohms +10 dBu (+8 dBV)

Thanks very much for your help. It's not so easy for me to return them because I live in Costa Rica. I've alredy contacted Hifiman support and no response yet.
Thanks for the link...
Testing my Parrot Zik 1.
Heard 200 to some 25, then increased volume a bit via the right hand ear commands and went down to 10 Hz. Always said they are huge...
I will test the second part....

Second part reached 15200...

And as for the rest, 10/10.
 
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Jimbob54

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It's your lack of EQ.
I'll offer a different suggestion (but yes, eq may be needed) has the OP ever listened to the same music where it has been clearer, more separation, less muddy? Because some music, despite being enjoyable and right up my street, just doesn't sound "great" on decent hifi kit
 

pablomelguera

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Thanks for the link...
Testing my Parrot Zik 1.
Heard 200 to some 25, then increased volume a bit via the right hand ear commands and went down to 10 Hz. Always said they are huge...
I will test the second part....

Second part reached 15200...

And as for the rest, 10/10.

Thats great. When I tested them at "lower volume" they reached very low and high tops. They are really awesome.

What do you think about my issue? Do you have the same problem?
 

F1308

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Thats great. When I tested them at "lower volume" they reached very low and high tops. They are really awesome.

What do you think about my issue? Do you have the same problem?
No, it was a perfect performance.
Went by their side merely by chance walking the mall many years ago, tried them with Vangelist 1492 and fell in love instantly.
 

pablomelguera

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My amp delivers 0,3A (with peaks 0,6A) and it is the only one capable to drive planars properly. Try the Sundara with such an amp and it becomes an HD800. Rtings.com rates the Sundara on par with HD800.

What amp are you using?
 

Calumniate

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I find my k5 pro to be grossly overpowered for anything I throw at it. You mentioned high gain at 65% volume? Something isn't right there.. I have the he400i 2020s which have 'similar' impedance, and I end up at low gain, 11 oclock for high volume.

My thoughts might be to play around with your source connection options on the k5. Also try to ensure your source volume is on max, and dial up your k5 knob from there :)

Edit - lastly, if this doesn't help I might begin to think your k5 is a dud. My small issue with the k5 is that even on low gain it has scary amounts of power
 
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pablomelguera

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I bought a K5 PRO and they make the Sundaras sound simply beautiful. The power is reall there.

If you need more power than that, you'll probably need a new pair of ears. In high gain passing 70% it's not pleasing to have them on.
 

Calumniate

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I was going to mention the obvious, and make sure OP that you have your computer volume set to max. Then adjust the volume of the k5 pro. As mentioned you should be able to cause hearing damage at low gain & 12 o'clock with the sundaras

Not having your computer output volume at max will force the k5 to operate more 'stressfully' ;)
 
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