Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This review is for anyone considering how to spend their money in pursuit of great sound without breaking the bank and trying to figure out if the Sundara can really slice and dice and make you a carmel macchiato with ultrasonic waves. I have owned Audio Technica's (give'm to somebody who doesn't know better), AKG 612, Hifiman 400i's and now Sundara's. Also mutliple dacs and amps. Nothing high end, I'm just a guy looking for great sound at reasonable prices. I gotta say, I like the road I've been on, great music is awesome and finding new things to enjoy in your music is like discovering secrets the artists dropped behind as little gifts for those who listen. Cool. First, if you do not own a decent set of headphones yet, you have two real choices. Sennheiser 6xx's from Massdrop at 200 bucks and the Hifiman 400i's at about the same price. They both beat the hell out of anything near this price. Buy the Senn's if you want a relaxing atmospheric sound or choose the 400i's if you are looking for energy and detail. You may have to wait for a drop on the Senn's and they are more expensive to amplify to their limits. You will also look like a nerd from the nineties (hopefully only when you are wearing them). I vote instead for the 400i's, I have enjoyed them for three years and it is amazing how far they will go with when driven properly. Next your going to need an dac/amp. If you know what a dac is then you need one. Best bang for the buck may well be the xduoo xd-05 + Burson v5i op amp mod (It's easy). It has nice groove with the 400i, that the IFI nano black label lacks (too sharp, no bass). Now your going to need some tunes. Youtube videos are letting you down sonically at this point. You need TIDAL. Hi-res, MQA, whatever, it sounds great and it's easy to find new stuff you like. Nice bonus is that most of the money goes to the starving artists themselves -I heard U2 have just started dipping into that POP TOUR money! Poor guys. What about the Sundara's? Are they better than the 400i's? Well yes, but before you drop 5 bills on headphones you better have a kick-ass dac and amp (time to sell that xduoo xd-05 I just recommended -its bass muddies up the Sundara). The Schiit Modi Multibit (Mimby) is phenomenal at $250. Crazy detail and space for either Hifiman. Don't even think about buying a Magni 3. Best amp for $100, but it still sucks like Tucker Carlson. Much praise has been heaped on that thing but it lacks low end punch and sounds shrill, with a sticky volume knob to boot. A great amp for the 6xx's, 400i's, and Sundara's is the Mass Drop Cavalli Tube Hybrid ($250). Part tube to smooth out the top end, part solid state this baby has a beefier bottom end than Rosie O'donnell! (don't worry, were cool, she's just mad because I forgot to capitalize the 'd'). And the highs are nice and spacey without grain or sharpness. Buy this before the Sundara's please. 400i vs. Sundara 400i is the price/performance winner here. I can put it on after the Sundara and still enjoy it's sound. It is also more comfortable. Sundara; I would say If you love the 400i's, have great gear upstream, and want the best headphone for $500, then it might be worth it to you. Most notably it has better bass. Lower and more detailed, almost startling on some songs. But it doesn't magically make the bass better on every song, only the ones with notes that hit very low. The highs may be more pronounced in some ways to the 400i but never sibilant or fatiguing. Overall, the highs are less one note, more interesting. The midrange is the one place the 400i may come out ahead. If you live for vocals, 400i may be your man by 10%. General use (documentaries, etc.) is better on the 400i. The Sundara has a peakyness in the mids that makes male voices sound a little too hifi if you know what i mean. It is listenable however, it just seems to be created to make great music first. I gave 4 stars because they are stiff, creaky, the metal yokes can scratch, don't articulate (a bit less comfortable), look a little plain jane, and don't blow the 400i's out of the sky. I'd rather look at, pick up and wear the 400i's. Overall it is hard to justify 2.5x the price of the 400i over the Sundara. I would send them back, but I'd have to get them off my head first. How I'd spend your moola $200 = 400i's $400 = 400i's + xduoo xd-05+ burson v5i $750 = 400i's or 6xx's + Modi Multibit + Cavalli Tube Hybrid $1000 = Sundara's + Modi Multibit + Cavalli Tube Hybrid $1500 = 1971 Buick LeSabre + 2 Bottles of Tequila + date with Rosie