I just ordered a pair of 2020 Sundaras after thinking about pulling the trigger for almost a year. Going to run them with my Asgard 3 with the ESS dac card. First planar for me so we will seeā¦ good thing over here we have a 4 week return policy.
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Bought a new Sundara few weeks ago and a 2nd pair last week used (cause it was pretty cheap), bought new by someone in 2020. The '20 pair has noticeably more bass and less treble and sounds more engaging/bigger overall - the '21 pair places emphasis on drums, cymbals, high guitar notes. Same volume, they both look the same and I have to sniff both of them to know which one is the one I bought used. I guess this could be either unit variation or burn-in (or, if you donāt believe me, placebo 
) Iāll do a 2nd listening session as well to double check. Really liking this ā2020 versionā of the Sundara, I tested it on a few key tracks and couldnāt find any faults and Iām pretty picky 
Could be the pads? I am not familiar with the Sundaras, so I donāt know if is easy to swap pads to test if there is a sound difference.
Yeah, maybe theyāre worn in. Both have the stock pads on them. Iām not good at pad swapping so Iād rather not try.
The older pads feel different in that they give more in, the newer ones feel sturdier. I guess that difference might equate to the perceived sound changes(?)
Maybe, but yeah, I understand you donāt want to swap pads, specially if is not an easy task.
I have heard that worn in pads reduce trebleā¦ maybe thatās it then. I think, though, that Iād rather not expect the sound to become the same and sell the newer version unless I have issues with the used pads (scratchy/itchy). I can see why people are turned off by the unworn pad Sundara.
Also, Iāve just seen a Resolve video where he mentioned that he measured 2 Sundaras and they were exactly the same. So my unit variation theory is probably wrong.
@Roberto_Enther I think it [sterile sound] might be the unworn pads, see my postings above.
I will definitely consider this when buying stuff in the future, Iāve heard about it, but I havenāt experienced it until now. So if I bought a TH900 used, which is notorious for its treble, Iād rather go with a pair of worn pads, even if they looked a bitā¦ scuffed.
If you watch the interview Resolve from headphones.com did with the Hifiman CEO you will learn that at least the CEO said that they didnāt change the drivers on the Sundara for the first 2 years and the only difference from previous models are the pads so this is very likelyā¦
Received the Sundaras a few days ago and I totally understand why so many people like them. They are a great set of cans. The stock cable is an insult indeed but I would have gotten a custom cable anyway so who cares. The stock tuning is already good but with some slight eq these cans are another level. They do need some juice to work best thats for sure but nothing super crazyā¦
Current chain Mac Mini / Roon ā Cambridge CXN V2 ā Asgard 3 (low gain, pot at 1/2 to 3/4)
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I really like the Sundaraās sound but want to swap out the headbandā¦ On the left side of the stock headband it has started making a creaking noise on the plastic part which connects the metal yoke and the headstrap.
I considered calling hifiman to see if they can fix that, but am wondering whether its possible to swap the headband out entirely for the hifiman comfort headband like on the Arya, that headband seems to have some swivel to it?
Anybody know if that can be done?
I have found that the Sundara likes my Asgard 3 on high gainā¦gives them more life. I am using a topping e30 dac (2v. output)
On high gain I canāt turn up the pot high enough to make the Asgard sound really good. For me high gains sounds good for about a few minutes and them I switch back to low gain and turn up the potā¦
May want to ck your manual. High gain is with the switch in up position. If thatās not it then hmmm. Otherwise seems okā¦I have the pot usually at 11 or twelve oāclockā¦occassionally a bit more. Anyway thatās a good pairing, imo.
Sorry but I can hear the difference the gain switch makes. But rather listening at 9 oāclock on high gain in prefer listening on 3 o*clock on low gain. Thats it.
Ahhh. No problem. We all have our preferences, eh? Enjoy them.
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But another question how much will the Sundara benefit from a better amp then my Asgard 3? Right now I donāt have any complaints but I am just wondering what the threshold of diminishing returns would be. Maybe you guys have some first hand experience you could share.
Iād think the Asgard 3 gets a solid 85% of itās potential out of the Sunnyās.
And the thing with that last 15% is that it gets harderā¦ Getting to 90 might cost you 500 (not saying it will, jsut an example) while youād add another 500 for another 5%
The whole diminishing returns thing starts setting in. Will you hear the difference? Absolutely! Are you really missing out? naaah
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Well I might just grab the Lyr 3 as planned when it is back in stock then and keep the Asgard 3 nonetheless. Thanks mate.
Sunnys do sound sweet on warm tubes 
I do hope so. On my Echo MK2 it sounds like assā¦ not a good match as the Echo is rated from 100-600 ohm.
Itās a full tube amp isnāt it?
Most plannar magnetics will sound kinda shitty on full tube amps.
For plannarās you need a hyrbid amp. Meaning the tube ācoloursā the sound but the power doesnāt come from a tube