That sounds like a very good progression, the Sundara. Makes sense from a sound and style/fit perspective.
A question I have that could be answered by others better, is a Hel going to be sufficient power?
Everything Iām reading says theyāre fairly easy to power. I havenāt even flipped on the High Gain switch on the Hel yet. 
@boomstick I have the Sundaras and love them. Sufficient and detailed bass, but not a heavy bass headphone. Great detail and separation. I canāt comment on the synergy with the Hel,
but with 1000 mw it should power them okā¦I drove them easily with a JDS Atom with similar power. PS I now use an Asgard3, which really brought them to life even more. If you are using the Hel for gaming, you might want to look into the Tygr.
I use headphones for work (meetings, the mic is going to be the challenge, but I have a Fifine cheap USB desktop mic), gaming, and music. Usually music WHILE gaming.
The SHP9500ās are great all around for these things. The Sundara piece will be 80% for upgrading Music. That said, the Hel can process up to 32bit/192KHz or something like that. Whatās my biggest weakness? Source material, if Iām using Spotify in Highest Quality and Amazon Music HD? In my experience, the headphones seem to make more difference than the amp/DAC and source (as long as the source isnāt terrible).
Is there anyone out there with Tygrās and Sundaraās? How much better are the Sundaraās than the Tygrās? I figured natural progression was SHP9500 > Tygr/HD58x > Sundara. Does that seem accurate?
Power from Hel is the concern, not its DAC
The Hel should have enough power for the sundaras but the Asgard 3 is one of the better amps for the sundaras
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Hey everyone, Iām wondering if there was every any updates on the tulon64 cup mod, I tried to find info but it seems like he never sold or shared the files for the spherical earcup mod. Iām definitely interested in doing the mod because I love the 9500ās and I just want more bass for them
You talking about this?
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Yes, thank you so much! Clearly I wasnāt looking hard enough!
I know this is totally random but Iād love to know what magnets you used because Iām on my way to modding it and Iāve heard the magnet mod makes a decent difference that makes it sounds extra good!
Yeah it really does make a difference, especially if youāre closing the back with a mod like Modhouse. Iāve modded two pairs now with the magnets, Modhouse, and a pair of Defean sheepskin leather pads and the sound sig is identical on each pair, so definitely not a fluke on my daily driver pair. Hereās the type of magnet I got:
And hereās the pads, which work great with the Modhouse oval adapters:
So the mods I did drastically improve the potential bass response on these cans, both quantity and quality. But when I say potential, I mean you still have to use EQ if you want significant increase in bass response. But it sounds great when you do.
Thanks so much! Itās been so hard to find actually good magnets on AliExpress! And Iāll have to look into the pads, I was planning on getting the alpha pads, but I can always get those later depending on how these feel!
Sounds great, canāt wait to get everything I ordered shipped in so I can enjoy them even more!
Iām really curious to hear what you think when the mods are done. I feel like beyond the fact that these donāt deliver crystal clear resolution like more expensive cans, the balance and drama of the sound sig, stage and musicality make them a no brainer for the price of a used pair + mods. And the comfort and build quality are all there despite the low price range. Wish I could sell more people on trying them modded despite how horrifying they look, haha
I think for a lot of people itās just the price of all the mods, since itās basically the price of another set of headphones when you put all the mods together. But Iām excited to hear them, I forgot how light they were since Iāve been using my THX pandas since I got them because of the added bass and just ease of use for wireless. Now that I got the BTR5 it should be more of a battle when I get the mods in. Sadly the shipping on the magnets is going to take months, so Iām trying to find something more local
Here are my EQ settings for the SHP 9500ās. It really adds that low end to them and they sound great like this without overpowering lows. Rich and buttery, while keeping the clear and airy profile in the high-mid/highs. I found the Frequency Response graph on RTings and just adjusted it to try to give it a flat response and I think they sound even more amazing now (I already loved them with a flat EQ).
So I was debating if it was time to buy a pair of headphones, and then realized that I had not tried the SHP9500 with power. They are my discord headset, complete with a V-moda boom mic pro. I use IEMs during the day, and I just didnāt think of it.
Good lord, these are a completely different experience with power. Even the modest Fiio BTR5 can push more power than the SHP is rated for, and the tonality evens out a bit. This was like getting a completely new pair of headphones, and I didnāt have to spend a penny, just change how gear is hooked up on my desk.
Note I can NOT run the mic through the BTR5, which the Qudelix-5K does support.
SHP9500s + Shure 1840 pads = lazy river of sound. Love em.
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Itās kind of weird to me that I realized that me and my best friend now have a role-reversal when it comes to using to this particular headphones. Itās funny since in the first place, heās the one who have the SHP9500 before me and that was the time I was into my M40X.
One day he asked me and said āDo you have any recommendation for a closed-back headphone that I can use?ā I just straight out told him get the M40X with a pad swap since he was originally aiming for the M50X, and I had to do something about it to save money and dodge a bullet.
Now, there are times I mostly use my SHP9500 and him using the M40X, thatās a role-reversal indeed.
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