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No, seriously, how bad are the sundara closed? (alien.top)

submitted 1 year ago by Substantial-Ad6938@alien.top to c/headphones@hi-fi.community

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Someone just made a post showing that they're now $150 on amazon. For that price are they actually that bad? The name only goes against them because I know they sound nothing like sundaras. But with eq, are they really worse value than other $150 closed backs? K371?

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[–] zoenphlux@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (4 children)

There is a pretty big difference between closed back and open back. If people prefer open back, all closed backs will feel "off." If people in here prefer the open-back sundaras, they will probably not like the closed-backs.

Personally, I much prefer a close and intimate sound of a closed back. I have sensitive hearing, and open backs are too distracting for me. I still hear subtle things around me, even at loud volumes, so I can't get into the music the same. I've tried a few and they feel too far away. Just personal preference is all. I don't want to feel like I'm in a concert hall, I want to feel like I'm in a recording studio.

I have ordered these Sundaras and they arrive tomorrow. I very much enjoy the Monoprice 565c, and I'm trying to repair one side even now. I can try to come back and report what I think.

My main pair is Sony 1AM2, and some Koss headphones. While I've not tried a lot of higher end headphones, I've tried $900Focals and $900 Sonys. I returned the Focals because they had zero bass, and the the highs were not even that good. The Sonys were great, but so were my $300 Sonys, they had such a close sound signature I couldn't justify keeping them so I sold them. I prefer a slightly W sound signature for reference, and I can't stand sibilance.

I also have my son's Dakoni Blues that are nice, and he has 2 watts on them so they are powered well. I'll compare to these and see.

[–] kujothekid@alien.top 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

how did they end up sounding?

[–] zoenphlux@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Very mid forward, which is good for vocals and classical. Treble can be a little harsher than I had hoped. Bass is good and clean, but not bass cannons like the HE-R9. They hit a little harder than I had thought, which I like.

Overall I like it, but I ordered the mods from custom cans in the UK to tame the treble and mids some. I wanted a replacement for my 565c since they are not fixable, which is a warmer/smoother sound. Perfect for classical and less intense music.

For more involving music like electronic, the sound is too intense and feels almost sibilant at times which is still enough to make me feel uncomfortable. These are very good, but they are special use. I wouldn't consider them good all-around headphones since the sound profile overly emphasizes the mids.

[–] kujothekid@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Thanks for the response— I actually ended up getting em too before I saw this. I found the bass to be really nice, but mids I felt a little muddy. Somehow the treble is muddy and sibilant at the same time for me haha. I actually really like it with some eq though

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