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Why don't I like the Hifiman Sundaras? Sibilance Issue?

Nohemi
By Nohemi
in Audio
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Go to solution Solved by rice guru,

If your treble sensitive and brighter headphone especially one with planar timbre like the Sundaram won't be for you honestly especially if your used to the very smoothly tuned hd 58x. For around $300 the logical upgrade from the 58x is a hd 650/6xx or hd 600.. It's a bit of a downgrade for staging but it is a better headphone overall. Better detail retention better amp scaling and noticably better timbre. Brain burn in is a thing. Like getting used to the headphone's sound signature.  maybe look Into swapping pads. 

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Hi,

*For reference I'm coming from the Sennheiser HD 58X. I'm currently driving the Hifiman Sundara's with the shiit Magni Heresy and on-board DAC.*

 

Problem: I got Hifiman Sundara headphones a few days ago and I am pretty confused on what I am doing wrong, because for almost every song I try the headphones sound shrill and grate my ears. There is sibilance in pretty much all of the songs that have any words with "s" in them. I tried to EQ them using oratory1990 presets as a guideline and made a couple adjustments to the bass and treble from there, but I don't know if I like these headphones any better than my old ones. I noticed that the instrument separation is amazing, the detail is phenomenal and the headphones have a wider soundstage, but I don't really like it for anything other than Opera and classical/orchestral music (with and without EQ). I can't help but think the music sounds thin and lifeless compared to my HD 58Xs (at least without EQ). When I add EQ it sounds better and less grating for most songs, but I don't think I prefer it to my HD 58X. It also feels like everything is too far away from my ears and if I try putting the volume higher to feel closer to the music, the headphones sound sibilant but not closer. They also sound pretty underwhelming (compared to my HD 58X) on most songs even after EQ. Notably, the Run Lola Run soundtrack, More by KDA, and any song with bass presence sound better on my HD 58X. According to some audiophiles, the Sundaras benefit from settling in and they need time to "burn," but then some people say that's complete BS or that it's just the earpads that need time to break in. I thought maybe I'm just used to the Sennheiser's sound engineering and I do have sensitive ears when it comes to higher frequencies, so maybe I just don't like the sound EQ (even after adjusting). Worst of all the headphone clamp force is very uncomfortable and I can't wear them for more than an hour without giving me a headache. 

 

Conclusion: Am I doing something wrong? Am I driving my headphones incorrectly? Do I need a DAC to ease the sibilance? I think I might just prefer a headphone that has a more intimate soundstage. In that case it might just be better to try other headphones. If that's the case, then feel free to give me headphone recommendations close to the HD58X that don't sound sibilant and that have an intimate sound stage.

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Funny thing is, I wanted the HiFiMan HE560 and after reviews, I dropped it because of the treble might not be for me.

I tend to avoid any EQ because if you HAVE to EQ it, then it's not a good headphone.

DAC/AMPs:

Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier

Headphones: Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Walnut, Meze 109 Pro, Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, Amiron Wireless Copper, Tygr 300R, DT880 600ohm Manufaktur, T90, Fidelio X2HR

CPU: Intel 4770, GPU: Asus RTX3080 TUF Gaming OC, Mobo: MSI Z87-G45, RAM: DDR3 16GB G.Skill, PC Case: Fractal Design R4 Black non-iglass, Monitor: BenQ GW2280

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9 minutes ago, CTR640 said:

Funny thing is, I wanted the HiFiMan HE560 and after reviews, I dropped it because of the treble might not be for me.

I tend to avoid any EQ because if you HAVE to EQ it, then it's not a good headphone.

then if I'm looking for an upgrade for the hd 58X, what headphones should I go for that are around 300 bucks?

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If your treble sensitive and brighter headphone especially one with planar timbre like the Sundaram won't be for you honestly especially if your used to the very smoothly tuned hd 58x. For around $300 the logical upgrade from the 58x is a hd 650/6xx or hd 600.. It's a bit of a downgrade for staging but it is a better headphone overall. Better detail retention better amp scaling and noticably better timbre. Brain burn in is a thing. Like getting used to the headphone's sound signature.  maybe look Into swapping pads. 

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45 minutes ago, rice guru said:

If your treble sensitive and brighter headphone especially one with planar timbre like the Sundaram won't be for you honestly especially if your used to the very smoothly tuned hd 58x. For around $300 the logical upgrade from the 58x is a hd 650/6xx or hd 600.. It's a bit of a downgrade for staging but it is a better headphone overall. Better detail retention better amp scaling and noticably better timbre. Brain burn in is a thing. Like getting used to the headphone's sound signature.  maybe look Into swapping pads. 

Yeah I think I'm going with the Hd 650 then.

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