The HE-560 and Sundara are similar in many ways. Both are single-sided magnet driver planar magnetic headphones. They have circular ear cups. Even if they started out on different price levels, they both at one point was sold for around 300 USD. They require a decently powerful amplifier. As I will elaborate more on later, they sound relatively similar – but with different strengths.
The HE-560 was launched in 2014 at the price of 899 USD. It was in many ways representing a new direction for Hifiman. Most importantly, It was the first single-sided magnet driver, it had a completely new headband design, and it represented a new type of “house-sound” for Hifiman.
The HE-560 was released in a total of 4 versions over the years. At the time of writing, it is still possible to get hold of a new pair on Amazon. According to Hifiman, there are no differences between the various versions except for the headband, and colour scheme. I would add that they possibly changed the pads a little over the years, which might be the reason why there are claims to be differences. The price of the HE-560 has been as low as 300 USD, and for that price, it’s a steal.
My personal pair has got third-party pads on them so which version it is should be irrelevant, but as you can see from the pictures it is the second version that has the wood veneer cups and 2.5 mm connectors.
Introduced in 2018, the Hifiman Sundara soon became a reference in its class, and it still is. The Sundara came with a new grill design and along with the Ananda, it had a new suspension headband.
Priced at 499 USD, the Sundara gave listeners a lot of what expensive planar magnetic headphones had to offer at a relatively low cost. Further, it is light and compact for a planar magnetic headphone and has comfortable pads and headband. The price of the Sundara has varied, but has been as low as a friendly 299 USD.
HE-560 SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: Planar Magnetic with single-sided magnets
- Sensitivity 90 dB
- Impedance 45 Ohms
- Frequency Response: 15 Hz to 50 KHz
- Weight: 374 grams
- Detachable cable. Connectors depend on the version. The latest version has 3.5 mm TRS connectors on the headphones
- Cable Length 6.6′ / 2.01m – 6.35mm plug
SUNDARA SPECIFICATIONS
- Drivers: Planar Magnetic with single-sided magnets
- Impedance: 37 Ω
- Sensitivity: 94 dB/mW
- Frequency range: 6 Hz – 75 kHz
- Weight: 372 grams
- Detachable cables with 3.5mm connectors on headphones
- Cable length: 1.5 meters, amplifier connection 3.5mm with 6.35mm adapter
COMPARISONS
For this comparison, I used a Topping A90 amplifier with the RME ADI-2 DAC FS as a source.
Reverse Fortune by Todd Sickafoose
They sound very, very close on this track. And they sound very, very good. Full bass, spacious presentation, nice midrange. They are not completely identical, though. The HE-560 has a bit more present bass and a little more space between instruments.
Present Tense by Radiohead
This sounds beautiful on the HE-560. Warm and enveloping sound with good separation and detail. The Sundara sounds very similar. Again, however, it has a little less bass energy and the separation isn’t just as good. The Sundara has a little bit more present vocals. But again I must conclude that they are very similar.
All For Us by Labrinth
Here they are a little bit different but still quite similar. The voicing is not identical so they sound a bit different but really not in a significant way. Again I tend to find the HE-560 slightly clearer sounding. Both are good.
Almost Like the Blues by Leonard Cohen
I think Leonard Cohen’s voice sounds a bit more natural with the HE-560. The bass is a bit tighter and deeper, and the soundstage is a bit more tidy. Otherwise, they’re very similar and both are good.
Four by Arild Andersen Group
Again it is difficult to describe the differences because they are subtle and the frequency response is slightly different and gives them slightly different tonality. They subtly elevate different parts of the music and both are delicious and very enjoyable. However, it comes down to the same as usual; I find the HE-560 a little cleaner with a little bit better bass performance.
Higdon’s Violin Concerto – Fly Forward by Hilary Hahn
Trying some classical music, there are some more consistent observations to report. The cleaner sound and better separation of the HE-560 come to its right. It sounds more alive and better defined than the Sundara. Not that the Sundara isn’t good, I just prefer the HE-560.
Holberg Suite by The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
More classical. The Sundara is very enjoyable. However, the HE-560 is more detailed, has an even more natural and easygoing tonality and more space between instruments.
Hymn To The Unknown by Kaja Draksler
Time for some experimental improv. Although the Sundara is good, the HE-560 is better. It’s got deeper bass, a cleaner sound, a blacker background and better imaging. It’s not night and day, but there is a difference.
Bored by Deftones
This sounds very good on the HE-560. It sounds good on the Sundara. Actually, when all the guitars set in, the Sundara is more even sounding, there’s a more edgy sound from the HE-560. The Sundara lacks a bit in the deepest bass, but generally I think i prefer it.
The Fall by Ministry
Again, the Sundara has a more even sounding upper midrange and sounds smoother and less aggressive.
AMPLIFICATION
I will not go into much detail about amplification but have written separate reviews for both of these headphones that you might find of interest.
When I was comparing the two I used the Topping A90. I think that amplifier does a very good job with both. I found that the two headphones consistently paired well with the same amplifiers.
The Schiit Magni Heretic and Fiio K5 both work well.
The Rebel Amp is a step up from the above-mentioned.
The best results for both came with the Sparkos Labs Gemini and the Mytek Liberty THX AAA Amp. There was a significant increase in general clarity and dynamics for both headphones. The Sundara actually had the most benefit from the upgrade. I still preferred the HE-560, but the gap narrowed with the two best amps.
I also tried the speaker outputs of the Schiit Vidar 2. It was a good step up from the A90 etc. but not as brilliant as the Gemini and Liberty.
When it comes to portable options, I do not have anything at hand that is powerful enough to do them justice, so I’ll let others comment on that.
WRAPPING IT UP
The differences are not big but they are consistent. I will try to break them down.
Sounds Signature
Although they are quite similar they are not identical.
The HE-560 has a bit more deep bass. It reaches deeper and is more articulated and detailed. It’s ruler flat. The Sundara has a deep bass roll-off, but a little bit more of a bass hump. This is intentional, actually because they have inserted a little air gap and broken the seal – giving a little boost in the higher bass at the cost of sub-bass. This happens to most Hifimans if you break the seal. This is not exclusive to Hifimans, it also happens with e.g. STAX headphones.
Moving up, the midrange is more even with the Sundara, the HE-560 has a bit of a dip from 1.5 to 2.5 kHz. This makes the midrange sound a bit different. The mids are relatively speaking more in focus with the Sundara, while they sound a bit clearer with the HE-560. They are quite similar with most music, though.
For the most part, I prefer the midrange of the HE-560 for its clarity. However, the Sundara have great and very well-balanced mids, and this can be a big plus with intense and noisy music like metal. For the most part, however, the HE-560 sounds a bit more natural and has a little bit more detail.
The treble is not very dissimilar, but it’s a little bit crisper, more detailed and better articulated with the HE-560.
Soundstage, Imaging and Dynamics
The size of the soundstage is quite similar but the HE-560 has better imaging. There is more black space between the instruments and they are more precisely positioned.
Dynamics are better with the HE-560, although, with the best amps, the Sundara gets very snappy too.
Amplification
Both these amps deserve a powerful amplifier and scale very well.
CONCLUSION
Both these headphones are solid choices and good value headphones that give you great musical insight and a nice, slightly warm tonality. The bass, especially on the HE-560 is fabolous. They both require a decently powerful amplifier to shine and certainly grows with the better upstream equipment. They sound quite similar in many ways, I tend to prefer the HE-560 for acoustic music and the Sundara for rock and metal. Both come recommended.
You can check these headphones out on Amazon here: Sundara / HE-560
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