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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Stereo Mismatch
    9. Group Delay
    10. Cumulative Spectral Decay
    11. PRTF
    12. Harmonic Distortion
    13. Electrical Aspects
    14. Virtual Soundstage
    15. Test Settings
    16. Imaging
    17. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
  5. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 vs HiFiMan Sundara 2020

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

HiFiMan Sundara 2018
HiFiMan Sundara 2020

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Sep 25, 2023 05:06 PM

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Tested using Methodology v2.0

Updated Apr 24, 2025 06:41 PM

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HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Picture
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
MicNo
TypeOver-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerPlanar Magnetic
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicNo
Sound Signature
Flat
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Music
  3. Critical Listening
  4. Open-Back

Variants

  • Sundara 2018 (Black)
  • Sundara 2020 (Black)

Review

See HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Review
See HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Review
0 
7 

Our Verdict

HiFiMan Sundara 2018

HiFiMan Sundara 2020

The HiFiMan Sundara 2018 and the HiFiMan Sundara 2020 are over-ear headphones with similar performance. They're both well-built, comfortable, and well-suited for critical listening. The 2020 have redesigned ear cup padding. However, they trap more heat against your ears, which may be because of changes to the padding. If over-ear headphones make your ears feel warm during long listening sessions, you may prefer the 2018 version.

0 

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Black
Sundara 2018
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Black
Sundara 2020
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Black
Sundara 2018
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Black
Sundara 2020
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Black
Sundara 2018
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Black
Sundara 2020
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Black
Sundara 2018
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Black
Sundara 2020
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Sundara 2018
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Sundara 2020
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

8.4
No major differences between these headphones for neutral sound. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

650 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)

Bass Amount 
 

-3.03 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.8 dB

Treble Amount 
 

Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)

Sound Signature 
 

Flat
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

8.7
7.9

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.27 dB
0.88 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

7.6
8.0

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.98 dB
4.3 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

77.72 Hz
22.68 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-5.66 dB
-6 dB

Mid Bass 
 

-2.3 dB
-2.37 dB

High Bass 
 

0.62 dB
0.06 dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.0
9.0

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.35 dB
1.4 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.66 dB
0.56 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.25 dB
0.04 dB

High Mid 
 

-1.59 dB
-1.86 dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.1
9.3

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.96 dB
2.19 dB

Low Treble 
 

-0.66 dB
-2.53 dB

Mid Treble 
 

1.03 dB
-0.82 dB

High Treble 
 

-5.21 dB
-4.67 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.7
7.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.49 dB
1.1 dB

Dips 
 

1.07 dB
1.85 dB
Show Text 

Stereo Mismatch 
 

8.0

Frequency Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.47
0.2 dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

1.48
1.2 dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.34
2.1°
Show Text 

Group Delay 
 

6.8

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

1.2 ms
Show Text 

Cumulative Spectral Decay 
 

CSD  

HiFiMan Sundara 2020 CSD

PRTF 
 

8.6
7.2

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

2.9 dB
2.36 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.33 dB
4.77 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

11.62 dB
9.84 dB

Openness 
 

9.6

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

9.8
Show Text 

Harmonic Distortion 
 

9.5

Harmonics Levels  

See details on graph tool

THD Ratio  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

0.152
0.04%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

0.059
0.09%
Show Text 

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

See details on graph tool

Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

105.0 dB SPL

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Virtual Soundstage
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App
No App

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware
No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive
Passive

Connection 
 

Wired
Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC
No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

9.0

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.2

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.34
2.1°

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.47
0.2 dB

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.48
1.2 dB
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.5

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.152
0.04%

WHD @ 100 
 

0.059
0.09%
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Design Picture 2
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-Ear

Enclosure  

Open-Back
Open-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Planar Magnetic
Planar Magnetic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

8.0
8.0

Comfort Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Comfort Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.9 lbs
0.87 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

1.2 lbs
1.6 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Controls Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.4

Breathability After Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

5.5
5.3

Portability Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Portability Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Portability Picture

L  

8.0" (20.3 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)

W  

5.5" (14.0 cm)
5.8" (14.7 cm)

H  

4.2" (10.7 cm)
4.6" (11.7 cm)

Volume  

185.00 in³ (3,031.59 cm³)
221.00 in³ (3,621.53 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
0.0

Case Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Case Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Case Picture

Type  

No case
No case

L  

N/A
N/A

W  

N/A
N/A

H  

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Build Quality Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

6.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Stability Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Angled Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Side Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Front Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Rear Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Top Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 In The Box Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

0.9
0.6

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Overall Attenuation 
 

-1.85 dB
-1.46 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-0.43 dB
1.05 dB

Mid 
 

0.27 dB
-0.31 dB

Treble 
 

-5.23 dB
-5.78 dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

0.7

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-2.06 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-1.14 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-1.01 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

HiFiMan Sundara 2020 ANC Wind Handling Graph

ANC Wind Noise 
 

N/A

Leakage 
 

0.2
0.9

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

69.07 dB
66.5 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Microphone Frequency Response
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

SpNR  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 SpNR
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 SpNR

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
No Battery

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

None
None
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 App Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 App Picture

App Name  

No App
No App

iOS  

No
No

Android  

No
No

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
No

ANC Control 
 

No
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

No
No

Button Mapping  

No
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
9.9

Cable Picture  

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 Cable Picture
HiFiMan Sundara 2020 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

5.00 ft (1.52 m)
4.80 ft (1.46 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

No

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Show Text 

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Black
Sundara 2018
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Black
Sundara 2020
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Black
Sundara 2018
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Sundara 2020
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Sundara 2018
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Sundara 2020
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Sundara 2018
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Sundara 2018
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HiFiMan Sundara 2018

HiFiMan Sundara 2020

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

HiFiMan Sundara 2018 vs HiFiMan Sundara 2020: Main Discussion

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