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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you prioritize sound quality for music listening and have additional equipment like an amplifier, you might prefer the HifiMan Sundara due to its excellent soundstage and overall sound. However, they are open-back and not ideal for noisy environments, as they provide poor noise isolation and leak sound. The Jabra Elite 4 is more suited for a variety of uses including calls, meetings, and exercise, as they offer good sound quality, are sweatproof, have noise cancellation, and are much more portable. For gaming or watching TV, the high latency on the Sundara makes the Jabra a better fit despite its fair sound performance in these categories. Keep in mind, the Jabra's are also significantly more affordable. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the HifiMan Sundara
Excellent for music
Good for gaming
Very good for TV and video
Advantages of the Jabra Elite 4
Very good for phone calls
Good for exercise
Very good for air travel
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
9.3/10
6.6/10
The HifiMan Sundara is excellent for music, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.
Gaming
7.2/10
5.4/10
The HifiMan Sundara is good for gaming, while the Jabra Elite 4 is poor.
Phone Calls
4.9/10
8.8/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for phone calls, while the HifiMan Sundara is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.8/10
8.6/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the HifiMan Sundara is good.
TV and Video
8.8/10
6.0/10
The HifiMan Sundara is very good for TV and video, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.
Noise Reduction
2.5/10
7.0/10
The Jabra Elite 4 is good for noise reduction, while the HifiMan Sundara is poor.
Battery
N/A
5.5 Hours
The HifiMan Sundara does not have a battery. The Jabra Elite 4 has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$279
$100
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The HifiMan Sundara has a price of $279 and the Jabra Elite 4 costs $100.
Build Quality
8.2/10
9.0/10
The Jabra Elite 4 has excellent build quality, while the HifiMan Sundara has very good build quality.
"The HiFiMan Sundara is the set of headphones to get if you want high-end audio, but don't want to shell out a king's ransom for it. These planar magnetic headphones are comfortable, straightforward, and excellent performers."
"The Jabra Elite 4 is a good midrange option with solid isolation and aptX codec for Android. It sounds consumer friendly from the box and the app has some EQ to adjust to taste. Some included luxuries include multipoint, sidetone, and Spotify Tap"
Get a great deal on the HifiMan Sundara or the Jabra Elite 4
About HifiMan
HiFiMAN is a Chinese, high-end, audio product manufacturer, with 20 years of experience, that specializes in amplifiers, digital audio players and planar magnetic headphones, some of which have become a staple in the audiophile community such as the entry-level Sundara, the midrange Edition X, and the very well-regarded, high-end, Arya.
About Jabra
Jabra is a subsidiary of GN Store Nord, a 150-year-old Danish company that specializes in the manufacturing of hearing aids, headsets and earphones. Jabra has a focus on fit and comfort and quality control over everything else. According to Peter Karstromer, Jabras CEO, they “design and engineer technology that frees people to work, live and communicate how and where they want to, equipping them with the tools to live their life to a new rhythm”.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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