Great review! I picked up the Ananda Stealth direct from HiFiMan, B-stock clearance, for $500 and couldn't be happier! You, along with William Murdock sold me on these and I am just coming back to say thanks! You probably already have figured it out (assuming you kept the Ananda Stealths), that grain you mention does indeed smooth and fill out after maybe 20 hours-ish.
recent owmer of ef400 ... me too i got lost in music with it . It's an amp for music lovers not stats or specs enthusiasts. Bass response is really great , it's lush and wide. I totally agree with your review.
I have tested a loot of dacs and they lack bass, how is this? For example chord mojo, arcam ir dac, lack bass, the mid was screaming... I have an Audeze lcd 2c.
First review yeah and b\oom audio is the only other place that I know that's selling HIFIMAN ANANDA STEALTH MAGNETS VERSION the only original complaint I heard about the HIFIMAN Amanda non-stealth version was it lacked low-end punch and was very compressed sounding because of the way too low impedance for a plane are problem also no cup swivel but that depends on your head shape whether it will fit or not
Ananda owner here. I think the Ananda is like a mini HE1000 SE. Very detailed but it just crams all the information down your ears without much articulation.
Limited experience so far but I didn't notice any problems with crackling or noise. In fact, there seemed to be above average clarity. There is a slight delay in recognizing a new sampling rate, but it does not stand out to me as any longer a delay than is the norm for the price range.
It doesn't play the first half a second on songs, and I'm getting a replacement on mine cause it did have cracking, they said the crackling was caused by it being sensitive to USB power and such, idk, but they said they fixed this issue. The crackling went away when I turned it off for like 10 seconds, but that became too annoying to do every day. But the sound and the power is just the best, so used to listening with it, every other dac and Amp I have sounds fake and garbage in comparison.
@@danielmiller7276 Very interesting. I will keep an ear out for these things when I dive back in. I have not noticed any crackling on this unit, but there is the delay when dialing into a sample rate.
Thanks! Sonically, it's way to soon to tell. I know many have this question so I'll give a thorough comparison in the final review. For use case reasons, Ananda SM is the clear choice to pair with DAPs, dongle dac/amps, or low power headamps.
How did you go with the break in on the Ananda Stealth? Did the Bass fill out? Would you say the bass is comparable to the XS. I found the Bass lacking a little on the original Ananda, just wondering if this rectifies that at all.
Over 50 hours playing music around an 80dB average level...the mid-range grain I mentioned disappeared. The bass extension is excellent and there is decent slam and physicality, but the bass presence is not as high as XS. I haven't heard Ananda OG to make that comparison.
@@razorsedge1 Oh I didn't listen for all of those 50 hours. I set them up on my G111 and drove them hard overnight for several nights. Listening to 80dB average for that long makes my ears ring just thinking about it LOL! I'm not yet ready to make any firm comparisons, other that the bass tuning is not quite as forward on An. SM as XS.
I personally picked up the Ananda Stealth edition when I auditioned both XS and Ananda Stealth. The Ananda Stealth has definitely much lower bass when compared to the XS, without EQ, the sub bass is subtle, I felt the sub bass in the XS. Bass can be heard but not felt unless EQ is done; TLDR XS is a more bassier headphone. The mids seems better on the Ananda Stealth which made me when for the purchase, the instrumental are surrounding me but the vocals are centre for me. But honestly both are really similar(Just the bass difference), some might even just go for the latter because of the headband designs. Highs(peaky) and soundstage sounds similar to me. I ran both through the ZEN DAC V2 without power match and TruBass toggled. (Note with TruBass toggled on the XS, it will be overwhelming). Provided enough power with the 4.4mm balanced cable. I did not trying the OG Ananda so I can't comment on that. I felt the XS is a better upgrade to the Sundara, music seems to be 'spacier'. Headband is a big factor as well, as the Ananda Stealth is still using the same non-swivel headband while XS does swivel. Definitely is a tad more comfortable on the XS due to the headband foam but it felt "cheaper" with more plastics than metal. My head size is really large so I have no issues in the fit but I do understand that people with smaller head size have issue with the comfort as these are really large. This is my opinion of it as there are not much review/comments for the Ananda Stealth. And I am really enjoying my pair of headphones.
Great review! I picked up the Ananda Stealth direct from HiFiMan, B-stock clearance, for $500 and couldn't be happier! You, along with William Murdock sold me on these and I am just coming back to say thanks!
You probably already have figured it out (assuming you kept the Ananda Stealths), that grain you mention does indeed smooth and fill out after maybe 20 hours-ish.
I'm excited . I found a cat who's selling some for 2 bills . I gotta jump on it . They're fresh too . He said they're not even broke in yet
Nice score! Enjoy!
@@wavetheorysound right !!! I will thank you . Always look forward to seeing your content n reviews .. Thank you so much
recent owmer of ef400 ... me too i got lost in music with it . It's an amp for music lovers not stats or specs enthusiasts. Bass response is really great , it's lush and wide. I totally agree with your review.
I have tested a loot of dacs and they lack bass, how is this? For example chord mojo, arcam ir dac, lack bass, the mid was screaming... I have an Audeze lcd 2c.
Big Right On to Hifiman! Looking forward to the "full" reviews.
First review yeah and b\oom audio is the only other place that I know that's selling HIFIMAN ANANDA STEALTH MAGNETS VERSION the only original complaint I heard about the HIFIMAN Amanda non-stealth version was it lacked low-end punch and was very compressed sounding because of the way too low impedance for a plane are problem also no cup swivel but that depends on your head shape whether it will fit or not
From what I understand, the new stealth magnet version, is a huge leap forward
Come on bro its going on 13 days lol when you going to drop the Ananda stealth review?
Very waiting for the sound quality exam and comparison with other amp\dac like Fiio k9 pro... Thank you!
This is the exact one I need a comparison with aswell if possible as it has high praise
Plesse chek the EF400 review by the headphoneshow. It shows the major design problems.
Ananda owner here. I think the Ananda is like a mini HE1000 SE. Very detailed but it just crams all the information down your ears without much articulation.
Do you own the OG or do you have the new SM version?
And which headphones “articulate”
@@wavetheorysound I own the OG version
@@wavetheorysound I own the OG version
@@farinaz2000
Ive heard the new stealth magnet version is a huge leap forward
Any issues with the ef400? Been hearing about crackling/slow to start playing music etc. Thanks
Limited experience so far but I didn't notice any problems with crackling or noise. In fact, there seemed to be above average clarity. There is a slight delay in recognizing a new sampling rate, but it does not stand out to me as any longer a delay than is the norm for the price range.
It doesn't play the first half a second on songs, and I'm getting a replacement on mine cause it did have cracking, they said the crackling was caused by it being sensitive to USB power and such, idk, but they said they fixed this issue. The crackling went away when I turned it off for like 10 seconds, but that became too annoying to do every day. But the sound and the power is just the best, so used to listening with it, every other dac and Amp I have sounds fake and garbage in comparison.
@@danielmiller7276 Very interesting. I will keep an ear out for these things when I dive back in. I have not noticed any crackling on this unit, but there is the delay when dialing into a sample rate.
@@wavetheorysound For me the crackling mostly appears either when I first turned it on or when I switch between OS and NOS
@@wavetheorysound But you prob have the revisioned unit that does not have that issue
HELLO FRIEND, I BUY THIS AMPLIFIER, BUT AS IT IS CONFIGURED FOR A LAPTOP, SINCE THE MANUAL DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
Does it suffer from delay like other R2R dacs like the denafrips?
well I ended up buying it, its great. Selling my pro iDSD and keeping this one.
Would you purchase the XS or Ananda SM? Value your opinion!
Thanks! Sonically, it's way to soon to tell. I know many have this question so I'll give a thorough comparison in the final review. For use case reasons, Ananda SM is the clear choice to pair with DAPs, dongle dac/amps, or low power headamps.
@@wavetheorysound Thanks for the reply.Can't wait to hear your final review!
How did you go with the break in on the Ananda Stealth? Did the Bass fill out? Would you say the bass is comparable to the XS. I found the Bass lacking a little on the original Ananda, just wondering if this rectifies that at all.
Over 50 hours playing music around an 80dB average level...the mid-range grain I mentioned disappeared. The bass extension is excellent and there is decent slam and physicality, but the bass presence is not as high as XS. I haven't heard Ananda OG to make that comparison.
@@wavetheorysound Hi WT, do you think it's a worthy upgrade from the Edition XS after 50 hours of listening to them? Thanks for your time!
@@razorsedge1 Oh I didn't listen for all of those 50 hours. I set them up on my G111 and drove them hard overnight for several nights. Listening to 80dB average for that long makes my ears ring just thinking about it LOL! I'm not yet ready to make any firm comparisons, other that the bass tuning is not quite as forward on An. SM as XS.
@@wavetheorysound Thanks for the reply! I hear you,save those 👂 drums as much as possible.😂
I personally picked up the Ananda Stealth edition when I auditioned both XS and Ananda Stealth.
The Ananda Stealth has definitely much lower bass when compared to the XS, without EQ, the sub bass is subtle, I felt the sub bass in the XS. Bass can be heard but not felt unless EQ is done; TLDR XS is a more bassier headphone. The mids seems better on the Ananda Stealth which made me when for the purchase, the instrumental are surrounding me but the vocals are centre for me. But honestly both are really similar(Just the bass difference), some might even just go for the latter because of the headband designs. Highs(peaky) and soundstage sounds similar to me.
I ran both through the ZEN DAC V2 without power match and TruBass toggled. (Note with TruBass toggled on the XS, it will be overwhelming). Provided enough power with the 4.4mm balanced cable.
I did not trying the OG Ananda so I can't comment on that. I felt the XS is a better upgrade to the Sundara, music seems to be 'spacier'. Headband is a big factor as well, as the Ananda Stealth is still using the same non-swivel headband while XS does swivel. Definitely is a tad more comfortable on the XS due to the headband foam but it felt "cheaper" with more plastics than metal. My head size is really large so I have no issues in the fit but I do understand that people with smaller head size have issue with the comfort as these are really large.
This is my opinion of it as there are not much review/comments for the Ananda Stealth. And I am really enjoying my pair of headphones.
The Hifiman Ananda was one of the most boring headphones I've heard. Hopefully this new version is better.
what