thanks for this video. I have the edition xs for mixing mastering and was wondering if i should return them and upgrade to the nano. You cleared my conscious, thank you
Very informative, I was debating returning the XS and getting the Nano for better detail retrieval, but I love the very neutral tuning of the XS and I'm worried the nano will sound too bright and sterile compared to the XS. I think your video just confirmed it for me.
@residentzero So far, all after market pads darken the sound somewhat, however the fenestrated sound the most natural to me out of the dekoni series & definitely make the XS sound less sterile. It darkens up the lower treble a bit while leaving most of the upper treble intact which warms up the overall sound signature, but the biggest change for me by far is comfort. Not that the OEM pads are uncomfortable, but the fenestrated pads are INCREDIBLY comfortable & transform the listening experience because of how good they feel on your head.
@andonlytheone111 Yes-those are the ones. If you are worried about the dekoni pads darkening the sound signature too much just stick with the stock pads.
@aight3565 Ananda Nano is much more comfortable stock. You need to buy the geekria large hook and loop to make the xs comfortable. I ended up buying the Arya Stealth and it's vastly more comfortable than either.
What genre's so you produce and listen to? Most music I make and play is techno and house - which headphone suits which genre's best? Some youtube mix engineers swear by the Nano's and think they'd be perfect for dance music - Emrah Celik and Paul Third. I'm tempted to buy all three and have a listen.
I myself am a funk/soul cat with a splash of jazz - I produce a lot of instrumental music so I don't think I'd be the best to advise you for the kind of music you make and play. While I personally didn't find the Nano to sound acoustically transparent, it was definitely a very "fun" & extremely engaging headphone to listen to & I have no doubt that they might sound amazing for techno or house. Def would recommend for you to try as many as you can for yourself - let me know what you think!
Great review bro. I've got the Edition XS as well and love them. I use them for mixing and mastering, EQ'd to Harmon. Just out of curiosity, what make is your studio desk? That looks exactly what I've been looking for. Cheers dude.
Thanks! It's an older model of the Platform Studio Desk made by a company called DeFi (formerly Output): de-fi.com/products/platform?variant=47447723671842 Overall, I love this desk, the keyboard tray really works & can support the weight of a my 73 key Nord, also this newer model has a lower center section which I would actually prefer since my monitor sits up too high on mine)
Yes! I've been meaning to do an update video - I am happier than ever with them and still use them every day. I have actually added a few more key mods to them that have helped dial in the frequency response to better match my ear, the 1st being switching from the stock cable to the NewFantasia 6N OCC Copper Silver Plated cable (which I highly recommend) which opened up the top end of the treble in a subtle but magical way. I also added a pair of dekoni nuggets at the lowest point of the headband on each side which really increased the clarity and overall fidelity of the sound (at least for me, maybe my head isn't big enough for the original design). I also ended up switching from the Voarmaks to the Dekoni Fenestrated Pads which are extremely comfortable but also darken the sound signature quite a bit, hence the need to then brighten it back up with the silver cables and dekoni nuggets. Not sure if you would want to go this far, but actually I'm now running a Tirstrup pure silver cable which adds a lot more sparkle to the top end (not subtle) to the point where when I A/B compare it with the stock cable it's like night and day. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J2J3MCW/ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6KFPGGX/
Great review man. I like the Arya better but at retail the Arya isn't worth the upgrade over the XS. Now that it's only a couple hundred bucks more though it's definitely my preference.
What were you powering the headphones with? Is it possible than the Nano and the Arya weren't going through a good enough amp? They are more power hungry than the XS i think
At the time I was powering them all with an Universal Audio Volt 476p running through a Syba Sonic SD-DAC63106 preamp/headphone amp. They were all loud enough, however i have no doubt a dedicated headphone amp could have made them sound even better
It’s similar yes but has a slightly different tuning, if you like midrange oriented tuning like the sennheiser HD600 series it’s a bit more detailed in that department however the XS has the edge in sub bass and upper treble sparkle IMHO
@@huneyknuckles I agree here too, I kept the editon XS and send back the Arya last year. Arya is maybe 3% better in resolution but you pay up double price. Also I feel the edition XS was a bit a wider soundstage and bigger sound which was for me the main reason I kept the XS. This headphone is hard to beat man, I listen from electronic music to classical music and metal, it does it all and it Annihilates every other headphone I tried in it's price range and twice it's price range lol
I would buy Edition XS, I like this headband, but Stealth is almost the same price now and for me it sounds better (on YT comparisons), has more precised, clearer bass and great mids...
Nah, Ananda Stealth is more pleasantly tuned, musical, better soundstage and balanced. XS to me anyway was too dry and technical, no musicality at all too me
thanks for this video. I have the edition xs for mixing mastering and was wondering if i should return them and upgrade to the nano. You cleared my conscious, thank you
Very informative, I was debating returning the XS and getting the Nano for better detail retrieval, but I love the very neutral tuning of the XS and I'm worried the nano will sound too bright and sterile compared to the XS. I think your video just confirmed it for me.
Can't you just eq it?
Sterile is exactly how I would describe XS
@@nickapalooza861 that's with the stock pads - throw on a pair of the Dekoni Fenestrated and I guarantee your opinion will change.
@residentzero So far, all after market pads darken the sound somewhat, however the fenestrated sound the most natural to me out of the dekoni series & definitely make the XS sound less sterile. It darkens up the lower treble a bit while leaving most of the upper treble intact which warms up the overall sound signature, but the biggest change for me by far is comfort. Not that the OEM pads are uncomfortable, but the fenestrated pads are INCREDIBLY comfortable & transform the listening experience because of how good they feel on your head.
@andonlytheone111 Yes-those are the ones. If you are worried about the dekoni pads darkening the sound signature too much just stick with the stock pads.
I regret selling my Edition XS and buying the Ananda Nano for the reasons you stated. I'm going to buy the Edition XS again.
How’s the comfort between the two?
@aight3565 Ananda Nano is much more comfortable stock. You need to buy the geekria large hook and loop to make the xs comfortable. I ended up buying the Arya Stealth and it's vastly more comfortable than either.
What genre's so you produce and listen to? Most music I make and play is techno and house - which headphone suits which genre's best? Some youtube mix engineers swear by the Nano's and think they'd be perfect for dance music - Emrah Celik and Paul Third. I'm tempted to buy all three and have a listen.
I myself am a funk/soul cat with a splash of jazz - I produce a lot of instrumental music so I don't think I'd be the best to advise you for the kind of music you make and play. While I personally didn't find the Nano to sound acoustically transparent, it was definitely a very "fun" & extremely engaging headphone to listen to & I have no doubt that they might sound amazing for techno or house. Def would recommend for you to try as many as you can for yourself - let me know what you think!
Great review bro. I've got the Edition XS as well and love them. I use them for mixing and mastering, EQ'd to Harmon. Just out of curiosity, what make is your studio desk? That looks exactly what I've been looking for. Cheers dude.
Thanks! It's an older model of the Platform Studio Desk made by a company called DeFi (formerly Output): de-fi.com/products/platform?variant=47447723671842 Overall, I love this desk, the keyboard tray really works & can support the weight of a my 73 key Nord, also this newer model has a lower center section which I would actually prefer since my monitor sits up too high on mine)
quick little update after 9 Months? Are u still happy with them?
Yes! I've been meaning to do an update video - I am happier than ever with them and still use them every day. I have actually added a few more key mods to them that have helped dial in the frequency response to better match my ear, the 1st being switching from the stock cable to the NewFantasia 6N OCC Copper Silver Plated cable (which I highly recommend) which opened up the top end of the treble in a subtle but magical way. I also added a pair of dekoni nuggets at the lowest point of the headband on each side which really increased the clarity and overall fidelity of the sound (at least for me, maybe my head isn't big enough for the original design). I also ended up switching from the Voarmaks to the Dekoni Fenestrated Pads which are extremely comfortable but also darken the sound signature quite a bit, hence the need to then brighten it back up with the silver cables and dekoni nuggets.
Not sure if you would want to go this far, but actually I'm now running a Tirstrup pure silver cable which adds a lot more sparkle to the top end (not subtle) to the point where when I A/B compare it with the stock cable it's like night and day.
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J2J3MCW/
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C6KFPGGX/
Great review man. I like the Arya better but at retail the Arya isn't worth the upgrade over the XS. Now that it's only a couple hundred bucks more though it's definitely my preference.
What were you powering the headphones with? Is it possible than the Nano and the Arya weren't going through a good enough amp? They are more power hungry than the XS i think
At the time I was powering them all with an Universal Audio Volt 476p running through a Syba Sonic SD-DAC63106 preamp/headphone amp. They were all loud enough, however i have no doubt a dedicated headphone amp could have made them sound even better
Nanos have 14ohms so using an amp is not needed. Anything can power them perfectly fine.
@@Barnsey87 Its not true, they easy to drive yes, BUT if u dont drive them from a proper amp u will NOT hear what these HPs can really achieve!
@@CoffeeGameMovie Yeah, most Hifiman stuff needs a lot of power to wake up. Most of them just sound shallow without a powerful dac and amp.
i have heard the ananda stealth is pretty much the same as the xs, but a better headband.
It’s similar yes but has a slightly different tuning, if you like midrange oriented tuning like the sennheiser HD600 series it’s a bit more detailed in that department however the XS has the edge in sub bass and upper treble sparkle IMHO
@@huneyknuckles I agree here too, I kept the editon XS and send back the Arya last year. Arya is maybe 3% better in resolution but you pay up double price. Also I feel the edition XS was a bit a wider soundstage and bigger sound which was for me the main reason I kept the XS. This headphone is hard to beat man, I listen from electronic music to classical music and metal, it does it all and it Annihilates every other headphone I tried in it's price range and twice it's price range lol
I would buy Edition XS, I like this headband, but Stealth is almost the same price now and for me it sounds better (on YT comparisons), has more precised, clearer bass and great mids...
Nah, Ananda Stealth is more pleasantly tuned, musical, better soundstage and balanced. XS to me anyway was too dry and technical, no musicality at all too me
@@Jootn2kx From what source u heard them? I cant imagine that a properly drived Arya is not better just about in everything than the XS.
Now that the Edition XS is selling for $269, I think it's time for me to try them out and compare them to my planar IEMs.