I am from Germany and have also been using Hihiman Ananda for a short time. Before that a Bayer Dynamic BT990 a B&O and already some cheap models of other manufacturers. But the Anander has now retired them all.
Hey so i wish i would of listened when you said to get the Auteur instead of aeolus because my lord they sound veiled in the mids to me and far to closed in. I think these Anandas would be far more suited to my taste.
I was waiting for your comparison between LCD2 and Ananda after watching DT990 review where you described them exactly how I see them(your eq transformed the bayers in listenable headphones, thanks!). Few months ago I wanted to upgrade from the DT990 and it was between LCD2 and Ananda. I chose Ananda being afraid that because of driver variations with Audeze products, I might end up using presets(metal571 or oratory) that are not apropiate for my pair. I am happy with my purchase, Anandas are exactly as you described them, although sometimes I miss the slam and impact. Your eq preset for Ananda works great, but I like to add a low shelf at 75hz in order to feel that great sub base. On some tracks also oratory(harman) preset sounds good. I am using Neutron player and mojo with plenty of power to drive them even with -5db gain if needed. I really enjoy your reviews, so looking forward for Focal hp reviews and comparisons. Thanks! :)
First Thank you for the review. Even for the standard 899 Euro price, I found the Ananda, the best sub 1k headphone. Like always... preferences. Hope we get the discounted 699 offer over here.
I just ordered these primarily for gaming. I had the DT1990 and found the soundstage lacking even though the sound was amazing. Then I tried the HD560S which had a superior soundstage for games but sound quality was lacking. I am hoping these combine those two things. Thanks for the review.
@@Ray-wc2wm Exceptional sound staging, better imaging, a little more detail separation then the 560S and they just sound better in general. I love them. Even the bass is more fleshed out.
They both have similar and excellent separation of the different elements composing the music. The Ananda, however, has a wider soundstage with which it can play around a bit more in how separate everything sounds.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Thanks for your rapid response Now i have emu teak , 4xx and 6xx which one is going to complement my collection the lcd2 or ananda
Excellent review as always ! I've still got a question though : what about vocals on the Ananda ? I mean i come from a 6XX & i fckin love them sooo much for their kinda intimate vocals, would love to know how the Ananda deal with lot of vocals/voices songs, can he get intimate like the 6XX can ? I mean i don't think lot of headphones can actually reproduce the same awesome intimacy on vocals that the 6XX provide, but just wanted to know if the Ananda can maybe come close & give you that sweet intimacy "realistic" vocals like the 6XX ? Hope it make sense i'm french my english could probably be better lol
Thank you for checking out the review! While I really like the Ananda, I don’t think they’re the best option if you really want vocals to be the focus of your music, as I actually think that the Ananda can have somewhat thin mids when compared to the 6XX. Off the top of my head I struggle to think of a headphone that, without EQ, delivers a midrange that is similarly rich and present in the way the Sennheiser HD 600-series headphones are. I think that if you’re fine with EQ, and the weight, an Audeze LCD-2 (preferably a 2020 model) would be really good, and depending on the budget you set for your next headphone purchase, I think the ZMF Aeolus would also be a great option. I hope that helps!
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Well maybe it was not fair to make direct comparaison with the 6XX, i shouldn't have asked like that. I heard that planar is not always very good for providing natural sound so that's why i'm a bit afraid, but i thought the Ananda could maybe be an exeption to this rule & sound pretty natural, so if we forgot the 6XX & just talk about the Ananda itself outside of comparaison, do you think the Ananda can sound pretty natural or not really ?
Thibaut Izi hmm I think that there are some very natural-sounding planars out there-like the LCD-2 (after EQ). However, I actually think that the Ananda is probably one of the more distinctly-planar-sounding ones because of the way it presents sound, so they’re not as natural if you’re more used to dynamic-driver headphones. I think what’s more important when considering midrange timbre and the kind of sound you’re looking for is the actual frequency response for the midrange; if the FR is similar to that of the HD 6XX, I think that they’ll sound very close in how natural they are. Also, I highly recommend checking out the timbre video on the Headphone Show TH-cam channel, as it covers the different attributes in timbre and tonality that are commonly associated with planar and dynamic drivers.
Would getting the Arya over these be worth it? I really want an upgrade over my HE4XX, which aside from the Sundara would be the Ananda, but I don't know if I would be satisfied with them if the Arya out resolves the Ananda. Need help before a drop a huge wad of cash.
@Dex4Sure ended up getting the Arya and sent them back, unimpressed. I picked up the LCDx instead, coincidentally, and love them. As you say, they are waaaay better built and very comfortable despite the weight. LCDx needs some heavy eq, but definitely shines afterwards
the ananda is best for music, if your main concern is just gaming then stick to the game one. Now if you can afford both then absolutely go for it, you won't be disappointed
Hey guys im back have choosen theses head set what would you guys remove from the list. Im licensing to Rap, Hiphop, Reggeaton,Trap, Spanish Music . Focal ELEX vs DT 1990 PRO, hifiman ananda, HIFIMAN SUNDARA, HD 6xx. Like some bass, vocals and highs dont like bass overpowering my music
Get a second hand ananda or I see he560 for $300 new on ebay right now which is an upgrade for sure. But it does have the thing of old hifiman reliability or lack thereof. Either way they are both good but ananda is better
Thanks for an interesting review. The weak dynamics have steered me away from these. Looking forward to your next review. Edit: I had the same problem with the he-400i that I owned a few years ago. The lack of slam and impact made them very boring to listen to. Music just didn't sound exciting with them.
I like your review and it was interesting to hear your perspective as I actually bought the anandas a couple of weeks ago... What I will add is this... I paired them to my questyle qp2 dap with the stock cable (total garbage) then got a balanced cable and the improvement in sound was noticeable... Especially the bass. I'm wondering if you only used the stock cable or whether you did go balanced.
Thanks for checking out the review! I actually did not try them balanced; I currently do not have a balanced amp. Hopefully in the future I will be able to test balanced as well.
@@leviathan5207 check out the specs on the dap I mentioned and the difference between balanced and unbalanced... It's not just the power... It's the thd as well
I can’t really say I personally choose any one headphone for a specific genre, but I really, really like to listen to rock on the LCD-2 because it has very good, full-sounding midrange, and after EQ I think that they also have a very rice level of presence; guitars and vocals sound great on them.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 i have heard that ananda is better than 4xx in many specifications but it got the same tonality and the same sound nature or signature which if you have 4xx you wouldn't notice a big difference unless you focused is that correct ?
David Mason from my experience the Ananda and 4XX are very different in tonality as well as techincal performance. The Ananda has much smoother treble, and better treble extension. Also, there are other aspects like soundstage, and resolution which are apparent immediately regardless of their frequency response
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 I am very thankful for you for answering very quickly . But i am still very confused between the lcd2 and ananda . The songs i am going to play it on these headphones are just like : The Animals the house of the rising sun Alvis less conversations a lil more action Beatles baby you can drive my car Songs that plays on the radio in mafia 2 and 3 games . For these geners which one you recommend lcd2 or ananda. And i am very sorry for my long letter .
Sorry for not updating! I’m now uploading videos to The Headphone Show TH-cam channel where I upload weekly, and my latest video was a comparison between the HiFiMan Arya and the Sennheiser HD 800S. You can check it out here: th-cam.com/video/D9zRKSy-dlM/w-d-xo.html
I’d say that yes, for overall bass presence, extension and detail the Ananda performance better than Sennheisers. However, this doesn’t mean that’ll be to everyone’s preference of that it will sound/feel better than that on the Sennheisers, as those tend to be a bit warmer with a more emphasized mid bass, and their drivers tend to have a higher excursive capacity, so they’re able to produce a better feeling of punch and slam; even if the bass isn’t actually as present in overall volume level.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Right thank you for giving such a detailed response in your free time. I think the Ananda is the headphone for me and i love big oval like pads i think its the best shape for pads.
@@Jordonater yeah oval pads are definitely very comfortable, and these are pretty deep too, so there is ample space for your ears to fit in. The one thing I’ll note though, is that they really are very, very long; enough to where they might put a tiny bit of pressure around your jaw.
You mentioned how much you liked the Ananda right out of the box. With all due respect, you have not heard the Ananda if your opinion is based entirely on your out of the box audition. I have a pair of of Sundara that I absolutely love. I agonized over picking up a pair of Amanda’s and out of the box I found them to sound awful. Compressed dynamics, recessed midrange, bright, silvery treble, inability to pace, tuneless, etc, etc. These cans need to burn in. My Amanda’s now have around 50 hours of use, and the improvements are already profound. On first listen I was ready to return them. They were so disappointing I didn’t think any amount of burn in could bring them around, but I had them in hand, and it made no sense to send them back before finding out what they could do. Turned out to be a very good decision. They are out performing the Sundara at this point, and I think they will continue to improve until they reach a couple hundred hours. They do everything I love about Sundara, just better. I have a very high end headphone system that allows me to enjoy the Amanda’s ability to scale, which is considerable. Please put your Amanda’s on a repeat loop and let them burn for a week. When you listen to them again I think your going to come away with a very different opinion of the Ananda.
Bought a pair, loved the sound, but they only lasted 15 months...and they come with a 12 month warranty. They didn’t offer any good options. Probably just bad luck but I wouldn’t buy a Hifiman product again.
Hello! If you have any question feel free to reply to this message, and I'll try to get back to you when I can! Also, you could try to DM me on the Headphones.com community forums.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
I bought the Ananda a year ago based on this and other reviews. I keep coming back here for the parametric EQ.
Once again, excellent review man. Keep sharing your honest opinions.
I am from Germany and have also been using Hihiman Ananda for a short time. Before that a Bayer Dynamic BT990 a B&O and already some cheap models of other manufacturers. But the Anander has now retired them all.
Second
@HemolM? I am permanently retired from reviews, thought it was clear in the last video
Hey so i wish i would of listened when you said to get the Auteur instead of aeolus because my lord they sound veiled in the mids to me and far to closed in. I think these Anandas would be far more suited to my taste.
I was waiting for your comparison between LCD2 and Ananda after watching DT990 review where you described them exactly how I see them(your eq transformed the bayers in listenable headphones, thanks!). Few months ago I wanted to upgrade from the DT990 and it was between LCD2 and Ananda. I chose Ananda being afraid that because of driver variations with Audeze products, I might end up using presets(metal571 or oratory) that are not apropiate for my pair. I am happy with my purchase, Anandas are exactly as you described them, although sometimes I miss the slam and impact. Your eq preset for Ananda works great, but I like to add a low shelf at 75hz in order to feel that great sub base. On some tracks also oratory(harman) preset sounds good. I am using Neutron player and mojo with plenty of power to drive them even with -5db gain if needed. I really enjoy your reviews, so looking forward for Focal hp reviews and comparisons. Thanks! :)
marius socaci thank you so much for the feedback, and I’m glad to hear you enjoy my reviews! The Ananda’s are definitely great-can’t go wrong!
First Thank you for the review.
Even for the standard 899 Euro price, I found the Ananda, the best sub 1k headphone. Like always... preferences. Hope we get the discounted 699 offer over here.
Thank you for checking out the review! I definitely agree that the Ananda is a very strong contender under 1k!
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 as long as it fits your head. I found it perfect. Did not miss the swivel. Clamp enough but not tooo much
ive only ever had gaming headphones is the sound that much better on these type of headphones
I just ordered these primarily for gaming. I had the DT1990 and found the soundstage lacking even though the sound was amazing. Then I tried the HD560S which had a superior soundstage for games but sound quality was lacking. I am hoping these combine those two things. Thanks for the review.
How’s your experience with Ananda mate, I wanna replace my HD560s and hd600 for gaming as well lol
@@Ray-wc2wm Exceptional sound staging, better imaging, a little more detail separation then the 560S and they just sound better in general. I love them. Even the bass is more fleshed out.
Ordered them primarily for gaming? Bruh lol
@@tfries72 Yup. They work great.
That is a BEAUTIFUL opening shot!
How it compares to the LCD GX?
For better bass response and fun sound which one you recommend Ananda or lcd-2??
Hi, is there a way to EQ the lack of punch/slam ? If yes, which frequencies should i play with ?
great review
I would like to ask you which one you find got a better separation ? the lcd2 or the ananda ?
They both have similar and excellent separation of the different elements composing the music. The Ananda, however, has a wider soundstage with which it can play around a bit more in how separate everything sounds.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242
Thanks for your rapid response
Now i have emu teak , 4xx and 6xx which one is going to complement my collection the lcd2 or ananda
Please do focal elex review.
Excellent review as always ! I've still got a question though : what about vocals on the Ananda ? I mean i come from a 6XX & i fckin love them sooo much for their kinda intimate vocals, would love to know how the Ananda deal with lot of vocals/voices songs, can he get intimate like the 6XX can ? I mean i don't think lot of headphones can actually reproduce the same awesome intimacy on vocals that the 6XX provide, but just wanted to know if the Ananda can maybe come close & give you that sweet intimacy "realistic" vocals like the 6XX ? Hope it make sense i'm french my english could probably be better lol
Thank you for checking out the review! While I really like the Ananda, I don’t think they’re the best option if you really want vocals to be the focus of your music, as I actually think that the Ananda can have somewhat thin mids when compared to the 6XX. Off the top of my head I struggle to think of a headphone that, without EQ, delivers a midrange that is similarly rich and present in the way the Sennheiser HD 600-series headphones are. I think that if you’re fine with EQ, and the weight, an Audeze LCD-2 (preferably a 2020 model) would be really good, and depending on the budget you set for your next headphone purchase, I think the ZMF Aeolus would also be a great option. I hope that helps!
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Well maybe it was not fair to make direct comparaison with the 6XX, i shouldn't have asked like that. I heard that planar is not always very good for providing natural sound so that's why i'm a bit afraid, but i thought the Ananda could maybe be an exeption to this rule & sound pretty natural, so if we forgot the 6XX & just talk about the Ananda itself outside of comparaison, do you think the Ananda can sound pretty natural or not really ?
Thibaut Izi hmm I think that there are some very natural-sounding planars out there-like the LCD-2 (after EQ). However, I actually think that the Ananda is probably one of the more distinctly-planar-sounding ones because of the way it presents sound, so they’re not as natural if you’re more used to dynamic-driver headphones. I think what’s more important when considering midrange timbre and the kind of sound you’re looking for is the actual frequency response for the midrange; if the FR is similar to that of the HD 6XX, I think that they’ll sound very close in how natural they are. Also, I highly recommend checking out the timbre video on the Headphone Show TH-cam channel, as it covers the different attributes in timbre and tonality that are commonly associated with planar and dynamic drivers.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Ok i'll take a loot to that, thx a lot for your time & thx for answering me !
Would getting the Arya over these be worth it? I really want an upgrade over my HE4XX, which aside from the Sundara would be the Ananda, but I don't know if I would be satisfied with them if the Arya out resolves the Ananda. Need help before a drop a huge wad of cash.
@Dex4Sure ended up getting the Arya and sent them back, unimpressed. I picked up the LCDx instead, coincidentally, and love them. As you say, they are waaaay better built and very comfortable despite the weight. LCDx needs some heavy eq, but definitely shines afterwards
I use the Sennheiser game ones, will these be an upgrade for competitive fps gaming on ps5?
the ananda is best for music, if your main concern is just gaming then stick to the game one. Now if you can afford both then absolutely go for it, you won't be disappointed
Hello, what would you say about the ananda stealth magnets?
its cheap and great sounding, best tuned Hifiman I have heard, better than Arya V2
Hey guys im back have choosen theses head set what would you guys remove from the list. Im licensing to Rap, Hiphop, Reggeaton,Trap, Spanish Music . Focal ELEX vs DT 1990 PRO, hifiman ananda, HIFIMAN SUNDARA, HD 6xx. Like some bass, vocals and highs dont like bass overpowering my music
Do you reckon it is a big upgrade from hd58x? I have hd58x and wondering if i should get this or save further for a second hand hd800 (not s version)
Get a second hand ananda or I see he560 for $300 new on ebay right now which is an upgrade for sure. But it does have the thing of old hifiman reliability or lack thereof. Either way they are both good but ananda is better
I'm a bit new to this EQ notation. What is "Q" after the decibel adjustment? Is this meant for a particular piece of EQ software? Thanks in advance!
Q means quality in Peace GUI
@@pinoyxbox Thanks. I finally did more research and it sorted out. The Oratory presets work great on my Sundaras.
I just tried these head phones the same day this review was made, this is a very accurate review.
Thanks for an interesting review. The weak dynamics have steered me away from these. Looking forward to your next review.
Edit: I had the same problem with the he-400i that I owned a few years ago. The lack of slam and impact made them very boring to listen to. Music just didn't sound exciting with them.
I like your review and it was interesting to hear your perspective as I actually bought the anandas a couple of weeks ago... What I will add is this... I paired them to my questyle qp2 dap with the stock cable (total garbage) then got a balanced cable and the improvement in sound was noticeable... Especially the bass. I'm wondering if you only used the stock cable or whether you did go balanced.
Thanks for checking out the review! I actually did not try them balanced; I currently do not have a balanced amp. Hopefully in the future I will be able to test balanced as well.
After I started using android auto, my beamer became 15% faster. balanced changing sound lmao, lay sown the pipe and seek help.
which cables did you get for them ?
@@paulfresh there's a guy on a Facebook page that makes really good quality cables at a ridiculously cheap price
@@leviathan5207 check out the specs on the dap I mentioned and the difference between balanced and unbalanced... It's not just the power... It's the thd as well
Do you face any problems in playing the ananda so loud ?
Increasing in THD for example or the sound become not so pleasant?
No, never had that problem. I listen to music really, really loud.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 many thanks for you clear and rapid reply
hows the ananda for gaming?
What model of dac and amp you are testing those headphones?
BTW great review.
Who cares? past 100 bucks 99.99% of solid state amps and dacs sound the same
What music you intend to hear especially with lcd2
I can’t really say I personally choose any one headphone for a specific genre, but I really, really like to listen to rock on the LCD-2 because it has very good, full-sounding midrange, and after EQ I think that they also have a very rice level of presence; guitars and vocals sound great on them.
great review once more!
hey chrono, would you say this is a real upgrade to the 4xx in soundstage?
Agus Mac Rae yeah, definitely
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 i have heard that ananda is better than 4xx in many specifications but it got the same tonality and the same sound nature or signature which if you have 4xx you wouldn't notice a big difference unless you focused is that correct ?
David Mason from my experience the Ananda and 4XX are very different in tonality as well as techincal performance. The Ananda has much smoother treble, and better treble extension. Also, there are other aspects like soundstage, and resolution which are apparent immediately regardless of their frequency response
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 I am very thankful for you for answering very quickly .
But i am still very confused between the lcd2 and ananda .
The songs i am going to play it on these headphones are just like :
The Animals the house of the rising sun
Alvis less conversations a lil more action
Beatles baby you can drive my car
Songs that plays on the radio in mafia 2 and 3 games .
For these geners which one you recommend lcd2 or ananda.
And i am very sorry for my long letter .
David Mason if you’re more into rock, easily the LCD-2. Especially if you use EQ
When are you uploading again its been 5 months
Sorry for not updating! I’m now uploading videos to The Headphone Show TH-cam channel where I upload weekly, and my latest video was a comparison between the HiFiMan Arya and the Sennheiser HD 800S. You can check it out here: th-cam.com/video/D9zRKSy-dlM/w-d-xo.html
can I drive this with an usb powered amp or does it gonna sound like crap
No, they won't sound like crap. However, I did think that they sounded much better on my amp.
Great content, subscribed :)
good content
keep up with this work
Is the bass on these still far better than any senheiser headphone?
I’d say that yes, for overall bass presence, extension and detail the Ananda performance better than Sennheisers. However, this doesn’t mean that’ll be to everyone’s preference of that it will sound/feel better than that on the Sennheisers, as those tend to be a bit warmer with a more emphasized mid bass, and their drivers tend to have a higher excursive capacity, so they’re able to produce a better feeling of punch and slam; even if the bass isn’t actually as present in overall volume level.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Right thank you for giving such a detailed response in your free time. I think the Ananda is the headphone for me and i love big oval like pads i think its the best shape for pads.
@@Jordonater yeah oval pads are definitely very comfortable, and these are pretty deep too, so there is ample space for your ears to fit in. The one thing I’ll note though, is that they really are very, very long; enough to where they might put a tiny bit of pressure around your jaw.
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Yes i did think they looked very long but i dont think it would bother me. But thanks again anyway
Weakest dynamics? I assume you haven't heard the Mr. Speakers / Dan Clark Audio line?
Lol I'm not sure he has yet, that's a new low
I haven't yet. Although I'd really like to try them out some day, they look very interesting!
@@chrono-headphonereviews242 Beautiful design. Super comfortable. Boring AF.
are they good for gaming and could be powered by console controllers
You mentioned how much you liked the Ananda right out of the box. With all due respect, you have not heard the Ananda if your opinion is based entirely on your out of the box audition.
I have a pair of of Sundara that I absolutely love. I agonized over picking up a pair of Amanda’s and out of the box I found them to sound awful. Compressed dynamics, recessed midrange, bright, silvery treble, inability to pace, tuneless, etc, etc.
These cans need to burn in.
My Amanda’s now have around 50 hours of use, and the improvements are already profound.
On first listen I was ready to return them. They were so disappointing I didn’t think any amount of burn in could bring them around, but I had them in hand, and it made no sense to send them back before finding out what they could do.
Turned out to be a very good decision. They are out performing the Sundara at this point, and I think they will continue to improve until they reach a couple hundred hours.
They do everything I love about Sundara, just better.
I have a very high end headphone system that allows me to enjoy the Amanda’s ability to scale, which is considerable.
Please put your Amanda’s on a repeat loop and let them burn for a week. When you listen to them again I think your going to come away with a very different opinion of the Ananda.
I think he means without any EQ applied, sir.
Bought a pair, loved the sound, but they only lasted 15 months...and they come with a 12 month warranty. They didn’t offer any good options. Probably just bad luck but I wouldn’t buy a Hifiman product again.
Eighth
hmm. nice name. nice review. i post music, you post reviews. battle of the chronos 😂
Hahahahaha Chronoception! Thanks for checking out the review, fellow Chrono!
nice words there!! these reviews actually help me lmao. i might buy these for my music production! btw i post to my yt
Third
Hey Chrono, is there somewhere I can reach you? Reddit, discord, X, etc?
Hello! If you have any question feel free to reply to this message, and I'll try to get back to you when I can! Also, you could try to DM me on the Headphones.com community forums.