Hifiman Ananda Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

KRT09

Oct 1, 2023 12:22 PM

1.1K Comments

Joined Oct 2016

KRT09Oct 1, 2023 12:22 PM

1.1K Comments

Quote from PocketsThick

:

I'm an absolute lunatic, wish me luck... I bought the Ananda stealths from Aliexpress brand new. For several reasons. First off a seller is selling the V3 version of the headphones. I don't know what version amazon/hifiman/etc are going to send.

V3 is a lighter headphone than the V2. The seller is selling them new for about $352. There's an automatic coupon which drives the price down to $342. Then a found a coupon code which takes off another $30 during checkout (US30 is the code). So the total price was $312. Then there's a cashback company that has 8.8% back at aliexpress. Then through all my youtube watching of reviews of the anandas a reviewer (Z reviews) mentions you should upgrade to better ear pads. He recommends Dekoni's Fenestrated sheepskin ear pads. They are stupid expensive, like $80. An Aliexpress seller is selling a "Perforated" (Fenestrated means perforated) sheepskin knockoff earpads for $14 with free shipping. Basically the same earpads. Lets Goooooooooo! Now THAT's how you slickdeal!

That's a great price but do you know if you get a warranty? Hifiman sells most of their stuff cheaper in SEA but the warranty is almost always regional which means you might be SOL if they have an issue, or you might have to ship them back to China for repairs or RMA. I have multiple Hifiman headphones and really like them but their QC and failure rates are among the worst in headphones.

Last edited by KRT09 October 1, 2023 at 05:24 AM.

1

Timmytommy

Oct 1, 2023 8:25 PM

67 Comments

Joined Nov 2017

TimmytommyOct 1, 2023 8:25 PM

67 Comments

Quote from ww2style

:

Are there any comparable price-performance pairs of headphones to these at this sale price? This is a much more approachable price than some other audiophile headphones out there. And what would be the next step or two up?

Edit: Rtings shows these as extremely comparable to HD 800S…can someone clarify how these are or are not that good for 1/3 to 1/4 of the price?

Headphones have diminishing returns of quality after around the $3-400 mark. For example, jumping from $100 to 200 may provide a 30% increase in quality. $400 to $1000 is probably around 3-6% better

Forgotmyaccountpass

Oct 1, 2023 8:31 PM

618 Comments

Joined Mar 2020

ForgotmyaccountpassOct 1, 2023 8:31 PM

618 Comments

My Anandas will finally arrive this week. I wish I could have gotten them refurbished for a little off. Just dont see them on sale.
Any recommendation for an EQ program and app to use? Just going to bump up the bass just slightly.

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 1, 2023 9:45 PM

17.8K Comments

Joined Aug 2009

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 1, 2023 9:45 PM

17.8K Comments

Quote from KRT09

:

That's a great price but do you know if you get a warranty? Hifiman sells most of their stuff cheaper in SEA but the warranty is almost always regional which means you might be SOL if they have an issue, or you might have to ship them back to China for repairs or RMA. I have multiple Hifiman headphones and really like them but their QC and failure rates are among the worst in headphones.

Warranty? Maybe not. I'm really careful with my electronics. I place them down lightly. I don't use them away from my PC. If I was constantly traveling around with them that will increase the chance of breaking them (crushing them, dropping, etc)

Aliexpress has protection, but I also paid with paypal too. If they arrive working the most likely way for them to stop working is by mishandling them. Headphones have very few parts. Most likely thing to break headphones would be torquing the input jacks.

Last edited by PocketsThick October 1, 2023 at 02:57 PM.

cpgeek

Oct 2, 2023 7:35 PM

209 Comments

Joined May 2017

cpgeekOct 2, 2023 7:35 PM

209 Comments

Quote from prismx

:

Rocking my Sundara now with Peace configured for them and my D50 with a Atom amp. Wondering how much better these would be.

I'm in a similar boat, I have and really enjoy my sundaras. I've got them on an smsl su-8s going balanced into my monoprice thx 887 headphone amp through the balanced output and they sound fantastic. I'm curious how much better / different the ananda stealth is.

cpgeek

Oct 2, 2023 7:53 PM

209 Comments

Joined May 2017

cpgeekOct 2, 2023 7:53 PM

209 Comments

The hd 58x is very much an entry level headphone. if you're going to get a budget headphone from drop, I would recommend the 6xx any day of the week (I've got a pair and they are quite good for mid-fi). That said, I've got a pair of sundaras that are a significant improvement over the 6xx's (I own and use both), however, with proper EQ, the 6xx's can sound better in niche circumstances (such as female vocalists where sound staging isn't a huge factor in the track just as a random case.) but overall the sundaras are quite a bit better. I haven't listened to the ananda, so I can't give you my personal impressions, but on paper, they should be really good.

Quote from ThriceQ

:

Why would.i get this when I have my hd 58x from a drop?

cpgeek

Oct 2, 2023 8:10 PM

209 Comments

Joined May 2017

cpgeekOct 2, 2023 8:10 PM

209 Comments

if you have a decent dac on your motherboard you just plug them into your pc and that's that, Personally I went through the extra of picking up a really nice (probably way overkill) audio stack consisting of an smsl su-8s and a monoprice thx aaa 887 amp and some balanced cables. I mainly use my sundaras for listening to music and watching movies, but they are fantastic for gaming as well.

Quote from codeblues

:

How do you use it for gaming?

cpgeek

Oct 2, 2023 8:14 PM

209 Comments

Joined May 2017

cpgeekOct 2, 2023 8:14 PM

209 Comments

I'm personally not a huge fan of the mod mic or any of the lav / headset mics that i've seen. I grabbed a neewer usb condenser mic bundle that came with a desk clamp arm and pop filter that was only around $50 and sounds really good. strongly recommended.

Quote from raidflex

:

Which mic do you use? I was looking at replacing my DT990's with the Ananda's and currently just use an older Mod Mic 4. Other then a full desktop mic, is there any better options?

easymoney12344

Oct 3, 2023 12:03 AM

10 Comments

Joined Oct 2020

easymoney12344Oct 3, 2023 12:03 AM

10 Comments

Quote from Forgotmyaccountpass

:

My Anandas will finally arrive this week. I wish I could have gotten them refurbished for a little off. Just dont see them on sale.
Any recommendation for an EQ program and app to use? Just going to bump up the bass just slightly.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/...extension/

1

raidflex

Oct 4, 2023 2:18 PM

268 Comments

Joined Dec 2014

raidflexOct 4, 2023 2:18 PM

268 Comments

Quote from cpgeek

:

I'm personally not a huge fan of the mod mic or any of the lav / headset mics that i've seen. I grabbed a neewer usb condenser mic bundle that came with a desk clamp arm and pop filter that was only around $50 and sounds really good. strongly recommended.

Thanks, this might be a good idea as well!

I keep going back and forth if its worth the upgrade from the DT990's. I am not sure how much of an upgrade it would be to go with either the SUNDARA 's or ANANDA's for strictly gaming.

The refurb SUNDARA at $199 is also a good deal, but at new it seems like I would just go with the ANANDA's for not much more. I doubt I would be listening to music, although with a good set I might consider it, but for now this would just be for PC gaming.

ErikLMth

Oct 5, 2023 7:27 PM

229 Comments

Joined May 2010

ErikLMthOct 5, 2023 7:27 PM

229 Comments

Bought a refurbished pair since it has the same warranty. Using Chase Flex and Paybud you get 5% cashback as well as 1 year extended warranty and also damage/loss protection for like 4 months. No tax on the Hifiman site obviously.

cpgeek

Oct 6, 2023 2:41 AM

209 Comments

Joined May 2017

cpgeekOct 6, 2023 2:41 AM

209 Comments

Based on this comment, I decided to pick up a set of the kiwi cadenzas and tried them out this afternoon. first off, it was ridiculously difficult to get the included ear tips on the nozzles (the nozzles are larger than the ear tip openings. second, the sound quality was abysmal, they were extremely tinny, very little mid range, and just the slightest big of bass which does get a bit better if i really shove them in there, but it doesn't change much, and ultimately they hurt my ears just having them in for the hour or so i tried them for... yuck. I'm not out to attack anyone for liking something that I don't. If you dig them, that's awesome, go for it, but I'm sending them back tomorrow. meanwhile, I wear my sundas for a good 12 hours a day most days and am pretty happy with them.

Quote from Mike_Hawk

:

Kiwi Cadenza $35 IEMs, with $110 Q5k amp/eq. These are amazing pieces of kit!!! The dollar to sound return is through the friggen roof! Fidelity was so great (after tweaking with the Q5k) that I ended up returning the HD560s and Sundras.

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 6, 2023 9:38 AM

17.8K Comments

Joined Aug 2009

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 6, 2023 9:38 AM

17.8K Comments

Update time! I received my v3 Ananda Stealth from the Aliexpress seller. The retail box was sealed. I watched unboxing videos on Youtube to see what's included in the units shipped by Hifiman in the United States. It's exactly the same as what I received.

I bought a all-in-one dac/amp. The iFi Zen DAC. Not the "air" version or the "blue" version. The iFi Zen DAC V2 or V1 are both the same. I can't recommend it enough. It has a one button bass boost and it makes these headphones so well rounded. The bass boost works phenomenally well. Zeos reviewed that dac/amp on Youtube, saying that iFi was selling it for far too cheap, he said it should cost $200. So the company did exactly that. Used versions can be bought for much cheaper through my brief research. Buying a standalone dac will cost over $100 and a standalone amp will cost over $100. Then you'll have multiple cables coming out, you won't have a 1 button bass boost, and the iFi Zen DAC runs off of a simple USB cable for power and data. Epic. Trust me on this recommendation.

So how are the headphones? Phenomenal with the dac/amp. I've been listening to FLAC audio tracks vs Spotify (free) streaming. You can instantly hear the nuance from the extra data incorporated in the FLAC files. The soundstage is massive. Instrument separation is superb. Mids are great. Treble/Highs come in crystal clear. Without the iFi dac, the bass is recessed. It's an afterthought. I don't want bass heavy headphones, but the iFi zen dac makes the bass come alive so naturally. Everything becomes harmonious. These are really good headphones. I don't have a large/wide head. I don't get much head-clamp. I've had the headphones on my head for hours. I found a slice of perfection in my setup. All the hours I spent researching paid off perfectly.

Good luck everyone! (I'm still waiting on my balanced cables to arrive and new earpads. To be honest, the default ear pads are really nice).

Quote from tanman516

:

Let us know how it turns out might follow your lead

Quote from dankim1987

:

I'd be reluctant buying from AliExpress since you get no manufacturer's warranty unless it's from an authorized dealer, and Hifiman quality can be a mixed bag from all the stories I've heard.

Quote from KRT09

:

That's a great price but do you know if you get a warranty? Hifiman sells most of their stuff cheaper in SEA but the warranty is almost always regional which means you might be SOL if they have an issue, or you might have to ship them back to China for repairs or RMA. I have multiple Hifiman headphones and really like them but their QC and failure rates are among the worst in headphones.

Last edited by PocketsThick October 6, 2023 at 08:37 AM.

1

Forgotmyaccountpass

Oct 9, 2023 9:22 AM

618 Comments

Joined Mar 2020

ForgotmyaccountpassOct 9, 2023 9:22 AM

618 Comments

I didnt realize these were the stealth magnets. I suppose not much of a difference.
Would these sound better for instrumental, violin/piano, and orchestras, or should I go for the XS refurbished?
Note that I can EQ on my desktop and android. So they are all technically 100% the same in the end if I do?

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 9, 2023 4:33 PM

17.8K Comments

Joined Aug 2009

PocketsThick

Pro

Oct 9, 2023 4:33 PM

17.8K Comments

Quote from Forgotmyaccountpass

:

I didnt realize these were the stealth magnets. I suppose not much of a difference.
Would these sound better for instrumental, violin/piano, and orchestras, or should I go for the XS refurbished?
Note that I can EQ on my desktop and android. So they are all technically 100% the same in the end if I do?

This guy compares the stealth vs XS, vs non-stealth Anandas:
https://youtu.be/snNwhiDJuX4?feat...ared&t=575

The XS uses a different headband than Anandas. Some people really dislike it. The Ananda's headband, you forget it's on your head.

2

Hifiman Ananda Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones

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