HIFIMAN ANANDA Over-Ear Open-back Planar Magnetic Headphones, wired-Black

Product Information

Comfort - The cushions on the Sundara are softer and apply less clamping force, the Ananda are absolutely fine, but they do apply more pressure and are firmer. What does one gain from climbing halfway up the mountain? Better views, for sure, but are they worth the effort? And if so, wouldn't it be better to just keep climbing to the summit?

I didn't find much difference when running the Ananda balanced (Gain 1) or single-ended (Gain 2) on the THX AAA 789. But I always prefer the Sundara with Oratory EQ vs without (Comparrison above was down without EQ), but I imagine it would similar enough with or without the EQ to draw a somewhat similar conclusion, the shoutiness of the Sundara may actually make this song more enjoyable without EQ. Rule of thumb, songs with lots of stuff going on, or very big or wide sound, particularly if its well recorded give a wow factor with the Ananda, but songs that are narrow or compressed or intimate in nature seem to do better on the Sundara. Don't expect the bass to rumble down low like a AH-D7000 or the TH-900, the character and tuning goes past the expectations of bassheads. It goes for accuracy, linearity over wow factor. Make no mistake though, it's not like the bass of the TH-900 isn't accurate in context. Not at all actually. The tuning is simply different. The TH-900 grows a lot in presence and rumble the lower you go, the Ananda goes for linearity and does extend pretty well but never goes for the thunder or the furious slam of the TH-900. It does not take away, it does not give but is still leaner in character. it maintains excellent control and details stand out. More so than the Hex V2 which brings us more volume down low and a tiny bit less control, adding to the overall warmer character but also adding to the bass presence.The enhanced build quality also seems to suggest that this new form factor will be here for some time also in a lot fo the newer Hifiman headphones. Possibly not all given the Arya has the old headband edition but a substantial majority at least. You do lose a little in terms of absolute fit but the large cups seem to negate any battles nicely for a sweet spot on your head. Pros: Great soundstage and imaging, near neutral performance with a couple elevations for increased musicality. The slight thinness of the overall sound allows for the micro details to come out cleanly, then that thinness is countered by the natural timbre and well-defined bass. Bass is mostly neutral, with decent extension which however doesn’t cover the lowest notes with the same authority. There’s a very good amount of detail and layering is great as well. Midrange is more towards the bright side than anything, with a clear rise starting in the middle and going up with frequency; this sometimes creates a bit of thinness, but in general manages to give more energy and vivacity to the sound without compromising its overall tonality. Treble is where the rise that started in the midrange tops off, only to then go down quite rapidly in the upper area. It can sometimes be a bit aggressive, but it’s also quite detailed and overall pleasant in the mix. Final Thoughts The sound stage is both wide & tall enough to allow clear separation and placement of every instrument. The sound stage can be described as enveloping.

Here I clearly favour the HE1000se over the others. I prefer the looks of the Ananda over the Arya, due to the silver grille, but the HE1000se looks much more elegant in my opinion.In the context of the philosophy of complementary headphones aka insanity such a verdict is easily spoken out of course. What if I only had to choose between the two and wasn't allowed any other headphone at all? I would go for long time listening, lushness and probably chose the Edition X V2.