[chihangs]

I pretty much retired my Sure SE846 after some horrid performance with my McIntosh amp. Yesterday I tried them with Anni for a few hours. The combination floored me as it was as good as the 846s have ever done (I thought they might be damaged after the McIntosh fail). Problem is the volume had to be near fully off, right where it is either too little or too much so you need a software gain control, pre amp, or other means of control to move the volume up away from that threshold.
Yesterday I was pairing Anni with the wrong device.
Dusted off a couple of Sony IEMs today, XBA-Z5 and XBA-H3, with the right source… no issues with gain being dialed down to 80% so the volume is up to 0800-0900.
My usual IEM device is Mojo but it hasn't seen any IEM use for the past two years or so. All my IEMs are dated but I am guessing most IEM users would find Anni performance to be very good if not excellent at its price point. Certainly worth a demo run if you can arrange one.

Good to know the anni is not too much power for iem and sounds good
Thank you for the update
I will demo the anni soon when I have the time

 

[GuYe]

http://www.headphoneclub.com/thread-749291-1-1.html

 

[angan]

Hi all, I am new to this forum. Recently got Chord Anni and happy to share my impressions with Qutest as the DAC. Coming from Rebel Amp and before that Topping A90, I find the Anni to be very enjoyable. It’s hard to describe exactly what the difference is, but everything sounds very natural and balanced. Three key aspects stood out - the soundstage is wide, the notes have a weight about them ( ie don’t sound thin like in the A90) and the bass is punchy yet textured. I have used Focal Radiance, Audeze LCD X and the u12t with it. No channel imbalance I could detect and all of them are comfortable at around 9 o-clock on the volume knob. It does run quite warm, but I couldn’t hear any fan noise. Let me know any questions, will be happy to help.

 

[Rebel Chris]

I really miss the grey metal option.

 

[Ike1985]

I've heard that the Hugo2 isn't as good as Anni + Qutest. Can anyone confirm this? Would the Hugo2 + Anni be better than Anni + Qutest?

 

[jjb3]

I decided that the Chord Anni doesn't sound as good with my ATC SCM7s as with a higher powered amp. The difference is very subtle, which is really impressive considering the amp I am now using is 150wpc and the Anni is only 10wpc. But there is a definite increase in clarity, soundstage, detail retrieval, and improved depth. So I'm selling my Anni as much as I like it.

 

[jlbrach]

not sure the anni is meant to compete with 150 wpc desktops....I love it because it is so small and transportable

 

[jjb3]

It's not, that's the point. It held its own pretty well against a unit 15x its power.

 

[drroman66]

It's not, that's the point. It held its own pretty well against a unit 15x its power.

How is it as a headphone amp?

 

[jjb3]

How is it as a headphone amp?

Not sure, I used it only for passive speakers.

 

[drroman66]

Not sure, I used it only for passive speakers.

Thanks. I would only use it as a headphone amp.

 

[ardbeg1975]

Thanks. I would only use it as a headphone amp.

I only use mine as a headphone amp and it is great. Gives slam to bass without losing detail. Doesn’t color the mids and smooths the treble just a bit while still maintaining a crisp presentation. Definitely a step up from my Flux FA-22 which is also a very enjoyable amp.

 

[jlbrach]

How is it as a headphone amp?

it does a great job with HP's....

 

[JaquesGelee]

I tested Anni in a quiet room, where it was unboxed and plugged in for me, to warm it up. After a while I noticed a fan noise - not loud or annoying but certainly audible. And realised the noise comes from the Anni. Whilst testing it with headphones, even open-backs, it was a non-issue. My PC, which is a very quiet build, is about as noisy as the Anni so I am not at all concerned about the fan noise. I am more concerned that there is a moving part in the device - let us hope it is reliable.

I got two units here so far,

I also recognized a "moving part" in both. Maybe it is the fan suspension itself or even something else (construction below the buttons). Seems to be a normal thing.

It could be postioning, but the fan noise annoys me personally, even from far away.
It is the "loudest" device in house.

The fan of the replacement device from the noise is much better. The first one sounded very strange and turned up from time to time, maybe to max. even in standby.

Don't get me wrong.
The fan is certainly necessary and I can not imagine that I have caught two doa devices.
I don't mean the sound of a typical airflow itself, but rather a dragging or rattling. Even in standby I can't stand this noise and have to turn it off, after a Cool down time.
I also could hear it with open back hp at 9 o'clock. Maybe i have to position anni somewhere else.

At all, an amazing and fast support by dealer and Chord.


Cheers

 

[JanisR]

Does anyone have a picture if the Anni's lid off, i.e. a circuit board pic?