[pataburd]

Someone asked me to denote what I thought were the major differences between Ananda non-SM vs. SM, and this is what I have come up with so far:

The SM sound more refined.
The SM sound more detailed.
The SM sound airier.
The SM's soundstage is more coherent with better holistic integration of parts.
The SM offer a better sense of front-to-back dimensionality (and overall imaging).
The SM's tonality sounds rounder, fuller, sweeter.
The SM's timbres sound more accurate (less "artificial").

To my ears, the SM have no audible downside vs. their non-SM counterpart.

 

[pataburd]

At their street price ($699) or, more so, at open box/used discount ($500-ish), the HiFiMan Ananda Stealth Magnets are an incredible value.

 

[MusicalDoc8]

At their street price ($699) or, more so, at open box/used discount ($500-ish), the HiFiMan Ananda Stealth Magnets are an incredible value.

I think they have really undersestimated the stealth revision, mostly because i think it might bite too much into arya territory and make them look bad in the price/performance domain.

 

[pataburd]

True.
But they made up for it with uber minimalist packaging!

 

[MusicalDoc8]

True.
But they made up for it with uber minimalist packaging!

Yeah they saved big on packaging for sure!

 

[Keko123]

I sell one unit, I keep another unit. I don't need to have two units, one in each house. I can move one.

Best regards

Finally i will put up for sale my second new unit, sealed. €640.

Edit for add link: https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/hifiman-ananda-stealth-magnets-sealed-box.33759/

 

[holden4th]

OK, time to resurrect this thread. I bought the Audeze LCD1s 18 months ago and they were my introduction into planar headphones. When I got them I was gobsmacked by so many things and loved the sound they produced. However, the now well known headband cracking issue developed and I recently returned them to the dealer under warranty which they were very happy to honour. They offered to replace them with stock that they had but with the cracking issue this was not the path to go down. I asked them if I could upgrade and they readily agreed.

I did a lot of research and the Ananda Stealth came up positively so many times. For an extra $350 I've now put in an order for the SMs and eagerly anticipate their arrival. I'll be driving these with a Schiit Asgard3/Modi 3+ combination. I always review my new equipment after a couple of months but I am happy to report back with my initial impressions on this thread.

 

[africanicola]

Someone asked me to denote what I thought were the major differences between Ananda non-SM vs. SM, and this is what I have come up with so far:

The SM sound more refined.
The SM sound more detailed.
The SM sound airier.
The SM's soundstage is more coherent with better holistic integration of parts.
The SM offer a better sense of front-to-back dimensionality (and overall imaging).
The SM's tonality sounds rounder, fuller, sweeter.
The SM's timbres sound more accurate (less "artificial").

To my ears, the SM have no audible downside vs. their non-SM counterpart.

are there any visual differences between the twos?
I bought an used pair and I would like to be sure that they are the SM

 

[pataburd]

(1) Packaging should be clearly marked with a gold "Stealth Magnets Design" sticker.

(2) The Ananda Stealth weigh 440 grams versus 399 grams for the Ananda 2021. [Weigh with a postal scale.]
(3) The Ananda Stealth have an impedance of 27 ohms versus 25 ohms for the Ananda 2021. [Check with a multimeter.]

 

[holden4th]

(1) Packaging should be clearly marked with a gold "Stealth Magnets Design" sticker.


(2) The Ananda Stealth weigh 440 grams versus 399 grams for the Ananda 2021. [Weigh with a postal scale.]
(3) The Ananda Stealth have an impedance of 27 ohms versus 25 ohms for the Ananda 2021. [Check with a multimeter.]

What cables are you using with the Ananda Stealth?

 

[linknet]

What cables are you using with the Ananda Stealth?

Forza AudioWorks Noir Hybrid HPC (Copper/Silver)

 

[pataburd]

What cables are you using with the Ananda Stealth?

Custom made Neotech UPOCC 8-cores hybrid: 4x 24AWG solid core copper + 4x 28AWG solid core silver.

 

[loopfreak]

The SM sound more refined.
The SM sound more detailed.
The SM sound airier.
The SM's soundstage is more coherent with better holistic integration of parts.
The SM offer a better sense of front-to-back dimensionality (and overall imaging).
The SM's tonality sounds rounder, fuller, sweeter.
The SM's timbres sound more accurate (less "artificial").

It all sounds promising, just one more thing, are they easier to drive then Ananda OG since their counterpart Arya Stealth version is somewhat easier on the amp? Thx

 

[Mhog55]

Can anyone try to describe the sonic differences between this headphone and the Edition X V2?

 

[alank46]

WaveTheory does just that on this video ... tab to the comparisions section