[kvad]

Did anyone try Ananda with the Xduoo TA-20?
Got the Ananda about a week ago (coming from a Fidelio X2). Been a great upgrade in most respects, but feel I'd like to inject a bit more warmth and body if I can. Best of my amps so far seems to be the Rega Brio for just that reason, more body, weight and space. TA-20 with some tube rolling seems like it could take me further down that path?!

 

[bagwell359]

That is a known problem with Audeze headphones. Same headphones end up sounding different.

After my two day stint of owning one I wasn't likely to buy again, if this is true, then even less likely...

 

[ezduzit2500]

Did anyone try Ananda with the Xduoo TA-20?
Got the Ananda about a week ago (coming from a Fidelio X2). Been a great upgrade in most respects, but feel I'd like to inject a bit more warmth and body if I can. Best of my amps so far seems to be the Rega Brio for just that reason, more body, weight and space. TA-20 with some tube rolling seems like it could take me further down that path?!

I bought an inexpensive tube preamp/buffer from Amazon ($49 +GE tubes), to go in between DAC and Emo a-100, for volume control and just to experiment. I'm still using it - because it does just what you are thinking about. I did change out the stock ne5532 opamps for opa2134pa while I wait on Muses 8920, whenever they come. It now has a warm and smooth yet detailed presentation. Now the Ananda has more a manageable treble, sounds more organic and alive, and transparent, even with this moderate investment. Aiyima tube a3 pro tube preamp, the cheap and the decent... okay to laugh, I listen. Forgot to add, Ananda isn't that hard to drive, needs a li'l current to sound best though.

 

[alexlevn0791]

How about bass and soundstage ?

Arya has a slightly better soundstage. I don't hear much difference in bass tbh and the Ananda has more than enough bass for me. What I could not handle for long was the brightness.

Was your Arya version 1 or 2? Version 2 started shipping within the last few months, and has a dust filter/cloth covering the window shade system. It's rumored to fix the peaks in the highs entirely while also subduing the bass a little, but up to this point the user reviews are all over the place without a clear consensus. Second question is were both headphones burned in for 150 hours?

Not challenging your decision in the slightest. I think it's rad that you were able to find you liked the Ananda better, and I have seen others make that same decision. Just asking for details so that others that are comparing the Arya & Ananda's have a clear idea of what to factor in when they try both headphones to make the same decision.

I am unaware of the version thing so thanks for informing me! Maybe you are right, the Arya I got was possibly in the first batch, but I need to check to be sure. Both were used for close to 150 hours.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Did anyone try Ananda with the Xduoo TA-20?
Got the Ananda about a week ago (coming from a Fidelio X2). Been a great upgrade in most respects, but feel I'd like to inject a bit more warmth and body if I can. Best of my amps so far seems to be the Rega Brio for just that reason, more body, weight and space. TA-20 with some tube rolling seems like it could take me further down that path?!

Another post...The Rega looks like a great unit. The Xudoo looks like it's nice also. In my previous post I only mentioned the cheap Aiyima pre (or one like it) that I have as a possible test case/experiment, so that before you commit substantial $$$ you may have an idea of how a tube or hybrid front end would work with Ananda, on the cheap. Trynna help where I can.

 

[kvad]

Another post...The Rega looks like a great unit. The Xudoo looks like it's nice also. In my previous post I only mentioned the cheap Aiyima pre (or one like it) that I have as a possible test case/experiment, so that before you commit substantial $$$ you may have an idea of how a tube or hybrid front end would work with Ananda, on the cheap. Trynna help where I can.

Thanks Ezduzit! Great to hear you're having a good experience with a more affordable option. Besides the warmer sound, do you feel it still keeps most of the detail and space? Was hoping to jump straight to a end-point amp (easier said than done without auditioning : ).

I do have a few experiences with tube amps and the Ananda. First was at the store I bought it. They had it hooked up to an Ayon HA-3 which sounded wonderful, but is way beyond budget. The other is the living room amp, a Dared Saturn Signature which shows potential, but has one set of tubes that are too noisy for the Ananda (non-issue with speakers) and a tube selection for speakers that are more warm/organic from the outset (I'd reckon what I'd find ideal for the Ananda would end up being too warm for the speakers).

 

[ezduzit2500]

Thanks Ezduzit! Great to hear you're having a good experience with a more affordable option. Besides the warmer sound, do you feel it still keeps most of the detail and space? Was hoping to jump straight to a end-point amp (easier said than done without auditioning : ).

I do have a few experiences with tube amps and the Ananda. First was at the store I bought it. They had it hooked up to an Ayon HA-3 which sounded wonderful, but is way beyond budget. The other is the living room amp, a Dared Saturn Signature which shows potential, but has one set of tubes that are too noisy for the Ananda (non-issue with speakers) and a tube selection for speakers that are more warm/organic from the outset (I'd reckon what I'd find ideal for the Ananda would end up being too warm for the speakers).

"Besides the warmer sound, do you feel it still keeps most of the detail and space? Was hoping to jump straight to a end-point amp (easier said than done without auditioning : )"....

The inexpensive unit that I got was not perfect but is still quite decent in that it did keep the detail, space, and soundstaging. It generally made the Ananda sound more organic and natural. It did take some easy modifications though, that's one of the features that was advertised - and I am a DIYer and hobbyist. It is a hybrid, having tubes for signal and opamps for current. I changed the stock tubes and replaced the stock opamps to smoother ones, simple and easy. An even cheaper so-advertised Class A unit I tried consisted of tubes only, didn't drive the signal well, made the soundstage smaller, the bass became quite soft/flabby/broken, and the volume pot was horrible - that unit changed the sound way too much. My goal was to smooth Ananda's treble peaks and to reduce SS and digital harshness, without changing Ananda's good sound qualities too much. IMO, this was a win on my journey to better sound, especially considering what $$$ were invested, about $100 total cost. Keeping in mind that my system building is a perpetual experiment and hobby until I decide to let go, relax, and just listen. Many options are still on the table, so to speak.

 

[cirodts]

Which has the most impact for metal music, sundara or ananda?

 

[yeboyi]

Which has the most impact for metal music, sundara or ananda?

Probably Sundara. Check out DT 1990 thread for metal or Audeze/Focal.

 

[cirodts]

Thanks for the reply, I tried the dt1990s and I didn't like them at all.

 

[Toby Joe]

Which has the most impact for metal music, sundara or ananda?

I would recommend something with less top end like an HE400i or an LCD-2C. Just my opinion and YMMV.

 

[bagwell359]

I would recommend something with less top end like an HE400i or an LCD-2C. Just my opinion and YMMV.

Hmmm... I think the 400i has lots of top end, just not very good top end.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Hmmm... I think the 400i has lots of top end, just not very good top end.

The humble 400i improves with burn in/playing time. System matching is also important to get the most out of it. I still own and listen to a set and it's still quite impressive for what it is.

 

[Dramlin]

Finally got around to trying the Arya extensively. There's many excellent reviews that go into the nuances between Ananda and Arya, so I'll just keep my opinion comments at a very high level.

How does the Arya sound? Take the Ananda sound that you love, fill it in entirely including the bass (taking away any thinness), roughly double the width of the sound stage, and then add in more detail into every note. Those are the immediate changes you notice. Of course there's more to it, but the rest of the changes are more subtle.

In comparing the Arya to the Ananda, sound stage and bass are always brought up.The sound stage is perfect, I couldn't imagine it being any wider as it just sounds correct for once. Bass is slightly improved over the Ananda in both quantity and tone, but it doesn't slam as hard as bass emphasized dynamics.The combination of a correct stage & improved bass makes it sound like you have two floor standing speakers attached to your head, in a good way of course.

Are those changes worth more than double the asking price of the Ananda? The Ananda really does get you most of the way there. The Arya is a worthy upgrade if you simply must get further improvements in sound quality, and don't mind the diminishing returns. To be clear, there are a lot of improvements in the Arya, it's not a a small change, but certainly not double or triple of what the Ananda is already offering.

 

[bagwell359]

The humble 400i improves with burn in/playing time. System matching is also important to get the most out of it. I still own and listen to a set and it's still quite impressive for what it is.

I had a 400i and a 4xx both with over 500 hours on them. Found they barely improved with big changes up front. On a tight budget both are viable/reasonable but vs a $700 can, or a used HE-500 they do not do it for me.