[bagwell359]

I don't hear them as cold or bright but rather as thin and ethereal.

Overall HFM's have a dip from 1400-1800 Hz and an upper mid dip and choppy treble (what can doesn't have choppy treble?).

Well I think the truth for me is in the middle somewhere. The HE-500 is too rich in the bass and mids to have the somewhat bright/cold highs from taking over - plus the highs can be subtle and sublime at times - stock.

The Ananda and HEK v1 are both "fey" - thin, clear, lacking impact, some annoying bits in the treble. Ethereal on a good day.

The HEX v2 has more body then above pair, but a very demure upper mids which hurts dynamics. When EQ'd they are much better but still lack some detail - even on great gear. This is the most different HFM sounding can of the bunch I know.

The HE-5LE has very bright highs with occasional bass thumps nearing the HE-6 style, but yeah hot.

HE-5se - bright, bass shy.

HE-400* - bass cuts off early, bright, lack detail, choppy FR.

HE-6 4 screw - bright, awesome bass; 6 screw less bright, but still bright, great bass

HEK v2 - really good, but yes, a bit bright. Still a near TOTL effort.

HE6se - notable suckout around 1500 Hz. When EQ'd no real sense of ringing, clear, very fine micro details and good dynamics. Meh soundstage. Don't bang with the old HE-6.

Arya - Lots of definition. Bright spike around 5 kHz. Overall it's clear and bright, but brings more bass impact than Ananda. Only heard for 4 hours so far. I would get fatigued by these w/o an EQ. In fact there isn't a HFM I know or have that doesn't need some EQ.

 

[Ichos]

It seems that you are a Hifiman expert!

 

[yeboyi]

I don't hear them as cold or bright but rather as thin and ethereal.

Yeah it's not cold, 3-5k area is bright but overall they are not like hd800's. I'm talking relative. Relatively cold, bright and technical sounding. Especially with thx 789 and e30. I've returned back to my soundcard which sounds more musical and visceral.

 

[bagwell359]

It seems that you are a Hifiman expert!

Well a few might go along with that, and some others would say F no... C'est la guerre

 

[DJ LP]

Just a heads up, the NeoMusicia cables reduce/change the bass so if you're looking for bass, steer clear of these. They however, shift the overall sound impression towards detail and treble. Bass control is tightened, sub-bass rumble is reduced.

Thanks for that information. I ordered some cables from Amplifier Surgery that seem to fit the sound signature of how I want my Ananda's to sound. Also, the headphones are breaking in and it seems as though the sub bass is starting to increase. I'm not a basshead BUT if it's in the music, I want to hear it.

 

[DJ LP]

I'm slightly kicking myself for not getting a haircut as soon as I'd like because of COVID. Something as simple as shortening the hair around the ear changes the sound signature on the Anandas for the better. I was surprised on the detail and bass that I gained from the tighter seal on the earcups. Goes to show that common sense isn't as common as you think.

I'm trying to get a tighter fit myself because I've noticed the same thing.

 

[haasaaroni]

Ananda has a sharper but more accurate treble. Ananda has a rise in the 7-10k area. Needs an EQ.

Out of curiosity, have you tried any of the passive filters from DIYAudioHeaven for Hifiman HPs? The one for the Ananda is supposed to lower the treble peak at around 8K by 6 db. I'm waiting for it to come now, and hopeful that it will smooth out the treble a bit. Using a mac, so unfortunately EQ is not an option...

 

[bagwell359]

Out of curiosity, have you tried any of the passive filters from DIYAudioHeaven for Hifiman HPs? The one for the Ananda is supposed to lower the treble peak at around 8K by 6 db. I'm waiting for it to come now, and hopeful that it will smooth out the treble a bit. Using a mac, so unfortunately EQ is not an option...

No although I've read on them quite a bit. My issue is i'm 100% balanced, which doesn't cooperate. My main amp works far better in balanced and my DIY tube has a balanced in socket (that goes to SE first thing), and no SE socket.

 

[ishmeister]

Just picked up the Anandas a day ago and so far I'm not liking the treble much. I'm hearing a lot of SHHH and FFFF in consonant sounds in vocals. Is this a burn in thing? Will it improve? Setup is a JDS Atom/Topping D50s.

 

[haasaaroni]

I hear the same thing. And in my experience, it does not go away with burn-in, don’t know about anyone else. I think the best option for the Ananda is probably a warmer-sounding amp/dac, so I wouldn’t think the Atom/D50 to be a good fit. I returned my pair when I only had an Atom, and purchased another when I started using a Gilmore Lite Mk2 and a Schiit Modi Multibit. Much better, but I could still hear the treble peak.

Now I’m using a Loki for some tone control and finding it works very well! If EQ is an option for you it might be worth it. They’re such fantastic headphones aside from the treble...I also heard from Stu at Home Studio Basics that something like an ifi Hip Dac, with the Burr Brown chipset, would be a perfect combo, but I’m too smitten with the Gilmore Lite Mk2 to give anything else a try!

 

[tesarpa]

I run them from Benchmark DAC3 and it sounds fine without any EQ. Or maybe I'm just deaf

 

[MrMarc]

I run them from Benchmark DAC3 and it sounds fine without any EQ. Or maybe I'm just deaf

I believe it’s a combination of things.I purchased my pair at the end of July and it took well over 100 houra of listening (probably closer to 150hrs) for them to smoothen and come into their own. I even remember considering returning them. I’m glad they were given the chance they deserve - and boy was I rewarded as now they perform beyond my expectations.

Reflecting on my audiophile past, I should have been more cognizant of planar break-in times. It took literally hundreds of hours for my Maggies to “get right”. It amazes me that so many reviewers perform their evaluations right out the box. Dynamic driver headphones don’t require as much break-in. It’s even worse when compared to brand new m-planar cans.

OTOH, some of your issues could stem from the supporting cast. Often finding the right combination of components makes a huge difference. I’ve never been affected by the peak you speak of and have found the Amanda’s hi-end noteworthy. YMMV.

Marc

 

[haasaaroni]

I believe it’s a combination of things.I purchased my pair at the end of July and it took well over 100 houra of listening (probably closer to 150hrs) for them to smoothen and come into their own. I even remember considering returning them. I’m glad they were given the chance they deserve - and boy was I rewarded as now they perform beyond my expectations.

Reflecting on my audiophile past, I should have been more cognizant of planar break-in times. It took literally hundreds of hours for my Maggies to “get right”. It amazes me that so many reviewers perform their evaluations right out the box. Dynamic driver headphones don’t require as much break-in. It’s even worse when compared to brand new m-planar cans.

OTOH, some of your issues could stem from the supporting cast. Often finding the right combination of components makes a huge difference. I’ve never been affected by the peak you speak of and have found the Amanda’s hi-end noteworthy. YMMV.

Marc

That's so great to hear!! I was so thrilled with the sound out of the box that I never really gave mine a proper burn in time. I'm gonna sit them through another 100 hours now and see what happens. Totally agree that they are high-end noteworthy.

 

[DJ LP]

Just picked up the Anandas a day ago and so far I'm not liking the treble much. I'm hearing a lot of SHHH and FFFF in consonant sounds in vocals. Is this a burn in thing? Will it improve? Setup is a JDS Atom/Topping D50s.

I'm about 70 hours in as far as burn in time. Still waiting for mine to improve as well. I can hear some changes taking place, like they're starting to sound more detailed.

 

[DJ LP]

I'm about half way through what is considered to be burn in time. When that time is complete, I'm going to give my opinion of how I think they sound.