[pataburd]

Lol I posted about this a few days ago, your ears go near the top of the pad, like as far down from the top as the sundara, not near the bottom, literally almost as far up as possible

That's where they are/were.

 

[the1andonly]

The HE-5, HE-5LE, HE-500, HE-6 (original), HE-560, HE1000se and Sundara were all worthwhile. The HE-6 would more than hold its own today, IMHO.
The Ananda, the most recent of my purchases, have been the only "klinker" so far. That self-destructing earpad was the last straw for me.

The original HE-6 is legendary, have heard most of those and to me and many other the Ananda is the best tuned by far and just a better sundara.... The earpad sucks I would talk to Hifiman about that, especially if you bought direct from them, they are fairly understanding... Also everyone is open to their own opinions but a lot of people also like the Ananda... I might prefer the Susvara by a little bit tho

 

[pataburd]

For me, the Sundara are more balanced and coherent, frequency-wise, than the Ananda.
Admittedly, though, I did sell the Sundara after a/b-ing them with the Ananda, the latter offering an appreciably more detailed, open and clear presentation.
I really have no gripe with the Ananda's tuning, although alongside the Focals they sound comparatively thin in tonal density/body.
If that earpad hadn't self-destructed and gotten me (very) frustrated in its unfixable wake, I would have dropped the pads even lower and tested your hypothesis more rigorously.

 

[the1andonly]

For me, the Sundara are more balanced and coherent, frequency-wise, than the Ananda.
Admittedly, though, I did sell the Sundara after a/b-ing them with the Ananda, the latter offering an appreciably more detailed, open and clear presentation.

For me the one benefit of the sundara was it was bordering on ethereal, some people called in anemic and I was shocked(and slightly offended) but like you the detail, resolution, staging and just sound quality detracted from the feelings of "this is real life". I think both the Sundara and Ananda's FR and presentation both border on that very very fine line, and admittedly think the Sundara is slightly closer, but again the detractions it did have bother me more than the tuning. Also, I unlike you found I liked the Ananda more, so in that respect I am lucky, the Sundara, to me, still sounds plenty like just being real life but the extra bit of missing sound quality and and stage size killed it for me. Ananda lets me let go and accept it, sorry that it really is presenting as the soundstage is "tall"... I am using an older version from I believe 2018 so it might be the pads, again the sort of amazing thing these two do that make the Sundara, and the Ananda for so many people, the best under $500, and possibly better overall and better for price/perf than the Arya, respectively, is they are the two headphones that sound the least like reproduced audio(atleast to me, nothing else come close) and it's a fine line to walk. Adding, subtracting, or altering ANY other features, even if they would otherwise be a large positive on other headphones that don't aim for the target they hit, like HD800 soundstage, detracts from the experience substantially... sorry, hope you fix the issue or move on and find something just as rewarding or better

 

[pataburd]

Being the second owner of the Ananda v2, my chances of getting a fresh pair of earpads, gratis, from HFM are unlikely.
Who knows? The Dekoni fenestrated may prove the key to unlocking potentials of the Ananda hitherto hidden from me!
: )

 

[ahmonge]

Talking about Dekoni pads for Ananda, any experiences with them? Do they change the sound compared to stock ones?

 

[pataburd]

Just ordered a pair of the fenestrated sheepskin, scheduled to arrive next Tuesday.

Really cannot do a formal comparison, though, since the stock pad on the left driver housing of my Ananda is out-of-commission. The faux leather covering either came unglued or untucked. There is no way I can batten the covering down/tuck it in and achieve the proper amount of tautness surrounding the foam padding.

Photograph(s) of failed ear pad below:

 

[pataburd]

. . . Have asked the head-fier who sold the Ananda to me--if he be the original owner with original receipt--for any help he can offer.
Also, a longshot, I sent a written appeal directly to HiFiMan Customer Service, with photos, asking for help/possible replacement.
We'll see . . .

Meanwhile, the Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin are on order (as I seek fleeting aural compensation from the Focal Elear).

(The HE-6se v.2 are due for delivery later today.)

 

[dsrk]

Just ordered a pair of the fenestrated sheepskin, scheduled to arrive next Tuesday.


Really cannot do a formal comparison, though, since the stock pad on the left driver housing of my Ananda is out-of-commission. The faux leather covering either came unglued or untucked. There is no way I can batten the covering down/tuck it in and achieve the proper amount of tautness surrounding the foam padding.

Photograph(s) of failed ear pad below:

I had the same problem with mine, I replaced with a new set of pads.

 

[pataburd]

Did you get the "Serenity" pads from HFM?
Are the Serenity "standard equipment" for the Ananda v.2?
Had to have been a manufacturing defect: not enough adhesive, not enough tuck/press fit, or the faux leather flaps were a hair too short.
I cannot see any adhesive residue, though, so that flap must be tucked under and "clamped" down at the factory(?).

 

[dsrk]

Did you get the "Serenity" pads from HFM?
Are the Serenity "standard equipment" for the Ananda v.2?
Had to have been a manufacturing defect: not enough adhesive, not enough tuck/press fit, or the faux leather flaps were a hair too short.
I cannot see any adhesive residue, though, so that flap must be tucked under and "clamped" down at the factory(?).

Yes, but I ordered it from headphonezone.in in India.

I was not disappointed when that happened because with hifiman build quality standards it lasted more than a year for me.

 

[yeboyi]

Right driver suddenly died out of nowhere. WOW. Never happened before any of my headphones except sub $10 iems.

 

[pataburd]

If you remove the earpads, you can actually see the connector wire for the 3.5mm plug exposed at its entry point to the driver housing.

 

[Vatnos]

Right driver suddenly died out of nowhere. WOW. Never happened before any of my headphones except sub $10 iems.

Yeah welcome to the club. How long did it last?

 

[yeboyi]

Yeah welcome to the club. How long did it last?

Little less than a 1.5 year. Just after warranty ended.