[Bansaku]

Last night I sat down and was intent on an evening of getting to know the Ananda on a more intimate level (coffee, spliff, and after the animals go to bed). The problem was after 15 minutes I had to take them off. The clamping force and pad stiffness was simply too much. My solution was to take one of my dummy heads and stretch the headband out by putting a pair of plush Brainwavz AKG pads in between the Ananda's overnight. The result was a significant decrease in clamping force and the pads do seem a touch softer as they no longer irritate the back of my ears where the ends of my glassed poke out. I am going to keep stretching the band out when not in use until I achieve optimum clamping force.

 

[jjazzy]

Last night I sat down and was intent on an evening of getting to know the Ananda on a more intimate level (coffee, spliff, and after the animals go to bed). The problem was after 15 minutes I had to take them off. The clamping force and pad stiffness was simply too much. My solution was to take one of my dummy heads and stretch the headband out by putting a pair of plush Brainwavz AKG pads in between the Ananda's overnight. The result was a significant decrease in clamping force and the pads do seem a touch softer as they no longer irritate the back of my ears where the ends of my glassed poke out. I am going to keep stretching the band out when not in use until I achieve optimum clamping force.

That was the reason (besides the audio upgrade) to go for the arya. For some the clamping wasn’t a issue, for me sure was. The Arya I listen to music and forger I am wearing those, the ananda never did. So I understand your struggle

 

[Alex May]

Hey guys, I know it is not about Ananda, but I need some help over here..
I have bought Edition XS's around 3 months ago, but had to send them back because one of the earcups randomly stopped working properly and became insanely quiet (couldn't hear anything basically), so I sent them back.
The problem is now.. I legitimately don't know what to get rn, I loved them so much. They were perfect in every matter (what mattered to me). I am kind of afraid to go with HiFiman as of now, as good amount of reviews on amazon where I bought them mentioned the faulty pairs which were sent back.
So my question would be: what are the most similar headphones in terms of soundstage, imaging and tonality at similar price point? Has to be similarly comfy (or better ). I know that the detail retrieval and overall clarity is somewhat around the best in sub 500€, so I don't expect the alternatives to be same/better. Slightly worse is fine with me, as it is not my main aspect for purchase. I'm not a professional. I just enjoy the music and spend a lot of time with the headphone on.
And yes I know.. Ananda is like the closest compromise, but its +200€ and unfortunately I can't afford that as of now. I didn't like Sundara that much and the HD650's/HD660s's.
Would BD DT 1990 pro suffice? AT R70X?
Thank you.

The best answer is: just keep going with the Edition XS. Unless you'd like to murder yourself with harshness and treble in DT1990. There is no similar soundstage in DT1990. And also there is no such richness of bass in Ananda. In regards to failures, every manufacturer has them. Some Focal users still have to replace their faulty units three or four times until they end up with a decently working headphone. I have several Hifimans and I had to replace my new Arya once. There is no big deal. As soon as you receive a decently working unit, you're golden.

 

[texx2818]

Hifiman has horrible build quality. I don't really understand the whole "just deal with it, keep sending it back" nonsense

 

[Bansaku]

The best answer is: just keep going with the Edition XS. Unless you'd like to murder yourself with harshness and treble in DT1990. There is no similar soundstage in DT1990. And also there is no such richness of bass in Ananda. In regards to failures, every manufacturer has them. Some Focal users still have to replace their faulty units three or four times until they end up with a decently working headphone. I have several Hifimans and I had to replace my new Arya once. There is no big deal. As soon as you receive a decently working unit, you're golden.

Yeah, my ears and beyerdanamic headphones do not get along well at all, too bright. Personally I have had 4 HiFiMan headphones, HE4XX, HE 560 (2.5mm), Sundara and now Ananda and with the previous 3 I have had no issues with build failure nor any issues with the drivers (outside of pulling off a hair from the HE 560s diaphragm once). Schiit happens with the best of them, and generally speaking people will rant about the bad more than good and not by a small margin as it's human nature.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Hey guys, I know it is not about Ananda, but I need some help over here..
I have bought Edition XS's around 3 months ago, but had to send them back because one of the earcups randomly stopped working properly and became insanely quiet (couldn't hear anything basically), so I sent them back.
The problem is now.. I legitimately don't know what to get rn, I loved them so much. They were perfect in every matter (what mattered to me). I am kind of afraid to go with HiFiman as of now, as good amount of reviews on amazon where I bought them mentioned the faulty pairs which were sent back.
So my question would be: what are the most similar headphones in terms of soundstage, imaging and tonality at similar price point? Has to be similarly comfy (or better ). I know that the detail retrieval and overall clarity is somewhat around the best in sub 500€, so I don't expect the alternatives to be same/better. Slightly worse is fine with me, as it is not my main aspect for purchase. I'm not a professional. I just enjoy the music and spend a lot of time with the headphone on.
And yes I know.. Ananda is like the closest compromise, but its +200€ and unfortunately I can't afford that as of now. I didn't like Sundara that much and the HD650's/HD660s's.
Would BD DT 1990 pro suffice? AT R70X?
Thank you.

Keep in mind: You'll hear much more from dissatisfied customers than you'll hear from satisfied customers, LOL, it's the nature of customer reviews. For every dissatisfied customer you hear about there's literally either hundreds or even thousands of completely satisfied customers. It's the "squeaky wheel gets the oil" syndrome, as they say. I've never owned the XS, but I do own the HE-400i, the Ananda, and the Arya Stealth (that I traded in my v2's for, I used to own the Sundaras too) - and if I've ever had a problem with any of them, HFM customer support has squared me away very quickly and without any problems (whether new, used, or even out of warranty stuff). I'm happy to take the risk with HFM because of the SQ of their class-leading HPs in nearly every price category - from entry level to summit-fi......

 

[ezduzit2500]

Hifiman has horrible build quality. I don't really understand the whole "just deal with it, keep sending it back" nonsense

Not in the higher brackets.....above Ananda.....

 

[Alex May]

Hifiman has horrible build quality. I don't really understand the whole "just deal with it, keep sending it back" nonsense

As I said, I only had to replace my Arya once due to a channel imbalance, among four other Hifimans that did not have any issues. The one I received as a replacement was perfect. @Bansaku has just reported a similar experience. Hifiman does not deserve that bad reputation, especially being very helpful. They always replace faulty headphones very quickly with complements and sincere apologies. Unlike Audeze who would first accuse you of hearing damage, then ask you to perform tedious testing procedures in order to prove you're not dumb, and then maybe offer you a warranty repair (not replacement!) while shipping your headphone back and forth at your own expense.

I personally did not have any other issues with Hifimans. Again, half of the Focal Elex users usually replace their units three-four times. Sometimes you have to set your priorities in search for a good sound signature, which means being ready to deal with occasional DoA replacements, if you've found your end game headphone.

 

[Bansaku]

As I said, I only had to replace my Arya once due to a channel imbalance, among four other Hifimans that did not have any issues. The one I received as a replacement was perfect. @Bansaku has just reported a similar experience. Hifiman does not deserve that bad reputation, especially being very helpful. They always replace faulty headphones very quickly with complements and sincere apologies. Unlike Audeze who would first accuse you of hearing damage, then ask you to perform tedious testing procedures in order to prove you're not dumb, and then maybe offer you a warranty repair (not replacement!) while shipping your headphone back and forth at your own expense.

I personally did not have any other issues with Hifimans. Again, half of the Focal Elex users usually replace their units three-four times. Sometimes you have to set your priorities in search for a good sound signature, which means being ready to deal with occasional DoA replacements, if you've found your end game headphone.

Exactly! It's all about customer service and support, and is the measure of any company. Does one actually thing Dr. Fang wants his customers to receive a substandard product considering his passion for sound? Like any company trying to make their mark, HiFiMan has had its growing pains, but look at them now; Among the best. A company does get to top tiered in every price point if they made bad products that consistently have had quality issues.

As for an update on my listening experience with the Ananda SE, let's just say I went down to 7-11 and grabbed some candy and a Baja Blast Mt. Dew. It's gonna be a long night... Hot dickety dog it's gonna be a long night!

 

[jjazzy]

As I said, I only had to replace my Arya once due to a channel imbalance, among four other Hifimans that did not have any issues. The one I received as a replacement was perfect. @Bansaku has just reported a similar experience. Hifiman does not deserve that bad reputation, especially being very helpful. They always replace faulty headphones very quickly with complements and sincere apologies. Unlike Audeze who would first accuse you of hearing damage, then ask you to perform tedious testing procedures in order to prove you're not dumb, and then maybe offer you a warranty repair (not replacement!) while shipping your headphone back and forth at your own expense.

I personally did not have any other issues with Hifimans. Again, half of the Focal Elex users usually replace their units three-four times. Sometimes you have to set your priorities in search for a good sound signature, which means being ready to deal with occasional DoA replacements, if you've found your end game headphone.

What kind of imbalance did you had? Just out if curiousity

 

[Alex May]

What kind of imbalance did you had? Just out if curiousity

There was a different frequency response, one channel was slightly brighter than the other. It's usually caused by certain dips in one driver's FR. I didn't even have to figure out those unmatched frequencies and measure the headphone 'cause Hifiman replaced it immediately without asking. When I had a similar issue with Audeze, I went down the hell testing and reporting heaps of technical details to Audeze proving that there was a real fault with their headphone and not with my ears.

 

[Schuie Driver]

I'll admit that initially I was quite concerned with the potential reliability issues of the HFM products. However, after watching and reading many reviews of many different models, it seemed that the reviewers all were making points that they felt the HFM reliability and product QC were improved from the days of old. With that in mind, I felt like a purchase of a B-stock unit was the best way to go for me considering the cheaper price and the fact that they came with both a 30 day return policy and a warranty unlike buying a used pair from the classifieds here. As others have stated, every mass market manufacturer is going to have potential issues with products from time to time, but in my mind it's how the company treats the customer when that happens that's important and while I have not dealt with HFM customer service regarding a warranty claim, I've been quite impressed with their responsiveness to my product registration and product return questions. My hope is that same responsiveness and helpfulness shows itself should I ever have a mechanical or electrical problem with their product.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I'll admit that initially I was quite concerned with the potential reliability issues of the HFM products. However, after watching and reading many reviews of many different models, it seemed that the reviewers all were making points that they felt the HFM reliability and product QC were improved from the days of old. With that in mind, I felt like a purchase of a B-stock unit was the best way to go for me considering the cheaper price and the fact that they came with both a 30 day return policy and a warranty unlike buying a used pair from the classifieds here. As others have stated, every mass market manufacturer is going to have potential issues with products from time to time, but in my mind it's how the company treats the customer when that happens that's important and while I have not dealt with HFM customer service regarding a warranty claim, I've been quite impressed with their responsiveness to my product registration and product return questions. My hope is that same responsiveness and helpfulness shows itself should I ever have a mechanical or electrical problem with their product.

HFM's customer support is generally excellent. They will even deal with slightly out of warranty and used products in good condition - by either repairing them for a nominal fee or by outright replacing them with new or like-new sets. They actually like their customers and want to keep them, LOL......

 

[PROblemdetected]

Thinking about getting the new silver ananda stealth version.

Any comparison between og and the stealth version?

 

[Ichos]

Thinking about getting the new silver ananda stealth version.

Any comparison between og and the stealth version?

I am preparing one but I don't know when I will be ready.
TLD;R - The stealth is much better in everything, from tonality to technicalities.