[bagwell359]

Ananda destroys LCD 2C completely. Im not even listening them anymore.

Not a huge fan of Anandas - but they are easily more truthful than LCD 2C's.

 

[Ripper2860]

Ananda is a true masterpiece, I agree. I wish it would fit my head better. I had to take a hand towel and fold it in half to give it thickness, then sit it under the headband, that was the only way I could get it to fit me, otherwise the earpads on the Ananda would slide down all the way, so my ears were touching the top of the earpad. Oddly shaped head I have, so not HifiMAN's fault lol

but if I did not have to do that towel thing I would 100% buy the Ananda for around $800

I had the same issue w/ Ananda sitting too low. Purchased some Dekoni nuggets and problem solved ...

https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-nuggets-headphone-headband-pressure-relief-pads-4-pack/

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

I had the same issue w/ Ananda sitting too low. Purchased some Dekoni nuggets and problem solved ...

https://dekoniaudio.com/product/dekoni-audio-nuggets-headphone-headband-pressure-relief-pads-4-pack/

I actually own some dekoni nuggets. would you mind taking a picture to show the positioning of them on your Ananda? so I can see where to try if I ever get them again?

 

[Ripper2860]

Nuggets come in a 4-pack, but I saw no need to use all 4. Used 2 leaving me 2 for other needs.

 

[caenlenfromOCN]

Nuggets come in a 4-pack, but I saw no need to use all 4. Used 2 leaving me 2 for other needs.

it's nice to know I am not the only one with an oddly shaped head. lol and yeah i have all 4 unused still.

 

[Ripper2860]

The Amanda is light, so you can't even tell the nuggets are there. Sits nicely in position now as opposed to falling down on my ear and my upper jaw line.

 

[blackdragon87]

I have the opportunity to acquire this headphone or the hd 800 with the sdr mod. I am deciding between then both..

Would you say this would be a better headphone for me if the majority of music I listen to is female vocals and rock and pop music thsn the hd 800?

Thanks

 

[Ripper2860]

I'm afraid I cannot help, having never heard the HD800, but it seems like having to choose between them is a nice problem to have.

 

[blackdragon87]

Ok thank I'm leaning toward the hd 800 myself atm

 

[RenEh]

I have the opportunity to acquire this headphone or the hd 800 with the sdr mod. I am deciding between then both..

Would you say this would be a better headphone for me if the majority of music I listen to is female vocals and rock and pop music thsn the hd 800?

Thanks

For acoustic music and if you’re older and less treble sensitive I’d choose the hd800. For female vocals, rock and pop I’d choose the Ananda’s.

 

[mixman]

Ok thank I'm leaning toward the hd 800 myself atm

For any music with low bass, I would choose the Ananda. Not that the sub bass on the Ananda is really prominent but it is more so than the HD800, which does not have much in the way of sub bass.

 

[blackdragon87]

Ok thanks for the help

Il go with the Ananda

 

[kid vic]

Ok thanks for the help

Il go with the Ananda

If your interested it'd be interesting to test it against my EFO1.1

 

[Fargeg]

Received my Ananda just yesterday, giving it a listen. You’d think it would be the one of the worst headphones in existence from perusing this thread, so I’m disappointed to hear otherwise, though I’m not 100% sure whether I’d recommend this to others over the Elex when disregarding price.

Lows are somewhat lacking in body, but it’s run-of-the-mill audiophile fare as opposed to outright sterile “You need 100 hours of burn-in before you’re able to convince yourself that this doesn’t suck!” garbage. The 1-2 kHz dip makes it sound slightly thin, but I consider that a necessary trade-off for soundstage depth, so whatever. And if you’ve ever listened to a V-shaped chi-fi IEM, you’ve heard harsher 7 kHz than on the Ananda.

On the other hand, it’s got the same 5-6 kHz dip that’s ruined vocal clarity on every other Hifiman headphone I’ve listened to, though it’s not nearly as bad as it is on the Sundara. It sounds more smoothed-over than possessing the crystalline timbre that I was hoping for. The increase going from 2 to 3 kHz is a bit overdone for my liking as well, making the soundstage more uneven in depth and intimate overall than I’d consider ideal. The treble extension past 11 kHz isn’t bad per se, but I’d personally prefer around 3 dB there, too.

EQ in a 5500Hz/5dB/Q5 peak, a 20Hz/3dB/Q0.5 peak, and a dip of 3 dB or so at 2.5 kHz, and the Ananda immediately improves.

I’m receiving a HEX v2 soon, so I might try listening to that later on to see if it’s really any better. I still see a 5 dB 5-6 kHz dip in measurements, the decline from 1 to 2 kHz looks even steeper, a flat and elevated FR up to 1 kHz is asking for muddiness, and I’m guessing the treble roll-off is going to make it more closed-off and less detailed-sounding, so I’m not overly optimistic. It does have the smoother transition from 2 to 3 kHz going for it.

 

[Ithilstone]

Lows are somewhat lacking in body, but it’s run-of-the-mill audiophile fare as opposed to outright sterile “You need 100 hours of burn-in before you’re able to convince yourself that this doesn’t suck!” garbage. The 1-2 kHz dip makes it sound slightly thin, but I consider that a necessary trade-off for soundstage depth, so whatever. And if you’ve ever listened to a V-shaped chi-fi IEM, you’ve heard harsher 7 kHz than on the Ananda.

On the other hand, it’s got the same 5-6 kHz dip that’s ruined vocal clarity on every other Hifiman headphone I’ve listened to, though it’s not nearly as bad as it is on the Sundara. It sounds more smoothed-over than possessing the crystalline timbre that I was hoping for. The increase going from 2 to 3 kHz is a bit overdone for my liking as well, making the soundstage more uneven in depth and intimate overall than I’d consider ideal. The treble extension past 11 kHz isn’t bad per se, but I’d personally prefer around 3 dB there, too.

EQ in a 5500Hz/5dB/Q5 peak, a 20Hz/3dB/Q0.5 peak, and a dip of 3 dB or so at 2.5 kHz, and the Ananda immediately improves.

I’m receiving a HEX v2 soon, so I might try listening to that later on to see if it’s really any better. I still see a 5 dB 5-6 kHz dip in measurements, the decline from 1 to 2 kHz looks even steeper, a flat and elevated FR up to 1 kHz is asking for muddiness, and I’m guessing the treble roll-off is going to make it more closed-off and less detailed-sounding, so I’m not overly optimistic. It does have the smoother transition from 2 to 3 kHz going for it.

What are you paring them with (amp wise)?
"same 5-6 kHz dip that’s ruined vocal clarity on every other Hifiman headphone I’ve listened to" not sure what models are you referring to but from my experience non of them had "ruined vocal clarity" and I listened to almost all models from He6 up ( with exception of he400s and he6se) whats more most of them have very good clean vocals. Some a bit recessed but never lacing in clarity.


"EQ in a 5500Hz/5dB/Q5 peak, a 20Hz/3dB/Q0.5 peak, and a dip of 3 dB or so at 2.5 kHz, and the Ananda immediately improves." - will have to try this to see whats your cup of tea ;]