[omniweltall]

Subjective is the word, and I'd take the HD600 over the 650 every time.

Same here.

 

[funkforfood]

For those who know both, the Ananda can be considered a real upgrade of the HE560? Is there any parameter in which the Ananda is inferior ?, if yes, which? Thank you!

 

[nishan99]

For those who know both, the Ananda can be considered a real upgrade of the HE560? Is there any parameter in which the Ananda is inferior ?, if yes, which? Thank you!

I asked this question to Currawong on youtube a months ago, but about the edition xv2, and he said it is not a significant upgrade.

 

[nishan99]

Have you tried swapping left/right cable ends at the ear cups to see if the problem moves left/right with the cable or stays on the left?

It does not move when i swapped, so it's from the female connector indeed

 

[nishan99]

For those who know both, the Ananda can be considered a real upgrade of the HE560? Is there any parameter in which the Ananda is inferior ?, if yes, which? Thank you!

I think I saw you on the L300 thread if I am not mistaken, if you have the he560, how is the planar sound compared to the L300 electrostatic sound ? I heard a good planar can sound like an electrostate, is it true ?
I want to get a 3100 stax system if it gonna sound very different like how my Elex and Ananda sound very different even thou they have the same sound signature, the presentation is what I meant.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I recently got a chance to hear the Arya. As a former owner of the HEX V2 and Ananda, the Arya is superior to both. I would take the HEX V2 over the Ananda all day every day. I consider it different but not better. But the Arya is very good and better than both of those. It has a larger soundstage, higher resolution, and better separation. It is very neutrally tuned and I would say it leans slightly bright. It’s mids are less forward than the Ananda but more forward than the HEX, which puts them right in the sweet spot, in my opinion. They’re all equally light and comfortable to wear and share the same earpads, which are huge.

The only negative I can come up with other than the usual Hifiman build quality, is that it’s definitely harder to drive. Other than that, I like it even more than the HE1000 V2. I’d say they sound very similar but the Arya fixes the somewhat loose bass of the HE1000. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I am very sensitive to treble, so the treble on the HEX is perfect for my ears. The Arya has a little more energy than the HEX. But if it’s treble was the same as the HEX, I’d call them absolutely perfect.

In conclusion, I’d say they do so much right and very little wrong.

 

[funkforfood]

I think I saw you on the L300 thread if I am not mistaken, if you have the he560, how is the planar sound compared to the L300 electrostatic sound ? I heard a good planar can sound like an electrostate, is it true ?

I have HE400i, HE560, Stax L300, Lambda NB, Lambda Pro, Lambda Signature, Gamma, SR-X MK3 and SR-X MK3 Professional.
My experience is that stats still in a different league, much more finesse, detail, delicacy, air.
I would like a magnetoplanar that sounds like my Stax, but IMHO, they are parallel universes.
My hope was that the Ananda could be a step forward towards the Stax sound, but I'm not very confident.

 

[nishan99]

I recently got a chance to hear the Arya. As a former owner of the HEX V2 and Ananda, the Arya is superior to both. I would take the HEX V2 over the Ananda all day every day. I consider it different but not better. But the Arya is very good and better than both of those. It has a larger soundstage, higher resolution, and better separation. It is very neutrally tuned and I would say it leans slightly bright. It’s mids are less forward than the Ananda but more forward than the HEX, which puts them right in the sweet spot, in my opinion. They’re all equally light and comfortable to wear and share the same earpads, which are huge.

The only negative I can come up with other than the usual Hifiman build quality, is that it’s definitely harder to drive. Other than that, I like it even more than the HE1000 V2. I’d say they sound very similar but the Arya fixes the somewhat loose bass of the HE1000. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I am very sensitive to treble, so the treble on the HEX is perfect for my ears. The Arya has a little more energy than the HEX. But if it’s treble was the same as the HEX, I’d call them absolutely perfect.

In conclusion, I’d say they do so much right and very little wrong.

are they at least %20 better ? if they do, then i may have to upgrade in the future

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

are they at least %20 better ? if they do, then i may have to upgrade in the future

I don’t know about 20% but they’re very damn good. They surprised me. I wasn’t really expecting much as I’ve already owned the 560, Ananda, HEX, and HEK.

But these are the sweet spot for Hifiman. They’re the best I’ve heard from the lineup. I like them more than the HEK V2. They’re worth every penny in my opinion. I find them to be a worthwhile upgrade from the HEX and Ananda. And after hearing them, I’d say the HEK is an absolute waste of money.

 

[funkforfood]

I’ve already owned the 560, Ananda

Would you make a comparison between HE560 and Ananda? As I wrote a while ago, I own the 560 and I'm interested in Ananda. Thank you.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Would you make a comparison between HE560 and Ananda? As I wrote a while ago, I own the 560 and I'm interested in Ananda. Thank you.

Sure. I hated the 560. I found the fit to be uncomfortable because the earpads are too small and round (ears are not round). They have way too much treble for my preferences and they sound a little thin and tinny. Everything just sounded too metallic and grainy. I thought they had very high quality bass that was also very tight. But they could have used more quantity. Their sub bass performance was very lacking. They have a decent soundstage but nothing to write home about. They’re pretty hard to drive as well.

The Ananda also has a treble peak/resonance somewhere that bothers me but to a far less extent than the 560. The Ananda are much more comfortable with large, ear-shaped earpads. The Ananda has a lot more sub bass quantity, and a punchier mid bass while still being tight. The Ananda is much easier to drive. To my ears, the Ananda is just much better everywhere. It also has a noticeably larger soundstage.

 

[funkforfood]

Sure.

Thanks again!

 

[nishan99]

I don’t know about 20% but they’re very damn good. They surprised me. I wasn’t really expecting much as I’ve already owned the 560, Ananda, HEX, and HEK.

But these are the sweet spot for Hifiman. They’re the best I’ve heard from the lineup. I like them more than the HEK V2. They’re worth every penny in my opinion. I find them to be a worthwhile upgrade from the HEX and Ananda. And after hearing them, I’d say the HEK is an absolute waste of money.

Weird, aren't they just a less fancy HEK ? would I notice the quality difference without the need to a/b them, is it that noticeable ?

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Weird, aren't they just a less fancy HEK ? would I notice the quality difference without the need to a/b them, is it that noticeable ?

They’re not exactly the same but they’re close. Their tuning is a little different. These have tighter bass and more present upper mids, and slightly less treble than the HEK V2. Allegedly, they have a different magnet structure as well. Their finish and build quality is definitely not as high quality as the HEK V2, but let’s be honest here, we’re talking about Hifiman...

I honesty don’t know why Fang even made these. Because audio-wise, they make the HEK V2 and Ananda irrelevant. These sound so good. After hearing these, you’d have to be out of your flipping mind to pay an extra $1400 for the HEK V2. And honestly, I doubt the HEKse is much better than the V2.

You want the Hifiman sweet spot? Buy these and ignore the rest. Unless you prefer a more fun tuning with extra bass and the least amount of treble of all the Hifiman offerings, then stick with the HEX V2, because those are awesome too.

 

[bagwell359]

For those who know both, the Ananda can be considered a real upgrade of the HE560? Is there any parameter in which the Ananda is inferior ?, if yes, which? Thank you!

Haven't heard them at the same time. I think the Ananda has more detail on subtle details, but I think the Ananda is 'thin'. The 560 with the correct EQ on it could be nearly as good for a lot less money. Outside of the 400/Sundara
which are lower end - I like the 500 and HE6 a lot more than the 560 or Ananda. I like the HEX v2 - it's closer to the Ananda than the others but the voicing seems more real.