Over the last few weeks I’ve spent a lot of time with the Hifiman Ananda’s, and below is my non-standard review. I say non-standard as I’d like to condense what would be a typical long form review into just the quick details. This is done in the hopes that the necessary info can be conveyed quickly without any muddying of what I’m trying to say. So with that said, here are some questions and answers that may be helpful at a glance:
In sound quality alone, are the Ananda’s worth their full retail asking price? Yes
Are these headphones comfortable? Yes. No squishing of the ears, no tight clamp, no pressure spots, not overly hot. They don’t disappear entirely on your head, but they aren’t uncomfortable in any way.
What is the general tuning? Neutral. To my ears there is a shift towards a U shaped sound with slightly elevated bass & treble. However, the shift is so small that the headphones are closer to neutral than anything else.
What is the overall sound like? Fast paced, airy, slightly thin, natural tones, and well-defined bass.
What do these headphones excel at? Incredible micro detail, speed, and accurate full tones. The combination lends itself to critical listening without the music ever becoming too cold or sterile.
What do these headphones lack? Thickness in the overall sound, a minor effect that isn’t enough to ruin the experience.
What music genres are these headphones best suited for? All genres sound great to me, but I’ve especially enjoyed classical and electronic. Electronic music was a surprise since that genre usually benefits more from heavy emphasized bass, but the speed and micro detail in the Ananda’s allows for a precision in the music that elevates electronic music to the next level.
What formats are these headphones best suited for? Everything, but I have enjoyed them most in critical listening and gaming.
How is the stock cable? Surprisingly good. The cable isn’t microphonic in any way, and is thick enough to avoid tangling. I compared the sound quality to the Meze 99 Classics stock cable, the 99 Classics silver plated balanced cable, and 4 other random cables that were under $40. The Ananda stock cable sounded better than all of them, being free from any distortion. All other cables had some form of distortion, usually in thinning out the sound in one or all areas
Are these headphones perfect? No, see the negatives section below.
Negatives:
Once you get to this tier of headphone there must be extra scrutiny on anything that holds the headphone back from being perfect. This isn’t because perfection is expected (or perhaps even possible), but just that headphones in this tier are so good that any negatives tend to stick out more against the rest of the near perfect sound. That said, the negatives below are minor in that they do NOT define the sound of the Ananda’s. The negatives are minor enough that they could be described as nitpicking. Nonetheless, these negatives need to be called out as they can detract from the sound depending on your tastes.
The tuning on the Ananda is aimed entirely at detail without taking too much away from any other area, and in this they greatly succeed. Any negatives in the sound design are likely intentional in order to extract every little detail possible. Somehow Hifiman was able to succeed in detail retrieval while limiting the negatives to such an extent that the end result is a very high quality headphone that is a treat to hear. The simple strum of a guitar, or tone of an electronic note can be heard with such clarity and fullness that every second of a song becomes more enjoyable.
In sound quality alone, are the Ananda’s worth their full retail asking price? Yes
Are these headphones comfortable? Yes. No squishing of the ears, no tight clamp, no pressure spots, not overly hot. They don’t disappear entirely on your head, but they aren’t uncomfortable in any way.
What is the general tuning? Neutral. To my ears there is a shift towards a U shaped sound with slightly elevated bass & treble. However, the shift is so small that the headphones are closer to neutral than anything else.
What is the overall sound like? Fast paced, airy, slightly thin, natural tones, and well-defined bass.
- The slight thinness of the overall sound allows for the micro details to come out cleanly, then that thinness is countered by the natural timbre and well-defined bass.
- Additional perceived clarity is brought out by the non-smooth treble, which has a slight sparkle at the top to make notes stand out more.
- Bass is well textured and ample in quantity for all genres, but it does lack some desired slam compared to bass emphasized headphones. The bass extends well and hits with such speed that it is very satisfying against the rest of the sound.
- The sound stage is both wide & tall enough to allow clear separation and placement of every instrument. The sound stage can be described as enveloping.
What do these headphones excel at? Incredible micro detail, speed, and accurate full tones. The combination lends itself to critical listening without the music ever becoming too cold or sterile.
What do these headphones lack? Thickness in the overall sound, a minor effect that isn’t enough to ruin the experience.
What music genres are these headphones best suited for? All genres sound great to me, but I’ve especially enjoyed classical and electronic. Electronic music was a surprise since that genre usually benefits more from heavy emphasized bass, but the speed and micro detail in the Ananda’s allows for a precision in the music that elevates electronic music to the next level.
What formats are these headphones best suited for? Everything, but I have enjoyed them most in critical listening and gaming.
How is the stock cable? Surprisingly good. The cable isn’t microphonic in any way, and is thick enough to avoid tangling. I compared the sound quality to the Meze 99 Classics stock cable, the 99 Classics silver plated balanced cable, and 4 other random cables that were under $40. The Ananda stock cable sounded better than all of them, being free from any distortion. All other cables had some form of distortion, usually in thinning out the sound in one or all areas
Are these headphones perfect? No, see the negatives section below.
Negatives:
Once you get to this tier of headphone there must be extra scrutiny on anything that holds the headphone back from being perfect. This isn’t because perfection is expected (or perhaps even possible), but just that headphones in this tier are so good that any negatives tend to stick out more against the rest of the near perfect sound. That said, the negatives below are minor in that they do NOT define the sound of the Ananda’s. The negatives are minor enough that they could be described as nitpicking. Nonetheless, these negatives need to be called out as they can detract from the sound depending on your tastes.
- Slight thinness of the overall sound, even if every note sounds correct. I do actually think this is required in order for the micro details to come forward with the precision that they do, but the thinness can take away some enjoyment of music depending on what type of sound you prefer. Jazz was one area that stuck out to me where some of the spirit may have been taken out of the songs. If you value details over a more warm and melded soundscape, then this probably won’t be a negative for you. If you value warm tones and a higher level of musicality over detail, then I don’t think this is necessarily a deal breaker (again, it’s minor), but these may be more useful to you as critical listening as opposed to casual everyday listening. For me, I’m a mix of the two. After getting used to other headphones I find that the Ananda’s sound too thin for the first minute or two, then once I adjust to the sound it becomes near perfect. After that adjustment period the headphones offer a killer combination, as the sound then seems full with detail that probably wouldn’t be possible in other tunings.
- Occasionally the treble can become a bit sharp on some notes, but never sibilant. Saxophone and trumpets come to mind when they are played at a high pitch. Once again I actually think this is intended in order to give additional perceived clarity in the overall sound (making notes pop more vividly). However, this is something to consider if you are especially sensitive to treble spikes.
- Sound leakage. To those in the same room, it will sound like you have two portable speakers attached to your head. These do leak a lot of sound, so there’s no chance of wearing these in an open office. On a positive note, the sound leaking out is of decent quality, so it’s only the amount of sound leaking out that you need to worry about. Likewise with so much sound leaking out, there’s really no isolation of external noise for the listener. So, these headphones are really best for you and others when you are in a mostly quiet environment where others won’t be disturbed.
The tuning on the Ananda is aimed entirely at detail without taking too much away from any other area, and in this they greatly succeed. Any negatives in the sound design are likely intentional in order to extract every little detail possible. Somehow Hifiman was able to succeed in detail retrieval while limiting the negatives to such an extent that the end result is a very high quality headphone that is a treat to hear. The simple strum of a guitar, or tone of an electronic note can be heard with such clarity and fullness that every second of a song becomes more enjoyable.
