[Atgm1]

Josh Valour and Resolve Reviews, especially the latter, compared the two in depth.

Thanks for the info, but I am not good at English. I understand him through the word on the third.

 

[sennfan83261]

Thanks for the info, but I am not good at English. I understand him through the word on the third.

Here is a written review comparing the two headphones (Resolve Reviews):
https://www.headphones.com/blogs/news/hifiman-ananda-vs-arya-planar-headphone-review-comparison

 

[Melody Geek]

Josh Valour and Resolve Reviews, especially the latter, compared the two in depth.

Resolve reviews is usually accurate with his opinions. I totally agree with resolve about the anandas been better in tonality than the Arya. What I found very funny is some people behaviour.
Most people likes audeze’s bass so Joshua said Aryas bass is amazing even better than the audezes then everyone loves the aryas, Joshua said anandas are not having Aryas amazing bass, even weak in bass, people think anandas are bright and lacking bass.
In Reality to me is super obvious that anandas are having a way stronger bass than the aryas, is so obvious. Aryas are slightly wider, but never close to be as wide to the HD800S.
MK silent probably have better ears than Joshua because he is one of the very very few here that can feel anandas amazing bass and 3D capabilities.
And please people stop saying that anandas are faking detail, you probably are to sensible to high frequencies so is not the headphone problem.

 

[Ripper2860]

I will be making my own assessment soon. Hopefully i will be happy with Arya, but if I miss Ananda, I'm sure I can trade down.

 

[Ithilstone]

Resolve reviews is usually accurate with his opinions. I totally agree with resolve about the anandas been better in tonality than the Arya. What I found very funny is some people behaviour.
Most people likes audeze’s bass so Joshua said Aryas bass is amazing even better than the audezes then everyone loves the aryas, Joshua said anandas are not having Aryas amazing bass, even weak in bass, people think anandas are bright and lacking bass.
In Reality to me is super obvious that anandas are having a way stronger bass than the aryas, is so obvious. Aryas are slightly wider, but never close to be as wide to the HD800S.
.

Aryas need way stronger amp to sound its best - so from weak amp easier to drive Anandas may have "stronger" bass ( just what exactly stronger bass is? punchier? more rumble? more emphasis?)
but connect both to a something that can deliver enough juice ( planars are driven by current rather than voltage) and you will soon find out that Aryas can deliver bass similar to Anandas - with different presentation
Aryas being more airy headphone tricks listener a bit - Listen to something like Dark Knight OST - "Why so serious" on both from good amp - non of them lack in bass ;]

 

[Bob Ley]

I will be making my own assessment soon. Hopefully i will be happy with Arya, but if I miss Ananda, I'm sure I can trade down.

How dumb I am. I thought you were saying you could get the Araya for $750. I didn't realize you meant you have to return your Ananda's then pay $750.

 

[Ripper2860]

Yup. It's an UPGRADE program, so I have to send in Ananda.

 

[mksilent]

Hello there,
thanks for your nice feedback on my post #1572. I'm glad that you liked the presentation so far.

I sold my LCD-2 Classic and also my HEX V2 again this week. The Ananda is simply the better headphone for me in terms of the overall package.

Which I now have on the todo list:
I would like to buy a higher quality cable. I'm not interested in sound enhancement, but rather in haptics and optics.
What do you think of Forza Audioworks? E.g. the following cable:
Claire HPC Mk2 https://forzaaudioworks.com/en/product.php?id_product=80
- Semi transparent black
- Viablue 6,35mm Jack
I like optically quite well - the price would be up to approx. 150 € (gladly also less) in order. Do you have any other good suggestions? 2x 3,5mm connection for the Ananda and 1x 6,35mm connection for the amplifier.
At aliexpress there are also many cheap offers. Possibly there is also something there? Have you ever had a look?

Really nice review and it seems like you’re having a blast with your new headphone collection, good for you. : )

That’s a really fun music collection you posted and I started checking it out. Have you tried the EA Games Collection? It’s really fun. Are you into the Narada stuff? I love this stuff. David Lanz on the paino, Enya, Enigma, etc, are all a really good time in my book. I’m digging the newer stuff too like Billie Eilish Ocean Eyes, Copycat, etc. Classical like Bach and Pachelbel are really enjoyable on these headphones too and I like doing A / B comparisons.

Thank you - yes, this is really an atypical collection I showed in the post. That was my intention to show off the mainstream music which also suits Ananda very well.

Yes, I know EA Games Collection and I've heard a lot about it. But with Enya and Enigma I'm out, that's a bit too much "old school" for me.

Which I can still recommend very much:
Soundtrack
Hans Zimmer: Interstellar (No Time for Caution), Inception (Time), The Dark Knight (Like a Dog Chasing Cars), Mission Impossible 2 (Orchestra Suite: Part 2 Live)
Zack Hamsey - The Runner (Bass!)
Trevor Morris - Floki Appears to Kill Athelstan (Bass!)

Classic:
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five

General:
Florence + The Machine - You've Got The Love (Jamie xx Rework) ... (nice Sub Bass!)
Macy Gray - She Ain't Right for You

Can gladly name more songs, always find such things exciting to exchange about high quality recorded and inspiring music.

To mksilent: The advantage the Ananda has over the HEX v2 from 25 Hz down is negligible IMO - there is very little music down there. About the cuts you mention. Are they meant to show what you listen to, or well recorded music showing different facets off?

Which cuts do you mean? I'm not sure what you mean right now?
Regarding the subbass: Of course it depends very much on which music you listen to. As you can see from the song selection I hear a lot of soundtracks, classic and electronic music. In these genres there are enough songs with such sub bass frequencies. Here the Ananda offers me an added value in any case, because it just manages to reproduce exactly these deep tones cleanly.

I agree almost 100% with your opinions on these 3 headphones. I own all of them too and in my opinion the ananda is the better headphone hands down. I have to confess that the one that is on my head the majority of the time are the Edtion Xv2 but that is only because those are more slightly more comfortable than the Ananda’s and that’s is very important for my long work hours as a music producer. At later stages of work I usually swap to the hd800S because the edition X v2 are very incompetent for mixing and mastering, way too soft, recessed heights and minimal textural capabilities and not even close to the separation of the HD800S. To me the anandas are the best value hifiman headphone a bit closer to those more resolving headphones like the HD800S.
Awesome review MKSilent, better than most anandas reviews made by “ successful headphone reviewers”

Thank you very much for your praise.
I must also say that I miss the comfort of the HEX V2 something. The Ananda is not uncomfortable, but when I sat on the HEX V2 you did not notice it after a few seconds. An Ananda with the HEX V2 headband would be perfect for me. I have already inquired at my local dealer - only the headband incl. bracket can not be bought separately. Too bad.

Well, as much as I love Ananda I will no longer be among the growing list of Ananda owners and lovers. Despite my love for them, the pull of the Arya and Hifiman's upgrade offer was just too great. So I bid my wonderful Ananda HPs a sad goodbye and I'll be listening to MrSpeakers AFC until Arya arrives in about 2 weeks. It's been a pleasure reading opinions and hanging with the lovely Ananda owners here. It is with great sadness that I bid you all farewell.

Note 1: I don't blame Bagwell's 'bagging' on Ananda as the reason for my decision. Just a total lack of common sense and impulse control on my end.
Note 2: If you are considering stepping up to Arya from Ananda, you may seriously want to e-mail Hifiman customer service and ask about upgrading to Arya. You may be surprised.

Too bad - but common sense is out of place with our hobby anyway, isn't it?

But I am honestly of the opinion that expensive headphones must NOT necessarily be better for everyone. From a certain level (I think, from the 1.000 EUR/$ league this is reached) there is a lot about individual taste.

I don't mean to say that more expensive headphones don't deliver better quality - for sure! Both in terms of workmanship and sound. "Nevertheless, the taste factor still remains open. Take, for example, the highly acclaimed Sennheiser HD800 ... for me this is unfortunately "too boring". Unfortunately, I haven't heard the Arya yet, but I watched the video of "Resolve Reviews" with great interest where the Ananda is compared to the Arya. Therefore I believe that I made the right decision (in comparison to the Arya) with the Ananda on the basis of the information from the video.
For example I listened to the HiFiMAN Jade II (incl. my own Jade amplifier) next to the Ananda at the dealer and I simply liked the Ananda better. Too bad that I couldn't hear the Arya, the dealer didn't have it in stock at the time.
I am curious what you say to the Arya, perhaps he fits better to you.

Requirements and tastes differ. The people who record, mix, and produce that I've known have always liked overly bright near field monitors or cans - its because after hours of work they sometimes needed a hammer to get their attention.

Others listen for enjoyment only. The 800 S is a landmark, but I can't listen more than :45 minutes before they go off my head. The Ananda is a bright sprightly puppy of a can - that I search to this day to find hints of nuance or subtlety within.

HEX v2 is very controversial. Short of dynamics, short of treble detail (helps if its mounted over ones ears properly and has a decent aftermarket cable). It's also very cohesive outside of a bit of warm upper bass. It's the closest thing I've ever heard to the Magnepan MG-1 (thru 1.6) and MG-II - except it has bass down to sub bass and they don't. It's a great late night and early morning can. AFAIK the HEX v2 was never marketed as a mix down/mastering can.

BTW I'm pretty sure you can reverse the headgear between the HEX and the Ananda, and rid yourself of the HEX v2.

Unfortunately not, see above. The headband + the bracket is not available separately.

Resolve reviews is usually accurate with his opinions. I totally agree with resolve about the anandas been better in tonality than the Arya. What I found very funny is some people behaviour.
Most people likes audeze’s bass so Joshua said Aryas bass is amazing even better than the audezes then everyone loves the aryas, Joshua said anandas are not having Aryas amazing bass, even weak in bass, people think anandas are bright and lacking bass.
In Reality to me is super obvious that anandas are having a way stronger bass than the aryas, is so obvious. Aryas are slightly wider, but never close to be as wide to the HD800S.
MK silent probably have better ears than Joshua because he is one of the very very few here that can feel anandas amazing bass and 3D capabilities.
And please people stop saying that anandas are faking detail, you probably are to sensible to high frequencies so is not the headphone problem.

I would definitely not claim to have better ears than Joshua. But maybe the overall signature of Ananda doesn't fit him so well. Maybe he can't free himself from his own preferences. And if he does not like the Ananda from the vote so well it is just like that. I found his Ananda Review to be too negative overall. Even if I classify his reviews/videos very high quality I'm not quite with him - but that's okay.
Personally, I can better understand the feedback on Ananda from Resolve reviews.

Many greetings

 

[bagwell359]

Unfortunately not, see above. The headband + the bracket is not available separately.

I thought you have both the Ananda AND the HEX v2, if so, switch the headband, and sell the HEX v2 with the "wrong" headband, should have no trouble getting $625 or more.

I continue to find the Ananda to be bereft of subtlety and overtones. It sounds like a stripped down very clean Solid State amp (Crown IC-150 and similar) from the early 70's that drove a huge segment of audio fans backwards to tubes, and others to hybrid tubes and Pass designs. The problem with tubes can often be excess THD. Equipment lacking in natural harmonics/THD sound excessively artificial. THD eventually gets fatiguing, but real harmonics never do. I wanted Ananda to be the answer, because after I heard it, I would have bought it then, rather than buy the HEX v2 and HE6SE to roughly fill the space.

I find the Arya to be distinctly better than the Ananda (or the HEX v2). Anyone on a good stack that can't hear that in :20 seconds ought to get the Ananda, and call it quits on getting a TOTL headphone. Arya isn't TOTL, it has too much energy in 4-5.5 kHz and around 9 kHz, it still doesn't push air in the bass like a HE-6 or some LCD's. However it sounds like music, its very transparent, its got a very nice soundstage. It is capable of lots of subtlety. The instrumental focus is very good.

 

[cactus_farmer]

Just ordered the Ananda off US Amazon (I live in the UK) - with the black Friday sale even after shipping and the import fees estimation deposit it's £280 cheaper than it's sold for over here.

However I selected the option "ship in Amazon packaging" which means they put the Hifiman box into a big Amazon box. I thought this would give it more protection during the flight. However since the Amazon box doesn't show any product details on the outside, does that now pretty much guarantee that they'll be fully opened up and manhandled by the customs officials?

 

[Luke Thomas]

Had the ed x v2 and enjoyed them. Gave them to my son and now I need a headphone. What hifiman model is a good value? Giving me great sound like the ed x v2. Thanks
Plus I have a powerful Violectric amp

 

[bagwell359]

Had the ed x v2 and enjoyed them. Gave them to my son and now I need a headphone. What hifiman model is a good value? Giving me great sound like the ed x v2. Thanks
Plus I have a powerful Violectric amp

The HEX v2 is quite unique among HFM cans. Probably the closest I've heard is a pair of heavily modified HE-500 (like mine). but even still not very close at all. MrSpeakers E2 might be the best upscale can that has somewhat similar sound.

 

[bagwell359]

Resolve reviews is usually accurate with his opinions. I totally agree with resolve about the anandas been better in tonality than the Arya. What I found very funny is some people behaviour.
Most people likes audeze’s bass so Joshua said Aryas bass is amazing even better than the audezes then everyone loves the aryas, Joshua said anandas are not having Aryas amazing bass, even weak in bass, people think anandas are bright and lacking bass.
In Reality to me is super obvious that anandas are having a way stronger bass than the aryas, is so obvious. Aryas are slightly wider, but never close to be as wide to the HD800S.
MK silent probably have better ears than Joshua because he is one of the very very few here that can feel anandas amazing bass and 3D capabilities.
And please people stop saying that anandas are faking detail, you probably are to sensible to high frequencies so is not the headphone problem.

I can't even come close to agreeing with this. First off the Ananda is efficient and can be run off a DAP. The Arya needs actual watts, and not only watts, but because it resolves FAR better than the Ananda's needs good equipment feeding it, or it can't be heard at its best. Run both of a DAP, then sure the Arya isn't worth it.

None of the big cup HFM's has a lot of thrust in the bass, certainly no match for several Audeze and the 4 and 6 screw HFM HE-6, The big cup HFM's all go down to 20, but none of them really grunt. It's very much like a large panel speaker (force over area). You can hear deeper bass in some, but never with the force of elite piston woofers.

IMO the Arya is bright. Too bright. #1 reason I never bought a pair. The Arya has some extra energy around 5k and 9k - which is brightness, but also have far more detail AND subtlety in the treble than the Ananda. So while you get brightness with both, you get a lot more of value and quality with the Arya - IMO.

 

[Luke Thomas]

The HEX v2 is quite unique among HFM cans. Probably the closest I've heard is a pair of heavily modified HE-500 (like mine). but even still not very close at all. MrSpeakers E2 might be the best upscale can that has somewhat similar sound.

Thanks, no Ananda or 6 he?

 

[Ithilstone]

Had the ed x v2 and enjoyed them. Gave them to my son and now I need a headphone. What hifiman model is a good value? Giving me great sound like the ed x v2. Thanks
Plus I have a powerful Violectric amp

Well I know that A LOT of people will disagree but the fact is a fact HEX v2 and Ananda has THE SAME diaphragm - not those do not sound identical - but very similar - Difference comes from different cups materials and pads - but those are not night and day and I would be really surprised if anyone could tell them apart in proper double blind volume matched test...
Yes those sounds slightly different but not enough to say which ones which.

If you have a good amp then Arya is a good choice or go cheap nad get EDITION XX from Drop if you can stand that old type headband ;]
S/H HEK v2 sounds very good with Violectric amps as well - well good enough to consider l;]

HE6 or HE6SE is not everyone's cup of tea - I love them but I know a lot of guys that do not like highs on them ( and those can sound thin on most amps - though you should be OK depending on Violectric model )
HE6 do scale a lot with better amps and can be fine tuned with different pads - as far as i know there is not much alternative in pads department for Ananda, Edition XX or HEK v2