[haasaaroni]

How does the Ananda handle bands such as Alice in Chains , breaking Benjamin, ACDC, do they sound thin, sibilant etc?

I just put some ACDC on right now! They're a *little* thin and bright, even with the tubes, but not bad at all. No sibilance. Bass is a little lacking in impact. But staging and instrument separation are impressive. Definitely just had to turn my volume down during the guitar solo of "Back in Black"

Still everything sounds very realistic. I think the tubes give the sound some nice weight they might not have otherwise.

 

[drusso5]

I just put some ACDC on right now! They're a *little* thin and bright, even with the tubes, but not bad at all. No sibilance. Bass is a little lacking in impact. But staging and instrument separation are impressive. Definitely just had to turn my volume down during the guitar solo of "Back in Black"

Still everything sounds very realistic. I think the tubes give the sound some nice weight they might not have otherwise.

Hmm okay, I only have a Fiio BTR5 amp/dac , I really should try them out, the only other alternative I have is the Audeze LCD-GX or 2C if I find them too thin.

 

[HTSkywalker]

Hmm okay, I only have a Fiio BTR5 amp/dac , I really should try them out, the only other alternative I have is the Audeze LCD-GX or 2C if I find them too thin.

The GX is not optimally tuned for music, your choices should be either the 2C or the X. You will have enough Bass extension. Ananda excels on so many fronts but not on the Bass one. Audeze are dark. Neither is wrong, just a matter of taste.

 

[cycloverid]

The GX is not optimally tuned for music, your choices should be either the 2C or the X. You will have enough Bass extension. Ananda excels on so many fronts but not on the Bass one. Audeze are dark. Neither is wrong, just a matter of taste.

This isn't accurate according to the graphs. The GX is actually the closest to the Harman target of any full sized Audeze, so unless someone is seeking a veiled sound or already committed to EQ, the GX is actually best in FR. In technical performance it might be a different story...

 

[ahmonge]

does the ananda handle rock and heavier music perfectly fine? vocals clear etc. I keep coming back to the ananda but unable to test them out.

Although most of the time hearing XVII to XIX century classical music with the Anandas, I sometimes try little gems from popular music like Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, Warren Zevon or Steely Dan. As long as they are not mixed with elevated treble, they sound spectaculsr on the Anandas. My only (minor) complain is with vocals, a bit recessed for my taste.

 

[HTSkywalker]

This isn't accurate according to the graphs. The GX is actually the closest to the Harman target of any full sized Audeze, so unless someone is seeking a veiled sound or already committed to EQ, the GX is actually best in FR. In technical performance it might be a different story...

This should be helpful:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/bq8gdw/trying_to_differentiate_lcdgx_from_lcdx/

 

[cycloverid]

This should be helpful:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/bq8gdw/trying_to_differentiate_lcdgx_from_lcdx/

Huh? Just look at the graphs man... it's not hard to find. This should be helpful for you:



Now, that said, the Audeze house sound is all very similar. Additionally, the single sided magnet array may affect performance - but not the tuning.

 

[HTSkywalker]

Huh? Just look at the graphs man... it's not hard to find. This should be helpful for you:



Now, that said, the Audeze house sound is all very similar. Additionally, the single sided magnet array may affect performance - but not the tuning.

The GX is not my cup of tea though!

 

[bagwell359]

This could be a case for 2 cans. To cut price one new and one used, or both used.

Ananda for the new money is probably overall the best deal. But they are a bit thin and whitewashed in the treble, bass impact not so great. Still hard to get a deal used to bother with. Next choice? If you don't mind mods and used - HE-500 - about $350-420. Takes care of the bass and thinness issues. I would think there are few genres that one doesn't satisfy - and for maybe $1300 or so inc mods and EQ.

Single new cup alternatives above $699: HE-6se right at that number, lacking soundstage, no lack of bass, not thin, just clean. Clear, Arya (must have EQ), used E2 (must have EQ) - all well better than Ananda. Cheaper? HD-600 (used, new pads) with a used BHC w/ speedball - maybe $700 and just wow.

 

[spittis]

does the ananda handle rock and heavier music perfectly fine? vocals clear etc. I keep coming back to the ananda but unable to test them out.
I like 80s, rock , grunge, isolated vocals and acoustic music. my other choice is the lcd2c but it lacks details due to being darker.

Thanks

I mainly listen to metal (death, black, thrash, folk, doom and everything in between). The Ananda is great for that, I bump the 60-160 Hz region a bit with EQ.

 

[Vercingetirex]

Just got these to potentially replace my Sundaras, which are still under return policy. Instantly noticed how much more detail they can achieve. Less bass punch and slam, but certainly can pick up bass extension rumble the Sundaras cannot achieve. The clarity alone makes them more desirable. Wish the earpads were real leather and didn't seem so cheap, like the Sundara's revision pads. Less money on the very nice box and more on the actual earpads would have been nice.

 

[SweetDaddo 2.0]

Just got these to potentially replace my Sundaras, which are still under return policy. Instantly noticed how much more detail they can achieve. Less bass punch and slam, but certainly can pick up bass extension rumble the Sundaras cannot achieve. The clarity alone makes them more desirable. Wish the earpads were real leather and didn't seem so cheap, like the Sundara's revision pads. Less money on the very nice box and more on the actual earpads would have been nice.

See that's what I was thinking but don't the H1K series pads also look similar to the Ananda? I'm curious if anyone can fact check me here but the appearance is similar to my eyes(could just be a blind bat). If the H1K pads are truly similar to the Ananda I guess these pads are the highest quality Hifiman can go for. Besides the leather, what did you think of the hybrid design of the pads?

 

[SolarBeaver]

Hey guys,
is Sony's wm1z enough to drive Ananda?
Would really appreciate any help

 

[SBranson]

Hey guys,
is Sony's wm1z enough to drive Ananda?
Would really appreciate any help

I had the WM1Z and found it enough to drive the Ananda.

 

[LoyK]

Just got these to potentially replace my Sundaras, which are still under return policy. Instantly noticed how much more detail they can achieve. Less bass punch and slam, but certainly can pick up bass extension rumble the Sundaras cannot achieve. The clarity alone makes them more desirable. Wish the earpads were real leather and didn't seem so cheap, like the Sundara's revision pads. Less money on the very nice box and more on the actual earpads would have been nice.

Leatherpads are not always "better" and are not often used in open-back headphones.
They are more often found in closed-backs and provide better isolation and maybe more slam. I guess the hybrid pads provide wider soundstage and more open sound signature.
The Ananda comes stock with the same pads as the HE-1000SE etc. so they are not a cheap version: https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/serenitypads.html