[1-MiC]

The Clear and Utopia was where things got interesting. I felt like thr Clear and Ananda were on even footing. They both provided a similar level of information. The mid-bass had more snap on the Clear, while the Ananda had a deeper extension into low bass. Previously, because I am a home theater bass junkie, I assumed that LFE bass extension was more important to me than midbass dynamic punch. However, after this listening session, I realized I generally use headphones for music not movies and this Clear delievered a better bass experience for me in music.

Thank you for your impressions, I have come to the same conclusion about what I'm looking in for a headphone. I have been loving my Ananda's for a few months now, but I admit I have been itching for a good dynamic headphone to compare against. I know I'm looking for something quick and dynamic with great bass, but i can't decide if i'm looking for sub bass or mid bass.
The Clear and Atticus have been at the top of my list. Maybe the Eikon, but I know what interest me about that one is the sub bass.

 

[xanlamin]

Check out the TH900. They are known to be very good with bass.

 

[HTSkywalker]

I recently had a chance to take my Ananda to a hifi store A/B/C it against other headphones. As source material I used my Galaxy Fold 2 android phone, Youtube music premium set on highest quality settings, outputting via USB to a Dragonfly Red, to the various headphones. Not the most hifi source but the best I could do in the circumstances.

I tested Audeze LCD-2, LCD-X Closed, LCD-3; the Dan Clark closed back models; Meze 99; Focal Elegia, Elear, the Bentley model, Clear, and Utopia.

I'll cut to the chase. None of the Audeze impressed me. The LCD-3 didnt sound special at all, especially considering the price. The X closed was probably my most preferred of the lot, but it sounded like it had a few spikes in the frequency response.

The Dan Clark... blah. Sounded dead, remote, dull. Pretty disappointing because I like the styling and want a premium closed back. Tho I must say, they look better in pics than in real life.

The Meze, well it sounded like you would expect when competing in this league. Like a non-contender.

The Focals were interesting. All of them were more comfortable and looked and felt better built than the Hifiman. The Elegia and Elear were ok but I'd take the Ananda sound over them. The Bentley model was a bit of an oddball. In some songs better than the Clear, in others not.

The Clear and Utopia was where things got interesting. I felt like thr Clear and Ananda were on even footing. They both provided a similar level of information. The mid-bass had more snap on the Clear, while the Ananda had a deeper extension into low bass. Previously, because I am a home theater bass junkie, I assumed that LFE bass extension was more important to me than midbass dynamic punch. However, after this listening session, I realized I generally use headphones for music not movies and this Clear delievered a better bass experience for me in music. This was an epiphany moment for me as far as headphones and bass are concerned. If the Clear and Ananda were priced the same, the choice between the two would be difficult. However considering the Clear is 2x, the Ananda becomes the eaiser and obvious choice.

I have never heard the Drop Focal Elex. If it has the bass punch of the Clear, I'd be interested. However if it takes even a small step back from the level of clarity and detail of the Clear/Ananda, it probably wouldn't be worth it to me.

The Utopia was interesting. It took the detail to the next level
Music opened up and I began hearing instruments or backup singers I hadn't noticed before, or more nuance to the ones I was familiar with. Bass, surprisingly, lost a little bit of the snap and punch from the Clear, but was still present and pleasant. If the Utopia was 2x the cost of the Ananda, at $1500 or less, I would be challenged to choose one over the other. However at 4 to 5x the cost, its not even tempting.

I believe you totally covered the competition market and pointed me towards the Ananda. My remaining worry is the QC
Merry Christmas

 

[yeboyi]

I've really been enjoying them! The comfort/shape/weight alone is a HUGE step up from the HE-400's. I will totally be holding on to these.
My Asus Essence soundcard certainly gets these loud enough, but i'm not sure if i'm missing a huge step here not using a say Schiit headphone amp.

At least with my powered headphone amp soundcard right now, the difference between the HE-400 and Anada seems to be presentation and soundstage more than a step up.

I use SBX AE5 soundcard. Not much improvement with dac amps. I've used zen dac/can stack and e30/thx789 stack. I noticed some differences but none of them were ''better''.

With E30+THX789 i lose some sub bass and bass punch, overall dynamics were weaker but transients and clarity was better with a bit of soundstage increase. I think this stack doesn't work well with this headphone and makes it's weaknesses more pronounced. I think this stack is good for aggressive or bloated headphones. (DT 1990 or Audeze)

Zen dac/can stack is nice. Dynamics and feeling of sub bass, impact improved with this stack. Overall the sound have a bit more bite. Warm and bright at the same time. However this stack is a bit too powerful for Ananda and have some ground loop/clarity issues at higher gains. I think this stack is good for high impedance balanced headphones.(HD800S, HD6x.., T1 gen2)

SBX AE5 is not worse than either of them and can get loud. I'm using lowest gain with AE5. Sound characteristics are closer to zen stack. I felt like THX 789 stack have the edge at really very high volumes. Zen not far off, AE5 a bit weaker but i'm talking about very high unlistenable volumes. AE5 loses it's nerves a bit.

For Ananda if you have something decent enough, it would be a waste to spend money on dac amps. Actually not just for Ananda, for most headphones but more for Ananda. But since this is a hobby, you can spend money and feel better, depends on person.

 

[MrMarc]

I recently had a chance to take my Ananda to a hifi store A/B/C it against other headphones. As source material I used my Galaxy Fold 2 android phone, Youtube music premium set on highest quality settings, outputting via USB to a Dragonfly Red, to the various headphones. Not the most hifi source but the best I could do in the circumstances.

I tested Audeze LCD-2, LCD-X Closed, LCD-3; the Dan Clark closed back models; Meze 99; Focal Elegia, Elear, the Bentley model, Clear, and Utopia.

I'll cut to the chase. None of the Audeze impressed me. The LCD-3 didnt sound special at all, especially considering the price. The X closed was probably my most preferred of the lot, but it sounded like it had a few spikes in the frequency response.

The Dan Clark... blah. Sounded dead, remote, dull. Pretty disappointing because I like the styling and want a premium closed back. Tho I must say, they look better in pics than in real life.

The Meze, well it sounded like you would expect when competing in this league. Like a non-contender.

The Focals were interesting. All of them were more comfortable and looked and felt better built than the Hifiman. The Elegia and Elear were ok but I'd take the Ananda sound over them. The Bentley model was a bit of an oddball. In some songs better than the Clear, in others not.

The Clear and Utopia was where things got interesting. I felt like thr Clear and Ananda were on even footing. They both provided a similar level of information. The mid-bass had more snap on the Clear, while the Ananda had a deeper extension into low bass. Previously, because I am a home theater bass junkie, I assumed that LFE bass extension was more important to me than midbass dynamic punch. However, after this listening session, I realized I generally use headphones for music not movies and this Clear delievered a better bass experience for me in music. This was an epiphany moment for me as far as headphones and bass are concerned. If the Clear and Ananda were priced the same, the choice between the two would be difficult. However considering the Clear is 2x, the Ananda becomes the eaiser and obvious choice.

I have never heard the Drop Focal Elex. If it has the bass punch of the Clear, I'd be interested. However if it takes even a small step back from the level of clarity and detail of the Clear/Ananda, it probably wouldn't be worth it to me.

The Utopia was interesting. It took the detail to the next level
Music opened up and I began hearing instruments or backup singers I hadn't noticed before, or more nuance to the ones I was familiar with. Bass, surprisingly, lost a little bit of the snap and punch from the Clear, but was still present and pleasant. If the Utopia was 2x the cost of the Ananda, at $1500 or less, I would be challenged to choose one over the other. However at 4 to 5x the cost, its not even tempting.

Funny, sounds like you went to the same store I did (Gramophone) where I performed nearly the same save the Utopia. I did, however, compare the Elex. The amp used was a Macintosh with Tidal source.

I came to the same conclusion. Thanks he Audeze failed to impress - too muffled and lacking detail. The Meze Classics were interesting, but not surprisingly was not in the same league as the others in the test. Nice can (and nice looking too) for the price.

Like you, I appreciated the Focal’s warmth/impact but it’s overall presentation wasn’t as good as the Ananda (to my ears). IMHO, the Ananda’s party trick is separation and detail. I had once adored the Elex/Elear, but now having the Ananda / Kennerton (Vali) duo, the Clear would now be my choice. Boy, I’m dying to sample the Arya!!!

I came to the same conclusion overall. Nothing I’ve heard compares to the Ananda for sound quality, comfort, AND value.

-Marc

 

[housekrl]

Funny, sounds like you went to the same store I did (Gramophone) where I performed nearly the same save the Utopia. I did, however, compare the Elex. The amp used was a Macintosh with Tidal source.

I came to the same conclusion. Thanks he Audeze failed to impress - too muffled and lacking detail. The Meze Classics were interesting, but not surprisingly was not in the same league as the others in the test. Nice can (and nice looking too) for the price.

Like you, I appreciated the Focal’s warmth/impact but it’s overall presentation wasn’t as good as the Ananda (to my ears). IMHO, the Ananda’s party trick is separation and detail. I had once adored the Elex/Elear, but now having the Ananda / Kennerton (Vali) duo, the Clear would now be my choice. Boy, I’m dying to sample the Arya!!!

I came to the same conclusion overall. Nothing I’ve heard compares to the Ananda for sound quality, comfort, AND value.

-Marc

Thank you for those impressions. I'm listening to my Ananda with the WA6 and Dac19 right now. Steven Wilson, Hand cannot erase in flac. The sound is full, holographic, and smooth. Just fantastic. I really love these headphones.

 

[Bassic Needs]

Funny, sounds like you went to the same store I did (Gramophone) where I performed nearly the same save the Utopia. I did, however, compare the Elex. The amp used was a Macintosh with Tidal source.

I came to the same conclusion. Thanks he Audeze failed to impress - too muffled and lacking detail. The Meze Classics were interesting, but not surprisingly was not in the same league as the others in the test. Nice can (and nice looking too) for the price.

Like you, I appreciated the Focal’s warmth/impact but it’s overall presentation wasn’t as good as the Ananda (to my ears). IMHO, the Ananda’s party trick is separation and detail. I had once adored the Elex/Elear, but now having the Ananda / Kennerton (Vali) duo, the Clear would now be my choice. Boy, I’m dying to sample the Arya!!!

I came to the same conclusion overall. Nothing I’ve heard compares to the Ananda for sound quality, comfort, AND value.

-Marc

Indeed, it was Gramophone. And I also would love to try the Arya.

 

[1-MiC]

I can’t help but feel if the Arya didn’t exist, would we really be looking past the Ananda?

 

[housekrl]

I can’t help but feel if the Arya didn’t exist, would we really be looking past the Ananda?

That's a good point. The Ananda is really top notch.

 

[RushNerd]

Thank you for those impressions. I'm listening to my Ananda with the WA6 and Dac19 right now. Steven Wilson, Hand cannot erase in flac. The sound is full, holographic, and smooth. Just fantastic. I really love these headphones.

Steven Wilson is possibly the best pick there is for audiophile level music to enjoy cans this good.
I had my Asus Essence EQ'd for more 32-60hz bass, but I think the anadas are possibly more sensitive than my HE-400s and that is where the "distorted sound" when listened to them off my head was from. Have to turn the pre-amp volume in the settings down a lot there. Hard to tell until I get another amp I suppose.

 

[housekrl]

Steven Wilson is possibly the best pick there is for audiophile level music to enjoy cans this good.
I had my Asus Essence EQ'd for more 32-60hz bass, but I think the anadas are possibly more sensitive than my HE-400s and that is where the "distorted sound" when listened to them off my head was from. Have to turn the pre-amp volume in the settings down a lot there. Hard to tell until I get another amp I suppose.

Agreed. Steven Wilson is a Master Masterer.

 

[SBranson]

There's so much in the last page or so of posts... I would concur on the Anandas being better than the Dan Clark stuff, at least in my opinion. I've been off in iem land for a couple years trying some pretty expensive stuff (Legend X, CA Solaris...) and at one point tried the Ether open and they didn't last a weekend sounding distant, muffled and somewhat dull... and went back into the iems.. But when I decided to try the Anandas I was so taken aback at the soundstage and realism that I thought the sound was coming out of my AK240 but quickly realized that it doesn't have a speaker. It really was an out of head, out of headphone experience and both perplexing and exhilarating at the same time. Then a couple weeks ago I added the Ifi Zen Can and it really took the Anandas up a notch from straight out of the AK240. Much better dynamics and bass. Soundstage was more holographic and imaging was better. Overall the sound was "larger". Sure you only need the gain on 1 or 2 of the 4 settings but the extra power is a benefit.

I can’t help but feel if the Arya didn’t exist, would we really be looking past the Ananda?

But the Arya does exist and it is better.. but...
Two days ago I got the Aryas and they seem to have a very similar house sound but a refinement of the Anandas. Everything I like about the Anandas is better in the Arya. More clarity, deeper cleaner bass, more separation, unreal realism and staging... I am going to get used to the Aryas and then go back to the Anandas and see if there is a real sense of a "downgrade"... but as it stands I think that I could probably go back and be happy with the Ananda. For all the "better" that is in the Arya, the essence of the music isn't lost in the fact that the Ananda isn't technically as good and in a way, the Ananda is just a better deal. If the technicalities are important and you derive your enjoyment from the gear as much as the music then the Aryas will definitely be better. But I have the feeling that if it's the pure music then you won't really feel wanting for much staying with the Anandas.
I'm really not sure at the moment if I might just stay with the Anandas and avoid the temptation of the constant upgrade to eke out the enjoyment of the gear over the simple enjoyment of the music.

 

[HTSkywalker]

The Ananda seems to hit the right spot when it comes to good bass, nice mids especially Male voice, non fatiguing treble and a leading class soundstage and imaging (HD 800S excluded) and the icing on the top is the price tag.
Back to the original price of $1K, add a respectable cable and a better QC, do the maths and you will discover it’s a $1,200 cans selling for less.

 

[RushNerd]

I haven't heard of the Zen Can before, at $169 it's seriously attractive. Wouldn't mind trying that out if you think it helps the anadas out.
Not too interested in Arya since I picked up my Anadas for $600 and I was eyeballing much more expensive cans.

 

[SBranson]

I got the Zen Can as a budget amp with good reviews because I knew I was getting the Aryas and didn't want to spend $500+ for something like the Topping A90 just yet.
That it improved the Anandas was an unexpected bonus. The amount of improvement will likely depend on where your starting point is but for all the claims of the Ananda being efficient enough to work out of a phone or a DAP (yes they will work) they definitely benefitted, in my opinion, from adding the Zen Can over straight from the AK240 or the ZX507 I had earlier.