All headphones are a series of tradeoffs. With Ananda, the FR is slightly v-shaped, tilting toward the bright side of neutral. Not a headphone for people who want a dark or warm sound. The treble is very smooth, though.
The soundstage is big and tall but a little narrow. It's fine for listening to songs but orchestral music sounds a little squeezed in from the sides. My He560 has a wider soundstage. But the Ananda produces a bigger sound overall.
There isn't much depth to the picture. Everything sounds like it's on the same plane and up close. It's the closest thing I've heard to a wall of sound. So, yes, it's a little two dimensional, but the excellent imaging largely makes up for it.
Vocals depend on how they were recorded. Sometimes they sound a little recessed, at other times strikingly present.
In general, rock sounds smooth without feeling lifeless. I listened to Sonic Youth's Dirty and the Pixie's Surfer Rosa. The sonics are so vivid and energetic (without being peaky) that I don't mind the lack of depth to the soundstage. Iggy Pop's China Girl is a song that can sound horrible on certain headphones. Not here. Iggy's voice is present and detailed, with that gravelly heft.
Clamp force is strong, but after wearing them for hours I did not develop the pressure point in the jaw that some people complain about. I wore them for hours with no problem.
HifiMan is selling them on their website for $599. The pair I got at that price is open box but indistinguishable from brand new. It even has that brand new smell. Not a single blemish. I would not be able to tell the difference between new and open box. Delivery was super fast. Great experience.
The positive reviews these headphones get are deserved. But like I said all headphones are a series of tradeoffs, and this one has the drawbacks I mentioned.