[fishda30]

Has anyone been able to replace the leather head-pad without having to replace the whole headband? I ordered a used Ananda from a pawn shop half way across the country and it seems the previous owner has cut off the pad for some reason. I would assume that the headband can be dissembled enough to affix a new strap/band that I am planning on making?

Thanks for the help!

Done this for my he560.they have the same head band. There are just screws you have to remove on the headband mechanism. Once removed you can open the strap mechanism/holder and insert the new headband.

Just had hard time on my headband since mine's already rusty.

 

[SenlacHill]

I wish I took pictures of the procedure but I was able to successfully replace my Amanda's head-pad. Turns out that one needs to pry the silver R and L metal trim piece directly below the head-pad attach point until it slides down below the plastic it is retaining. Then, the 2 plastic halfs that hold the head-pad and the ratcheting mechanism can be slid apart. Once apart, it is as simple as removing the glued ends of the old head-pad, and gluing your new pad/fabric (green velvet in my case) using the CA of your choice into place and reassembling.

I found out the hard way that if you are cutting the new pad yourself, mock it up before gluing. Scraping out solidified chunks of velvet and glue just to do it again was not fun.

Also, really loving the sound of the Ananda reminds me of my 90s HD 580s but with better bass extension and much cleaner highs.

The Google USB C amp/dac dongle seems to struggle with volume on both the Ananda and the HD580 so it looks like it's time to find the best price to output power replacement dongle

 

[shadow1121]

Anyone have had managed to test out the new EF400 and tried pairing it with Ananda? Hope someone can share their experience with this setup

 

[Ichos]

Anyone have had managed to test out the new EF400 and tried pairing it with Ananda? Hope someone can share their experience with this setup

It pairs great with the Arya Stealth so I don't see why it shouldn't be just great with the Ananda.
I am preparing a review and I will try to include the Ananda in the mix.

 

[shadow1121]

whats a suggested material for an upgrade balanced cable for the ananda?

 

[lian00]

Anyone have had managed to test out the new EF400 and tried pairing it with Ananda? Hope someone can share their experience with this setup

I just ordered a EF400 and my Ananda is brand new. I’ll give a little review on the pair but it won’t be very useful as these are my first hifi equipment in this range of price.

 

[shadow1121]

I just ordered a EF400 and my Ananda is brand new. I’ll give a little review on the pair but it won’t be very useful as these are my first hifi equipment in this range of price.

thanks... actually i just jump the gun and bought the same setup.. ef400 and an ananda..
should take a week or so for it to arrived at my doorstep though..

right now still looking into a balanced cable to get for the ananda..

since u already have the Ananda, which balanced cable are u using? i wasn't sure whether a copper or silver material would suit the hp well.

 

[lian00]

thanks... actually i just jump the gun and bought the same setup.. ef400 and an ananda..
should take a week or so for it to arrived at my doorstep though..

right now still looking into a balanced cable to get for the ananda..

since u already have the Ananda, which balanced cable are u using? i wasn't sure whether a copper or silver material would suit the hp well.

I choose to buy the simpliest one : the one sold by Amazon (New Fantasia on Amazon.com, different name in Europe). I’ve read a lot of reviews before this choice and you’ll prefer a copper one. I chose at first this one as I bought in the same time the Cayin N3Pro and did not think I needed really a balanced cable - the Cayin sound is best on unbalanced output because it’s a tube DAP. The iFi Audio Zen DAC V2 I bought too (it was my birthday and I asked for money ) sounded poorly compared to N3Pro + Ananda so I decided to look at the EF400 (quick to decide as I found one on Amazon Warehouse) for a better sound experience as DAC and headphone amp. I may invest in a better cable but all my readings showed that cables are part of Hifi endless debates (see https://www.headphonesty.com/2018/06/do-expensive-cables-really-matter/). So, I’ll be happy to read what cable you choose

 

[ahmonge]

whats a suggested material for an upgrade balanced cable for the ananda?

Copper OCC or OFC. Mine is a chinese brided OCC single ended and looks and sounds fantastic.

 

[yeboyi]

I recently bought a cable so i researched a bit. There are OFC, OCC and UPOCC cables. UPOCC is the best, OFC is the cheapest. Silver cable have a slightly better conductivity. There is also 5N, 6N, 7N specs but there is no way of knowing if it's legit or not. Technically the safest bet in my opinion is the upocc copper cables. I bought cheap OFC cable it sound glorious so i don't think there is a difference in terms of sound really but on paper upocc copper would be my pick.

 

[bzippy]

I just sent back the XS after doing a couple week shootout against my Ananda. I know there has been a lot of Ananda trashing around here in favor of the XS since it was released, so I just wanted to add another voice to the opposing opinion.

You see m, I'm a mids maniac. And the only reason I am considering something to replace my Ananda is that I want just a touch more high mids to give a little more life, presence & vocal focus. But i don't want anything radically different because I really have loved the Ananda for 2 years now. So I thought the XS might be a good contender, but I hear this mids dip as a bit more noticeable on the XS even, though just a bit more. I also didn't love the extra sparkle/air up top, so I prefer the Ananda there too.

The XS does have a little more impactful (not a word I think) bass, which is very cool, but not enough to make it work better for me than the Ananda.

I am however still interested in something similar to the Ananda with more vocal upper mids, in case anyone has a suggestion. (though with all this XS and Ananda Stealth talk I fear I won't get much for my Ananda. grrrrrr)

 

[ahmonge]

I am however still interested in something similar to the Ananda with more vocal upper mids, in case anyone has a suggestion

If you can, listen to Dan Clark's Aeon 2 Noire. They have an excellent reproduction of vocals with just the right amount of presence, neither too much nor too little, so they sound less distant than the Ananda. Unfortunately they are a bit over-energetic in the bass, but without overdoing it. I have both the Ananda and the Aeon 2 Noire and I interchange them without major problems, because their sonic footprint is quite similar. I tend to prefer the Ananda for classical music and the Noire for all other genres (rock, blues, pop...).

 

[piakoB]

whats a suggested material for an upgrade balanced cable for the ananda?

I have had good luck with Periapt cables I think they're out of Kansas and use some type of Japanese copper. There's also Forza audio works that carries cables in different types.

 

[dsrk]

whats a suggested material for an upgrade balanced cable for the ananda?

https://www.ebay.com/usr/skyaudiocables - I bought a litz copper cable for my LCD2C, HD6XX and they are great
customcans.co.uk - they have store on ebay too

 

[yeboyi]

I just sent back the XS after doing a couple week shootout against my Ananda. I know there has been a lot of Ananda trashing around here in favor of the XS since it was released, so I just wanted to add another voice to the opposing opinion.

You see m, I'm a mids maniac. And the only reason I am considering something to replace my Ananda is that I want just a touch more high mids to give a little more life, presence & vocal focus. But i don't want anything radically different because I really have loved the Ananda for 2 years now. So I thought the XS might be a good contender, but I hear this mids dip as a bit more noticeable on the XS even, though just a bit more. I also didn't love the extra sparkle/air up top, so I prefer the Ananda there too.

The XS does have a little more impactful (not a word I think) bass, which is very cool, but not enough to make it work better for me than the Ananda.

I am however still interested in something similar to the Ananda with more vocal upper mids, in case anyone has a suggestion. (though with all this XS and Ananda Stealth talk I fear I won't get much for my Ananda. grrrrrr)

I don't think people trash Ananda here. They are siblings after all. I recommend EQ for that. EQ'ed Ananda is so good.

1900hz +4db q2
3300hz -3db q2

and a bass shelf if you want.