So, It would be easy read a comparison!
Introducing HIFIMAN Ananda Nano
- Thread starter TeamHiFiMAN
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@TheR0v3r
I just fumbled on this review here.
Quite interesting especially when he mention his preference for one and his preference for the other.
Basically soundstage vs technicality.
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/u80knd/he6se_v2_review_vs_lcdx_2021/?rdt=48712
I just fumbled on this review here.
Quite interesting especially when he mention his preference for one and his preference for the other.
Basically soundstage vs technicality.
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/u80knd/he6se_v2_review_vs_lcdx_2021/?rdt=48712
CallMeDaddy
New Head-Fier
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Been using sundaras for the last 2 years. Looking to upgrade, trying to decide between edition xs and Ananda nandos. Using a hifiman zen can amp and an evga soundcard. I have a balanced cable for the sundara and would like to be able to use it with the new headphones but it's not mandatory.
Use case would be 50% fps gaming, 25% music (mostly edm), 25% movies or tv. Going to do a bunch of research and read some threads but open to any suggestions. Can't go over 700, that's absolute max.
Use case would be 50% fps gaming, 25% music (mostly edm), 25% movies or tv. Going to do a bunch of research and read some threads but open to any suggestions. Can't go over 700, that's absolute max.
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The nanos are very technically agile and less cozy in my opinion. They also take EQing (which they really require in my opinion) like champions.
In other words, I would be inclined to put them in the “reference” type of cans more then the pure enjoyment type ( again, after EQ).
To better explain my point of view, I would suggest for someone to bring down the gain on their amp and listen to all the transient of the kicks and snares popping out . Or listen to the details of the mid lows and bass region at healthy volume. The depth and width is also realistic unlike the HD800 and alike type of headphone meaning that you won’t get the impression of sitting in a cathedral listening to a rock band but more being in the front row in a club listening to that band.
It is more a “what you hear is what it is” then an embellishment type of cans with the capacity to retain a lot of details.
If I had to point out one thing where I feel they could be improved , it would be the mid lows depth and engagement. While it keep the resolution and details , it is the least engaging part of the frequency spectrum in my opinion.
Straight out of the box, they have extremely prominent 4khz to 10khz which makes it hard to deal with in an analytical situation as it is tuned to the Harman curve and more aimed at the consumer market. They also have a recessed 1khz to 3khz who also really need to be corrected with an eq to get a more truthful representation of what was mixed originally. And finally, a little low end shelf at about 50hz to bring the lower spectrum which will sit the whole frequency spectrum on a rock solid representation.
I own the HD650, the NDH30, the Q701 and the VSX and those are a lot more capable then all of those even if they were combined into one.
I love mine but I strictly use them as a referencing tool in an analytical mixing amd mastering situation. They serve me very well after i sent them to Sonarwork for a custom individual calibration.
Your use case might make them less desirable but I would have a hard time to tell you precisely as it is not my specific use case.
SchwizzelKick66
100+ Head-Fier
Since you game a fair amount, I think the Edition XS is the way to go. They're really, really fun for gaming. Huge soundstage and awesome bass. Not sure how close the Nano are to the Ananda Stealth, but I'd take the XS for gaming every time. They have a slight v shaped sound signature that really works for gaming IMO.
Don't think you'd be disappointed, especially at $379. Only issue will be how they fit on your head, which you won't know until you try them. If fit isn't ideal, you can mitigate it and make it a non-issue with the Geekria hook & loop headband: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0993NBFCR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yea, interesting review
The weight of the LCD-4’s put me off the entire LCD line… I’ll see if I can audition a LCD-X and compare it to the MM-500 (plus Nano).
HardstyleLoco96
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Watched that video that DMS, Resolve and GoldenSound has put up. Very interesting indeed. I agree with the C for the Ananda Nano. I'd give it tone FR grade a C. Technical A+ easily. GoldenSound even said he'd give it an A if it had a treble shelf of a few db lower. With some EQ, it's truly an amazing headphone and price to performance is unmatched by any other headphone. It doesn't need a crazy amount of EQ. I've been extremely happy with this one. Been trying to see where similar priced headphone stack up and none come close. Focal Clear OG is one I'd give a thumbs to, but even then. I feel the Nano is a technically superior headphone just falling a little behind in dynamic slam. The Clear MG is no contest. LCD-X 2021 for me comes close. But need EQ to shine and there's nothing much it does better apart from build. Going back and forth comparing many has just made me conclude the Ananda Nano is a masterpiece of a headphone. Flaws? Yes and no but treble can be bright for some. I 100% agree. It is a bright headphone. With some things the brightness works though. I personally love stock tuning. But with EQ, this thing is just insane. The low end texturing, separation and detail is amazing. I love heavy metal and the Nano holds its speed. It never becomes muddy or struggles to separate instruments and vocals. Layering with some eq just becomes untouched in this price range. I feel with no eq, the treble can become distracting and mask details in the mids and lows as all that detail in the upper becomes pushed forward. A little EQ tames that treble and lets everything separate, spreas out and be able to breath while also becoming musical and extremely engaging. Truly a superb headphone. I feel people will skip it unfortunately though. I understand why some don't use EQ and the purists which simply dislike EQ. But a little EQ on a headphone can go an extremely long way. Just like most headphones I use. Even the HD800s. I feel it actually needs a pad swap and eq to really shine. The lack of low end extension and grunt makes it sound limp and weak. Some dekoni sheepskin pads and a low shelf then wow. It really changes them. Overall, the Ananda Nano isn't a headphone I'd skip. Look into it, try them, and try some eq. You'd be surprised how many expensive cans you'd listen to but always go back to the Nano 
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Were you able to listen to the 500 yet ?Yea, interesting review
The weight of the LCD-4’s put me off the entire LCD line… I’ll see if I can audition a LCD-X and compare it to the MM-500 (plus Nano).
Nope, hopefully next week.
Always interesting seeing eqWatched that video that DMS, Resolve and GoldenSound has put up. Very interesting indeed. I agree with the C for the Ananda Nano. I'd give it tone FR grade a C. Technical A+ easily. GoldenSound even said he'd give it an A if it had a treble shelf of a few db lower. With some EQ, it's truly an amazing headphone and price to performance is unmatched by any other headphone. It doesn't need a crazy amount of EQ. I've been extremely happy with this one. Been trying to see where similar priced headphone stack up and none come close. Focal Clear OG is one I'd give a thumbs to, but even then. I feel the Nano is a technically superior headphone just falling a little behind in dynamic slam. The Clear MG is no contest. LCD-X 2021 for me comes close. But need EQ to shine and there's nothing much it does better apart from build. Going back and forth comparing many has just made me conclude the Ananda Nano is a masterpiece of a headphone. Flaws? Yes and no but treble can be bright for some. I 100% agree. It is a bright headphone. With some things the brightness works though. I personally love stock tuning. But with EQ, this thing is just insane. The low end texturing, separation and detail is amazing. I love heavy metal and the Nano holds its speed. It never becomes muddy or struggles to separate instruments and vocals. Layering with some eq just becomes untouched in this price range. I feel with no eq, the treble can become distracting and mask details in the mids and lows as all that detail in the upper becomes pushed forward. A little EQ tames that treble and lets everything separate, spreas out and be able to breath while also becoming musical and extremely engaging. Truly a superb headphone. I feel people will skip it unfortunately though. I understand why some don't use EQ and the purists which simply dislike EQ. But a little EQ on a headphone can go an extremely long way. Just like most headphones I use. Even the HD800s. I feel it actually needs a pad swap and eq to really shine. The lack of low end extension and grunt makes it sound limp and weak. Some dekoni sheepskin pads and a low shelf then wow. It really changes them. Overall, the Ananda Nano isn't a headphone I'd skip. Look into it, try them, and try some eq. You'd be surprised how many expensive cans you'd listen to but always go back to the Nano
I see some similarities and some differences between our profiles:
Looking forward to trying your settings.
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Always interesting seeing eq
I see some similarities and some differences between our profiles:
Looking forward to trying your settings.
Right now using ”Bring Me The Disco King” by David Bowie to try the different eq settings.Watched that video that DMS, Resolve and GoldenSound has put up. Very interesting indeed. I agree with the C for the Ananda Nano. I'd give it tone FR grade a C. Technical A+ easily. GoldenSound even said he'd give it an A if it had a treble shelf of a few db lower. With some EQ, it's truly an amazing headphone and price to performance is unmatched by any other headphone. It doesn't need a crazy amount of EQ. I've been extremely happy with this one. Been trying to see where similar priced headphone stack up and none come close. Focal Clear OG is one I'd give a thumbs to, but even then. I feel the Nano is a technically superior headphone just falling a little behind in dynamic slam. The Clear MG is no contest. LCD-X 2021 for me comes close. But need EQ to shine and there's nothing much it does better apart from build. Going back and forth comparing many has just made me conclude the Ananda Nano is a masterpiece of a headphone. Flaws? Yes and no but treble can be bright for some. I 100% agree. It is a bright headphone. With some things the brightness works though. I personally love stock tuning. But with EQ, this thing is just insane. The low end texturing, separation and detail is amazing. I love heavy metal and the Nano holds its speed. It never becomes muddy or struggles to separate instruments and vocals. Layering with some eq just becomes untouched in this price range. I feel with no eq, the treble can become distracting and mask details in the mids and lows as all that detail in the upper becomes pushed forward. A little EQ tames that treble and lets everything separate, spreas out and be able to breath while also becoming musical and extremely engaging. Truly a superb headphone. I feel people will skip it unfortunately though. I understand why some don't use EQ and the purists which simply dislike EQ. But a little EQ on a headphone can go an extremely long way. Just like most headphones I use. Even the HD800s. I feel it actually needs a pad swap and eq to really shine. The lack of low end extension and grunt makes it sound limp and weak. Some dekoni sheepskin pads and a low shelf then wow. It really changes them. Overall, the Ananda Nano isn't a headphone I'd skip. Look into it, try them, and try some eq. You'd be surprised how many expensive cans you'd listen to but always go back to the Nano
As I adjust the gain of LS and move it between 55-65 Hz it becomes very clear to me how much the bass impacts the perception of the Nano being (overly) bright or not. In my system (and my preferences!) the Nano does much better with a LS at around 55-65 Hz but with +4-5 dB.
Where to put that HS has caused me some headache
I’ve moved it between 3800-7200 Hz at around -2.5-3.0 dB with different slopes. Moving it back to 3850 Hz with -2.8 works well 
Are you trying to compensate for resonances with the eq at 8400?
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HardstyleLoco96
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I'm trying to tame peaks here and there to make the treble a little smoother, at 8400 there's a big one. Every now and then I do like to bump that low shelf at 60 with 4db or 5 hahaha. How do you find the overall eq?Right now using ”Bring Me The Disco King” by David Bowie to try the different eq settings.
As I adjust the gain of LS and move it between 55-65 Hz it becomes very clear to me how much the bass impacts the perception of the Nano being (overly) bright or not. In my system (and my preferences!) the Nano does much better with a LS at around 55-65 Hz but with +4-5 dB.
Where to put that HS has caused me some headache
Are you trying to compensate for resonances with the eq at 8400?
Really niceI'm trying to tame peaks here and there to make the treble a little smoother, at 8400 there's a big one. Every now and then I do like to bump that low shelf at 60 with 4db or 5 hahaha. How do you find the overall eq?
You’ve done a great job with that eqI'm trying to tame peaks here and there to make the treble a little smoother, at 8400 there's a big one. Every now and then I do like to bump that low shelf at 60 with 4db or 5 hahaha. How do you find the overall eq?
I dropped the gain on the bass shelf to your setting of +2.5 dB. To me it’s slightly to lean but I do get your point. Adjusted it up to +3.0-3.5 dB and that may be a better compromise.
How do you work with eq? Measuring Rig? Sweeps? Tracks?
Again, excellent work.
All this time I’ve forgotten to mention the headphone cable…
The one thing I bought when I had the Ananda was a balanced cable. And the same cable is the one I’ve used with the Nano all along.
I didn’t think much of it until yesterday when I tried the stock cable. It’s not a good cable and does the Nano no favours at all!
The one thing I bought when I had the Ananda was a balanced cable. And the same cable is the one I’ve used with the Nano all along.
I didn’t think much of it until yesterday when I tried the stock cable. It’s not a good cable and does the Nano no favours at all!
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