[G3ck0]

I currently have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD900x. I love them. The sound stage, the more neutral sound, the 'accurate' bass I guess? It seems like the Hifiman headphones will give me something similar, just a lot better?

At this point I'm willing to spend about 1000AUD, maybe up to 1300. That would get me the Ananda (1000), or the Sundara and a JDS Labs Atom stack (about 1000 too). If I bought the Ananda, I would in the future buy a proper stack, or maybe a $200 amp/dac combo to pair with it for a while before upgrading? Then there's the widely loved HD600, about the same price as the Sundara. I listen to a lot of music with acoustic instruments and heavy vocal focus, while also enjoying a fair bit of rock. Nothing too bass heavy, if that matters.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? Other headphones that might work well for what I'm looking for? Living in Australia does affect pricing a lot, this is the site I'll be buying from: https://addictedtoaudio.com.au/

Thanks for any help!

 

[PurpleAngel]

I like Audio Technica headphones, the ATH-A900X was my preferred headphone for awhile.
Currently my preferred headphone is the Takstar HF 580 planar headphones, with Sendyaudio AVIA ear pads.
Something like the Audio-GD NFB-11.28 ($450?) would do just fine for a DAC/amp, or the NFB-11.38 model or R2R.
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/N11.28PE/NFB1128PEN.htm

 

[silent-circuit]

Audio Technica ATH-R70X should probably be on your short list.

 

[Deolum]

Your music preferences sound more like HD600/650 for me than Ananda. Acoustic instruments and heavy vocal focus works should require a natural sound and there the HD600/650 has the edge over the Ananda due to dynamic > planar.

 

[G3ck0]

Audio Technica ATH-R70X should probably be on your short list.

This is tempting, but now I'm having a hard problem comparing it the the HD600/650. So many conflicting opinions! The R70X is at least a decent bit cheaper in Australia, which is nice.

EDIT: One thing I should probably point out that I like about my ATH-AD700/900x is the sound stage. I do like it feeling more open, like the music is all around me rather than being in my ears. I've heard the 600 series is more 'intimate', so I assume that would be something I wouldn't like as much.

 

[plmon]

I have both the Sundara and the AD900x. I personally prefer the Sundara; has better detail retrieval and speed than the AD900x (though the AD900x is pretty good in the speed department), more balanced tonality and better bass, and probably most importantly for me, doesn't have the weird clarity dip. From my experience, the Audio Technica house sound does this thing where they have a peak in the upper mids, but then dips around it to compensate. This gives stuff like female vocals and guitars good presence and detail, but makes them smoothed over or "thick" sounding at the same time.

I think the Sundara is a safe choice, though the Ananda might be better for the soundstage. I'd go HD600 if you prioritize the texture and naturalness of vocals/instruments though. The Sundara sounds more natural than AD900x but still not as much as the Sennheiser series. AKG Kxx series is another option if you can find a place to buy it, it has the big soundstage and good upper mids. I actually feel like the AKGs do everything the AD900x does, better.

 

[G3ck0]

AKG Kxx series is another option if you can find a place to buy it, it has the big soundstage and good upper mids. I actually feel like the AKGs do everything the AD900x does, better.

I didn't consider this, but apparently Amazon has it for $300 cheaper than any local store, which all of a sudden makes it extremely tempting. So it's good for acoustic, vocals and a bit of other genres like classic rock etc? How would it compare to the Sundara?

 

[PurpleAngel]

I didn't consider this, but apparently Amazon has it for $300 cheaper than any local store, which all of a sudden makes it extremely tempting. So it's good for acoustic, vocals and a bit of other genres like classic rock etc? How would it compare to the Sundara?

My two cents, I would expect the 37-Ohm Sundara's to be easier to drive, then the 62-Ohm AKG K700 series headphones, so the Sundara would seem to be the better choice, if your going to use the headphones with (battery powered) portable devices (when your not using a desktop DAC/amp).

 

[plmon]

I didn't consider this, but apparently Amazon has it for $300 cheaper than any local store, which all of a sudden makes it extremely tempting. So it's good for acoustic, vocals and a bit of other genres like classic rock etc? How would it compare to the Sundara?

I did some listening with them all side-by-side, to get a more firm impression of how they compare. For music like rock, acoustic, vocal-heavy stuff they were all pretty comparable actually and after some reflection, I'd say all the headphones on your radar are kind of sidegrades more than upgrades (except maybe the Ananda, which I've heard is a cut above).

In terms of soundstage, the AKG was the widest for me but not significantly wider than the AD900x. The Sundaras were the smallest, but that's relatively. Their soundstage is still pretty decent, but I didn't quite get that "around-your-head" feeling the others had as much. I felt the Sundaras and AD900x had better imaging than the AKG though, the positioning of vocals and instruments sounded a bit more "blended" on the AKGs.

In terms of detail retrieval, the Sundaras performed the best across the board since the AKGs and AD900x lack more low end. Drums and bass especially had better texture on the Sundaras. However, the Sundaras lacked some "bite" in the guitars and other instruments. The AKGs had the most bite, with the AD900x coming after, the attack sounded snappier and there was more detail in the decay.

For tonality and timbre, they were all pretty similar with male vocals. With female vocals, the Sundara sounded most natural, the other two were a bit too bright and lacking a little body. Also, that slight "thickness" (or maybe veil?) the AD900x had was more pronounced with female vocals. Though I want to clarify that this issue is pretty minor in regards to the overall tonality, it's just certain sounds didn't come across quite as cleanly as with the AKGs and Sundara.

For comfort, the AKGs have the most comfortable pads for me, the Sundaras would be the most comfortable if the ear hole was a bit bigger. The AD900x's angled cups and thin pads make it the least comfortable for me over the long run, though they are very light. With the AKGs though, the headband can be a dealbreaker. Some models have bumps on them that put pressure on the top of your head, I had to cut the ones on mine off. But otherwise, I like the self-adjusting nature of the AD900x and AKG headbands over the Sundara's yokes.

In terms of power, I found the Sundara and AKGs seem to require similar amounts of power to drive them with my JDS Atom amp and even off an Apple dongle. Though the Sundara's ohm rating is lower than the AKGs, the sensitivity is also pretty low. I can listen to the AD900x at a bit lower than 9 o'clock on the Atom with low gain, but the Sundara and AKGs need 12 o'clock or a bump up to high gain.

My final thoughts are that if you want a clear upgrade from the AD900x, the Anandas might do it better than the other headphones based off what I've heard about them. If you're keeping the AD900x around and want a complementary pair, I'd recommend the Sundara or HD600 since they'll expose you to parts of music the AD900x doesn't do as well. While I still prefer the AKGs over the AD900x, in hindsight I think they might be too similar to warrant buying.

 

[G3ck0]

Thanks, that's great information, and also slightly disappointing haha. I was hoping something like the HD600 or AKG712 would be a noticeable upgrade. I do really want to hear what everyone is talking about in regards to the HD600 vocals, but otherwise the Ananda seems like the clear winner in terms of a good upgrade that will work well with what I listen to.

Maybe a bit of a weird question, but would the Anandas be better in every way over the ATH-AD900x? Maybe not soundstage, but I've read so many reviews and people point out some minor problems with the Anandas, but realistically as long as everything is as good or better than the 900x, I will be happy. Examples include the bass 'punch' and maybe some midrange, usually certain male vocals?

 

[zomkung]

Check this one, it is quite accurate
https://crinacle.com/rankings/headphones/


https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?forums/headphone-reviews-discussions.58/


Personally, I'd prefer the high technical grade and just eq the tonality.