[mojevajaco]

So I'm still on the quest of finding something "better" than my shp9500.
After HD6xx debacle that sounded very veiled to my old ears no matter what i tried to throw at them I moved on to DT1990 Pro.
They were great. The build is excelent. The sound was almost there. Nice and bright just didn't feel the 3d space as much as Shps.
Enter Sundara. I'm still getting the feel for them but quick A/B confirms I like ShPs better.(still some veil left in comparison)
At this point I'm starting to feel like I'm stuck with my " end game" headphone that costs merely a 10th of what I'm prepared to spend. I know cost does not equal quality in this hobby but there must be something similar in sound but a significant step up.
Suggestions ?

 

[amoeba1126]

I guess my big question is this "If you are content with your SHP9500, what is driving you to look for something else?" The SHP9500 is a pair of great headphones that punches well above its weight class IMO. That said, what exactly is it that you are looking for in comparison to your SHP9500? More bass? Bigger soundstage? Lusher midrange? Less treble?

 

[mojevajaco]

I guess my big question is this "If you are content with your SHP9500, what is driving you to look for something else?" The SHP9500 is a pair of great headphones that punches well above its weight class IMO. That said, what exactly is it that you are looking for in comparison to your SHP9500? More bass? Bigger soundstage? Lusher midrange? Less treble?

That's a good question.
I guess in the future you'll have a pair if cans and will be able to dial in characteristics of any headphone out there.
Till then i guess it is trial an error type of deal.
At this point I've been listening to shp9500 for so long that it became my baseline of what normal should sound like and everything else although not worse just sounds different.
So I'm trying a different path now. Got Ananda on the way. Gonna give my SHP rest and see if i can find some miracle in Anandas after prolonged listening.
Worst thing is I only get a chance to really listen once or twice a week so when that happens I want it to be enjoyable and don't want to compromise.

 

[amoeba1126]

That's a good question.
I guess in the future you'll have a pair if cans and will be able to dial in characteristics of any headphone out there.
Till then i guess it is trial an error type of deal.
At this point I've been listening to shp9500 for so long that it became my baseline of what normal should sound like and everything else although not worse just sounds different.
So I'm trying a different path now. Got Ananda on the way. Gonna give my SHP rest and see if i can find some miracle in Anandas after prolonged listening.
Worst thing is I only get a chance to really listen once or twice a week so when that happens I want it to be enjoyable and don't want to compromise.

I am a bit confused. Does this mean you find them boring now or are looking to see what else is out there in terms of sound? If that's the case, that is absolutely fine. People get bored of things all the time and try new stuff! Now if there are some areas where you feel like you "want more", then it may be easier to give you suggestions of higher tier headphones. That said, always remember that the audio world is one of vicious diminishing returns; you will never get an appropriate increase in sound quality compared to how much more you pay.

 

[mojevajaco]

On the subject of diminishing returns: comparing Sundara and Ananda is like night and day. I'm sure there's folks out there that would pick Sundara over Ananda but to me the veil on Sundara is just so strong i have no regrets spending 2x on Ananda. Every dollar extra was well worth it.
Dare i say i have found the "replacement" for my SHPs. Like many reviews say Ananda does lot of things well. And with my old ears not having have to eq them is a says a lot about them.
Now in a true audiophile - never - satisfied fashion i can't wait to see what Arya has to offer. That's where i expect the diminishing returns to start to show.

 

[539465]

On the subject of diminishing returns: comparing Sundara and Ananda is like night and day. I'm sure there's folks out there that would pick Sundara over Ananda but to me the veil on Sundara is just so strong i have no regrets spending 2x on Ananda. Every dollar extra was well worth it.
Dare i say i have found the "replacement" for my SHPs. Like many reviews say Ananda does lot of things well. And with my old ears not having have to eq them is a says a lot about them.
Now in a true audiophile - never - satisfied fashion i can't wait to see what Arya has to offer. That's where i expect the diminishing returns to start to show.

I know a lot of people mirror my sentiment that the Sundara is the most natural sounding headphone they have heard that literally sounds like you aren't even wearing a headphone, like you are there and is therefore the headphone I have experienced from my collection and auditioning with the ABSOLUTE LEAST veil, perhaps one could make that argument for the mids in comparison to a few other extremely mid focused headphones that are in the $400+ price range but it is by no means strong in any respect.....

I would check your DAC and AMPlification since I have no idea what you were running but you were on SHP's it might not be up to the task of running planars and some of the best under $500 at that.

 

[mojevajaco]

Point noted. I just might keep Sundara around till i get the Modius to see what i might be missing there.
Right now running Smsl sp200 amp which from what i hear has enough juice to power even power hungry cans.
DAC is either straight from lg v40 or Fx audio x6.
Mostly flac or tidal master.
I suppose there can be improvement in the chain but wouldn't that also improve the performance of Ananda and thus still maintain the gap between the two?

 

[539465]

Point noted. I just might keep Sundara around till i get the Modius to see what i might be missing there.
Right now running Smsl sp200 amp which from what i hear has enough juice to power even power hungry cans.
DAC is either straight from lg v40 or Fx audio x6.
Mostly flac or tidal master.
I suppose there can be improvement in the chain but wouldn't that also improve the performance of Ananda and thus still maintain the gap between the two?

Yeah man I feel so weird telling you that because clearly the sound is not for you, if you want increased resolution and detail (perhaps that to you is stopping it from sounding crisp/clear) then the Ananda is going to be better.... So this is weird because for a lot of people including myself who just got the M1570's that blow sundara out of the water for $400(TL: DR they are intensely heavy and wonky which is why they probably aren't more loved) I still think even at $500 the Sundara is worth it so of course Ananda better at $700 buy! but a lot of people say it's not worth it when the Sundara is $350 or OB can be had as low as $270 not sure if that is accurate and cannot speak totally to their justification, but a lot here regard the Arya as close to endgame for under $2000 so maybe it's just a bigger leap but yeah it's a hell of a lot of money....

Yes any weak point should benefit both cans, it's just the leap from acceptable to good is usually more notable or more required than from good to great for enjoyment. I will say I think you will benefit from a better DAC I wasn't a believer until I got a cheap used Emotiva Little Ego (formerly $170) under $60... but on my Bas X A-100 pushing 12W into 32ohm I get to about 12 O clock when max is 4 O clock so they take some power.... I would say move on and if you think it's detail/resolution go for Ananda expect better but not by leaps and bounds and hope the Sound signature better suits you, in the short run I strong suggest if you aren't maxing out your AMP with the sundara or getting close turning down the volume on the player/computer and using that to push the knob on the AMP farther as really the only thing that can make much of a difference is probably the DAC or using Balanced cables both being a bit of an investment and IMO changing headphone will go farther every time for your setup.

I will add if you purchase it please use a credit card that offers an extra Year warranty this is one reason I did get the Sundara but not the Arya when Hifiman offered it for $1,300 new because with the extra year 2 years for Sundara is good and for Arya IMO for $1,300 2 years is not enough, for both 1 year IMO is not at all acceptable. A lot of credit cards will offer this service and yours might even without you being aware if you never heard of it, if you know it does then your all set man, headphone companies understand the auditioning and Hifiman has good sounds if you are ok with spending $700 in the end you will find something you like from Hifiman or elsewhere.