HIFIMAN Ananda Over-Ear Full-Size Open-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones with Stealth Magnet, Comfortable Earpads, Detachable Cable for Home and Studio
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Only 8 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Tuesday, Jul 14
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Features
- Acoustically Invisible Stealth Magnet: Unlike the sound waves created by a conventional magnet, the special shape of Stealth Magnets enables the waves to pass through the magnets without generating interference. HIFIMANs advanced magnet design is acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence that degrades the integrity of the sound waves. The reduced distortion yields pure sonic output that is accurate and full-range.
- NEO supernano Diaphragm (NsD)- Hear what you have been missing: The all new NsD is 80% thinner than previous designs resulting in a faster more detailed response while retaining lush musicality never before possible. At between 1 to 2 microns thick, the NsD diaphragm sets all be standards.
- High Sensitivity: High Sensitivity allows use with virtually any smartphone or portable audio device. Low distortion and amazing sound quality.
- Window Shade Grill Design greatly reduces sonic reflections for clearer sound; Asymmetrical Ear Cups follows the natural shape of the human ear; Hybrid Headband Design: ANANDA has a carefully designed weight dispersing strap allowing the headband to afford outstanding levels of long-term comfort. The sleek and sumptuous matte black finish is combined with a metal construction for maximum durability; Making Connections ANANDA comes with our updated 3.5mm headphone connectors.
- Efficient Planar Performance: ANANDA is the culmination of years of development, lightweight, ultra-fine planar drivers at their heart sing with unmatched agility and power sensitivity. Unparalleled Portable Audio Performance: ANANDA is the perfect companion for the portable devices, a sonic match made in heaven allowing you to experience sonic bliss wherever you may be.
Brand: HIFIMAN
Color: Black
Ear Placement: Over Ear
Form Factor: Over Ear
Impedance: 27 Ohms
Brand Name: HIFIMAN
Model Number: Ananda
Model Name: Ananda
Built-In Media: Cable
Age Range Description: Adult
Warranty Description: 1-Year Warranty
Customer Package Type: FFP
Number of Items: 1
UPC: 736902312223
Global Trade Identification Number: 23
Manufacturer: HIFIMAN Electronics
Is Autographed: No
Headphones Ear Placement: Over Ear
Headphone Folding Features: Over Ear
Earpiece Shape: Over-Ear
Control Type: Media Control
Control Method: Touch
Battery Charge Time: 2.7 Hours
Battery Average Life: 10 Hours
Impedance: 27 Ohms
Noise Control: None
Sensitivity: 103.00
Audio Driver Type: Planar Magnetic Driver
Frequency Range: 8Hz – 55K Hz
Enclosure Material: Metal
Specific Uses For Product: Music
Antenna Location: Music
Compatible Devices: Compatible with devices with 3.5mm audio jack such as iPhone, androids, iPad, iPod, laptops, tablets, computers, Mac, etc.
Cable Features: Detachable
Water Resistance Level: Not Water Resistant
Additional Features: Lightweight
Number of Power Levels: 1
Headphone Jack: 3.5 mm Jack
Connectivity Technology: Wired
Bluetooth Range: 10 Meters
Color: Black
Item Weight: 14.07 Ounces
Unit Count: 1.0 Count
Frequently asked questions
The Stealth Magnet feature in Ananda Headphones refers to the impressive magnet technology that allows for an acoustically transparent sound without interference. It enhances the sound quality and audio detail significantly by reducing wave diffraction turbulence which cuts distortion, delivering a more pure or 'stealth' audio.
Planar magnetic technology in headphones ensures a superior audio experience. It uses a magnetic field to activate the diaphragm, which results in highly accurate sound reproduction. The Ananda Headphones have a very thin diaphragm, which means they can reproduce insanely fast and detailed audio.
Yes, absolutely. The Ananda Headphones are designed with comfortable earpads that are suitable for extended wear. They are made with material that is gentle on the skin and provides a secure but comfortable fit. This makes them perfect for home, studio, or extended use.
Yes, you can. The Ananda Headphones come with a detachable cable. This means you can easily replace it in case it gets damaged or if you want a customized cable for a particular use. The detachable cable also makes it more convenient for storage and transportation.
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Top Amazon Reviews
🚀 Abunda's Overview
This is our summary and key points to consider based on customer reviews.
The HIFIMAN Ananda headphones are highly rated by users for their exceptional sound quality and clarity across various frequencies. While some users consider these headphones to have a bit of a large fit, overall, most reviewers express satisfaction, particularly with the sound quality which is described as superior to other brands such as Sennheiser. The headphones' comfort level may require some adjustment, but the impeccable sound profile outweighs the minor discomfort for the majority of users.
Pros
- 🎧 Outstanding sound clarity and range, capable of producing frequencies not heard with other headphones.
- đź’ˇ Exceptional performance with high-quality sources, making the listening experience quite a revelation.
- đź‘Ť Comfortable, adjustable fit with a generous cable length.
- 🤑 Considered great value for money compared to other high-end stereo gear.
Cons
- ⚠️ Some users find the headphones to be oversized, especially individuals with smaller heads.
- 🎵 High fidelity sound may expose the limitations of lower quality music sources.
- 🔊 Open-back design may leak sound significantly, potentially causing disturbance to others in the immediate vicinity.
Should I Buy It?
If you prioritize high-quality sound and are willing to accommodate minor discomforts concerning the fitting, the HIFIMAN Ananda headphones are well worth considering. Particularly, if you listen to high-quality music sources and enjoy immersing yourself in a superior listening experience, these headphones should definitely be on your list.
1 year update: I've now had the Ananda for almost one year and have been switching back and forth between them and the HD6xx. I will have a new incoming very soon (either the Audeze LCD-2c or Focal Clear OG). After a year, the truth is I find myself using the Sennheiser HD6xx slightly more often than the Hifimans. There is one simple reason for this, and its one that I mentioned in my original review below...the Sennys are much more comfortable and more critically, RELAXING. More often than not I listen to my headphones at the end of the day after my kids are in bed, and normally I want a relaxing experience. The HD6xx do a much better job of that than the Ananda. There is no question that the Ananda are technically a much more competent headphone than the HD6xx, but relaxing is not a word I would use to describe them. Its also more difficult to focus on something else while listening to the Ananda, sometimes I want music in the background while I'm doing something else. The HD6xx are excellent for that purpose, Ananda not so much. I still enjoy the Ananda for gaming and for listening sessions when I really want to pay attention to the details in the music. If thats what you want, they are an amazing deal now (even cheaper than I paid). But if you're an old fart like me (I'm 42 btw), you might actually prefer a Sennheiser HD 600 series can. My initial impressions in my original review all still apply. Original Review: I just bought these at what is apparently the new reduced price of $399, cheaper than the Edition XS, and it has to be said...they are spectacular at that price point. Yes they now have a newer version of these (the nano) but are they worth $300 more? Probably not. However, the only thing I can compare them to is the Sennheiser HD6xx because thats the only other higher end open back can that I own. To give you some background I am by no means a dedicated audiophile. Generally speaking I would not spend more than about $500 on any single piece of audio gear because it is my firm belief that beyond this price the law of diminishing returns really starts taking precedent. I've been listening to rock/metal and blues all my life and have been playing guitar and recording for 30+ years. FYI my $500 limit does not include guitar or recording equipment, only equipment purely for the purpose of LISTENING to music. My source gear includes a high end gaming PC and Schiit Modi/Magni stack connected via USB. Prior to purchasing the Ananda I had the 6xx for a few years and have really enjoyed them. These are my initial impressions of the Ananda vs. the 6xx after roughly 5-6 hours of listening time: Overall I find the Ananda to be much more "surgical" than the 6xx. They have a far bigger soundstage and are much more crisp and detailed. The 6xx are more intimate and a little warmer, particularly in the mid range, and I prefer the 6xx when it comes to vocals (and more specifically MALE vocals). For just about everything else though, the Ananda is superior. Just like the 6xx, the Ananda also lacks in the low frequencies, but that can be corrected with EQ, and unlike the 6xx the Anandas EQ extremely well. I found the 6xx to get a little muddy with too much low end boost, but not the Ananda. Despite the relatively neutral response of the Ananda, I do find them to be a little brighter than the 6xx which I don't like. But once again, that can be corrected with EQ. Due to the excellent soundstage and imaging of the Ananda when it comes to gaming and movies, there is simply no comparison to the HD6xx, they are far superior. Comfort is my biggest complaint so far with the Ananda. I have pressure points at my jaw and on the top of my head due to the combined effect of the clamping force, relatively stiff earpads, and the shear weight of them. The 6xx are far more comfortable for long listening sessions. One other thing: the cups on the Ananda are so huge that positioning them properly on your head (placing your ear in the correct location inside the cup) is actually very important and impacts the sound. That can take some adjusting early on to get them in the right place. If you read that comparison above and are still wondering whether or not I prefer them to the 6xx, you aren't alone. I'm still on the fence about that and haven't come to a firm conclusion. But either way, they are sufficiently different from the 6xx (and most likely all other Sennheiser HD models) to justify owning them along side the Sennys. I wouldn't trade in my 6xx for them, but I am happy to own them and most likely will reach for them more often than the 6xx, perhaps just not for as long of a stretch. At $399 though, you can't go wrong. You'll most likely be happy with them and overall, I would consider them a marginal "upgrade" to the HD6xx/650.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2023 Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2023 by LD
My first planar was the HiFiMAN HE-400 as that was the first planar at an affordable price.($400) However it was heavy, uncomfortable, and difficult to drive. The sound quality was on the muddy side especially in the mid and high end which is supposed to be what planars excel in. I picked up my old AKG K702s and never used the 400's again. So it was with trepidation I purchased this headphone fully expecting to return them. However I was more than pleasantly surprised. Right out of the box these are best sounding headphones I've ever listened to! The bass heard through Nirvana's Nevermore. The snap and pop heard with Steely Dan's Aja was incredible. I could actually hear the drum stick hit the snare and a guitar pick striking a string. On Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Miles' trumpet and John Coltrane's and Cannonball Adderly's saxes were stunning. These were originally $999, but dropped to $699 which still isn't cheap. But it does put them in reach of anyone wanting a hi-end headphone. The main caveat is to really get the most out of these, a dedicated headphone amp is a must. You're not going to plug these into your phone and experience what they have to offer. First off being open back planars, they leak a lot. So listening to them in a public without disturbing others will not work. I've not had the chance to hear them through Audioquest Dragonfly Red or any other USB powered DAC/amps, so, as they say, you pays yer monies, and you takes yer chances. You can return them, but for this quality, in my humble opinion, an amp upgrade would be the way to go. One thing worth mentioning is the stock cables. One is a straight 1/4in. about 5ft. or 1.5 meters and the other is a right angle 3.5mm with a 1/4in. adapter. The connecters are high quality, however the outer jacket is very flexible to the point of being on the flimsy side. The nice part is they're comfortable so you don't feel like you're tied to the amp. The downside is they are on the delicate side so it's a good thing they aren't 3 meters. However it's easy to make a sharp bend or kink. Just something to be aware of. Being detachable it's easy to replace them with an aftermarket cable. Just remember their connectors are 3.55mm instead of 2.5 of earlier models. That being said, I can't imagine anyone not loving these headphones unless you're really used to big buck items. For home use for sure, but properly driven, I can't see anyone returning a non-defective set. Update: After 100 hours of 3 different brown noise tracks, they sound remarkable. There is a CD from Ayre Acoustics titled the "Irrational, but Efficacious System Enhancement Disc". This is not some tweek that everyone will forget in a year. My audio dealer gave me mine in 2002 and I still use it to this day. I think its $20. It will be the best 20 bucks you ever spend. Brown noise is "low-pass filtered to closely mimic the spectral distribution of music". This makes this ideal for breaking in anything that needs it, including cables. This disc also has some features I won't go into. Don't want to spoil... But I Digress. These headphones blow away every one I've ever heard. Do they sound better than a $2000 Audez or Sennheiser HD800 S? Or any other big buck Focals or really big buck electrostatics? I've never heard them as everything I do is online especially since my audio shop shut down about 6 months ago. However it's reasonable to assume they do. $25,000 electrostatics with their own tube driven amp and DAC will be the best sounding headphones ever made. Man, the Sennheiser HE-1 is over $50,000. You have to give Sennheiser $10,000 down(not refundable) and they will build them for you. The point I'm trying to make if there's another headphone under $1,000 that sounds better, I'd like to hear about it. And the price is down to $699. I've been an audiophile since 1979 so I know what I'm talking about. If you've got the scratch, buy a pair. Break them in thoroughly. The Ayre disc is ideal. You won't be disappointed. Since breaking this headphone has really come into it's own. I can't imagine any headphone costing less than $1000 sounding this good. Like I said if you're going to power this with your phone, yeah it will work and get fairly loud, but to really want to get all it capable of, plan on a descent headphones amplifier. You don't need a tube driven megabuck, but an amp/DAC that's close to what you paid for it.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2020 by Aldous Huxley
Let me start by saying that these are wonderful headphones. The headphones I personally own are DT880, Bose comfort quite 35 and a whole bunch of other cheaper headphones and ear monitors (mostly these Chinese brands on Amazon and apple AirPods). I have also bought and return Hifiman He400SE and Fidelo X2HR (bought due to recommendation from a popular website). These headphones blow all of them outta the water in term of sound quality. The instrument separation and actual sound stage is awesome. And they have so much clean bass! Like deep undistorted bass. It is a wonderful experience. These are also pretty comfortable. The fact they dont touch your ears, prevent them from heating up too much. There is a slight pressure on the jaws, but that is easily mitigated by adjusting the headphones. Things to consider before buy-in these headphones, so that you are not disappointed. They have very deep bass but they might not be people who enjoy a lot of mid bass thump. There are headphones out there that do it much better than these, but they always almost distort the mids and sometimes over power the reminder of the sound signature. So if you are bass head, this might not be for you. There is also the fact that these are open backs with pretty chunky speakers. You can literally crank them up, take them off you head and listen to them as low sounding dedicated speakers lol. So, ya, cannot be used on airplanes or next to your spouse while sleeping. And noise around you leak into the headphone, so they need a semi quite room to enjoy at low volumes. The also need a decent system to drive. I will say, that I use a new gen MacBook Pro, and they do a wonderful job of driving these. The MacBook even drives my difficult to drive Dt880 nicely. So if someone is thinking of buying a 1000 dollar dac/headphone amp; save you money and buy a MacBook that you can use portably and have multiple applications for. So why the 4 stars? The build quality is atrocious. My Dt880 where the first "semi-audiophile" headphones that I ever purchased. For 180 bucks, they offer a great value proposition for a beautiful "U-shaped" sound signature. I dont think I can ever go back to listening to those headphones, but I did use them pretty regularly for 11 years. And they are build like a tank. Still in excellent condition. These on the other hand, feels like it will break in 6 months. With that, I come to one point that is maybe going to make send these back. The freaking ear pads creak all the time. You move your head, they creak. You smile cause you are enjoying the experience, they creak. Freaking things creak all the freaking time. And because it is right around your ears (they conduct noise like crazy. Freaking make these almost unusable unless you are perfectly still. 400 dollar headphones (basically a toy no matter what audiophiles say), should be enjoyable and cater to u. Not the other way around. You might have better luck with these headphones due to different factors (maybe I got a lemon, maybe my head is weird, maybe it needs more break-in), but it is honestly an important point to keep in mind. Sacrificing your sanity for a sake of better music might sound appealing to some, but it is not for me.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2023 by Placeholder
These headphones released in about 2020 (I think!), retailing at $1000. Because the model has been replaced in Hifiman's line by the Ananda Stealth, the company is clearing the Ananda from its inventory. I got these for $359(!), and they blow everything I've ever heard anywhere near that price point (admittedly, not that much; as a business traveler, most of my "ear money" has gone to IEMs) totally away. You should pause reading this and immediately put them in your Amazon cart if they're still available. As of today, AliExpress has them at an even cheaper $320, but who wants to risk returning a lemon to China? Especially given Hifiman's reputation for poor durability. I live in an apartment and try to be a good neighbor, so I don't listen to anything at volume, except through headphones or in the car. I've been using SteelSeries' $300 Arctic Wireless Pro at home for six years, which at the time I bought them were considered the wireless "gaming" headset with the best sound quality (now perhaps displaced by the Arctis Nova Wireless and the Audeze Maxwell or equivalent), at home for the last six years. The Arctis has a Hi-res sticker -- which mostly means it can reproduce sound up to 40kHz, double the limit of human hearing -- but let me tell you, they weren't even close to the Ananda. They're fine in their own right, but listening to them after the Ananda, or even a good IEM, is like listening to music through a medium-thin towel. The only area (other than build) in which they can even compete is comfort, and given the Ananda's low weight and huge earcups (for my big ears), I don't think it'll even win there, in the long run. The Ananda's earcups have no swivel, and the fit is large on my medium-hat-wearing head. The bottom of the cups are fully in contact with my lower jaw for about 1/2". It's different, but not uncomfortable so far. These are my first open-backs, and I like the experience. I'm a basshead, and these things deliver all the slam and rumble I want. The sub-bass extends all the way down, but the bass shelf doesn't seem to veil the mids at all, and bass is textured and controlled. I'm not yet sure what I think about the bass timbre, but it might give something up to an IEM like the UM 3DT Terminator. They're significantly better than I expected, anyway. The highs are sparkly but not sibilant, and there's space between instruments. Imaging is solid, if not exceptional, and the dynamic headroom of the planar drivers seems practically infinite. (My first planars were actually the $189 Hidizs MP145, which are hugely impressive, but don't provide an experience like full-size cans.) I find it bizarre that a headphone that retailed at $1000 only came with a single-ended cable. But you can find aftermarket replacements on Amazon for <$40. I'm a big fan of balanced connections, so that was a mandatory purchase for me. It hasn't yet arrived, so the impressions above are based on the single-ended (3.5mm) connection. If you've never listened to headphones with a balanced (2.5mm or 4.4mm) connection, these are still going to sound great to you. Which brings me to my most severe criticism: the absolutely spartan presentation. These were clearly made at the end of a run, and there's literally nothing included in the box but the headset, a small box containing the cable, and packing material. If these had cost $700 (as they evidently once did) that would be very disappointing, but I'm not even knocking off a star at this price. Others have noted that the Anandas are difficult to drive, but I don't think that's true. I wouldn't plug them into your phone, but their low impedance and high sensitivity mean that even a high-quality dongle will be probably able to drive them well. (I, however, have been listening from a Fiio K9 DAC/amp plugged into my PC and playing FLAC and hi-def files.) It may be of note that while the Arctis Wireless Pro can be operated wired, it's done through a USB-to-3.55mm adapter; this means it can't benefit from external amplification, though a good DAC is always welcome. It does have an excellent mic, through, and did a decent job with multi-channel simulation.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024 by Chris Crenshaw
The sound is amazing. And for the price it better be. The headband leaves a little bit to be desired, but for my head, the pads were contoured just enough to be a comfortable fit. Swivel would make the comfort perfect for me. The sound is just amazing. It’s huge, spacious, and very detailed. Nothing is left out, nothing is over emphasized. Just a really nice balance. Those who are treble sensitive might find it too bright, but that’s a matter of taste. As far as tonality goes, I have very little gripes with it. All in all, it’s a great headphone. The sounds is amazing, and the comfort is not amazing for me, but coming from the HD 700, not much can come close. Edit: taking off two stars because the headband was cheaper than I expected. After two days of owning, the right headband height adjust no longer held its place and just slides freely. For this price, I at least expect the build quality up to par with much cheaper headphones. It’s really disappointing because the sound is really good. I’ll be getting a replacement and see how that one fairs. Edit 2: putting this down to one stars because the quality of the headband is just a joke and an embarrassment for the price. For $700, I expect a comfortable and durable headband. The lack of swivel made the comfort questionable, but at least the angled pads could make up 90% of that issue. Sadly, nothing can make up for that porrly built headband. The "leather" strap is much too stiff and feels like a piece of plastic on the head. I have an audeze headband on one of my headphones and that leather is much more plush, elastic and comfortable than this. The metal yokes, while indeed durable, is not the issue. The issue is the plastic housing that these go into. When extending them while putting them on, I can notice the inner piece of plastic bulging out. With a few more months of use, I can definitely see this headphone breaking in this area. Needlessly to say, I returned this. A shame, because the sound quality was definitely up there for the asking price. Sadly though, swivel is a must have for comfort for me, and this headphones lack of it made it uncomfortable top use. The horrible quality of the headband cannot be overstated, and Hifiman cannot be more overrated in the audiophile community. Steer clear from this Chi-Fi company and give your money to a company that isnt known for QC and headband quality issues.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021 by Natalia Hatalia
I would like to start with a brief description of my own HiFi experience. I am, what many would consider an old timer for this hobby. If we head back in time to the mid or late 1960s, you’ll get a better picture of my past adventures in this field. Those were the days of reasonable and affordable equipment … examples would be - the Shure V15 cartridge, Dynaco A25 speakers, Acoustic Research, Phase liner, Manaplaners, AR turntables and the famous line of Audio Research, Conrad Johnson, and Crown products, which were our reference products at that time (and, more expensive of course). I love those times, there was so much fun and enjoyment …for me anyway. Then everything changed …stereo magazines started advertising (and reviewing) mega buck equipment, high end amplifiers, speakers, turntables, and even ridiculously priced cartridges, that were easily out of reach for 99 percent of us audiophiles. That’s when the fun stopped, for most of us anyway. Sometime after this transition, I’m not exactly sure when, (because I did bail out from this hobby for a period of time) we switched to buying Headphones, as an alternate music source, of course it came along with all their associated equipment needed …such as, amps, Dacs, cables etc. And that was that. Let us move on to what I’m writing this review about …the HIFI Man Ananda headphones. The Ananda’s come in a nicely decorated box, which was a nice touch. Inside are two cables, one is short while the other is long (Sorry, I didn’t measure them). The important part is to not get rid of them, which I’ll come back to why later. I did listen to several reviewers and ordered a replacement cable, a dual 3.5mm to 6.3mm cable, with the quarter inch plugging into my amp. Why I purchased the Ananda’s To be honest, I wanted something of an upgrade over my other Headphones, I have: Fostex Sennheiser and Grado and even an earlier HIFI MAN, the HE – 400. I started reading reviews of all other Headphones, and eventually decided on the Ananda’s. The reason was actually because of the critically and much-loved Sondora’s. Everyone cherished them. They measured very well, base, and middle frequencies were well done, highs were ok … but, more importantly, everyone said they were the headphones to beat at their advertised price. However, I wanted something a little more special than – “a best at that price point kind of product!” So, I went out and brought, what I figured was, an even more refined product, the Ananda’s (at least that was what reviewers were stating.) So how do they sound, well, first let me say this, I wanted the Ananda’s to fail. I wanted to listen to them for a period and then decide …” hey, these aren’t any better than the headphones I already own” and eventually return them … in turn, save the money. I didn’t … I kept them. They, the HiFi man’s Ananda, are simply beautiful sounding. However, I do think the Ananda’s must be broken in, some may reject this procedure and that’s fine, but for my ears they seemed to settle down over time, became smoother, opened up and reduce the slight grain in the upper mids to an almost nonexistent level. Remember that cable I replaced, the one’s that came with the Ananda for a different one, well, I got rid of it, and instead used the original shorter of the two cables that came with the headphones, and bingo, that just about fixed everything that I had questioned about the sound. Be careful what cables you buy. Lesson, the Ananda’s will reveal everything that’s going on downstream through your components and very thoroughly too! Sound Description The mids on the Ananda’s are smooth and exciting. Voices come across as open and well positioned, along with the proper distance between singers and band. Orchestra instruments sound vibrate and natural sounding without any trailing grain or edginess, just, Listen to Noah Jones or Alison Krauss on a well recorded track. The highs are particularly good also, smooth and airy. I believe are one of the best highs produced on any HIFI man headphone. The bass, well you undoubtedly heard this a thousand times before …this is not for bass junkies. The bass is very satisfying, but you will not hear (or feel for that matter) the impact of the cannon shots on John Williams, The land Race form the movie Far and Away. Summarizing, the Ananda’s are good to very good in many areas of sound reproduction, but what makes them so special to me, well …let me take this approach to better describe their sound, Hopefully you seen the movie Goodfellas, if you did, you’ll remember the part that emphasizes their lifestyles back then, when Henry Hill played by Ray liotta takes his date Karen, played by Lorraine Bracco, to the Copacabana nightclub. Using their special celebrity status, they bypass all the regular paths (that us normal people would have to take) to get into the nightclub, when they get to the main stage, a couple of servers bring out a table, which they position close to the band …one that’s up front and center. Other Servers, then attach a table lamp, which is followed by someone sending over (to their table) what looks like, an expensive bottle of something, for Henry and his date. Now … it’s the up-close part that you should be focusing on, because this is what the Ananda’s do. These headphones will force you to dive into the heart of the music source itself. What I mean is, the closeness, almost touchy-feely sensation of the sound itself, and this is not an in-your-face experience part, which other headphones will only plant in front of you. I’m sorry, If this analogy didn’t make sense to you, for the life of me, it’s sometimes hard to describe the sound signature of these headphones. However, if you put on a good recording like - Jazz at the Pawnshop,” you’ll be at that front row table listing to an excellent jazz band, also, listen to Brandi Carlile sing, This Time Tomorrow and you’ll swear she’s playing her guitar several feet from you. More so, if you’re listening to sample tracks from an album, or perhaps a number of selective tunes from a new streaming site, these Headphones can be addictive, in the sense, they’ll immerse you with their life like rendition of whatever you’re asking their musical charms to reproduce for you. Their seductive powers will force you to play the whole selection straight through, over and over again. Yes, Ananda’s will have you follow a trail of breadcrumbs leading to a dream like cottage in the woods, one surrounded by colored flowers, and a clear blue sky, just like a Kinkade painting hanging in an art gallery… pardon me for this silly analogy. Simply put, the Ananda’s will easily excite you, just as a live experience would. In closing, the Ananda’s are my favorite headset right now. These are the ones I use when I want to disappear into the exciting world of music at night. Funny, sometimes it feels like the late 1960’s again … imagine that! Bobby J
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Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2021 by Bobby J
Good: Lots of positive reviews regarding the sound quality. But, the Law of Diminished Return applies. For example, while the Ananda is double the price of the Denon AH-D5000, but I consider the sound to be 10/15% better, not considerably better. The silver looking grill appears to be metal and the ear cup appears to be harden reinforced plastic. Very detail sound & separation of the details Bad: While I bought it here, NEW from Hifiman. The shipper just slapped a shipping label on the retail box, no shipping box. The retail / leather box arrived dirty, scratched and unsealed. When I opened it, the headphone was filthy, lots of dandruffs inside both ear cups. One ear cup even had two short hairs in it. See pics Bad headband design. The headband deep scratches / damages itself under normal use!! Scratch marks got deeper and more apparent after a few days. Ugly: I compared it to another Ananda, very close serial number / about 50. Both the headband feels and the sounds are considerably different! This one has a much looser head band / little clamping force. After many test tracks, the sound is consistently dull and lacks sparkle. I prefer the sound of the other Ananda. Personally, I prefer speakers over headphones because the deep bass and 3-D sound allow me to feel the music better. While I really did not expect the Ananda to beat my speakers, Ananda did sound more detailed which presents another side of the music and a different feel. Quality, fit and finish, and packaging are a big disappointment. I have higher expectations for headphones that is a quarter of the Ananda’s price. (One can study apple or oneplus's packaging) Even the fancy leather looking box is poorly designed. It’s useless after you take out the headphone. While the box looks big, it is a tight fit. In order to store the headphone in it, you have to unplug the wires and shrink the headband. It is a chore and not sure how long those plugs and the head band will last if you do it frequently. The self-scratching headband is so terrible and I don't recall any cheap headphones that even comes close. Whoever picks up this headphone will have to see two deep scratch marks from the band.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021 Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2021 by Mike
Disclaimer: I am new to planar-magnetically driven headphones. Bought these for general home use and to try out the technology. I game and listen to music of a large variety, typically at high volume levels. Running a Fosi Audio K7, using the USB-C to USB-C cable they included. All inputs are wired. I am not using a balanced cable, but the 3.5mm that HIFIMAN included. The sound out of the standard cord without any amplification was not nearly loud enough to enjoy my music without, but that was honestly to be expected. I wish the ear cups were a little softer, but they are overall comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time. The cups are so big there is no way anyone with even the biggest ears wouldn't find theirs nestled within them comfortably. They are of sturdy construction, though they never leave my desk, so their risk of being dropped is very low anyways. The driver is surprisingly responsive. I would expect such a large diaphragm to suffer with this, but these headphones really excel in ways I did not see coming. Country, Classical, Rock, and nearly every acoustic song you can imagine sound great under these things. Lots of available surface area for channel separation. They do well even with bass-heavy genres, but don't over-drive them. It is easier to do than one may think. Doing so will literally chop up any other sounds it is attempting to play, so watch your EQ. Also, as expected of open-back headphones, they are very loud for anyone else in the room. Overall, these are a great experience for nearly any listener.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2026 by Ishmael Williams