There's no such thing as MPC gear that no one wants

 

I got a bag with a manual and MPC trash here. If you want it , make me an offer I can't refuse ( padrino style )

EDIT: I'll even add a Midiman midisport 4x4 for your beautiful brown eyes.

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2023

that really is all trash but nostalgia made me want the zip drive for about 6 seconds before I came to my senses

 

I was at a noise show where the dude on stage went crazy and trashed his 280s and was throwing them away. I totally snagged them as backup parts cause I knew how replaceable everything was from experience

 

What did I said ?

 

Hey Martel,
I was talking to Emrah in a mastering group on facebook and he showed me the correction curve he made for the Ananda Nano, in case you're curious:



Keep in mind he's aiming more for the hifi curve (Herman?) moreso than flat curve. He says the Herman curve is more similar to using monitors.

Another note - Emrah currently uses Slate VSX to mix on (Archon mids) and the Ananda Nano's to master on.

P.s. what's the link to Emrah's Ananda Stealth review? Haven't seen that

P.p.s. Please share the curve that Sonarworks end up giving you for the VSX headphones. I have a pair of those myself so i'd be interested to see

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2023

I actually need one of those for an old Roland rack sampler I have. And the midisport for vintage keyboards. and and.. I dont think any of that is trash actually. But I suspect shipping will be more than the actual value

 

Sorry for the late reply, I passed out after my second bottle yesterday.

Here's the review.

Every VSX series have a different frequncy response.

Mine are 26xx.

But I can definitely share it, just like the Ananda Nano one.

The turkish guy curve wouldnt have worked in my case. I had too much sub frequencies in mine (or maybe i'm used to the ATC Curve and my studio curve which are very light in sub frequencies ) and a lack of mid lows . His highs are about right though. but there's a lot going on higher up. Especially at 7 or 7.5 khz. And I think that's where I don't agree with him when I listen to his masters as I hear some sibilance in a few of his masters. The rest is spot on though.

But I think that's proper to those previous models that I believe he his using. ( I don't think he uses the Ananda Nano from what I gathered ) .

Random funny stuff. I just noticed in his video that we both use the DMAX SC5. He uses them a lot wider then I do and I believe he has one of the first model (the white woofers sell them away ).

 

Last edited: Sep 2, 2023

You won me over with that Shure SM7 lurking in the background. If I weren't on the other side of the Atlantic, I'd send my consigliere to pay you a visit

 

most things that can use zip drives can use usb thumb drive scsi converters which are 400x more convenient and reliable

 

If the Bluetooth are anything like the new Nano's, they are too sharp and overwhelming in details for pure ''living room'' enjoyment imo.

But I haven't tried them and they could quite possibly be on a league of their own. I haven't found that much reviews of the Nano's and for the one I found, they were all from an average Joe perspective. Usually mentioning what I consider a Pro as a Con for them and the other way around. But that is typical of Hifi listeners vs Critical listeners so I really can't blame them.

 

So I received my Individually calibrated Headphones from Sonarwork today.

As I was expecting, I was off in the highs on the Ananda Nano......WAY OFF !!!

But I also thought they lack weight in the mid lows and the correction at 150hz confirm that.

When I think about it in retrospect, my masters does reflect that a lot. I tend to make them over bright.

This is a huge eye opener for me.

On the other hand, my VSX that I love so much for their mid lows and lows are also corrected by a bunch in the , you guess it, mid lows and lows.

Here's the result I got:

Ananda Nano: (CUSTOM)
Fluctuation: +/-12db (Peak +4.5db @2.1 khz, Dip -7.5db @ 16khz) (*Approx.)
Safe Headroom : -4.8db


VSX (Serial 26XX) (CUSTOM)
Fluctuation: +/-17db (Peak +9db @4.7khz, Dip -8db @ 17.5khz) (*Approx.)
Safe Headroom : -8.9db


Q701: (AVG.)
Fluctuation: +/-12db (Peak +7.5db @35 hz, Dip -4.5db @ 6.5khz) (*Approx.)
Safe Headroom : -8.6db


HD650: (AVG.)
Fluctuation: +/-10db (Peak +8db @35 hz, Dip -2db @ 5khz) (*Approx.)
Safe Headroom : -9.3db


Listening at all of them one after the other, they all have very different profiles.

The best in my opinion: (After correction) ( All set to -10db of safe headroom in SoundID)

Soundstage:
-Ananda Nano (Most Natural by far)
-VSX (good width, lack depth)
-HD650 (Very limited soundstage both in depth and width)
-Q701 (Over done soundstage, especially the width)

Best Bass representation (150hz and below):
-Ananda Nano (Very natural and detailed with great dynamics)
-Q701 (Greater extension, lack details in comparison)
-VSX (Very saturated, lack dynamics)
-HD650 (Very shy and saturated)

Best Mids:
-HD650 (It still sound the flattest but the definition seems a bit floppy in comparison to the Nano)
-Ananda Nano (Sound a bit shy in the 1khz or about but with greater details then the HD650)
-VSX (Really upfront but lack details, still great, More Hi-Fi representation in comparison)
-Q701 (sounds like a dip in the mid lows)

Best Highs:
-Ananda Nano (very fast and a lot of details, a bit overwhelming at time)
-HD650 (still great but it doesnt compete with the Nano's, or I'm used to its sound signature)
-Q701 (A bit mushy)
-VSX (Almost sound ''noisy'' in comparison to the others)

Details and definition
-Ananda Nano (It's not even close)
-HD650 (Still a classic)
-Q701
-VSX

Dynamics (Auditory Step Response)
-Ananda Nano ( in the lows and highs )
-HD650 (In the mids)
-Q701
-VSX

The Ananda Nano doesn't sound scooped in comparison to the HD650 but they are not aimed in the mids, if it make any sense. Those who used the HD650 extensively will surely understand what I mean. They have great low end details and overwhelming details in the highs compared to the HD650. Definitely a big upgrade to the latest.

Even if the VSX classified dead last pretty much everywhere, I think they are still one of the most useful headphone of the lot for their 2D representation. Great tools as you don't get lost in details when you have a rough job to do. It will get you to the point with no fuss and no reason to be distracted.

If I had to pick the most ''enjoyable'' headphone of the lot where you don't end up with a headache because you're overwhelmed by info but still have great definition, I'd pick the Q701 over them all easily.

A negative thing I need to point out about the Ananda Nano is that they are heavier then the others and the cup are huge. Might not fit any type of head. Also, for some reason, they give me headaches when I listen to them for too long. Like the Genelecs, the Dynaudio and the Eve always did to me. I don't know what causes this. When I received them a few weeks ago, I thought it might only be because they are new and I'm getting used to them but today, again, after 4 hours, my head is saying ''no more''. Maybe I'll get use to them and won't have headache anymore later on.

@Barncore , The turkish guy was not far off with his 2khz correction and his bass boost. On the other hand, he might want to check out his higher frequencies as I heard some harshness in some of his master on Tidal and the correction I got seems to correlate. Respectfully, obviously. I think his masters does sound great overall.

 

Last edited: Sep 9, 2023

Yeah, that is a very serious issue, a deal breaker, as far as I am concerned. From your description I gather its both from the top and sides? I mean, the top band pressing down on the head as well as the huge cups on the sides of your head pressing inwards on the outside/around the ears (rather than on top of the ears)? I don't normally spend 4 hours straight in headphones, but there are obvious occasions when very long sessions are unavoidable. DT-880's are very, perhaps the most comfortable for my head fitting around my ears rather than pressing directly on them, I can wear these for days, but they lack in other areas so. Anyway, from your review, Ananda Nano seem like a really great SQ option, but then the painful headache thing sadly makes them a hard pass for me. They need to fix that. Such a shame.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 9, 2023

No they dont clamp tightly on top nor on the side. They are just heavy.

Senies HD650 : 270 gr.
Ananda Nano : 419 gr.
Q701 :235 gr.
VSX : 270 gr.

 

Ok so almost double the weight. No clamping on top or sides is good to know because thats what I am trying to avoid! I guess its like an evenly spaced weight all around the head which over time becomes more noticeable. Or maybe you just meant the SOUND becomes a little too analytical and causes these headaches you mentioned. Or something lol

 

I think what causes the headache is the new sound profile. As I said, I have the same reaction working with Genelecs or Dynaudio for example. Overtime, I get use to it but when I'm a few months without listening to that sound profile, the little mouse in my head just get exhausted and creates headaches haha.

But yes, the weight difference of the headphones does create a difference as well. 200 gr seems like nothing but when you're used to half the weight on your head, after a while it start to be...lets say...unnatural. Not bothering but, I mean, they are HUUUUGEEE !!!

 

Thanks for sharing Martel. Very useful.

Are those frequency profiles the correction graphs? Or are they the frequency profile without correction?

Susprised to hear that the Nano's are so heavy, I remember Emrah saying one of the main things he didn't like about the Audeze headphones was they were so heavy

 

Those are the correction profile. The target is flat to 32 hz.




The two first are the custom from my specific headphones, the 2 other ones are the generic from the sonarwork software itself.

Hey, thanks to you for pointing them out, They really are incredible. I'm very satisfied so far. Plus the Sonarwork profile is not as harsh as the harman curve so the reduction in the high frequencies really make it all more dynamic in the top end. The low end is also incredibly detailed.
Just this morning I was mixing a song I'm working on and thought my subwoofer was on at one point....but it was really just the effect of the planar drivers....it became physical. It's the first time I experience that sort of effect with a set of cans.

Great investment. And the custom correction profile is really working magic right now. I'm constantly A/B ing on my mastering monitor and I've never been that precise on my decision making in cans.

There's still a few things a need to figure out but the learning curve was really not as steep as other cans I had....like the HD650 for example.....always off in the low end which always made my mixed unbalanced until I decided to kill the issue and ever take risk with sub frequencies....not ideal.

Well, that doesnt seem to be the case anymore now.

 

Just acquired a pair Hifiman Ananda Stealth V3. Got myself a nice used deal.

They're actually more warm/dark than i was expecting. Hifiman have a bit of a reputation for leaning towards bright, but these must be an exception, or i have more ear damage than i thought.
There's certainly no sibilance or harshness. It's a more relaxed and laid back experience.

Not as punchy or "pointy" as i was expecting based off what i was reading about the Ananda Nano, which seem like they would be a little more dynamic (based on what i've read about them). I know the Ananda Stealth is a different headphone to the Nano, but i thought there might be similarities within the Ananda family.
They've got enough punch, but i expected more. I guess the Nano's are the punchy ones.
I was expecting kind of an ultra-detailed sound. And while it is definitely detailed, i'd say it's more on the lush/rich side of things than the "ultra detailed" side of things.

But wowee are they clear. I can hear reverb tails underneath instruments in busy sections of songs. The instrument separation is really good. (Maybe this is normal for planar-magnetic, i wouldn't know). I'm hearing little layers in the background of songs i've known for years. I listened to Radiohead's Kid A and got a new appreciation for it with these. With Everything In Its Right Place (the quintessential headphones test song in my books), i could actually hear the individual layers, whereas with other headphones/monitors those layers appear more "homogenized" and joined together as one. It's pretty wild to hear the DNA of a sound - which turns out to be 3 separate sounds - when all these years i thought it was one sound.
I get better instrument separation with these headphones than i do with my APS Klasik 2020 monitors. When i first got the Klasiks i felt like i had xray vision into music, but these headphones have introduced me to a higher level of xray vision.

They're super immersive. You put them on and travel away. It creates a nice space in your audio imagination. It's actually pretty addictive. It doesn't have an immediate "wow" factor per se, because they're not an overly "energetic" headphone (or maybe my amp isn't good enough), they don't hit you in the face, but it's addictive cos it's so immersive, it's like you're there.
I've been loving listening to the kinds of songs where there's been extra thought/effort into creating a very textural atmosphere/space. It's pretty wild how they present atmosphere. It's like a hologram in your mind. It's an odd-"shaped" hologram (hard to put into words), but it's a hologram nonetheless and my brain hasn't quite experienced it before.

The soundstage is pretty wide. Not ridiculously wide but it's wide.
I think i would actually prefer them to be a little narrower tbh. It's not that they feel "too wide", i just feel that the left/right sides are a little more present than the center image. I think that's where they differ from the Nano. From what i understand the Nano's are a little narrower and punchier. The phantom center of the Stealths could be a little stronger, and if it meant sacrificing some width then i'd be okay with that trade.

The EQ signature is fine but i feel like i need to boost around 2k. They are definitely not "mid forward" headphones.
The highs have a bit of an "odd" tuning. They sound pleasing for sure, a great listening experience, but accurate? No idea. I can hear that there's some dips in a couple of places in the highs.

They're definitely the best headphones i've ever used, but that's not saying that much i don't think, the best headphones i've used before this were the AKG K712 Pros, which were quite pleasing themselves, but had a bit more of a wonky/artificial sound signature, and not as high-res and deep as these.

I've haven't mixed/mastered with them yet, but i have a feeling it's gonna step up my game because of the instrument separation i can hear now.

Very satisfied so far overall. But i do kinda wish i saved up a little more for the Nano so i could get even more punch and resolution. I don't think the stealths are necessarily "end game" headphones for me, but they're pretty damn close.

 

Last edited: Feb 8, 2024