A few months ago, I started to search for a new set of headphone. Something that would replace my Senies 650 and my AKG Q701.

I decided to go with the VSX system from Slate first and I really liked the headphones by themself for their mids and mid low representation but thought they still lacked in clarity and detail in the upper range.

I tried to EQ them and they took EQing like a champ really. Maybe because they are beryllium drivers.

At that point, I still knew I needed something else. Something new and fresh....something faster and more precise. So I was wandering from review to review and every and all headphone threads here and there and then fell on that @SAiNT thread about planar headphones. I did remember this tech being a new thing a few years ago but it really never caught my attention to the point where I knew I had to try some. Then another thread here by @Zenarcist about the Manny Maroquin MM-100. As I was reading through the thread, I saw an interesting comment from @Barncore about an obscure (to me) mix and/or mastering engineer from Turkey named Emrah Celik which I never heard of before. I started to listen to his credit songs on Tidal and really liked his balance. He seem to like his 6 to 9khz a lot hotter then I do but I still thought the rest was very well balanced. Barncore ( and that Turkish guy) were also mentioning a set of Hifiman Ananda (barncore was mentioning the New Nano edition and Emrah has a video about his Ananda Steatlh (2nd revision of the original Ananda)) .

So I decided to take the plunge and order a set or the Ananda Nano (3rd revision of the Ananda model from Hifiman).

I received them a few days ago and started to listen very critically with them. It didn't take me an hour to realize that there was a serious lack of 1khz to 3 khz in it. There was no edge to vocals. No bite at all.

First I thought it was because those are so open but that doesn't make any sense. ( forget about external sound isolation, it's non existent. So you will need a fully quiet place)

So I opened my Sonarwork and tried to apply a few EQ to taste. I kind of got there but it was still not IT !!.

So I loaded the Original Ananda preset model from Sonarwork and still, I could tell that the model had changed.

First, the highs were a lot muffled with that preset. I'm talking about 4khz and up.

The lows were also way to prominent with that preset from Sonarwork.

It kind of fixed the 1 to 3khz range but it was still missing a bit.

So I took a screenshot of my initial correction thought based out of this Ananda Preset.




Then I started to apply some correction by ears given my initial thoughts but I was a bit off.

After a few tweaking, here's what I found was better.



Funny thing is, if I was to apply that sort of correction to my Dynamic drivers, I would lose all sort of balance from the headphones but the Nano really took the correction like nothing was really happening. Just like the Beryllium drivers for example but I would say even better....more transparently.

If I was to be picky enough , I'd say that they lack weight in the 100 to 300 hz. But it is all there. It's just not saturated enough to my taste, and I guess that's on me as I prefer transparency to saturation when mixing.

I know the correction curve is scary as hell but I swear, it's just like If I didn't apply anything. It doesnt sound coloured at all. Again, maybe because they are planars ?

All in all, my Q701 and my Senies HD650 will go to sleep.

I'm sending my Ananda Nano and my VSX headphones to Sonarwork in Latvia tomorrow to get some custom calibration. Those two will become my go to for the annual winter trip. ( So far I'm not a fan of the VSX software, it just doesn't work for me for some reason ( it sound too reverberated and I lack any understanding of definition and details) but I love the headphones ).

I wonder how my home made Ananda Nano curve will compare to the Sonarwork Calibrated one.
I'm sure I over did it in the highs.





But yeah, if you're on the verge and thinking about trying a set of Planar, it is a different animal. At least, those are and I love them enough to put my trusted to rest for good.

 

Thanks for the mention. Did you do any research on the Manny Maroquin MM-100, and if so what was your conclusion? I still use my Senny HD600 for casual listening (with Realphones), as I know them so well, but my production headphones are now a loaned pair of Neumann NDH-30. I still fancy some planars though, so I will have a look at these Nano's

 

Last edited: Mar 15, 2025

No I did not research the MM-100.

I wont lie, since I bought my Q701 and heard the K701 a few months later side by side, I got a bit butthurt about the products that are a signature by a renown artist because they were very very close to one another and I think I paid 150$ more because the Q701 are Quincy Jones endorsed so I'm always extra careful.

I'm usually very critical about new products as my expectation are always very high but this time, I'm happily surprised by the result.

The big cons are the lack of external sound isolation as it really feel like you barely have anything covering your ears and the big pro is definitely that ability to take corrective EQ like a champ.

Another downside I'd say is that it's 14ohm and they say that it's supposed to be easy to drive but I got my Twin-X cranked all the way up to the max with Sonarwork on (-9db) and I'm just getting into party level. Not that I would mix at that level but I think it's safe to say that I wont be damaging my ears with those.

EDIT : T'es pas le gars que j'ai rencontré a Anjou y'a comme 20 ans ? Proche du métro Radisson.

 

I used to own the HD-600's but they just did not do it for me. I sold the HD-600s and went on to buying the HifiMan Sundaras and find them very comfortable and great for general mixing purposes. I then bought the LCD-X in combo with the Acustica Audio Sienna headphone system. I spent a very long time tweaking and trying things out. I randomly found a post by a mastering engineer that had posted a photo of his particular settings for the LCD-X in combo with the exact Sienna room. I tried it out and never looked back. It sounds great. The only thing lacking is the actual spatial experience but so far none have ever been able to replicate this unlike the Smyth Realizer system...however, at a cost of $3500 and the absolute hassle of ordering them and lack of support made me settle on the LCD-X / Sienna combo. Very reliable. When picking up my LCD-X from Audeze HQ here in SoCal, they made me try all their other headphones as well, including the MM500's - I much preferred the LCD-X! Wider sound stage and much more fidelity. The only thing I absolutely dislike is how heavy they are. They will mess up your neck and cause headaches. I'm so glad I kept the Sundara's. I wear the Sundaras daily and whenever I'm in need of pristine fidelity I switch over to the LCD-X.

 

you mean the guy with the blue shirt and the vintage black Jordans, with a boombox blasting NWAs Fuck tha police ?



okay je sors


nota : très intéressant post, j'en ai fait un pdf

 

you should check out the HEDDphones, if you want really fast +Flat

 

Is it because you need mobility over anything else ?

 

Nice posts here !
You can find most cans posted here under 700 bucks.

Even Ananda came from 1000 at launch to around 660 now.

 

I'm a huge Sennheiser guy but recently I've been leaning into trying other headphones. I would stay loyal if keeping my headphones wasn't almost a $100 investment yearly (to replace pads and headband). I hate how Sennheiser doesn't give you any leeway to customize, anything other than stock ruin the sound. That said, I love my HD58X, I actually own one of the first units they made. It's basically a middle ground between the 600 and 660S, crazy fast bass with a pretty dynamic sound, no Sennheiser "veil" whatsoever.

I'm currently on the market for an AT R70X, a FiiO FT3 or Sundara. Currently leaning towards the FT3 since 60mm drivers is a first and the thing is supposedly a beast. Second is the Hifiman, but I've heard a ton of people saying that their QC and durability is kinda poop. Kinda afraid of dropping a lot of money on headphones that won't last the 10+ years a Sennheiser can hold.

 

Mine too. Uncomfortable, yet highly addictive!

Travel friendly too.

I have a nice set of planars and it's extremely enjoyable and exciting, but with the NDH-30 I feel for the first time ever that I can rely on a monitoring system telling me the whole truth and nothing but truth.

 

Last edited: Sep 1, 2023

@shinjiya
My Beyer DT770 are a LOT more sturdier than any AKG i used (and i stopped buying AKG).
I know a lot of ppl say "it is studio standard use, so it is sturdy".
But not up to my experience.

May be Hifiman is in the same boat : some ppl with average use will say "quality is top".
And other ppl using them several hours a day and with more experience will just "mehh ..."

Reading comments on Amazon (and not over hyped specialized websites), they are "adequate" to the price.
So don't expect any miracle with HifiMan : they do the job for the price.
Some will place them over Sennheiser, some not.

That's sound too much like a gambling for me
I would probably go for Sennheiser ... or Beyer or Audio Technica.

 

Sennheiser headphones can last indefinitely due to the availability of a spare parts.

 

I will not use my HD650 nor my Q701 anymore.

And that's not coming from someone fabulating on a motive of someone review without having a listen to them and reading reviews on amazon but from a hands on experience.

There's a huge difference between critical listening and pleasure listening.

The Ananda Nano are analytical headphones.

In regards to build quality, some people are just raised not knowing how to take care of their stuff.

I saw some dirt bags filling up their new cars with McDonalds trash after 3 months of use and saw some of the same type of people having their earpads destroyed after 6 months of use.

My Q701 and HD650 earpads are intact after 7 and 5 years of use each.

None of them are destroyed or broken, they are just being replaced by better performers. That simple.

 

Now that's bullshit. Can't say for the Q701 since I never owned one, but if you haven't changed your Senns earpads at least once every two years, you're ruining the sound. HD600, 650, 58X, 660S, everything in that range will deform the pads from usage in about a year. Give it two or three years and they're disgusting. Ask anyone and they'll confirm. Also, try new pads if you really haven't changed them, you'll be surprised. Sadly, I don't keep my old pads around to post pictures, and I'll only replace them again by the end of the year.

 

I dont know which type of dirty mufuckerz you guys are or if you even bath every day but my pads are INTACT !

I don't even understand how your pads can even get dirty. It's ON YOUR FREAKIN HEAD.

I think it would be cheaper for you guys to get a soap bar then new earpads every other year.

Random thoughts for the coconut.

 

Take a pic and then show us. Senns pads deform and that's a fact, dirty or not. The deformation is even taken into account when taking the frequency response of the headphones. If you use the headphones, it gets deformed and that fucks up the sound. Now, if by "intact" you mean "not dirty", yeah, that's normal.

 

Yes, I mean not dirty because you said ''Give it two or three years and they're disgusting''.

My pads are not disgusting and yes, the foam did get more soft (on both) but I also got used to it while it was smoothly changing forms. If I would have changed my pads, I would have been starting back to day one and need to re-learn how they sound. In any case, they are now in the closet of forgotten gear with my Digidesgn 002 and all my old MPC gear that no one wants.

EDIT: Here's my Q701 that I will use until my 2 other set come back.

 

Last edited: Sep 1, 2023

Looks as dirty as mine, but it's literally impossible to have it looking factory new. Cheers mate, hope you enjoy the new headphones. I think you'll have an easy time selling it, from all my Senns I only kept the 598 and 58X, the others sold pretty quickly.

 

They are not dirty. Look at my Brand new hifiman picture. Are they dirty ? The pads also look grey with white dots......
Camera and light maybe ?
What the hell is wrong with you ?


And I don't sell that type of gear.