HIFIMAN - ANANDA NANO

I have Senn Momentum 4’s which are great wireless, but I just got the Hifiman Ananda Nano’s and they are fantastic. They are open back, so better for listening in a quieter setting. My headphone testing tune is the Opening jam —> China—> Mind left body jam —> Rider on Dick’s Picks 12 (Providence Civic Center 6/26/74 and Boston Garden 6/28/74 . It’s my absolute favorite China Riders partially because it is so crystal clear. The soundstage on the Ananda nano’s is outstanding— you can hear the position of the band on stage, and the clarity is amazing. It’s alot of headphone for 319 right now on Amazon. They are a few years old, but they were 800 or so when they were initially released. They are my end game over the ears (at least for now). I specifically looked for headphones that had the most soundstage because I listen to so much Dead. My listening set up is: ALAC or FLAC from iPhone/iPad/MacBook Pro— Qudelix 5k DAC— Douk audio preamp— Douk audio headphone amp — Ananada’s.

So, there is a lot to unpack here. 1. AirPods Pro are actually great sounding earbuds, so you’re starting from a good place. 2. You’re right to move away from the APMs and XM4/5, although you may enjoy the Apple sound. Bang for the buck, it’s good about tech, though, not sound. 3. You can do a LOT with just wired headphones, if you’re OK with that. Not all of them need amps. A great example is the Grado sr325x: great sound, easy to drive. There are plenty of others in the wired world worth considering. If you prefer bass, for example, the Meze 99 Classic or 99 Noir would be good. For something more neutral, the HifiMan Ananda. All of these work great with just a $9 Apple dongle. And even if you DO need an amp, something like an iFi Go Link Max would fulfill any needs you have with modern headphones, so a Sennheiser 6xx + one of those would get you where you want. 4. If you’re dead set on wireless, check out the Sennheiser Momentum 4, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (which often sells for under $400), and the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 or S2e. (The S3 comes in at over $400.) All of these have decidedly different sound, and it will depend on what you like. Given your experience with the AirPods, the Sennheiser is probably your best bet. 5. Finally, for $350, you can find an incredible IEM, which might get you exactly where you want: the best sound for the money. But “best” is very relative here, since physics starts to play into the overall picture. Best of luck!

I'm with you, OP. My Anandas are my favorite pair of everything I own; I should upgrade to the Arya

Yeah. Yesterday I listened to my brand new Hifiman Ananda Nano, and my goodness it's a monster when it comes to anything metal related, and it's also good for the rest of my music. The soundstage, bass, and detail is incredible. I just wish the earpads were better shaped, and softer.

I started using hifiman Ananda, I love them

If you really are looking for a pair of wireless headphones like the flair of your post says, check out the Beyerdynamic Aventho 300! They've got a wide soundstage, a pretty balanced sound with punchy bass and use the same drivers as Beyerdanymic's studio headphones. Edit: Just saw your post mentions being open to wired options as well, definitely check out the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro MKII then! The Hifiman Ananda Nano are great too, they're a bit more "in your face" both in terms of their dynamics and the soundstage IMO, but I found them to be a bit less comfortable and they need an amp to sound their best.

The HD 600 aren't great on the bass side of things and you need an amp to run them.

They're not built too well though and the Ananda series has an awkward fit IMO because the earcups don't swivel. Besides, you need an amp to get the most out of them.

You got lucky then, I liked the Ananda Nano a good bit but just couldn't get a proper seal with them. The headband design of the Arya just is a lot better in that regard, if you want to stay within the Hifiman family :)

Ananda hands down up destroys everything up to 1000$

Ananda Nano or Edition XS to get you into something special with endgame characteristics.

So last night me and the wife were drinking.. music pumping from my speakers and out kid decided it was bed time.. I gave her some iems to keep the music going, and I busted out my Ananda Nanos.. she had never seen me wear them...and let me tell you.. I must have looked like some type of moron lmfaaaao... the look on her face.. it was almost like dread ahahahah.. but I let her borrow them to try them out, and she immediately was smiling jamming out... she loved the sound.

The 770s are a good all round headphone but a little janky in the lows. I use them for tracking and sound design and the bulk of my producing. Plus they are super light and comfy. I also have the Slate VSX which are great for mixing on, you can pick a room for a good mix critical listening perspective. You can also quickly compare other devices. They now also test your ears and hearing to give you a personalised eq. Everyone's ears and hearing are different so this helps. The VSX also give an accurate Harman Curve. They are quite light but not as comfy as the 770s My favourite for low end mixing are the Hifiman Anandas, a 6db 100 hz EQ boost will give you great low end which the planars can handle plus you get a good open sound field with them being open backed. They are quite heavy and big though but for planars not too bad. If I recommend just one pair Id say the VSX as you can use them in many different ways, not as punchy or broad in the lows as the Anandas but they do a good job with the lows regardless.