HIFIMAN - Ananda Unveiled

Super detail heavy, did give them a quick try. pretty cool though. are aryas similar? i think xv is probably better from hifiman lineup for me

Same here. (V3,$399) They don't see as much use but they were my first pair of headphones/IEMs in 8 years. A little over 2 years old and they are still magical every time I pull them out.

I got mine for $230 or so on sale.  Fucking fabulous piece of gear.

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

I started using hifiman Ananda, I love them

Ananda hands down up destroys everything up to 1000$

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.

Fellow gamer discovering audio here, first questions first: Are you looking for closed headphones (passive noise isolation) or open headphones (you can hear your surroundings and they can sightly hear what you're listening to)? Closed headphones: look into the Fiio FT1. They're currently very well praised and hit above their price point. Haven't tried them personally as I prefer open, but they're easy to look up as they're the most recommended closed headphones of the year. Open headphones I've tried and would recommend: R70x, AR5000, Ananda. All well praised with different sound profiles, so your preference matters. They're all very detailed and have good imaging for directional accuracy. Do you lean towards bass? ATH R70x is warm neutral and its "R70x Refine" variant had a limited run in North America that offered better bass. Incredibly comfortable and smooth, you could also get the classic R70x and switch pads down the line to imitate their Refine variant. Another headphone I haven't tried but have seen recommended with emphasis on bass are the Hifiman Edition XS. Do you prefer really clean mids? The Aune AR5000 were so CLEAN upon my first listening. I'm unsure how else to describe them aside clean, clear and so satisfying. Currently testing them out for both music and gaming. Maybe vocals are what makes it come alive for you? Hifiman Ananda really wow'ed me with how crystal clear vocals sounded. I had never heard vocals that way before. Some concerns over the Hifiman quality control, however. Also uncomfortable for smaller heads, but great for larger heads. The little Sennheiser 560s deserve a mention and were my entry level gateway drug, but I think you can skip them with your budget on hand. All of the ones I've mentioned are worth your few minutes watching some YouTube reviews or reading up on them. You'll see how well received they are and they're all great for competitive gaming and music. You'll just have to start somewhere and see if it fits your sound preference. Just like the first character you pick on a new FPS title. Lastly, in case you ask, the Fiio FT1 "Pro" just came out but haven't tried them, an unfortunately side effect of not being made of money. Hope this helped!

Fair enough, I've been using the Ananda OG and found the sound seperation and imaging very natural and clear. Quickly gets uncomfortable due to small had though, so haven't used them for gaming in a while.

The usual recommendations for open headphones that can do competitive gaming are: $: Sennheiser 560s, the new ATH R50x, and maybe the upcoming ATH R30x in April $$: Sennheiser 490 Pro, ATH R70x (and new R70xa), Aune AR5000, Meze AER105, Hifiman Ananda $$$: Sennheiser HD800s I own the 560s and Ananda, and have tried the R70x, AER105 and AR5000. They're all great and how much you like them will depend on your ears preferences. Took me a while to understand, but it's like buying good shoes; everyone has a different fit and preference. Personally, the R70x and AR5000 were fantastic but I was looking for something with a bit more vocals. The AER105 were bass cannons to me, so if you like bass they're a bassy option. I haven't tried the rest so I cannot speak for them, but if you have any questions for the ones I've tried feel free to poke.

Get an Ananda or Arya. Hifiman is tops in price for performance in that range. You may need to deal with their customer service (although I never have). And go for the older models, which have steeper discounts.