HIFIMAN Ananda Nano Review | Planar Magnetic Evolution

The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano joins the new wave of 2023 HIFIMAN releases, but does it offer anything to really stand out from the previous iterations of Ananda?
0:00 Intro
0:36 Skip Credits
1:30 Build & Design
4:21 Sound Impressions
7:41 Comparison: Ananda, Edition XS
11:13 Final Thoughts
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[@nickapalooza861]

Probably not worth it vs my Ananda Stealth which I love, almost perfect sound to me... I will be excited to see where they go with the Ananda next! One thing I love about Hifiman is that they are not afraid of tweaking their own models as soon as they can even at the detriment of older models. Shows that they truly care about one thing and that one thing being the best sound possible! Now if they put that care into build and QC there would be almost no reason to ever buy from another company.

[@garethfuller2700]

Review the Arya Organic next please! :)

[@sethpatsanza7935]

Thanks for all the reviews.. From the recent Ibasso sr3 and now to this. These reviews are very revealing as most of us never have a chance to sample these in a store before buying. As a person who owns an X2hr Fidelio and about to pull a trigger into the audiophile journey on a mid budget this helps a lot. Edm and Jazz genre are my go to for music and Ibasso sr3 and Ananda nano are now top of my list. Too much treble can be fatigueing for me so I appreciate the comparisons with the arya, edition xs and Meze 109s in your reviews. Hopefully you do a review of the new Arya Organic to see how much has changed. Thanks again for the honest opinion

[@jorisconte9180]

Hi! Great review! But I'm waiting for the Arya Organic review... Did you see: the 'Comparison' timestamps are wrong (Final, Noble: No) Regards!

[@BloomAudio]

Thanks for the kind words, Joris! Be sure to stick around, we're really looking forward to getting our hands on the Arya Organic for a review. And yes, looks like that slipped through the cracks... just fixed it. Thanks!

[@LakerTriangle]

Nice review

[@AnthorOne]

I think comparison to something else, like HE400se would be appreciated, as people might want to upgrade from it to Ananda.

[@nickapalooza861]

That would be quite the upgrade!

[@Farazao]

Well... as someone who heard xs, ananda og, arya se, I'd say our ears must be really different. The xs has a super natural timbre, near a dynamic, and arya se has that tradicional planar timbre with more energy on the treble. The ananda to my ears were the most unnatural timbre of the three. I was understanding from your analysis that ananda nano has a more lush mids than xs, but after you said the xs is an arya baby... well than I have no idea what you're talking about no more.

[@edwinramos4910]

I completely agree with you. I know sound is somewhat subjective, but his descriptions of how these headphones sound are so far from what most other people describe that this video is not very useful. I just bought the Ananda Nano 2 days ago, so I know I'm late to the party, but his description of its highs is way off base. They're bright, very airy, and extremely detailed. Sometimes, when an instrument happens to hit right on one of its treble peaks, it can be too much. But, outside of that, they're spectacular...and likely the most technically proficient headphone under $900.

[@BurningBushPedagogy]

Thanks a lots, esp comparing to others.

[@dhruvtampa146]

How does it compares with the ananda stealth ???

[@LetoDeWirre]

Bought AnNano on a whim to get a taste of planars, ended up replacing my hd600 with exception of long gaming sessions, weight and clamp is a little bit too much to wear them for more than a couple of hours. Pairing them with Topping E50/L50 stack, and there is a little quirk to that setup: I passionately hate how they sound on hi gain setting. It is like there is some kind of electric resonance somewhere.

[@BloomAudio]

That's interesting about the hi-gain setting. Because they're pretty sensitive, it could just be a quirk of the amp, or it's possible that high gain is providing more voltage than the drivers are designed for and causing some unintended sorts of vibrations.

[@danielwu7238]

Do comparison between Ananda Nano vs Arya Organic

[@BloomAudio]

Listened to the Ananda Nano quite a bit this week. Arya Organic has a much larger soundstage and really incredible imaging, but Arya is also pretty bright. On the technical side, Arya is the clear winner, but Ananda is a bit warmer and has less treble, so purely on tuning, I'd prefer Ananda Nano for rock/pop/electronic type genres. However, if you add a warmer DAC or some tubes into the equation, Arya Organic comes out ahead for just about everything.

[@danielwu7238]

@@BloomAudio Thx for the quick reply, I guess since you have listened to both do you mind if I pick your brain a bit more? I have a Sundara and really like the Hifiman tuning. Just looking at detail retrieval/resolution is the Arya Organic significantly better? Like if Arya Organic is 10/10 for resolution where does Nano sit in comparison? Is Nano like 7.5/10 compared to Organic in terms of resolution? Detail retrieval is towards the top of what I prioritize in terms of technicals. I do EQ a bit and I prefer a L shaped sound signature, even though Sundara is fairly neutral, I can still pull a mild L shape tuning from the Sundara with +4db to mid/low bass while still keeping good mids and highs and great detail retrieval. I do listen to more electronic music and judging by what you already said I am leaning towards the Nano, but just how much better is the technical performance of Organic? And you said Organic with warmer DAC and tubes Organic is better. I use a tube amp while listening. If you can rank on a scale of 1 -10 would help me understand. Like 1 - 10 stock sound and 1 - 10 with EQ/DAC ideal set up.

[@nickapalooza861]

More clamp than the Ananda Stealth? Oof that is rough... Clamp force is the only thing keeping my Ananda stealth from being my end game. Just slightly too tight

[@MAXlMUS]

Just bend the arc?

[@nickapalooza861]

@@MAXlMUS I am afraid to with hifimans great build quality and all 😂

[@MAXlMUS]

@@nickapalooza861 haha true. But I believe that's just steel, it should bend a little bit.

[@denis4072]

I own the ananda stealth and i have to agreed. I regret buying it everyday i look at it. May should have save $ and buy arya instead.

[@Barncore]

Are the silver parts made out of plastic or metal?

[@BloomAudio]

It's metal. I think it's the type of magnesium that HIFIMAN uses on a number of their headphones, but it's not specifically listed in the specs.

[@edwinramos4910]

That information is incorrect. The housing is plastic, and the yoke, the grills, and most of the headband are metal.

[@edwinramos4910]

I know sound is somewhat subjective, but his descriptions of how these headphones sound are so far from what most other people describe that this video is not very useful. I just bought the Ananda Nano 2 days ago, so I know I'm late to the party, but his description of its highs is way off base. They're bright, very airy, and extremely detailed. Sometimes, when an instrument happens to hit right on one of its treble peaks, it can be too much. But, outside of that, they're spectacular...and they're likely the most technically proficient headphone under $900.

[@shul5684]

Anything that's $500 is already at the peak of sound quality. Anything over that is not really necessary.. unless u are rich and want to grow your collection. I bought it last week. I'm having a hard time getting used to those ridiculous boosted high frequencies... As a mix engineer.. I can tell you these are utter trash for reference headphones. I really thought audiophiles where all about the fidelity of neutral sound.. because that's the most difficult to achieve in sound.. apparently being an audiophile is all about that treble and that bass. Ridiculous really.

[@ssolx5527]

hello, fantastic review! im pretty much at the start of this hobby and im undecided, if anyone can help me here, very much appreciated! (little bit of a copy/paste comment) looking for a headphone at home for fun listening - currently unsure about edition xs, ananda nano and arya organic - also need amp dac - budget around max 1300euros but the lower the better^ to my preferences; i listen to edm,techno,trance,hype trailers,some fast orchestral music.. i prefer wide soundstage, good bass (subbass) and dynamics/punch.. vocals arent important, maybe clarity but i dont like them beeing forward/in your face,. esp would like some depth in the music for trance - i have focal elegia rn, i like the dynamics and bass but the soundstage is pretty bad imo - i hate when the music just is up your head instead of very wide infront of you/on sides aswell.. i had problems with dt990 treble and have small tinnitus problems- listening for a few hours shouldnt make my ears hurt xd..- is it possible to eq that a bit and be fine? or is hifiman a generally bad idea because of brightness/treble design? how would you compare them with arya organic or he1000 stealth? are arya organic and he1000stealth just too neutral/bright for my prefered usage? i have no problems getting a 100-300dollar/euro headphone from other brands aswell if it fits my style better :P is it possible to ,enjoy' the ananda nano when plugged on the back of your pc? or is the sound just horrible then? which dac+amp for 200-350 dollar/euro would you get for the nano for home listening only(no portable/no smartphone usage)? maybe a bit of a spoiler, but should i get arya organic or ananda nano for edm techno trance etc? does arya organic sound more neutral compared to the more bassy nano? ty! very open for feedback/help in this situation, can also reach out to me on reddit DSThresh if anyone's reading this and has some knowledge/time;) thankyou!!

[@BloomAudio]

Hey, that’s a bit much to answer in a KZbin thread, but hit us up at [e-mail] and we’ll do our best to answer your questions and offer some advice for you on your headphone journey!

[@ssolx5527]

@@BloomAudio thanks:) yea just noticed the text is a bit long.. still leaving it up since im also happy with shorts answers/suggestions :p

[@michaelp.3485]

As somone who has an Audeze LCDX, ZMF Verite open, Audeze LCD5, Grado PS500, and a Sennheiser HD700, my recommendation would be... 64 Audio U12t paired with an iFi Gryphon. This pairing runs circles around my home setup that includes a $2500 ZMF Pendant tube amplifier and $1900 Chord Qutest DAC. The U12t is literally the best audio I have ever heard. Plus it is portable!! And if the U12t is too expensive, the Thieaudio Monarch Mkii is also really good for half the price. One caveat if you decide to go the IEM route, be prepared to "tip-roll." In other words, you need to try out various tips to get the best seal in your ear canal and the best sound. Yes; eartips can in fact change the sound of an IEM. I personally am using the Azla Xelastec Sednaearfit tips. SUPER grippy, very comfortable and don't change the sound from the stock tips that come with the U12t.

[@jorisconte9180]

Hello! I have the ARYA Stealth and am very satisfied. Especially thanks to the RME ADI 2 DAC Amp with Top EQ I can get a lot more out of it! This team is perfect for me and my hot tip. 20 EQ user presets allow various variants of the sound, depending on your mood. Sometimes a lot of everything, sometimes linear, and everything in between. Really awesome. Be sure to check! Have fun!

[@MAXlMUS]

@@michaelp.3485 there's A12t (custom fit)