HIFIMANAnanda Nano Open-Back Over-Ear Planar Magnetic Hi-Fi Headphones with Stealth Magnets and Nanometer Thickness Diaphragm

Best headphones over ever owned. I get crisp clear audio. These are not Bass headphones so if that's what your looking for go elsewhere. These are meant for realistic studio sound I would say, so I get clean and solid audio which I love. I have these hooked up to a schiit e amplifier/dac.

After watching endless reviews of headphones in this price range, I decided to pull the trigger on the Hifiman Ananda Nano, and I have no regrets at all. Two complaints I heard from reviewers were that they were overly "bright" and could be uncomfortable to wear because of a too strong clamp, but I didn't get that impression.As for the sound, I was able to EQ any excess brightness away (using Schiit Lokius) and really enjoy the detail and overall neutrality of these cans. If you get any sibilance (I didn't), it's not from the headphones ( I play only vinyl), it's the source. Treble, midrange and bass are accurate, though if you are a bass head, they won't satisfy when it comes to sub bass slam, but the overall balance makes you appreciate the richness of all the sound levels.As for clamp, they were initially way less clampy than my Sennheisers and I found these to get more comfortable the longer I wore them and rate them as the most comfortable headphones in my arsenal.I replaced the stock cord with one from Hart cable, and though the sound improvement was miniscule, it's there.I paid $599 for mine, but they've been on sale recently for $499, so if you are leaning towards buying them anyway, jump on these at that price.

The search for MY perfect headphone started in Novemeber and has finally ended with the Anando Nano! Tried several open back Headphones including XS. Subjectively speaking, the Nano sound amazing. I also listened to a few Senheiser 600 series, but again, these Ananda Nano headphones amazed me. The detail... the openness... the bass... and comfort were all there. I also listened to the Arya, but to my ears anyways, the Nano sounded almost as good, and at a much lower price. I had a few friends listen to the Nano, and they were amazed that such a headphone sound quality exists. These Anando Nanos are a keeper.

I am quite amazed by these headphones. The fit and sound produced from these headphones is exceptionally well done. I own many kinds of headphones and ear buds and I have decided to place these as my daily driver headphone. I've heard many things about these, namely it is somewhere between a side-grade and upgrade from the Edition XS in terms of sound quality. For me, it definitely was an upgrade.In terms of fit, these headphones are very snug. If you don't like a tight fit, these may be hard to wear, but the tight fit helps reduce the fatigue from the weight of the set from all sitting on the top of your head. The snug fit also helps improve the consistency of wearing the headphones. Comparatively, the Edition XS is a far looser fit, but for me the cups tend to want to shift a bit when tilting or turning my head and I had to get a headband cushion to help spread and alleviate the pressure on the top of my head. The Nano cups tilt, but pivoting is limited by the stiffness of the material of the headband. The materials feel pretty good, but isn't quite where I'd call it high end or luxury. The part of the pad that contacts your head is a breathable fabric material, but it is a little coarse and lacks the softness for comfort. I can wear these all day no problem though.As for sound quality, these headphones are tremendously good with my setup.These headphones sound much different depending on what you feed it. I've hooked them up to Ifi's Hifiman version Zen Dac and Can. I've tried them on a Lyr3 with an add-in DAC card, and also the Pietus Maximus, with the two prior connected to the D300 RHOM DAC, and just for curiosity sake, my PC headphone out. I believe to get the most out of these headphones, you'll need to get appropriate amplification. The Ifi zen dac and can hifiman edition sound reasonably good with these and the added xbass/space feature allow for some easy re-tuning. Both the built-in PC headphone jack and Lyr3 produced an airy, thinner, treble focused sound. The Lyr 3 was more dynamic than the PC jack (plus the PC had to be turned 100% to get a decent listening volume) and was a little more warmer with the d300 instead of the add-in dac card. The Pietus Maximus was my favorite, it produced a very warm signature which balanced out the brightness of the headphones.The bass is really good, and with the design of the driver, I can have fun running the EQ hard. The bass produced on these are very well controlled, and is well tuned. I listen to a lot of electronic, orchestral, rock, OST, game music, and these do a fantastic job. With proper amplification, these headphones can produce bass with enough precision that you can mentally see bass notes pan. It's kind of spooky how vividly you can hear the bass. The only thing these headphones don't do is give you the rumble you'd have felt if it was something like a dynamic driver. It could be good or bad, but I don't mind just hearing the bass.These headphones are very bright. They create an exceptionally clear high end and focus on perceived resolution of sound. I find that these create an improved sense of presence, like you aren't really listening from headphones/speakers. Songs that are already bright, like some rock tracks can be unbearable to listen to, without eq, as a result.For me, the Ananda Nano sounds like a refinement of the edition XS. It sounds a little more clear and distinct in the mids and highs, and the bass is a bit less present and a bit more tighter, but the driver is more well put together and is more flexible with EQ. With my edition XS, I can't boost the bass much without hearing distortion, but with the Nano I could put ridiculous amounts of gain in the bass section without problems.I've experienced some issues with QC on these (in addition to the edition XS.) My first set had problems where there was audible distortion. The second set I received works perfectly. Please take that into consideration when purchasing.In the end I found myself to prefer the Ananda Nano over the edition XS and these will be my daily driver for now. At the current price range, I'd wholeheartedly recommend giving these a try. I would not recommend these without an audio setup.

Title... or if you have a couple minutes:These are easier to drive than the Sundara, which I owned for about a year. I mainly use an iFi GO Blu to drive my headphones, which has enough power to make the Nano too loud when paired with a balanced cable. They sound similar to the Sundara, but have *much* better bass and are even more detailed (kick drums KICK and snare drums realy SNAP). I've also had Senn HD 6XXs for over 2 years now and the Nano are clear step up from them. I personally consider the Sundara a little better than the 6XX as well. The Senn HD 6XX are worth keeping and are still better than either HIFIMAN sets for how great their mids are.Conclusion: the Ananda Nano are a clear upgrade from the Sundara. The price difference is up for you to decide on. There aren't many options for large-diaphragm planars besides significantly more expensive options from Audeze or HIFIMAN themselves.