I received these today and I had to make this thread to gush over how fantastic they are!
I bought a pair of Hifiman Ananda as my first “audiophile” headphones, based on the usual subjective reviews and found myself struggling with the sound signature. Resolved this when I found AutoEQ and eventually oratory’s EQ for them (lots of discoveries regarding target curves and the research around listener preferences along the way).
Over time I realised I’d be better served with something closed and settled on the Noire for two reasons. Compliance to the Harman target is almost as good as the recently reviewed Stealth (on the go EQ options for iOS users are limited to the Qudelix 5k and it’s PEQ and that would mean yet another battery to charge) and their low weight and folding design makes them more useful than anything comparable.
After receiving them today, I was shocked by the low weight and excellent comfort. I get the impression that some manufacturers deliberately put out heavy and bulky designs to appear more “serious” (a lot like the cable manufacturers), but in my view an uncomfortable headphone is an inexcusable failure in design.
Build quality is good but the star of the show is the tonality: it’s sublime! Bar a bit of extra energy around 120hz and in the high treble (both of which are subtle enough to not be bothersome) they are perfect out of the box. I thought I might miss the soundstage of the Ananda but my fears were unfounded as they are remarkably open sounding for a closed design.
These are the first headphones I’ve ever heard that I am entirely happy with out of the box, though they do need some power. Dongle suggestions anyone?
Bravo to @Dan Clark and the team for delivering such a thoughtfully designed product. Given how impressed I am by the Noire, I can only imagine how good the Stealth is!
I bought a pair of Hifiman Ananda as my first “audiophile” headphones, based on the usual subjective reviews and found myself struggling with the sound signature. Resolved this when I found AutoEQ and eventually oratory’s EQ for them (lots of discoveries regarding target curves and the research around listener preferences along the way).
Over time I realised I’d be better served with something closed and settled on the Noire for two reasons. Compliance to the Harman target is almost as good as the recently reviewed Stealth (on the go EQ options for iOS users are limited to the Qudelix 5k and it’s PEQ and that would mean yet another battery to charge) and their low weight and folding design makes them more useful than anything comparable.
After receiving them today, I was shocked by the low weight and excellent comfort. I get the impression that some manufacturers deliberately put out heavy and bulky designs to appear more “serious” (a lot like the cable manufacturers), but in my view an uncomfortable headphone is an inexcusable failure in design.
Build quality is good but the star of the show is the tonality: it’s sublime! Bar a bit of extra energy around 120hz and in the high treble (both of which are subtle enough to not be bothersome) they are perfect out of the box. I thought I might miss the soundstage of the Ananda but my fears were unfounded as they are remarkably open sounding for a closed design.
These are the first headphones I’ve ever heard that I am entirely happy with out of the box, though they do need some power. Dongle suggestions anyone?
Bravo to @Dan Clark and the team for delivering such a thoughtfully designed product. Given how impressed I am by the Noire, I can only imagine how good the Stealth is!
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