Affordable DAC+AMP for (likely) Ananda Nano or go a different route?

[edG]

Hi all, new here so I hope I'm not doing anything wrong (preemptive apologies just in case).

Though I used to work in music a while back, my current headphones are... old. My AKG K271 Studio are fine for some things, but definitely not for mixing, though they improved a bit with Realphones 2. And my Sony WH-1000XM3s are great for traveling and easy listening, but not really studio grade. I'm getting back (slowly) into recording and mixing (as a hobby), so I was thinking about upgrading my set.

It's this way that I came across Paul Third and his recommendation of the Ananda Nanos as a fairly affordable option (they can be had for under 300€ here) –and before I get the usual rant, yes, I have seen the distortion graph, and also heard Paul Third (among others) mention this might be a measurement issue...

I'm not currently looking to spend too much on fancy equipment, but I was wondering if the Nano and the Qudelix 5K would be a decent, affordable combo, or if something else would be better under the 450€-ish mark. In case it helps, for my mixing I am currently using a Zoom U-24, which is enough to send to signal to my Genelecs, but perhaps not great for my cans.

You guys know WAY more than me, so I'm all ears (and hardly any headphones). What would you do in my situation?

 

[DVDdoug]

If you must mix with headphones I think the important thing is to pick a pair (that you don't hate) and learn what a good mix sounds like on them, and stick with them. And they are less important if your Genelecs are your true-reference.

Your DAC/amp aren't critical as long as the amplifier section goes loud enough with your particular headphones. It's also helpful to avoid noise from the amplifier but of course any noise from the headphone amp doesn't get into the recording/production.

though they improved a bit with Realphones 2.

I'd be careful with any effects/enhancements that aren't going into the final production. EQ correction is OK but any enhancements that your listeners won't hear will only make your production worse.

The Hifiman Ananda got a "not recommended" review here.

I posted these earlier today in another thread but here are some excerpts I've collected about using headphones as monitors:

This is from Recording Magazine by a mixing engineer:

Can I mix on headphones?

No. But in all seriousness, headphones can be a secret weapon and it really doesn’t matter what they sound like…

Over time, after constantly listening back to my work from different studios on those headphones I really started to learn them. They became sort of a compass. Wherever I went… It became a pattern for me to reference these headphones to see if what I was hearing was “right”…

I learned them, I knew them, I trusted them. It didn’t matter whether or not I loved them…

So, can you mix on headphones? Probably. I just think you really need to put some time into learning them first…

This is from Recording Magazine's "Readers Submissions" where readers send-in their recordings for evaluation:

As those of you who have followed this column for any length of time can attest, headphone mixing is one of the big no-no's around these parts. In our humble opinion, headphone mixes do not translate well in the real world, period, end of story. Other than checking for balance issues and the occasional hunting down of little details, they are tools best left for the tracking process.

This is from Floyd Tool's book, Sound Reproduction

Headphones entertain masses of people. Professionals occasionally mix on them when conditions demand it. Both rely on some connection to sound reproduction, that is, loudspeakers in rooms, because that's how stereo is intended to be heard. Stereo recordings are mixed on loudspeakers.

 

[edG]

Thanks for your answers, this is all very helpful!

If you must mix with headphones I think the important thing is to pick a pair (that you don't hate) and learn what a good mix sounds like on them, and stick with them. And they are less important if your Genelecs are your true-reference.

Definitely are an alternative whenever I work a bit later at night. My Genelecs are great, used to know them very well from working in a few recording studios, but they can be a bit much for editing or mixing, especially if you have neighbours.

Your DAC/amp aren't critical as long as the amplifier section goes loud enough with your particular headphones.

Great to know! I heard from some people that it could be a huge improvement, but I haven't really tried any in an real-life setting.

Thank you for the references from magazines, I do agree that they can be a bit tricky. I would definitely pair the mixing with other sources (Genelecs, car, etc). That's also where Realphones comes in; they provide a signature that's more accurate to what I know, as well as some simulations that help me with some defects (my AKGs would force my ear to mix lower frequencies way too high, for example. Realphones gives me a bit of a taste of some scenarios that are harder to access any time, so it's a complement to the mixing process.

The Hifiman Ananda got a "not recommended" review here.

This is my fear. What if I get them, dislike them, try to eq them, and still hate them? The price is right, and, save for this specific member of the forum's tests, it seems like many are quite happy with the Ananda Nano; I should probably try them before I commit, but I wonder if there are alternatives that might be more likely to succeed for my use case.