Hifiman Ananda Nano Headphone Review

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,

Despite the review that says that this headphone measures poorly as distorsion go I decided to give it a try.
329€ "refurbished" from Hifiman directly. With a 10% discount a top of that and 30 days money back warranty.
After all what was at risk ? To pay to return them ? OK, if so, I've lost 30€. So be it.

First of all I'd like to make a comment.
Amirm writes :
The suspension headband is not adjustable but was comfortable enough for me. But again, causes some difficulty in measuring as it would not let the cups go lower.
I do not know what exactly he means by that, but I would like to emphasize that the headphone is adjustable and you can get the earcuffs to fit your ears whatever how far they're from the top of your skull

That being said, and after the review I expected a really horrible headphone.
With a lot of cracking everywhere... because of distorsion.

I've tried to push the volume to a level that goes FAR beyond what I am listening to (and I think I lsten to music half loud). I have heard nothing "suspicious"...
So I assume you have to have a trained ear to hear that distorsion.

What did I hear instead ?
A headphone that sounds pretty damn good to me right out the box !
I'll have to listen to it for some more time but the first impressions are above expectation...
Which seems to confirm the measured FR results from Amirm and the ones found on Oratory and several other websites.

Maybe someone should tell me what I have to try to listen to to hear that distorsion that raises so many mockery on this headphone...
Please tell me so I can confirm it isz audible to my 55 years old ears :-(
On some recordings where with other headphones I heard a "Brrrzzz" as if soud was "saturated". Is this "distorsion" ?

Regards.

 

[Blorg]

@PenguinMusic it's questionable whether this distortion is really audible to humans at all. Even Amir wasn't able to hear it:

Is the distortion audible? I don't have the reliably way to determine that subjectively.

Klippel has a listening test where you can try to figure out at what point you can hear distortion applied across the whole frequency range. It's different with this as it's concentrated in high frequencies. Note you do of course have to do this test on something with lower distortion than you are testing.

Listening Test

www.klippel.de

All the scientific research we have indicates that frequency response is much more important to sound quality than marginal issues with distortion. I suspect that may also have been other issues with the measured distortion Amir got on this headphone as other measurements don't get the distortion he gets on Hifiman egg headphones. Or maybe it's just the volume involved. Is distortion at a level you are never going to listen at relevant? Arguably not. I get the logic with looking at it in regions you might boost with EQ but you won't be boosting upper mids on this or any other Hifiman egg headphone, so presumably the 94dB (already over a safe listening level) is the relevant line, and while it's still not great there it's a lot better.

Everyone else who measures these, they don't get this distortion finding. It's only Amir. This is the OG Ananda, but Amir found huge distortion "problems" with that one as well.

As usual with planar-magnetic headphones, the measured total harmonic distortion (THD) of the Anandas is almost non-existent even at very loud levels. Note that I’ve increased the resolution of this chart by reducing the range from 50% THD to 20%, which makes the Anandas’ distortion look higher relative to previous charts I’ve published.

https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...ifiman-ananda-headphones&catid=263&Itemid=203

HiFiMan Ananda Review

The HiFiMan Ananda are great critical listening headphones and a good redesign of the HiFiMan Edition X. They sound practically the same as the Edition X but wit...

www.rtings.com

The distortion levels are very low. Below 0.5% in the lows is really excellent.
The 2nd harmonic distortion is most likely lower than the 0.2% shown in the plots. This is due to the limits of the measurement rig which are being reached.

Ananda

back to HIFIMAN back to measurements home published: June-21-2018, updated: Jun-5-2019 NO SMOOTHING is applied to the shown plots. Most measurement sites have some smoothing applied which ‘irons fl…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

I only had the Nano on loan but for sure for the two weeks or so I had it, I did not notice any distortion. What I did notice was how bang on the frequency response was, for me they were literally the most accurate and natural sounding headphones I have ever heard in terms of frequency response. That's also backed up by measurements, such as from Oratory1990, who measured it at Harman score of 94 before EQ. I think that's about the third-best Harman score, out of hundreds of open-back headphones measured. So... not surprising you'd listen to it and think it sounds great, all the research and objective measurements back this up.

Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[AryaStealth]

There are many people who pay thousands of dollars for tube amplifiers to use them with state of the art high resolution/speed planar headphones because tubes distort certain frequencies in a very pleasing way for some people (and probably reduce some treble peaks), so not all measured distortion is always bad, human ear should be the judge.
Ananda Nano still can sound very sibilant due to a 5db peak around 6-8khz and 5-10db peaks after 10khz. The classic 2khz Hifiman dip is also there which creates a coloration/"hi-fi" sound that can make a sale but probably won't be much appreciated long term.

 

[Volumelumene]

Hi all, my first post here. Hopefully I did not miss anything critical while I read through all the posts.

Just wanted to report my findings. I have Ananda Nanos connected to Mojo 2 connected to to PC. PC is Ubuntu 24 LTS, with Easy Effects.

These headphones will definitely have distortion, if the source/preamp volume is too high/hot. I have found it's better to let the amp to do the work. And this case I mean Mojo 2.

I tried to collect some info how I have found these to sound the best to my liking. Hopefully it helps some others as well.

• EQ settings: Oratory1990
• Use Nano and Mojo 2 with TOSLINK (optical interface). There's a white noise bug with Mojo 2, and someone suggested using USB-optical plug with optical cable to Mojo 2. I have absolutely no scientific evidence, but I swear it sounds better than the USB-C connection.
• Ubuntu 24 LTS sound settings. Settings -> Sound-Output Device: Easy Effects Sink
  • Easy Effects -> PipeWire-General -> Use Default Output: Off, USB SPDIF Adapter Analog Stereo.

To summarize: Connect PC to Mojo 2 with optical, Oratory parametric EQ settings on PC, set Output from PC quiet enough that headphone amp does the grunt work.

Hopefully this helps, and please correct me if you find something wrong, or ask. Best listening experiences to all.

 

[staticV3]

Hopefully this helps, and please correct me if you find something wrong

If you find that setting the PC volume too high causes distortion, then you either:

Did not apply an appropriate software preamp for your correction EQ, thereby causing digital clipping, or:

Fell for cognitive bias.

In a sound playback chain, there is no rhyme or reason for why someone should turn down the PC and turn up the Amp to compensate.

There, all this would accomplish is increase the noise floor (hiss).

 

[Volumelumene]

Thanks for the reply! I have absolutely zero scientific proof for this, just something I noticed. As for preamp, first line is `Preamp: -4.7 dB`. Easy Effects (PipeWire) has also Output volume, which I moved down -3 db. Also in my setup, I have found that using Mojo 2 optical input sounds better with my Nanos, a little warmer. I'm not saying everyone should change their setup, just wanted to write about my findings and make my first post to forum. And of course I appreciate any advice.

 

[pier25]

So I got the Ananda Nano. Very impressed with the sound via a Motu M4 -> Topping L50.

My only complaint is the clamp is pretty strong and the pressure around the ear becomes annoying after a while.

Is anyone using some alternative pads that improve comfort and don't alter the sound too much?

 

[sobol]

So I got the Ananda Nano. Very impressed with the sound via a Motu M4 -> Topping L50.

My only complaint is the clamp is pretty strong and the pressure around the ear becomes annoying after a while.

Is anyone using some alternative pads that improve comfort and don't alter the sound too much?

Yup, same issue here, no amount of stretching the headband would help here.
What helped was getting replacement pads from Aliexpress ( also can be found on Amazon ) that are made from similar materials to the originals ( leather/eco-leather and mesh ) - https://aliexpress.com/item/1005005921027420.html
If they come with cloth fitting inside the earpad, just cut it out ( what I did ), they should sound as good as the originals. What can't be said about mesh-only and leather-only pads from Aliexpress.

 

[memopro]

Replacing the original earpads with others changes the character of the headphones, so it's better not to do it. If the Ananda Nano is too tight on your jaw, it's simple - put it on a 10-liter bottle of mineral water for 1-2 days and they will loosen up. Regarding distortion and those sharp dips and peaks in the high frequencies, everyone already knows that it is due to the measuring equipment.

 

[PenguinMusic]

Replacing the original earpads with others changes the character of the headphones, so it's better not to do it. If the Ananda Nano is too tight on your jaw, it's simple - put it on a 10-liter bottle of mineral water for 1-2 days and they will loosen up. Regarding distortion and those sharp dips and peaks in the high frequencies, everyone already knows that it is due to the measuring equipment.

Hi,

Do we really know that ?
If that is the measuring equipment then it should show up on every measurement of headphones should it not ?

Anyways, I have had the Ananda Nano for some time.
It was one the best headphones I ever had.
And for the price it's a steal !

But I must be stupid :-(
I traded them for headphones that far from the Harman curve...
But that I like better nonetheless.
The conclusion is simple : I do not like the Harman curve to listen to music and enjoy it :-(

 

[memopro]

Hi!

Do we really know that ?
If that is the measuring equipment then it should show up on every measurement of headphones should it not ?

It is often claimed that the GRAS 45CA does not measure egg-shaped (oval) headphones accurately, specifically providing inflated distortion readings. It is also claimed that , most headphone measurement fixtures are prone to inaccuracies in the low frequencies (below 100-200 Hz) and in the high-frequency range above 3-4 kHz.

I traded them for headphones that far from the Harman curve...

But that I like better nonetheless.

The conclusion is simple : I do not like the Harman curve to listen to music and enjoy it :-(

If you enjoy the sound, then there’s no issue. Ultimately, we all get used to a specific sound signature. Unless you are involved in mixing and mastering, you aren't obligated to adhere to the Harman Target. However, for professional work, it is better to stay close to it to ensure your mixes translate well across different playback systems. Besides Harman, as you know, there are other targets such as Diffuse Field, Rtings, Oratory1990’s settings, and so on.

I follow these guys, you can learn a lot from them: https://www.youtube.com/@MixPhonesUK

 

[Vit-Le]

I wonder how you can achieve the same effect on regular home speaker systems with a 6" (or even 15") driver as with the +6 dB bass boost starting from 0 Hz suggested for headphones by the Harman curve. With headphones with a flat frequency response and a well-recorded music track, I can't hear the Harman settings. Such bass sounds completely unnatural.

 

[Nyho]

Doing research on this headphone and after buying it, I stumbled upon this site out of curiosity.

95% of the people posting here have real ear issues or psychological problems. One member even goes so far as to say they find the headphone "muddy"...

Just for your information, the Nano is nowadays renowned for having the best bass, regardless of price. What's more, many sound engineers use it professionally for mixing and mastering because of its ability to reveal the finest details. It has become a benchmark.

It's been a while now that I've had to admit that a lot of people, even those who claim to know their stuff, don't know the first thing about it and are misled by graphs. The distortion measurement is wrong: the Nano doesn't have that level of distortion, and no other graph shows it. We simply have an issue with the measurement rig here.

To me, the Nano is a fantastic headphone and probably the one and only headphone worth owning, given its incredible EQ capability.

It makes me sad to see "audiophiles" recommending expensive, overpriced headphones to people who might not have the means, when price has never been a guarantee of quality.

 

[Ste_S]

Doing research on this headphone and after buying it, I stumbled upon this site out of curiosity.

95% of the people posting here have real ear issues or psychological problems. One member even goes so far as to say they find the headphone "muddy"...

Just for your information, the Nano is nowadays renowned for having the best bass, regardless of price. What's more, many sound engineers use it professionally for mixing and mastering because of its ability to reveal the finest details. It has become a benchmark.

It's been a while now that I've had to admit that a lot of people, even those who claim to know their stuff, don't know the first thing about it and are misled by graphs. The distortion measurement is wrong: the Nano doesn't have that level of distortion, and no other graph shows it. We simply have an issue with the measurement rig here.

To me, the Nano is a fantastic headphone and probably the one and only headphone worth owning, given its incredible EQ capability.

It makes me sad to see "audiophiles" recommending expensive, overpriced headphones to people who might not have the means, when price has never been a guarantee of quality.

Hifiman should really stop their employees or distributors posting on the Internet after a few drinks.

 

[Nyho]

Mixing is more about consistency and reliability than having the "best sounding" set up possible, so I'm prioritizing computer

Oh , wow....

 

[Nyho]

Hifiman should really stop their employees or distributors posting on the Internet after a few drinks.

I'm not a salesman, just someone who has listened to a lot of headphones and is mind-blown by so much cognitive bias and bad faith from certain people.
You want to justify your "hobby" by making up things that don't exist.
The reality is much harsher: headphones have been at their peak for 30 years, and there has been nothing new since then.

It's actually you who want to make people buy the latest gear, not me.
This headphone isn't new, and I advise against buying anything else from Hifiman.
"Audiophiles" really managed to make up a reality for themselves with overpriced cables that don't change a single thing.

 

[Ste_S]

I'm not a salesman, just someone who has listened to a lot of headphones and is mind-blown by so much cognitive bias and bad faith from certain people.
You want to justify your "hobby" by making up things that don't exist.
The reality is much harsher: headphones have been at their peak for 30 years, and there has been nothing new since then.

It's actually you who want to make people buy the latest gear, not me.
This headphone isn't new, and I advise against buying anything else from Hifiman.
"Audiophiles" really managed to make up a reality for themselves with overpriced cables that don't change a single thing.

Lol you haven't really read this forum before jumping in to White Knight for Hifiman, have you?

 

[Selkirks]

Between sound, measurements and comfort the Nano is a pretty weak offering from Hifiman.

 

[Nyho]

Between sound, measurements and comfort the Nano is a pretty weak offering from Hifiman.

I agree with you about the comfort, it's true that I hadn't thought about it, there are much better options out there, but as for the rest, I don't get it...

For your information, when you lift the headphones slightly off your head, you actually hear a huge amount of distortion, which is why the issue comes from the measurement rig, which must not be suited to the shape of the Nano.
Even though everyone's perception is different, I can state that no studio would use poor quality headphones. Claiming that an audiophile needs higher audio quality than a mixing/mastering studio is a lie.

I prefer to trust my own ears and the choices made by professionals, rather than people blinded by their passion.

 

[Ste_S]

I agree with you about the comfort, it's true that I hadn't thought about it, there are much better options out there, but as for the rest, I don't get it...

For your information, when you lift the headphones slightly off your head, you actually hear a huge amount of distortion, which is why the issue comes from the measurement rig, which must not be suited to the shape of the Nano.
Even though everyone's perception is different, I can state that no studio would use poor quality headphones. Claiming that an audiophile needs higher audio quality than a mixing/mastering studio is a lie.

I prefer to trust my own ears and the choices made by professionals, rather than people blinded by their passion.

You’ve mentioned that these are widely used by studios a couple of times, on what basis?

Studios seem to use the usual suspects from Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, Sony, AKG and Audio Technica.