Hifiman Ananda Stealth V2 Headphone Review

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Please why? Would be good to understand why, so I may learn from your experience, opinions. What do you listen to now?

No bass and narrow dispersion. Revel Concerta.

 

[shaafmasood]

My acclimatisation to the Ananda (2020 version) took about two months, mainly because my previous headphones (Denon AH-D7200) had a very different tonality. As for where the sound image is formed listening with headphones, here is some interesting information:

How do you hear headphone 'soundstage'

This poll is born out of a 'soundstage / imaging' discussion. I am just curious how people hear headphone 'soundstage'. Note this is with 'normal' recordings so NO binaural recordings and without any processing/plug-ins like crossfeed, stereo enhancers and 3D emulators. Just a plain...

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Can you compare ananda to denon d7200?
In details, bass quality, mids, highs, timbre, imaging, etc

 

[Ahmonge]

Can you compare ananda to denon d7200?
In details, bass quality, mids, highs, timbre, imaging, etc

The truth is that, being comfortable and well-designed headphones, the Denons have a frequency response that, for me, invalidates them for listening to classical music, where tonal balance and neutral response are essential. The loss that occurs between 1 and 3 kHz makes orchestral music sound veiled, as if behind a curtain, and with an unrealistic timbre. Since this is the genre of music I listen to most, the switch to the Anandas, much more correct in this respect, made me forget the Denons.

In other musical genres, and especially with recordings with excessive energy in the treble, the Denons, sometimes, perform better. They stand out for their low distortion, very present bass (obviously) but vocals are also affected by the drop from 1 kHz. Of course, the sibilance is almost non-existent in the Denons.

The soundstage plays in favor of the Ananda, logically as they are open. They also have their shortcomings: in particular a response from 3 kHz more accentuated than normal (my reference for a frequency-neutral response is the Harman curve with the low frequencies flat below 200 Hz), also a little more distortion is noticed than in the Denons, especially in high mids and reble. As for the timbre, the excess of treble detracts from the realism, but much less than with the Denons.

In the end, it's all about reaching the best possible compromise, and in my case the Anandas work better (or I tolerate their shortcomings better) than the Denons).

 

[shaafmasood]

The truth is that, being comfortable and well-designed headphones, the Denons have a frequency response that, for me, invalidates them for listening to classical music, where tonal balance and neutral response are essential. The loss that occurs between 1 and 3 kHz makes orchestral music sound veiled, as if behind a curtain, and with an unrealistic timbre. Since this is the genre of music I listen to most, the switch to the Anandas, much more correct in this respect, made me forget the Denons.

In other musical genres, and especially with recordings with excessive energy in the treble, the Denons, sometimes, perform better. They stand out for their low distortion, very present bass (obviously) but vocals are also affected by the drop from 1 kHz. Of course, the sibilance is almost non-existent in the Denons.

The soundstage plays in favor of the Ananda, logically as they are open. They also have their shortcomings: in particular a response from 3 kHz more accentuated than normal (my reference for a frequency-neutral response is the Harman curve with the low frequencies flat below 200 Hz), also a little more distortion is noticed than in the Denons, especially in high mids and reble. As for the timbre, the excess of treble detracts from the realism, but much less than with the Denons.

In the end, it's all about reaching the best possible compromise, and in my case the Anandas work better (or I tolerate their shortcomings better) than the Denons).

Can you also compare denons to dca aeon closed in your profile pic?

 

[Ahmonge]

Can you also compare denons to dca aeon closed in your profile pic?

this picture is of my Aeon Noire, not Aeon Closed. The Noire is on another league compared to the D7200, probably the only closed one I had that get close to a neutral, Harman-like frequency, unless the bass bump around 200 Hz, but far less problematic than the lack of high-mids and treble thet the D7200 shows. Perfect for any non-classical music, and quite all-right for classical, where only a small soundstage and the bass bump is sometimes bothering me.

 

[shaafmasood]

this picture is of my Aeon Noire, not Aeon Closed. The Noire is on another league compared to the D7200, probably the only closed one I had that get close to a neutral, Harman-like frequency, unless the bass bump around 200 Hz, but far less problematic than the lack of high-mids and treble thet the D7200 shows. Perfect for any non-classical music, and quite all-right for classical, where only a small soundstage and the bass bump is sometimes bothering me.

Thanks bro for the comparisons
I think you will like sony mdr z1r
It got the biggest closed back sound stage, sparkling highs, great bass and natural mids

 

[chatnever]

FYI, the Ananda Stealth V3 is now available at 219 USD on Ali (discounted + promo code).

I've order one, still waiting for impression, hope it would be a significant upgrade from my Sundara 2020.