HIFIMANANANDA-NANO Open-Back Stealth Magnets Planar Hi-Fi Headphones for Audiophiles, Home and Studio, Silver

I’ve spent a lot of time in the last year looking for an “upgrade” to my Beyerdynamic DT1990s. I’ve tried many different headphones, mainly thanks to Amazon’s return policies but other retailers too. My price range was up to £2000. My source is a Naim Atom HE but I also use a Mojo2 and Dragonfly Cobalt.In the end my favourite open back headphones were the Anando Nano (actually my overall favourites for a one headphone solution were the Sony MDR-Z1R. But, unfortunately, these gave me incredible jaw/ear ache (TMDJ)).And I also bought a pair of Dan Clark Noire X as closed backs (£999), so coming in well under budget.The Anandos punch well above their weight and I much preferred them to the HifiMan Edition XS, Arya and 1000SE. I also tried Sennheiser 800S and 820s as well as other models from Shure, Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser.Although not fully adjustable they are very comfortable to wear for long sessions. They work very well with music and movies. Fantastic trebles, midrange and bass. Their transparency is excellent. I can’t think of a bad word to say about them.What’s very telling is that in the last 5 months I’ve listened to the Anandos almost exclusively and rarely worn the Dan Clark’s. Indeed the decision to buy the closed backs was a (expensive) mistake in hindsight although they look and feel amazing (and sound good too).My bottom line, buy pair of open back headphones unless you really need the isolation. Buy a pair of HifiMan Anando Nanos. They are a bargain at the current price (£389)👍.

For reference I am powering these with a balanced cable from Linsoul (also on Amazon) as that makes full use of the power of my Fiio K7 headphones amp (2W per channel). My most recent headphones were HD650 (modded) since 2014, and the HiFiMAN Sundara. Both also balanced to get the best out of them.The sound hits hard low with loads of detail, the highs are not overly bright, even though some reviews stated these are brighter than the Sundara, they are not, the Sundara has a less natural/authentic sounding treble range, whereas the Ananda Nano has authenticity but with loads of energy if that makes sense?Some tracks that peak in a specific range (modern electronic/metal for example) can have some comfort issues in the high frequency as there is a lot of treble detail to be experienced and the Nano focuses on bringing treble range forwards too giving them emphasis for that "live" experience. I don't listen to this sort of music though but I do have some on my headphones test playlist just to see what they are like.And because the drivers are so tall, they offer some interesting sound verticality. The Sundara are much smaller and round, you don't get the same verticality with those.The clamp force of the headband is similar to the Sundara, but you can slightly bend the metal band at the top to expel some of the pressure. These are way more comfortable than the Nano, not as comfortable as the HD650 Sennheiser, but not much is out there given how light the Sennheisers are. That's not to say that the Nano isn't comfortable. On my head they seem just about right for long session listening or gaming.The soundstage and stereo imaging on these is next level. Some pro reviewers likened them to the Arya Organic, a £1200 headphone and it's easy to see why, similar sized planars sharing similar acoustics. The Arya are more laid back I read, but the Nano are also laid back compared to the up front Sundara.

These only took slight EQ using Oratory 1990's settings and they make amazing listening headphones as well as reference headphones for studio work.The transient, spectral balance (with slight EQ) and sheer dynamic detail presentation has to be unmatched at this price point and way above. For the price I got these for on special offer it is unbelievable how great value these are.I had Audeze LCD-X and these headphones are much preferred for their natural and detailed presentation and dynamics and comfort. Comfort wise they are just about the most comfortable I've tried, they are so light you forget you are wearing them. Compared to the Sennheiser HD600 (which I will always own and use as a reference) these present the same clear midrange (when slightly EQ'ed) with added true mid and low bass performance with no discernible distortion.Without EQ they are still fine for general listening and very enjoyable but if you do use EQ look out for Oratatory 1990 measurements and EQ settings, they really take these headphones into the top tier.

Punchy and sounds better than Sundara. Definitely an upgrade.Shame! Not as comfy though. The padding are hard. Now get me thinking which one to keep.

I've tried original Ananda and then return to get this one. The original were quite lose on my head and when laying down they'd just slide down. So Nano version is tighter but still not too clampy.Cable is also much longer on Nano version.Sound is more punchy, the difference is not huge but noticeable when I was comparing them back to back.At the moment I didn't find any better value for 580 euro that I've paid for these. Really love them, nice separation of sounds.I realised I enjoy sharp trebles and clarity is more important to me than punchy heavy bass. Usually I listen to classical music and soundtracks on likes of Lorne Balfe and for this it's absolutely amazing. If I was to take a step up to Arya organic I'd have to pay extra 800e. So I'm happy for the value for money.Also music with vocals, such as Beatles sounds remarkable..No recently watching movies from Netflix, also really great. And let some people listen to them they loved the sound experience.I think about this quality of sound as a therapy session.Treat yourself a nice set of high quality headphones, there is a lot to like about those Ananda Nano.