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It’s the most natural sounding version of Ananda we’ve gotten yet with extra punch in the bass (a noteworthy distinction) and a slight but focused deviation from high end brightness to mids, so it lands just outside of the typical HiFiMAN house sound. It’s also worth mentioning that we got substantial slam from a simple dongle DAC but were rewarded with significant sonic excellence when we fed the NANO some juice, highlighting its sensitivity but also high ceiling. Our favorite portable pairing in our tests was with the iBasso DX170 DAP, singing sweet songs over the 4.4mm balanced. The Ananda Nano is lightweight and super comfortable with an even distribution of the weight but it has a somewhat tense initial clamping force and the huge size of it might not offer the best fit for people with smaller shaped heads even in the minimum adjustment length. However, this is the first time I have seen a very specific measurement in the marketing. Previous products, even up to the Susvara stated nano grade, the Ananda is more specific at 1-2 microns. Hifiman claim this is 80% more efficient than previous designs but as to which one it is not 100% clear so I will presume the previous Edition X V2 at this stage. The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano are a relatively easy headphone to drive, so you won’t need more than a basic dongle DAC to drive these to an acceptable volume (though, as is often the case, they benefit from more power with improved bass response). For my listening, I used a mix of my Fiio KA3 and the Fiio K9 Pro ESS . The KA3 was able to provide more than enough power, so it’s safe to say that you don’t need to invest in special portable gear to take this headphone on the go. I invite you to read the wired Ananda review to get the full picture, but I’m going to make a recap here. From the perspective of technical ability, the Ananda BT are able to place you in a relatively wide soundstage, where they place instruments with good accuracy while offering quite good instrument separation.
Although more expensive to make, planar magnetic headphones offer a number of advantages over conventional dynamic ones. These include lighter diaphragms for a faster response and a linear spread of sound across the speaker, reducing the level of distortion. HIFIMAN always knew how to deliver excellent performance for the price paid with their headphones, but Ananda Nano is simply insane, it beats the Ananda and Ananda Stealth, in detail, resolution, clarity and overall precision of the sound big time, and not only that, but stays in the affordable range, being less pricey than Ananda the original was at launch, all while improving on the cable it comes with, and offering a better experience than Edition XS too. This is now a favorite of mine, and I think that with HIFIMAN selling it for 599 USD, you can get to experience flagships sounds for literally the best price I’ve seen for such a revealing and detailed sounding headphone to date. It’s not just about quantity: the quality of the bass is also very good. Planar drivers are fast, and the Nano diaphragm is especially so. The bass here is fast, with clear starts and stops, and high resolution. There’s plenty of detail and texture, so you can dig into all it has to offer no matter what you’re listening to. Impactful, detailed, and well-done. Ananda Nano is basically Ananda Stealth Nano and HIFIMAN made sure that it is easily drivable from most sources, giving it a low impedance and a somewhat high / natural SPL for the design, as we have 14 OHMs of impedance, and a SPL or Sensitivity of 94 dB. I think that it is somewhat hard to drive, and it pushes FiiO K9 PRO to about half volume on high gain to sound natural, and to 3/4 of the total volume to get reasonably loud. Most portable dongles like iBasso DC04 PRO will drive Ananda Nano perfectly, and they will sound really nice out of it, but ddHIFI TC35C does not work so well, as the sound cannot get loud enough for my preferences with it.The Arya Organic features a new wood earcup design built to produce a richer, more detailed sound. It also features HIFIMAN’s Stealth Magnet technology, designed to reduce wave diffraction turbulence and improve the accuracy of the sonic output. The Ananda Stealth is already a fast sounding and very controlled headphone but the Nano adds a little bit of extra in this regard. The Nano is also more resolving and refined with enhanced transparency and fidelity while it also sounds more crystalline and luminous. The Stealth on the other hand, has a bit of lesser upper-mids emphasis, it is slightly warmer and organic sounding with better timbre realism and less artificiality in the treble. In the Stealth, the listener is positioned a little further from the center stage which is more spacious, wider and deeper as opposed to the Nano which is more intimate and closer sounding but with laser sharp imaging that can’t be matched by the Stealth. The original Arya was praised for its wide soundstage and neutral response, and the Arya Stealth Magnet was further lauded for its improved detail and overall frequency response. The Arya Organic is expected to continue this trend, offering audiophiles and music lovers a headphone that delivers a truly immersive listening experience. There’s a touch of warmth to the low mids, and Ananda Nano provides the most natural timbre of any version of the Ananda to date. While there’s strong instrumental balance, vocals can feel slightly overshadowed in the midrange –particularly male vocals in the baritone range.
Treble response has plenty of energetic yet it is not harsh nor sibilant, but do bear in mind that everyone has got different level of tolerance for treble, to my ears, they are not harsh nor anywhere near sibilant Disclaimer: Hifiman sent us the Ananda Nano for this review, free of charge. This article reflects my unbiased opinion about the product. HIFIMAN In terms of DAPs, despite not being significantly more powerful than your average smartphone dongle, the Astell&Kern SR35 was excellent. Sonically it provided some smoothness in the highs that the treble sensitive might appreciate. It took to about volume level 100 (out of 150) to really feel like SR35 was really giving Ananda Nano everything it needed. The iBasso DX170 was my favorite portable source, with just stellar all around performance – only needed 50-60% volume for unbalanced, and it was absolutely singing when I grabbed a Meze Balanced cable for it. Equipped with Hifiman newly integrated stealth magnet, the Ananda Nano boasts reduced interference and enhanced detail compared to its predecessor. It also features a new nanometer diaphragm borrowed from Hifiman pricey Susvara model, aiming to deliver lower noise, faster response, improved dynamic range, and better resolution. I believe the Ananda has retained the same Ultra Pads the Edition X V2. On inspection, I cannot tell any difference between the pads on eitherof these headphones.The stage is precise and realistic in scale. Although instruments don’t reach soaring heights, there is a slight elevation to the entire presentation, heightening vocals in the treble slightly above the ears. While not a particularly vast stage, the imaging is immaculately arranged, and distant instruments retain their rich resolution. Instruments feel intricately angled and generously spread, and in particular, variations in placement along the horizontal axis feel precise and nuanced to the smallest degree. Eye-catching ‘window shade grilles’ give these headphones aesthetic appeal. More than that, though, the grilles perform a practical purpose in greatly reducing sonic reflections. Reduced reflection means a less muddled sound and greater clarity. The acoustically transparent advanced magnet design significantly reduces turbulence, preserving the integrity of the sound waves. This reduced distortion results in pure and accurate sonic output across the entire frequency range. New Hybrid Design for Unmatched Comfort The hybrid headband design of the Ananda Nano evenly disperses weight along the strap, providing unparalleled comfort during extended listening sessions. The metal earcup holder enhances durability, ensuring years of listening pleasure. With 3.5mm inputs, you can enjoy enhanced connectivity and compatibility with a wide range of aftermarket cables. Updated Specifications In terms of sensitivity, Edition XS behaves more like HIFIMAN’s upper echelon, and doesn’t play very well with portable devices. Ananda Nano is the easiest to drive. In comparison with the original Ananda it seems that Nano’s lower impedance cancels out the lower sensitivity making it slightly easier to drive, and Nano feels more complete in lower powered gear than the original Ananda.
HIFIMAN Ananda Nano vs iBasso SR3 (599 USD vs 599 USD) – Starting with the driving power needed to drive both, Ananda Nano is much easier to drive, while SR3 needs quite a bit more power to be driven well. The design makes both comfortable, but SR3 has a looser fit that you feel much less while you’re wearing it, Ananda Nano sitting tighter on your head with more clamping force. This also means that Ananda Nano will stay more secure depending on what you’re doing, SR3 being easier to lose if you’re walking or moving around a lot. The sound is really different, with SR3 being a much gentler, softer sounding headphone that is also natural. By comparison, Ananda Nano sounds considerably more transparent, more detailed, brighter, more open and more resolute. It is clear that Ananda Nano has more impact and sounds more vivid and more dynamic, while SR3 is more relaxed and quiet in general. They are so different, that you either want to feel like a live concert on steroids like Ananda Nano, or you want an easy and low key relaxing night with SR3. The Ananda Nano is an interesting pair of headphones. When I reviewed the original Ananda two years ago, I found it to be excellent. The value proposition was very good for the sound quality it delivered. Overall, I think the Nano is an improvement in both sound quality and fit, so “Ananda to Ananda,” I would suggest the Nano every time. Although you can’t use the Ananda BT with a classic audio cable, you can use a USB cable to connect them to a PC, smartphone or tablet. On the plus side (maybe?), you don’t need a DAC and an amplifier with this setup! Experience a powerful and immersive sound with the Hifiman Ananda Nano headphones, taking your audio experience to new heights. These hi-fi headphones feature a convenient over-ear design that ensures exceptional comfort, allowing you to enjoy extended listening sessions without any discomfort. Prepare to be captivated by superior sound quality, thanks to their planar magnetic drivers that deliver an amazing soundstage and impressive dynamics. A Generational Leap Forward Hifiman has consistently impressed me with its offerings, and the Ananda Nano is no exception. I’ve always held Hifiman’s planar headphones in high regard, considering them the last stop before the electrostatics. Having used the Edition XS daily for a year, I’ve had ample opportunity to experience a variety of equipment alongside it. Before delving into the Nano’s sound, I’d like to elaborate on this point. Planar headphones indeed have a unique sound, distinct from dynamic driver headphones. The sensation I first experienced with the HE-6 was replicated when I switched from a dynamic driver headphone to a Hifiman with planar drivers.We also still have the improvements we’ve seen from Ananda Stealth, which had the stealth magnets, that are acoustically stealthy. This means that the magnets do not reflect sonic waves, and instead allow them to pass through freely, which heavily reduces distortion, improves perceived detail and improves the sound all around. I noted in my review of the Ananda Stealth that those perform really well, but the design also results in a heavily increased transparency of the headphone acoustically, so there is zero passive noise isolation, and the sound leaks freely around you. The planar magnetic design is really different from traditional dynamic drivers, and where we have the magnets on one side, and the ear on the other side, with dynamic designs, we have two huge magnets on each side of the diaphragm with planar magnetic designs. It is named planar because the magnets are aligned in the same plane as the diaphragm, and this will result in a much larger moving surface for the driver. The voice coil, or the conductor layer that moves the driver is also aligned with the diaphragm in the same plane, and this means that the force that moves the driver is aligned with uniformity, increasing the surface where the force is distributed heavily. This results in a much lower phase distortion, improved spatial information, and better instrument separation than most dynamic drivers. Input: This provides enhanced connectivity and compatibility with a wide range of aftermarket cables. Weighing only 14.08 oz, the Hifiman Ananda Nano is lightweight and comfortable to wear. The frequency response ranges from 5Hz to 55kHz, while the sensitivity is rated at 94dB, and the impedance is 14 ohms. Prepare to be amazed by the precise and detailed sound reproduction of the Ananda Nano headphones.
Like the Sundara, the loss of the swivel joint may put some people off as it does lose a little flexibility of its predecessor. The offshoot, however, is a much stronger metal gimbal and pivot system that is less likely to break. In particular, the individual gimbal screws going into the baffle of the cups look much stronger than the one-piece system of the older Edition X V2.
Cables & Connectors
The soundstage is moderate-sized with a solid three-dimensional feel. There’s a good sense of width and depth, but not as much height. The imaging is strong, with a holographic feeling and a good sense of weight to instruments and voices. In terms of fit, the Ananda Nano maintains a similar comfortable feel to its previous model, with a slightly firmer clamping force. The earcups provide a soft and cosy fit around the entire ear, and the pads rest comfortably on the head without causing pressure along the jaw line. The suspension headband design keeps the cans light too. Stylish, asymmetrical earcups not only look distinctive, but also follow the shape of your ears for a perfect fit. Large earcups envelope your ears for immersive comfort. The wide headband evenly distributes weight over your head, making these headphones supremely comfortable to wear for hours on end. HIFIMAN, a leading manufacturer of high-end audio products, today announced two new headphones: the Arya Organic and the Ananda Nano. Both are the third iterations of popular HIFIMAN planar magnetic headphones, promising improved detail and frequency response. Starting with the bass, it’s safe to say the bass has very good speed, very very fast and tight, and punchy as well, Slipknot’s People = crap!, especially during the intense drumming during the opening, Ananda Nano has no sweat in keeping up
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