I hear you about being satisfied with Arya. I used to own Sundara, that was my previous set and it is a super good value, Ananda jr. That was my gateway, I split the difference between Sundara and Arya by getting Ananda as I wanted to hear the next tier up but couldnāt quite stomach (or easily afford) the $1600 for Arya. Iāll probably stick with this set for a while, Iām pretty satisfied with my current desktop DAC/amp/pre setup and can hold off for a while. Iām looking at moving soon and want to save a little more coin. Iāll probably look at a few āused but in good conditionā Arya when I decide to jump up, maybe. Timing is important.
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Thanks for the feedback - I love the Ananda so Iām almost certain I would enjoy the Arya even more. Iāve heard mixed reviews on the XX though, thatās why I went to Ananda instead.
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I got mine for $1,199 as an open box from headphones.com and they were in perfect condition and were shipped in a an official box from a Hifiman warehouse.
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Thatās typically around what they go for used as well, so not a bad deal for open box
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They were also back by the full Hifiman warranty too. I was pretty happy but they only had 3 units when I bought mine.
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Thatās pretty nice then, also glad you are liking it, itās a pretty sweet headphone 
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Yeah, I didnāt think there would be as a big of difference coming from the Ananda as there is. These plus the Bifrost 2 and Lyr 3 are so far a great combo.
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Personally wasnāt a fan of the ananda tbh, but really liked the arya. The bf2 and lyr 3 are a pretty solid stack
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Wow, good deal. Iāve been to that site several times but didnāt bite. Howās their customer service (without violating any forum guidelines)? How was your experience with them?
I didnāt have any issues. They shipped them the next morning by Fedex 1 day. I did get an email from them asking why I decided to buy the Arya from them.
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Theyāre out of stock right now. Iāll keep checking though. Thank you very much, Sir.
Ananda is a good can. A little peaky treble when fresh out of the box, and bass is lite-n-tite. Benefits from some play in/burn in time. Settles in very well.
They have been out of stock most of the year. I just put my email in for a notification when they came back in stock. I was able to get one when they just had 3 of them. You can get them for 100 more open box on Hifiman own website.
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Duly noted, kind Sir.
I listen to these from the balanced output of the Auralic Taurus MkII in STD operating mode. This amp improves the dynamics of the Ananda and gives Hi Hats just more sparkle, compared to the RME ADI2 Dac fsā SE output. They might be low impedance, but I truly think these benefit from an amplifier with more power.
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Indeed. Most planars need more current than the avg dynamic headphone. Amp them well, be rewarded. Better dynamics, bass, and lower distortion at higher volumes. Less strain especially if you like to turn it up sometimes, like me.
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BTW, Iām about to compare my Ananda to Arya when they get to me. I bought an open box set with a warranty. Pretty big jump in price but if itās sounds significantly better than Ananda Iāll be in endgame territory - for a while 
. Iāll keep you all posted. Letās hope for the best.
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Iām just re-listening to Ananda in anticipation for my due to arrive Arya set. First time Iāve seriously listened since I upgraded opamps in my tube hybrid preamp to Muses 8920s. I am again impressed with itās quick, detailed, and snappy sound. The opamps make the soundstage much more wide and layered also. Most cans that are described like that lack bass, Ananda doesnāt. Ananda = Swiss knifeā¦
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Update of my subjective side by comparison of Ananda and Arya. Ananda is a great headphone, Arya is better, IMHO. Ananda is vivid and detailed, top to bottom. Arya is vivid and detailed also but has a wider and more layered soundstage with more depth and micro/inner detail. An example is where a bass note hits on Ananda itās actually two bass notes on Arya. Vocals are more separated. Theyāre heard over and under others and all across the soundstage, high, low, top left, top right, not simply left, center-ish, right. I also hear Arya as just slightly warmer so far, Iāve only had it just over a week. Not night and day but still distinct differences. Stay tuned.
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P.S. Arya also stays very much controlled and composed at high volume, not much driver distortion. I attribute that to the double sided magnets, IMO.
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