please tell me / us about them:
- what do you like? don’t like?
- changes you would make or have made to them?
- what other headphones are they similar to?
do you agree with reviewers that the amp you use them with affects their sound significantly?
So I haven’t owned the ananda, but went to hear them after they came out. I’m going to skip the 1st question, and move on to the second. I would have kept the headband on the he560 and hex v2 because I think it was more comfortable because of the greater range of motion it allowed vs the ananda headband. I would also boost the bass a bit as well imo, but it isn’t really lacking to begin with. I would say that the large hifiman planars aren’t really similar to other headphones in the price ranges because of the way they present in a larger way and how their soundstaging works.
I don’t think that the amp choice really makes a massive difference as long as its not a tube amp and has relatively low output impedance. Although it does benefit from more power if you can give it some. 1-2 watts is plenty though.
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yeah, reviews have commented the bass isn’t as deep as the Sundara’s or X v2, but that it is way more detailed and layered than the Sundara’s. granted, that makes some sense being they’re almost twice the price.
however, one reviewer commented on how the sound from the Ananda’s changed as they jumped between different amps. they didn’t say it like it was a bad thing though, they thought it brought out another level of complexity.
What amps were they? Some amps can make a difference if it’s a large jump in amp quality. If you have a decent amp there shouldn’t be an issue
scroll down on this review:
they used the:
- Auris Audio Nirvana.
- Violectric V281
- Chord Electronics Dave
they also used a smattering of portable DAP’s to test how it did on the go, being it’s got such a low resistance.
Well 1st its tube vs solid state regarding the auris vs violectric, and he points out that there really isn’t a huge difference with the dave vs violectric kinda confirming what I thought. There probably will be a noticeable difference on a tube and its probably overkill. If you throw ultra high end stuff on anything, there will probably be a difference with most headphones. You really won’t be missing out on much with most amps. What amps do you have now?
Edit: also noticed this in his short bio “He’s a big fan of tube amps,” so take his comparisons as you will
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none…too broke. 
Well, honestly you could run it off of a liquid spark or jds labs atom and be just fine
my desire is the Magni 3, Modi 3 & Loki.
Don’t see a problem with that either. The new series of hfm stuff like the Ananda and sundara really aren’t that amp picky compared to the older hex v2 or he560 or older
I love mine. Could be a bit more bass, but still plenty. I have other headphones that have more bass if I want it. For amps, I have Atom and Vali 2. Vali 2 is a little more rich, so I prefer that over Atom on Ananda.
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how do you find them for sibilance Dave? reviews said the treble is quite forward, but never said sibilant, but a fellow on a Reddit thread said he didn’t get them because they were so sibilant. when I Googled ‘Ananda Sibilant’ I got lots of reference to people who didn’t like how their treble was so far forward to be almost sibilant, while some said there were issues with S’s n T’s.
Never focused on it, because I never noticed it. Listening now, and I’d say they’re not sibilant, but there’s a lot of “air”. Very clear, not harsh.
well, the older you get, the worse your high frequency hearing becomes, so perhaps that’s a factor? 
plus about 20 characters
well, I’m 40 and have treble sensitivity while on deeper sounds/voices, I miss out on. I’ll often ‘feel’ something there, but not be able to resolve what it was.
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If it helps, I’m 33, can hear 30-16k without adjusting volume. But I do have 12k tinnitus thats around 30 dB
That’s kinda what I got out of them. That’s why I liked them more then the edition xx because of that added sparkle
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what do you mean by 12K tinnitus around 30db?
I have a constant 12khz ringing in my ears that’s about 30dB loud. Not loud enough to hear in most environments, but annoying when in a quiet place.