It’s always nice to see a new revision of a classic. HiFiMAN has been dishing out an improved version of some of their popular planar headphones for a while, such as the various Arya revisions. Now, the Ananda is getting some love, with not only new driver enhancements, but aesthetic ones too. Let’s find out if this new edition of the Ananda warrants the $599 price tag.
What You Get
- Ananada Nano Headphones
- Hard-shell carrying case
- Detachable 3.5mm cable
- Quarter-inch adapter
Look & Feel
For the most part, the Ananda Nano feels the same as the previous iterations. The earcups do a great job encompassing your entire ear no matter the size, and the pads rest comfortably on your head. The suspension headband isn’t changed much, but still offers good support nonetheless. With all the pieces together it forms a good seal that I had no trouble with throughout my hours of testing the Nano. The new silver-coated aluminum frame doesn’t add much outside of appearing different from the other versions of the Ananda, but it’s nice to see a fresh coat of paint every once in a while.
Design
The main reason for this new edition of the Ananda is its new nanometer diaphragm. This is a build that is heavily based on HiFiMAN ultra-high-end Susvara model, which incorporates a similar diaphragm design. What this looks to add is significantly lower noise, better transient response, and an enhanced reproduction of dynamic range and detail retrieval. Like all of HiFiMAN’s other revised headphones, the Ananda Nano is also supplied with a stealth magnet. This gives allows the signal to pass through the magnets with less interference, reproducing cleaner, more accurate representations of your source audio.
Soundstage
HiFiMAN headphones never lack in the soundstage department. The Ananda has already had a few revisions, and the spatial imaging, along with the expansiveness of the soundstage has always translated across these new editions. This latest Nano version is no different. Nothing is lost in translation, and you could even say that some notable improvements have been made. Since HiFiMAN started incorporating stealth magnets in their planar designs, I always felt that more emphasis was placed on accuracy than spacy, floaty imaging. It made the soundstage appear a lot closer to you, which has never been an issue. However, I did miss the almost ethereal quality of their headphones.
The Nano is probably the closest to joining the two worlds, balancing strict positioning with an airier headspace. While the performances are positioned in places where they can be easily localized, the sound field just offers so much dimensional space that it feels beyond stereo limits. It’s an expansive space that reaches outside of your head, and encapsulates you with immaculate wrap-around. Spacious drones from post-rock tracks or ambient field recordings appear like they are properly immersive you through the Nano, while also not featuring too much dissonance. Musicality is properly mixed with holographic bliss with the Nano, and it creates an enveloping sonic environment for your tracks.
Low End
While the bass might not be the main star of the show, it has some excellent clarity. You don’t feel like you’re missing much from its frequency response, but it also doesn’t shower you with excessive rumble. There’s still a good amount of sub-bass to sink into, but it’s job here isn’t really to shake you or add any significant vibration to the sound signature. It more so fills out the tone and adds shape to the low frequencies as a whole. This is a bass that is very structured, delivering clear bass instruments in a space that’s all its own. It has great depth that compliments a silky smooth surface for the timbre to express itself in.
Mids
Nothing really pops out in the midrange, but there’s no significant recession either. There’s a reserved tone to them, but I can’t point to any specific notches. It feels evenly distributed throughout the frequency response, and gives every instrument enough room to take form. The low-mids and upper-mids might have the slightest amount of emphasis, but it’s more subtle that expressive. Instruments, appear naturally in the mids, and have a realistic flavor to them. Vocals are the most prominent showcase on the Nano though, as they feature a crisp timbre and it helps them cut through the mix more considerably. Tracks with heavy harmonies have a bigger weight to them, and they offer the most accentuated frequencies in the midrange.
Highs
The highs of most HiFiMAN headphones have a consistently colorful timbre that I always find enticing. It’s never an overtly bright profile, but the highs always feel wispy and pleasant. There’s some extreme height added to nearly ever tracks I listened to through the Nano thanks to this high-end expansion. Crisp treble artifacts are always hovering around the outside of your forehead, and sometimes even beyond that. Some instruments have a light sizzle to their consistency, and it’s super smooth.
Summary
I’ve always liked the HiFiMAN Ananda, and the new Nano version just makes everything better. In a way, it solidifies the Ananda as one of the best mid-budget planar headphones around, as all of the new driver improvements have resulted in the best performance possible. The Ananda has never sounded better than it has with the Nano, with its immersive soundstage, gratifying bass, and flavorful highs.
The HiFiMAN Ananda is available at Audio46.
Compare the ranking of various headphones, earbuds and in-ear monitors using our tools.
Discuss this, and much more, over on our forum.
---MAJORHIFI may receive commissions from retail offers.
