HiFiMAN - Ananda (Stealth Magnet Version)

Planar Magnetic Open-Backs

Sale price₹ 49,999 Regular priceMRP: ₹ 74,999
Discontinued
This product is permanently discontinued by the manufacturer and continues to live on in Headphone Zone's Museum.

Unfortunately, even if we desire to, we won't be able to resurrect this product. The Museum is where we pay our respects to end-of-life, old, archived, but not forgotten products. This page was made with a lot of love and will live on for posterity. What to say, we're sentimental people. 😔

While this product is gone forever, here are others we recommend

Customer Reviews

Based on 6 reviews
83%
(5)
0%
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(0)
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17%
(1)
S
Sujit Chakraborty (Mumbai)
Clean and smooth sound, But Short lifespan

Reviewing these headphones after using for more than a week. Out of the box, these cans sounded pretty ordinary. In the user guide they mentioned that these need 150 hours of burn in. After burn in the bass sounds punchier, treble sounds cleaner, vocals sound amazing, soundstage gets better (it isn't that wide like Sennheiser HD800) . Female vocals like Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Adele sound mind blowing. You can easily distinguish between a mp3 and a flac file through these headphones. So, the audio source is important. One thing I didn't like is the build quality. It is pretty average for the price. No earcup swivel along the vertical axis and also a cheap headband. This isn't a big issue for me, but could be a problem for some. These are heavy headphones, but don't feel heavy on the head. Overall happy with the purchase and would recommend these. Note that bassheads may not like these. The sound is quite neutral and if you want emphasized bass, go for Audeze headphones.

Edit on 13 Oct 2023:
Have used these headphones on and off for almost 4 years. Thought that these would be my end game headphones because of the sound quality. Had kept the headphones safely in its box untouched for about a month while I was on vacation. After I returned, I found on reconnecting the headphones the left driver stopped functioning. No sound. Oh no! It is not an issue with the cable nor the connector. The driver is dead. The conductor path on the diaphragm is chipped off in some places. So, the circuit is broken on the left driver.

It's a shame that a great sounding headphone can just die randomly because of poor quality control issues. Will never buy Hifiman stuff again ever. I've used Beyerdynamics and Sennheisers which have lasted for decades. 1 star for Hifiman. I don't care how good their products sound if they can't last for even 5 years. Save your money and stick with the legendary brands. Sennheiser HD650 is my daily headphone now which is way cheaper than Ananda and much more durable. If you don't mind a dead headphone after the 1 year warranty period ends, you can give Hifiman a shot. Their products sound really good. But, quality is disastrous, enough to give this brand a pass. Goodbye Hifiman.

Hey Sujit,
Thank you for the honest review. We will definitely take up your issue with the build with HiFiMAN. Hope it was a comfortable shopping experience. Cheers!

N
Nilesh Desai, Surat, Gujarat (Miami)
Stunning Audio Performance!!

Ananda is an excellent sounding headphone and very well balanced headphone with slightly more pleasing treble timbre. I highly recommended for it.

D
Debashish Kalita (Raurkela)
Design and Comfort:
Great
Poor
Sound Quality:
Awesome
Awful
Value for Money:
Bang On!
Not at all
Hifiman Ananda

To start with, this isn't the first time I had heard Ananda. Back in 2018 I had picked up the Sundara from Hifiman office at Bengaluru, I was hosted by the great folks at Hifiman for an entire afternoon where I sat and auditioned Sundara, Ananda and Arya. I picked up Sundara back then due to budget constraints, and I enjoyed it for some good 1.5 years without any issues, later sold it off to move on. Fast forward a few months or an year, I was back in market looking to pickup an upgrade, runs decently off portable source but scales well with desktop setup, and wouldn't strong-arm me to redo my entire chain. Initially I was looking for Arya, HD800s and Auteur, to which I realized that they will definitely need me to upgrade my entire chain - build s specific chain them. So after putting a lot of thought, I started looking for something else, and narrowed down to Ananda. As per reviews, they are decent upgrade over Sundara, pretty easy to drive, does decently with all genres and have a favorable sound signature.
So I picked up the Anandas and here I am! Soundwise I have no complaints, these sounds great, lows, mids and treble sounds pretty even to me - non of them are emphasized to overshadow the other, soundstage and imaging is great with great layering. They sound pretty intimate with lot of emotions in the presentation, energetic and to the face kind of an impactful sound. Personally this was not something I was looking for but I am getting used to it and with burnin the to the face kind of presentation is gradually taking a backstep. I have hardly used them for 20hours or so, so I am sure things will change with ~200 hours of burn in and I feel it will only get better. Buildwise, I feel they are pretty good, they do have a bit of clamp force but then that is what keeps these huge cups on our ears so that's fine I guess. The cables are okay, I just didn't like the springy characteristics. And I really dont understand the logic of providing 2 single ended cables, seems to be of mediocre quality, and only difference is length. Hifiman should have put a little thought to this and rather provided one good quality balanced cable, I think that's a fair ask for a headphone that costs 1000$.
Find me on social media for the detailed reviews coming out in a week or two.

O
Onelove (Bengaluru)
Design and Comfort:
Great
Poor
Sound Quality:
Awesome
Awful
Value for Money:
Bang On!
Not at all
Bliss/Ananda is the word

Super clean, non fatiguing, natural sound putting you in the centre of the music. You postpone taking it off the ears which, to me, is the truest test. A balanced cable increases the output substantially though. Bass is just about enough for me though the lower frequencies cannot match the experience of good speakers. But the overall experience of being mobile while listening to high class astonishingly detailed speaker quality sound is a bliss.

Hey,
Happy to know you are loving the Ananda. They truly are a bliss..Anyway, thank you for the great review!

J
JP M (Chennai)
Sublime

First planar headphone - and I could hear the difference. Soundstage isn’t all that wide, probably to do with Stealth Magnet (as noted in multiple reviews). But sound quality is really good - well balanced with a teensy bit of excitement added to it. Haven’t completed the recommended burn-in period of 150 hours. Will update this review once I find my footing.


Designed in
China

Balanced Sound Signature

Museum with a Balanced sound signature presents a precise sound and an enriching listening experience, where sounds are naturally presented without extreme emphasis on any region. With a pair of headphones with this sound signature, you can hear audio with clarity and detail. The sound is vivid and revealing, a perfect mixture of instruments and vocals, lows, mids, and highs. This sound signature works for most music listeners who like switching between various music genres like Classical, Jazz, Blues, Rock, Folk and Pop.


1 Year of
Warranty

Ideal for
Indoor Use

Planar Magnetic Drivers

Planar magnetic drivers combine characteristics of several driver types. They employ magnetic fields akin to dynamic and balanced armature drivers. However, planar magnetic drivers, like electrostatic drivers, use a flat, thin diaphragm in contrast to a coil. The planar drivers are known for their quick transient response.


Open-Back Design
Replaceable Cables

A pair of headphones with a replaceable cable has many benefits, and one of them is if the connecting cable has a problem, it doesn’t mean that you have to buy a new one. If the connecting cable gets pulled or damaged, you can replace it and keep using your good-old headphones or IEMs. This way, your headphones will be protected and will last longer. With the advancements in cable manufacturing, you now get a variety of replacement cables with various termination options, lengths and quality.


Needs Amplification
The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet is an impressive-sounding full-sized open-back headphone that offers a top-of-the-line detail retrieval with excellent frequency response. Ananda Stealth Magnet is the culmination of years of development and with a lightweight design and ultra-fine planar drivers at its heart, it presents unmatched agility and power sensitivity.
RAGHAV SOMANI

About RAGHAV SOMANI

Raghav Somani is the Founder & CEO of Headphone Zone. An avid audiophile and musician since 2008, his choice of headphones include STAX Electrostats, Audeze LCD 3, and for music on the go, the JH Audio Roxanne + Astell&Kern SP1000 is never too far away. On his playlist, you'll find A.R. Rahman, Michael Jackson, and the Eagles.

THE ALL-NEW HIFIMAN ANANDA WITH EFFICIENT PLANAR EXCELLENCY EMBEDDED WITH NEO SUPER NANO DIAPHRAGM

A well-crafted HiFiMAN is known for keeping the heritage of the best Planar Magnetic Driver configurations all through the years. HiFiMAN has been the powerhouse in producing Planar Magnetic Headphones with Stealth Magnet Technology. The all-new Ananda Stealth Magnet Version includes ultra-lightweight planar drivers with unrivalled agility and power sensitivity. Embedded with the latest "supernano" Diaphragm (NsD) is 80% thinner, allowing for a faster, more detailed response while maintaining luscious musicality. The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet version, on the other hand, features a diaphragm which is only a nanometer thick. This exceptional thinness allows it to reproduce unparalleled details and lifelike imaging.

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ACOUSTICALLY INVISIBLE STEALTH MAGNET TECHNOLOGY FOR CLEAN SOUND

HiFiMAN has been a pioneer in developing Stealth Magnet technology over the years with precision. The stealth magnets are nothing but curved at the ends to reduce distortion and produce a clean and spatial sound. This performs significantly faster and offers superior performance compared to its peers.

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Headphone-Zone-HiFiMAN-Ananda

DELIVERS EXCEPTIONAL SOUNDSTAGE, TONALITY, CLARITY, SCALE, AND DYNAMICS WITH ACCURATE IMAGING

The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet Version has an impedance of 27 Ohms and a sensitivity of 103dB. The improved Planar Magnets with the all-new "supernano" Diaphragm (NsD) drivers in the HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet Version have their magnets rounded on the edges to reduce distortion. The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet version has a frequency response of 8Hz-55kHz. When it comes to the four primary aspects of audio, tonality, scale, dynamics, and clarity, the HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet version performs brilliantly. It produces excellent balance delivering full-range sound with a decent soundstage that will give your music life and breathing room. They have a holographic and airy presentation that provides a soothing listening experience. The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet version provides excellent imaging, and a sense of depth and space thanks to its open-back design.

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ASYMMETRICAL EAR CUPS WITH PATENTED WINDOW SHADE SYSTEM

The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet Version has focused on remarkable sound due to its open-back nature. To support the sound, the Ananda Stealth Magnet Version has been equipped with asymmetrical ear cups to follow the natural shape of the human ears and offer a snug fit. The company's innovative window shade technology, which was developed to address the demand for driver protection and provide enough room for sound waves to escape, has also improved these headphones, making them more robust and sonically clean.

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Headphone-Zone-HiFiMAN-Ananda

COMFORT, CONVENIENCE, AND EASY CONNECTIVITY DELIVERED

The upgraded 3.5mm headphone connectors on Ananda Stealth Magnet Version are the most durable, providing an increased lifetime. The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet Version have dual 3.5mm ports on each ear cup. Ananda Stealth Magnet Version's over-ear design presents unmatched comfort with ear pads constructed of incredibly soft cushions perfect for long listening periods. Ananda Stealth Magnet Version is the first portable device, a sound match made in heaven that allows you to enjoy sonic bliss wherever you are.

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BRANDISHES A CLASS-LEADING BUILD QUALITY EMBEDDED WITH A HYBRID HEADBAND DESIGN

With your hands, feel the funk! The HiFiMAN Ananda Stealth Magnet Version sports a dual headband design, with one side fixed (metal) and the other adjustable leather for resting and balancing the headphone weight. With a precisely constructed weight dispersing strap, the Ananda Stealth Magnet Version's headband may provide great long-term comfort weighing 440g. Metal construction paired with a sleek and luscious matte black finish for optimal durability. The ear cups themselves mimic the natural shape of the human ear for maximum comfort.

Headphone-Zone-HiFiMAN-Ananda
1 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this HiFiMAN - Ananda (Stealth Magnet Version) comes with a 1 Year warranty from HiFiMAN that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about HiFiMAN's warranty in India.

A Decade of Audiophile Excellence

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Tianjin, China, HiFiMAN stands as a leading manufacturer of audio products, specializing in headphones, amplifiers, and portable audio players. Renowned for its critically acclaimed Planar Magnetic headphones, HiFiMAN is revered among audiophiles for its state-of-the-art driver technology. Led by Dr. Fang Bian, the company has garnered awards and rave reviews for its best-in-class earphones and in-ear drivers.

From the Sundara and Ananda headphones to the RE400 and RE800 earphones, HiFiMAN's products are cherished by audiophiles worldwide for their flawless performance and exceptional sound quality.

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