The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links. The price of the HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is $599 and can be ordered from the HIFIMAN online store.
HIFIMAN Ananda Nano
The Nano is the third generation of one of the most famous and popular HIFIMAN headphones, the Ananda, which was introduced back in 2018. The new Ananda Nano uses the same stealth magnets as the previous Stealth versions and additionally it comes with a thinner, Nanometer thickness, diaphragm that is based on the famous Susvara design. This kind of diaphragm has much lower distortion, higher transient response and double improvement of dynamics and details.
For readers not familiar with the HIFIMAN Stealth magnets design, let’s remember that unlike the sound waves created by a conventional magnet, the special shape of Stealth magnets enables the waves to pass through the magnets without generating interference. This advanced magnet design is acoustically transparent, dramatically reducing wave diffraction turbulence that degrades the integrity of the sound waves.
The Ananda Nano has a 14Ω impedance with 94dB of sensitivity so it is an easy load for all decent portable sources and the easiest to drive from all the Ananda up to date. For comparison let’s remember that the Ananda Stealth is available in two versions, V2 – 26Ω/93dB and V3 – 16Ω/93dB.
Appearance and fit
The new Ananda Nano is identical looking with the Stealth version of the headphone except for the ear-cups and connecting yoke that now come with a beautiful silver finish, matching that of the window-shaped grills. The ear-cups are still made from plastic while the grills, holders and the outer part of the headband are made from metal.
The Ananda Nano features HIFIMAN’s hybrid headband design that consists of a metallic upper frame and a weight dispersing, leather strap with a black color. Speaking of weight, the Ananda Nano weighs 419g, so it sits somewhere in the middle of the lighter V3 (398g) and the heavier V2 (440g). The detachable, oval shaped ear-cups are asymmetrical and engulf the whole ear which doesn’t touch the inner mesh.
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.
Build quality is typical HIFIMAN, nothing has changed from the previous generations of the headphone. This is not bad made headphone, it looks quite durable but the overall craftsmanship and the materials can’t match other similarly priced headphones by other brands.
Accessories and cable
Good news, HIFIMAN has finally decided to become more competitive and include a high quality hard carrying case that adds greater value to the overall package which also includes a foam protection panel that doubles as a headphone stand.
The included detachable cable is the same one that comes with the HIFIMAN Edition XS. Nothing special, a typical quality cable with 3.5mm plugs on both ends and a rather thick rubber sheathing. A 6.35mm adapter is also included.
Power requirements and associated gear
The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is really easy to drive, it just needs a source with some decent power output. Don’t believe in urban tales about it scaling with tons of power or streams of current.
It scales however with higher quality sources without any limits. The Ananda Nano might be a mid-range headphone but is so transparent and precise that it can easily match and bring out all the sonic virtues of high-end sources. Don’t hesitate to use your best gear, as I did with sources like the iBasso DX320, FiiO M15S, EarMen Angel and iFi NEO iDSD 2. I have also used Lavricables aftermarket cables and as per usual practice the HIFIMAN Ananda Nano was burned for about 100 hours before listening evaluation.
Listening impressions
As already discussed, the most striking characteristic of the HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is its reference transparency and phenomenal ability to scale with higher quality sources. This is a headphone with supreme fidelity that is going to mirror both the quality of the audio chain and the recording without adding any character of its own. It has a very revealing and unforgiving nature that requires careful matching in order to meet your listening criteria.
From a frequency response point of view, the Ananda Nano is typical HIFIMAN with balanced and neutral bass, almost linear mid-range and slightly elevated treble.
The treble is sharp and extremely luminous but it is not bright as long as your source is not bright either. You shouldn’t confuse its excessive energy and sparkling nature with negative attributes like brightness or harshness that it doesn’t have. The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano has excellent treble extension, it is crystal clear and micro-detailed while it resolves a lot better than someone would expect. Actually it is as resolving and refined as much pricer headphones like the HIFIMAN Arya Stealth. The sound is very refined and articulated with great rendering of all the finest particles that are hidden inside the depths of the recording and make the music come alive. What happens though in the higher frequencies, is that they have a rather lean, dry texture and a touch of a metallic timbre, especially when acoustic instruments are involved. It is not that they sound out of tune or inaccurate but sometimes you can’t fail to notice a touch of artificiality.
The mid-range displays the same kind of behavior with class leading transparency, clarity and resolution. Open and spacious with excellent definition, superior articulation and deep detail retrieval that make justice to both well recorded voices and instruments. The texture is still lean but the mid-range is distinguished by a more realistic timbre and greater harmonic naturalness. The tuning is almost neutral, uncolored and balanced, instruments and voices sound lifelike and tonally accurate throughout the whole range minus a certain upper-mids emphasis that can become a little annoying only for people with extra sensitivity in this particular area.
The low-end is punchy and impactful despite its rather lean texture, it has excellent dynamic contrast but it doesn’t sound that weighty or visceral. Sub-bass extension is great while the bass is neutrally and linearly tuned without any signs of mid-bass emphasis and extra coloring. The transition to the mid-range is excellent without the slightest overlapping or any signs of bloating. Clarity is still phenomenal, the bass is textured and extremely well defined while it is agile, lighting fast and perfectly controlled even with the most demanding material. Plain and simple, the HIFIMAN Ananda Nano displays class leading technical performance in the low-end rendering.
The original Ananda was famous for its wide and open sounding nature and the saga continues here. The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano is a spacious sounding headphones with a soundstage that extends both in the horizontal and vertical axis but not as much as to lose its center image focus. The imaging is surgical while the Nano displays deep ambient information retrieval. The soundstage is taller than deeper and feels grand but slightly intimate as the listener is positioned quite close to the center stage.
The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano can match well with a lot of kinds of music and suit various listening preferences. It wouldn’t be my first choice for listening to EDM or classic rock songs with notoriously bad recordings but on the other hand is just great for classical music, jazz, acoustic rock and many other types of music.
Compared to the Ananda Stealth
The HIFIMAN Ananda Stealth is the same headphone as the Nano with just a little bit thicker diaphragm. It used to sell for $999 but now you can get it as low as $399 from HIFIMAN’s official store. Build quality, materials and fit are the same as with the Ananda Nano, the only difference is that the Ananda Stealth is total black and the package doesn’t include the carrying case. The Nano is also just a bit easier to drive but nothing too spectacular.
The Stealth and the Nano versions of the Ananda do sound a little different but not in a night and day fashion, both headphones bear the same sonic DNA. The main difference is that the HIFIMAN Ananda Nano has a punchier and more dynamic low-end with a fuller, weightier and more impactful bass while you can feel more intense sound pressure levels. From a frequency response point of view, I subjectively perceive them as sounding more or less the same.
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.
In my opinion, the HIFIMAN Ananda Stealth has not become obsolete or surpassed by the undeniably technically superior Ananda Nano. I can see many people preferring it not only for the slightly different sound signature but also for the new, unbeatable price.
In the end
The HIFIMAN Ananda Nano offers exceptional sound and enhanced technicalities over all previous Ananda versions at a slightly reduced and more affordable price. This is one of the best value, mid-range planar magnetic headphones you can buy right now with an unbeatable audio performance that far exceeds the asking price.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2023.
+ Great sound quality + Class leading fidelity and scaling potential + Crystal clear and transparent + Excellent resolution and technicalities + Very easy to drive + Comfortable and relatively lightweight + Comes with a hard carrying case + Value for money - Slightly lean and dry texture - A bit of artificiality in the treble - Build quality and materials - Mediocre cable - Might be too large for some people
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