If this review is anything to go by then the Susvara wouldn't even be an upgrade for the currently £69 HE400SE.I am genuinely over the moon with the Ananda Nano, yes they did require DIY modding with the headband, and throw the stock earpads in the bin in favour of memory foam velours that are superior and naturally tune out the brightness peak which is typical for HIFiMAN planars,
As it stands now, if I ever got a headphone upgrade then it can only be go big or go home, which means Susvara. I don't know if anything else would be worth the cost over what the relatively low cost of the Nano is. At least with the Susvara it's the halo headphone with no real upgrade path, if you're going to go full hog, that is basically it lol. I also love the design of it with the golden yellow inner driver being visible through the grille.
Can't quite stomach buying a headphone that costs more than most used cars though..... Maybe if I sell some of my work shares one day in the future and use those profits to upgrade or something
what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)
- Thread starter garyfl
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Man of Honour
Thing is Focal designs are too marmite, I have not yet seen a single Focal design I like, and at those prices, it needs to look as good as it sounds. Plus that style of headband is not to my liking, proper elasticated suspension headband is the only way to get comfort.
But yeah, unless my Nano dies, then I'll be rocking these for the next 10 years like I did with the HD650 for so long. Planars have been a game changer for me
I see reviews like this and do wonder, I know the people at ASR often focus too much on measurements and graphs, but as has been said in many places now, graphs only tell half the story. I'd need to hear them for myself. It's the same reaosn I bought and trialled the HD660S2, reviews pasted great measurements all over the web, yet to my ears they were mildly better in the mids with some extension to sub-bass - I wouldn't call them an upgrade over the HD650 personally, especially at the that price!
But yeah, unless my Nano dies, then I'll be rocking these for the next 10 years like I did with the HD650 for so long. Planars have been a game changer for me
Beaten like a ginger step child
They are very marmite headphones.
I'd be looking at other brands in that price range.
I've pondered the Focal Utopia @5k, but I can't justify the hours used vs the cost.
what headphones do you own thread - i own dt150's :)
Added a Grado SR325X to the collection. Great headphone for classic rock and good old fashioned rock n roll - AC/DC sound incredible. So the list now reads: Headphones Grado SR325X Denon AH-D7200 Beyerdynamic DT1990 pro Sennheiser HD650 HiFiMAN HE400i Sony MDR-1A AKG K702 Sennheiser PX100...
forums.overclockers.co.uk
I liked the Focal MG Pro /none pro (both same just different colour and accessories) over even the Utopia and many reviewers also thought the MG clears sounded better too and much better value. I would go give them a try and compare them to the Utopias, you maybe surprised.
Soldato
All dongles imo are much of a muchness these days, they are getting so good for the price you soon hit diminishing returns for not a lot of cash as your finding with the XL1, unless your looking for specific power requirements or nuances in the soundstage and imaging (which I usually am), it then usually comes down to features and size/weight, I'd definitely return the M15i if your happy with the XL1, also I believe the XL1 will have better synergy with the Nano being that it has a smoother/warmer sound profile, just slightly less width on the soundstage.Alright so thoughts on the Onix Alpha XL1 after a whole night of back to back listening between M15i and the XL1:
After this back to back I see no real reason I'd want to keep the M15i really. They both sound so close and the XL1 put tighter control on the HiFiMAN brightness peak at the top end range so that's a bit of an added bonus. The screen, the options, the volume control that I can toggle between OS control of DAC control, the play/pause of whatever is playing on the PC...
- The XL1 using filter NOS (4) or Fast (1) sounds almost the same as the M15i. The M15i edges it slightly by being slightly brighter.
- The soundstage of the XL1 is slightly closer in my head but the stereo imaging between both feel identical. Every symbol, vocals, instrument positioning from jazz to electronic to acoustic all sound full of body between both. If there's any difference then I'd say the XL1 feels more intimate for soundstage, everything is just brought a little closer, and on the Ananda Nano which is already super wide, this works really well. The M15i by comparison amplifies the wideness of the Nano.
- The high frequency pea brightness is better controlled with the XL1, the M15i is more neutral I'd say with some smoothness - Whereas the XL1 takes away that brightness that a few songs still have even with the Voarmaks pads.
- The master volume in Windows on the M15i at 60% and the M15i set to low gain sounds about the same loudness as the XL1 in high gain and the DAC's volume is at 66% - So the amplification of the M15i is better. I guess that's the power of Current Mode drive architecture. Both are extremely loud though and at 60-70% in these modes both are oud enough to fully enjoy everything. For movies I'd probably keep either at 70 for that cinematic experience.
- Sub-bass between both sound identical. Extension and speed of bass kick also feels identical. I can "feel" the low rumble of Hans Zimmer's titles, for example.
- The XL1 gets hotter than the M15i, almost twice as warm! Makes sense since there's an OLED to power, as well as being in high gain for the same loudness.
- Neither work with my Galaxy S24 Ultra :/ The M15i only works with certain USB cables/ports on my PC/monitor's USB3 hub, I knew it was picky anyway though and have a specific cable for it anyway. XL1 seems to not care what port or cable is used.
- I prefer how instant the audio comes on with the XL1, there is about a 1s delay with the M15i as the audio fades in on first play.
- Some reviews on Headfi said that there's hiss in high gain with sensitive headphones. I don't hear any such thing with the Nano, so probably IEM related only.
£87..... Quite incredible value for money the XL1 seems to be, and I now understand why a bunch of youtube reviewers put it on their top of the charts for 2024 dongle DACs (so far). Both M15i and XL1 beat the Fiio K7, Topping DX3 Pro+ and Topping MX3S easily for loudness/resolution/soundstage/stereo imaging.
Got 3 more days to file a return for the M15i, may as well get back £250 lol.
I've tried a lot of dongles and what I usually crave is depth to the soundstage, holographics, and good timbre, but it's not easy to find, Mojo 2 was the only portable dac/amp that was able to achieve that for me but it's not a device that's always that practical to use on the move due to the size and weight, I'm really looking for a cheap Hiby FC6 to try next but they rarely come up on eBay so will probably grab an XL1 in the mean time to have a play around with as its so cheap!
You have to take ASR with a pinch of salt sometimes, I like that it exists but sometimes I find they go to far down the numbers route and forget that audio as soon as it is listened to and processed by us mortal humans there is a large amount of subjectivity thrown into the mix due to how we all hear, feel, and interpret sound differently, either way the though, the HE400SE is an absolute bargain! I remember back in the day buying the original HE400i for around £350, at the time it was a very luxury purchase, one for the first Planer's to really take off.
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Man of Honour
Holographic, that is the word I was looking for when I posted my above review. Yes the XL1 is holographic in a way that the M15i isn't because it's super wide soundstaged, as you say the synergy with the Nano is there with the XL1 because of it's smooth nature and intimate soundstage, that gives better holographic sound as everything in a360 degrees is positioned in a way that it feels more "live" than somewhere in a slightly longer distance away - Not the the M15i doesn't sound holographic too, it's just the XL1 does it more precisely .
Yep I have now returned the M15i for the above reasons, but also because the features are so plentiful. Didn't think I;d enjoy buttons and menus on a dongle DAC but here we are, and all for under £90 lol.
If I ever change headphones then the XL1 may not provide the same synergy so who knows, this whole thing may need to be revisited but for the next 10 years or so, I think these two are a perfect pairing as long as neither break.
I also like that the XL1 works on any USB port and cable on my PC whereas the M15i is well known for being picky, which I discovered but as mainly use the DACs on one cable anyway so not a huge deal but some may find that an issue.
Yep I have now returned the M15i for the above reasons, but also because the features are so plentiful. Didn't think I;d enjoy buttons and menus on a dongle DAC but here we are, and all for under £90 lol.
If I ever change headphones then the XL1 may not provide the same synergy so who knows, this whole thing may need to be revisited but for the next 10 years or so, I think these two are a perfect pairing as long as neither break.
I also like that the XL1 works on any USB port and cable on my PC whereas the M15i is well known for being picky, which I discovered but as mainly use the DACs on one cable anyway so not a huge deal but some may find that an issue.
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Caporegime
Oooo, Amazon have dropped the Arya’s to £510.
Man of Honour
I am tempted, it uses the late revision headband so would be much easier to mod in my suspension band which is better than the whack Hifiman piece.
Shall I do it?!?! I could sell my Nano for not far off the price of those Arya at £510 too assuming the price goes back up lol, plus considering mine are modded so would be more appealing.
I'll watch some reviews from the usual sources to see what's what.
Shall I do it?!?! I could sell my Nano for not far off the price of those Arya at £510 too assuming the price goes back up lol, plus considering mine are modded so would be more appealing.
I'll watch some reviews from the usual sources to see what's what.
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Forgive my ignorance but it looks like you only get the original foam insert / foam disk when you buy the original ear pads for Sennheiser HD650.
I bought aftermarket pads that had good reviews but they did not come with foam inserts.
Can anyone recommend aftermarket foam inserts.
There seems to be loads of cheap Chinese ones for sale but I wanted some half decent ones ideally.
I bought aftermarket pads that had good reviews but they did not come with foam inserts.
Can anyone recommend aftermarket foam inserts.
There seems to be loads of cheap Chinese ones for sale but I wanted some half decent ones ideally.
Man of Honour
I think it was determined that nothing beats the Sennheiser pads (they were revised in like 2020) . In my 10+ years of owning the HD650 and buying aftermarket pads inc the infamouse Dekoni velour memory foam, even those expensive pads couldn't beat the pure sonics of the stock pads and discs.
Stick to stock pads, buy from Thomann for decent prices too.
Edit*
On the Arya Stealth above, Z's review:
Stick to stock pads, buy from Thomann for decent prices too.
Edit*
On the Arya Stealth above, Z's review:
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Man of Honour
Argh, I could have them this evening, demo them and if they don't exceed the Nano, return them next day and get a refund
From reddit:
Comparing the three on Headfi:
Introducing HIFIMAN Ananda Nano
@Enther and anyone who might be interested. I'm willing to do a proper comparison in the upcoming days, but I'm happy to share some initial impressions of The Aryas Stealth vs The Ananda Nano vs The Edition XS. I'm using the same balanced cable for all three, and I'm compensating for any volume...
www.head-fi.org
Edit 2, this song is so good on wide soundstage/ headphones that stereo image really well too, the subtle sub bass extension of the Nano really helps in this track too, I think I would miss that if I got the Arya Stealth.
And this song, especially once the male vocal comes in, it's so finely textured and natural sounding:
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That is a mega deal. I almost got them years ago when they were RRP £1k+!
Man of Honour
It's confusing, the body of the product page on Amazon shows Arya Stealth, but the specs by Amazon are for the non Stealth, so which is it that you get for £510!
Man of Honour
It's not speculation though when there are significant differences between the two and you don't know which you are getting as a result as visually there is no difference between the two other than internal driver differences. 22 minutes to decide in order to get them for today.
Edit*
Ordered, let's see what turns up this evening.
Edit*
Ordered, let's see what turns up this evening.
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Man of Honour
Won't arrive until tomorrow now, used Samsung pay which has a £500 daily spend limit, and it didn't notify me until after the cutoff for delivery today had elapsed lol.
I'll be pleased if it does beat the Nano as I do like the design of the headband on the Arya more as from everything I've read it has none of the comfort issues of the fixed headband design of old.
I'll be pleased if it does beat the Nano as I do like the design of the headband on the Arya more as from everything I've read it has none of the comfort issues of the fixed headband design of old.