It’s also in stark contrast to other drive designs such as the HE6se v2, which require a whole lot of power. Ananda can be said to have outstanding dynamics, and all music will sound natural, even extremely compressed metal and rock, from the post loudness wars era.

Now this is not a track with clean bass at all, making it very easy to get wrong and also making it more difficult to appreciate the real tone of the bass and low end of the guitar. Characterized by a clean, neutral sound, there’s a ton of space and depth to this stylish headphone. See, when rating the build of a headphone, we have to have the engineering process and the overall construction in mind as well. The sensation I first experienced with the HE-6 was replicated when I switched from a dynamic driver headphone to a Hifiman with planar drivers.

If you are seeking absolute detail retrieval, deep thumping bass or a wide open soundstage, there are other designs that could do it better, but if you want something of everything, the Ananda will do it for you. There is a good amount of data available on Ananda if you read the manual that's included with them, including their low weight, of 399g, 25 OHMs of impedance, and medium sensitivity of 103dB. Mounting the headphone on the text fixture was easy requiring almost no manipulation to get proper measurements. While they’re not ultimately bad in terms of comfort, they really are much thicker than they could have been. The original HIFIMAN Ananda was released a little over four years ago as of the date of this review, and that is nearly a lifetime in the fast-paced personal audio space.

Overall, Ananda has a huge soundstage, but with excellent instrument separation, and great overall punchiness, to the point where you sometimes forget you're wearing a headphone, and think you're right there in a concert hall, when listening to a live piece. While I really like the overall presentation of the Ananda, its even-handedness may not be to everyone’s liking.The general comfort is comparable, because the CZ10 has really thick and soft earpads, but the pad size is much larger on Ananda, and they offer better space for my ears to sit in. However, the HE1000se takes it that one step further, managing to be slightly smoother without ever giving the sensation that anything has been lost or hidden. I appreciate the fact, that with the BT version I have all in one package, even though I’m worried about the battery life.

I find it especially great with the likes of Rush, where the rhythm section is a true highlight of the music. They’re lovely headphones that take the interesting bits from the higher-end models such as the Arya or the Edition X and make them more affordable. Metal is only used for the gimbals and the headband in the Ananda’s build, with the rest being entirely made of plastic.

To me, the box that they arrive in is the least important bit, however, the presentation of both the Ananda and HE1000se do make you feel that you are receiving something special.