@Resolve. I am understanding when you say the Hifiman’s are drier. Also, it would be interesting to see how Hifiman Arya and Rad-0 responds to the two tracks below.
Decided to go back and spend more time with Ananda and Elex.
The Ananda is bit drier on Rock tracks, The Focal feel more alive with just more mid punch and better treble. They are both very good headphones, It just a bit more relaxed than the Focal Elex.
Two tracks I think the Ananda does better with is David Essex Rock On ( his only good song, fun track with lot movement in sound stage ) and Yosi Horikawa Bubbles. the latter ball bound felt metallic on Elex.
Trentemøller Chameleon, the Elex has much more detail in the treble and mid feels airier with better separation, the bass hit deeper, Went back and looked at the bass The Elex hit the hardest at 49 Hz and then 62 Hz ( 2dB less( and 39 Hz (3 dB less). Ananda still hit with strong bass, hit the hardest at 78 Hz, then 62 Hz 3 dB less, 99 Hz 4 dB less, 49 Hz 6 dB less, finally 39 Hz 10 dB less still great mid-range and treble detail.
Another test track I looked at bass is Han Zimmer 2049, Elex has more impact in lower bass it hitting strongest at 49 Hz and 62 Hz equally, then 78 Hz is 1dB less, 99 Hz is 2 dB Les, and 39 Hz is 3 dB less range. The Ananda bass peak much higher in the 78 Hz region, 99 Hz (2 dB less), 62 Hz 4 dB less 49 Hz and 125 Hz (8 dB less). Now with this track, if you take the volume up to loud it will get dreaded cup hit in the Elex. It is repeatable.
Interesting - don’t think I’ve seen much direct comparison of these two - Elex (or Elear with Clear pads) and Ananda. I’m curious what others with experience with both of these headphones think about their comparison also - same impressions?
Thank you Gregory!
I asked elswhere(not this forum)and never got a response.
Sometimes I wonder if people really own the hardware they are talking about
@tjg I have both and love them both for different reasons. I think they compliment each other well as a listener who wants different sound signatures depending on the music I listen to, the area of my house or office I am listening. I have the Elear bundle with the clear pads. What’s cool about that bundle from headphones.com is you get two sets of pads the hard travel case for the sale price which is still less the Drops version especially if you don’t need balanced. So this allows you to have two different listening experiences from one headphone. The punch from the Elear is better especially with electronic, R and B, hip hop etc. I don’t take measurements but I have about 25 tracks I listen to to A/B headphones to find their strengths and weaknesses. The Elear/Elex can sound a bit bright at times and without tone control I found them more fatiguing then the Ananda’s.
To me the Ananda tonally sounds better than the Elear/Elex. Also the sound stage on the Ananda is wider and deeper. At times it can feel like sounds are coming from above your head. They both retrieve detail very good, I would have to A/B again but if memory serves me correctly the Ananda was still more detail retrieving even with the Clear pads on the Elear. Both take well to Tone control via a Schiit Loki. The Ananda requires a more powerful amp to truly sound it’s best. The more I listen to music the more I love Planar headphones. If I could choose only one between the two I would probably lean towards the Ananda but where is the fun in only having one!?
I think since they both are around the same price they are both great for different reasons. The build quality is vastly superior in the Elear, the Ananda build quality is just ok. They are both comfortable as well. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I will do my best to help.
Edit: As I am a listener who doesn’t analyze measurements as much as testing via my test tracks, maybe let me know what genres of music you listen to and I could tell you which headphones would pair best.
@tjg also check out @Resolve review of the Ananda’s vs the Arya he does a terrific job discussing the headphones and thus far I have found his reviews and impressions of headphones I have listened to to line up well with mine. He is very knowledgeable.
Perfect! With your picture I finally get it.
That was all I needed. So I need another container for it. No problem to build one.
I am always paranoid about dog hair flying around
@MRphotigraphy - most genres? Always go back to 70s - Zeppelin, Sabbath, early Priest, Bowie but also 00s and current indie, jazz, classical, ambient, experimental music, classic shoegaze, ‘krautrock’, early electronica, folk, yacht rock, stoner metal, film composers, whatever Moondog is, anything well-recorded…
Actually have the Elears and Clear pads, got those separately from our friends here. Enjoy those a lot. I like the dynamics of the combo (some have called it an Eclair) and interested in detail.
Your listening genres are diverse like mine. I think the Ananda’s would give you a great second pair of open back headphones with a better soundstage and better tonality than the Elear. You will still go to your Elear for some of those Genres which is why I think they compliment each other well, at least they have for me at the price point. What amp/Dac will you be using?
I like them both. Ananda and Elex are both excellent headphones. It is just interesting to see what you already heard sometimes in the graph. With 70’ and 80 Rock, So Zeppelin, Who, Cars, AC/DC, Ramones, Iggy Pop, Neil Young, etc.
I play Guitar; The Focal is closer to what I hear when I play. I have a few good amps in my collection. Marshall 1959 JMP 100 watt, Marshall 2245THW JTM45 which I run into a Marshell 1960AHW 4x12; HiTone HT 50 DG ( HiWatt based David Gilmore Model); Two-Rock Classic Reverb which I run into Morgan 2x12 cab with 75 w Creambacks, 1963 Fender Super, and Benson Earhart Head and 1 x 12 Cab. Just built Mojotone 1x12 cab with WGS-12L I need to break-in. Some point I will have you show you guys the transformers is Hi-tone, They are Monsters.
Now looking at the Dan Clark Aeon Flow/X that a different beast altogether, I see it specialized headset. But on the two bass-heavy songs I seeing clamped like behavior or compression behavior from 793 Hz to 49 Hz almost linear dB across the range with my current amp. Which the Focal and Ananda do not show this behavior. I wait to see how they behave with SPL Phonitor x. Current amp support 1w into 32 Ohms.
@MRHifiReviews - I’m using an ifi xDSD, used with an ifi iPurifier3 (which I think improves the sound) and sometimes Dragonfly Red. Have wondered about Chord Mojo, which I’ve heard briefly, wondered if its worth getting for sound and details while already owning an xDSD - topic for another thread I’m sure.
I don’t. Have the ability to move threads but Since it’s all related to you possibly getting the Ananda’s and what you will use to drive them it’s important to the discussion in my opinion. What I would say is if portability is a must have with amp/Dac you have two good options in the iFi XDSD and the dragonfly red.
I think the Dragonfly red with the Ananda’s though won’t really unlock them to their full potential.
The XDSD is more powerful and will do a better job. I also believe the XDSD is slightly more powerful than the chord mojo. I’m not sure about the chord and how much more benefit you will see since you already have the XDSD. I used it have the XDSD and loved it. I know lots of people on this forum own and use it daily especially with the focal line up such as Elear or Elegia. For me I returned it and decided on the iFi IDSD Micro black label for the specific reason I really love Planar headphones such as my Ananda’s and my Aeon2C and I have found in my time albeit not nearly as long as some of the incredible members on this forum, Planar headphones really love more juice well above what their rating states. So even though the Ananda’s say they are easy to drive and I believe they are one of, if not the most easy Planar headphones to drive they perform so much better with a high quality powerful amp/Dac.
For portable Desktop, office, couch, bed etc, I prefer the IFi IDSD Micro Black Label for Ananda and the AEON2C But the iFi XDSD is pretty great too with just lower power and a single Burrbrown chip vs. 2.
For truly portable use the dragon fly red is decent but not great with the Planar headphones. Do you have a desktop amp/Dac or just mobile for now?
