So tell us, if you had to choose between these and the Aeolus what would the choice be!!
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Haha 
hopefully I wonāt have too! In all seriousness one is a masterpiece from a build quality and artistic visual appeal (ZMF) and one is built like a mass produced headphone with build quality not being a priority (Hifiman)
They are different sonically and both very enjoyable. I feel very fortunate to be able to enjoy both right now.
The Anandaās are less expensive by about $500 so not sure itās a fair comparison. They sound more open than the Aeolus and have huge physical detailed drivers and a tonality that is just so sweet. For a person on a sub $1000 budget who also needs an affordable Hybrid Amp such as the MCTH that you can get used around $130-140 or new $175 and still be under $1000, value for the performance Anandaās all day.
For more of an engaging, get lost in the music, addictive sound with with the look and feel of pure one of a kind art in headphones there is no question the ZMF Aeolus all day. These are still my favorite headphones I have heard.
What I love about the 3 Headphones in order of my current enjoyment Aeolus, Ananda, 6XX is they are all different and unique with special qualities. Once my ears start to burn in on one pair, I swap to the other and boom 
re-engaged. Itās a pretty sweet trifecta.
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Have you compared the Focal Clears to these??
When I had the Anandas here I was not impressed for several reasons I posted in my reviewā¦but I am wondering what I might have missed??
Been doing this for years but the Anandas build quality was lacking and they sounded really on the thin side for meā¦most likely the stark contrast with the Clearsā¦
Might have to give these another chance??
Alex
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Well honestly if you didnāt like them I wouldnāt worry what you missed or waste your time trying again, life is too short for that!
I do not enjoy the sound of any Focal headphones I have heard so far for more than an hour or so at a time unless I use tone control, as some others also have experienced when listening to them. (I did enjoy the Elegia While I had them, for Classical and orchestral music, but still experienced some Listening fatigue with their tuning/drivers for longer sessions)
No idea what it is, maybe the drivers they use. So for my ears the tonality of the Anandaās are wonderful, while others will just love the Clears. I think we all have our preferences and hearing frequency/physical ear canal differences, but to my ears the Anandaās donāt sound thin but detailed, reasonably open sounding stage, good imaging, and very enjoyable. I didnāt A/B them with the Clears just listened to my buddies for a bit, they werenāt my favorite.
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Well thanks for your honesty!!
Its appreciated and respected here!!
Life is short for sureā¦
as I always sayā¦āenjoy the musicā¦while u can!!ā
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I was hesitating to pull the trigger for an Ananda since a couple of months due to its price in France at full MSRP for 999ā¬, when in USA, it is regularly on sale and even more, it seems at a perpetual discounted price since the release of the Ananda BT.
If Hifiman is willing to reduce its margin to sell it better why would french dealers wouldnāt do the same.
So I asked to one of them weeks ago, and he proposed a 3% off. 
Today Iām asking to more dealers and so far one lowered the price immediately to 900ā¬ and another one to 749ā¬ with 2 years warranty.
But as most of our local dealers probably donāt sell it much at 999ā¬, it might be an old āversionā without the latest stealth revision, then I have 2 questions :
Does anybody seen it at a better discount in France, during black friday for exemple ?
When does the latest stealth revision took place/occured ?
I just thought Iād post this. This is the Sundara (green) vs the Ananda (orange) on the HPN compensation. Both look excellent, with the main difference being that the Ananda has a bit more energy in the sub-bass region, as well as in the upper mids and treble proper around 8khz. Also, I donāt find either to be particularly sibilant, and both have excellent detail capability with the Ananda being slightly better in that department. The other key difference is that the Ananda has a more spacious presentation. Iāll have a full review and comparison shortly.
Adding my video review here for reference:
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Great review, makes me want to try out the Anandas one day and see how it compares to the LCD-GX.
Curious though since Iāve heard you say it a few times now, but what exactly do you mean by counter-clockwise tilted?
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Clockwise vs counter-clockwise refers to the general tilt of the frequency response. Counter-clockwise means itās somewhat brighter, while clockwise means itās somewhat warmer, with less treble energy.
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Got it! Still fairly new to the hobby so I love learning more and more things everyday.
Excellent review ! As always, very articulate
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Just posted my written review, along with some measurements on both HPN and HEQ compensations:
Now hopefully I get a chance to do a full review of the Arya.
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Latest shipment is about 2 weeks out! At least for them being built. Then they actually have to get on a plane over to North America which is a whole other thing.
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Ok, unboxing the Ananda is very Focal like experienceā¦very nice! Until you come across the weird headphone worms that somehow got into the boxā¦ oh, those are the cablesā¦ewwā¦ lol.
Also, these are big! 3yr old for scale!
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Small 3 year old or comically large headphones?
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Princess Leia also had an Ananda under her hair.
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A little bit of bothā¦ but the Ananda is pretty largeā¦ comically large, surprisingly light and thin though.
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How are you liking them so far?
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First impressions are goodā¦but, need more timeā¦Iāll probably A/B them against the LCD-GX and a Dynamic headphoneā¦
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We gotta make you a hifi-man
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