Months*

I have the 2020 version in a balanced configuration. No issues with mine. It's just sounding better over time.

I bought B-Stock item and it still literally like new besides ear pads of course.

The 6XX is probably much less engaging than the Sundara lol. It's definitely not a "wow" headphone. It's maybe the most relaxed thing ever. However, if you like acoustic music and jazz and such, it's great.

Anyway. I'd focus more on the music than on the gear. That's always the best thing you can do!

It is a disease. I hate to break it to you, but you won’t see significant improvements until you break out of mid fi range (below $500). I tried all the usual suspects in that price range 4xx, 6xx, Sundara, Meze 99, DT 990. All have good aspects and quality headphones.

However, for my birthday last year I got the LCD-X and finally understand what a solid all around headphone should sound like. I’m not saying it’s the best out there, but it’s quality and doesn’t lack in areas like the other headphones do.

I periodically go back and listen to my older headphones and think these are good. Then I plug in the LCD-X (balanced to my Zen DAC v2) and wonder why I wasted listening time with my other headphones. I’m honestly afraid for my wallet as I’m lusting after a set of ZMF headphones.

I hit IEM endgame really quickly with Timeless, S12 + Qudelix then Z12 + Qudelix (broke timeless lost S12 + Qudelix).

I knew it wasn’t worth the slow upgrade path so for headphone I started at HD600, and ordered Arya Stealth along with 2 more Qudelix and 2.5mm cables.

Funny thing is I’m tempted to buy a set of KZ Ling Long as a tiny open back iem with Wu Zetian like tuning fascinated me.

I don't understand, why are you only 80 percent happy? Because you want to spend more money?

Great advice / story, thank you. Currently have the hd660s & looking for a good dac/amp. I know they dont NEED a dac amp to run but I just want cleaner/crispier sound. Currently running it off a a Syba Sonic gaming dac/amp & it has plenty of power to run the HD660S. Right now looking into the Topping DX3 Pro+ as my end game.

> I've created a dragon in my head

In a way, yes. The reason this happens is because human minds are always, always trying to equalize with their environment. So if you get used to something, your brain will basically invent things it wishes it had because it got used to what it heard.

Best way to fix that; listen to worse gear for a bit, then wow yourself all over again.

I keep a pair of 6XX specifically so I can go back to my Ananda and go, "Man, literally everything is better, damn these things sound so fuckin' good."

Keeps me sane.

You will get new headphones as soon as you can afford new ones. That means these aren’t endgames.

I can't really put an accurate number on it - but you'll know after you hear a better setup and are able to compare for an extended time (one week+), and the devil is in the details. IMO, most of my entry-level/low-midrange IC-based DACs and amps (ie: Topping D30, Topping A90, Monolith '887) were bright/harsh/sharp in the treble while still missing details, had unnatural timbre, were lean in the bass, and had a shallow/flat soundstage with little depth.

Contrasted when listening to my midrange SMSL SU-9 DAC and mid-level and high-end discrete Class A or Class AB amps (ie: Emotiva BASX A-100, Schiit Magni 3+, Gustard H20) were: More detailed in the treble but not piercingly bright/harsh, more natural sounding voices and instruments with much better realism and trailing edges, fuller bass that's also much more textured (in an tactile, ASMR type of way), and soundstaging being not only wide and tall but also it's easy to hear a sense of depth/space.

I'm not going to say that these differences will always be night and day - that would be a lie - but these sometimes small-ish details can be the difference between just listening to some tunes vs an immersive and realistic listening experience. I tend to advocate for discrete Class A or Class AB amps over any of the IC/THX-based amps like the A90, THX-789, and the like for realistic timbre and less treble harshness (IDK about the SH9) - as the amp is more important than the DAC once you get past the entry-level DACs and into at least mid-range ones. Of course, all of this is IMO - and YMMV.......

Do you know decent IEM? Would you recommend something? I've already have overhyped TRN VX and some low-end KZ.

I have my zen dac 2 going into smsl sp200 and drop THX AAA ONE. I've moved my topping e50 over to my speaker amp. I think I prefer the e50 to the zen dac.

Most of my headphones listening at the moment has been modded Fostex T50rp. My DT 990 are getting a bit more listening time ever since I did a balanced detachable cable mod. My 6xx are gathering dust.

Actually I am happy, I WFH most of the time and instead of having a portable rig on the bus something else at my desk at work I have my real hifi and I sit between my speakers and work so its not just about the headphones 100% I enjoy them when the mood strikes and I rotate through what I have, I enjoy the differences. I really like my Audeze LCD-2C with Questyle CMA800 its a synergy thing (was my at work desk rig) , I enjoy my HD800S with my Manhattan II, I do a lot of Roon streaming and I get to listen to my turntable when I want, I mainly listen to my Custom IEM's and AK100 when I go in the office on occasion, I think the variety is refreshing, I enjoy my headphones for what they are in terms of signature if that makes sense, I could keep buying stuff forever, but I spent enough, my equipment sounds really good. Head-fi is a one hobby, for me. It was a gateway back into my love of stereo from my youth. I started with a Fiio X3 and IEMs and realized you could pretty much have hi-fi in your pocket with hi-res files. The equipment is fun, but it's about listening to the music and enjoying it.

The ananda’s are really easy to drive. I would say the edition XS are also worth the money at $500, but they’re already so close to ananda territory and the latter is obviously better. There are definitely headphones over $300 that are worth it, it just depends on what you get. Most of them are not really worth the hassle.

Endgame for me is definitely the hd800s. It’s got all the soundstage I’ll ever crave, after eq it’s one of the best sounding setups I’ve ever had besides my higher end speaker setup, and they have resolution that gets close to TOTL stuff. It doesn’t have much bass at all though, but it’s still plenty wooly for everything out there.

What I would recommend is either an open boxed ananda at $600, or try and find a used hd800 for $700-$900. There is no harm in getting the original hd800. It’s brighter sounding, but you can take the same approach as the S version and just eq it and get the same result. Bass is cleaner sounding on those if you want a nice bass shelf. You would hardly take a loss on them, if you end up not liking them. Just because you could sell them for what you paid for them really. But it’s worth investigating. They’re a sandbox for eq because of how massive they sound on a lot of music. There’s plenty of tweaking to be had that suits your ears.

Their literal only weakness is lack of bass and dynamics, which the sundara isn’t exactly known for anyway. But if you want all the soundstage a headphone can offer, those are it. Ananda or OG hd800 would be the best bang for your buck, those are my recommendations.

You don’t need an amp for the ananda, they’re pretty portable. However, you would need a decent dac or amp for the hd800. Nothing crazy. Don’t let anybody tell you that you need a $1000 amp and dac, so long as you have a decently spec’d dac and amp to use, you’re fine

lol I feel I ran into similar issue as you before. There is a difference between "sound quality" and "tonality". Sound quality I'm referring to technical stuff like separation, sound stage, detail......etc. But after all that there is still a tonality preference.

For example if you come from V-shaped headphone then chances neutral headphone will not satisfy your preference. Reddit has the tendency to suggest neutral headphone because it's the "audiophile" thing to do.

But often people forget people listen to what they like and some headphone will do better than others at different genre. So back to what you said, I don't think mid range is Sundara's strong suit, mid range master is like HD600 or HD650. You could.... as you said, fix it by running a tube amp. I'm currently using Lawton TH900 and running a tube amp to fix the mid range and recessed vocal LOL. Also as much as people say all dac sound the same, I find dacs have their sound too. Though you're already using Zen Dac V2 I think that one is already warm dac so you're probably ok. Maybe try a hybrid tube amp.

Don't feel afraid to try "fun" headphones if that's what you like. There are also high quality fun headphones out there. Though I don't listen to electronic or hip hop so I don't know what's the best headphone for those genre unfortunately. Maybeeeeee just maybe, see if you can find a TH-X00 Purpleheart for cheap to try.

In my experience, gratitude, family, purpose, meaning, and mindfulness bring happiness. Enjoying music through headphones can definitely make you happy too. But the search for 'endgame' often provides only temporary happiness.

Based on my flair, no.😎

Kidding go try the Edition XS or Arya or Meze 109 Pro or DT 1990 or bla bla many others out there

xD

I think the Zen DAC is great for my Ananda! That TrueBass button gives it some tight, punchy and rumbly bass because it is a planar driver. I would think that it's the same for the Sundara. A straight DAC without a feature like that is probably not going to make huge difference, at least, not for the amount of extra money spent. It's just a digital decoder. For me, that bass button is my favorite feature and it is particular to the Ifi Zen DAC. I even double the effect with the Zen Can bass boost sometimes. That's way too much bass for certain headphones, but not for the Ananda. The Ananda is not tuned for a lot of bass but it is plenty capable of playing some of the most satisfying bass I've ever heard, if you have the right setup. It's different from using EQ, too. The bass button only adds low end without sacrificing the higher frequencies. When you mess with EQ it effects the other frequencies. It's also very easy to push the button and shut it off, if you want to. Some tracks I only use the bass on the Zen DAC. Others I like to double it up with the Zen Can. I'm not sure what particular area you feel is lacking with the setup you have, but if you think it's lacking bass maybe you should try out a Zen Can amp with the Zen DAC. I really love that combo for the specific bass effect that I cannot replicate on any other setup that I have tried, on the particular headphone I have. I'd like to know if there are other systems that do the same thing, actually. Since the Sundara is a planar brother of the Ananda I would be surprised if it didn't perform similarly on the Zen Stack.

What's your taste in music?

1. not to my ears
2. i find them more comfortable personally because velour irritates my skin after long periods

Elex is afforadble. But yes ananda should itch the craving

Same here and I'm happy about it as it means I don't have to spent for a brick xD

There is a difference only for power output. 5v adapter provides louder sound. I bought 5$ chinese adapter what more than enough.

I think it’s a perfect pairing to the Sundara. It adds that extra warmth to the clinical planar.

I do wonder myself though if something like the SMSL SU9 MQA will have more clarity and separation.

Shouldn't be any difference between streaming and hard drive as long as the files are the same quality. Apple music is doing good things with high res too. Lots of content

If you really want them to sound good get a vinyl set up and really go down the rabbit hole

Yeah thats 100% not true. Yes mix / master is very important, but if you compare the same mix / master via Spotify / high res / analogue then there is a SIGNIFICANT difference. Plus most stuff on Spotify is mastered to sound loud with zero dynamic range

Were you actually listening via a DAC that could process 96k?