These HIFIMAN Ananda-BT headphones are high-resolution, Bluetooth, and support aptX SBC and aptX HD. They even connect to a detachable boom microphone for gamers and zoomers.
Featuring a proprietary planar magnetic technology that ensures a natural, dynamic soundstage and an open-back design for an optimized listening experience but are they worth a premium of $799?
These Headphones Feature:
- APTX-HD, HWA, and LDAC lossless HD Bluetooth codecs
- HD Bluetooth technology offers 24bit / 96khz
- Built-in high-quality DAC
- Improved response with detail and lush full-range sonics
- Hybrid Headband for comfortable long-term listening
Performance
- Starting off with comfort, the HIFIMAN Ananda-BT has a lot of clamping force, but since the pads are so large, the force is distributed over a larger surface area. With all this, these headphones stay in place and remain comfortable over long periods of time.
- These headphones have a lot of range when it comes to delivering a juicy and dense low-end. There is a fantastic punch that has impact, more so than any other HD Bluetooth headphones we’ve tried in the past.
- We found with the mids, some customization was needed in our setup, however, after a few tracks where we were fiddling with settings, we were able to balance the punch in the mid-bass area and treble. This helped bring out the warmth in each track, without losing that impact. Overall, the sound quality is far above what we have come to expect from HD Bluetooth headphones – with very little effort setting them up.
- The HIFIMAN Ananda-BT headphones have incredibly accurate imaging. Their sound stage is wide and the range in which that can be delivered is remarkable. For instance, you’d expect detail to get lost as you walk around your home, yet, in our experience, no sound gets left behind.
- Unfortunately, these headphones do have a few drawbacks. For example, the wireless mode only supports Play-Pause functions and that’s it, no track skipping or volume adjustment. Also, it doesn’t allow you to use the controls when connected to a USB.
- Also, the included HIFIMAN Ananda-BT microphone doesn’t match the quality of the headphones. The people on the other end of the mic should have no problem understanding your voice, but in our tests, every recording sounded slightly distorted, and at $799 you want it to be clear.
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Build Quality
- The HIFIMAN Ananda-BT headphones are made of a combination of premium materials and have an impressively stylish design.
- The metal headband and hooks, along with the top-of-the-line padding in the ear cups help to create long-lasting comfort even when listening for long periods of time.
- Each ear cup is protected by a loosely meshed wire grill, this reduces some of the outside noise that seeps in, but not all.
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Is It Worth Checking Out?
The truth is, these HIFIMAN Ananda-BT headphones felt special:
Pros:
- Up to 10 hours of battery backup
- Numerous codecs supported for HD audio
- Brilliant sound-quality
- Exceptional built-quality
- Consistent performance
Cons:
- Expensive
- Lack of controls
- No ANC
Firstly, we didn’t have to spend ages balancing our setup with the headphones. With a lot of audiophile tech, this is normally a source of frustration (for us).
Secondly, they are comfortable, stay in place, and the sound quality is incredibly close to wired tech. In fact, when going between our favored wired headphones (Beyerdynamic Amiron headphones) and these, the difference was slight.
Thirdly, and finally, the reason these felt special was down to the fact, that they are the first HD Bluetooth headphones that don’t feel like a compromise. If you want quality audio while on the move, these are the best we’ve tested to date.
There is something grand and exciting about having this level of sound quality moving around with you. At times it really did feel like we were transporting our audiophile setup as I wandered around the house.
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All in all, the HIFIMAN Ananda-BT headphones are not for everyone. But if you have deep pockets and like being wire-free, we can’t think of a set of headphones better. These are definitely Nerdable Recommended.