HIFIMAN Ananda Stealth Review: The Most Overlooked Planar

HIFIMAN makes lots of planar magneticA driver using a thin membrane with embedded conductors suspended between magnets, producing sound from the entire surface for very low distortion. over-ear headphones. The Ananda Stealth may seem like nothing special, but it makes a lot of sense being discounted to $360, even though the new Ananda Nano has been released.

Comfort and Build Quality

It belongs to the series of HIFIMAN headphones with these large, egg-shaped earcups, that can fit pretty much every ear size with lots of free room and very little chance of your ear touching the pads. The pads themselves are slightly asymmetrical to make for a better seal around the ear. They’re made out of 3 materials: synthetic leather on the outside, cloth material on the part that goes around your ear, and synthetic perforated leather on the inside. This hybrid of materials allows for the best of all worlds in terms of comfort, breathability, and sound quality.

The inner foam isn’t very soft - it’s rather on the hard side - but that doesn’t bother me as much as I thought. I got used to it very shortly after getting these headphones.

The headband used here is also a hybrid in a way. It utilizes a suspension-style design, with a soft strap as the part that’s in contact with the top of your head, and a metal (probably steel) frame to hold it all. It offers size adjustment and cup tilt, but unfortunately no cup swivel. That can be an issue for some, but I’m sure it won’t be for others. I think I’m somewhere in between. While it’s not uncomfortable for me, I think there’s some room for improvement with the addition of a cup swivel. The clamp isn’t that strong, so the lack of articulation in one axis isn’t that noticeable.

The way it feels in the hand is very typical of this range of HIFIMAN products. It’s not luxurious. But this company is way past the era of QC issues. Nowadays, they’re aiming for a lighter weight on their headphones, rather than making them artificially heavier for a seemingly more premium feel - because most of the time, you have your headphones on your head, not in your hands. Because of this, the Ananda Stealth weighs only 400 grams.

For the connectors, there are dual 3.5mm jacks.

Technical Specifications

The frequency responseA graph showing output amplitude vs. frequency - the most fundamental measurement of any audio component's tonal character. goes from 8Hz all the way up to 55kHz - that’s impressive, well beyond the typical human hearing range. The sensitivityThe output sound pressure level for a standardized input - typically dBSPL at 1W/1m for speakers, or dBSPL at 1mW or 1V for headphones. is 93dB - pretty high for a planar magnetic headphone - with a resistance of 16 ohms, very low for any headphone. This combination makes it incredibly easy to drive with almost all types of mobile-oriented gear, and even more so with desktop amplifiers. I wouldn’t recommend driving it off a phone, as you will see quite an improvement with even the more basic dongles.

As the name suggests, it features Stealth MagnetsHIFIMAN's asymmetric magnet geometry on their planar magnetic drivers, designed to present a more acoustically transparent surface to the diaphragm and reduce wave reflections that would otherwise distort the response.. If you’re not familiar with this technology, it’s made to reduce wave diffractionSound bending around objects or edges, causing interference patterns; speaker cabinet edges cause treble-band diffraction that affects off-axis response. turbulence for more pure sonic characteristics. It also has a NEO Supernano DiaphragmThe vibrating membrane in a transducer that converts between electrical energy and acoustic waves; its mass, stiffness, and damping determine driver character., which is the second thinnest one HIFIMAN makes, coming at 1 to 2 microns thick. This results in a more detailed response and snappier transients.

Sound Quality

The Ananda Stealth doesn’t have the wow factor at first, but it slowly starts growing on you.

Its soundstageThe perceived three-dimensional acoustic space in a stereo recording - width beyond the speakers, depth front-to-back, and sometimes height information. is not the widest, but the way it can place instruments and vocals in the soundstage it has is fantastic. It’s by far my favorite thing about this headphone.

Tonality-wise, it’s a bit on the warmer side, which is almost unlike anything else from HIFIMAN. Its bass has very good extension, pretty much linear down to 20Hz - and yes, you can hear 20Hz with no problem on these.

The midrangeThe frequency range from approximately 250Hz to 5kHz where most musical information, vocals, and instrument fundamentals reside. is more or less neutral, and we of course get the 1.5 to 2kHz dip that’s meant to widen the sound field through frequency response.

Besides that, in terms of technicalities, it also does very well. It has a decent sense of depth and scale with a nice punchy and tactile bass.

Regarding resolutionA system's ability to retrieve and reproduce fine detail in the recording; high resolution reveals micro-dynamics, spatial cues, and timbral nuance., it’s more or less on par with the Sundara, meaning it’s not the most resolving headphone in the world - not even close. But that’s not the point. I’m happy that they didn’t make the treble sharp just to achieve a sense of more detail, as this takes away from the fun and relaxing nature of these.

Separation is just fine. It didn’t leave me craving for more, as after a certain point, things are clear enough to be easily discernible - and this is already at this point, or past it.

Ananda Stealth vs. Edition XS

If you’re wondering if the Edition XS is better than these, or if it’s even any different, then let me briefly explain it to you - I was at the same place before I got the Anandas.

The Edition XS is not as good as the Ananda Stealth. Period. It’s a bit cheaper, which justifies it, especially since the sonic gap isn’t huge. The differences mainly lay in the overall presentation, imagingThe ability to place individual instruments in precise, stable positions within the soundstage - good imaging means you can "point" to a violin in the mix., and bass extensionHow low in frequency a system accurately reproduces sound; good bass extension means 20Hz output, not just 60Hz. - in favor of the Anandas.

Also, the Edition XS has one issue: it sounds dry. I’m not sure why that is, but the Anandas don’t do that - they’re quite, let’s call it, “pleasantly wet” in their sound.

Ananda Stealth vs. Ananda Nano

How about the Ananda Nano? Aren’t those better?

It is a newer model, with a bit higher price tag and some internal technical improvements - which yes, resulted in great sonic enhancements, but also came at the cost of being too bright, at least for my liking.

That’s why it’s not as easy to recommend to somebody who doesn’t know what they like and what they don’t. It’s best to try out both, but as a good rule of thumb, I can tell you that if you prefer a more laid-backA tonal character with a slight upper-midrange recession that pushes the presentation back, creating a relaxed, spacious quality but potentially lacking immediacy., chill, and warm presentation, then go for the Ananda Stealth. However, if you’re into technicalities more than anything else, or you prefer a bit sharper top end, then definitely go for the Ananda Nano.