HIFIMAN Ananda Stealth Review: The Overlooked Open-Back Planar

Pick #2 of 8 in our Best Headphones Under $500 guide.

HIFIMAN makes lots of planar magnetic 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.

Price note: $360 was the discounted price when this review was published in June 2024. What US stores charge today is in the price section after the review.

Roomy pads and firm foam on a light frame

Watch this part (0:17)

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.

(view larger)

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.

(view larger)

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 398 grams.

For the connectors, there are dual 3.5mm jacks.

(view larger)

Easy to drive, with Stealth Magnets

Watch this part (2:23)

The frequency response goes from 8Hz all the way up to 55kHz - that's impressive, well beyond the typical human hearing range. The sensitivity 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 Magnets. If you're not familiar with this technology, it's made to reduce wave diffraction turbulence for more pure sonic characteristics. It also has a NEO Supernano Diaphragm, 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.

Slightly warm sound, excellent placement

Watch this part (3:25)

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

Its soundstage 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 midrange 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 resolution, 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.

Ahead of the Edition XS, which sounds dry

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, imaging, and bass extension - 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.

Laid-back next to the brighter 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-back, 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.