Introduction

HIFIMAN has often impressed positively with their headphones and earphones I've reviewed, including the newest Arya revision, the even newer Edition XS, and the budget-friendly HE400se. All three of these headphones use HIFIMAN's stealth magnets technology that was introduced with the flagship Susvara and then the premium-class HE1000se we saw recently. Clearly, the company has been working on updating its entire planar magnetic headphone lineup to have stealth magnets inside, so it was only a matter of time before the venerable Ananda got its dues.


The original HIFIMAN Ananda was released a little over four years ago as of the date of this review, and that is nearly a lifetime in the fast-paced personal audio space. My colleague covered it here and was impressed with the comfort, sound signature, and how easy the Ananda was to drive, even off portable sources. Indeed, the Ananda drivers are regarded as some of the most efficient planar magnetic drivers ever made, to where HIFIMAN even made a Bluetooth version that comes with a removable boom mic to make for an excellent high-end headset too. I was expecting to see the updated stealth revision being for the Bluetooth model itself, given it generally makes for even more efficient drivers and yet HIFIMAN thought otherwise, as we enter autumn 2022 with the all new Ananda Stealth (wired). Thanks to HIFIMAN for providing a review sample to TechPowerUp!

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

HIFIMAN operates a web shop, and this sample shipped directly from the company, so we begin with the shipping packaging, since this is how paying customers would receive the Ananda Stealth, as shall be referred to henceforth for convenience. The shipping box is appropriately sized, although with HIFIMAN stickers on multiple sides and one mentioning the contents inside. I would rather see a stealthier approach, especially knowing these are expensive headphones. Inside is the product box, which comes in a shaped-to-fit bubble wrap and foam sheets on all sides, for further protection from overzealous couriers.


The original Ananda came in a faux-leather wrapped box that opened up sideways to make sure you know it's a premium product. By comparison, what we see with the Ananda Stealth is anything but. HIFIMAN has been quietly updating its product packaging for a lot of its headphones to go even more minimalist to where cost-cuttings are clear here. We get a bare cardboard box with sticker labels as opposed to full banderoles. This is ultimately an aesthetic downgrade but thankfully remains identical functionally to the product boxes we saw before on the likes of the Edition XS, Arya, and HE400se. On the front is the company logo and product name with a sticker confirming this uses HIFIMAN's stealth magnets, as well as a small render of the headphones. Product specifications are on the side as a sticker placed over the original specs for the previous Ananda, with the back taken up by another view of the headphones and their salient marketing features. Seals on the sides keep the contents inside in place, and opening the box reveals a completely different packaging here with an accessory box at the top that has QR codes for warranty, registration (gets you three additional months of warranty), and general product support, in addition to social media pages for the company.


Gone is the printed paperwork too, with the product serial numbers now located on the side of the accessory box that contains the cable inside. I miss that color printed manual especially in an increasingly digital age, but I understand the reason behind the changes whereby HIFIMAN wanted to keep pricing in check and these were easily the first things to go that everyone would agree on. The headphones also no longer come with a cloth-wrapped foam/plastic container and instead we get machined foam. This comes to good use because HIFIMAN has made one of the foam pieces removable and it just so happens to be shaped like a headphone stand. Indeed, it's a janky solution but one that works enough to where you can now go from having the headphones inside the box to outside on your desk quite easily. The bottom of this foam piece has anti-slip rubber too.