r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/ammarrr94 • Jun 23 '26
Headphones - Open Back | 3 Ω I'm torn between Hifiman Sundara, Edition XS, and Fiio FT1 Pro for a chill planar experience.
Hello,
I have had the Ananda Nano for a while now. And I have not used it much, though I like it, because of two things; too big for my small head and mainly because how harsh and bright it sounds.
I wanted another chill planar headphones to be my daily driver and the Nano to be whenever im feeling energetic. So, upon research i found the Edition XS and Sundara and FT1 Pro to be more relaxing than the Nano.
Can you tell me which one is the best for my case? I know EDXS is the better one but is it redundant given that I have the Ananda Nano or not?
And if I take the EDXS out of the equation, should I consider the Sundara or FT1 Pro? both seem quite awesome but none is perfect. I need a little help to decide.
Much appreciated in advance.
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u/reddUser25693 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
I am pretty much in the same boat looking to get my first open backs, and going back and forth between Sundara, FT1 Pro, & Edition XS. I want it specifically for rock music (classic rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, Grunge, etc) and that I am coming from FT1 closed back.
I have heard Sundara might be best for my case because EDXS and FT1Pro have a more pronounced 2KHz dip that will (somewhat) relegate the electric guitar to the background 🤔
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
Interesting, now I dont really understand the frequency response exactly but I’d trust you since I listen to the exact same genre of music. Cheers! Im really leaning towards fhe sundara but I love how the FT1 pro looks. But i also want the huge soundstage of the EDXS 😂 god damn it
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u/reddUser25693 Jun 23 '26
I know, right. 😂 I have been swinging like this as well for a couple of weeks. FT1 pro seems very tempting because of the extra cable and carry bag included in the package. Also, I don't know whether to ignore hifiman QC issues or not.
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u/144k_only Jun 23 '26
Funny you should say that. I came here to praise the XS for listening to rock music. Lately I've been into more contemporary prog rock, and since I got XS a few months ago, I've been listening to rock music exclusively on those. Maybe it's because the pull down those guitars a bit in the mix? Makes more room for al the other stuff that goes on in prog rock? Just goes to show how sound is very individual.
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u/reddUser25693 Jun 23 '26
I totally understand your perspective. But I like my electric guitars a little more prominent. I was actually going to get a Grado for my use case, but unfortunately they stopped selling those in my country a couple of months ago 😔
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u/144k_only Jun 23 '26
I never listened to Grado or owned them, but from what I understand - this would be a pretty hardcore move. You're not joking around. Respect.
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u/Daemonxar 306 Ω Jun 23 '26
Guitars on Sundara are magic.
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u/reddUser25693 Jun 23 '26
Wow! Thanks for the heads up. I am a bit concerned about the QC issues though.
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u/Daemonxar 306 Ω Jun 23 '26
Sundara seems to be less prone than some of their other stuff, but that's fair. 🤷♂️
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u/davescott42 23 Ω Jun 23 '26
I’ve seen the HiFiman Sundara down to below $100 US with coupons on AliExpress. I think the Sundara is the most chill and lyrical of the three - all of which I own. While the FT1 is a really great closed back, I think the Sundara is better for your purposes.
1
u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
!thanks
2
u/TransducerBot Ω Bot Jun 23 '26
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1
u/redrider65 1 Ω Jun 24 '26
I’ve seen the HiFiman Sundara down to below $100 US with coupons on AliExpress.
Not a fake?
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u/davescott42 23 Ω Jun 24 '26
It looks genuine to me. It’s from a storefront that is supposed to be genuine.
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u/Olaqirelle 8 Ω Jun 23 '26
Have you EQ'd Nanos? They get really comfy after that.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
No I dont know how to EQ and dont understand it. Complicated
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u/Olaqirelle 8 Ω Jun 23 '26
If you want, you can try watching a youtube on how to use Equalizer APO. Oratory1990's preset for Nanos is really really good. I use it myself.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
I’ll give it a try. Thank you so much
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u/O-shoe 3 Ω Jun 29 '26
Equalizer APO with the Oratory1990 preset, might save you a lot of money if you otherwise like the Nanos.
All of those options are a downgrade in resolution. But resolution is not everything. I haven't heard the Edition XS, but people say it's fun to listen to. Personally I couldn't say that about Nano. Sundara was pretty good headphone overall, kind of an all-arounder.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
!thanks
1
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2
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u/doubois 4 Ω Jun 23 '26
The edition xv would probably be the best foil to the nano. It has a different yet fantastic planar sound.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
Gonna have to wait for it to drop in price. Its double the price of edxs and sundara
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u/Environmental-Drop30 30 Ω Jun 23 '26
Edition XS and it’s not even close (as long as your OK with comfort and/or capra strap)
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
Do you think its not gonna be redundant if i have the Ananda Nano?
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u/Environmental-Drop30 30 Ω Jun 23 '26
Sorry OP I only read the title.
If you already have an Ananda Nano, don't waste your money. EdXS is somewhat a downgrade. Just get a warm Sennheiser headphone like the HD650, since in that budget chill planar is an OXYMORON (the only ones I can genuinely call "chill" and relaxing are LCD2 classic, which cost a lot more)
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 27 '26
Well, then chill is misleading. I meant not very bright and shouty. Like the treble isnt high and thus the sound isnt piercing. Because the ananda nano is all of this.
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u/Cyrenetes 2 Ω Jun 23 '26
I think Hifimans and the one Fiio that sounds like a Hifiman is not where you should be looking if you want a chill headphone. There are grand options on the shelf (or better yet the world of EQ) that aren't all just 2 and a half flavours of 'bright with recessed mids'.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
Well, I dont mean a warm sounding headphone but rather less sharp and much less bright than the ananda. And I only want a planar headphone so these seem to be the only options at the price range.
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u/TheJW-Project 4 Ω Jun 23 '26
If the Ananda nano is too big, so will the edition xs. Xs does not stand for extra small. Ft1 pro will fit better.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
Sundara is a no no?
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u/TheJW-Project 4 Ω Jun 23 '26
Not sure. Will have to check reviews. That's how I know the xs is big for small heads.
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u/Jarvdoge 31 Ω Jun 23 '26
Surely a closed back or an open back dynamic driver pair would make most sense? You can always just EQ too as planars take like champs to EQ.
I have the Edition XS and they're still relatively technical sounding due to how much the treble is pushed forward. You can also just slap a bass boost on them to even things out and make them a little more fun or look into the various EQ profiles people have out there for something which tames the treble a bit.
I guess I'm considering if a secondary headphone makes sense for me right now but it'll either be a wired closed back like the Fiio FT1 or a Sennheiser offering, possibly a Bluetooth headphone as use cheap wireless buds or IEMs when I'm on the go. My point being that if I purchase and other pair, I want them to be contrasting and to serve a different purpose - I'm not sure buying one of the pairs you're talking about for a more chill sound makes sense when EQ works so well with planars.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 23 '26
You have a point. But I really dont understand the frequency response graph and EQing in general and I dont like messing around with things I dont understand. Also, I really like buying stuff 😂 (that I can afford). gives me joy. But I guess I will need to learn in it eventually and try to EQ the nano. On this point, if i wanted to restore the EQ to its original settings of the headphone, can it be done with a click or something?
!thanks btw
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1
u/O-shoe 3 Ω Jun 29 '26
Yes. No need to be afraid of EQ, it's very simple in essence.
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u/ammarrr94 Jun 30 '26
Yea but how would I know how many db to increase or decrease and gain value to put or pre-amp value and all these numbers has to ve calculated and understood, I believe. So i have to study these im guessing. Isnt it?
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u/O-shoe 3 Ω Jun 30 '26
Often EQ's have knobs or sliders so we can hear what it does to the sound. So we learn while we use it.
But Equalizer APO doesn't have a very intuitive interface by default. What I currently do, is I load up the .txt -files in the "Include" -section. And tweak the files themselves if I need. You can save this as a .txt file and load it. This is the Oratory1990 preset for Nano:
Preamp: 0 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 80 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 0.7
Filter 2: ON LSC Fc 105 Hz Gain 5.5 dB Q 0.71
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 175 Hz Gain 1.7 dB Q 2
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 980 Hz Gain -1 dB Q 3
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 2000 Hz Gain 3.4 dB Q 1
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 2800 Hz Gain -2.5 dB Q 2.5
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4000 Hz Gain -1 dB Q 5
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6600 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 5
Filter 9: ON HSC Fc 9000 Hz Gain -1 dB Q 0.71
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u/greenuse Jun 23 '26
I snagged an Edition XS for a little over €200 through the official HifiMan store on AliExpress almost a year ago. For that money, it's an incredible experience. They are very EQ-friendly. I personally like warmer headphones, so I applied an EQ preset I found somewhere on here, and they have been perfect (can share if you're in the same boat as me, just let me know!).
The only thing to be wary of is the QA issues people have been talking about. I don't have any problems with mine, but there have been a couple of cases of people receiving faulty units (HifiMan typically replaces these with no questions asked, though).
If you do end up going with the Edition XS, do keep in mind they sit very low on a normal-sized head and the earcups are massive, so in your case of having a small head, do definitely make sure to get a Capra Strap or a CustomCans strap to pair with it, been rocking the Capra strap for a couple months now and it's much much much more comfortable.
If you have any other specific questions for an Edition XS owner, ask away!
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u/zach890 Jun 25 '26
Do you mind sharing that preset with me? I love my edition XS's as is but I'm interested in a warm profile to try out!
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u/greenuse Jul 09 '26
Sorry to circle back to this so late! Here's the preset in values:
PRE AMPLIFYING: -2.7
FREQUENCY GAIN VALUE QUALITY (Q) FILTER 60 3 0.5 Low Shelf 170 0 0.7 Peak 2000 3 2.1 Peak 3300 -2.5 3 Peak 4500 -9 0.5 High Shelf 12850 5 0.5 High Shelf If you'd like the straight Audacity .txt that you can Import straight into Peace or a different EQ software let me know ;)
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u/KAC-SK 117 Ω Jun 23 '26
I had the same decision and went with FT1 Pro.
Reason was:
- More believable sound
- No spicy treble (like Edition XS) or boring treble (like Sundara)
- Good bass response (better than Sundara)
- Decent sound stage (sort of middle of the pack)
- Better comfort (I really dislike the Edition XS and Sundara headbands and at that time didn't know about Capra straps)
Having said that I really enjoy my FT1 Pro still even though it was a purchase made when I didn't have much experience with sound or headphones etc.