My review of Hifiman XS vs Ananda vs Asus Kithara
I have three headphones on my desk right now and I've been A/B testing them. Everyone knows the Edition XS is the "gold standard" at this point, so I’ll focus mainly on how the others differ. I used a Fiio K5 for all my testing.
Build and Comfort
It all boils down to the fit. I’m over 185cm tall, so comfort is a big deal for me.
- Edition XS (3/10): The headband is way too loose—it feels like it could stretch to fit a watermelon. It slides around if you turn your head or lean down to look at your keyboard. The top padding is thin and stiff, which creates a painful hotspot since all 400g are resting directly on one point of your head.
- Ananda (4/10): This has a suspension strap that fixes the hotspot issue, but the strap is very narrow and doesn't stretch as wide as the XS. The clamp force is also much stronger; it became uncomfortable after just an hour. The biggest problem is the lack of cup rotation—they don’t adapt to your head when you move, creating annoying pressure points on the cheeks and temples.
- Kithara (9/10): This is the king of comfort. The suspension strap has soft padding coups are much softer and the headband stretches further than the Ananda. The cups actually rotate with nice tension (they aren't loose/floppy). You can move your head freely and they stay perfectly comfortable. The weight distribution is so good you barely notice them.
Sound: XS vs. Ananda
Honestly, I can't hear any real difference between these two.
Sound: XS/Ananda vs. Kithara
I was extremely disappointed by the Kithara. All the technical specs suggest they used the same "stealth magnet" technology, but they sound worse in every aspect.
- Bass: Extension is almost inaudible. You don't get any of that deep rumble, and even with EQ, it doesn't match the power or texture of the XS.
- Detail: The mids and highs feel veiled, not nearly as clear or detailed.
- Soundstage: Much narrower.
I don’t know why, but they also sounded quieter overall despite having a slightly higher sensitivity (94 vs 92). I compared them A/B and the Kithara always sounded dull.
QC Issues?
Maybe I just got a bad unit. My frequency graph shows a significant 5dB difference below 1k and a weird dip at 1k. I've attached my graph as the first image, along with a couple I found online that look much better than mine.
Overall
I'm disappointed. I really wanted an Edition XS with better comfort, but the drop in sound quality is a total dealbreaker.