The HiFiMAN Ananda Nano is 14Ω at 94.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the HiFiMAN HE5XX (Drop) is 18Ω at 93.5 dB (no reference unit printed). This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The HE5XX (Drop) needs 0.5 dB more than the Ananda Nano to reach the same loudness — 4.5 mW against 4.0 mW.
| Specification | Ananda Nano | HE5XX (Drop) |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 14 Ω | 18 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 94.0 dB | 93.5 dB |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 112.5 dB/V | 110.9 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 4.0 mW | 4.5 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.24 V | 0.28 V |
| Current for 100 dB | 16.9 mA | 15.8 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 1.75 Ω | 2.25 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
One caution before reading the rows. HiFiMAN Ananda Nano and HiFiMAN HE5XX (Drop) printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, each of them needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.
Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.
4 sources are low enough in output impedance for the HE5XX (Drop) under the one-eighth rule but not for the Ananda Nano (Schiit Vali 2+, Astell&Kern HC3, RME Fireface UFX II, 1 more).
1 source stays below the audible-hiss threshold with the HE5XX (Drop) but crosses it with the Ananda Nano (Schiit Mjolnir 3).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The HE5XX (Drop) is more demanding than 74% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Ananda Nano than 65%.
| dB SPL | Ananda Nano power | Ananda Nano voltage | HE5XX (Drop) power | HE5XX (Drop) voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.04 mW | 24 mV | 0.04 mW | 28 mV |
| 85 | 0.13 mW | 42 mV | 0.14 mW | 50 mV |
| 90 | 0.40 mW | 75 mV | 0.45 mW | 90 mV |
| 95 | 1.3 mW | 0.13 V | 1.4 mW | 0.16 V |
| 100 | 4.0 mW | 0.24 V | 4.5 mW | 0.28 V |
| 105 | 13 mW | 0.42 V | 14 mW | 0.50 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Ananda Nano | Headroom, HE5XX (Drop) | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 5.2 dB | 5.8 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 17.3 dB | 17.2 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR11 | $36 | 10.0 dB | 9.7 dB | 0.5 Ω | 8.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 69 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.
The cheapest of the 69 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 5.2 dB of headroom on the Ananda Nano and 5.8 dB on the HE5XX (Drop), its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 1.75 Ω and 2.25 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 23 dB and 24 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ananda Nano | 5Hz-55kHz | not printed | not printed |
| HE5XX (Drop) | 20 Hz - 20 kHz | not printed | not printed |
HiFiMAN prints 5Hz-55kHz for the Ananda Nano and 20 Hz - 20 kHz for the HE5XX (Drop).
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: HiFiMAN Ananda Nano and HiFiMAN HE5XX (Drop). Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones HiFiMAN never published — what that maker publishes, counted.