Chord Electronics Anni Review

Chord Anni

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Sound – Headphone Synergy

The headphones selected for this chapter are the Audeze LCD-5, the Meze Audio Empyrean & Elite, the Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO, the Hifiman Arya Stealth, the Sennheiser HD 800 S, the Hifiman Susvara and finally the HEDDphone. For all headphones, except for the Beyerdynamic one, the headphone cable used is the Forza Audioworks Noire HPC MKII.

First up is the Meze Audio Elite. The Elite is the cleanest, clearest, and most precise sounding headphone from the Romanian Meze Audio. The Elite and Anni combo for me is excellent as it gives the Elite a bit of extra oompf, smoothness and warmth. With this combo you get a high-level sound, with great detail retrieval but also with a naturally smooth presentation and mesmerising clarity.

The Audeze LCD-5 (which is finally back from repair – yes, the famous connecter issue) for me is a very high end, precise, neutrally tuned studio headphone. I absolutely love it and the combo with the Anni is especially nice if you want the LCD-5 to sound a bit fuller and heavier (with more bass and mid presence) but also softer and smoother in the delivery. Like with the Elite the combo works well taking the best of both units, only here the result is more neutral and precise, as the LCD-5 is super precise and neutral to start of with.

After two high-end planar magnetic headphones, it’s time to check out some higher impedance dynamic driven headphones and the first one up is the 300Ohm Sennheiser HD 800 S. As most of you know the Senn HD 800 series is super spacious, wide, extended and analytical. The S version delivers a bit more body and bass presence and that matches the Anni quite nicely. It’s a good combo with a detailed, spacious delivery and very high clarity, but it’s missing some musicality and smoothness to my ears. I still prefer the HD 800 S on tubes or the warmer high-end amps like the Niimbus US4+ and Violectric V281.

Another high impedance Dynamic Driver headphone I really like is the 250Ohm Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO and this combo works a lot better for me. Great tightness and speed, top level clarity and plenty of energy is what you get here. The combo sounds detailed, highly dynamic and musical. The Anni is in perfect control of the DT1990 Pro and it absolutely rocks. It’s one of my favorite headphones with the Anni, there’s no doubt about that.

Chord Anni

Next up are two more difficult to drive, high end planar magnetic headphones. The first is the almighty Hifiman Susvara, which is a strong favorite of everyone here at HFN.  Of course, the volume must go up quite a bit here, but in the end Anni does easily manage to drive the Susvara. Is it the best combo or best amp for the Susvara? No not for me. The Susvara hooked up to a super high-end amplifier such as the Feliks Audio 300B driven Envy or the Auris Audio 2A3 driven Headonia, performs at a much higher level. It’s not that this combo is bad, but I don’t feel Anni is getting the best out of the Susvara and it can’t make it shine like some other (more expensive and higher amps) can.

The second hard to drive headphone is the HEDD Audio HEDDphone. I really like the tuning of this headphone but it – to me – for longer listening sessions just isn’t as comfortable. The Synergy with the Anni however is a lot better compared to that of the Susvara. Here you get excellent speed, great clarity, fullness and good impact. And all that with and energetic and musical presentation. The top end for me here could be a bit more aggressive and forward, but that’s personal preference. It’s quite a good combo, but I have heard the HEDDphone sound better from other amps as well, so I have mixed feelings here.

The Hifiman Arya with the stealth magnets is one of the best price/quality ratio headphones on the market right now. This Arya imo doesn’t need a lot of power and it is a fuller and heavier sounding headphone with a warmer, smoother and slower delivery. With the Anni I something feel like I am getting too much body and that everything sounds a bit too slow, but it on the other hands sounds extremely musical and soft with incredible vocals. The combo is enormously easy to listen to and it’s just a pleasure to the ear even if it’s missing some clarity and energy here. If you like musicality, smoothness and softness but with good precision, this is the combo for you.

The last headphone for this Anni review is the Meze Audio Empyrean. As we all know the original Empyrean already is fuller and heavier sounding, with an elevated bass presence. The Empyrean is super musical with a soft and smooth, warm delivery. This in combo with the Chord Anni accentuates all that. If you want a very full and heavier sound but with a warmer and smoother, super musical delivery, this is a combo for you. It’s extremely soft and easy to listen to, but it’s not the clearest and refined. That’s fine for movies and a quick listen, but not for critical listening and high precision playback.

That means the Anni all-in-all performs quite well for many headphones, but it won’t be the very best companion for every single headphone. Careful matching is what is need and what is important here. One thing is obvious here however, and that is that you need to use a clean, clear and precise, lighter-bodied source with the Anni.

Chord Anni

Sound – Earphone Synergy

For the IEMs we chose the Vision Ears EXT, the Sennheiser IE 900, the Beyerdynamic Xelento and the 64 Audio U6t. Before we start with the quick impressions, I quickly want to mention that maybe not all L-shaped plugs or convertors (4.4/2.5mm to 3.5mm) will work with the recessed socket of Anni.

The Vision Ears EXT already is a very full and heavier sounding IEM, and for my personal taste it hooked up to the Anni becomes a bit too much when looking at body, thickness, and bass. If you like your music delivered in a musical way with excellent dynamics, bigger bass and more forward – yet high quality – vocals, this combo could be for you.

The Sennheiser IE 900 is completely different from the EXT and it is neutral and very precise. For some the IE 900 is missing some character, body and musicality/smoothness and that is exactly what the Anni has to offer. You get a very dynamic sounding IE 900 with a high level of technicalities, good body, powerful bass (but not overly present) and an exciting top end part. For me this combo is one of the better ones. If you like a high technical level but with a more v-shaped presentation and extremer lows and highs, then the Beyerdynamic Xelento is a perfect companion for the Anni. If you like the Xelento for what it does so well, you will love it with the Anni.

An IEM that matches Anni’s character very well is the 64 Audio U6t monitor. You get a full-bodied sounding U6t with powerful yet controlled bass, smooth mids and a sparkling top end. This is the best combo of all the ones I tried with a perfect mix of technicalities, natural rendering on top end energy.

Chord Anni

Sound – Comparisons

For this section we used the Meze Audio Elite and both the Burson and Ferrum units are powered by the Ferrum Hypsos PSU. All connections are single ended (like with the Anni).

The Burson Audio Conductor 3X performance is used here as a DAC/AMP as it’s impossible to bypass the internal DAC. Burson almost always has a full-bodied sound, and that’s no different here. I do prefer the 3XP for wat concerns texture and note extension, but Anni’s dynamics are better. Sound stage width and depth these units are similar, and you get a more compact presentation. The layering of the 3XP is more evident, but the Anni has a higher level of clarity with a cleaner presentation. Anni also is better in control of the bass, even if it isn’t as layered and deep as on the 3XP. Sound-wise these units are similar with some differences but the big advantage of the $1,399 USD 3XP is that it is a DAC/AMP and that it has a remote.

The Ferrum OOR is a more neutral tuned amplifier than the Anni and 3XP. It has great clarity and speed and the sound stage is better in width and depth. To me the OOR also is best when it comes to layering and note extension, but the Anni is more dynamic and musically smooth. Where the 3XP and Anni were more alike, the OOR is very differently tuned. Personally, I feel the $1,995 USD OOR is an extremely good amp, and it has received an award for that already.

I do want to include Chord’s own Hugo 2 in this chapter even if the H2 is a DAC (also) and it’s quite more expensive at $2,795 USD. (The Hugo 2 has no filters activated for this comparison). For me the Hugo 2 is a lighter in presentation with less body everywhere. Hugo 2 is more balanced, and I also feel the texture and note extension are at a higher level here. The same goes for the sound stage and layering. The Hugo 2 is also even more natural and the delivery is more effortless. It to me is a higher end amplifier with a better performance, tuned to a more reference setting. It’s quite different from the Anni actually.

Conclusion

The Chord Anni is a smaller desktop sized amplifier that packs a punch. Anni is well-built and looks great as we’re used to from Chord Electronics.

The Anni is bigger in sound than in size and you get a full-bodied sound with great clarity and excellent dynamics. Anni’s presentation is smoother and slightly warmer but it is always very musical. Its tuning perhaps isn’t what you were expecting from Chord, but it does work well for a whole series of headphones.

If you are looking for a well-performing and compact desktop amplifier which makes you enjoy your music, the Anni should be on your shortlist. If you also want to use it as a speaker amp for your desktop monitors, it should be one of the first amps to consider in this price point.

 

Page 1: Chord Electronics, Anni, Packaging & Accessories, Design & Build Quality

Page 2: Lay-Out & Usability, Technical Specifications & Price, Sound Intro, Sound General, Sound Classics

Page 3: Headphone Synergy, IEM Synergy, Comparisons, Conclusion

4.2/5 - (210 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

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