[Flognuts]

I did some auditioning yesterday.

I own the Focal Clears and compared them to the Utopia, Heddphone AMT, Focal Radiance and Arya V3.

Long story short; The Arya V3 just does things different man, they do things I've never heard a headphone do, the way it places the instruments is incredible.
I will be buying these to compliment my Clear OG and calling it a day for headphones.

Having said that I walked out with Fiio FF3, for $99US these things are stupidly good ear buds, like absurdly good, I'm talking HD600 level good for $99.

 

[N0sferatu]

Whaaaa ? the Topping ? how ?

It's a long story posted in the A90D thread. It just stopped playing randomly out of the left driver on the Arya. Volume got really weak out of A90D. I was offered return or replacement from vendor as it was pretty much a brand new amp. I figured replacement as I otherwise liked the amp. Got the replacement amp. Vendor gave me over $300 off a Focal Clear Mg so I took that. Then went after amp manufacturer. They paid me the money it cost to get Hifiman to get me a replacement Arya. I'm waiting for the v3 to arrive as they said no option to repair v2 it's just replacement. That's the cliff note version.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Having said that I walked out with Fiio FF3, for $99US these things are stupidly good ear buds, like absurdly good, I'm talking HD600 level good for $99.

Did they have Smabat ST-10 around to check out, those are stunning esp. gold higher impedance version?

 

[Derek Dean]

Interesting video (and reviewer) comparing Arya Stealth vs Edition XS : sound is recorded directly from the driver.



What do you think ?

I think he likes the Edition XS better, although he did say he felt the bass was better on the Arya and that it was also less fatiguing, both of which count fairly high on my list.

 

[yeboyi]

I had the DT1990. Please dont say the Arya SE reminds of you that beast! lol... Because I sold off that set as it was just too much for me to tolerate. 15 mins listening into it and I had to turn the volume down considerably or remove them and just let my ears rest.

Yeah i did the same. I like that beast but couldn't tolerate it. Arya SE ofc not like that. It's amazing. But from the headphones i've heard so far, Arya SE leans towards that fast precise engaging sound of DT 1990 a little. No other headphone did that so that's why 1990 comes to my mind. I mean you get the good parts of DT 1990 with an Hifiman egg shape experience combined.

And it feels more like observing rather than being immersed and a part of it.

Well said.

 

[George Hincapie]

Have had some pretty nice phones over the years and some decent ones now. Several of them pricey.

But I gotta say: the Arya Stealth has whupped them all and become my new favorite and perhaps my GOAT.

It's tuned to perfection, at least to my ears. It produces rich tonal color without being either bloated or bleached. It's detailed without being fatigueingly analytical. And it's soundscape is vast, with a precise, airy delineation of musical lines and production layering.

I've been late to the HiFiMan party, but I'm glad I finally arrived.

Which DAC and sources are you using please?

 

[cgb3]

Has anyone tried the leather headphone pads from Dekoni Audio?

Highly recommend the Dekoni Fenestrated Sheepskin on my Arya v2. I use the same brand and type pad on my several phones.

My only caveat: if one lives in a high temp environment, leather can be hotter than fabric. Fenestrated (the leather has tiny, close spaced holes) helps, but it's going to be hotter than fabric.

I live in Eastern NC. Not usually too hot (~90 highs during August), but high humidity (65% -98%). Thank the Lord, and Willis Carrier for AC.

 

[kRed]

It's a long story posted in the A90D thread. It just stopped playing randomly out of the left driver on the Arya. Volume got really weak out of A90D. I was offered return or replacement from vendor as it was pretty much a brand new amp. I figured replacement as I otherwise liked the amp. Got the replacement amp. Vendor gave me over $300 off a Focal Clear Mg so I took that. Then went after amp manufacturer. They paid me the money it cost to get Hifiman to get me a replacement Arya. I'm waiting for the v3 to arrive as they said no option to repair v2 it's just replacement. That's the cliff note version.

Holy cow... I don't understand how can a successful and well known company keep releasing dangerous gear like that... I had the L30 and was scared to death until I sent it back.

 

[Shamburg]

Which DAC and sources are you using please?

Currently the iFi iDSD Black Label and my Macbook Pro (Roon, Qobuz, Tidal).

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Recently got a ZMF Atrium and it's so good that it's led me create a hit list of headphones to cull from my collection.

The Arya V2 has survived... with ease.

My Focal Clear OG is on a tightrope.

...and a few lower end ones are definitely getting the chop

 

[haasaaroni]

Recently got a ZMF Atrium and it's so good that it's led me create a hit list of headphones to cull from my collection.

The Arya V2 has survived... with ease.

My Focal Clear OG is on a tightrope.

...and a few lower end ones are definitely getting the chop

Haha I’m surprised how long a version of the Arya has survived in my collection. It just does things so differently.

I’m still curious to hear an Atrium though. What would you say the Arya and Atrium trade blows?

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Haha I’m surprised how long a version of the Arya has survived in my collection. It just does things so differently.

I’m still curious to hear an Atrium though. What would you say the Arya and Atrium trade blows?

I would say the V2 is wider and much more open sounding than the Atrium.

The SE (from memory rather then A/B) was more punchy than Atrium.

The Atrium is no slouch when it comes to width or dynamics, but it does feel almost semi-open.

The Atrium is my first experience of true forward depth in the stage. I get some forward presentation from the V2 but the Atrium goes much further in that direction and has superb layering and separation as a result.

I've never personally had an issue with Arya timbre. It sounds reasonably natural to me (although less so than the Sundara). The Atrium timbre is interesting - it sounds somewhere between natural and analogue. It makes all music sounds rich. I love it but not sure I can just call it natural.

My only real gripe with the Atrium is it weighs a tonne and my neck really feels it sometimes. Never had that issue with the Arya.

Very happy to have both in the collection.

 

[haasaaroni]

I would say the V2 is wider and much more open sounding than the Atrium.

The SE (from memory rather then A/B) was more punchy than Atrium.

The Atrium is no slouch when it comes to width or dynamics, but it does feel almost semi-open.

The Atrium is my first experience of true forward depth in the stage. I get some forward presentation from the V2 but the Atrium goes much further in that direction and has superb layering and separation as a result.

I've never personally had an issue with Arya timbre. It sounds reasonably natural to me (although less so than the Sundara). The Atrium timbre is interesting - it sounds somewhere between natural and analogue. It makes all music sounds rich. I love it but not sure I can just call it natural.

My only real gripe with the Atrium is it weighs a tonne and my neck really feels it sometimes. Never had that issue with the Arya.

Very happy to have both in the collection.

Ah yes the weight. The Arya is always a breath of fresh air for me when comparing with my ZMF’s too, both in sound and comfort. What wood/hardware do you have with your Atrium?

 

[haasaaroni]

Speaking of comfort...does anyone here have experience trying to loosen the clamping force on these? I don't know how much stress this headband can take, or how to effectively apply it to get a slightly looser clamp. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[yeboyi]

How you guys maintain your Arya's ? A bit of dust, maybe skin particules accumulate inside the earpad and headband can get oily. Lots of sweat due to very hot summer too.

Man i'm so worried that my Arya will break some day like my Ananda did. I hope it will work forever. It's amazing headphone but i feel like it will die out of nowhere like my Ananda. I have a ptsd lol.

Also Arya is harder to clean/handle due to clamp force. XS and Ananda didn't have this problem. Earpads are also more snug on these. More challenging to handle overall when you wanna remove earpads and reinstall, clean etc.