[DenverW]

Hi Everyone,

I am kind of wannabe audiophile. I have recently upgraded from HIfiman HEX V2 to Arya and now HEK v2. I dont have any fancy gear and I like to listen from my Desktop PC. My only use is watching movies and listening to music on Youtube. I am a fan of Hifiman house sound due to its space and immersion and I have tried a few moderately high end other headphones like HD 800, Meze Empyrean, Koss ESP 950, Sony Z1R, LCD 2C and Ether Flow but ran back to hifiman because of enveloping spaciousness at cost of some impact. I am looking for high-end tube amp that will tame slightly peaky treble of Arya since I am a little sensitive to it. Its becoming a deal breaker for me coz i like long listening sessions which were possible on HEX v2 but not on arya so far. I am getting a HEK v2 tomorrow to see it is slightly smoother than Arya. I m looking at Forge and Kenzio OG as options of end game tube amp for me. I could not find as many reviews on these as i had hoped but i have listened to Justin's videos which were quite enlightening.

Theoretically, Ampsandsound amps should compliment Hifiman headphones very well as they can fill in the mids slightly, add intimacy and richer tone and tame the treble but i am surprised and somewhat alarmed that there is not much information about synergy of these amps with Hifiman headphones . Even Justin or ampsandsounds fans like Marcello and TylersEclectic dont mention this combination in their YouTube videos . I am also stuck because Forge seems moderately euphonic, powerful and also easily available and returnable at Headphones.com but may not tame the treble of Arya completely and Kenzio OG described as sweeter and richer amp that may suit Arya/ HEK v2 better but may or may not drive these headphones well enough and Ampsandsound does not offer returns which is stopping me from taking a plunge.

So i thought I would ask here. Any feedback is welcome.

You sound like an audiophile to me .

I can't speak about the arya, but I listened to both the he6se and he-500 on my bigger ben and the pairing was excellent with both. The he6se especially can take a lot of power, and ampandsounds amps have that in spades. I would anticipate that any of the amps would pair well with hifiman, and to pick the right amp based on how you'd like to flavor the arya.

 

[Amadeo Nospherathu]

You sound like an audiophile to me .

I can't speak about the arya, but I listened to both the he6se and he-500 on my bigger ben and the pairing was excellent with both. The he6se especially can take a lot of power, and ampandsounds amps have that in spades. I would anticipate that any of the amps would pair will with hifiman, and to pick the right amp based on how you'd like to flavor the arya.

I had the opportunity to try the Arya and the HE-4 with Flux Lab Iriy and it was a great combo.

 

[Badlands]

I have a Kenzie Encore Deluxe and recently heard it with an Auteur. Prior to that I’d listened to it on my Aeolus. I’ll just say that the Kenzie - Auteur pairing was magical. I immediately picked up a used Auteur and sold off the Aeolus. It’s just got an amazing synergy and the combo helped me appreciate the Kenzie that much more.

Thanks so much for chiming in regarding my impressions of Kenzie/Auteur and confirming the amazing synergy I’m hearing. Have watched and read so much regarding the importance of synergy with components. So happy this has come to fruition with the Kenzie/Auteur combo. It truly is as you stated “magical”.

 

[bigjako]

Thanks so much for chiming in regarding my impressions of Kenzie/Auteur and confirming the amazing synergy I’m hearing. Have watched and read so much regarding the importance of synergy with components. So happy this has come to fruition with the Kenzie/Auteur combo. It truly is as you stated “magical”.

Now I just need to see if the synergy magic works with the Auteur Classics and/or the Atrium, but that wonderful pairing has made me decide not to upgrade my Auteurs out of fear that I’d lose the synergy with the new drivers. I don’t want to mess with a good thing.

 

[DenverW]

Now I just need to see if the synergy magic works with the Auteur Classics and/or the Atrium, but that wonderful pairing has made me decide not to upgrade my Auteurs out of fear that I’d lose the synergy with the new drivers. I don’t want to mess with a good thing.

I've had my classics back from the upgrade for a couple days...so far even without full burn in I'm finding them pretty great. Using the BB rev 1 and there is plenty of magic. I was worried I'd miss the OG, too, but I don't so far. I think if I had both side by side I'd reach for the classics. My only regret is that I don't have an OG with similar density here to do a head to head.

 

[tholt]

Hi Everyone,

I am kind of wannabe audiophile. I have recently upgraded from HIfiman HEX V2 to Arya and now HEK v2. I dont have any fancy gear and I like to listen from my Desktop PC. My only use is watching movies and listening to music on Youtube. I am a fan of Hifiman house sound due to its space and immersion and I have tried a few moderately high end other headphones like HD 800, Meze Empyrean, Koss ESP 950, Sony Z1R, LCD 2C and Ether Flow but ran back to hifiman because of enveloping spaciousness at cost of some impact. I am looking for high-end tube amp that will tame slightly peaky treble of Arya since I am a little sensitive to it. Its becoming a deal breaker for me coz i like long listening sessions which were possible on HEX v2 but not on arya so far. I am getting a HEK v2 tomorrow to see it is slightly smoother than Arya. I m looking at Forge and Kenzio OG as options of end game tube amp for me. I could not find as many reviews on these as i had hoped but i have listened to Justin's videos which were quite enlightening.

Theoretically, Ampsandsound amps should compliment Hifiman headphones very well as they can fill in the mids slightly, add intimacy and richer tone and tame the treble but i am surprised and somewhat alarmed that there is not much information about synergy of these amps with Hifiman headphones . Even Justin or ampsandsounds fans like Marcello and TylersEclectic dont mention this combination in their YouTube videos . I am also stuck because Forge seems moderately euphonic, powerful and also easily available and returnable at Headphones.com but may not tame the treble of Arya completely and Kenzio OG described as sweeter and richer amp that may suit Arya/ HEK v2 better but may or may not drive these headphones well enough and Ampsandsound does not offer returns which is stopping me from taking a plunge.

So i thought I would ask here. Any feedback is welcome.

Absolutely love my HEKse with the Pendant SE. With respect to taming treble, or even getting good sound, are you using your PC to drive the headphones directly? If so, that's issue #1 -- for any high end headphone. Getting a proper amp and DAC is a given, as well as a decent music source. Agreed on the Kenzie -- I don't think it will have enough drive for the v2. I suggest emailing Justin directly with any questions, he's great at responding.

 

[WillieB]

Hi Everyone,

I am kind of wannabe audiophile. I have recently upgraded from HIfiman HEX V2 to Arya and now HEK v2. I dont have any fancy gear and I like to listen from my Desktop PC. My only use is watching movies and listening to music on Youtube. I am a fan of Hifiman house sound due to its space and immersion and I have tried a few moderately high end other headphones like HD 800, Meze Empyrean, Koss ESP 950, Sony Z1R, LCD 2C and Ether Flow but ran back to hifiman because of enveloping spaciousness at cost of some impact. I am looking for high-end tube amp that will tame slightly peaky treble of Arya since I am a little sensitive to it. Its becoming a deal breaker for me coz i like long listening sessions which were possible on HEX v2 but not on arya so far. I am getting a HEK v2 tomorrow to see it is slightly smoother than Arya. I m looking at Forge and Kenzio OG as options of end game tube amp for me. I could not find as many reviews on these as i had hoped but i have listened to Justin's videos which were quite enlightening.

Theoretically, Ampsandsound amps should compliment Hifiman headphones very well as they can fill in the mids slightly, add intimacy and richer tone and tame the treble but i am surprised and somewhat alarmed that there is not much information about synergy of these amps with Hifiman headphones . Even Justin or ampsandsounds fans like Marcello and TylersEclectic dont mention this combination in their YouTube videos . I am also stuck because Forge seems moderately euphonic, powerful and also easily available and returnable at Headphones.com but may not tame the treble of Arya completely and Kenzio OG described as sweeter and richer amp that may suit Arya/ HEK v2 better but may or may not drive these headphones well enough and Ampsandsound does not offer returns which is stopping me from taking a plunge.

So i thought I would ask here. Any feedback is welcome.

I have Arya V2. I wouldn't recommend Kenzie OG for any version of Arya due to it's lower power output. If you want Kenzie OG and a wide stage presentation, consider ZMF Atrium or Sennheiser 800s. It's generally accepted that Arya V2 is at it's best with 3W+ RMS so Forge would satisfy that, but.... I chased tube amps with higher power to try and accommodate my once favorite Arya. When I finally ended up with the BB rev2, I found that pretty much any other headphone in my collection had better synergy(Dynamic or Planar). Arya just doesn't do it for me. YMMV. My tastes have changed, I'm sure, and this is all my very subjective opinion. I haven't heard HEKv2. Ananda is an old favorite. I tend to like Arya just fine with a SS amp like Topping A90 with a tube pre-amp. It just doesn't seem to scale up much from there.

 

[vidzegg]

You sound like an audiophile to me .

I can't speak about the arya, but I listened to both the he6se and he-500 on my bigger ben and the pairing was excellent with both. The he6se especially can take a lot of power, and ampandsounds amps have that in spades. I would anticipate that any of the amps would pair well with hifiman, and to pick the right amp based on how you'd like to flavor the arya.

I had the opportunity to try the Arya and the HE-4 with Flux Lab Iriy and it was a great combo.

Absolutely love my HEKse with the Pendant SE. With respect to taming treble, or even getting good sound, are you using your PC to drive the headphones directly? If so, that's issue #1 -- for any high end headphone. Getting a proper amp and DAC is a given, as well as a decent music source. Agreed on the Kenzie -- I don't think it will have enough drive for the v2. I suggest emailing Justin directly with any questions, he's great at responding.

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses. I do listen from PC through Zen DAC V2 and amp is Xduoo MT 604 hybrid tube amp which puts out 2 W at 32ohm. Both are very inexpensive but i got them because someone in Arya's thread mentioned them as great combo with Arya V3 ( which it is except for slightly peaky treble ) and they could arrive in 2 days from Amazon. I was happy with HEX v2 with portable amp/dac Fiioo E17 for many years and did not want to get TOTL headphones because I am never gonna have good source as I only listen to YouTube music and watch movies on a projector connected to PC ( so soundstage and immersion is a must for me) . I just got bored a little with HEX v2 and decided to upgrade but this endless search has taken over my life for almost a month and everything else is on hold. I first got Meze Empyrean and RME ADI2 DAC which was great except for soundstage which i realized affects immersion. Now, I just want to stay within Hifiman line up and funnily enough, I now have HEX v2, Arya SE and HEK V2 by my side and I will be comparing Arya and HEK V2 in next few days

I do want to build a decent warm chain to bring some more heft to Hifiman sound and wanted to get Denafrips Ares 2 or some Schiit DAC but they wont arrive soon and I have to decide what I want to keep or return before that. For now Zen DAC is ok but I do want to go to high end tube amp ASAP after seeing how $169 Xduoo MT 604 which was my first tube amp made Arya so much better. I think I would email Justin to get more guidance about best pairing with his amps.

BTW, Does headphone.com really honor their 1 year return policy ? If so, that could give me time to find my perfect sound.

 

[vidzegg]

I have Arya V2. I wouldn't recommend Kenzie OG for any version of Arya due to it's lower power output. If you want Kenzie OG and a wide stage presentation, consider ZMF Atrium or Sennheiser 800s. It's generally accepted that Arya V2 is at it's best with 3W+ RMS so Forge would satisfy that, but.... I chased tube amps with higher power to try and accommodate my once favorite Arya. When I finally ended up with the BB rev2, I found that pretty much any other headphone in my collection had better synergy(Dynamic or Planar). Arya just doesn't do it for me. YMMV. My tastes have changed, I'm sure, and this is all my very subjective opinion. I haven't heard HEKv2. Ananda is an old favorite. I tend to like Arya just fine with a SS amp like Topping A90 with a tube pre-amp. It just doesn't seem to scale up much from there.

Sorry, i just saw your comment after i upload mine. That's very helpful and tips the balance to Forge.

 

[ampsandsound]

Arya and Forge is a great pairing.

 

[vidzegg]

Arya and Forge is a great pairing.

That settles it then I am ordering the Forge now.

 

[Thetaburn]

Thanks a lot for the helpful responses. I do listen from PC through Zen DAC V2 and amp is Xduoo MT 604 hybrid tube amp which puts out 2 W at 32ohm. Both are very inexpensive but i got them because someone in Arya's thread mentioned them as great combo with Arya V3 ( which it is except for slightly peaky treble ) and they could arrive in 2 days from Amazon. I was happy with HEX v2 with portable amp/dac Fiioo E17 for many years and did not want to get TOTL headphones because I am never gonna have good source as I only listen to YouTube music and watch movies on a projector connected to PC ( so soundstage and immersion is a must for me) . I just got bored a little with HEX v2 and decided to upgrade but this endless search has taken over my life for almost a month and everything else is on hold. I first got Meze Empyrean and RME ADI2 DAC which was great except for soundstage which i realized affects immersion. Now, I just want to stay within Hifiman line up and funnily enough, I now have HEX v2, Arya SE and HEK V2 by my side and I will be comparing Arya and HEK V2 in next few days

I do want to build a decent warm chain to bring some more heft to Hifiman sound and wanted to get Denafrips Ares 2 or some Schiit DAC but they wont arrive soon and I have to decide what I want to keep or return before that. For now Zen DAC is ok but I do want to go to high end tube amp ASAP after seeing how $169 Xduoo MT 604 which was my first tube amp made Arya so much better. I think I would email Justin to get more guidance about best pairing with his amps.

BTW, Does headphone.com really honor their 1 year return policy ? If so, that could give me time to find my perfect sound.

How is the pairing of the MT604 to the Hekv2?
Does it provide enough power for the Hekv2?
I was looking at this pairing for a hybrid tube amp.

 

[vidzegg]

How is the pairing of the MT604 to the Hekv2?
Does it provide enough power for the Hekv2?
I was looking at this pairing for a hybrid tube amp.

Not good at all. Bass is anemic, detail retrieval is modest although sound stage is wider than Arya V3. To put it in perspectives, its even sounds less impressive than HEX V2. I think it needs more power and so I am reserving judgement until I hear it on Forge. I think stealth versions are more generally easier to drive and that's why Arya SE sings with MT-604 and HEK V2 is indifferent.

 

[ampsandsound]

Not good at all. Bass is anemic, detail retrieval is modest although sound stage is wider than Arya V3. To put it in perspectives, its even sounds less impressive than HEX V2. I think it needs more power and so I am reserving judgement until I hear it on Forge. I think stealth versions are more generally easier to drive and that's why Arya SE sings with MT-604 and HEK V2 is indifferent.

Hoes it sound with the forge?

 

[lsantista]

can A&S amps have their AC voltage switched, even if internally?
tbh in their website I didnt even find info on mains voltage availability but I assume obviously they could ship 220v-230v if asked , but then again, Im not on the market for a new amp but may be interested in a used amp.