So I finally did a full session compare/contrast between the Solaris 2020 and my Arya's in the sense that I listened to this album in its entirety with both. First the Arya's, then the Solaris 2020. Both out of my RME ADI-2 DAC FS.
This is not a "reference" album for me (although the label does tend to produce well, to very well, recorded albums); in fact this is the first time I've ever listened to it.
Again, I'm not good at this sort of thing, and I'm not going to address all the various aspects of sound reproduction, but briefly my impressions were:
The Arya's take on it was more clinical and distant (and even a bit dark): a wider stage, bordering on almost too wide (hence the distant perception), with thinner, sharper instrumentation that resulted in less realism. Good instrument separation and PRaT. The presentation was somewhat cold and lifeless; an overall "here's the music, presented accurately in a clinical way, but you won't enjoy it much" which is how I have come to view this headphone after many months of having it. Technically very good, but simply not very engaging or even "naturally accurate" (lacking in realism).
The Solaris had a closer presentation with less separation between the instruments. But it didn't matter: there was still enough space in both the sound stage and between the instruments that I didn't feel closed in nor that the sound was congested. In fact, compared to the more distant reproduction on the Arya, I much preferred this more intimate sound stage; it seemed more what the producers intended (I've always found that the Arya's are too recessed in the mids in a trade off for a wider sound stage). PRaT was basically the same. The overall presentation with the Solaris was much better imo: the instruments were much fuller bodied with verve, weight, resonance (but not too much it veered into chestiness which I dislike), more bite (this is also the case on guitars, both acoustic and electric), warmth (but never too smooth), and even a touch of sweetness or romance, yet still a very clear, detailed and articulate sound. In fact, and this surprised me some, the Solaris had more easily discernible micro detail and brought out the nuances and subtleties in the performance more. With the Arya's those seemed clouded by the "darker" sound and distantness, even though its thinner more analytical tonality should have made micro details stand out more. But the Solaris also had much better layering which helped the instruments sound more "real", natural, tangible, "live", and organic.
Anyway, this is kind of stream-of-consciousness stuff so sorry for the imprecision. In a word, I much preferred the Solaris over the Ayra's here, as I do with all other music I've thrown at the Solaris, even if I'm mostly going by memory of how the Arya's have reproduced that music.
Btw, I'm not comparing the Blessing 2's to the Solaris yet because I feel they aren't in the "same league" as the Ayras and Solaris are.
PS: I'm listening to Bobby Hutcherson's "Togo Land" from his Head On album, comparing the Solaris and Ayra's, and this is a well known to me reference track. The Solaris sounds better to me in every way possible with this very interesting and complex track. Percussion is especially better: more nuanced, weighty, impactful, layered and detailed. It sounds close to perfect. Incredible.
That's a really great endorsement for the Solaris! I totally agree - the 2020s sound incredible - or rather, they make music sound incredible. Was listening to Dylan's new album Rough and Rowdy Ways yesterday and my heart was in my mouth.
Can I just ask, as an aside - are you aware that 'prat' is a derogatory slang word here in UK?
