[dan3952]

I just took a look. I didn't see which edition he tested and he didn't say. He says the Aryas have "distortion", but recommends them with EQ. He tested them at 94dB, then at 104dB, and lastly at 114dB. No wonder they had some "distortion" at those super high SPL's. SMH... who does that?

Amir, that's who: looking for ways to make the product fail, to make him and his folllowers appear smart. I have no use for any measurements above 90 db (as I wouldn't have my hearing for long if listened that loud), even the great Tyll Hertsens had overdone it using 100 db. I was trying to find HiFiMan graphs he'd done, especially HE-1000. They had been uploaded onto Stereophile.

 

[K.J.]

Is there way to visually identify the Arya Stealth vs the V2? Hifiman had to send me a replacement and I'm trying to confirm which one it is. I had the V2 and they said that was what they were sending me, the box doesn't have the Stealth sticker on it, but I want to confirm anyway.

This new headphone sounds significantly better than the one I had bought in late October, which I returned because it developed distortion in the right ear's driver in the low frequencies. So maybe that was just a faulty pair all along and I wasn't experiencing the real thing.

 

[Grizzleberry]

I had gone from the original Clear, to the Arya v1, to the Audeze LCD-3: and had gotten rid of the first two for the same reasons you had. Even my back up headphone, the cheap closed back Shure SRH-1540, had a better soundstage than the Clear (and a surprising amount of bass, for something that only weighs 285 g). Female vocals in particular, had sounded hollow and unnatural with the Arya. I hadn't noticed it as much with electric guitars or synthesizers. . HiFiMan, does let you return open box items, no questions asked. Arya soundstage is so large, that it hadn't felt natural to me, with some music. If I'm listening to a live band, what is a natural soundstage, could vary depending on how far away I'm sitting from the stage. No headphone I had used, had a soundstage as small as IEMs had; about to sell my first and only pair.

LCD-3 is definitely not a detail monster at its price point, but I had gotten a used pair at a price I couldn't refuse. LCD-3, had offered a wonderfully natural timbre with female vocals, they have this creamy quality in the midrange that I'd loved. But, it's getting old. I would not use them without EQ; or I wouldn't spend that on a headphone where half of the upper mids are missing. One of my old favorite rock albums for 34 years now, U2's The Joshua Tree, had sounded splendid on Audeze headphones: any song that had electronic instruments, the experience was bombastic. It felt like the times when I had turned my subwoofer up, and I had shook the walls. That's one of the benefits of putting up with their weight. You need only play the first few seconds of that album, or Pink Floyd's DSOTM, to test the bass on most headphones. Those, were mastered that well.

Now, I'm not impressed with Audeze for not offering more new products at consumer grade price points (their new ideas all seem to be implemented in products that cost $3000+), so I had no choice than to go with the LCD-X 2021. I'm not surprised that they had upgraded their best seller first. If I don't like them, I will probably go with the Arya v3. I would get ZMF Verite opens if I could come to terms with spending that on a pair of headphones.

Funny enough, prior to the launch of the LCD-5, people around here had been wondering if Audeze had decided to stop developing their audiophile products in favor of their more consumer-oriented (priced) products like the Penrose and Mobius. I'm curious how you'll like LCD-X 2021; it's definitely one of my favorite headphones.

After writing that post, I purchased an LCD-4. The sound quality really blew me away. It's my favorite-sounding headphone I've heard so far, by a lot. I had to sell it pretty quickly after getting it due to some neck issues getting worse (long story, hopefully it won't last forever). If you're ever curious to hear the LCD-4 for yourself, used ones are starting to show up in classifieds for under $2000 (not much more than a new Arya V3). Word of caution: the LCD-4 basically requires EQ to sound its best, imho, even with 2021 pads. And of course, it's extremely heavy at 690 grams (heavier than the LCD-X at 630 grams).

 

[Grizzleberry]

Is there way to visually identify the Arya Stealth vs the V2? Hifiman had to send me a replacement and I'm trying to confirm which one it is. I had the V2 and they said that was what they were sending me, the box doesn't have the Stealth sticker on it, but I want to confirm anyway.

This new headphone sounds significantly better than the one I had bought in late October, which I returned because it developed distortion in the right ear's driver in the low frequencies. So maybe that was just a faulty pair all along and I wasn't experiencing the real thing.

The only ways to distinguish a V2 from a V3 are the magnets and the green tint membrane. The V3 magnets are more numerous and tighter packed and they line up perfectly with the aluminium traces on the membrane while the V2 is more sparse and spaced out. V1 looks completely different from the outside cuz it has a metal mesh driver cover not cloth, and the inner cloth mesh is attached to the earpad not to the driver cup itself.

Edit: Another difference is the driver itself on the V3 is slightly heavier and thicker, the total weight of V1 or V2 are 404g and V3 is at 430g cuz of the extra magnets. The first thing I noticed about V3 when I opened up the earpads is the driver is seriously crammed in there with screws, it actually does not fit flush with the Arya plastic casing. making the sandwich space between the screws bulge outwards a bit. Mechanically I think they did that cuz with more magnets comes more force, that equals more membrane movement hence the reason why V3 has more bass. On the V1 and V2 the driver was actually sitting a fraction of a millimeter below the casing edge. That's the other reason I think they didn't really design a new driver at all for the Arya V3 but just stuffed the HEK driver in there.

Took a picture of the side of the driver cup without pad to show what I mean. Don't think it affects the build quality, durability or comfort of the headphone other than looking a bit off if you pay very close attention.

As Versale pointed out, one of the easiest ways to tell the difference might actually be to measure it with a shipping scale, if you have one. The V3 weighs ~430g, the V2 ~404g.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Is there way to visually identify the Arya Stealth vs the V2? Hifiman had to send me a replacement and I'm trying to confirm which one it is. I had the V2 and they said that was what they were sending me, the box doesn't have the Stealth sticker on it, but I want to confirm anyway.

This new headphone sounds significantly better than the one I had bought in late October, which I returned because it developed distortion in the right ear's driver in the low frequencies. So maybe that was just a faulty pair all along and I wasn't experiencing the real thing.

Look at the inner and outer magnets. If the inner magnets are wide, and the outers are shiny and half-rounded they are the v3's. If the inners are black and look like a grate, and the outers are grey, wide, and flat, they are the v2's.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Is there way to visually identify the Arya Stealth vs the V2? Hifiman had to send me a replacement and I'm trying to confirm which one it is. I had the V2 and they said that was what they were sending me, the box doesn't have the Stealth sticker on it, but I want to confirm anyway.

This new headphone sounds significantly better than the one I had bought in late October, which I returned because it developed distortion in the right ear's driver in the low frequencies. So maybe that was just a faulty pair all along and I wasn't experiencing the real thing.

maybe post a picture showing how the magnets look on what you've received then I'm sure someone here can confirm. The stealth magnets are much thicker than the non-stealth magnets and by extension, the gaps between the stealth magnets is much smaller than the gaps between the magnets on the non-stealth version.

 

[implicitzen]

The amp definitely makes a big difference, even on low impedance headphones. Despite being called an "amp", even outputting at negative dB of the line input, the quality of the output is what matters most.

As far as what has the most influence over sound, my list goes:

1. Transducers
2. Pads/room acoustics
3. Amp
4. .....
5. Phase of the moon
6. DAC
7. Cables

#5 made me giggle. i've only heard the v2 arya, did the stealth actually improve anything? how does it sound in comparison?

 

[K.J.]

Look at the inner and outer magnets. If the inner magnets are grey and wide, and the outers are shiny and half-rounded they are the v3's. If the inners are black and look like a grate, and the outers are grey, wide, and flat, they are the v2's.

maybe post a picture showing how the magnets look on what you've received then I'm sure someone here can confirm. The stealth magnets are much thicker than the non-stealth magnets and by extension, the gaps between the stealth magnets is much smaller than the gaps between the magnets on the non-stealth version.

Yeah I'll shine a light on the magnets and take some pics when I get off of work.

 

[K.J.]

I took a couple pics, attached. From what's been described by @ezduzit2500 and @Knee Deep In Epoxy this looks like the V2.

Direct links:
https://i.imgur.com/uOXr17H.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8uvLjd.jpg

 

[Reputator]

I took a couple pics, attached. From what's been described by @ezduzit2500 and @Knee Deep In Epoxy this looks like the V2.

Direct links:
https://i.imgur.com/uOXr17H.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8uvLjd.jpg

Yeah I don't know. Compared to this it looks different.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hif...ressions-thread.890421/page-326#post-16550685

Looks like my Stealth though.

 

[ezduzit2500]

maybe post a picture showing how the magnets look on what you've received then I'm sure someone here can confirm. The stealth magnets are much thicker than the non-stealth magnets and by extension, the gaps between the stealth magnets is much smaller than the gaps between the magnets on the non-stealth version.

Not to second-guess you, but the stealth magnets are the shiny rounded-over ones on the outside of the HP drivers and they are neodymium. IDK if the inners are regular ferrite magnets or neodymium, but either way they are rectangular and wider. Look at the HEKSE for reference - it has stealth magnets all around (inner and outer).

 

[dan3952]

Funny enough, prior to the launch of the LCD-5, people around here had been wondering if Audeze had decided to stop developing their audiophile products in favor of their more consumer-oriented (priced) products like the Penrose and Mobius. I'm curious how you'll like LCD-X 2021; it's definitely one of my favorite headphones.

After writing that post, I purchased an LCD-4. The sound quality really blew me away. It's my favorite-sounding headphone I've heard so far, by a lot. I had to sell it pretty quickly after getting it due to some neck issues getting worse (long story, hopefully it won't last forever). If you're ever curious to hear the LCD-4 for yourself, used ones are starting to show up in classifieds for under $2000 (not much more than a new Arya V3). Word of caution: the LCD-4 basically requires EQ to sound its best, imho, even with 2021 pads. And of course, it's extremely heavy at 690 grams (heavier than the LCD-X at 630 grams).

It's hard for me to buy a used LCD-4; I'd be more likely to go with one of its derivatives (-24, -4Z, -MX4). Aside from the weight, the size of original case is a burden to me as well, and seems frilly, as someone who had been having trouble finding a place to live, and currently lives in a hotel.

My understanding is, the original line, all has the same dark signature, except for the -XC. I had used the Reveal plug in with the LCD-3, and it still didn't have as much upper midstream detail, as I'd like. It was muffled. I'd switch to my speakers, and not want to go back to those headphones. One thing I did enjoy, was using Dekoni hybrid pads (though having to pry the original glued ones off had driven me crazy).

I do believe I had gotten the last LCD-X 2021: nobody else has them in stock. I think it's due to a COVID related factory shut down (the factory is in Santa Ana, California). Audeze doesn't have a show room. Harman, is in Northridge, and their head office was a few miles away from my work at the time. They don't have one, either.

I had tried the LCD-MX4 at the place I had bought the Clears at in 2018, and the salesman had said that it was a good headphone, but not worth $3000. I have to say that I had agreed with him. That store in Torrance, is large, and they say they get B-stock Audeze products (and, would probably would be one of the few places left that still has product in stock). I think he works at an online retailer now. I've seen him post on here.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I took a couple pics, attached. From what's been described by @ezduzit2500 and @Knee Deep In Epoxy this looks like the V2.

Direct links:
https://i.imgur.com/uOXr17H.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8uvLjd.jpg

That does look like v2. Is that what you ordered?

 

[XGeneX88]

Is there way to visually identify the Arya Stealth vs the V2? Hifiman had to send me a replacement and I'm trying to confirm which one it is. I had the V2 and they said that was what they were sending me, the box doesn't have the Stealth sticker on it, but I want to confirm anyway.

This new headphone sounds significantly better than the one I had bought in late October, which I returned because it developed distortion in the right ear's driver in the low frequencies. So maybe that was just a faulty pair all along and I wasn't experiencing the real thing.

You should be able to tell by the color of the planar diaphragm material. If you look through a light, the planar will shine green / jade color. If you don't see that then it's a V2.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

I took a couple pics, attached. From what's been described by @ezduzit2500 and @Knee Deep In Epoxy this looks like the V2.

Direct links:
https://i.imgur.com/uOXr17H.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8uvLjd.jpg

Anyone here remember the "Black and Blue or White and Gold Dress" meme?

I really think this image taken by @K.J. has the ability to be the Arya version of that meme - Stealth or not Stealth?
My first instinct was those look like stealth mags but after reading the comment by @ezduzit2500 I double checked and realised it may be an optical illusion. I mistook the thin line that is between the magnets for the edge of the magnets making them seem thicker to my eye.

Long story short, they look like V2s, on second (and closer) look