HIFIMAN Arya - Arya Stealth - Arya Organic :: Impressions Thread
Dec 26, 2019 at 8:19 AM Post #1,471 of 11,822
Well already cancelled the ananda so I suppose it's time to move from this thread till I get to taste the arya at canjam nyc
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 11:03 AM Post #1,472 of 11,822
Sounds like the AFC 2 may be the choice for you given your use case. I know a friend that upgraded from AFC 1 to AFC 2 and loves them stating sound-stage is outstanding. I've not heard the AFC 2 but I own AFC 1 and its soundstage is not too shabby with some saying it may actually be better then AFO 1!! I currently own Arya, having upgraded from Ananda and I can say that my preference was Ananda over AFC 1, but that preference was definitely not by a wide margin. The Ananda was a bit more laid-back and possessed a bit more finesse and smoothness than AFC 1 and of course had a bigger soundstage. Ananda did do a bit better at detail and placing of instruments and voices in their own space. Bass was definitely a bit fuller and pronounced with Ananda. Not saying one was good and the other bad -- just that the AFC and Ananda are a bit different in how they present their soundscape. If you have a software parametric EQ, one can get definitely coax more out of the AFC with a bit of tweaking. All this is to say that if AFC 2 is everything I've heard from my buddy and is even better than AFC 1 -- I do not think you'll be disappointed. Oh -- and don't be afraid to use the inserts to tailor the sound.


BTW -- Arya is da bomb!!! :wink:
 
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Dec 26, 2019 at 1:10 PM Post #1,473 of 11,822
Thanks man you've been very helpful but also making me worry again lo . I'm just gonna get the closed for now so I have a good closed back and then hit up canjam nyc and see how all these new cans fair and maybe pick something up income tax time. Who knows i might not like the afc2 and have to sell and pick up arya before then lol
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 1:21 PM Post #1,474 of 11,822
Sounds like a good plan. I am of the firm and unyielding opinion that along with a good open back, one MUST also own a pair of good closed back HPs. Owning something like AFC 2 and the Arya would make perfect sense! :D
 
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Dec 26, 2019 at 10:06 PM Post #1,475 of 11,822
Wow I guess I started watching that when it first came out and stopped half way through. Good insight into the new headphone and now I worry I chose the wrong path. Now I'm contemplating canceling this ananda order to go aeon 2c. sob

I've not demo'd Arya, but from reading reviews my impression is
- Build quality is better for Aeon 2c, plus better cable.
- No clue how the sounds compare, but generally whenever hifiman comes up with newer models the older model drop in price significantly. I bet Ananda will drop in price significantly. Not sure that's going to be true for Aeon.
- On the flip side, I love my HE400i and I am wondering how the upgrade sounds.
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 10:08 PM Post #1,476 of 11,822
Arya vs aeon, while I haven't heard arya myself I'd bet off of what I've read and knowledge of aeon that I can make a COUPLE comparisons and that might make me sound like a noob but it's something. The comparisons from my take were enough to steer me toward ARYA
Arya much bigger sounding, much faster, more resolving and more transparent.
Still kind of curious on the bass of the arya bit when my ananda gets here I'll probably have a better idea

What other headphones did you consider other than Aeon 2c, and Ananda (hopefully at similar price points?)
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 10:14 PM Post #1,477 of 11,822
I actually prefer the presentation of closed back. I find most open back hard to create colors and textures without a ridiculous setup and even then I find them easier to see when they're coming from a black background rather than ambient space. Also I will use these with gaming so if I can block out my kids from hearing my friend swearing I will

This is my non-technical, subjective experience -- I found out that open back are good for long sessions, but if you want to pay attention to movies and especially the background music -- it comes through more clearly instead of open headphones. So, my experience watching Interstellar, or Dark Knight has been very different with open back/closed headphones.
 
Dec 26, 2019 at 10:15 PM Post #1,478 of 11,822
Thanks man you've been very helpful but also making me worry again lo . I'm just gonna get the closed for now so I have a good closed back and then hit up canjam nyc and see how all these new cans fair and maybe pick something up income tax time. Who knows i might not like the afc2 and have to sell and pick up arya before then lol

Where do you order yours from?
 
Dec 27, 2019 at 7:39 AM Post #1,479 of 11,822
I've not demo'd Arya, but from reading reviews my impression is
- Build quality is better for Aeon 2c, plus better cable.
- No clue how the sounds compare, but generally whenever hifiman comes up with newer models the older model drop in price significantly. I bet Ananda will drop in price significantly. Not sure that's going to be true for Aeon.
- On the flip side, I love my HE400i and I am wondering how the upgrade sounds.

I tried first version of Aeon in past. Build looks the same as second version. What you wrote is only theory. Honestly I hated cable screw conection of Aeon and cloth on cable is also something I would like to pass as well. Build is nice but it is small headphone. Comfort clearly win HE1000 type of hp for me and sound is different story as well.
 
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Dec 27, 2019 at 8:24 AM Post #1,480 of 11,822
What other headphones did you consider other than Aeon 2c, and Ananda (hopefully at similar price points?)
I actually very much like the sound of the amiron wireless or at least I liked what the drivers had to offer so I considered going amiron home or dt1990. Still would like to own a pair but for now I know they hurt my ears too bad for gaming. Truth be told, I probably should just order another gaming headphone and not try to blend my audiophile love with my gaming but I've always wanted this perfect headphone that does both well. I yurn for a super detailed and coherent sound stage that I can just completely distinguish what's going on in the game and soundwhore everyone. But I also know I wont bother putting a mic on these headphones because the only option for headphones with high end connectors is to use a mod mic and I'm not going that route again
Ideally my lineup would look like this
Arya for audiophile,
Amiron home or dt1990 for my usual music like electronic and pop
Super amazing awesome gaming headphone
A really good dynamic driver iem for bed


Also this purchase will be made via amazon because I have their credit card now and can make interest free payments. I cancelled the ananda and plan to order the aeon 2 closed as soon as the refund goes through. Well I'm still worried it's not worth the $955 so I'm gonna head over to that page and do some reading. After all the new aeon x is $450 cheaper lol.
 
Dec 27, 2019 at 2:49 PM Post #1,481 of 11,822
I actually very much like the sound of the amiron wireless or at least I liked what the drivers had to offer so I considered going amiron home or dt1990. Still would like to own a pair but for now I know they hurt my ears too bad for gaming. Truth be told, I probably should just order another gaming headphone and not try to blend my audiophile love with my gaming but I've always wanted this perfect headphone that does both well. I yurn for a super detailed and coherent sound stage that I can just completely distinguish what's going on in the game and soundwhore everyone. But I also know I wont bother putting a mic on these headphones because the only option for headphones with high end connectors is to use a mod mic and I'm not going that route again
Ideally my lineup would look like this
Arya for audiophile,
Amiron home or dt1990 for my usual music like electronic and pop
Super amazing awesome gaming headphone
A really good dynamic driver iem for bed


Also this purchase will be made via amazon because I have their credit card now and can make interest free payments. I cancelled the ananda and plan to order the aeon 2 closed as soon as the refund goes through. Well I'm still worried it's not worth the $955 so I'm gonna head over to that page and do some reading. After all the new aeon x is $450 cheaper lol.

Why don't you get an LCD-GX? It should be pretty close to ideal for you and it's cheaper than the Arya.
 
Dec 27, 2019 at 3:22 PM Post #1,482 of 11,822
Why don't you get an LCD-GX? It should be pretty close to ideal for you and it's cheaper than the Arya.
I never really liked the lcd2 so I didn't figure I'd like the gx. I've read lots of reviews on it and really nobody seems to think it's that special. I think I'll be set with af2c but now I have to wait a while anyways. Just had to pay my house taxes and were a little more than I though so gotta make $200 somehow
 
Dec 27, 2019 at 3:33 PM Post #1,483 of 11,822
I never really liked the lcd2 so I didn't figure I'd like the gx. I've read lots of reviews on it and really nobody seems to think it's that special. I think I'll be set with af2c but now I have to wait a while anyways. Just had to pay my house taxes and were a little more than I though so gotta make $200 somehow

I recall madlustenvy saying the GX didnt sound anything like the 2 and a little closer overall to the X but I may be mistaken. You can always buy used.
 
Dec 27, 2019 at 5:27 PM Post #1,484 of 11,822
I recall madlustenvy saying the GX didnt sound anything like the 2 and a little closer overall to the X but I may be mistaken. You can always buy used.
I cant stand his numbering system. No pattern to it when there should be. Sounding like an x would be better but at the same time a lot of reviews say it's just not that great for hardcore gamers
It would be nice if there was an aeon 2 on amazon used to purchase lol but doubtful anytime soon
 
Dec 29, 2019 at 3:13 AM Post #1,485 of 11,822
I cant stand his numbering system. No pattern to it when there should be. Sounding like an x would be better but at the same time a lot of reviews say it's just not that great for hardcore gamers
It would be nice if there was an aeon 2 on amazon used to purchase lol but doubtful anytime soon

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