[webmi]

I love the Aryas sound, could break down in tears on some songs with the Arya, thats how good it is.

BUT, the build quality is poor, very poor.



Didnt used it much and i am very carefull with this very expensive peace of gear. Nonetheless paint is already breaking off...

@TeamHiFiMAN, is there something we could do about the missing paint on my Arya? Is there a way to exchange the faulty part?

 

[Karister]

Ouch! Painful to watch! I would discourage you from keeping them freely on desk. Consider a good stand like Rooms Design FS. It does not deform ear pads, looks great and is big enough for HiFiMANs. Also, it is offred in a huge colour variety. Additionaly there is a pro version if you would like adjustable height stand.

 

[webmi]

This is how i store them:




The fact, that i am upset by the little imperfection (missing paint), should be proof enough, that i am carefull with my Arya. But nenetheless, even with very carefull handling when putting them down from my head by laying them down on the desk, paint is breaking off.

One could for sure say, it is my fault for not handling them carefully enough, but i did! When i put them down from my head on my desk, i was every time very carefull, since i know things like that could happen and i dont want them to happen. Although i was carefull, paint is breaking off and thats whats makes me angry.

Its poor quality, not me handling them bad.

 

[Ithilstone]

I love the Aryas sound, could break down in tears on some songs with the Arya, thats how good it is.

BUT, the build quality is poor, very poor.



Didnt used it much and i am very carefull with this very expensive peace of gear. Nonetheless paint is already breaking off...

@TeamHiFiMAN, is there something we could do about the missing paint on my Arya? Is there a way to exchange the faulty part?

I have never seen paint chipping away like that even on show/demo samples that are notoriously mistreated,
- definitely some kind of defect - but knowing @TeamHiFiMAN they will sort this out in no time and you will be again

 

[webmi]

I really hope Hifiman could help, since i like the Arya very much, paid a lot and want them to be in good condition for a long time.

 

[Ithilstone]

This is how i store them:


Its poor quality, not me handling them bad.

Dont beat yourself up, as i said previously even on demo/show samples that DO NOT happen so it is not a poor quality but rather you were unfortunate a bit and got defective unit. It happens to a lot of companies and it is something that could easily slipped through QC as it would be strange for them to knock headphones around to check if paint is coming off. Just contact Hifiman CS and wait for them to offer a solution.

 

[Ripper2860]

I would definitely reach out to them via e-mail at customerservice@hifiman.com w/ the pic and info on how careful you are with them. I have no such issue with mine and have always found the customer service folks to be extremely helpful and responsive.

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

I love the Aryas sound, could break down in tears on some songs with the Arya, thats how good it is.

BUT, the build quality is poor, very poor.



Didnt used it much and i am very carefull with this very expensive peace of gear. Nonetheless paint is already breaking off...

@TeamHiFiMAN, is there something we could do about the missing paint on my Arya? Is there a way to exchange the faulty part?

If you could please email us at customerservice@hifiman.com we can get that unit swapped over for you.

Mark

 

[webmi]

Good evening from Germany,

thank you @TeamHiFiMAN (Mark) for your (fast) response. I am happy to hear you treat your customer well.

I don’t know how I can say this now, but in this very hour the right driver of the Arya died... What on earth have I done wrong?

Had faulty drivers on a Audeze LCD-2 before years ago, but cmon...

Already contacted my local store here in Germany, since it is late here, I am happy they responded so fast but they have to get in contact with me tomorrow because of end of working day. Bought the Hifman Arya very early, 26.03.2019. Since I have warranty, I hope they can provide help.

I want to wait for response from them first, since they are here in Germany, help can be received faster (hopefully). But I don’t know if they only replacing the right driver or if they can send me a new one.

If they can’t send a new one (chipped paint), I will get in contact with you by the provided email.

... sad day

Also I want to ask you, if there is any kind of upgrade program for the Arya too? I still feel like that the tradeoff in buildquality on the Arya compared to the Original 1000k could be bigger then I thought or is it just me having very bad luck?!

 

[lugnut]

I want to wait for response from them first, since they are here in Germany, help can be received faster (hopefully). But I don’t know if they only replacing the right driver or if they can send me a new one.

If they can’t send a new one (chipped paint), I will get in contact with you by the provided email.

... sad day

I know it's none of my business however, I would want the drivers matched. Kinda like matching tubes in a tube amp, I don't think you would be happy with one side louder than the other. You would be really lucky to have both drivers in range of each other with one new and one old. But hey what do I know , I just listen to music.

 

[webmi]

You are absolutely right, thanks for your input. One for sure want a matched pair of drivers. As i mentioned, if my local store can not swap the hole Arya, i will get in contact with Hifiman themselves, as they are already stated, they would swap the hole headphone.

 

[illyria]

Hey, everyone.

I've been using my he500 for the last 5 years or so and have loved them, and finally planning on upgrading.

Thinking of getting a set of Aryas.

How do they do with female vocals? (my favorite musicians being Laurel/Chelsea Wolfe/Emma Ruth Rundle)

Any opinions would be really appreciated.

 

[sennfan83261]

Hey, everyone.

I've been using my he500 for the last 5 years or so and have loved them, and finally planning on upgrading.

Thinking of getting a set of Aryas.

How do they do with female vocals? (my favorite musicians being Laurel/Chelsea Wolfe/Emma Ruth Rundle)

Any opinions would be really appreciated.

I'm putting my just-arrived secondhand Arya through its paces and I just so happen to have a few Chelsea Wolfe albums. My daily driver for most of last year was my HE-500 (focus pads). Comparing the two, the leading edge of female vocals is definitely smoother on the HE-500 than the Arya; the difference is slight but noticeable after closer inspection. Furthermore, the Arya requires a bit more juice than the HE-500. However, the Arya definitely edges the HE-500 is almost everything else: soundstage (width, height, and depth), imaging, layering, detail retrieval, comfort, etc. For example, "We Hit a Wall" from the album "Pain is Beauty" truly sounds 3D on the Arya. However, the greater soundstage of the Arya sometimes stretches out songs unnecessarily so such as "Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter" from the same album, as this song sounds more natural on the HE-500. Whatever you choose, don't sell off your HE-500. They're special cans and I know that I'm not selling mine, heh.

 

[vlach]

I'm putting my just-arrived secondhand Arya through its paces and I just so happen to have a few Chelsea Wolfe albums. My daily driver for most of last year is my HE-500 (focus pads). Comparing the two, the leading edge of female vocals is definitely smoother on the HE-500 than the Arya; the difference is slight but noticeable after closer comparison. Furthermore, the Arya requires a bit more juice than the HE-500. However, the Arya definitely edges the HE-500 is almost everything else: soundstage (width, height, and depth), imaging, layering, detail retrieval, comfort, etc. For example, "We Hit a Wall" from the album "Pain is Beauty" truly sounds 3D on the Arya. However, the greater soundstage of the Arya sometimes stretches out songs unnecessarily so such as "Destruction Makes the World Burn Brighter" from the same album, as this song sounds more natural on the HE-500. Whatever you choose, don't sell off your HE-500. They're special cans and I know that I'm not selling mine, heh.

As a HE-500 owner considering the Arya, this is good feedback, thank you.

Which headphone do you prefer for bass?

 

[sennfan83261]

As a HE-500 owner considering the Arya, this is good feedback, thank you.

Which headphone do you prefer for bass?

Bass alone? Now that is a tough one. To my surprise, the Arya (Mogami W2893 diy) and the HE-500 (Furukawa PCOCC custom-built) are really, really close in terms of bass. On my setup (THX AAA 789 - balanced output), the HE-500 may slam a tiny bit harder and the Arya may have better articulation, but to be honest the two are very, very close in the bass department. I had to go back and forth between them several times on the same track since they're are almost indistinguishable when it comes to bass. The most noticeable difference is that the HE-500's bass distorts (static) at listening levels while the Arya's bass was clean as a whistle when comparing the two on Han Zimmer's "2049" from the "Blade Runner: 2049" soundtrack. I think I'm going with Arya's bass with the last point being the tie-breaker between the two. If the HE-500's bass did not distort the way it did, then it would've have been a toss-up.

Test tracks:
Black Eyed Peas - Street Livin'
The Cinematic Orchestra - Reel Life (Evolution II)
The Dwindlers - How the Ostrich Became a Girl and Her Bicycle
Hans Zimmer - 2049
Project Skyward - Blind
Ross from Friends - Epiphany (edit)