[freeza2001]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive. I was wondering if anyone had some experience pairing it with a single strong portable/transportable player (like iBasso Dx200 max, Kann Cube or even the Sony DMP Z1) without a separate amp? Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

No....u will need a dedicate amp with high current output..
But again there is no measurements on what full potential is. Its all objective. Maybe the full potential is just slight better than DX200 max, but u have to sacrifice the portability for it.
To me i am happy with the sound from my zh1es which has around 1.2w from balance. I do not want another amp to complicate the setup.

 

[jincuteguy]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive. I was wondering if anyone had some experience pairing it with a single strong portable/transportable player (like iBasso Dx200 max, Kann Cube or even the Sony DMP Z1) without a separate amp? Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

Yea the Arya is for at Home listening, I wouldn't wear it to go out. Pair it with a Topping A90 or something

 

[misternoe]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive. I was wondering if anyone had some experience pairing it with a single strong portable/transportable player (like iBasso Dx200 max, Kann Cube or even the Sony DMP Z1) without a separate amp? Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

The only portable amp review I've seen mention the Arya is this one for the FiiO Q5s.

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/fiio-q5s-review-amp-up-your-smartphone/

 

[sennfan83261]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive.

It isn't that hard to drive. The Arya has an impedance of 35 ohms with a sensitivity of 90 dB/mW. So that translates to an amp requiring to output ~1W at a 35 ohms load to achieve 120 dB SPL for the Arya, a volume level that will definitely cause hearing damage. Basically, determine your typical listening volume, say 75 dB, and give yourself around 30 dB of headroom. These cans do respond well with an amp providing high quality current.

http://www.digizoid.com/headphones-power.html

 

[Brainiac9000]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive. I was wondering if anyone had some experience pairing it with a single strong portable/transportable player (like iBasso Dx200 max, Kann Cube or even the Sony DMP Z1) without a separate amp? Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

The xDuoo XD-05 Plus puts out 1W at 32ohms and is a great portable dac/amp and may work for you. I have the original xDuoo XD-05 that puts out 500mw at 32ohms and it will play the Arya, but you really loose out on full capability if you're not providing enough power.

 

[Soundfalls]

Thanks guys for your great input. I have read that on paper the Sony DMP Z1 actually has 1.5W output - higher than the TA ZH1ES (weird that Sony's 'transportable' battery operated DAC/amp is actually more powerful that their desktop amp). If one can be happy with the ZH1ES and Fiio Q5S, the DMPZ1 should do well too... but expensive.
I typically listen at 85-90 dB, so based on the calculations given by sennfan, the IBasso max should be ok too.

I prefer simple, uncomplicated set up but the price of minimalism is high... maybe I should just buy a portable amp.

 

[freeza2001]

I would suggest get the FIIO M11 as the portable+A90 as the desktop option.

 

[Dramlin]

Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

The answer is that you are looking for a device that can outpout around 1000 mW / 1W of of power minimum. I don't know of all the DAP's out there, but there are a few portable amps capable of driving the Arya like the xDuoo XD-05+ that was mentioned a few posts above. I use the XD-05+ with an AD827SQ op amp, and it powers the Arya's very well at just over 900mW at 35ohm. With that Op Amp chip, that little portable amp actually sounds better than my desktop receiver and my other desktop tube amp that outputs a little over 1.1W.

Why is 1000 mW / 1W a general minimum target? This article explains the need for dynamic headroom pretty well, but to summarize you need enough power to handle sudden busts that are 40-50db louder than your normal listening level in order for the sound to be correct. Otherwise you may get the sound loud, but it will be thin or missing parts. Given that:

• Determine your normal constant listening level and add 40-50 to it. A typical safe loud volume is 75db, so going up to 120db (+45db) in spikes should be sufficient to get the full sound out of the Arya's.
• Use this headphone calculator to determine how much power in mW is needed for your spike DB level. In this case at 120db the Arya will need 1000 mW of power.
• Check your desired DAP/AMP output power specs. For example, an xDuoo XD-05+ outputs 1000 mW at 32 ohm. If your Amp specs are a different ohm than the headphone, you can use the calculator above to check how much voltage is produced, then you can input the voltage with the headphones ohm into the 'current calculation' section to see how much power is produced. In this case, 1000 mW at 32 ohm comes out to 915 mW at 35 ohm for the Arya.

If your normal listening level is louder, say 85db, then you may need more power. For every 3db increase in volume you have to double the power output. So having 2W of power lets you get spikes up to 123db, 4W is 126, 8W for 129, etc... Still though, in my experience I think output spikes up to 120db is sufficient for most individuals that want a safe listening level, and sounds fantastic to my ears.

 

[ThanatosVI]

The answer is that you are looking for a device that can outpout around 1000 mW / 1W of of power minimum. I don't know of all the DAP's out there, but there are a few portable amps capable of driving the Arya like the xDuoo XD-05+ that was mentioned a few posts above. I use the XD-05+ with an AD827SQ op amp, and it powers the Arya's very well at just over 900mW at 35ohm. With that Op Amp chip, that little portable amp actually sounds better than my desktop receiver and my other desktop tube amp that outputs a little over 1.1W.

Why is 1000 mW / 1W a general minimum target? This article explains the need for dynamic headroom pretty well, but to summarize you need enough power to handle sudden busts that are 40-50db louder than your normal listening level in order for the sound to be correct. Otherwise you may get the sound loud, but it will be thin or missing parts. Given that:

• Determine your normal constant listening level and add 40-50 to it. A typical safe loud volume is 75db, so going up to 120db (+45db) in spikes should be sufficient to get the full sound out of the Arya's.
• Use this headphone calculator to determine how much power in mW is needed for your spike DB level. In this case at 120db the Arya will need 1000 mW of power.
• Check your desired DAP/AMP output power specs. For example, an xDuoo XD-05+ outputs 1000 mW at 32 ohm. If your Amp specs are a different ohm than the headphone, you can use the calculator above to check how much voltage is produced, then you can input the voltage with the headphones ohm into the 'current calculation' section to see how much power is produced. In this case, 1000 mW at 32 ohm comes out to 915 mW at 35 ohm for the Arya.

If your normal listening level is louder, say 85db, then you may need more power. For every 3db increase in volume you have to double the power output. So having 2W of power lets you get spikes up to 123db, 4W is 126, 8W for 129, etc... Still though, in my experience I think output spikes up to 120db is sufficient for most individuals that want a safe listening level, and sounds fantastic to my ears.

Very good explanation

 

[Soundfalls]

Great tips, Dramlin. Thanks

 

[gibby]

I really wanted to buy an Arya, but @TeamHiFiMAN will not reply to my email to customerservice@hifiman.com

Customer service means a lot.

 

[thehutch]

Hi, guys. I am a Headfi newbie here. I am interested in getting the Arya but understand that it is quite hard to drive. I was wondering if anyone had some experience pairing it with a single strong portable/transportable player (like iBasso Dx200 max, Kann Cube or even the Sony DMP Z1) without a separate amp? Is it possible to bring out Arya's full potential without being constrained to the desktop or carrying around too many devices?

You mentioned the Kann Cube, which is really massive compared to most DAPs. That’s because it’s designed to drive full-size headphones. It has has way more juice than you need to power the Arya. It would be perfect. See post here:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/astell-kern-kann-cube.905446/page-65

 

[Kashen2020]

I really wanted to buy an Arya, but @TeamHiFiMAN will not reply to my email to customerservice@hifiman.com

Customer service means a lot.

weird!!! hifiman customerservice by email is really good in my experience. I had some problems and they response fast and solve the problems quickly.

 

[gibby]

weird!!! hifiman customerservice by email is really good in my experience. I had some problems and they response fast and solve the problems quickly.

Maybe it's the nature of the message. I cannot reset my password on their site and inquired about that. Their site does not send the email to reset password. I missed out on an open box pair of Arya for $1,200. I guess I should have called. Then I used a different email address to create an account and their store went offline right when I submitted everything. My luck.

I did order the Arya from Amazon though, so at least I have a good chance to return within 30 days if something is wrong with them.

 

[jincuteguy]

Maybe it's the nature of the message. I cannot reset my password on their site and inquired about that. Their site does not send the email to reset password. I missed out on an open box pair of Arya for $1,200. I guess I should have called. Then I used a different email address to create an account and their store went offline right when I submitted everything. My luck.

I did order the Arya from Amazon though, so at least I have a good chance to return within 30 days if something is wrong with them.

Nice you finally ordered a pair.