[UsoppNoKami]

Oh wow, nice setup. How does the Arya pair with the Liquid Platinum.

They are a great match, my fav at the moment out of my amps

 

[bagwell359]

Could you compare the sound of the HEK V2's with the sound of the LCD-X and LCD-3?

We

Thanks! Looking forward to it immensely. I pulled the trigger on the Jotunheim, so I'm going to try to get rid of the Valhalla 2 and maybe my sennheiser HD6XX too.

And yes, I am fully aware that this amount of progression is extreme and not sustainable long-term, but yeah sometimes it takes a leap instead of a small step.

Can't wait to share my impressions with you guys... It'll probably be Thursday!

One additional question maybe: any of you have recommendations for a DAC that would fit in my setup of Rega P3 upgraded record player, Lounge Audio LCR mk3 phono preamp and Schiit Jotunheim ..

I currently only have a Fiio E7K Andes as DAC, because I hardly ever play digital files on my headphones setup, however that's about to change. . So I'm thinking maybe the Cambridge Design dacmagic plus?

I'm a fan of the Gumby - Gungnir Multibit - Rev 1, once I locked in on that ~4 years ago (including over the Yggy) I stopped looking into DAC's. Good luck with that too.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

i'm a little interested in the Hifiman Arya, has anyone tried it against the LCD2C? (i know some people might say they can't compete due to different price points but its the most recent planar ive tried when i had a huge audeze lineup listen)

 

[UsoppNoKami]

i'm a little interested in the Hifiman Arya, has anyone tried it against the LCD2C? (i know some people might say they can't compete due to different price points but its the most recent planar ive tried when i had a huge audeze lineup listen)

post #250 & #254

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I posted this in the Ananda thread but I’m going to repost it here:

I recently got a chance to hear the Arya. As a former owner of the HEX V2 and Ananda, the Arya is superior to both. I would take the HEX V2 over the Ananda all day every day. I consider it different but not better. But the Arya is very good and better than both of those. It has a larger soundstage, higher resolution, and better separation. It is very neutrally tuned and I would say it leans slightly bright. It’s mids are less forward than the Ananda but more forward than the HEX, which puts them right in the sweet spot, in my opinion. They’re all equally light and comfortable to wear and share the same earpads, which are huge.

The only negative I can come up with other than the usual Hifiman build quality, is that it’s definitely harder to drive. Other than that, I like it even more than the HE1000 V2. I’d say they sound very similar but the Arya fixes the somewhat loose bass of the HE1000. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I am very sensitive to treble, so the treble on the HEX is perfect for my ears. The Arya has a little more energy than the HEX. But if it’s treble was the same as the HEX, I’d call them absolutely perfect.

In conclusion, I’d say they do so much right and very little wrong. These are very nice headphones.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

Strange because, although I only spent 2 hours with the Arya (with Liquid Platinum), I really found it dull. Not that dynamic. Only listen to classical music though. Strings lacked air, separation was nothing special...basically, the HD58X offered me as good of an experience ! I was a bit shoked to be honest.
I was looking for something replacing the HD800S, that I found too thin and hallow, but I concluded the Arya was not it.

 

[MidFiMoney]

I posted this in the Ananda thread but I’m going to repost it here:

I recently got a chance to hear the Arya. As a former owner of the HEX V2 and Ananda, the Arya is superior to both. I would take the HEX V2 over the Ananda all day every day. I consider it different but not better. But the Arya is very good and better than both of those. It has a larger soundstage, higher resolution, and better separation. It is very neutrally tuned and I would say it leans slightly bright. It’s mids are less forward than the Ananda but more forward than the HEX, which puts them right in the sweet spot, in my opinion. They’re all equally light and comfortable to wear and share the same earpads, which are huge.

The only negative I can come up with other than the usual Hifiman build quality, is that it’s definitely harder to drive. Other than that, I like it even more than the HE1000 V2. I’d say they sound very similar but the Arya fixes the somewhat loose bass of the HE1000. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I am very sensitive to treble, so the treble on the HEX is perfect for my ears. The Arya has a little more energy than the HEX. But if it’s treble was the same as the HEX, I’d call them absolutely perfect.

In conclusion, I’d say they do so much right and very little wrong. These are very nice headphones.

The Arya has shaken up my whole headphone/IEM lineup. I honestly can't imagine anything being better at this price point. Furthermore, where do I go from here??? Price-to-performance is excellent in my opinion so what's the next step up that actually feels worth the money? I absolutely love these cans!

 

[MidFiMoney]

Strange because, although I only spent 2 hours with the Arya (with Liquid Platinum), I really found it dull. Not that dynamic. Only listen to classical music though. Strings lacked air, separation was nothing special...basically, the HD58X offered me as good of an experience ! I was a bit shoked to be honest.
I was looking for something replacing the HD800S, that I found too thin and hallow, but I concluded the Arya was not it.

Wow! Dull is not a word that I would use to describe the Arya at all. I also consider it to be quite dynamic. However, my headphone experience is limited and I've never heard the 800s.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

Wow! Dull is not a word that I would use to describe the Arya at all. I also consider it to be quite dynamic. However, my headphone experience is limited and I've never heard the 800s.

Really I was shocked; I A/Bd against my other cans, notably LCD3 and Denon7200, but also against the HD58X and I was incredibly underwhelmed. I'm almost tempted to say it sounded compressed and non energetic.
Also I did not find that 3D feeling that I expected. The depth was not to the level.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Really I was shocked; I A/Bd against my other cans, notably LCD3 and Denon7200, but also against the HD58X and I was incredibly underwhelmed. I'm almost tempted to say it sounded compressed and non energetic.
Also I did not find that 3D feeling that I expected. The depth was not to the level.

I’m on the far other end of the spectrum as you. They’re very, very good. I used to own the LCD3 and Denon 7200, but have never heard the 58X. I really liked the LCD3 but it’s too heavy. I’d take the Arya over it for price and weight alone, but it’s also just better. The LCD3 is very smooth but it does not give the same level of detail and separation as the Arya, in my opinion.

The 7200 can’t touch the LCD3 or Arya, but it’s closed back so it’s not a fair comparison anyway. The LCD3 and Arya have a large soundstage, The 7200 sounds quite intimate in comparison, it does have nice punchy bass though.

Just remember though, both the LCD3 and 7200 have elevated bass while the Arya is tuned much closer to neutral. So if you’re used to that extra pop down low, you’d have to give your brain a chance to adjust to the more neutral presentation.

I’d say these are the best sounding Hifiman I’ve heard so far, but I’ve never heard the Susvara or Shangri La.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

I’m on the far other end of the spectrum as you. They’re very, very good. I used to own the LCD3 and Denon 7200, but have never heard the 58X. I really liked the LCD3 but it’s too heavy. I’d take the Arya over it for price and weight alone, but it’s also just better. The LCD3 is very smooth but it does not give the same level of detail and separation as the Arya, in my opinion.
The 7200 can’t touch the LCD3 or Arya, but it’s closed back so it’s not a fair comparison anyway. The LCD3 and Arya have a large soundstage, The 7200 sounds quite intimate in comparison, it does have nice punchy bass though.

Just remember though, both the LCD3 and 7200 have elevated bass while the Arya is tuned much closer to neutral. So if you’re used to that extra pop down low, you’d have to give your brain a chance to adjust to the more neutral presentation.

I agree that the 7200 has a small soundstage, but I don't mind it so much, it's such a nervous and dynamic can. This is why I'm considering the Clear or Elex now.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

These are the absolute sweet spot for Hifiman in my opinion. They’re absolutely better than the Ananda and Edition X V2. I even prefer them to the HEK V2 because the bass is tighter on these. Honestly, I can’t tell much difference between these and the HEK V2 other than the looks/build and the fact that these have tighter bass and maybe slightly more forward upper mids.

They have a beautiful, delicate, ethereal sounding treble that paints a nice contrast from the more authoritative bass slam. On some tracks, like the beginning of “Mother” by Pink Floyd, it’s just beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it.

These are my favorite Hifiman offering to date. They’re well worth the money to upgrade from the HEX and Ananda. And I’d say going to the HEK V2 would be a total waste of money.

 

[franz12]

These are the absolute sweet spot for Hifiman in my opinion. They’re absolutely better than the Ananda and Edition X V2. I even prefer them to the HEK V2 because the bass is tighter on these. Honestly, I can’t tell much difference between these and the HEK V2 other than the looks/build and the fact that these have tighter bass and maybe slightly more forward upper mids.

They have a beautiful, delicate, ethereal sounding treble that paints a nice contrast from the more authoritative bass slam. On some tracks, like the beginning of “Mother” by Pink Floyd, it’s just beautiful. I don’t know how else to describe it.

These are my favorite Hifiman offering to date. They’re well worth the money to upgrade from the HEX and Ananda. And I’d say going to the HEK V2 would be a total waste of money.

So the ranking is
1000se - ayra - hekv2 - hexv2 - ananda - sundara ?
If true, they seem pretty much lined up with their msrp, except hekv2. Ananda and sundara don’t seem to get attention as they are still running behind.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

So the ranking is
1000se - ayra - hekv2 - hexv2 - ananda - sundara ?
If true, they seem pretty much lined up with their msrp, except hekv2. Ananda and sundara don’t seem to get attention as they are still running behind.

I’ve never heard the HEKse so I can’t comment on them. But the Arya are no joke. After hearing these, you’d have to be crazy to buy the HEK V2 for nearly twice the price. These cans are very good.

 

[CoFire]

I posted this in the Ananda thread but I’m going to repost it here:

I recently got a chance to hear the Arya. As a former owner of the HEX V2 and Ananda, the Arya is superior to both. I would take the HEX V2 over the Ananda all day every day. I consider it different but not better. But the Arya is very good and better than both of those. It has a larger soundstage, higher resolution, and better separation. It is very neutrally tuned and I would say it leans slightly bright. It’s mids are less forward than the Ananda but more forward than the HEX, which puts them right in the sweet spot, in my opinion. They’re all equally light and comfortable to wear and share the same earpads, which are huge.

The only negative I can come up with other than the usual Hifiman build quality, is that it’s definitely harder to drive. Other than that, I like it even more than the HE1000 V2. I’d say they sound very similar but the Arya fixes the somewhat loose bass of the HE1000. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I am very sensitive to treble, so the treble on the HEX is perfect for my ears. The Arya has a little more energy than the HEX. But if it’s treble was the same as the HEX, I’d call them absolutely perfect.

In conclusion, I’d say they do so much right and very little wrong. These are very nice headphones.

I have the HEX V2 which is my favorite headphone of the moment. I've been very weary of the Ananda as an upgrade as it's often described as less bass presence with less extension, more treble presense with more extension, thinner mids and a smaller soundstage. Now all these observations, I gather are probably not major but collectively change the signature. Would you agree with this summarization?

How would you compare the HEX V2 subbass/bass extension and quantity/quality compared to the Arya? Seems the treble is most notably more prominent but I haven't heard anything about a glare. I agree with you on the HEX V2 treble, I really like the presentation and level compared to the test of the spectrum. I don't know if I'd like it any brighter.