[ezduzit2500]

My Arya is v2. The iFi stereo 50 is class A/B for its speaker taps, but driving headphones it never leaves class A. Timbre is there, warmth and 3D imaging as well. Obviously the wise thing to do is to find someone with a high powered class A solid state amp in the neighbourhood and do some comparative listening. Anyone in the Netherlands/Amsterdam region with a Burson Soloist or a similar amp?

You have an IFi 50 watt amp? Is it a tubed hybrid - with tubes in the buffer or input stage - but Class A/B in the power stage? If it is a hybrid, I think you may be doing pretty good with your current setup if it's quiet enough - at least for a while. The tubes take the edge off the v2's treble, expand their staging, and impart better timbre and airiness to it's presentation. A Class A solid state would impair less of the tube goodness but may be quieter with a blacker background and offer sharper imaging - maybe.

 

[cycloverid]

I think Resolve also said the XC takes EQ well, and once you EQ up the bass it's very good.

I was in a similar position as the OP and tbh none of the high end closed back options looked that appealing for sound quality. I felt like I'd be settling for something inherently less technical/well tuned than an open back. So I ended up going for an IEM instead, because in the kilobuck price range there are some solid choices that are near universally beloved (MEST MKII, U12t, Monarch MKII, Symphonium Helios). The V16 is getting some interesting buzz as well. IMO this is the way to go for price to performance with sound isolation, unless IEMs are just not your thing.

Yeah definitely, EQ'ing is the first thing I'd try with a planar like the XC. I guess I also try to keep in mind that not everyone is into that. I agree the list of closed backs that I'd even be interested in is pretty small.

I still haven't even tried using any IEMs yet, so that's an interesting alternative. As someone who wore ear plugs somewhat regularly to help with sleep for years, I'm now fairly turned off to the idea of sticking things in my ears every day. Do you find the weight/comfort/other factors to be appealing even when you have your Arya/Clears on hand?

 

[MardukSonofEa]

I still haven't even tried using any IEMs yet, so that's an interesting alternative. As someone who wore ear plugs somewhat regularly to help with sleep for years, I'm now fairly turned off to the idea of sticking things in my ears every day. Do you find the weight/comfort/other factors to be appealing even when you have your Arya/Clears on hand?

I would say fit and comfort with IEMs is not as "plug and play" as over ear headphones, especially starting out. Takes a bit of experimentation to find the eartip size and material (foam or silicone) that's right for you. One of my ear canals is bigger than the other, so I wear a bigger tip in my right ear than my left. Go figure.

It's quite comfortable though after you've figured it out, and totally worth it for the convenience (especially after attaching a Bluetooth amp like the Qudelix 5K), details and tuning. Like, a great $1K IEM will be more resolving than a great $1K open back. I will clearly hear feet shuffling, instruments being put down, etc. on the Monarch MkII that are almost imperceptible on the Arya and Clear. And while in general I prefer the Arya when I can sit down at my desk, music that's heavy on vocals and acoustic instruments actually sounds better on the Monarch MkII.

It's also a nice replacement for earplugs for sleep . I go to bed with some pleasant orchestral music playing in my IEMs, and it's wonderful.

 

[morpheus69]

Went for the Arya upgrade offered by Hifiman and send my V2 back for a Stealth version.

The low cost of the upgrade was so tempting, plus you get a brand new pair with new pads, so in a way it pays for itself.

I'm in Canada so the turnaround time is about a month or more plus you need to burn in again so what I lost was time.

But I'm happy with the Arya V2 to the point that I wouldn't want to change anything and probably shouldn't have done it. Curiosity got the best of me.

There are better headphones out there, just like there are better cars, girls and sushi, but I'm 100% satisfied. Still I did it.

I think you will be happy. It shouldn't take over a month, if you shipped your old pair to the New York place, they check things on mondays, so if falls nicely you should have your new set within a couple weeks.

 

[robo24]

Hello guys, i need a little help ..
I have the Arya stealth edition and I love them.. but sometimes especially in late night the sound leakage is annoying for my family and I m in the market for a closed back headphones..
I search something with the sound signature of my Arya ( maybe a bit more bass punch) from a closed back..
My first choice is the LCD XC 2021 but I m a little confused because I m reading that the bass is weak/thin for a closed back.. and I don't know if this is the right decision.
Has anyone experience whit the XC 2021..to help me.
My budget is about 1500 - 2000$.
Cheers.

Have you considered the ZMF Eikon? Of my closed backs, I’d say it’s the closest to the Arya, in terms of being more neutral than most of the ZMF lineup, and it definitely has more punch than the Arya. They’re also my favorites for acoustic guitar heavy (or only) tracks.

 

[pankar0]

Have you considered the ZMF Eikon? Of my closed backs, I’d say it’s the closest to the Arya, in terms of being more neutral than most of the ZMF lineup, and it definitely has more punch than the Arya. They’re also my favorites for acoustic guitar heavy (or only) tracks.

I m read a lot for the ZMF's but suddenly it s above my budget because I m living in Europe Greece and I must calculate extra taxes and customs fees... and it s a lot.
So I m searching something from a local dealer

 

[robo24]

I m read a lot for the ZMF's but suddenly it s above my budget because I m living in Europe Greece and I must calculate extra taxes and customs fees... and it s a lot.
So I m searching something from a local dealer

Yeah, that’s always a bummer. I think there’s a used one listed currently (in the US though) at a pretty great price.

 

[pdvm]

You have an IFi 50 watt amp? Is it a tubed hybrid - with tubes in the buffer or input stage - but Class A/B in the power stage?

I looked it up in the old head-fi thread... It is a pure tube amp, class A/B push-pull. Speaker taps (which I use for, well, my speakers) have 25W per channel (bit ambiguous as iFi state that the power output "is equal to a 25W solid state Amplifier when driven into real speakers using music". Probably a bit less than 25W if you'd measure it driving sine waves into a resistor, since it uses four EL84 tubes). More than enough power for my Focal Aria 906's in my 5,5x5m living room, though. The headphone out uses the same tube amp, and is rated at 8V/7000mW into 16ohm. According to iFi it never leaves class A when driving headphones. It's quite a brilliant little amp. Has a great built in phono stage, and DAC (basically the DAC module from the iDSD micro).

The tubes take the edge off the v2's treble, expand their staging, and impart better timbre and airiness to it's presentation

That's exactly what I hear.

I think you may be doing pretty good with your current setup if it's quiet enough - at least for a while

Thanks for your replies! Sometimes you need someone to temper the GAS... I think I am doing pretty good. With the Arya, this amp is dead quiet. Using my old Sennheiser HD700, I hear a faint noise though. (Not a problem; the Stereo 50 also has a lower-powered headphone out, rated 250mW, for IEMs and such, and no noise there).

When I further pursue a desktop setup, I might go with a Burson amp. The flexibility of having three gain stages is attractive, and I like the class A topology. I don't think I want to go into extreme clinical sounding territory...

 

[ezduzit2500]

I looked it up in the old head-fi thread... It is a pure tube amp, class A/B push-pull. Speaker taps (which I use for, well, my speakers) have 25W per channel (bit ambiguous as iFi state that the power output "is equal to a 25W solid state Amplifier when driven into real speakers using music". Probably a bit less than 25W if you'd measure it driving sine waves into a resistor, since it uses four EL84 tubes). More than enough power for my Focal Aria 906's in my 5,5x5m living room, though. The headphone out uses the same tube amp, and is rated at 8V/7000mW into 16ohm. According to iFi it never leaves class A when driving headphones. It's quite a brilliant little amp. Has a great built in phono stage, and DAC (basically the DAC module from the iDSD micro).







That's exactly what I hear.



Thanks for your replies! Sometimes you need someone to temper the GAS... I think I am doing pretty good. With the Arya, this amp is dead quiet. Using my old Sennheiser HD700, I hear a faint noise though. (Not a problem; the Stereo 50 also has a lower-powered headphone out, rated 250mW, for IEMs and such, and no noise there).

When I further pursue a desktop setup, I might go with a Burson amp. The flexibility of having three gain stages is attractive, and I like the class A topology. I don't think I want to go into extreme clinical sounding territory...

I almost want to trade with you...almost. That's a swell piece of kit. IFi stereo 50 you say? Is it still on sale anywhere?

 

[dleblanc343]

Went for the Arya upgrade offered by Hifiman and send my V2 back for a Stealth version.

The low cost of the upgrade was so tempting, plus you get a brand new pair with new pads, so in a way it pays for itself.

You’re totally not going to regret it - you’re getting an even better headphone.

I currently have an Arya V3 for sale, and I almost didn’t list it because it’s such exceptional value.

If it wasn’t for Susvara, they wouldn’t ever leave the stable.

I’d argue these are even better than my old pair of LCD4, minus the raw bass slam of LCD4

 

[quawn0418]

maybe I’m late but i noticed that dekoni has pads for the Arya now, I’ve been waiting for them to offer Arya pads for 2 years now, I’m considering the velour pads being that they bring down the treble a bit and provide a much warmer experience on the already warm hd6xx…it’ll be cool to switch up the Aryas sound here and there

 

[quawn0418]

And for anyone who doubts the differences in sound that pad swaps provide, please know that it is a real thing lol

 

[cgb3]

Have you considered the ZMF Eikon? Of my closed backs, I’d say it’s the closest to the Arya, in terms of being more neutral than most of the ZMF lineup, and it definitely has more punch than the Arya. They’re also my favorites for acoustic guitar heavy (or only) tracks.

I think the Arya are special phones.

Here's crinacle's headphone rankings. I use his EQ settings on Peace for my phones.

Eikon's aren't a favorite, nor are my Senn HD850S, or DC Aeon 2 opens.

 

[Arius]

I think the Arya are special phones.

Here's crinacle's headphone rankings. I use his EQ settings on Peace for my phones.

Eikon's aren't a favorite, nor are my Senn HD850S, or DC Aeon 2 opens.

Hmm I just tested the Crinacle EQ. Not bad but I still prefer Oratorys. https://www.dropbox.com/s/nu2bf4le1k87n5v/Hifiman Arya.pdf?dl=0


Btw: Damn, I still love Arya V3. Maybe my last Headphone until it dies Im still convinved the difference between V2 and V3 is huge, even if they measure quite similar. Its about how they present the sound, and V3 is much better for my personal likings.

 

[Arius]

I am stupid. Double post. *edited*