Kevintj604
Headphoneus Supremus
Much appreciated. I own the RAD-0 as well as the LCDX 2021 and think there's a good reason to own both as they are wildly different in tuning but the RAD-0 destroys them for resolution and overall performance.
HIFIMAN Arya - Arya Stealth - Arya Organic :: Impressions Thread
- Thread starter XERO1
- Start date
My understanding is the LCD-X are still going to beat out the Arya as far as bass slam. My experience with the LCD-GX, while not the same headphones, echoes that statement. However, to me, it's not a bad thing that it doesn't have that same slam. I really love the amount of bass and low frequencies on the Arya V3. There is just enough articulation and impact without muddiness or general heaviness. This, of course, is just preferential because some people much prefer that extra oomph.
My preference favors the wide and deep sound stage that the Arya provides over anything I've previously heard. Plus these headphones are damn comfortable for me to wear. The clamp and fit of the LCD-GX, even being lighter than the LCD-X, caused fatigue after using them for longer periods of time. I would feel the pressure more on my cheekbones as well as under my ears or right around my earlobes with the LCDs. The Arya are not that much lighter than the LCD-GX, but they feel significantly more evenly distributed, weight-wise, providing a very comfortable experience with long listening sessions.
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
Man, how to even start. This is after about 2 hours of listening and trying out some gaming, I've got a LOT more listening to do. I've owned 3 Hifiman Headphones so far, the Ananda > XS > Arya. I really enjoyed the Ananda when I first got them, they had this nice soundstage that I felt was wide and the imaging was awesome. Everything was really detailed and I felt they sounded good with some music but not all. My biggest problem was that the clamp force was too crazy and I didn't want to risk bending the headband. So I returned them and picked up the XS. They fit much better, maybe even too loose, but I was dissapointed right away with the lack of soundstage. It lost that roundess the Ananda had and was flat instead, imaging was still fantastic and it had some good moments. Problem is, it sounded best once again with certain types of music while others were lacking.
I knew about the Arya since the Ananda but couldn't afford the cost so went with the XS instead at the time. Since I got my tax refund I figured let's just dive in! I received an Open Box unit of the V2 Arya, it had some slight wear on the headband adjuster but other than that I can't tell just how much use they got. I've got a Jotunheim 2 amp in high gain and Bifrost 2 connected in XLR, using my laptop and Qobuz to stream high quality music using the Unison USB.
Comfort: I've got to say right away that the Arya is MUCH more snug than the XS. While the XS likes to slip and slide all over your face, the Arya is so secure that all you feel is the cups around your head. That's how I remember the Ananda to be and I can tell it might lead to some pain. The good thing is that this headband seems to be a LOT easier to bend and I've already put enough into it so that the pads seperate at rest when they normally press together. The headband is also a lot smaller than I thought it would be which is a great thing. I love the cup swivel and the suspension strap might as well not even exist. I forgot about it as soon as I put it on
Soundstage: This one will get its own section of course. Oh man, if the Ananda was round and wide and the XS is flat then the only word I can use to describe the Arya v2 is holographic. It's really incredible. So let's say with the Ananda I'm listening to Us and Them by Pink floyd. The vocals reverb from the center, behind to your left and pan across to the right. "Us... us... us... us... us..." and "Them... them... them... them... them...". With the Ananda I remember so clearly how it was placed, and it felt like it was pushed against the wall of sound behind me. The Arya on the other hand places it just as well, but it's almost like the words are full sounds emitting from that spot and there's more room behind them as opposed to the words being attached to the back of the soundstage bubble. This gives the sensation of reverb that comes from the words and travels towards me, and away from me. It's a sound emitting from that point in the stage instead of flat against, it has 360 degree sound from that point. And that's how everything is. There's this soundstage all around me and in it are sounds being placed, and those sounds play in 360 degrees from that spot. Playing a match of Halo infinite I was inside the game, with noise accurately placed around me. Imaging was fantastic and I was very easily able to pinpoint exactly where a sound was coming from. Going back to the XS mid match I listening for about 15 seconds before I switched back. It was like I was watching a tv screen watching a movie instead of standing on the set of the film. Finally, people mention height in the soundstage and I've never experienced up or down before. It's so strange to explain but listening to King Buffalos' Longing to be the Mountain I found the opening synth note rose from the center of the stage and it stood tall. I can't explain it any other way than that.
Sound: I'm gonna keep this one a bit shorter because I haven't listened enough to fully grasp and even understand everything I'm hearing. Of course there are tons of details, everything is very clear and depending on the song you can kind of choose where and what to listen to at that time. Tool's Chocolate Chip Trip was a psychadelic head warp, with the synths and electronic kit thudding in front of me panning from left to right while the eery synth notes to my right and left stayed steady. The notes themself had this visceral feeling to them and it's something I've never experienced before with headphones. It wasn't like a bassy rumble or punch, but just this forceful presentation and it was quite sonically pleasing. Everyone keeps mentioning that the treble can be a bit sharp and I am actually extremely surprised by how smooth everything usually sounds. The XS and Ananda in comparison are much harsher where I would barely even call the Arya bright at times. I almost feel like it has to do with the staging of all the sounds being so distant that it kinda rounds everything off. I find the Arya and XS have very comparable Bass, and while I want to say the XS was a bit punchier or rumblier I really don't know. I only tried a song or two for bass and when I swapped between them I thought they were pretty even.
As said I have a LOT more listening to do which I'm going to do right about...... now. That being said, the XS are on sale. I have zero need for them anymore as the Arya have already proven themselves to be vastly superior.
I knew about the Arya since the Ananda but couldn't afford the cost so went with the XS instead at the time. Since I got my tax refund I figured let's just dive in! I received an Open Box unit of the V2 Arya, it had some slight wear on the headband adjuster but other than that I can't tell just how much use they got. I've got a Jotunheim 2 amp in high gain and Bifrost 2 connected in XLR, using my laptop and Qobuz to stream high quality music using the Unison USB.
Comfort: I've got to say right away that the Arya is MUCH more snug than the XS. While the XS likes to slip and slide all over your face, the Arya is so secure that all you feel is the cups around your head. That's how I remember the Ananda to be and I can tell it might lead to some pain. The good thing is that this headband seems to be a LOT easier to bend and I've already put enough into it so that the pads seperate at rest when they normally press together. The headband is also a lot smaller than I thought it would be which is a great thing. I love the cup swivel and the suspension strap might as well not even exist. I forgot about it as soon as I put it on
Soundstage: This one will get its own section of course. Oh man, if the Ananda was round and wide and the XS is flat then the only word I can use to describe the Arya v2 is holographic. It's really incredible. So let's say with the Ananda I'm listening to Us and Them by Pink floyd. The vocals reverb from the center, behind to your left and pan across to the right. "Us... us... us... us... us..." and "Them... them... them... them... them...". With the Ananda I remember so clearly how it was placed, and it felt like it was pushed against the wall of sound behind me. The Arya on the other hand places it just as well, but it's almost like the words are full sounds emitting from that spot and there's more room behind them as opposed to the words being attached to the back of the soundstage bubble. This gives the sensation of reverb that comes from the words and travels towards me, and away from me. It's a sound emitting from that point in the stage instead of flat against, it has 360 degree sound from that point. And that's how everything is. There's this soundstage all around me and in it are sounds being placed, and those sounds play in 360 degrees from that spot. Playing a match of Halo infinite I was inside the game, with noise accurately placed around me. Imaging was fantastic and I was very easily able to pinpoint exactly where a sound was coming from. Going back to the XS mid match I listening for about 15 seconds before I switched back. It was like I was watching a tv screen watching a movie instead of standing on the set of the film. Finally, people mention height in the soundstage and I've never experienced up or down before. It's so strange to explain but listening to King Buffalos' Longing to be the Mountain I found the opening synth note rose from the center of the stage and it stood tall. I can't explain it any other way than that.
Sound: I'm gonna keep this one a bit shorter because I haven't listened enough to fully grasp and even understand everything I'm hearing. Of course there are tons of details, everything is very clear and depending on the song you can kind of choose where and what to listen to at that time. Tool's Chocolate Chip Trip was a psychadelic head warp, with the synths and electronic kit thudding in front of me panning from left to right while the eery synth notes to my right and left stayed steady. The notes themself had this visceral feeling to them and it's something I've never experienced before with headphones. It wasn't like a bassy rumble or punch, but just this forceful presentation and it was quite sonically pleasing. Everyone keeps mentioning that the treble can be a bit sharp and I am actually extremely surprised by how smooth everything usually sounds. The XS and Ananda in comparison are much harsher where I would barely even call the Arya bright at times. I almost feel like it has to do with the staging of all the sounds being so distant that it kinda rounds everything off. I find the Arya and XS have very comparable Bass, and while I want to say the XS was a bit punchier or rumblier I really don't know. I only tried a song or two for bass and when I swapped between them I thought they were pretty even.
As said I have a LOT more listening to do which I'm going to do right about...... now. That being said, the XS are on sale. I have zero need for them anymore as the Arya have already proven themselves to be vastly superior.
This 1000 times! I can’t figure out why everybody hears the Ananda as having a more balanced tonality. For me the Arya is clearly a step up in tonal smoothness and timbral accuracy.
Awesome to hear your first impressions, man. I felt like I was reliving hearing the Arya for the first time through your excitement! Congrats
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
Timbre on Arya is on a different level completely. Not only is the sound much more accurate but it has this weight behind it, with electric guitars I can hear the tonality of the amp they're using and sweeping string instruments are full bodied and thick. Listening to the Dark Knight Orchestra and wow, it is absolutely incredible. Trumpets shooting off in the distance and loud splashes of cymbals. ManThis 1000 times! I can’t figure out why everybody hears the Ananda as having a more balanced tonality. For me the Arya is clearly a step up in tonal smoothness and timbral accuracy.
Awesome to hear your first impressions, man. I felt like I was reliving hearing the Arya for the first time through your excitement! Congrats
ezduzit2500
1000+ Head-Fier
You mentioned timbre on the v2's... Your chain may probably have the greatest impact on the v2's timbre (the BF2 and Jot2). The v2's are sometimes known to have a somewhat plasticky or metalic timbre, with Class A and/or discrete amps reducing or eliminating the v2's timbre issues altogether. I found that out when I tried both the A90 and Monolith '887 - I found them to be less capable in the timbre, naturalness, and soundstage depth aspects. Happy listening and keep us posted...
Smoothstereo
100+ Head-Fier
Glad you are enjoying your Arya V2. Are your listening experiences mentioned above posts using EQ on Lokius or without?
I'm right there with your enthusiasm! Having only had mine for about 2 weeks, I'm likely in the same honeymoon period you're experiencing. I do love the directional accuracy of the Arya! I experienced the same thing when playing Halo Infinite. Placement of sounds was quite easy, but also there's that sense of distance that I do feel was missing from my experience prior. Someone shooting rockets on the other side of the map, doesn't just sound "quieter" as they would, but there's a definite feeling of being shot in the distance. Now, I just need more reason to play... gameplay/events the last two weeks has been pretty stale.
I also appreciate the sonic verticality of headphones too. I had heard a handful of reviewers and users talk about this prior, which is another reason why I made the jump to these headphones, as well.
Listening to Hans Zimmer's various movie soundtrack albums, including each of the Dark Knight trilogy soundtracks, Inception, Man of Steel, and Interstellar, I really get the sense of the expansiveness and three dimensional sound. Interstellar's soundtrack especially wow'ed me.
I might pick that game up on a sale in the future, how did they do in the audio department ? The audio in BF1 is incredible and everything feels so weighty, chaotic and satisfying with great localization on any headphone and much more so on a great headphone. 2042.....well, I feel scammed. Shame on me for buying day one.
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
No, I'm running the Arya without EQ until I'm more experienced with its sound.
It's got really well produced sound and sound quality. Most games sound pretty meh on high end headphones but Halo holds up
I feel they did pretty well, but I also don't have BF1 or BF 2042 to compare it to. I think it's one of the games that they have showcased in the Dolby app on the Xbox Series consoles that uses Dolby Atmos. There are weapons with plenty of impact, not necessarily weighty, except for maybe the M41 SPNKER. Each weapon has a unique sonic impact though these are highly fictional weapons, so it's not like there's a sense of realism to base this off of. I do feel like atmospherically it is a pretty impressive game. You can try the multiplayer for free for Halo. Check it out that way and I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
Side note, I am also impressed with the sound design of another game Ori and the Will o the Wisp. If you like metroidvania type games, this is a GREAT one that also looks beautiful too.
Weighty not just in sound, but the feel of the game too. Oh cool I will check it out then ! Currently playing god of war and its WOW !
Oh gotcha. Yeah, the campaign is decently substantial. There's a good open-world aspect, but with a decent amount of linearity still. Some of the open worldI think my favorite part is the traversal through the terrain with the grappling hook. That's my favorite addition to the game overall, especially in single player.
Also, I want to play God of War too, although I can't seem to get my hands on a PS5...
Yes, Halo Infinite on the Arya Stealths, especially with the Windows Dolby Atmos plugin, is an amazing experience.
Users who are viewing this thread
