[BlakeT]

Arya Stealth is such a good headphone for the price. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone searching in this price range and going up to around $2,000 USD.

I was just A/B'ing my Arya Stealth against my HE-1000se earlier today, and the Arya is certainly not embarrassed. However, in this case there is no free lunch- HE1000se is a very clear step up in all sonic categories for me. Given the delta in price, it should be.

 

[Tachyon88]

Arya Stealth is such a good headphone for the price. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone searching in this price range and going up to around $2,000 USD.

I was just A/B'ing my Arya Stealth against my HE-1000se earlier today, and the Arya is certainly not embarrassed. However, in this case there is no free lunch- HE1000se is a very clear step up in all sonic categories for me. Given the delta in price, it should be.

Have you heard susvara as well ?

 

[BlakeT]

Have you heard susvara as well ?

Unfortunately I have not. After purchasing the HEKse, I was so thrilled that my thoughts then went to Susvara. I have been close to pulling the trigger on the purchase of Susvara on a few occasions, but just haven't done it.

Why? Because: (a) I love my current headphones, and (b) more importantly, I keep thinking Hifiman will introduce a successor to the Susvara any time now and I strongly suspect it will be much less demanding in terms of amplification. I just don't want to jump on board the Susvara train and then the following month a replacement arrives.

 

[Reputator]

Arya Stealth is such a good headphone for the price. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone searching in this price range and going up to around $2,000 USD.

I was just A/B'ing my Arya Stealth against my HE-1000se earlier today, and the Arya is certainly not embarrassed. However, in this case there is no free lunch- HE1000se is a very clear step up in all sonic categories for me. Given the delta in price, it should be.

What's the difference tonality wise? I get the impression from others that HE1KSE is a bit dry.

 

[Tachyon88]

I was just wondering since you emphasized that the HEKse is a very clear upgrade from arya. I have actually owned the susvara and IMO the arya and susvara are in the same league, I wouldn't call it a very clear upgrade, but more like a slight timbre difference and larger sound stage from the arya. I also find people talking about amp requirements and over exaggeration, IMO. I would say that the arya should be a consideration even if you're looking at something over 2k as well.

 

[tradyblix]

To say nothing of the new $2000 price of the HE1000 V2…headphone audio seems to be getting both cheaper and more costly on my wallet

I mean, I just don't think it's worth it to pay another 700 for a very similar headphone. if you're gonna do that there are other options.

But honestly for another thousand you could get a nice pair of IEMs like the Thieaudio Monarch 2, and just improve what applications you can have high end sound in. (on the go, etc)

Sometimes you have to pay to learn tho. That's also part of the hobby. Some people don't have financial restrictions either, in that case just buy everything and keep what you like most.

 

[BlakeT]

What's the difference tonality wise? I get the impression from others that HE1KSE is a bit dry.

I'll double check, focusing just on that aspect and report back a bit later.

 

[tradyblix]

There's not much point in asking other people because their source chains are likely to be different enough that what they hear and their subjective impression is not what you're gonna hear. Think about the variables involved including the human brain.

It's worth it only if someone has the exact same setup as you and you've been vibing with their descriptions of things IMO

 

[BlakeT]

^^ I hope most on here are aware of that but you never know and it is worth repeating from time to time. I do think everyone should take all user reports, including my own, for what they are, just my subjective impression, in my system, with my ears and brain.

However, this same mantra could be repeated for just about every thread and post here on headfi. I think the individual reports are helpful and serve a purpose in that they are just data points. Potential purchasers should read all reports and look for common threads in sonic impressions to help them to refine their search. Otherwise, the options are simply overwhelming.

The best option is just to buy, try in your system, then sell or keep gear. Ideally, you buy a bunch of options at the same time, then compare them versus relying on your memory.

 

[Reputator]

There's not much point in asking other people because their source chains are likely to be different enough that what they hear and their subjective impression is not what you're gonna hear. Think about the variables involved including the human brain.

It's worth it only if someone has the exact same setup as you and you've been vibing with their descriptions of things IMO

Might as well stop sharing opinions altogether then.

Welp, time to shut down head-fi.org.

 

[BlakeT]

@Reputator - do you have a particular tonality test track or tracks you want me to use? Ideally something that I can pull up my my Tidal hifi account.

 

[Reputator]

@Reputator - do you have a particular tonality test track or tracks you want me to use? Ideally something that I can pull up my my Tidal hifi account.

Not really, but I figured you could compare differences as they relate to each other, rather than trying to relate them to something I'm familiar with. You'll know when you load up say an acoustic track if it's heavier on the upper midrange with less lower midrange body and thus a more cold sound signature. In my experience Arya Stealth has that midrange body and touch of warmth, but if something doesn't it will sound comparatively hollow, metallic and/or "plasticy" sounding.

 

[haasaaroni]

I mean, I just don't think it's worth it to pay another 700 for a very similar headphone. if you're gonna do that there are other options.

But honestly for another thousand you could get a nice pair of IEMs like the Thieaudio Monarch 2, and just improve what applications you can have high end sound in. (on the go, etc)

Sometimes you have to pay to learn tho. That's also part of the hobby. Some people don't have financial restrictions either, in that case just buy everything and keep what you like most.

See, I'm an at-home listener. I can't do it on the go, it cuts me off from the flow of everything that's happening around me. I also owned the HEKV2 before, and actually had a lengthy audition of it on the amp I just bought. So I got the amp first, with plans that that I could one day have an HEKV2 to pair with it. When I saw the price reduction, I couldn't resist for long.

I've written about the differences between the two headphones at length here, and from my point of view, there's much more than just a subtle difference. The Arya is amazing, and really unbeatable in tonal balance and detail for the price (especially THIS price), but the added resolution, natural staging, and warmth/organic-ness of the HEKV2 is what I've been waiting for

Edit: Just got back from some time away from home, and HOLY S***T the Arya are still so amazing! Part of me wonders if I actually need to upgrade at all now.

 

[Contrails]

For me the Arya V3 is one of the very few headphones that does very well with every genre. I have owned Stax SR007 mk1 with a custom tube amp and Holo spring L3. Arya has better bass, soundstage width and imaging. Transient speed and resolution are almost the same - depending on which amp & dac the Arya is paired with. SR007 are laid back. On certain tracks the Aryas can come across a bit hot in the upper mids (production/OS DAC issue) - thats why I am looking for a Metrum DAC for mine. $1500 for these is a steal. Pair it with an used Chord Mojo and for less than $2000 you will have a fabulous system.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

The Arya sounds a lot better through the 4-pin XLR of the EF400 than it does through 4.4m balanced for some reason. Separation is a lot better. The amp section is very powerful on the EF400, but the DAC section is just ok. I think the RU6 actually sounds better. Now I'm trying to decide whether to keep the EF400 or the Burson. I got the Burson specifically for the Arya...

The only thing that bugs me about the EF400 is that I can't use it as a standalone amp.