[Xinlisupreme]

I listened Arya today through Holo Cyan amp/dac.
I think this Hifiman sounds very well, it’s flat, plays & “connect” to the music correctly.
Should I buy or compare it to HEK V2?

I have also Focal Clear that sounds also very good but differently and very enjoyable with other kinds of music where Ananda fails, I still have Ananda’s friend at home.

Maybe i’d Sell Pandora Hope VI, HE-400s

 

[smithyone1l]

I can't say a lot more as I haven't extensively A/B ed them- I listened to the Clears for about 30mins on two separate occasions. I found them to be about pretty equal in terms of separation, details, high end extension, but the lows were not as impactful or full. So basically, they did everything I wanted, except the bass extension and slam. Therefore, I moved on to listening to others. I then heard the HE1000V2, which I thought ticked all boxes. But was too expensive for me. Then enter the Arya, which does and for a price I can stomach.

Regarding build quality, it is hard to know- have HFM ironed out their issues with quality control and durability? The guy at one hifi shop said that he hadn't had a pair of any of the newer line-up returned at all. No driver failure, no other issues. But maybe this is just sales. I mean, I really hope they last. There is nothing wrong with build that I can see. They sound perfectly matched between left and right. The plastic is part of the light weight- so replace it with wood or aluminium and you have a heavy headphone. As Devilboy said, they are so damn comfortable that I don't mind. Once they are on your head you forget about them and enjoy the sound. No other headphone was as comfortable IMO.

 

[devilboy]

It's been so long since I heard the lcd-x but I think the Arya is not as dark sounding, has just as warm a mid-range and maybe the LCD x has deeper bass? In comparison, the Arya is a tad thinner sounding but the bass on the LCD x is muddy and unfocused in comparison.

I wrote a long post about the comparison between the Arya and the Clear a while ago but to be brief, the Clear sounds anemic and not nearly as much weight as the Arya. It's very bright in relation to the Arya. For me, after listening to the Arya and then going back to the Clear, some recordings were just unlistenable. I couldn't sell the Clear fast enough after that.
When I owned the Clear I thought it was very comfortable. Then I got the Arya and found out what comfort really meant.

Now, regarding a question I read earlier about fit, the only gripe I have about the Arya (and it's a minor one), is that even on the smallest setting, it hangs down a little too low, touching the top of my ears slightly. But whatever, in the end it doesn't bother me and at least it's not the medieval torture device of comfort like Audeze are for me.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

@devilboy maybe my Clear is broken
Yesterday i foud focal darker signature sound compared to the Arya, but Arya is still new and played music for 35 hours...

 

[devilboy]

@devilboy maybe my Clear is broken
Yesterday i foud focal darker signature sound compared to the Arya, but Arya is still new and played music for 35 hours...

!?!?!?!?

Wow. My Clears sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard compared to my Arya. And this isn't from memory. I went back and forth for days.

 

[devilboy]

Your post isn't the first time I've read someone say that the Arya was on the bright side. I simply don't understand this. Every time I listen, I get no hint of brightness or harshness or sibilance whatsoever. I've never had a headphone that I can listen to for longer periods of time without discomfort both sonically and physically. But that's just me.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Your post isn't the first time I've read someone say that the Arya was on the bright side. I simply don't understand this. Every time I listen, I get no hint of brightness or harshness or sibilance whatsoever. I've never had a headphone that I can listen to for longer periods of time without discomfort both sonically and physically. But that's just me.

They are bright per tonality.

Brightness is not a negative thing in any way, it is how their tonal balance is, basically bass to mids to treble ratio. Arya has more treble than they have bass.

 

[smithyone1l]

Yeah I wouldn't say they were bright. I think they are fully extended. They are not bright like HD800 or my Hidition NT6-pro. The degree of treble is track dependent. If the track has lots of treble, it shows and is very clear. You hear it all, along with very clear and well articulated bass.

Where treble is well recorded and without sibilance, that is what they show. With bright headphones I wouldn't be able to listen to 80s rock like Poison or metal like Panterra without it being very unpleasant. But with Arya I can. As for having less bass than treble, again I don't quite agree. If the track is bass heavy, they sound bassy. But they don't artificially bump the bass like other headphones do. So some tracks do sound bass light. But that is because they were recorded that way. The bass response is very flat from FR charts I've seen.

 

[Relaxasaurus]

I wouldn't call the Arya bright nor warm. They are neutral to my ears. Not sibilant at all.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

@Relaxasaurus totally agreed

 

[Dobrescu George]

Yeah I wouldn't say they were bright. I think they are fully extended. They are not bright like HD800 or my Hidition NT6-pro. The degree of treble is track dependent. If the track has lots of treble, it shows and is very clear. You hear it all, along with very clear and well articulated bass.

Where treble is well recorded and without sibilance, that is what they show. With bright headphones I wouldn't be able to listen to 80s rock like Poison or metal like Panterra without it being very unpleasant. But with Arya I can. As for having less bass than treble, again I don't quite agree. If the track is bass heavy, they sound bassy. But they don't artificially bump the bass like other headphones do. So some tracks do sound bass light. But that is because they were recorded that way. The bass response is very flat from FR charts I've seen.

The bass is indeed flat. They extend really well in the low registers, that much is clear, one of the most clean and precise bass I heard.

Hm... Njeutral may be a better word, indeed.

I wouldn't call the Arya bright nor warm. They are neutral to my ears. Not sibilant at all.

Neutral may be a better word than bright now that I think about it, bright is indeed more like HD800, while Arya is more like neutral

No sibilance detected on my side either, just awesome treble resolution and extension.

 

[devilboy]

I noticed that when I pull the Arya off my ears a bit, the bass increases substantially. Are there perforated pads available for the Arya? Would this even be a good thing, or would it have an adverse effect?
Just curious.

 

[smithyone1l]

I'd imagine it would be thicker pads that you need to increase the bass response, rather than ones with holes. I have found the same with pulling them off my head and getting more bass. But it would likely muddy things up.

 

[bwuhoo]

Hey guys,

So I am a little new to this forum, but I wanted to offer my 2 cents in regards to the Aryas. I will be comparing them to the Edition X's and the HE5se.


Bass extension: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Bass quality: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Mids quality: HE5SE > HEXV2 > ARYA

Treble quality: ARYA > HE5SE > HEXV2

Treble level: HE5SE > ARYA > HEXV2

Smoothness: HEXV2 > ARYA > HE5SE

Liveliness/Musicality: HEXV2 > HE5SE > ARYA

Neutral Sound: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Soundstage: HE5SE = HEXV2 > ARYA

Imaging: ARYA > HEXV2> HE5SE

Separation: HEXV2=HE5SE > ARYA

Detail: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Warmth: HEXV2 > ARYA > HE5SE

Overall Clarity: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE


Overall, the HEXV2 is a very forward, punchy, warm, and super relaxed pair of headphones. They do all of those qualities and add excellent soundstage and separation. However, compared to the Aryas, they lose in detail, imaging, and clarity. They are definitely a more analytical set of cans with the same superior comfort. The Arya's are effortless and make music magically appear before you. They have a great airiness to them that make it seem like the HEXV2's are just trying wayyyy to hard to produce sound. I feel bad for the HE5se because I thought they were awesome when I got them in the sound stage department and airiness, but when I listened to the Aryas/HEXV2, it was hard to put them back on. Outclassed in so many ways except probably treble level and soundstage, the Arya's/HEXV2 are godlike compared to the HE5SE! In terms of overall qualities, the Arya's are definitely the best out of the 3. They are a great upgrade from the HEXV2's if you can find them for a good price!

Let me know if you guys have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them!

 

[Slim1970]

Hey guys,

So I am a little new to this forum, but I wanted to offer my 2 cents in regards to the Aryas. I will be comparing them to the Edition X's and the HE5se.


Bass extension: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Bass quality: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Mids quality: HE5SE > HEXV2 > ARYA

Treble quality: ARYA > HE5SE > HEXV2

Treble level: HE5SE > ARYA > HEXV2

Smoothness: HEXV2 > ARYA > HE5SE

Liveliness/Musicality: HEXV2 > HE5SE > ARYA

Neutral Sound: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Soundstage: HE5SE = HEXV2 > ARYA

Imaging: ARYA > HEXV2> HE5SE

Separation: HEXV2=HE5SE > ARYA

Detail: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE

Warmth: HEXV2 > ARYA > HE5SE

Overall Clarity: ARYA > HEXV2 > HE5SE


Overall, the HEXV2 is a very forward, punchy, warm, and super relaxed pair of headphones. They do all of those qualities and add excellent soundstage and separation. However, compared to the Aryas, they lose in detail, imaging, and clarity. They are definitely a more analytical set of cans with the same superior comfort. The Arya's are effortless and make music magically appear before you. They have a great airiness to them that make it seem like the HEXV2's are just trying wayyyy to hard to produce sound. I feel bad for the HE5se because I thought they were awesome when I got them in the sound stage department and airiness, but when I listened to the Aryas/HEXV2, it was hard to put them back on. Outclassed in so many ways except probably treble level and soundstage, the Arya's/HEXV2 are godlike compared to the HE5SE! In terms of overall qualities, the Arya's are definitely the best out of the 3. They are a great upgrade from the HEXV2's if you can find them for a good price!

Let me know if you guys have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them!

The HE5se’s are Hifiman’s old tech. But as you see they still fit in and perform very well even today. The newer Hifiman offerings, especially the Susvara’s, have features you hear in electrostats. The airy treble, natural sound, pinpoint imaging and the wide soundstage all put in the mindset of listening to electrostats with much better bass when I have them on. I would like to hear the Arya’s as I thought about getting them as alternative to my Susvara’s. I’m really a fan of the Hifiman sound.