[kid vic]

Seriously!?!?
You will return what you said is almost perfect HPs because you look funny wearing them?

If you think you look funny wearing them you should see how funny you look to me making post like that...

Lets not attack someone who is already self-conscious. I'm sure we all have posts we would love to take back.

 

[vlach]

Lets not attack someone who is already self-conscious. I'm sure we all have posts we would love to take back.

It's not fair when bad things happen to good looking people, ie. Seeing yourself in a mirror reflection wearing the Arya headphone.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

I just got mine today and so far so good. What amp and dac are you guys using for this? I have the jds labs atom and I wonder if it’ll sound better with other amps

It will sound better with other amps, ive found it scales nicely to different amps/dacs.

 

[jazzk]

I use a LKS 004 dac and a gustard H20 amp for my Arya’s and they sound wonderful together!

 

[Ithilstone]

Dacs - Grace m9xx, Hifiman r2r2000, Arcam delta box.
Amp - NVA ap10h plus additional (BB)PSU
(Equivalent of 250-300W dual mono speaker amp)

 

[tan29844]

For those who don't wanna go all out on a home theatre system, Arya is a great substitute for watching movies.
I was being transported into a war zone while watching Dunkirk and Apocalypse Now.
I was hearing what a sound recordist is hearing while watching Blow Out.
My appreciation in a film's sound design work increases tremendously watching some of my favourite movies.

Extremely comfortable to wear, amazing soundstage and detail, One of the best all rounder!

Any recommendation on a headphone that complement the Arya well?
Currently looking into the new Stax L700 Mk2
or should I go for something like the LCD-X (I listen to a lot of classic rock & 80s Japanese city pop)

Thanks!

 

[bwuhoo]

For those who don't wanna go all out on a home theatre system, Arya is a great substitute for watching movies.
I was being transported into a war zone while watching Dunkirk and Apocalypse Now.
I was hearing what a sound recordist is hearing while watching Blow Out.
My appreciation in a film's sound design work increases tremendously watching some of my favourite movies.

Extremely comfortable to wear, amazing soundstage and detail, One of the best all rounder!

Any recommendation on a headphone that complement the Arya well?
Currently looking into the new Stax L700 Mk2
or should I go for something like the LCD-X (I listen to a lot of classic rock & 80s Japanese city pop)

Thanks!

Haven’t commented on this thread in awhile, but to answer your question Tan, I would say you need something that’s more intimate, warm and intense. Maybe consider an Elex, LCD2, or HD660S? These are great cans that compliment the Arya and after the damage to the wallet, my recommendations won’t tear another hole

I would say the LCD-X is great for rock and metal. Drums are one of its speciality for sure. With a bit of warmth while retaining great detail, the X is also another great choice. It is a bit mid recessed and leans toward a U-shaped sound signature. Build is miles ahead of the Arya! I also happen to have an LCD-X that I will be selling soon if you’re interested. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you are! Otherwise, wish you the best in finding that complimentary!

 

[javertim]

Any recommendation on a headphone that complement the Arya well?
Currently looking into the new Stax L700 Mk2
or should I go for something like the LCD-X (I listen to a lot of classic rock & 80s Japanese city pop)

In my experience, I found the Arya and L700 to be very similar. I'd personally go for something warmer or brighter depending on your taste.

 

[tan29844]

Haven’t commented on this thread in awhile, but to answer your question Tan, I would say you need something that’s more intimate, warm and intense. Maybe consider an Elex, LCD2, or HD660S? These are great cans that compliment the Arya and after the damage to the wallet, my recommendations won’t tear another hole

I would say the LCD-X is great for rock and metal. Drums are one of its speciality for sure. With a bit of warmth while retaining great detail, the X is also another great choice. It is a bit mid recessed and leans toward a U-shaped sound signature. Build is miles ahead of the Arya! I also happen to have an LCD-X that I will be selling soon if you’re interested. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you are! Otherwise, wish you the best in finding that complimentary!

Thank you for your recommendation! Very appreciated, I've been eyeing the LCD-2F for a while, but the LCD-X might be a better choice for rock music and studio use. I know the build is very hard to match with the Audeze, but what's your take on the LCD-X for long listening session compared to the Arya?

I'm a filmmaker, and do sound editing and mixing for my jobs as well. The X seems to be a popular choice amongst this profession. Would definitely go audition before buying anything though

 

[tan29844]

In my experience, I found the Arya and L700 to be very similar. I'd personally go for something warmer or brighter depending on your taste.

Thank you! Originally I was gonna get the L700, but decided to go for the Arya because it's a better all rounder. Figured having something safe and neutral first, and either add something warm/lush or faster/brighter into the mix (or Both!)

From my memory, the L700 = More intimate Arya + That Stax sparkling sound.
Would love to hear more from someone who owns both of them!

 

[stratas]

Going from memory and only a fairly brief listening session of both, I do agree that the L700 and Arya are pretty similar.
I think a pair of ZMF would complement it well but not sure if that's applicable to filmmaking.

 

[bwuhoo]

Thank you for your recommendation! Very appreciated, I've been eyeing the LCD-2F for a while, but the LCD-X might be a better choice for rock music and studio use. I know the build is very hard to match with the Audeze, but what's your take on the LCD-X for long listening session compared to the Arya?

I'm a filmmaker, and do sound editing and mixing for my jobs as well. The X seems to be a popular choice amongst this profession. Would definitely go audition before buying anything though

They're both good choices and yes, the build is so hard to match. I tell people, I wish my HD600/HD800S drivers could fit/be placed in an audeze chassis. Sometimes you want a much different sound than the house Audeze sound. When you pick up and feel the LCD-X, it just oozes quality and craftsmanship. I really like HIFIMAN, but the build is what gets me and you're paying for a premium! Nothing really beats Audeze's LCD-X, LCD-2C (basically the ones with all metal housing, not the wooden ones) build quality. Even the ones with the wooden finish are nice and are hard to crack. If you're mastering music or doing work on them for long periods of time, they do get very heavy over time. I can't comment on how good they will sound when trying to producing music as I am not a producer, nor sound engineer, but they are neutral and brighter than the rest of the LCD line. I think if you really end up liking the sound of the LCD-X, something to consider purchasing along with the LCD-X would be a lohb-strap and vegan pads or alternative vegan pads like the dekoni elite velour/vesper audio custom request. I also heard that Dekoni might be coming out with a microsuede line that will essentially feel like Vegan pads that Audeze used to make very soon. These will all help the comfort considerably on any Audeze line you choose to get. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Karister]

Finally my pair of Hifiman Arya has arrived last Friday. I must say I am really happy with them and they are a huge improvement over my Audioquest Nighthawk. At the beginning they sounded kind of weird, not what I remembered from auditioning them. Bass was average and sibilants were easily audible. I was a bit confused and disappointed. After ~50h of playback they started to sound like I remembered from audition. This is subjective but for me bass quantity and quality is perfect. Emphasized lower areas of bass without torturing ears with excessive mid bass. Vocals are also excellent. Clear and separated from instruments. Love it. I have mixed feelings about treble, though. I am not a big fan of high frequencies and I used to cut them off with EQ on my PC. Especially with my Audioquest Nighthawk. Hifiman Arya is different. In some darker sounding tracks treble are really crisp and sparkling which I actually appreciated and did not touch EQ. However, tracks with a lot of high tones in recording are tiring. Fortunately it got better after mentioned 50h of using them. Manual says they need 150h so I am hoping for a slightly more improvement. I believe that without 10kHz peak they would be just perfect for me. With it they are just really good. Anyway, these are my first HP that I am using without EQ. That's really cool that I do not need to start my PC and I can delight with them sitting on my sofa.

Fun fact is that they are brutal in showing flaws of Youtube recordings. I have never heard so many sqeaks and noises before. I am going to order a few more CDs then.

Regarding build quality... despite what is kindly said in reviews, it is poor. Sorry, but that's true. Plastic squeaks when I put them on my head. Ear cushions are far from being symmetrical. kinda sad considering their price tag.

All in all, I am extremely happy with purchase, despite minor drawbacks that I mentioned. Probably I will ba a Hifiman fanboy now. I have ripped my CDs to files and finally I am able to enjoy music in headphones without CDs or PC. I am using Denon Heos Link HS2 as a music server (files are on pendrive) and I am able to control it with smartphone. So convenient! Finally no more EQ, no more CDs and no more Foobar or Youtube. I am sending singnal to Marantz HD DAC via optical cable so it acts as a DAC and AMP. I am considering visiting audio shops again in search of some headphone amp with warmer sound signature. I should be able to test Klipsch Heritage Amp and Questyle CMA Twelve. If they do not fit my taste, I will search for some tube amp probably.

My setup:

 

[gken92]

Just got my Hifiman Arya. First impression: build quality somewhat better than expected. Still plastic, but maybe slightly more solid feeling than HD800S. Slightly more comfortable than HD800S, which was my most comfortable headphone that ive ever owned prior to the purchase of Arya, due to less clamping pressure onto the jaw area.

Sound wise, they are really great. I would say they are a sidegrade to HD800S. HD800S has wider soundstage and slightly more revealing n more detailed, but Arya has much better bass extension, mids a bit fuller. Treble extension is about the same on both, Arya slightly less harsh or sibilant. Overall, Arya is a good buy and should be in your consideration if you r looking to get a neutral-bright-ish pair of headphones under usd2k. I bought mine at about usd1.2k.

 

[Karister]

For me Arya's clamping force was too strong as well. I decided to bend headband in corners and in the middle in opposite direction. I had to repeat it several times. Fortunately nothing cracked and now they are really convenient. Very close to my previous Audioquest Nighthawks which were extremely comfy.