[chimpicus]

Hello all,

I just bought an Arya Stealth off Amazon as an upgrade from my Thie Audio Wraith, and....... I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong, they're broken, or they just sound like this. If it's the last one, they're getting returned.

I'll be blunt: for most sounds, they are bad. I've had $100 headphones that sounded better across the board. Voices are just plain terrible, especially for TV shows, videos, etc. It sounds like I'm listening to people speak from the other side of a wall or through the floor. Honestly, the $15 generic earbuds I have for my phone sound better for voices. Trebles are just awful, all muddled and sounding like soft static. Mids are practically non-existent. The full bass I read these things had also doesn't exist. Strings are always whisper quiet, no matter the volume. However, for the opening three seconds of one and only one particular song, they produce a rich sound, which immediately disappears afterwards. This leads me to think that maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I'm using them with a dual 3.5mm to single 4.4mm cable, connected to a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter, and then plugged straight into the 3.5mm jack on my laptop. Maybe they don't produce good sound without an amp? But, I would think they'd sound good without an amp and great with one if this was a lack-of-amp problem. Moreover, I would think an amp would simply boost sound levels, not improve the crappy audio. Crappy audio will be crappy no matter how loud it is.

The Wraith sounded great without an amp. The only reason I stopped using them was the ****ing 2.5mm plugs kept breaking off inside the headphones. I'm seriously considering going back. At $450, they were way cheaper, sounded way better, and felt better constructed.

Looking for advice on the matter. People keep going on about how good they are, but as far as I can tell they're just plain bad.

 

[Xerosnake90]

Hello all,

I just bought an Arya Stealth off Amazon as an upgrade from my Thie Audio Wraith, and....... I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong, they're broken, or they just sound like this. If it's the last one, they're getting returned.

I'll be blunt: for most sounds, they are bad. I've had $100 headphones that sounded better across the board. Voices are just plain terrible, especially for TV shows, videos, etc. It sounds like I'm listening to people speak from the other side of a wall or through the floor. Honestly, the $15 generic earbuds I have for my phone sound better for voices. Trebles are just awful, all muddled and sounding like soft static. Mids are practically non-existent. The full bass I read these things had also doesn't exist. Strings are always whisper quiet, no matter the volume. However, for the opening three seconds of one and only one particular song, they produce a rich sound, which immediately disappears afterwards. This leads me to think that maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I'm using them with a dual 3.5mm to single 4.4mm cable, connected to a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter, and then plugged straight into the 3.5mm jack on my laptop. Maybe they don't produce good sound without an amp? But, I would think they'd sound good without an amp and great with one if this was a lack-of-amp problem. Moreover, I would think an amp would simply boost sound levels, not improve the crappy audio. Crappy audio will be crappy no matter how loud it is.

The Wraith sounded great without an amp. The only reason I stopped using them was the ****ing 2.5mm plugs kept breaking off inside the headphones. I'm seriously considering going back. At $450, they were way cheaper, sounded way better, and felt better constructed.

Looking for advice on the matter. People keep going on about how good they are, but as far as I can tell they're just plain bad.

There's so much here I don't even want to touch. Mainly loudness = Good quality and the fact that you even thought about plugging a $1000 headphone into a laptop jack and then complaining it doesn't sound good

You need a capable amp to drive them well

 

[chimpicus]

My apologies for deciding to upgrade and not being well versed in the accessories of a hobby I haven't gotten into. I further apologize for asking about it on a dedicated forum. Finally, I apologize for plugging an audio device into a port designed for audio devices.

As for the assertion I'm saying loudness=good, I ask you to read the post again. I'm saying I'm not enthused about the flat, muffled, mushy sounds this headset is producing, and asking if this is a case of needing an amp. I am not going to purchase an amp if this is not a situation that would be alleviated by an amp. I have plugged a $450 headphone into a laptop jack, and it sounded very good. I don't find it crazy to expect that one a few hundred dollars more expensive would at the very least sound on the same level in the same situation.

 

[Xerosnake90]

My apologies for deciding to upgrade and not being well versed in the accessories of a hobby I haven't gotten into. I further apologize for asking about it on a dedicated forum. Finally, I apologize for plugging an audio device into a port designed for audio devices.

As for the assertion I'm saying loudness=good, I ask you to read the post again. I'm saying I'm not enthused about the flat, muffled, mushy sounds this headset is producing, and asking if this is a case of needing an amp. I am not going to purchase an amp if this is not a situation that would be alleviated by an amp. I have plugged a $450 headphone into a laptop jack, and it sounded very good. I don't find it crazy to expect that one a few hundred dollars more expensive would at the very least sound on the same level in the same situation.

Meep meep

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Hello all,

I just bought an Arya Stealth off Amazon as an upgrade from my Thie Audio Wraith, and....... I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong, they're broken, or they just sound like this. If it's the last one, they're getting returned.

I'll be blunt: for most sounds, they are bad. I've had $100 headphones that sounded better across the board. Voices are just plain terrible, especially for TV shows, videos, etc. It sounds like I'm listening to people speak from the other side of a wall or through the floor. Honestly, the $15 generic earbuds I have for my phone sound better for voices. Trebles are just awful, all muddled and sounding like soft static. Mids are practically non-existent. The full bass I read these things had also doesn't exist. Strings are always whisper quiet, no matter the volume. However, for the opening three seconds of one and only one particular song, they produce a rich sound, which immediately disappears afterwards. This leads me to think that maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I'm using them with a dual 3.5mm to single 4.4mm cable, connected to a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter, and then plugged straight into the 3.5mm jack on my laptop. Maybe they don't produce good sound without an amp? But, I would think they'd sound good without an amp and great with one if this was a lack-of-amp problem. Moreover, I would think an amp would simply boost sound levels, not improve the crappy audio. Crappy audio will be crappy no matter how loud it is.

The Wraith sounded great without an amp. The only reason I stopped using them was the ****ing 2.5mm plugs kept breaking off inside the headphones. I'm seriously considering going back. At $450, they were way cheaper, sounded way better, and felt better constructed.

Looking for advice on the matter. People keep going on about how good they are, but as far as I can tell they're just plain bad.

At the minimum, you might be used to a more relaxed "ear gain" region per the graph below:

This graph simply traces how loud each frequency (if you are familiar with "high" and "low" pitch) plays. Compare this to the Arya Stealth:

There is a lot more treble energy, which you may not be used to, and the upper midrange is relaxed. Likewise, if you are lowering the volume to get the treble to a comfortable level, that could be responsible for the midrange being "nonexistent". I don't know the frequency response of the earbuds you've used.

Don't mind those who seem offended by your approach or early understanding of the hobby. I will do my best to help. First, does the music sound okay at lower volume levels? How loud are you able to get it on your playback device, and is it distorting when you try to up the volume? The Arya Stealth is definitely a harder to drive headphone and can benefit from an amp (e.g. I've used a 4.4 mm to 3.5 mm adapter for use with my desktop's 3.5 mm port while my DAC/amp was away being repaired, only to be dismayed that I couldn't get either my Arya Stealth or Meze Elite loud enough for my preference, at least not when using my EQ profiles), though of course not needing something crazy like a 6 W or 12 W amp. First, we need to confirm whether you are hearing distortion versus simply not being fond of the tonality. Different people have different tonal preferences partly due to the history of the audio products they were exposed to. I personally experience "mental burn-in" even when switching between EQ profiles where what initially sounded bright became normal and my previous EQ sounds dull, or my new EQ comes to sound right while the old EQ comes to sound too bright. Would you also be kind as to share what kind of music you listen to or for which you are hearing these issues?

 

[szore]

Hey guys, quick question. What dac/amp would be good for my newly purchased Arya Stealth V3?
I was looking at the fiio k9 pro ess, however I heard that for a more natural feel it is worth considering a class A amp.

How true is this, or can I safely take the k9 pro ess?

 

[szore]

My apologies for deciding to upgrade and not being well versed in the accessories of a hobby I haven't gotten into. I further apologize for asking about it on a dedicated forum. Finally, I apologize for plugging an audio device into a port designed for audio devices.

As for the assertion I'm saying loudness=good, I ask you to read the post again. I'm saying I'm not enthused about the flat, muffled, mushy sounds this headset is producing, and asking if this is a case of needing an amp. I am not going to purchase an amp if this is not a situation that would be alleviated by an amp. I have plugged a $450 headphone into a laptop jack, and it sounded very good. I don't find it crazy to expect that one a few hundred dollars more expensive would at the very least sound on the same level in the same situation.

Their broken, return them.

 

[chimpicus]

Thanks for the quick replies and especially MrHaelscheir for the kind attitude. I'm a vet of many a classic car forum; so, I try to give similar energy to newbies.

To answer your questions:

I can get these headphones plenty loud. They sound pretty much the same at all volume levels, though I don't tend to listed to anything at particularly high volumes.

As for turning the volume down to tone down the treble, it's the exact opposite. I want more treble! Or, really, better treble. Moreover, treble sounds, again like voices or cymbals, sound, for lack of better words, compressed, like the audio equivalent of taking a normal image and down-scaling it until it's unintelligible. Sounds which, from using other audio devices I can confirm, are usually very crisp and sharp. My first time hearing sound out of these was plugging them in and accidentally pressing the space bar, starting up an episode of Star Trek I had paused in another tab. My immediate reaction was "oh no. That doesn't sound right". And, where treble really dies is strings, in classical no less. When trying to listen to some Bach, the string section is whisper quiet while the wind is blaring.

This is definitely what feels to me like a distortion issue, not tonality. Though not a connoisseur of high end headphones, I have had a number of different ones in the $250-$450 range over the years, and I've experienced the differences in sound profiles there enough to say this is not the issue at play. It's again most noticeable with voices and anything with a high frequency like cymbals. It's similar to that sort of robotic sound one gets when talking to someone with bad cellphone connection. However, it's an omnipresent situation. It's also very noticeable in rumbling bass, as there are one or two moments in a few pieces where it will miraculously sound full and clear.

As for where these issues are arising, it's across the board with what I've tested so far, with one or two strange exceptions. My usual listening is classic rock, classical, big band, and 80's soul. And, as noted so often, voices outside of a musical setting are the worst, very unnatural.

Just to see what would happen, I tried these phones on a '70's portable cassette deck (my good deck, equalizer combo was unfortunately lost to the recent house move). It is ... different. I can definitely tell an increased resolution in the amount of sounds I can hear, but still strange in the ways mentioned above.

My thanks for taking the time to answer what may seem like "no-brainer" questions. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a $20 amp and see what happens. I can always keep it around for other phones.

 

[makbrown]

Hello all,

I just bought an Arya Stealth off Amazon as an upgrade from my Thie Audio Wraith, and....... I can't tell if I'm doing something wrong, they're broken, or they just sound like this. If it's the last one, they're getting returned.

I'll be blunt: for most sounds, they are bad. I've had $100 headphones that sounded better across the board. Voices are just plain terrible, especially for TV shows, videos, etc. It sounds like I'm listening to people speak from the other side of a wall or through the floor. Honestly, the $15 generic earbuds I have for my phone sound better for voices. Trebles are just awful, all muddled and sounding like soft static. Mids are practically non-existent. The full bass I read these things had also doesn't exist. Strings are always whisper quiet, no matter the volume. However, for the opening three seconds of one and only one particular song, they produce a rich sound, which immediately disappears afterwards. This leads me to think that maybe I'm doing something wrong.

I'm using them with a dual 3.5mm to single 4.4mm cable, connected to a 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter, and then plugged straight into the 3.5mm jack on my laptop. Maybe they don't produce good sound without an amp? But, I would think they'd sound good without an amp and great with one if this was a lack-of-amp problem. Moreover, I would think an amp would simply boost sound levels, not improve the crappy audio. Crappy audio will be crappy no matter how loud it is.

The Wraith sounded great without an amp. The only reason I stopped using them was the ****ing 2.5mm plugs kept breaking off inside the headphones. I'm seriously considering going back. At $450, they were way cheaper, sounded way better, and felt better constructed.

Looking for advice on the matter. People keep going on about how good they are, but as far as I can tell they're just plain bad.

On the last page I expressed my complaints regarding Arya Stealth in conjunction with K9 pro ess. However, these are great headphones and are a significant upgrade from my previous HD660s and Ananda Nano (which are also great for the budget, by the way).
There are several possible options for what you are describing:
1. You have a defective version.
2. The 4.4 cable is not original, it may be damaged/oxidized inside, etc. Or something is wrong with the 4.4-3.5 adapter. Try it on your original 6.3 cable with an adapter to 3.5 - you can buy it at any musical instrument store. Or find any 4.4 source.
3. Something is wrong with the connection or mixer of the laptop. Of course, the laptop will not give the hi-fi sound you expect (it’s foolish to hope for that), but it won’t be as sad as you describe.
4. If the headphones are new, try to burn them for 3-4 days and find a normal source.
If this doesn't help, return them.

 

[chimpicus]

Quick PS, just compared sound of the same piece from the cassette deck to a version on the computer. Deck definitely has the advantage across the board. Though, the cassette being listened to was also recorded directly from a record, and the phones were connected via a dual 3.5mm to 6.35mm into the deck.

Edit to PS: Posted the original PS just as you posted Mak. I will look into these suggestions and keep everyone updated.

 

[SmartCheetah]

For me there could be two reasons of this kind of impressions, or a mix of them:

1. No dedicated amp, already mentioned several times. Even if laptop can drive them plenty loud, the sound quality won't be optimal.
2. @chimpicus is used to the "consumer" tuning of cheaper headphones, V-shaped, with emphasized bass bleeding into mids (he mentioned flat voices)

I have plugged a $450 headphone into a laptop jack, and it sounded very good. I don't find it crazy to expect that one a few hundred dollars more expensive would at the very least sound on the same level

It doesn't work this way I'm afraid, especially for the planar drivers. Quite the opposite in most cases.

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

 

[AmadisDeGaula]

So hear we go again. The fiio k9 pro has a narrow soundstage and the sound is bright, flat and analytical because of its thx design and Arya stealth is already a bit bright. So If a narrow soundstage with a very bright and flat experience is to your liking you can definitely buy the k9. the advantage of class A amp is that they tend to open up the soundstage, and increase dynamics and warm it a bit . There is so much more choices to make before k9 pro on the market.... I don't understand why people speak about this amp with Arya stealth or any amp for that matter... On the same budget you have s9c pro, playmate2, even an x1sgt for low budget, or conductor 3 used if you have the budget(there's a lot of others but I didn't try them out). I would highly encourage you to go to a store and plug your headphones in a class A(remember theses things needs to warm up half an hour) to see what it does. For me this is how music should sound like. And remember this hobby is about PAIRING things to your liking, and understand what you like. Don't follow blindly someone who tells you that this is great with that without saying why. Good luck

 

[hanumanbob]

The JDS Labs Element 3 boosted worked just fine with Aryas and is inexpensive. Of course there are options that will improve everything. I find the RME ADI-2 FS a great option because of the hardware EQ. I have never been a fan of software EQ.

 

[MrHaelscheir]

So hear we go again. The fiio k9 pro has a narrow soundstage and the sound is bright, flat and analytical because of its thx design and Arya stealth is already a bit bright. So If a narrow soundstage with a very bright and flat experience is to your liking you can definitely buy the k9. the advantage of class A amp is that they tend to open up the soundstage, and increase dynamics and warm it a bit . There is so much more choices to make before k9 pro on the market.... I don't understand why people speak about this amp with Arya stealth or any amp for that matter... On the same budget you have s9c pro, playmate2, even an x1sgt for low budget, or conductor 3 used if you have the budget(there's a lot of others but I didn't try them out). I would highly encourage you to go to a store and plug your headphones in a class A(remember theses things needs to warm up half an hour) to see what it does. For me this is how music should sound like. And remember this hobby is about PAIRING things to your liking, and understand what you like. Don't follow blindly someone who tells you that this is great with that without saying why. Good luck

Remember that your personal experiences with THX amps may not necessarily apply to everyone. For example, with your class A amp, is your Arya or whichever headphone imaging flanking sounds beyond the drivers? I happen to be someone for which even the Stax SR-X9000 with SRM-T8000 or the Sennheiser HE-1 in a shop setting do not image anything beyond the drivers without the recording having already incorporated special mixing or HRTF effects to achieve such. On the other hand, I can easily use DSP and HRTF measurements to cleanly image sounds a meter to the left and right (which makes the music sound ridiculous in regard to "wiiide soundstaaage"), or ahead of me like in a proper stereo triangle.

Anyways, I suppose it can't hurt to have makbrown see if they can try a class A amp. Again, my personal experience was described in post #11,781, judge what you may about my hearing which from my last audiogram showed a hearing threshold around 5 dB SPL (yeah, not perfect, but not alarming) amid my tinnitus IIRC. My K9 Pro ESS has given me plenty an impressive "you are there on stage" experience for certain excellent recordings, though I know that what can impress today may sound mediocre tomorrow or at a specific time of the day. I can absolutely have my favourite classical recordings sound "huge" (filling the space between the large drivers and in front of my face; I need DSP to project that in front of me like in a live concert hall) and exquisitely textured, filled with all the warmth and fullness of the recording, though yes, I have not yet personally heard whether that could somehow be made even "better".

I do respect your class A DAC/amp recommendations, though I am curious as to what you think of "ESS sound" paired with class A per those DAC/amps. I am personally a skeptic, but wouldn't mind trying out a nice pairing of non-ESS to class A if you could recommend one. Have you any experience with the HiFiMan Serenade or others in that range? Or anything worth not making the jump to the Holo Audio Bliss KTE first driven by my ESS DAC?

Some believe the hobby to be about pairing for the "best" or most preferred results. Some like myself are in pursuit of "fidelity", or to recreate the most real sound, which if constrained to headphones demands chasing the original tonality of the recording's monitoring system (theoretically, the best average is "neutral") if not the original venue, and likewise that original monitoring system's imaging (you cannot have proper coherent speaker imaging through headphones without accurate HRTF measurements and DSP). So far, I've found that fancy headphones or amps on their own are not enough to transport me into the concert hall; that much I can tell from attending classical concerts almost every week on average including three days in a row.