[Karister]

My Aryas broke twice during 16 months of usage. Both times I got replacement for a new one but without getting new warranty period. Once I received a pair with very loose yoke regulation which caused hedphones to frequently fall into the last hole in yoke due to own weight when resting on stand. While they do sound great, I can say nothing good regarding quality and I would not count on having them for years without issues. Friend of mine had the same driver issue and also got replacement. HFM customer support is very good but warranty is only two years starting from original purchase date.

I am most happy with my third pair. They are well fit without loose elements. With a very small scratch on the back, though. First one was average and second one was terrible. Once headband was 0.5cm larger. Once yoke was crooked making it impossible to use first position of yoke adjustment. Basically you buy a lottery ticket.

 

[JelStIy]

My Aryas broke twice during 16 months of usage. Both times I got replacement for a new one but without getting new warranty period. Once I received a pair with very loose yoke regulation which caused hedphones to frequently fall into the last hole in yoke due to own weight when resting on stand. While they do sound great, I can say nothing good regarding quality and I would not count on having them for years without issues. Friend of mine had the same driver issue and also got replacement. HFM customer support is very good but warranty is only two years starting from original purchase date.

I am most happy with my third pair. They are well fit without loose elements. With a very small scratch on the back, though. First one was average and second one was terrible. Once headband was 0.5cm larger. Once yoke was crooked making it impossible to use first position of yoke adjustment. Basically you buy a lottery ticket.

Yikes, thanks! I’ve always had good luck with electronics but these are not good odds. And I am in the US, where the warranty is only for one year, I believe.

 

[Karister]

Maybe 1-year warranty is from US reseller? HFM website says they offer 2 years warranty for headphones purchased from official resellers. I was sending mine directly to HiFiMAN despite purchasing in local audio store in Poland. I shipped defective unit to France and they shipped back from Hongkong. It all took less than a week. You would need to verify if your reseller is authorized one.

 

[JelStIy]

Maybe 1-year warranty is from US reseller? HFM website says they offer 2 years warranty for headphones purchased from official resellers. I was sending mine directly to HiFiMAN despite purchasing in local audio store in Poland. I shipped defective unit to France and they shipped back from Hongkong. It all took less than a week. You would need to verify if your reseller is authorized one.

No, this is from Hifiman’s site. Many manufacturers offer only a one year warranty in the US because the law allows it, unlike in the EU. It does appear one can get a three month extension by registering the product.

 

[Tim L]

I just received my new Arya headphones a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to give my first impressions. I bought these without any prior listening. I made my choice based strictly upon YouTube reviews, and those found here. I own and have used primarily the Grado SR325 for the last ten years or so, and have been quite pleased overall with them, but I was in a position that I could spend some money on something nice for myself, so I wanted to upgrade. At 65, I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, with a reduction in what I can hear above 6khz, and pretty doggone bad above 10khz. I wanted the best possible sound I could get within my budget, since 100 percent of my music and TV sound is played through headphones now. I have a solid Emotiva system with dual XPA series amps, and big floor standing speakers, but I can't play them at the volume level I prefer anymore without upsetting the folks in the neighboring apartment. I have found however, that I can still enjoy headphones at lower, reasonably safe levels that hopefully won't damage my hearing any more than it already is. So here we are.

The Arya cans arrived well packed and undamaged. I noted the build quality was about what I expected based upon the reviews, so that pleased me. As for comfort, I have had them on now for over two hours, and I swear I can barely feel them on my head. I am pleased as can be for their comfort. I have a large melon and wear a 7 3/4" hat, and the clamping force is barely even noticeable. My ears fit nicely into the cavities with no pressure points.

I also ordered a Monolith Desktop THX/AAA DAC/Amp, but it is still on the way. In my excitement I just plugged them right into my Emotiva USP-1 pre-amp to see how they sound without the headphone amp. The source is my computer playing good quality mp3 files with MusicBee and FXSound EQ software. My expectations were not that great. I was looking for an improvement in clarity, detail, less brightness, a bit more warmth, and better bass response. I reckoned the law of diminishing returns would be in full play. Well, I gotta tell ya, the Arya has exceeded my expectations, even without the amp. Now I always hear good mids, a decent soundstage, and good detail with my Grado SR325, although they are bright, and the bass is a bit lacking. I decided to start my listening with the song "Group Four" by Massive Attack, which features one of my favorite female vocalists, Liz Fraser. Her voice is angelic in its pure beauty, and I was just totally blown away. Steely Dan never sounded better. I wanted to test them on a tougher nut, so I put on the first Black Sabbath album, followed by stoner rock band Wo Fat's "Night of the Chupacabra". I was able to detect sounds that I never heard before from among the crunch and growl of the down-tuned guitars, attesting to a nice improvement in detail over the Grado cans playing the same music. The soundstage and imaging, as stated in so many other reviews, is superb with the Arya. The sound is also as others have stated, "big". The only EQ I used was just a small boost of one or two dB in the higher bands to help offset my hearing loss, which tells me these are outstanding across the entire FR. As others have stated, these don't have the slam that others possess, but the bass response is just so smooth and clean, and plenty deep. As for the mids and highs....smooth and clear as well.

In conclusion, I would not regret spending the money for this set even if I did not purchase the amp, so I can look forward to even a bit more improvement in sound I already consider excellent. I am in love with these headphones. They are exactly the sound signature and quality that I hoped I would receive. I don't know how there could be better sounding headphones at the Arya price point or less.

 

[Shahrose]

I just received my new Arya headphones a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to give my first impressions. I bought these without any prior listening. I made my choice based strictly upon YouTube reviews, and those found here. I own and have used primarily the Grado SR325 for the last ten years or so, and have been quite pleased overall with them, but I was in a position that I could spend some money on something nice for myself, so I wanted to upgrade. At 65, I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, with a reduction in what I can hear above 6khz, and pretty doggone bad above 10khz. I wanted the best possible sound I could get within my budget, since 100 percent of my music and TV sound is played through headphones now. I have a solid Emotiva system with dual XPA series amps, and big floor standing speakers, but I can't play them at the volume level I prefer anymore without upsetting the folks in the neighboring apartment. I have found however, that I can still enjoy headphones at lower, reasonably safe levels that hopefully won't damage my hearing any more than it already is. So here we are.

The Arya cans arrived well packed and undamaged. I noted the build quality was about what I expected based upon the reviews, so that pleased me. As for comfort, I have had them on now for over two hours, and I swear I can barely feel them on my head. I am pleased as can be for their comfort. I have a large melon and wear a 7 3/4" hat, and the clamping force is barely even noticeable. My ears fit nicely into the cavities with no pressure points.

I also ordered a Monolith Desktop THX/AAA DAC/Amp, but it is still on the way. In my excitement I just plugged them right into my Emotiva USP-1 pre-amp to see how they sound without the headphone amp. The source is my computer playing good quality mp3 files with MusicBee and FXSound EQ software. My expectations were not that great. I was looking for an improvement in clarity, detail, less brightness, a bit more warmth, and better bass response. I reckoned the law of diminishing returns would be in full play. Well, I gotta tell ya, the Arya has exceeded my expectations, even without the amp. Now I always hear good mids, a decent soundstage, and good detail with my Grado SR325, although they are bright, and the bass is a bit lacking. I decided to start my listening with the song "Group Four" by Massive Attack, which features one of my favorite female vocalists, Liz Fraser. Her voice is angelic in its pure beauty, and I was just totally blown away. Steely Dan never sounded better. I wanted to test them on a tougher nut, so I put on the first Black Sabbath album, followed by stoner rock band Wo Fat's "Night of the Chupacabra". I was able to detect sounds that I never heard before from among the crunch and growl of the down-tuned guitars, attesting to a nice improvement in detail over the Grado cans playing the same music. The soundstage and imaging, as stated in so many other reviews, is superb with the Arya. The sound is also as others have stated, "big". The only EQ I used was just a small boost of one or two dB in the higher bands to help offset my hearing loss, which tells me these are outstanding across the entire FR. As others have stated, these don't have the slam that others possess, but the bass response is just so smooth and clean, and plenty deep. As for the mids and highs....smooth and clear as well.

In conclusion, I would not regret spending the money for this set even if I did not purchase the amp, so I can look forward to even a bit more improvement in sound I already consider excellent. I am in love with these headphones. They are exactly the sound signature and quality that I hoped I would receive. I don't know how there could be better sounding headphones at the Arya price point or less.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm excited for you. Headphones have come a long way since the Grado 325s. I believe you'll find with more listening just how vast the difference between the HIFIMAN and Grados is. Happy listening and let us know how the pairing with your new amp sounds later.

 

[1-MiC]

I just received my new Arya headphones a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to give my first impressions. I bought these without any prior listening. I made my choice based strictly upon YouTube reviews, and those found here. I own and have used primarily the Grado SR325 for the last ten years or so, and have been quite pleased overall with them, but I was in a position that I could spend some money on something nice for myself, so I wanted to upgrade. At 65, I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, with a reduction in what I can hear above 6khz, and pretty doggone bad above 10khz. I wanted the best possible sound I could get within my budget, since 100 percent of my music and TV sound is played through headphones now. I have a solid Emotiva system with dual XPA series amps, and big floor standing speakers, but I can't play them at the volume level I prefer anymore without upsetting the folks in the neighboring apartment. I have found however, that I can still enjoy headphones at lower, reasonably safe levels that hopefully won't damage my hearing any more than it already is. So here we are.

The Arya cans arrived well packed and undamaged. I noted the build quality was about what I expected based upon the reviews, so that pleased me. As for comfort, I have had them on now for over two hours, and I swear I can barely feel them on my head. I am pleased as can be for their comfort. I have a large melon and wear a 7 3/4" hat, and the clamping force is barely even noticeable. My ears fit nicely into the cavities with no pressure points.

I also ordered a Monolith Desktop THX/AAA DAC/Amp, but it is still on the way. In my excitement I just plugged them right into my Emotiva USP-1 pre-amp to see how they sound without the headphone amp. The source is my computer playing good quality mp3 files with MusicBee and FXSound EQ software. My expectations were not that great. I was looking for an improvement in clarity, detail, less brightness, a bit more warmth, and better bass response. I reckoned the law of diminishing returns would be in full play. Well, I gotta tell ya, the Arya has exceeded my expectations, even without the amp. Now I always hear good mids, a decent soundstage, and good detail with my Grado SR325, although they are bright, and the bass is a bit lacking. I decided to start my listening with the song "Group Four" by Massive Attack, which features one of my favorite female vocalists, Liz Fraser. Her voice is angelic in its pure beauty, and I was just totally blown away. Steely Dan never sounded better. I wanted to test them on a tougher nut, so I put on the first Black Sabbath album, followed by stoner rock band Wo Fat's "Night of the Chupacabra". I was able to detect sounds that I never heard before from among the crunch and growl of the down-tuned guitars, attesting to a nice improvement in detail over the Grado cans playing the same music. The soundstage and imaging, as stated in so many other reviews, is superb with the Arya. The sound is also as others have stated, "big". The only EQ I used was just a small boost of one or two dB in the higher bands to help offset my hearing loss, which tells me these are outstanding across the entire FR. As others have stated, these don't have the slam that others possess, but the bass response is just so smooth and clean, and plenty deep. As for the mids and highs....smooth and clear as well.

In conclusion, I would not regret spending the money for this set even if I did not purchase the amp, so I can look forward to even a bit more improvement in sound I already consider excellent. I am in love with these headphones. They are exactly the sound signature and quality that I hoped I would receive. I don't know how there could be better sounding headphones at the Arya price point or less.

I’m glad you found something that fits your needs, and puts a smile on your face!

 

[KenMan85]

Anybody hear running an Arya out of speaker amp outputs? I looking to hear how you felt it scaled with that significant power boost

 

[iFi audio]

I just received my new Arya headphones a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to give my first impressions. I bought these without any prior listening. I made my choice based strictly upon YouTube reviews, and those found here. I own and have used primarily the Grado SR325 for the last ten years or so, and have been quite pleased overall with them, but I was in a position that I could spend some money on something nice for myself, so I wanted to upgrade. At 65, I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, with a reduction in what I can hear above 6khz, and pretty doggone bad above 10khz. I wanted the best possible sound I could get within my budget, since 100 percent of my music and TV sound is played through headphones now. I have a solid Emotiva system with dual XPA series amps, and big floor standing speakers, but I can't play them at the volume level I prefer anymore without upsetting the folks in the neighboring apartment. I have found however, that I can still enjoy headphones at lower, reasonably safe levels that hopefully won't damage my hearing any more than it already is. So here we are.

The Arya cans arrived well packed and undamaged. I noted the build quality was about what I expected based upon the reviews, so that pleased me. As for comfort, I have had them on now for over two hours, and I swear I can barely feel them on my head. I am pleased as can be for their comfort. I have a large melon and wear a 7 3/4" hat, and the clamping force is barely even noticeable. My ears fit nicely into the cavities with no pressure points.

I also ordered a Monolith Desktop THX/AAA DAC/Amp, but it is still on the way. In my excitement I just plugged them right into my Emotiva USP-1 pre-amp to see how they sound without the headphone amp. The source is my computer playing good quality mp3 files with MusicBee and FXSound EQ software. My expectations were not that great. I was looking for an improvement in clarity, detail, less brightness, a bit more warmth, and better bass response. I reckoned the law of diminishing returns would be in full play. Well, I gotta tell ya, the Arya has exceeded my expectations, even without the amp. Now I always hear good mids, a decent soundstage, and good detail with my Grado SR325, although they are bright, and the bass is a bit lacking. I decided to start my listening with the song "Group Four" by Massive Attack, which features one of my favorite female vocalists, Liz Fraser. Her voice is angelic in its pure beauty, and I was just totally blown away. Steely Dan never sounded better. I wanted to test them on a tougher nut, so I put on the first Black Sabbath album, followed by stoner rock band Wo Fat's "Night of the Chupacabra". I was able to detect sounds that I never heard before from among the crunch and growl of the down-tuned guitars, attesting to a nice improvement in detail over the Grado cans playing the same music. The soundstage and imaging, as stated in so many other reviews, is superb with the Arya. The sound is also as others have stated, "big". The only EQ I used was just a small boost of one or two dB in the higher bands to help offset my hearing loss, which tells me these are outstanding across the entire FR. As others have stated, these don't have the slam that others possess, but the bass response is just so smooth and clean, and plenty deep. As for the mids and highs....smooth and clear as well.

In conclusion, I would not regret spending the money for this set even if I did not purchase the amp, so I can look forward to even a bit more improvement in sound I already consider excellent. I am in love with these headphones. They are exactly the sound signature and quality that I hoped I would receive. I don't know how there could be better sounding headphones at the Arya price point or less.

Hey, great to hear that you Aryas meet all your expectations. Now it's time to enjoy them !

 

[Dexon]

Anybody hear running an Arya out of speaker amp outputs? I looking to hear how you felt it scaled with that significant power boost

Just do it! You won't believe your ears

 

[SolarBeaver]

Hey guys!
Looking forward to buy Arya, but this HP seems to be really power hungry and I'm a bit worried Sony TA-ZH1ES will not be enough to drive it to the full potential.
Would really appreciate if someone can share his opinion on this

 

[SBranson]

I just received my new Arya headphones a couple of hours ago, and I wanted to give my first impressions. I bought these without any prior listening. I made my choice based strictly upon YouTube reviews, and those found here. I own and have used primarily the Grado SR325 for the last ten years or so, and have been quite pleased overall with them, but I was in a position that I could spend some money on something nice for myself, so I wanted to upgrade. At 65, I have moderate to severe hearing loss in the high frequencies, with a reduction in what I can hear above 6khz, and pretty doggone bad above 10khz. I wanted the best possible sound I could get within my budget, since 100 percent of my music and TV sound is played through headphones now. I have a solid Emotiva system with dual XPA series amps, and big floor standing speakers, but I can't play them at the volume level I prefer anymore without upsetting the folks in the neighboring apartment. I have found however, that I can still enjoy headphones at lower, reasonably safe levels that hopefully won't damage my hearing any more than it already is. So here we are.

The Arya cans arrived well packed and undamaged. I noted the build quality was about what I expected based upon the reviews, so that pleased me. As for comfort, I have had them on now for over two hours, and I swear I can barely feel them on my head. I am pleased as can be for their comfort. I have a large melon and wear a 7 3/4" hat, and the clamping force is barely even noticeable. My ears fit nicely into the cavities with no pressure points.

I also ordered a Monolith Desktop THX/AAA DAC/Amp, but it is still on the way. In my excitement I just plugged them right into my Emotiva USP-1 pre-amp to see how they sound without the headphone amp. The source is my computer playing good quality mp3 files with MusicBee and FXSound EQ software. My expectations were not that great. I was looking for an improvement in clarity, detail, less brightness, a bit more warmth, and better bass response. I reckoned the law of diminishing returns would be in full play. Well, I gotta tell ya, the Arya has exceeded my expectations, even without the amp. Now I always hear good mids, a decent soundstage, and good detail with my Grado SR325, although they are bright, and the bass is a bit lacking. I decided to start my listening with the song "Group Four" by Massive Attack, which features one of my favorite female vocalists, Liz Fraser. Her voice is angelic in its pure beauty, and I was just totally blown away. Steely Dan never sounded better. I wanted to test them on a tougher nut, so I put on the first Black Sabbath album, followed by stoner rock band Wo Fat's "Night of the Chupacabra". I was able to detect sounds that I never heard before from among the crunch and growl of the down-tuned guitars, attesting to a nice improvement in detail over the Grado cans playing the same music. The soundstage and imaging, as stated in so many other reviews, is superb with the Arya. The sound is also as others have stated, "big". The only EQ I used was just a small boost of one or two dB in the higher bands to help offset my hearing loss, which tells me these are outstanding across the entire FR. As others have stated, these don't have the slam that others possess, but the bass response is just so smooth and clean, and plenty deep. As for the mids and highs....smooth and clear as well.

In conclusion, I would not regret spending the money for this set even if I did not purchase the amp, so I can look forward to even a bit more improvement in sound I already consider excellent. I am in love with these headphones. They are exactly the sound signature and quality that I hoped I would receive. I don't know how there could be better sounding headphones at the Arya price point or less.

This really makes me want to upgrade from the Ananda to the Arya. I will do so when I can sort out the power. Still debating the new Kann Alpha for the Aryas to replace my AK240 which matches very well with the Ananda.

 

[Brainiac9000]

Hey guys!
Looking forward to buy Arya, but this HP seems to be really power hungry and I'm a bit worried Sony TA-ZH1ES will not be enough to drive it to the full potential.
Would really appreciate if someone can share his opinion on this

I can tell you with experience that you’ll be able to hear music with this amp, but it will not get you even close to what you would get out of a 6 watt amp like a Liquid Platinum or a 14 watt amp like the iFi iCAN PRO. The way the Arya scales is amazing and you’ll hear it with each step of improvement to your gear. I would say get the Arya anyhow and enjoy the journey with experiencing new gear down the road.

I must say, the build on the Sony amp is like no other, though. Solid build with amazing quality and features but so unfortunate that it lacks the power for the hard-to-drive headphones.

 

[iFi audio]

Just do it! You won't believe your ears

What's the amp ?

 

[Jjrg]

The Arya is probably my next purchase. I currently have a ZMF Verite Closed and that headphone is superb in every facet except 1 which is its weight. Its raw weight of about 480g is a bit too burdensome for my neck.