[iFi audio]

One of the best paths to audio nirvana, IMHO, @Ripper2860 !

Can't argue, the best cans I ever had on my head and there were quite a few over the years

 

[Dexon]

What's the amp ?

Yamaha AS-1100, works fine with Arcam SA20 as well. At first I had resistors box between but after I removed it sound exploded. Seems that way I went from AB to A class mode on both amps.

What did you find to be benefit of using a speaker output

Almost everything. Weight, authority, speed, timbre, leading edge definition, instrument separation.... If you coming from speaker setups, imagine going from mortal AB integrated to 50kg A class mono blocks. Obviously this stands for power hungry planars, for high voltage demanding phones like HD800 all that power doesn't do much.

 

[KenMan85]

"

Yamaha AS-1100, works fine with Arcam SA20 as well. At first I had resistors box between but after I removed it sound exploded. Seems that way I went from AB to A class mode on both amps.



Almost everything. Weight, authority, speed, timbre, leading edge definition, instrument separation.... If you coming from speaker setups, imagine going from mortal AB integrated to 50kg A class mono blocks. Obviously this stands for power hungry planars, for high voltage demanding phones like HD800 all that power doesn't do much.

now I just have to fine a cheap used power amp. And then my tube amp into a pre. I'll keep my eyes open for deals

 

[KenMan85]

One of the best paths to audio nirvana, IMHO, @Ripper2860 !

Looking at a roksan k3. If I recall you have?
Any comments on its sound signature and if it's a match with Arya..I think I saw your amp on FB

 

[iFi audio]

Yamaha AS-1100, works fine with Arcam SA20 as well. At first I had resistors box between but after I removed it sound exploded. Seems that way I went from AB to A class mode on both amps.

Thanks. And yes, class A FTW!

 

[SBranson]

I got in my Ifi Zen Can and WOW what a difference with the Anandas! The soundstage is so much more open and there is a holographic effect that could not be matched straight out of the AK240 even in balanced mode. And I'm not using either the bass boost or 3D effect.
I almost feel that I didn't need to upgrade to the Aryas but I'm pretty excited that I did. Those should arrive by the end of the week or early next week..

 

[dermott]

I am a little surprised to see no mention in this thread of the Flux Labs FA-10. There is also hardly any mention of the Arya in the Flux thread over on the amps page. I would think that this pairing would be something that would sound really great given the power and Class A warmth of the FA-10. Is there something I am missing? Looking to explore outside of my current LCD2/AAA THX-789/Sabre DAC setup for something more organic (Arya for soundstage increase, class A amp with a R2R/multibit DAC)

 

[driftingbunnies]

I am a little surprised to see no mention in this thread of the Flux Labs FA-10. There is also hardly any mention of the Arya in the Flux thread over on the amps page. I would think that this pairing would be something that would sound really great given the power and Class A warmth of the FA-10. Is there something I am missing? Looking to explore outside of my current LCD2/AAA THX-789/Sabre DAC setup for something more organic (Arya for soundstage increase, class A amp with a R2R/multibit DAC)

The FA-10 is a class AB amp that is neutral but leans a little warm. If you really want to warm up the Arya's, you might need to look at the FA-12.

 

[dermott]

The FA-10 is a class AB amp that is neutral but leans a little warm. If you really want to warm up the Arya's, you might need to look at the FA-12.

I thought that the FA-10 was also Class A, but I did hear that the FA-12 leans even warmer. The trade off though is that the FA-12 lacks the watts that the FA-10 provides (16W into 32 Ohms vs only 2.6W into 32 Ohms for the FA-12). From what I gather the Arya needs some juice to sound their best. Seems like 2.6 watts might not get the job done(?)

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

2.6 W for the Arya is like 3 times as much power as you’re ever going to use.
...and the 16 W for the big brother is just madness. You’re never going to channel more than say 400 mW into the Arya unless you have a keen wish to go deaf.
I really don’t understand these monsteramps...nor the folks who buy them. The only way you’re ever going to get 16 or 2.6 W out of either of those amps is if you flick a switch into high gain and turn the volume pot up to max..then and only then is the amp pumping out that amount of power...yet there are no headphones on the market in need of said juice. Hell even the HE6 becomes painfully loud when you feed it with 500 mW.
Pretty much any dedicated headphone amp worth it’s salt should drive the Arya to perfection.

P.S.
http://www.digizoid.com/headphones-power.html

 

[Clemmaster]

Higher power generally means better control of transients, which is critical for hungry orthos like the HE-6.
Music isn’t steady-state sine waves, the dynamic swings require as close to instantaneous swings from the amp. All things being equal, a higher power amplifier will handle transients better.
There’s no conspiracy and that recommendation also goes for speakers. The recommended power is always much higher than what said speakers need to potentially harm your ears.
Active speakers generally come with very powerful built in amps. The manufacturers wouldn’t use them if they didn’t see the benefits.

Going back to the HE-6, I have tried the most powerful headphone amps with it (SA-31, NFB-27, Master-9, Schiit Ragnarok) which all have gobs of power, yet none of them sounded anywhere as good as power amplifiers.

Now to be clear, the real factor is more so the capacity of the power supply than the actual rated output power: all the FirstWatt amps I tried sounded better than any headphones amps despite the rated power into 50 ohms being much lower than some of them.
Even among headphone amps, the SA-31 sounded worse than the NFB-27, despite being rater for ~40% more power. The latter had a much beefier power supply.

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

I am fully aware of this...I am just questioning whether or not people actually can hear the “difference” if they can’t see what’s playing
I’ve attended so many blindtests by now and have still to find that golden-eared person who can differentiate between amps.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Looking at a roksan k3. If I recall you have?
Any comments on its sound signature and if it's a match with Arya..I think I saw your amp on FB

It pairs quite well, although this is what I have found:
1. The Roksan K3 and the Cayin SP-30S combo I have makes the Arya SS bigger, draws out more details, and makes the Arya sound sig a tad V-shaped. The Roksan also makes the Arya's treble a tad splashy. The Arya is a neutral sounding HP, so I don't necessarily think that this is the best pairing.
2. On the other hand, the GSX Mini, which is a warm HP, and has a lot of body, is a strong pairing with the Arya. The Arya is NOT thin sounding but it's also not the thickest, so paired with the Mini, the Arya has more body, and sounds very good.
Thus far, I like the Arya more with the GSX Mini, but these are early days with the Arya, so my impressions could change as burn-in occurs.

 

[Sajid Amit]

Also, had my first long listening session with the Arya (recently-arrived). It's such a stand out HP. I owned the Focal Clear and still own the Auteur. The Focal Clear wasn't my cup of tea and I was itching to sell it and finally did, at a substantial discount. I love the Auteur and man, the Arya is another performer. I think the Arya and the Auteur can trade blows with many HPs far higher in price.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Also, had my first long listening session with the Arya (recently-arrived). It's such a stand out HP. I owned the Focal Clear and still own the Auteur. The Focal Clear wasn't my cup of tea and I was itching to sell it and finally did, at a substantial discount. I love the Auteur and man, the Arya is another performer. I think the Arya and the Auteur can trade blows with many HPs far higher in price.

Imo the Arya is the best headphone below 2k.

What lead you to the Arya after owning the Susvara already?