[phthora]

Some consider the Hpa4 to be the cream of the crop. Maybe not as sterile as the lower cost thx amps with Arya?

I sure do. And definitely not as sterile as the other THX amps I've heard. I get the complaints about the thinness, the overly dry character, the lack of body on some, if not all, of the cheaper options. The Drop 789 or Monolith amps especially never tempted me for those reasons, certainly not over a class A for planars. But, the HPA4 manages to retain the body, physicality, and realism of a class A amp, but with the clarity, cleanliness, and detail of the THX. For me, it was the best of both worlds and my own personal endgame.

 

[mintshows]

I bought a Topping A50s a while back to drive my Anandas with the expectation that they would probably also work OK with the Arya when I upgraded as it seemed like they would have plenty of power balanced to drive them.

I got my Arya in and they definitely got PLENTY loud with the A50s...everything sounded really good! However, back in May, I decided to buy a Jotunheim 2 to pair with the Bifrost 2 I had been using. I really just bought the Jotunheim so that I could have a proper 'stack' that looked nice and really didn't expect to hear much difference in them as the A50s was touted to sound almost exactly like the A90, but wasn't able to deliver the power of the A90. Since the A90 gets RAVE reviews from Joshua Valour and so many others, I figured I had found the 'sweet spot'.

Well, after 3.5 months I FINALLY got the Jotunheim delivered. After listening for 30 minutes, I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than the Topping. _IF_ the A50s truly sounds just like the A90, I have a hard time believing anyone who has heard a Singxer or Jotunheim 2 could recommend it over those offerings.

I won't say the Topping sounded _BAD_, because I was truly happy with it! I did find myself sometimes switching to an EQ profile to add a little bass, but thought things sounded good. Now that I have the Jotunheim, when I plug in the A50s, I immediately notice how 'compressed' everything is. There's still plenty of soundstage, but the Jotunheim really adds some space and brings out the best in everything. Also, I don't feel the need to do ANY EQ now...

Don't think I could ever go back to a 'chip amp' again. I know the A50s isn't in the same price-point as the Jotunheim, but it's all I've got to compare...

 

[luishi5000]

I just ordered the Arya from Amazon - I assume since I just ordered I would receive the newly updated "stealth magnet" version considering it was HiFiMan as the Amazon seller.

On the topic of impedance, the revision is 32 vs the 35 ohms of the previous.

What would HiFiMan have changed to result in this? Does this imply that the magnet structure / sound signature may be different?

Maybe a different way of asking what I'm getting at... can you lower impedance without negatively affecting the sound signature assuming amping isn't an issue?

 

[Siegrein]

I just ordered the Arya from Amazon - I assume since I just ordered I would receive the newly updated "stealth magnet" version considering it was HiFiMan as the Amazon seller.

On the topic of impedance, the revision is 32 vs the 35 ohms of the previous.

What would HiFiMan have changed to result in this? Does this imply that the magnet structure / sound signature may be different?

Maybe a different way of asking what I'm getting at... can you lower impedance without negatively affecting the sound signature assuming amping isn't an issue?

I was on the fence to buy Arya's but the silent revision came and I just couldn't decide even further.
I did a quick look around and found this, hope it helps

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-arya-vs-arya-revision.933627/page-2

 

[cashmonee]

I just ordered the Arya from Amazon - I assume since I just ordered I would receive the newly updated "stealth magnet" version considering it was HiFiMan as the Amazon seller.

On the topic of impedance, the revision is 32 vs the 35 ohms of the previous.

What would HiFiMan have changed to result in this? Does this imply that the magnet structure / sound signature may be different?

Maybe a different way of asking what I'm getting at... can you lower impedance without negatively affecting the sound signature assuming amping isn't an issue?

It is possible that you will get the newest version. I will say that I order mine on August 10 and did not receive them until August 19 (they shipped on the 17th I believe) from HIFMAN through Amazon. Even with the delay in shipping (Sundara and Ananda were next day at the time) I did not receive the newest version.

In talking with HIFIMAN about potentially exchanging my V2 for V3 (which they were willing to do), they said the Stealth Magnets would ”definitely sound better.” Better or not, it does seem that at least that one customer service rep believes the sound has changed. I opted to keep my V2 since I know what I have versus taking a chance that the V3 sound the same or better to my ear.

 

[Big In Japan]

I bought a Topping A50s a while back to drive my Anandas with the expectation that they would probably also work OK with the Arya when I upgraded as it seemed like they would have plenty of power balanced to drive them.

I got my Arya in and they definitely got PLENTY loud with the A50s...everything sounded really good! However, back in May, I decided to buy a Jotunheim 2 to pair with the Bifrost 2 I had been using. I really just bought the Jotunheim so that I could have a proper 'stack' that looked nice and really didn't expect to hear much difference in them as the A50s was touted to sound almost exactly like the A90, but wasn't able to deliver the power of the A90. Since the A90 gets RAVE reviews from Joshua Valour and so many others, I figured I had found the 'sweet spot'.

Well, after 3.5 months I FINALLY got the Jotunheim delivered. After listening for 30 minutes, I couldn't believe how much better it sounded than the Topping. _IF_ the A50s truly sounds just like the A90, I have a hard time believing anyone who has heard a Singxer or Jotunheim 2 could recommend it over those offerings.

I won't say the Topping sounded _BAD_, because I was truly happy with it! I did find myself sometimes switching to an EQ profile to add a little bass, but thought things sounded good. Now that I have the Jotunheim, when I plug in the A50s, I immediately notice how 'compressed' everything is. There's still plenty of soundstage, but the Jotunheim really adds some space and brings out the best in everything. Also, I don't feel the need to do ANY EQ now...

I`m A/B-ing between an A90 and the Burson Soloist 3XP in this moment. (Volume matched via measureing mic) While I can hear a difference in "punchiness" also and do prefer the Soloist Class-A amp over the A90, the differences are smaller to my ears than what you describe above. If this was a picture I think I would describe the perception on the solist with more saturated colours an with a higher contrast. (hope the anology makes sense...) However, this is not really about differences in tonality, I think (So, would not touch EQ). Not sure if the Soloist is really worth almost 3x the price of the A90. Instant switching reveals the differences clearly but with a few minutes in between, I`d most probably fail in a blind test to distinguish between them. Guess the headphones are still responsible for at least 90% of the experience.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I sure do. And definitely not as sterile as the other THX amps I've heard. I get the complaints about the thinness, the overly dry character, the lack of body on some, if not all, of the cheaper options. The Drop 789 or Monolith amps especially never tempted me for those reasons, certainly not over a class A for planars. But, the HPA4 manages to retain the body, physicality, and realism of a class A amp, but with the clarity, cleanliness, and detail of the THX. For me, it was the best of both worlds and my own personal endgame.

I bet the HPA4 has a high quality discrete preamp stage or some type of discrete output stage that has an influence on it's presentation vs the cheaper THX amps. Any idea?

 

[ezduzit2500]

I`m A/B-ing between an A90 and the Burson Soloist 3XP in this moment. (Volume matched via measureing mic) While I can hear a difference in "punchiness" also and do prefer the Soloist Class-A amp over the A90, the differences are smaller to my ears than what you describe above. If this was a picture I think I would describe the perception on the solist with more saturated colours an with a higher contrast. (hope the anology makes sense...) However, this is not really about differences in tonality, I think (So, would not touch EQ). Not sure if the Soloist is really worth almost 3x the price of the A90. Instant switching reveals the differences clearly but with a few minutes in between, I`d most probably fail in a blind test to distinguish between them. Guess the headphones are still responsible for at least 90% of the experience.

Most times the differences in solid state amps are relatively small but still quite noticeable the better the chain and HPs. Of course in this hobby small details can make or break the illusion of realism in vocals and instruments. I found that the discrete class A and AB amps convey more of the vocalist's and instrument's trailing edges and "space" of the recordings, whereas the chip amps seemed to cut off those trailing edges and dry out harmonics. Less delicate, less realistic, and less natural. Bass was less punchy too. Small but still significant, IMO.

 

[luishi5000]

I was on the fence to buy Arya's but the silent revision came and I just couldn't decide even further.
I did a quick look around and found this, hope it helps

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hifiman-arya-vs-arya-revision.933627/page-2

That's a great reference, at first glance the updated version looks a bit aesthetically worse - but it could also be the picture. It's worth it if it somehow helps the sound quality a little.

It is possible that you will get the newest version. I will say that I order mine on August 10 and did not receive them until August 19 (they shipped on the 17th I believe) from HIFMAN through Amazon. Even with the delay in shipping (Sundara and Ananda were next day at the time) I did not receive the newest version.

In talking with HIFIMAN about potentially exchanging my V2 for V3 (which they were willing to do), they said the Stealth Magnets would ”definitely sound better.” Better or not, it does seem that at least that one customer service rep believes the sound has changed. I opted to keep my V2 since I know what I have versus taking a chance that the V3 sound the same or better to my ear.

Don't blame you there - at this point I'll be happy to get either-or. It's not like I would take off the pads often enough to need the stealth magnets too. I suppose we chose the most interesting time to buy them as there's no good audio comparisons between v2 and v3 yet.

 

[Aquileolus]

Hi guys, was wondering which headphones would be a direct upgrade for Arya? I'm currently owning an Arya and I love it, thinking about upgrade it to something with similar sound signature but a step up in resolution and sound stage. HE1000V2 is twice of the price of Arya but based on some review those are not significant better than Arya... Susvara is out of my budget at the moment, wondering is there something in the middle between Arya and Susvara?

 

[ezduzit2500]

Hi guys, was wondering which headphones would be a direct upgrade for Arya? I'm currently owning an Arya and I love it, thinking about upgrade it to something with similar sound signature but a step up in resolution and sound stage. HE1000V2 is twice of the price of Arya but based on some review those are not significant better than Arya... Susvara is out of my budget at the moment, wondering is there something in the middle between Arya and Susvara?

HeK SE. HE-1000 SE that is. Happy hunting.

 

[haasaaroni]

I

Hi guys, was wondering which headphones would be a direct upgrade for Arya? I'm currently owning an Arya and I love it, thinking about upgrade it to something with similar sound signature but a step up in resolution and sound stage. HE1000V2 is twice of the price of Arya but based on some review those are not significant better than Arya... Susvara is out of my budget at the moment, wondering is there something in the middle between Arya and Susvara?

I just picked up a HEKV2, so I’ll post some impressions once I get a hold of it. Hoping time (edit: TIMBRE...autocorrect) is better, but worried the sound might lose some of its kick.

 

[Siegrein]

That's a great reference, at first glance the updated version looks a bit aesthetically worse - but it could also be the picture. It's worth it if it somehow helps the sound quality a little.

So that's why you should tell us what you think when your order arrives! Might help me think if I should grab a pair too haha

 

[prymortal]

So about a month in I'm loving the Arya way more than when I first got it! Taken so long to adjust to hear the high & Detail in them, but now they are there!

Some consider the Hpa4 to be the cream of the crop. Maybe not as sterile as the lower cost thx amps with Arya?

The older THX modules are often dry & thin (sterile), Weirdly do make headphones sound the same 1000z & 2000z, HD800 & HD800s (bar the forward bass) both headphones on other amps that have distinct differences in sound. But the THX888 modules if done right SH9, SP400 & HPA4 have the missing body & warmth the earlier ones don't, while still keeping it analytical with that top end "sparkle". In the latter 2 also noticeable better channel separation & laying than all the earlier models i've tried to date let alone other similarly priced amps.
This all said if I was to replace the amp for just the Sundara-Arya I probably go audio-gd master 9 or Schiit jot2. While the SP400 is not stale it still is very Analytical at the end of the day.

 

[AstralKing]

I've heard the H16 goes well w Arya, I'm using the H20. What DAC are you feeding the H16 with? That has an impact on overall SQ. Also if your set is brand new, burn in helps with tonality, bass, detail, and soundstage , IMO, before you EQ them. Mine have changed much over time.

I'm using the H16 together with the X16 and it's enjoyable to my ears, but I just wanted a tiny bit more love in the mids. I think you're probably right, it was a brand new set and I was juggling between 5 headphones when I had them on hand I don't think I gave it enough time perhaps. I'll see how it goes when I get them back.