[NtraX]

That certainly explains why you are on this Arya Stealth Thread.

Thanks.

I really don't understand, why I have to read all reviews. Please don't get me wrong.

 

[Dualscreens2]

I have a 4 month old pair of Version 2 Aryas for sale if anyone is interested. DM me

 

[chrisnyc75]

Arya V3 Stealth : Impressions & Observations.


I have not yet burned these in for extended hours, so, my comments will be regarding how they sound to my ears, in the first few days..

This Hifiman is a unique and crafted departure from the usual sonics you find inside a set of HIFIman's since the inception of the Hek, Hek2, Edition X's, Ananda, Hekse, Arya's, and Susvara.
The reason i listed those, is because we've all heard them, or most of them, and we all know the SOUND that Hifiman provides in those, as its quite similar.

So, you want to know what is so different about the Stealth V3, as compared to those.....

Its very obvious. ITs this. This time around, Hifiman was not trying to only enhance a previous version (Arya v2)... they were aiming at loftier goals.
They have changed the sound as compared to that list.
How so?
This is the Hifiman that does not seek to be too bright or too treble etched or too airy.
This is the Hifiman that the Audeze fans will probably enjoy.
This is the Hifiman whose goal is to provide full mids along with nice treble, and a slight emphasis on mid-bass while still offering decent extension towards the sub bass frequency.

And, Hifiman decided that they would create a soundstage that is not the usual..... "im lost inside a huge room with my hifiman sound,""".
No...
They brought the soundstage in a few steps by opening up the mids which brings everything closer to you, making the sound more rich and smooth yet still quite layered and detailed.

I have not seen the graphs but what you will hear if you buy these or try these is a unique cohesive linearity starting from the upper bass which extends right into the mid treble. And when you have that going on you are going to perceive a smoother overall sound/tonality..
And because Hifiman engineered the V3 Stealth's treble to be more smooth you get good top extension without the annoying SSSSSS sting found within the Treble response of the previous Arya incarnation(s).
Treble inside the V3 Stealth has good extension without being annoying or sizzly or the main event that you find with most of the more expensive Hifiman headphones.
Let me put it another way. As compared to the previous 7 yrs of more and more expensive HEK's, which were mostly about soundstage and treble and analytics, the V3 Stealth is coming to you from the land of musicality, tonality, and linearity.

The main event created inside the V3 Stealth's sound signature is a smooth textured evenness that is quite FR detailed yet never clinical with some added low end impact.
This gear is not designed to take apart all facets of the FR and show you inside each as you find with the HEKSE....but rather the V3 offers plenty of detail yet with more mids, more smoothness, and more overall musical coherence.....
If you are looking for the same sound as the Arya v2, then look elsewhere, as this V3 Stealth is quite different regarding its approach to TONE and Timbre.

-
-

That all makes perfect sense to me. What DOESN'T make any sense, though, is why they are calling it "Arya". It's not an Arya at all - a quick glance at a picture of the driver confirms this without even hearing it. Having 2 visibly and audibly different headphones with the same name is just confusing everyone.

 

[cashmonee]

If you listen carefully to Joshua's Utube review, he states clearly that the V3 sounds better in all departments.
Bass, Mids, Treble.
He says that Hifiman solved the flaws that were obvious in the V2.
He also has issues with the more impactful bass that is provided by the V3 Stealth.
He gives the impression that the V3 is a bass canon, and that is not correct. Its just more impactful the the Arya V2....
He praises the V3 in all regards, except for the soundstage, and based only on the change in soundstage, he is "upset".
So. to say a headphone is "disappointing" because it sounds better than the previous version, as he states, does not make a lot of sense.

Let me paraphrase his review...

"The V3 is a total sound improvement, but i dont like it as much because the soundstage isn't as wide as the Arya v2."

Its amazing that Joshua didnt take the time to just swap the SE cable out for some balanced and see if that gave him that little bit of extra soundstage that he needed.

I am not sure you are accurately describing Joshua's review. His final line:

"If you prefer a flatter frequency response, the Stealth is the way to go. If you prefer a little bit better statistical performance, that's probably the one. If you prefer sound staging, presentation, and drama to your music, I would probably pick the non-Stealth."

What I got from him is that the Stealth fixes some things, but the fixes came at the cost of what makes an Arya an Arya. In his view, the fixes are not worth the loss of sound staging. He flat out calls it "not a good sound staging headphone." To me he is claiming that the Stealth really is not an Arya and if you are looking for a headphone with Arya characteristics, you will likely be disappointed by the Stealth.

Disclaimer: I have not personally heard the V3. I recently got V2's and had the chance to swap them for V3 but chose not to because it seemed like the things I enjoy about the Arya were no longer present. People who want to know Joshua's views should watch his review and come to their own conclusion. For me, it validated my choice to not swap for the V3.

 

[ezduzit2500]

you want to judge for yourself this V2 vs V3 battle. I'm looking for your findings!

Will be sure to keep you all posted.

 

[thefinalhope]

Loving all the V3 impressions. I'll get my pair next week to compare with my V2. The treble brightness/harsh SSSSS being smoothed out is a huge deal for me as that is really the only complaint I have with the V2. My pair is brand new though, so I know it might get better with time, but still.

I also find the imaging not incredibly accurate for games with the V2, just seems slightly artificially large. Could of course just be me, but that's the impression I got after a few hours of gaming. I wonder how the V3 will fair there.

 

[WoollyGeezer]

I HATED the arya v3 for music. Love the v2 for music.

However, the Arya v3 is the best movie headphone I've heard yet

Loving all the V3 impressions. I'll get my pair next week to compare with my V2. The treble brightness/harsh SSSSS being smoothed out is a huge deal for me as that is really the only complaint I have with the V2. My pair is brand new though, so I know it might get better with time, but still.

I also find the imaging not incredibly accurate for games with the V2, just seems slightly artificially large. Could of course just be me, but that's the impression I got after a few hours of gaming. I wonder how the V3 will fair there.

It's no differen't. Too huge for gaming. The Ananda in comparison for gaming is perfect.

 

[Tachyon88]

@NtraX The grills my man, best way to pop em off ? I haven't even attempted it, but didn't want to start pulling at it and it being more brittle than I was anticipating.

 

[dermott]

He praises the V3 in all regards, except for the soundstage, and based only on the change in soundstage, he is "upset".
So. to say a headphone is "disappointing" because it sounds better than the previous version, as he states, does not make a lot of sense.

Let me paraphrase his review...

"The V3 is a total sound improvement, but i dont like it as much because the soundstage isn't as wide as the Arya v2."

Its amazing that Joshua didnt take the time to just swap the SE cable out for some balanced and see if that gave him that little bit of extra soundstage that he needed.

I took his meaning to be that he was upset for the reason that although they did address multiple things that were what some would consider problematic with the V2, that unfortunately it did also impact the singular thing that set it appart and was what he liked the most about the V2 - the soundstage. Yes, the V3 may be "better" than the V2 for all the reasons mentioned by him and others, but at the cost of robbing it a little of what set it apart from all other headphones. There are a lot of other headphones out there that check all the same boxes that are the areas that the V3 has improved upon over the V2, but the V2 seems to be (somewhat) singular in what is accomplished for providing - a vast soundstage. I think Joshua Valour kept coming back to the V2 for that fact, regardless of it's flaws, and that I think says something.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Revised....= after 10 hrs of burn in....

Definite changes clearly heard.

Overall FR clarity has increased quite a bit as compared to "right out of the box".
The V3's have now become less warm and more revealing.
Significantly is the upper bass response change, that initially was round and smooth and larger. This has now settled, leveled, and become delicious texture and low end revelation.
And, the Trebles have extended and become more analytical and revealing.

So, if you buy a set and they seems very good but a bit too smooth at first, then, let them run and if they are anything like mine you'll notice a elevation in overall resolution and clarity about 8-10 hrs in, obo.
Much more sparkle on the top will appear, as well as the bass response becoming more detailed and nuanced.
---------------------
---------------------
--------------------


Arya V3 Stealth : Impressions & Observations.


I have not yet burned these in for extended hours, so, my comments will be regarding how they sound to my ears, in the first few days..

This Hifiman is a unique and crafted departure from the usual sonics you find inside a set of HIFIman's since the inception of the Hek, Hek2, Edition X's, Ananda, Hekse, Arya's, and Susvara.
The reason i listed those, is because we've all heard them, or most of them, and we all know the SOUND that Hifiman provides in those, as its quite similar.

So, you want to know what is so different about the Stealth V3, as compared to those.....

Its very obvious. ITs this. This time around, Hifiman was not trying to only enhance a previous version (Arya v2)... they were aiming at loftier goals.
They have changed the sound as compared to that list.
How so?
This is the Hifiman that does not seek to be too bright or too treble etched or too airy.
This is the Hifiman that the Audeze fans will probably enjoy.
This is the Hifiman whose goal is to provide full mids along with nice treble, and a slight emphasis on mid-bass while still offering decent extension towards the sub bass frequency.

And, Hifiman decided that they would create a soundstage that is not the usual..... "im lost inside a huge room with my hifiman sound,""".
No...
They brought the soundstage in a few steps by opening up the mids which brings everything closer to you, making the sound more rich and smooth yet still quite layered and detailed.

I have not seen the graphs but what you will hear if you buy these or try these is a unique cohesive linearity starting from the upper bass which extends right into the mid treble. And when you have that going on you are going to perceive a smoother overall sound/tonality..
And because Hifiman engineered the V3 Stealth's treble to be more smooth you get good top extension without the annoying SSSSSS sting found within the Treble response of the previous Arya incarnation(s).
Treble inside the V3 Stealth has good extension without being annoying or sizzly or the main event that you find with most of the more expensive Hifiman headphones.
Let me put it another way. As compared to the previous 7 yrs of more and more expensive HEK's, which were mostly about soundstage and treble and analytics, the V3 Stealth is coming to you from the land of musicality, tonality, and linearity.

The main event created inside the V3 Stealth's sound signature is a smooth textured evenness that is quite FR detailed yet never clinical with some added low end impact.
This gear is not designed to take apart all facets of the FR and show you inside each as you find with the HEKSE....but rather the V3 offers plenty of detail yet with more mids, more smoothness, and more overall musical coherence.....
If you are looking for the same sound as the Arya v2, then look elsewhere, as this V3 Stealth is quite different regarding its approach to TONE and Timbre.

-
-

So you don’t find the V3 bright or sibilant, like most Hifiman models?

 

[NtraX]

@NtraX The grills my man, best way to pop em off ? I haven't even attempted it, but didn't want to start pulling at it and it being more brittle than I was anticipating.

is quite straight forward, unscrew and pull out....it is.

 

[Knee Deep In Epoxy]

Has anyone had the chance to compare the V3 with the Focal Clear (or Clear MG)?

Given the change in soundstage, I imagine the two being even closer competitors at this price point than they previous iterations.

If you have a Focal Clear/MG, what does the Arya V3 bring to the table?

 

[FullBright1]

That all makes perfect sense to me. What DOESN'T make any sense, though, is why they are calling it "Arya". It's not an Arya at all - a quick glance at a picture of the driver confirms this without even hearing it. Having 2 visibly and audibly different headphones with the same name is just confusing everyone.

Life is all about labels.
Retail and Marketing is no different.
Businesses such as "headphone making", are all about the next "version" of the previous.

Its sort of like Car manufacturing ....
Each year, all the Car makers put out a new "Model" yet, each model has an upgraded version of the same model.. You have the "base" model, and then if you have deeper pockets they will sell you the "full package" that gets you the leather, the Turbo, ect.

The Question is......when is Hifiman going to put out a new upper end Planer. /??
When is Sennheiser going to put out a NEW MODEL that isn't a refresh of the HD600 ?

Hifiman needs to put out a NEW One, as all they have done for the last 4 yrs is reconstruct the cheap Planer models, or add different magnets to their pre-existing more expensive Planer models.

DCA just put out a NEW headphone, the Stealth.
ZMF gave us the V-open and V-closed.
Audeze just put out a NEW headphone, the LCD-5. Audeze also put out the LCD-R .
Audeze completely changed their pads.
Audeze is not asleep at the switch.

Focal and Hifiman, have nothing NEW for a few years. They just keep revamping the preexisting.

Senn has nothing new for about 100 yrs, unless you consider the HD600 now retranslated as the HD560S, as a "new" model, which it really isn't.

I guess Senn is too busy building HD800s' with hollowed out mids for "DROP" to be doing anything new.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

A prove that words are simply lacking ability to describe sound. The more I read this thread about Arya V3, the more ridiculous they are.

Arya V3 is a Hifiman Arya with a little tuning to make them smoother with fuller tone, not suddenly become Grado, or Senn HD600 in term of soundstage. It's still way bigger soundstage compare to Clear MG, and nowhere close to Clear MG sound character. Arya V3 is much much closer to Arya V2 compare to any other headphone on earth.

People who love Ananda may find Arya V2 sharp and sibilance, but that's not the case for Arya V3. V3 produce same detail and resolution as V2.

 

[FullBright1]

Arya V3 is a Hifiman Arya with a little tuning

The Stealth's do not sound like the Arya V2s.
Mids and Treble are different, Bass is different ... soundstage is changed.
If you take a look at the 2 Youtube reviews of the Stealth......one is Joshua V..........both of them are totally confused by the Hifiman Stealth, because it does not sound like the Arya v2 which is a good thing, as i dont really like the dry midrange or the SSSSSSS treble of the 1 & 2 Generation.
This 3rd Gen, sounds very good, and after some burn in the veil disappears and it becomes a very detailed gear.
Certainly more revealing then the HEK1 & 2, and compares to the HEKSE, but it has mids and bass response that is more full.
Another big sonic change is that the V3 Stealth does not offer you the big room experience, and in this regard its more like an Audeze presentation.