[ezduzit2500]

I'm not sure how you got to replying to me about cable burn in, when I was replying to a person asking if they could damage their headphone with an underpowered amplifier.

Leave me out of the cable discussion altogether lmao. I'm good. Believe what gives you peace of mind.

My fault if I mistakenly posted to you instead of another person, but I don't think it was an errant post. It was in response to your post where you said cables changing over time were: "seriously not a thing." Hope it didn't personally affect you too much. Happy listening and stay safe n healthy.

 

[cgb3]

I have received an Arya V2 a couple of days ago and have been using it with my Chord Hugo 2.
My reference is the Focal Clear and on IEM side the Sony IER-M9, which I also both use with the Chord Hugo 2.

Tried to make up my mind about the Arya and frankly I am slightly underwhelmed.
Compared to the Focal Clears I find the Arya
* much more "open", it kind of vanishes on my head, and provides little to no isolation - I like this.
* Soundstage is bigger, specifically mids are "recessed on the stage" i.e. further away, and quieter - this has pro's and con's IMO
* Separation is very good, but I suspect that this is not just technicalities but also the perceived dip at 1kHz
* Detail is very good, at least equal to the Focal Clear, maybe a tad better

So far so good.
A different presentation that works very well with large scale orchestra, with more intimate music it's simply a different, more distant presentation compared to the more intimate presentation of the Clears. I would not consider one to be better than the other.

Now the point I am struggling with: DYNAMICS
I never fully grasped the meaning of the characterization of the Arya being less "dynamic", but now it becomes quite clear.
Everything is a little slow and lacking energy. I was expecting softer drum attacks, but I hear it with everything. The music just lacks some bite and definition, the energy that makes me tap my feet.

Now, I hate to think of having to spend even more money, btu at least I would like to ask if someone with a Chord Hugo 2 can share his/her experience of what change can be expected with regard to this dynamics/energy/attack of the Arya when using an external amplifier.
I am contemplating whether I should consider an additional amplifier, sell the Arya or try to trade it for a Sennheiser HD800S...

Any experience would be appreciated.

I have the Senn 800S. Excellent phones, but for me, the Aryas (v2) have more low end slam. I've had the Aryas 3 weeks. Definite keeper. The Senns may be going (but they sound so excellent on my hard bop jazz, so probably not).

I suggest you EQ. Peace is excellent (and free) on my win 10 system. I believe it's windows only. If you use a Mac or a hardware streamer, find another option.

I use oratory's EQ settings (note: enlarge the PDF to better read the EQ settings) as a base. I adjust to suit my hearing and taste, and normally have 4-6 separate profiles generated from the original.

I use a Schiit Lyr 3, with a nice tube, as a preamp to a Schiit Jot 2. My DAC is the Schiit Bifrost 2.

 

[Somatic]

Of course. I read so many people buying the same headphone multiple times and I have never wanted to end up doing that, so I keep my headphones for a while to make sure its something I want to keep. To me the HD800s and the arya are the only two headphones that sound like something extra is going on.

Hmmm. So immediatly I noticed the lack of micro detail on the Arya V2 vs the Susvara. The soundstage is portrayed differently than the Susvara. Hard to describe.

My intention to getting the Arya V2 was to have a bassy can, a HIFI "Beats by Dre" or something similar. I EQ'd a heft low bass shelf at 105hz at +8 or +10 db just to get it rumbling. It is not balanced at this point but this does exceptional for club music and soundtracks with a lot of low end.

Susvara's are much more balanced. High amounts of detail. Only thing missing is that it doesnt EQ as well with a low bass shelf. So all in all, I find the Aryas V2 slighlty redundant but there is something I can get from it that I cant from the susvara so I plan to keep them around and swich between the 2 depending on my mood. Introspective vs jamming out.

 

[Tachyon88]

Hmmm. So immediatly I noticed the lack of micro detail on the Arya V2 vs the Susvara. The soundstage is portrayed differently than the Susvara. Hard to describe.

My intention to getting the Arya V2 was to have a bassy can, a HIFI "Beats by Dre" or something similar. I EQ'd a heft low bass shelf at 105hz at +8 or +10 db just to get it rumbling. It is not balanced at this point but this does exceptional for club music and soundtracks with a lot of low end.

Susvara's are much more balanced. High amounts of detail. Only thing missing is that it doesnt EQ as well with a low bass shelf. So all in all, I find the Aryas V2 slighlty redundant but there is something I can get from it that I cant from the susvara so I plan to keep them around and swich between the 2 depending on my mood. Introspective vs jamming out.

Its nice to have contrast, keeps things fresh.

Since you have raised the bass, why don't you try punching in 1800hz, +5db, 1.2Q peak filter. That way you have more information in that region to balance out the bass.

What song we clubbing to ?

 

[Somatic]

Its nice to have contrast, keeps things fresh.

Since you have raised the bass, why don't you try punching in 1800hz, +5db, 1.2Q peak filter. That way you have more information in that region to balance out the bass.

What song we clubbing to ?

I'm just listening to some electronic oriented songs at the moment. All sound great right now.

125hz, +9db Low Shelf Filter
1800hz, +4.5db, 1.2Q Peak Filter

When do you listen to your Susvaras? Is it your main headphone? What makes you still interested in the Arya as well?

 

[amele]

I wonder if anyone uses Arya Stealth with TOPPING D30 PRO DAC + A30 PRO AMP and how it sounds
tnx

 

[Somatic]

That's a really interesting description of the Arya.

I'm completely new to the audiophile world, and I'm planning to get a good setup from the off.

Having done ridiculous amounts of research online (I have no local stores to test this stuff) - I think I've settled on ordering the following:

Denafrips Ares II > Burson Soloist X3 > Hifiman Arya V2 (plus some Van Damme balanced cables).

I plan to use my Android phone to stream Hi-Res files on Qobuz.

I'm quite concerned that the Arya is not going to be the best headphone for me. I'm drawn to it because I LOVE the idea of a huge, immersive soundstage, with three-dimensional depth and layers. I want to feel like I'm at a gig, or a concert, or a jazz club, or I have a singer songwriter performing for me in my living room! However, I don't listen to orchestral or classical. I like acoustic, folk, indie, a bit of jazz (and, conversely, drum and bass).

Do you think the Arya will be a good match?

I'm looking for a natural, organic, live sound. Erring on the side of warm/rich (but still clean). Big deep soundstage. Really engaging, musical and evoking. I'm less focused on analytical/reference level detail retrieval, or visceral punch/slam (would be nice but certainly not important). I hope to avoid a shrill, metallic or flat signature (and also avoid the boomy, claustrophobic, closed, in-your-head experience I get from my wife's ANC Beats headphones!!).

I suppose I want to feel like I'm at a live performance, rather than analysing a recording in a studio.

Sorry the the long post. I'd greatly appreciate your expert opinions!

This is the Susvara

 

[Somatic]

Wondering if anyone has taken off the dust covers from the outside and inside of the Aryas? I have V2s. If so, how did it affect the sound. Thanks

 

[misternoe]

Anyone here ever repurpose their Arya cables to work with mini xlr cans (ZMF specifically)? Looking for a female 3.5mm to female mini xlr convertor/adapter

 

[Tachyon88]

I'm just listening to some electronic oriented songs at the moment. All sound great right now.

125hz, +9db Low Shelf Filter
1800hz, +4.5db, 1.2Q Peak Filter

When do you listen to your Susvaras? Is it your main headphone? What makes you still interested in the Arya as well?

Noice. I have a desk setup and a bed setup, so I listen to both every day when I don't have my HD6xx and HD800s in rotation.

 

[Doc21]

Interesting take on Arya v2 vs v3 at about 28:00. Resolve’s take is they’re basically the same.

 

[Tachyon88]

Wow that is almost word for word exactly what I thought was going on from the start. Of course not having heard them I always leave room to be wrong, but still..

 

[haasaaroni]

Interesting take on Arya v2 vs v3 at about 28:00. Resolve’s take is they’re basically the same.

Yeah I've heard him say this every time he talks about the Arya. As someone who owned the V2 and then traded it in for the V3 (and only heard it after a period of 2 weeks without an Arya), I personally can't know for sure how big the difference is.

Still, it's strange to hear him say that after people like Passion for Sound and many people on this thread find such a substantial difference. Perhaps he's reading much too into the measurements? Some of the differences (like the sense of punch in the bass, better imaging, etc) won't show up on a measuring rig, and I feel are subtle, subjective, and important differences between the models.

All I can say is I'm quite happy with the V3 and don't regret trading in the V2 for them at all.

 

[sahmen]

Interesting take on Arya v2 vs v3 at about 28:00. Resolve’s take is they’re basically the same.

I have also recently acquired the V3, without having experienced either the V1 or V2, so I cannot speak to the differences themselves, but I think what @Resolve is saying about the influence of unexamined and potentially misleading "repeated narratives" is worth keeping in mind. As an owner of a Susvara, I am thoroughly enjoying the Arya V3, for many reasons, but one key reason is that it is relatively much easier to drive (with dongles, Daps, tablets and smartphones) than the Susvara could even remotely dream to be, although it (the V3) has inherited some of the Susvara's characteristics. The V3 hence makes it possible to transport and "travel light" with some of those Susvara characteristics, whereas the Sus itself almost always needs to be tethered to some stationary and heavy-duty components in order to perform near its optimal capacity, and for me that makes the V3 a particularly convenient option to have.

Now one thing I noticed very early after receiving the V3 is how sensitively it responds to the chain to which it is linked : DACs, Amps, track-mastering, and even cables all make some difference in determining its sound signature... I particularly remember how one cable swap seemed to transform its signature from a congested, claustrophobic mess which is "thin" in places to a generously spacious affair with a hefty low end and very pleasing highs. In the light of this small experiment, what I find most bewildering about some of the reviews I have read on the net or watched on youtube is that they hardly ever mention any aspect of the chain on which they are basing their evaluation of the Arya V3. It is always or almost about the V3 as if one could listen to it in isolation, independently of any surrounding chains, and then compare it to its previous iterations, also independently of any chain... Consequently, I have read or watched several reviews about how the V3 differs in performance from the previous ones, and I am sorry to say that certain aspects of these evaluations seem to be all over the map... Regarding soundstage for example, I've heard or read things like "taller but not deeper," or narrower and shorter, wider and deeper, smaller but more dynamic, wider with (or without) treble glare or some sibilance etc. etc. I am not bothering to identify which attributes are being assigned either to the V3 or its predecessors, because the discrepancies in characterizations are themselves the point I want to draw attention to. I am just wondering how reliable a review that is evaluating some aspect of a can such as the Ayra (soundstage, for example) might be if it says nothing about the chain (i.e. DAC, Amp, Cables etc etc) that is producing the end result... What attributes are legitimately assignable to the arya or to the chain in each case? Worse : what happens if such a review becomes one of the "repeated narratives" about the Arya that @Resolve is pointing out?

As for my V3 itself, I am very pleased with how it sounds in the chains in which I have deployed it, and that is what matters most to me at present....

 

[Kammerat Rebekka]

Having had a chance to audition all three versions of the Arya, I’m fairly certain that the only things that change are the pads and some minor design features (nicer looking magnets!?). The sound though remains the same providing you pair all with the same type of pads.
I think the whole ‘Stealth magnet’ thing sounds like salesmen-talk..this is effectively how companies sell the same stuff..but with a new sticker on top claiming it’s all brand new tech…and of course upgraded immensely compared to the older version…which for all intents and purposes is identical to the new one.
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