[Sappy]

If you decide to get the Ninja cable, you won't be disappointed.

It's worth the wait.

Thanks for everyone recommending the Audiophile Ninja cables. They arrived yesterday and I like them a lot. They feel soft, durable and well made. Custom fees for importing them to Germany and shipment were a bit hard to swallow but even then the price was okay. So thumbs up for these cables.

 

[quawn0418]

I must be old and behind the times...as I cannot seem to wrap my head around a mini desktop IC based all-in-one unit being a higher performing and better sounding setup compared to an all discrete Class A balanced amplifier in the Sa-1. I could see maybe replacing the RME since it has somewhat of an older DAC chip(s) - and if one wanted to go simpler by forgoing it's PEQ capabilities. But I just can't see the lower tiered THX 788 IC being superior with the Arya - especially considering that the THX 888 IC is the top of the line THX offering, not the 788. That's just me though, I haven't heard the K9 Pro, the RME, or the Sa-1. Most of the THX type amps I've tried (Topping A90, Monolith '887, Schiit Magnius) didn't reproduce the 3D aspects of the music like discrete amps do - they made the Arya flat sounding, and without sound-stage depth and realism. I need to be enlightened...

I assure you that the k9 will blow you away, I’ve only owned 2 other fiio product, the m11 pro and btr5, both of which got no use from me, i must be honest and say that I’m not a fan of the k9’s functionality, it has a few bugs that need to be addressed, but as far as simplicity goes, this is the holy grail right now, its neutral and very spacious, and on the smoother side of things, it can be a bit edgy at higher volumes, but here’s something to note, I’ve never been this satisfied listening to music at the volumes i listen using the k9, it’s sound very elegant at moderate listening levels, you don’t have to go loud at all. I wish i knew how they do it, and I’m glad i purchased one when i did because they seem to be all gone (atleast the akm vesions anyway) hopefully the ess is just as good or even better!!

 

[Aetherhole]

Thanks for everyone recommending the Audiophile Ninja cables. They arrived yesterday and I like them a lot. They feel soft, durable and well made. Custom fees for importing them to Germany and shipment were a bit hard to swallow but even then the price was okay. So thumbs up for these cables.

I keep seeing Jeremy's name dropped and his company so I'm seriously considering getting an Audiophile Ninja cable. I'm just trying to figure out whether or not I want to go 4-Pin XLR or 4.4mm balanced for my termination. Anyone have recommendation or opinion on the matter??

 

[Aetherhole]

I assure you that the k9 will blow you away, I’ve only owned 2 other fiio product, the m11 pro and btr5, both of which got no use from me, i must be honest and say that I’m not a fan of the k9’s functionality, it has a few bugs that need to be addressed, but as far as simplicity goes, this is the holy grail right now, its neutral and very spacious, and on the smoother side of things, it can be a bit edgy at higher volumes, but here’s something to note, I’ve never been this satisfied listening to music at the volumes i listen using the k9, it’s sound very elegant at moderate listening levels, you don’t have to go loud at all. I wish i knew how they do it, and I’m glad i purchased one when i did because they seem to be all gone (atleast the akm vesions anyway) hopefully the ess is just as good or even better!!

I am so glad I picked mine up when I did then! I heard that the ESS version will be more expensive than the AKM version, so even if it is just as good (or better) you'll be paying a higher premium for it! I'd be curious to hear people's take once it starts shipping. In the meantime, my K9 with the Arya will continue to wow me.

 

[Xerosnake90]

I recently discovered Audiophile Ninja myself. Ordered an XLR cable for my Arya and it's fantastic, received it in two days lol

Sounds way better than the cheap Amazon cable I had and it better built too

 

[Aetherhole]

I recently discovered Audiophile Ninja myself. Ordered an XLR cable for my Arya and it's fantastic, received it in two days lol

Sounds way better than the cheap Amazon cable I had and it better built too

Yeah I currently have an XLR cable that is pretty decent, but my biggest issue is it isn't long enough for my liking. I'm looking at getting a 10' cable just for good measure. Sonically I'm curious if there'll be any difference between XLR and 4.4mm balanced (I don't think there would be since both are balanced).

 

[LittleJoe919]

Are the Ninja cables equal or better than Hart cables?

 

[Aetherhole]

Well, I took the plunge and just ordered a 10 foot with XLR termination from Audiophile Ninja. Looking forward to receiving it!

 

[Xerosnake90]

Are the Ninja cables equal or better than Hart cables?

I read that Hart cables don't sound great

 

[Tex Irie]

Thank you to whomever mentioned Audiophile Ninja. Hart Audio has excellent customer service (Hannah is super cool). I'm not sure if their turn around times have improved but I'm always willing to try other reasonably priced cables.

 

[LittleJoe919]

I read that Hart cables don't sound great

I have Hart cables, and think they sound good and are versatile with there separate connections. I was wondering how the Ninja's compare .
Thank you for taking the time to reply though.

 

[ctaxxxx]

Wanted to leave my thoughts here for anyone interested in upgrading from their Arya v2. Unfortunately, the Susvara is outside my budget... The notes below are all in sequential order of when I tried them.

Arya v2: Amazing soundstage and speaker-like presentation, but not without it's flaws. Treble had a noticeable peak and vocals were a little blurry in some respects. Wanted to see what the HE1000 series could offer, so I sold them.
* Source at the time was the iBasso DX312 dap with a Norne Silvergarde after-market headphone cable.

HE1000SE: My first major upgrade over the Arya and into the next price bracket of 2k+ headphones. First thought is "Wow these are detailed". Technicalities and resolution is through the roof. The sheer speed, force, and accuracy of the bass, without any fostex-like bloat, blew me away especially! After the honeymoon period though, I realized how bright the treble is and how the tuning of the midrange was off. Maybe it was too warm for me?... The treble peak is what killed it for me though. It was a higher frequency than the Arya v2 but more distracting to my ears. While the soundstage didn't feel as grand as the Arya v2, it was still a sufficient size. Eventually, I decided to sell them for the HE1Kv2.
* By this time, I reterminated my Silvergarde cable for ZMF headphones, and ordered a Norne Draug Copper for the Hifiman's

HE1000v2: I read a lot how the tuning on these are better, despite the less impressive technicalities (but still better over the Arya), and I would have to agree here. The treble is the smoothest here, but still very detailed - easily my most favorite approach to this frequency range. Soundstage is larger than the HE1KSE, and maybe even the Arya v2. The reason I say maybe is because the midrange is drier, less warm, but also closer, so it doesn't feel as deep to me. I did eventually find the mids a little too dry, but it depended a lot on the recording. The biggest killer though was the bass. As mentioned in reviews online, it's not bass light, but the dynamics are very lackluster. It's just so... soft. Even the Arya v2 was better here and for the price, I found it pretty disappointing.
* At this time, I upgraded my source to include the Cayin C9 portable amp. Huuuuge improvement, especially with the Class A / NuTube selections.

(This is off-topic, but sorta relevant at the same time - feel free to skip...
In the interim, I also upgraded my IEM to the Theiaudio Monarch mk2. For $1k USD, it was the best money I ever spent these past few months. Easily the best enjoyable tuning I've heard in a long while. After hearing these, I decided the rollback all my headphone upgrades and return to the Arya. Even the ZMF Verite I purchased, after selling my Fostex and Sony Z1R, are being sold. At this point I decided to prioritize tuning over technicalities, and save money in the meantime)

Arya SE: Instead of going back to the v2, I decided to try the SE despite the mixed impressions. These feel like a baby HE1KSE. The tuning is similar from my memory, but it's more linear in the treble and midrange, which is really good in my book. This has my favorite midrange presentation of all the headphones here - not too dry and not too warm. The bass is definitely punchier than the v2, but loses that unique speaker-like feel to it. The soundstage doesn't bother as me as much as I thought it would, but more so the presentation that made the v2 so unique. I do like the Arya SE though and don't see myself selling for now.


In the end, I feel the Arya (v2 or SE) is the best value headphone on the market, especially if you grab an open box deal. If you want to upgrade from the v2, I would say don't. There's nothing really out there that is a "direct upgrade", only more like a side-grade. If you want an upgrade from the SE, then the HE1KSE would be a perfect upgrade if you don't mind the treble or can EQ. I really wished I heard those headphones through the Cayin C9.

 

[Tex Irie]

Wanted to leave my thoughts here for anyone interested in upgrading from their Arya. THes Unfortunately, the Susvara was outside my budget... The notes below are all in sequential order of when I tried them.

Arya v2: Amazing soundstage and speaker-like presentation, but not without it's flaws. Treble had a noticeable peak and vocals were a little blurry in some respects. Wanted to see what the HE1000 series could offer, so I sold them.
* Source at the time was the iBasso DX312 dap with a Norne Silvergarde after-market headphone cable.

HE1000SE: My first major upgrade over the Arya and into the next price bracket of 2k+ headphones. First thought is "Wow these are detailed". Technicalities and resolution is through the roof. The sheer speed, force, and accuracy of the bass, without any fostex-like bloat, blew me away especially! After the honeymoon period though, I realized how bright the treble is and how the tuning of the midrange was off. Maybe it was too warm for me?... The treble peak is what killed it for me though. It was a higher frequency than the Arya v2 but more distracting to my ears. While the soundstage didn't feel as grand as the Arya v2, it was still a sufficient size. Eventually, I decided to sell them for the HE1Kv2.
* By this time, I reterminated my Silvergarde cable for ZMF headphones, and ordered a Norne Draug Copper for the Hifiman's

HE1000v2: I read a lot how the tuning on these are better, despite the less impressive technicalities (but still better over the Arya), and I would have to agree here. The treble is the smoothest here, but still very detailed - easily my most favorite approach to this frequency range. Soundstage is larger than the SE, and maybe even the Arya v2. The reason I say maybe is because the midrange is drier, less warm, but also closer, so it doesn't feel as deep to me. I did eventually find the mids a little too dry, but it depended a lot on the recording. The biggest killer though was the bass. As mentioned in reviews online, it's not bass light, but the dynamics are very lackluster. It's just so... soft. Even the Arya v2 was better here and for the price, I found it pretty disappointing.
* At this time, I upgraded my source to include the Cayin C9 portable amp. Huuuuge improvement, especially with the Class A / NuTube selections.

(This is off-topic, but sorta relevant at the same time - feel free to skip...
In the interim, I also upgraded my IEM to the Theiaudio Monarch mk2. For $1k USD, it was the best money I ever spent these past few months. Easily the best enjoyable tuning I've heard in a long while. After hearing these, I decided the rollback all my headphone upgrades and return to the Arya. Even the ZMF Verite I purchased, after selling my Fostex and Sony Z1R, are being sold. At this point I decided to prioritize tuning over technicalities, and save money in the meantime)

Arya SE: Instead of going back to the v2, I decided to try the SE despite the mixed impressions. These feel like a baby HE1KSE. The tuning is similar from my memory, but it's more linear in the treble and midrange, which is really good in my book. This has my favorite midrange presentation of all the headphones here - not too dry and not too warm. The bass is definitely punchier than the v2, but loses that unique speaker-like feel to it. The soundstage doesn't bother as me as much as I thought it would, but more so the presentation that made the v2 so unique. I do like the Arya SE though and don't see myself selling for now.


In the end, I feel the Arya (v2 or SE) is the best value headphone on the market, especially if you grab an open box deal. If you want to upgrade from the v2, I would say don't. There's nothing really out there that is a "direct upgrade", only more like a side-grade. If you want an upgrade from the SE, then the HE1KSE would be a perfect upgrade if you don't mind the treble or can EQ. I really wished I heard those headphones through the Cayin C9.

@ctaxxxx I've spent a good bit of time with the Ananda, Arya Stealth, HE1000se, and Susvara. I loved the HE1000se but for practical reasons I gravitated towards the Arya Stealth. It's close enough for me and leaves my wallet 2 racks heavier. They all benefit from a balanced cable and good amplification. Thank you for your input. That's a pretty good detailed summary.

 

[MardukSonofEa]

(This is off-topic, but sorta relevant at the same time - feel free to skip...
In the interim, I also upgraded my IEM to the Theiaudio Monarch mk2. For $1k USD, it was the best money I ever spent these past few months. Easily the best enjoyable tuning I've heard in a long while. After hearing these, I decided the rollback all my headphone upgrades and return to the Arya. Even the ZMF Verite I purchased, after selling my Fostex and Sony Z1R, are being sold. At this point I decided to prioritize tuning over technicalities, and save money in the meantime)

Thanks for taking the time - all the details in your post about your impressions of the Arya's siblings are really helpful.

As a fellow Arya SE and Monarch MkII owner, I totally agree with this. Dollar for dollar it's been my best audio purchase. The tuning is just magical. There are djenty death metal tracks that still sound a tad harsh on my nearly $4k Arya SE + Bifrost 2 + Soloist 3XP desktop setup, but the MkII is just so smooth and musical with everything.

 

[Aetherhole]

Wanted to leave my thoughts here for anyone interested in upgrading from their Arya. THes Unfortunately, the Susvara was outside my budget... The notes below are all in sequential order of when I tried them.

Arya v2: Amazing soundstage and speaker-like presentation, but not without it's flaws. Treble had a noticeable peak and vocals were a little blurry in some respects. Wanted to see what the HE1000 series could offer, so I sold them.
* Source at the time was the iBasso DX312 dap with a Norne Silvergarde after-market headphone cable.

HE1000SE: My first major upgrade over the Arya and into the next price bracket of 2k+ headphones. First thought is "Wow these are detailed". Technicalities and resolution is through the roof. The sheer speed, force, and accuracy of the bass, without any fostex-like bloat, blew me away especially! After the honeymoon period though, I realized how bright the treble is and how the tuning of the midrange was off. Maybe it was too warm for me?... The treble peak is what killed it for me though. It was a higher frequency than the Arya v2 but more distracting to my ears. While the soundstage didn't feel as grand as the Arya v2, it was still a sufficient size. Eventually, I decided to sell them for the HE1Kv2.
* By this time, I reterminated my Silvergarde cable for ZMF headphones, and ordered a Norne Draug Copper for the Hifiman's

HE1000v2: I read a lot how the tuning on these are better, despite the less impressive technicalities (but still better over the Arya), and I would have to agree here. The treble is the smoothest here, but still very detailed - easily my most favorite approach to this frequency range. Soundstage is larger than the SE, and maybe even the Arya v2. The reason I say maybe is because the midrange is drier, less warm, but also closer, so it doesn't feel as deep to me. I did eventually find the mids a little too dry, but it depended a lot on the recording. The biggest killer though was the bass. As mentioned in reviews online, it's not bass light, but the dynamics are very lackluster. It's just so... soft. Even the Arya v2 was better here and for the price, I found it pretty disappointing.
* At this time, I upgraded my source to include the Cayin C9 portable amp. Huuuuge improvement, especially with the Class A / NuTube selections.

(This is off-topic, but sorta relevant at the same time - feel free to skip...
In the interim, I also upgraded my IEM to the Theiaudio Monarch mk2. For $1k USD, it was the best money I ever spent these past few months. Easily the best enjoyable tuning I've heard in a long while. After hearing these, I decided the rollback all my headphone upgrades and return to the Arya. Even the ZMF Verite I purchased, after selling my Fostex and Sony Z1R, are being sold. At this point I decided to prioritize tuning over technicalities, and save money in the meantime)

Arya SE: Instead of going back to the v2, I decided to try the SE despite the mixed impressions. These feel like a baby HE1KSE. The tuning is similar from my memory, but it's more linear in the treble and midrange, which is really good in my book. This has my favorite midrange presentation of all the headphones here - not too dry and not too warm. The bass is definitely punchier than the v2, but loses that unique speaker-like feel to it. The soundstage doesn't bother as me as much as I thought it would, but more so the presentation that made the v2 so unique. I do like the Arya SE though and don't see myself selling for now.


In the end, I feel the Arya (v2 or SE) is the best value headphone on the market, especially if you grab an open box deal. If you want to upgrade from the v2, I would say don't. There's nothing really out there that is a "direct upgrade", only more like a side-grade. If you want an upgrade from the SE, then the HE1KSE would be a perfect upgrade if you don't mind the treble or can EQ. I really wished I heard those headphones through the Cayin C9.

I appreciate your post and you taking the time to share it with us! This isn't the first time I've heard the Arya SE referred to as a baby HE1000 SE. It's interest to hear that you find the v2 presentation so different. I've heard that from others, but then I've also heard others who say it's a lot closer. Especially after ample usage, the SE open up even more and while I don't have comparison to any other Hifiman, I will say based off of my initial impressions to now having had some time, that is the case. They do feel even less claustrophobic and congested. I even hesitate saying they even sounded claustrophobic or congested before, because they really weren't at all, but relatively speaking to now, the presentation seems bigger.