[tradyblix]

Audiophile grade "pink noise" for sale.

only if it's Audiophile grade. I don't want any garden-variety pink noise.

 

[haasaaroni]

Anyone got any balanced cable upgrade recommendations for them ? Silver vs Copper, etc ?

Oh definitely copper! I'm using a ZMF Lektrik C cable (2 strand). I use a silver cable with my VO, which already has a much beefier sound. I would think it might take away from the bass impact of the Arya a little too much. But maybe someone who actually uses a silver cable with the Arya can say I'm wrong!

I use a Forza Audio Noire Hybrid HPC with my Auteur though, and something tells me that would work really well with the Arya as well. It's a hybrid silver/copper cable, not silver-plated copper, so the signal is much more pure, in theory.

 

[tradyblix]

Oh definitely copper! I'm using a ZMF Lektrik C cable (2 strand). I use a silver cable with my VO, which already has a much beefier sound. I would think it might take away from the bass impact of the Arya a little too much. But maybe someone who actually uses a silver cable with the Arya can say I'm wrong!

I use a Forza Audio Noire Hybrid HPC with my Auteur though, and something tells me that would work really well with the Arya as well. It's a hybrid silver/copper cable, not silver-plated copper, so the signal is much more pure, in theory.

Yeah I figured silver wouldn't be the way to go with the way these things already sound, lol. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

People still buy that copper is warm and silver is bright nonsense.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Just joined the Arya Stealth club, replacing my (dead) Utopia.

So far so good. Little metallic at first but after about 30 mins my brain adjusted or they burned in a bit, depending on what you believe.

Enjoying them.

Give them more time, IMO - they really start to open up around ~25-50hrs, and improve even further in about ~75-100hrs. Improvements can still be had at 100+ hrs. I use a combination of pink noise and music to speed things along a bit. Caveat: Of course, this is just my opinion....

 

[ezduzit2500]

Anyone got any balanced cable upgrade recommendations for them ? Silver vs Copper, etc ?

Get both and switch out depending on mood. Both Periapt and Hart make excellent OFC copper cables, IMO, as well as Apos Audio (though I can't remember if the Apos cable is OFC or SPC). I have a Periapt OFC copper and I bought the SPC cable that was meant for the Gold Planar GL-2000 hps - both SPC fit the dual 3.5mm Arya female plugs on the hp end. I tend to use either one depending on my mood. Both mine are XLR but if you prefer SE you can order them that way too. Keep us posted....

 

[ferorake]

Buy the cheapest one, and even if silver could make a difference, I wouldn't buy something that is going to boost "clarity" on a hifiman

 

[Spamdunk]

Thanks for the reply @Ichos .

Anyway, I just got a good deal on the Arya Stealth while considering other headphones and could not resist. Pulled the trigger some days ago. I was pretty worried it would not be enough of an upgrade from the Sundara (which I deeply love) and oh boy... they are amazing.

I've never listened to the V2, so can't judge about the shrinked soundstage (which many reviews reports) but the tonality is mostly the same as the Sundara, details retrieval is quite better and separation is just on another level.
I can differentiate instruments, echoes, textures and decays much easier and without concentrating too much. It's just like they are a little far away from each other, while the vocal delivery is more intimate (I love it)!
The timbre seems pretty natural to me, they also sound big and surrounding, but still natural. I have some experience in music production, as I worked with some local bands, and I don't find any artificial quality to the sound reproduction in general.

The bass also hits harder than the Sundara, I can feel more impact.

As I listen mostly to progressive rock/metal stuff, this HP is golden with it's layering ability, natural timbre, punch and engaging sound without being fatiguing.

I followed exactly this upgrade pathway! My Arya Stealth have got about 30 hours on them now. They seem easier to drive than the Sundaras and hit deeper and harder.. I can pinpoint the instruments in space much better and there seems to be a darkness between them that I've never experienced before. I can't quite believe that the music seems much wider than I've ever heard it before in a pair of headphones. I can attest to the burn in as Freddie Mercury's voice in Bohemian Rhapsody (Tidal MQA) seemed forced and strained like he was singing through a cloth out of the box and with 30 ish hours gone, he sounds much more effortless. I can't wait to hear the "end point" to this process.

Just out of interest, I'm using a Zen stack (Can and DAC V2). I haven't got a ton of money to spend but is there a better stack to think about purchasing for around £500 to drive these?

 

[kRed]

I followed exactly this upgrade pathway! My Arya Stealth have got about 30 hours on them now. They seem easier to drive than the Sundaras and hit deeper and harder.. I can pinpoint the instruments in space much better and there seems to be a darkness between them that I've never experienced before. I can't quite believe that the music seems much wider than I've ever heard it before in a pair of headphones. I can attest to the burn in as Freddie Mercury's voice in Bohemian Rhapsody (Tidal MQA) seemed forced and strained like he was singing through a cloth out of the box and with 30 ish hours gone, he sounds much more effortless. I can't wait to hear the "end point" to this process.

Just out of interest, I'm using a Zen stack (Can and DAC V2). I haven't got a ton of money to spend but is there a better stack to think about purchasing for around £500 to drive these?

Look at the JDS stuff, if I'm not wrong there is a new AIO out. I'm running them on the FiiO K9 Pro and I love it (tho I have some worries about the AIO itself in term of support from FiiO) but it is a bit more expensive.

 

[Spamdunk]

Look at the JDS stuff, if I'm not wrong there is a new AIO out. I'm running them on the FiiO K9 Pro and I love it (tho I have some worries about the AIO itself in term of support from FiiO) but it is a bit more expensive.

I've just seen the specs for the new K9 Pro with dual ES9038Pro and dual THX788+ chips... Works out (with exchange rates) at roughly £600... I might be content with my Zen stack for a little while in order to save up!!

 

[gordec]

Anyone got any balanced cable upgrade recommendations for them ? Silver vs Copper, etc ?

Some may feel Arya being a light bright. I feel the treble is perfect with silver coated copper. If you have Amazon prime, try the Meze copper and silver coated cables. They are built so well and very affordable. You can return easily through Prime. Meze 99 Series Cables OFC (4.4 mm (Balanced)) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B099KG98VC/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_YSEHHWPF165MRVDAE7EG?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Meze Audio 99 Series Silver Plated Upgrade Balanced Cable 4.4mm Jack | Headphones HiFi Cable Replacement 4.4mm Male to Dual TS Mono 3.5mm Male Connector Plug | Cable Length 1.2m/3.9ft https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0822T67T4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_Y2GEF519JP4P8SY3BFGV?psc=1

I'm using the silver plated version with Shanling M9.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I followed exactly this upgrade pathway! My Arya Stealth have got about 30 hours on them now. They seem easier to drive than the Sundaras and hit deeper and harder.. I can pinpoint the instruments in space much better and there seems to be a darkness between them that I've never experienced before. I can't quite believe that the music seems much wider than I've ever heard it before in a pair of headphones. I can attest to the burn in as Freddie Mercury's voice in Bohemian Rhapsody (Tidal MQA) seemed forced and strained like he was singing through a cloth out of the box and with 30 ish hours gone, he sounds much more effortless. I can't wait to hear the "end point" to this process.

Just out of interest, I'm using a Zen stack (Can and DAC V2). I haven't got a ton of money to spend but is there a better stack to think about purchasing for around £500 to drive these?

I'd look at well regarded stuffs in the used market. You can get some very good deals if you're willing to have patience. I'd use the Dac v2 for now and look for a deal on a higher tiered used discrete Class A amp for the Aryas, they still love Class A amps just like the earlier versions. You can upgrade your DAC at a later date after the amp. Of course this is just my opinion, others may differ.

 

[yeboyi]

Would you guys say there is a fair jump in terms of sound quality from XS/Ananda to Arya S ? I'm curious if anyone here heard all 3 and can compare for me ? I use EQ so i'm not interested in stock tonality comparison like warm, bright, lack bass etc... I'm interested in technicalities and presentation.

 

[haasaaroni]

Would you guys say there is a fair jump in terms of sound quality from XS/Ananda to Arya S ? I'm curious if anyone here heard all 3 and can compare for me ? I use EQ so i'm not interested in stock tonality comparison like warm, bright, lack bass etc... I'm interested in technicalities and presentation.

Never heard the XS, but I owned the Ananda for a while, and the technical jump was quite noticeable. More weight and realism to the notes, better timbre, way better depth and layering, and more visceral bass (apart from bass level). The Ananda was soft and too unnatural sounding for me, and I feel the Arya fixed those problems. I really think you won't be disappointed with the upgrade.

 

[haasaaroni]

I followed exactly this upgrade pathway! My Arya Stealth have got about 30 hours on them now. They seem easier to drive than the Sundaras and hit deeper and harder.. I can pinpoint the instruments in space much better and there seems to be a darkness between them that I've never experienced before. I can't quite believe that the music seems much wider than I've ever heard it before in a pair of headphones. I can attest to the burn in as Freddie Mercury's voice in Bohemian Rhapsody (Tidal MQA) seemed forced and strained like he was singing through a cloth out of the box and with 30 ish hours gone, he sounds much more effortless. I can't wait to hear the "end point" to this process.

Just out of interest, I'm using a Zen stack (Can and DAC V2). I haven't got a ton of money to spend but is there a better stack to think about purchasing for around £500 to drive these?

How about the Chord Mojo 2? I have a feeling it will pair very well with the Arya SE, adding a bit of warmth and organic-ness with increased resolution over the Zen stack. Around the same price as the FiiO K9 pro.