[Thetaburn]

Let me try to describe the differences between arya v2 and hek v2 in another way. Imagine you go to a concert, be it symphonic or pop. You are a bit late and the concert already started. You walk down the hallway, you can hear the performance while walking down with two high walls on your side. All the music sounds good, just somewhat muffled or distant. That’s the arya v2. Once you step into the main hall, the music opened up, you can hear everything in detail with airiness but with one drawback: loud. That’s the hek v2. Your ears and brain will try to adjust willingly however. Nonetheless, you would very much like to enjoy the music from inside the hall rather than from alongside the hallway.

Yet another scenario: late night in your apartment you are worried that neighbors will complain about music from your free-standing speakers. You turn down the volume and you just can’t hear music anymore from your speakers, only annoying murmurs. You press the loudness button on your amplifier/receiver, then suddenly the music comes back, in a quieter and coherent manner. Some details are gone and the music sounds coming from a distant. But at least you can still listen to and enjoy it. That’s how I feel with the arya v2, never too loud, always maintains its composure.

The wonders of the arya v2 is that while the presentation is laid-back or distant, it reproduces the music nicely. As opposed to the mid-fi headphones that sounded off regardless of volume setting. Equalizers will make a mess out of them too. Maybe those mid-fi headphones added and/or omitted something to the musical presentation? Is coloration the right term to use here? It’s not easy to identify their faults without comparing against hifi headphones, but for me general fatigue is always the problem after listening with those for a while.

I would have been fine with the arya v2 as the last headphone I owned. I was actually frightened that if it’s broken I’d be forced to purchase a susvara. The recent clearance of hek v2 makes me take another look at it as a backup option because it is of the same technology as the arya v2 so I hoped it would sound similar. Besides the initial cringe on female vocals, I am relieved. Indeed soon I found that I actually prefer the hek more. Case 1: listen with hek, then switch to arya, and found that I want to switch back to hek. Case 2: enabled equalizer in foobar2000 to push back the mid frequencies by two dbs for the hek, but I end up disabling the equalizer to get back the details, openness, and airiness.

Oh well, some findings: 1. A song with two female singers. With hek, I can separate out the individual singers for the first time. Of course now when I tried again with arya, I can hear it too, just that I never noticed it before. 2. A track with drums and chorus. With arya, it’s a mess. With hek, drums are drums and chorus is chorus. Very clear separation. 3. In some y-t reviews. With hek, I clearly sense that I am in the same room as the reviewer, and when he turns his head left (or right?), I can hear vividly the voice coming from my left. Quite jaw dropping. Not so with arya as it produces merely a difference in left and right volume. Another one, his voice coming from a point at the back when listening with hek, but with arya, the voice is around the back on both sides. That’s all off my head for now.

Interesting analogy.

Some Arya v2 owners might get offended that for ~1300usd, they don't get a seat inside the concert hall, and are listening in the hallway. Lol.

I think the Arya SE is sitting in the 2nd row of the concert hall. Music is high resolution and intense.
Some might love that.

Sounds like the HeKv2 is sitting near the middle of the concert hall. Sounds like my next upgrade or sidegrade.

 

[orangecrescent]

Interesting analogy.

Some Arya v2 owners might get offended that for ~1300usd, they don't get a seat inside the concert hall, and are listening in the hallway. Lol.

I think the Arya SE is sitting in the 2nd row of the concert hall. Music is high resolution and intense.
Some might love that.

Sounds like the HeKv2 is sitting near the middle of the concert hall. Sounds like my next upgrade or sidegrade.

Oops...
Talk about unintended consequences...

The post was partially intended as a praise to the arya v2. The analogy is apparent only after comparing to the hek v2, and it only meant as a way to animate the difference in sound signature without using the vocabulary which I am not totally sure about. (If v2 owners are offended, I'll remove the post.)

 

[TheRH]

Burn-in of the Arya SE, is worth it but does take a while. I just got a brand new pair yesterday evening.

RH

 

[cfranchi]

Has anyone compared Arya SE vs HE1000 v2 ? I felt that HE1000 v2 was a bit laid back compared to my HE6se v1 and then I had to push volume to get more excitement.

Headfonia review said that, compared to HE6se, Arya SE is more engaging to listen to : that surprise me because HE6se is a very dynamic and punchy headphone (but on the neutral side).

 

[TheRH]

Just FYI, the Arya SEs, do respond quite well to burn-in. So yes, it is a real thing.

 

[TheRH]

Has anyone tried the leather headphone pads from Dekoni Audio?

 

[Contrails]

Has anyone compared Arya SE vs HE1000 v2 ? I felt that HE1000 v2 was a bit laid back compared to my HE6se v1 and then I had to push volume to get more excitement.

Headfonia review said that, compared to HE6se, Arya SE is more engaging to listen to : that surprise me because HE6se is a very dynamic and punchy headphone (but on the neutral side).

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/qpdisc/hifiman_arya_v3_se_vs_he1000_v2/

 

[cfranchi]

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/qpdisc/hifiman_arya_v3_se_vs_he1000_v2/

Seems Arya SE is a better fit for me : more engaging, punchy, vocals stood out more.
The reviewer however said that soundstage is almost claustrophobic with pop/rock, not so good for me.
I think HE1000 v2 is a bit ethereal so its laid back sound (and big soundstage).
I feel I’m a bit severe with HE1000 v2, it has an interesting sound however.

 

[Contrails]

Seems Arya SE is a better fit for me : more engaging, punchy, vocals stood out more.
The reviewer however said that soundstage is almost claustrophobic with pop/rock, not so good for me.
I think HE1000 v2 is a bit ethereal so its laid back sound (and big soundstage).
I feel I’m a bit severe with HE1000 v2, it has an interesting sound however.

You can't go wrong with either to be honest. They both have their strengths. The only draw back of the Arya SE is a slightly peaky treble and upper mids emphasis. I definitely would NOT use a bright DAC/Amp with the Arya SE.

 

[Thetaburn]

Seems Arya SE is a better fit for me : more engaging, punchy, vocals stood out more.
The reviewer however said that soundstage is almost claustrophobic with pop/rock, not so good for me.
I think HE1000 v2 is a bit ethereal so its laid back sound (and big soundstage).
I feel I’m a bit severe with HE1000 v2, it has an interesting sound however.

The soundstage isn't almost claustrophobic, but it is noticeably smaller than the Arya v2.
Some might prefer a smaller soundstage.....not me though.
Burn in wont significantly change the width of the soundstage.
Some have stated this is partially because all instruments sound so clear and sharp on the SE vs on the v2 it is softer and less resolved hence it seems more distant.

I prefer the sound signature of the v2 > SE. Once you have heard the soundstage on the v2, it's hard to listen to a smaller soundstage.
When I first heard the Arya V2, I was impressed.
When I first heard the Arya SE, I felt I traded a huge soundstage for a more technically sounding headphone.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

I feel like there's a tradeoff with planars. You either have incredible punch, slam or wider, airier soundstage. Can't have both. The original Audeze LCD-2 had amazing slam and dynamics, but very intimate sounding and closed in.

I feel like the Arya V2 strikes a good balance with decent punch and a wide soundstage. HEKV2 strays further away with a wider soundstage, air, and less punch.

 

[Diamondpact]

welll

 

[yeboyi]

After reading you guys impressions of Arya v2, it's interesting that people say Arya v2 and v3 is extremely similar. Arya SE has definitely energetic, engaging, overwhelming sound. ''claustrophobic '' isn't far off. The soundstage capability of this headphone comes from it's resolution capabilities. You are just inside of the music and if recording has a good soundstage Arya SE delivers that. Otherwise it's a bombarding headphone but compared to something like Focal, Sennheiser yeah the soundstage may seem huge.
Arya v2 is so famous with that distant sound, big soundstage i haven't heard v2 but Arya SE is definitely not like that. Edition XS is kinda like that. It sounds distant and slower. Or even Ananda, sounds closer but flat and soft.

 

[r343]

If we factor soundstage by how forward or recessed vocals/instruments are in there then Bose QC35 and TH900 have bigger soundstage than Arya SE and it really is not so because image size grows too.

 

[vidzegg]

Welcome to the never ending quest to fix the Arya I’m serious! If vocal timbre/peaky high frequency sensitive is what aggravates you, no amp will fix it. You can try EQ, which is a much safer bet. An amp will, at best, decrease the level of the treble with some roll off, but will never smooth over treble peaks like the Arya SE has that affect timbre and occasional sibilance.

I do still love the Arya with my Ampsandsound Forge, so much that I’m probably going to sell my solid state amp and go all tubes. And yes, it does smooth out the treble response a good bit, in that some tracks that were sibilant before aren’t anymore (especially with my red base RCA 5691). But I hesitate to say it solves all the issues with the treble, for certain genres anyway.

I also tried the Arya with a Kenzie Encore and really liked the synergy from the 32 ohm tap. It was warm, liquid, and quite smooth from what I remember, with a really powerful bass response. The Forge does so as well, but I haven’t compared the two directly. A lot depends on the tubes you use. I would think the Kenzie OG would be a very good fit.

The last thing to consider is that maybe the HEKV2 is a safer bet for you. For me, having owned both the HEXV2 and HEKV2, the latter really seems to be the ultimate version of the former. The Arya’s sound is exciting and highly detail-forward, but if you’re looking for a similar sound to the HEX, then the HEKV2 is next in that upgrade path. I would just hate to see you upgrade to a $3K tube amp only to find out that it doesn’t quite do it for you. That money might be better spent on a better transducer rather than amplifier.

Well, I don't have a high end tube amp, I've got little mid-range project ember which is also a hybrid amp, but the Arya sounds fantastic out of it. I'm using a Bugle Boy it's a 12AX7 tube. I always use bugle boys for this type of tube because they just seem more airy and transparent to me than other tubes I've used. Can't comment about other amps they're all different and the ones with multiple tubes, you're gonna have to practice to find what's best for you.

Project Ember puts out 1.4 Watts into the Arya @32 ohms with it's resistance jumpers set to the lowest setting (and it's low end is definately more present than out of a 300mw connection or a 768mw Single ended connection or a 1.2 W balanced setup, the other way I've tried it with my other, solid state amps.) Also the highs are more tamed for me although since I've burned in the Arya (about 50-100 hours in) I am not having the very early issues I was having with it's metallic tone and sharpness when I first got it. I ran it through pink noise, FWIW, but I don't play stuff for longer than 8 hours as manufacturers warn you against excessive burn in times. Or volumes. It's probably TOTALY PLACEBO but I swear it was tamed after that session lol. I swear, that's just my subjective impression. Someone here suggested it, I usually roll my eyes at that, but since I know cables make a difference and people pooh-pooh cables all the time as well, I figured, why not try it can't hurt.

Now it can be really cool out of the Hugo2 and very technical but the tube AMP is just heaven. The TA-ZH1ES can simulate an analog amp with it's DC Phase Linearizer feature and it's also pretty pleasant out of that, but I just love whenver there's a tube involved, even in a hybrid tube amp. It does trade off some detail and imaging, slightly. YMMV.

My dream is to pair the HEKV2 with a high power, quality tube amp as well. I think the Burson 3XP does a pretty good job but I'm looking for the extra wide soundstage and dynamic swing. Particularly in the bass texture. Tonally, I'm pretty happy the way it is.

I have the WA7 fireflies 3rd Gen. It has the tube warmth but doesn't drive the Arya V2 or HEKV2 to it's potential. Sounds very closed in. I feel like that amp does better with higher impedance cans.

Gonna spend some more time with HEKV2 this weekend. But I think @haasaaroni's comparison is spot on. The presentation is different compared to Arya V2.

The analogy is like watching a beautiful movie or painting from afar with HEKV2 vs being in the center and surrounded by music all around you on the Arya. Arya is a more immersive and engaging experience.

Arya can sometimes put me in awe and make my jaw drop. HEKV2 can put me in tears just appreciating how beautiful and ambient the music is presented. Both can be listened to hours on end without fatigue.

Detail wise, I didn't really notice a difference until I switched back to Arya and I found things I noticed on HEKV2 that wasnt there. HEKV2 captures micro details in the recording better. Like your actually in the recording studio.

I think I'll most likely keep the HEKV2, but I'm not quite ready to let go of the Arya yet...kind of thinking of maybe trading in the V2 for the Stealth since I want something more efficient to drive.

Thank you so much for these extremely helpful responses. You guys have saved my life coz now there is hope . I have ordered HEK V2. I don't know why I did not research it this time, probably because i had given up on it as " out of my league" headphone 4 years ago when i got HEX V2 which turned out to a good decision but Arya has now given me a taste for more details from the same songs I have heard before and I would settle for it if not for slightly peaky treble that I am more sensitive to than I thought. Right now, i have to take it off after an hour and give my ears a rest but that hour is full of emotional engaging music listening. Still, I like to go for 5 or 6 hours straight with HEX v2 and I don't know if I can do it with Arya even after burn in.

I went back and saw many reviews comparing HEX v2 vs HEK V2 and they confirm @haasaaroni 's description. I still have a few days left where I can return Arya if needed and keep HEK v2 if it is any smoother than Arya and has same detail and soundstage. I plan to try it with Zen Dac and Xduoo MT 604 to get more insight about how it may possibly sound with high end tube amps but I am still thinking about Forge or Kenzie as endgame tube amp so that I can stay away from this pattern of endless search for another few years. WA 7 V3 is out of contention because of @SemiAudiophile 's feedback and that's why i am so grateful to hear from people who have " been there, done that" . I will report back in a few days and get the ball rolling on learning about tube rolling from you