[orangecrescent]

Thanks for the comparison, very informative.
It seems for mortals like me (who can't afford the Susvara) the HE1000SE and Arya V2 combo might be the best compromise.
If you were to keep only one of them, excluding the Susvara, which one would it be?

I'll keep Arya v2. But that's one thousand percent due to my personal audio preferences. With the Arya v2, the chain I use is D70s -> SA-1, low gain.
I agree that the HEKSE complements nicely with the Arya v2.

 

[Vijay74]

I'll keep Arya v2. But that's one thousand percent due to my personal audio preferences. With the Arya v2, the chain I use is D70s -> SA-1, low gain.
I agree that the HEKSE complements nicely with the Arya v2.

Any specific reasons to use D70s->SA1 chain with Arya V2 while Pontus II -> Soloist 3XGT with Susvara? What chain would you opt for Hekse and why?

 

[Vijay74]

I wonder if I have to check whether Linear Power Supply will have positive impact on my stack or not, are power banks not excellent source of LPS esp for 5V output till they get discharged? Supply is pure DC volts, hence very linear, available even though for a limited period? Or am I missing something?

Seems I was wrong about power banks as LPS. They seem to be far from clean source of power. Guess I will have to buy LPS and test them out in my stack.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/ho12dx/powerbank_vs_linear_psu_for_clean_power/

 

[orangecrescent]

Any specific reasons to use D70s->SA1 chain with Arya V2 while Pontus II -> Soloist 3XGT with Susvara? What chain would you opt for Hekse and why?

D70s : not very expensive, uses akm chips that I like, 5Vrms output
SA-1 : class A good for planars, not very expensive, said it has weaker amp power so I should buy dac with >4Vrms output

Bought the Pontus II after I acquired HEKv2, just to try r2r nos to dial back its vocal forwardness a bit as reviews said it provides a slightly darker presentation which is true. Good for HEKv2 but not so for Arya v2.

Susvara needs powerful amps. Soloist 3XGT has good reviews like many others, bought it because it's on sale. SA-1 can get the susvara loud enough for about three quarters of my tracks, but the dynamics is obviously anemic compared to what I can get with hekv2 and arya v2.

If I have HEKSE, I think the Pontus II and SA-1 should be good enough. Pontus II may help to reduce the hekse's brightness a little, and helps its sound stage a little as well. SA-1 should be powerful enough due to hekse's efficiency. However, these are just educated guesses as I don't have the hekse with me to try out the various feeds.

 

[Tada]

I'll keep Arya v2. But that's one thousand percent due to my personal audio preferences. With the Arya v2, the chain I use is D70s -> SA-1, low gain.
I agree that the HEKSE complements nicely with the Arya v2.

Thanks again, I have the Arya V2 (which are my favorite phones) and I just purchased the new HE1000 Stealth. A/B will start tonight and I was hoping that I would vastly prefer the HE1000 over the Arya.

 

[antanast]

What are some of your EQ settings? I am using autoeq for the Stealth version, but it sounds kinda muffed.

 

[sahmen]

What are some of your EQ settings? I am using autoeq for the Stealth version, but it sounds kinda muffed.

Personally, i am using no EQ at all, but I am also not hearing any muffled sounds from the SE. Bifrost 2/64 ==>> Singxer SA-1 with a Schiit Lokius in between that is always inactive, and the sound is transparent and clean as a whistle with a touch of warmth and lushness. I do not know what specific conclusions to draw from this in response to your question other than the possibility that the problem of muffled sound might be chain-related rather. than EQ-related.

 

[antanast]

Personally, i am using no EQ at all, but I am also not hearing any muffled sounds from the SE. Bifrost 2/64 ==>> Singxer SA-1 with a Schiit Lokius in between that is always inactive, and the sound is transparent and clean as a whistle with a touch of warmth and lushness. I do not know what specific conclusions to draw from this in response to your question other than the possibility that the problem of muffled sound might be chain-related rather. than EQ-related.

Tried several amp dacs so not so sure its them. Maybe im not so fond of the autoeq levels

 

[LepakVT]

What are some of your EQ settings? I am using autoeq for the Stealth version, but it sounds kinda muffed.

I'm currently using Amir's EQ with a few extra db on Band 1
Link

 

[Tachyon88]

What are some of your EQ settings? I am using autoeq for the Stealth version, but it sounds kinda muffed.

I don't know what autoeq does, but oratory1990 measured the stealth version.

 

[Tada]

Thanks again, I have the Arya V2 (which are my favorite phones) and I just purchased the new HE1000 Stealth. A/B will start tonight and I was hoping that I would vastly prefer the HE1000 over the Arya.

So I started the A/B last night and initial thoughts are that the HEK Stealth is superior to the Arya V2, objectively.
However, the Arya's are enjoyable even without all the technicalities and I'm still not sure which I prefer.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I'm not a physicist either but I've taken several college level physics courses and I understand things like conservation of energy.

You're not using that power. It's not "in reserve" for your bass notes. It doesn't contribute to impact or dynamics. If you have a 500 mW amp and a 5 W amp driving headphones at the same volume, there's no inherent reason to believe the 5 W amp will sound better. It could just by the nature of different amps having different coloration, transient response, etc. But it's just as likely the 500 mW amp will be the better sounding one.

I've driven my Arya with a JDS Atom Amp+ (1 W max), NITSCH x Schiit Magni Piety (1 W), and Questyle M15 (probably around 215 mW). And as far as impact goes, they're all fairly close, but the M15 sounds better than the JDS and the Piety sounds better than both of them. But the Piety sounding better than the Atom Amp+ is obviously not due to power since it has the same amount, and same with the M15 sounding better than the Atom Amp+ since it has less. So the Piety sounding better than the M15 is, at least partially, not due to power, even though it has almost 5 times the amount (which is really only a 6.7 dB increase in max volume).

IMO, there is a such thing as: Dynamic Headroom - or, reserve power for musical - and esp. - sustained bass peaks/notes. Dynamic headroom tends to make the amp sound much easier to listen to at louder volumes - it's a extreme sense of ease when turned up, and will never sound harsh in the treble due to amp strain as the volume rises. Also my general take: Discrete amps will always sound better with any version of the Arya compared to IC-based amps. They will also excel in bass punch/dynamics, staging depth, timbre/tonality, dimensional prowess (ie: HxWxD + space and inner detail) over most IC-based amps. From my trials comparing the two topologies side by side.....

 

[ezduzit2500]

What are some of your EQ settings? I am using autoeq for the Stealth version, but it sounds kinda muffed.

IMO, the Stealths don't really need EQ - of course, depending on the chain (amp) driving them......

 

[rlanger]

IMO, the Stealths don't really need EQ - of course, depending on the chain (amp) driving them......

Headphones don't need EQ, people do.

Your hearing, preferences, and choice of music are not the same as mine. So, you may find the Stealths perfectly acceptable without EQ, but others might not.

Of course, I get your point. The Aryas are an extremely well-balanced headphone.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Headphones don't need EQ, people do.

Your hearing, preferences, and choice of music are not the same as mine. So, you may find the Stealths perfectly acceptable without EQ, but others might not.

Of course, I get your point. The Aryas are an extremely well-balanced headphone.

It's why I made the caveat: IMO. I've been previously counseled to not make purely absolute statements on audio-related things, LOL.....