[Kaeru92]

Spending a bit of time with my new setup this weekend.
Absolutely loving it, and to be honest I didnt expect it, but it sounds great on all types of music !

I listened to a lot of genres but mainly Metal and classical/Movie music.

 

[OCC7N]

Spending a bit of time with my new setup this weekend.
Absolutely loving it, and to be honest I didnt expect it, but it sounds great on all types of music !

I listened to a lot of genres but mainly Metal and classical/Movie music.

Looks sweet! And EQing the Arya will bring them out more. Truly the best headphones for the money. This is the sweetspot for highend meeting value/price.

example, not final...sound may also depend on the dac/system, but in general I raised the "weakness" of the Arya in the example

And if you upgrade the stock Arya cable with a FAW cable, you will be surprised after 1000hours of burnin. Claire HPC mk2 beats the Arya stock easy. The stock Susvara cable which is Hybrid beats the Claire HPC mk2. When funds are good I will order the Claire HPC Hybrid and confirm if I can recommend it over the Susvara stock, and the Claire HPC mk2.

 

[ezduzit2500]

Are discreet amps still recommended for the Arya SE? I was thinking of upgrading to a Topping DX3 Pro+ or EX5 (balanced) from my Schiit Modi 3 / Magni Heresy stack, but if a better stack or AIO (ideally under $500-800) pops up then I would go for that. I read some comments that say that a discreet amp makes a substantial difference.

I read some comments that say that a discreet amp makes a substantial difference.

This^^^. IMO, discrete Class A amps (even Class AB amps) excel over most IC-based ones - in 3-D dimensionality, timbre, texture, smoothness, and bass dynamics. The closest IC-based amps to discrete amps would be some Class A biased amps from iFI and hybrids from Gustard (the H16). Then there are other tube/hybrid amps like the Monolith Liquid Platinum that really excels for it's price. I tend to lean more towards separates instead of AIO's b/c of the much greater flexibility in system hookup and a much easier time with upgrading any part of my chain - you can't do either of them with AIO's. In the long run, you'd have to buy a whole new piece that costs considerably more to have any appreciable SQ gains......

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Xduoo TA-22 is a great option for the Arya if you're looking for an AIO hybrid tube amplifier. I slightly prefer my Ares II + A90D stack to it. But the synergy is very good and sound quality comes very close. Very good buy and performs well above its price point IMO. Very versatile with other headphones too.

 

[user404]

This^^^. IMO, discrete Class A amps (even Class AB amps) excel over most IC-based ones - in 3-D dimensionality, timbre, texture, smoothness, and bass dynamics. The closest IC-based amps to discrete amps would be some Class A biased amps from iFI and hybrids from Gustard (the H16). Then there are other tube/hybrid amps like the Monolith Liquid Platinum that really excels for it's price. I tend to lean more towards separates instead of AIO's b/c of the much greater flexibility in system hookup and a much easier time with upgrading any part of my chain - you can't do either of them with AIO's. In the long run, you'd have to buy a whole new piece that costs considerably more to have any appreciable SQ gains......

Would a Magni+ (discrete) be a solid option versus my current Magni Heresy? Or should I look elsewhere for an amp (don’t mind keeping my Modi 3) that will make the Stealth shine more?

Thanks!

 

[Ichos]

Would a Magni+ (discrete) be a solid option versus my current Magni Heresy? Or should I look elsewhere for an amp (don’t mind keeping my Modi 3) that will make the Stealth shine more?

Thanks!

The question is what is that you want to change.
What you don't like and want to improve.

 

[user404]

The question is what is that you want to change.
What you don't like and want to improve.

My Arya sound great with my current setup, and still consider it my “last stop.” If I can improve soundstage and/or sound a smidge by incorporating a different DAC amp (up to $1k) then I’m open to trying that route. I am content, either way.

 

[Ichos]

My Arya sound great with my current setup, and still consider it my “last stop.” If I can improve soundstage and/or sound a smidge by incorporating a different DAC amp (up to $1k) then I’m open to trying that route. I am content, either way.

Well, while you have a great set-up, especially for the price, you can definitely improve with such a generous budget.

 

[enz0pt]

Probably something like and R-2R DAC would be the next best option

 

[Vijay74]

Spending a bit of time with my new setup this weekend.
Absolutely loving it, and to be honest I didnt expect it, but it sounds great on all types of music !

I listened to a lot of genres but mainly Metal and classical/Movie music.

Though You may not need it now, but down the months/years, if you feel to upgrade something, change stock Op amps of 3XP to Sparkos (pair in input stage). It brings lot more musicality to the system.
But this is for later. Enjoy your current setup for now.

 

[OCC7N]

I think I reached the best pairing for AryaV2 so far out of the dacs I have tried. I had it on my RME for a long time. Switching back to TT2, the-lost-mids-of-arya came back without any EQ. I did have the RME on EQ. TT2 handles it great wihout!

I think its a better match for Arya than my R8HE MK2 which more balanced and not as mid- focused as TT2.

 

[TrumpOrMonkey]

My Arya sound great with my current setup, and still consider it my “last stop.” If I can improve soundstage and/or sound a smidge by incorporating a different DAC amp (up to $1k) then I’m open to trying that route. I am content, either way.

I'd recommend the Schiit Lyr 3 or Lyr + (I personally haven't heard the Lyr+, just the Lyr 3, so extrapolating a bit here), I found that it drove the Arya V2 comfortably with good dynamics while increasing the holographic nature of the sound stage. I personally haven't heard the Magni Heresy, but if it's anything like the Magni 3, or a number of the other Schiit SS amps, expect the same amount of forwardness but with improved depth, layering and width (somewhat). I think it might be the ticket for you.

I'm sure something like the Musician Pegasus R2R DAC would do it for you as well, but I wouldn't really want to run the Pegasus with a Magni Heresy because I feel like it'd be held back, and I don't know if you could fit a Pegasus and a better SS amp in a 1k budget easily. Maybe a used Jotunheim 2? I found that setup quite nice. Admittedly I found the Pegasus to pull the slam and bass weight back just a little bit as well (atleast compared to Modius), so you would need to compensate for that downstream - this won't so much be an issue with the Lyr 3 since you could always just roll a warmer tube if you find it too thin with some of the brighter ones.

My only reservation is these two will add a bit more of a euphonic coloration and saturation to the sound which will be noticeable over something which is comparatively more dry and clean like the Heresy (just as assumption I'm making based on what I've heard admittedly), which you may like or dislike. Personally I like it as I find HiFiMans can sound a bit too stark with gear which is a bit too analytical and/or clean (had Topping stuff before).

Hope this helps

 

[Anouk]

I just got back into headphones a while ago and after reading what is available nowadays really got into planar magnetics. Havent tried that before and I do listen to a lot of lcassical music. Hifiman does seem to have some stellar headphones at a pricepoint that I can afford with very good reviews. I was nearly set on the arya stealth. I really loved the hd800 although it did have too little bass. But then i read about the he1000stealth/v3. I have heard that the he1000 and arya have a lot of common and the arya is a lot cheaper... Has anyone compared the stealth versions of these two headphones or can anyone point me to a review?
Thanks in advance
Greetings, Anouk,

 

[SRKRAM]

I just got back into headphones a while ago and after reading what is available nowadays really got into planar magnetics. Havent tried that before and I do listen to a lot of lcassical music. Hifiman does seem to have some stellar headphones at a pricepoint that I can afford with very good reviews. I was nearly set on the arya stealth. I really loved the hd800 although it did have too little bass. But then i read about the he1000stealth/v3. I have heard that the he1000 and arya have a lot of common and the arya is a lot cheaper... Has anyone compared the stealth versions of these two headphones or can anyone point me to a review?
Thanks in advance
Greetings, Anouk,

Here's a comparison of the Arya stealth and HE1000 V2 stealth:


Surprised to hear that the HE1000 is more aggressive sounding. Would like to compare these myself.

 

[Boterkoekje]

I decided to upgrade to the Arya stealth from a Sundara with an iFi Zen DAC v2. This dac/amp won't put the Arya to justice so I also need a new dac and amp.
On this forum I read that the Arya doesn't pair well with certain dacs and amps, sounding too 'clinical' or too sharp on the high notes.
After some research, the SMSL SU-9 and Singxer SA-1 looked like a good combo. Would this be a good setup or are there better options for a similar price? (Budget €1300)
Thanks a lot and sorry for asking, I am new in this complicated ecosystem