[Metalingus]

Funny how you label the 109 Pro as colored and in the same breath bring up two wonky tuned headphones that require heavy EQ to sound decent. The 109 Pro is a fine mid-fi headphone. It isn't neutral but has a fun and musical tuning with great vocals. It sure sounds much better out of the box than the dark LCD-X or shouty Clear MG.

Also, I have owned all headphones you mention and I felt the LCD-X and LCD-XC (both 2021 version) were the worst designed and constructed. It has nice pads but heavy as hell. The headband adjustment is stiff and finicky. The screws all come loose. I much prefer the egg-shaped Hifiman's from both a comfort and functionality perspective.

Glad it works for you, then again it’s trial and error and findind what suits you best. I’m also curious about MM-500 which supposed to be neutral tuning and no EQ required. Called local dealer for demo but he said i’m not gonna offer you a demo if you aren’t going to buy it which is a shame lol.

 

[ahmonge]

Called local dealer for demo but he said i’m not gonna offer you a demo if you aren’t going to buy it which is a shame

and a way to push costomers to online stores.

 

[Alex May]

I have friends who heard 109 and put them on sale day after. It's too colored. How to know if a record is worth listening if you don't know how it sounds like because it's too colored...

If you are willing to EQ both Clear MG and LCD-X are good choices. Arya isn't.

Arya doesn't need any EQ at all. At least the V2. It has one of the best tunings and is rightfully placed on the 7th place in the Crinacle's ranking among all the existing headphones. In terms of the V3 Stealth, maybe it would benefit from a little bit of toning down the treble above 10K for those very sensitive in that area. For 90% of people it's not even remotely necessary since most people are not sensitive enough in that area and therefore are absolutely not bothered by it.

The LCD-X is simply a fun and colored headphone with strange high mid area and a lot of resonances and wonks, not reliable at all in terms of mixing and mastering in the studio but is still the best sounding Audeze headphone nowadays. I have it in my collection exactly for fun as an alternative way to listen to music and experience the sub-bass rumble. It sounds good overall, just not a reference. But the build quality is ridiculous. Any careless movement and it smashes on the table with all its enormous weight wiggling out of your hands, both drivers inside out. Not to be operated with one hand at all! The earcups don't have any swivel restriction which considering their weight is a no go for the studio where everything should be tight, light, easy controlled and operated with one hand. And any LCD is just a clumsy bulk of freely rotating unsecured rough and heavy metals with loose screws on the headband. Is that what you call a good build? No mate, I don't agree with you at all... But the Arya has never failed on me in regards to its build. The Arya is built simple, reliable albeit seemingly cheap, very easy to operate even with one hand. It's tight and secured, provides sufficient fit adjustments, and never wiggles out like Audezes. It sits nice and comfy on your head. I don't have any complaints about the Arya's build and design.

In regards to the Meze 109 Pro that's a pretty decent and high performing dynamic headphone for the price. Interesting fact that I previously watched the enclosed video about it from Oluv who hated it but provided some audio samples recorded with his in-ear mics. And based on his recordings I actually loved the 109 Pro! The sound I heard wasn't necessarily colored but had decent body to it, especially for metal and hard rock. Color would mean distortion and/or resonances or excessive accents on certain frequencies especially combing frequencies. Meze has neither of those drawbacks. Then I headed to the local shop to audition it myself. And again, I heard no excessive color when auditioning them personally. The overall timbre was pretty natural. The only thing that bothered me was something in the treble that wasn't natural and could easily ruin my experience when I heard trumpets, chimes, hats, and shakers, not to mention high frequency synths. I wrote my impressions about the Meze 109 Pro in the dedicated thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/meze-audio-109-pro.963482/post-17480142

MM-500 which supposed to be neutral tuning and no EQ required.

No, the MM-500 is not neutral. Even before the auditioning you might wanna look at the graphs and see the dreaded hump at 3K and the following drastic and helpless descent. Based on that graph you would also see that assessing (and enjoying) the sub-bass would also be a tough task. And I hate it when a headphone adds unnecessary hard tasks for me. This is not what a neutral headphone should sound like. If you want to EQ it, that's fine. Maybe you won't need to EQ it, that's fine too. But in both cases this is not a decision to make about a $1700 headphone. I personally will never use it in the studio.

The HE1000SE and the Arya are currently the best performers for me both as high resolving references and for music enjoyment.

 

[Tada]

Loved your description of the LCD-X lol Yeah they require a lot of attention for their weight, build, and handling. I had them sounding pretty good with EQ but I just gave up. I prefer biodyna drivers for a bass can anyway.

I agree that the Arya and HEK are the most well-rounded, high-performing headphones on the market. It boiled down to the Arya V2 vs HEKV2 for me and in the end I chose the latter as it was a slightly better performer.

I also auditioned the HEKSE and briefly owned the HEK Stealth. I appreciated their technical capabilities, but I prioritized the larger soundstage and smoother sound signature of the HEKV2.

 

[morpheus69]

Loved your description of the LCD-X lol Yeah they require a lot of attention for their weight, build, and handling. I had them sounding pretty good with EQ but I just gave up. I prefer biodyna drivers for a bass can anyway.

I agree that the Arya and HEK are the most well-rounded, high-performing headphones on the market. It boiled down to the Arya V2 vs HEKV2 for me and in the end I chose the latter as it was a slightly better performer.

I also auditioned the HEKSE and briefly owned the HEK Stealth. I appreciated their technical capabilities, but I prioritized the larger soundstage and smoother sound signature of the HEKV2.

EQ should be an additional preference. If you HAVE to EQ a headphone to make it sound good, then it isn't a good headphone.

 

[ma151]

Guys, which one would you pick for a DAC/AMP combo: a iFi Micro iDSD Signature or a YULONG Aurora ? (for Arya Stealth)

 

[Marlowe]

Guys, which one would you pick for a DAC/AMP combo: a iFi Micro iDSD Signature or a YULONG Aurora ? (for Arya Stealth)

To channel the great 1982 film Diner (set in 1959 Baltimore, when asked to choose Sinatra or Mathis, one character answers Presley), my Arya Stealth sounds terrific with the FiiO Q7 (used in DC mode and Ultra High Gain with the FiiO PL50 linear power supply).

 

[jjazzy]

Guys, which one would you pick for a DAC/AMP combo: a iFi Micro iDSD Signature or a YULONG Aurora ? (for Arya Stealth)

I compared the ifi xdsd gryphon (balanced) and ifi diablo, both sounded better on arya than the micro idsd signature (not bad but the other two had a cleaner musical signature)

the yulong aurora I have no experience with

 

[luishi5000]

Guys, which one would you pick for a DAC/AMP combo: a iFi Micro iDSD Signature or a YULONG Aurora ? (for Arya Stealth)

iFi Micro iDSD Signature is great for the Stealth, I've spent the last 2 years with it - it's an energetic combination. Compared to all the other amps I've tried, it is sharp and sparkly and punchy. The extra functionality is great too, bass boost and outputs. If I had to fault it, it's a bit much sometimes when I want to take the edge off. Overall lots of fun.

 

[iFi audio]

iFi Micro iDSD Signature is great for the Stealth, I've spent the last 2 years with it - it's an energetic combination. Compared to all the other amps I've tried, it is sharp and sparkly and punchy. The extra functionality is great too, bass boost and outputs. If I had to fault it, it's a bit much sometimes when I want to take the edge off. Overall lots of fun.

Thanks! micro iDSD Signature is considered on the warmer more relaxed side, so it's cool to read that you've found it also punchy and energetic. Thank you

 

[ezduzit2500]

Do you feel like you need to turn the treble down? Does Burson smooth it out? For example, I tried some Iron Maiden, and could not listen to it due to piercing treble and sibilance - track 'Moonchild' from Seventh Son (but this is due to really poor performance of ifi Zen). Does the treble get under control with Burson?

The Arya will not mask/smooth out badly recorded music (of which the majority of hard rock and heavy metal absolutely is). Badly recorded tracks will sound - well, bad - but well recorded ones will sound jaw-droppingly good.......

New to this thread, I have a Hifiman Ananda, thinking to upgrade to Arya, but it is not cheap. is the improvement worth the money? https://sparkhifi.com/products/hifi...magnetic-audiophile-hifi-adjustable-headphone

I think it is. I own both and while the Ananda is a great HP - it only hints at what the Arya able to fully flesh out (ie: texture, inner/micro details, trailing edges, ability to hear the recording space, etc).....

Hello everyone,

I'm a new owner of the Arya Stealth! Super excited to get some listening time on these when I'm back at home after vacation.

I currently have a FiiO K7, and am considering switching that out with a FiiO K9 (or the Pro ESS) variant, but wanted you guys' opinions as well since I am much too new to the hobby - what would you guys recommend I power these off?

Thanks everyone!

I'd wait until I could afford something from iFI - or I'm able to invest in separates, with especially a discrete Class A or Class AB amp - Aryas siiiiing with Class A power, IMO......

Lol. Man Hifiman messed up with the nomenclature.

Sorry, I was speaking about the HE1000V2 Stealth aka the HE1000 SE not to be confused with the HE1000SE or something like that.
I bought the HE1000v2 Stealth or HEKv3? Idk anymore.

Anyways you’re talking about the one that’s considered a step below the Susvara.
I heard those are excellent. Maybe try buying used.

My comment is irrelevant to your concern. Sorry

I'm curious about those. How are they treating you? In comparison to Arya SE?......

 

[MJSable]

I’m going to try and read all of this haha. I’m really interested in trying the Arya v2, and I’d like to figure out the difference between it and the stealth- maybe go that direction instead.

 

[Ficcion2]

The Arya will not mask/smooth out badly recorded music (of which the majority of hard rock and heavy metal absolutely is). Badly recorded tracks will sound - well, bad - but well recorded ones will sound jaw-droppingly good.......


I think it is. I own both and while the Ananda is a great HP - it only hints at what the Arya able to fully flesh out (ie: texture, inner/micro details, trailing edges, ability to hear the recording space, etc).....


I'd wait until I could afford something from iFI - or I'm able to invest in separates, with especially a discrete Class A or Class AB amp - Aryas siiiiing with Class A power, IMO......


I'm curious about those. How are they treating you? In comparison to Arya SE?......

They’ve replaced my Arya.
It’s a natural upgrade progression to the Arya SE sound with wider staging, better timbre IMO, and details.

They’re excellent and I’d recommend them to someone who loves their Arya but wants even more.

 

[ezduzit2500]

I find sound quality to be neutral-bright. Some sizzle and harshness in the top end. I run them bass heavy songs with Topping G5 overnight, so if you are believer off burn-in, it's done before i test.

Good post - but a couple of things:

1) You just got them, they need at least ~25-50 hours of bass-heavy music or pink noise before they even begin to open up - "overnight" is not at all enough. They will continue to change up until 100hrs or more - Hifiman recommends ~150 hours. This makes a difference from their brand-new presentation - yours are brand new...

2) I've NEVER had much luck with any of Topping's amps for the Arya (or any IC-based amp really). I had the OG A90 and a Monolith '887 beside my cheaper Magni 3+ and Emotiva A-100 (resistor bypassed). The cheaper discrete Class AB amps dusted both IC-based amps - especially in timbre/tonality, texture, naturalness, and not becoming bright/harsh in the treble. Neither of the IC based amps sounded like "real instruments" and both left a lot of spatial cues behind. Now I've got a discrete Class A Gustard H20 and that has dusted them all in those areas I just mentioned - but now they also have much better bass depth/detail/texture, a more natural timbre, and an even more extended treble without harhsness. You've got a ~$299 Topping portable/AIO - and not to rib you - but the Aryas will expose what they're being driven with. Your Topping may be a contributing factor in the bright/harsh/sibilant that you're hearing. IOW, your chain/amp quality counts more with the Aryas.

3) Your burn in phase hasn't even started yet, LOL....

They slam equally good and no change in soundstage width depth imaging etc. with Lightning Dongle vs. G5. Anyone who says linear amp makes difference with lightning dongle needs to get their ears checked.

Keep them playing overnights for a week or two then report back with what you've heard.....

sounds good with everything except bass heavy modern genres like hip-hop and metal/rock

Again, they will get much better with more time - especially with bass heavy music. Metal/hard rock really depends on the quality of the recording - they will not mask bad recordings at all......

Finally, they're brand new to you. Most new HPs will take new owners at least a week to acclimatize to their new HP's sound signature. After they've burned in with bass heavy music for at least ~50 hours - then you can listen to them exclusively to better get a gauge on their truer sound presentation. Out of the box and brand new (even after 1 day, LOL) they're a little tight-n-bright - they take more time to develop bass depth, bass texture, bass dynamics, mids layering and detail, and an expanded stage. You don't have to believe just me - just ask some other owners......

 

[ezduzit2500]

They’re excellent and I’d recommend them to someone who loves their Arya but wants even more.

Your post has me intrigued. I love the Arya's qualities - but more for not much more $$$? Wallet getting warmer, LOL......