[sahmen]

I have owned one Arya Stealth, between my first and second He-1000ses. I did like the stealth, but I purchased it thinking that it was going to give me a "lite" version of my first He-1000se, which I had traded up for the Susvara. While it has its own admirable charms, I came to discover, with the acquisition of my 2nd He1000se, that the two do not really sound quite nearly alike to the extent I had earlier imagined them to, as the latter seemed to outperform the Stealth in many significant ways, particularly in Sound-stage width/depth, in detail retrieval, as well in the general meatiness and weightiness of the notes. What the Stealth did well was know how to hide its flaws whiles one is using it. For example, whenever I picked it up after relatively longer spells of non-use, the Stealth used to come off sounding more close to the Susvara in performance than it really was, or had any right to be, but I always had to go back to the Susvara from the Arya in order to be able to remind myself of how profound the performance delta between the two really was. I still have very fond memories of the Arya Stealth, and still consider it to be a headphone that performs in a league that lies quite far beyond its price point, when compared with other cans (especially, at its current reduced MSRP). I am just suggesting it does not qualify as an He-1000se substitute (however "lite") and that I was wrong to imagine it as one. YMMV.

 

[uncletim]

Is the HE1000se brighter than Arya Stealth and Organic at about 8khz? I think this is where I am sensitive after doing a sweep, but the headphones used would affect that I guess. Organic is the last one I heard recently, I like all the detail but just a tad too much treble energy for me.

I have not been able to hear the He1000se yet. wasn't at Canjam

 

[MrHaelscheir]

Is the HE1000se brighter than Arya Stealth and Organic at about 8khz? I think this is where I am sensitive after doing a sweep, but the headphones used would affect that I guess. Organic is the last one I heard recently, I like all the detail but just a tad too much treble energy for me.

I have not been able to hear the He1000se yet. wasn't at Canjam

At least for my ears per the comparison measurement on the previous page, 8 kHz is amusingly where I have a null. Otherwise, as far as I have measured and probably heard, there isn't much evidence for either the Arya Stealth or HE1000se "actually" being brighter than the other beyond the Arya Stealth having less control between 4 kHz to 5 kHz, though other factors including the word of others may influence one's in-person perceptions. Rather than seeking out a whole new headphone, especially one of such similar design, to correct a peak perceivable through sine sweeps, EQ may provide a more sure remedy. E.g. Try a peaking filter with a gain of minus 5 and a Q factor of 6 and move the frequency around where one is perceiving the treble peak.

 

[uncletim]

At least for my ears per the comparison measurement on the previous page, 8 kHz is amusingly where I have a null. Otherwise, as far as I have measured and probably heard, there isn't much evidence for either the Arya Stealth or HE1000se "actually" being brighter than the other beyond the Arya Stealth having less control between 4 kHz to 5 kHz, though other factors including the word of others may influence one's in-person perceptions. Rather than seeking out a whole new headphone, especially one of such similar design, to correct a peak perceivable through sine sweeps, EQ may provide a more sure remedy. E.g. Try a peaking filter with a gain of minus 5 and a Q factor of 6 and move the frequency around where one is perceiving the treble peak.

Nice, I wouldn't know how to do the peaking filter and Q factor really. I don't have any headphones since my E3 went back due to a failed L driver. I used a friends 109 Pro to do a Freq sweep. Of course it's impossible to hear the he1000se without buying it, there is an Organic local.

 

[yeboyi]

I have owned one Arya Stealth, between my first and second He-1000ses. I did like the stealth, but I purchased it thinking that it was going to give me a "lite" version of my first He-1000se, which I had traded up for the Susvara. While it has its own admirable charms, I came to discover, with the acquisition of my 2nd He1000se, that the two do not really sound quite nearly alike to the extent I had earlier imagined them to, as the latter seemed to outperform the Stealth in many significant ways, particularly in Sound-stage width/depth, in detail retrieval, as well in the general meatiness and weightiness of the notes. What the Stealth did well was know how to hide its flaws whiles one is using it. For example, whenever I picked it up after relatively longer spells of non-use, the Stealth used to come off sounding more close to the Susvara in performance than it really was, or had any right to be, but I always had to go back to the Susvara from the Arya in order to be able to remind myself of how profound the performance delta between the two really was. I still have very fond memories of the Arya Stealth, and still consider it to be a headphone that performs in a league that lies quite far beyond its price point, when compared with other cans (especially, at its current reduced MSRP). I am just suggesting it does not qualify as an He-1000se substitute (however "lite") and that I was wrong to imagine it as one. YMMV.

True. They are characteristically different headphones.

Is the HE1000se brighter than Arya Stealth and Organic at about 8khz? I think this is where I am sensitive after doing a sweep, but the headphones used would affect that I guess. Organic is the last one I heard recently, I like all the detail but just a tad too much treble energy for me.

I have not been able to hear the He1000se yet. wasn't at Canjam

To my ears, HE1000se have more treble than Arya Stealth but HE1000se sounds gentler and spacious Arya Stealth sounds brighter.

The treble is more about giving spatial detail and finer separation on HE1000se. Treble on Arya Stealth is more lively and offensive.

Speaking relative to each other though. In grand scheme of things, they are similar in treble energy.

 

[ahmonge]

Thanks for all that info. I am visually impaired myself and would have to ask someone else to do the pad swap for me. If its that risky maybe I will just stick with stock pads and hope they dont wear out too quickly...

iI found changing the pads on the Anandas to be quick and easy. If you ask a family member or friend, I don't think they will have a problem doing it correctly.

 

[Blurry]

After reading the vast amount of posts. At first I was going to bite the bullet with the organics. But after speaking with shop I ended up buying the HE1000 Stealth instead

 

[Xerosnake90]

Arya V2 are in the house. I look forward to doing a nice comparison with the DT 1990s. Spent about an hour with them so far switching between my Lyr+ and Midgard in single end and Halo.

Going to let them stretch out over the box for a bit to loosen them up. Clamp messes me up so I gotta get them nice and light in the clamp

 

[Xerosnake90]

I'm absolutely loving the Arya V2. I've probably worn them for a good 8 to 9 hours since I got them 23 hours ago now lol. They're clampy out of the box and stretching has helped tremendously, I find them nicer to wear than my 1990s. My ears sit right in the cups which I can feel around my head, my jaw is unbothered. The headband itself just doesn't exist on top of my head, and spreads the weight out well.

The V2 can be so sibilant for sure, but I got used to it fairly quickly and I find it less harsh than the 1990s. I'm upscaling my audio in roon to 192khz with a precise linear phase filter. I've been enjoying it over my smooth filter and none upsampled sound. It provides a bit more bight to the sound while on the 1990s I actually preferred the smooth filter.

Overall I had to get used to the sound. The 1990s are more semi open and isolate sound much better while the Arya are barely anything between my ears and the outside world. I had to get used to how the open back even sounds, and I'm reminded why I love the Aryas. Sounds just kind of come out of thin air and effortlessly float around you. With the 1990s there's an obvious feeling of I'm wearing headphones shooting sound in my ears and here it's like this ethereal production of noise around me.

At first I thought it wasn't as detailed as the 1990 and that's simply not the case. It's actually a lot easier to listen to and I can see why some would call this headphone laid back. It's every bit as detailed as the 1990, but even more so. I'm noticing more detail in singers especially and how they accentuate their vocals. I'm hearing the clacking of drum sticks in-between drum hits. Everything is effortless with these. Both the 1990s and Aryas are perfect for the sound I enjoy. Bass is more than plentiful, tons of detail and good energy. I know some people want more slam but I think it fits in perfectly. With the 1990s, some slam can be too much as it comes off sounding sharp. The more laid back sound of the Arya presents a softer thud, and while some may not enjoy that I still get the visceral feeling of the bass without the sharpness that makes my ears bleed.

The Lyr+/Bifrost 2/64 is perfection to my ears and the Psvane tube I'm using is as well. I was looking at more tubes to buy but I'm enjoying the Psvane so much that I don't really feel the need to. All music is energetic, detailed, but musical with just enough warmth to fill everything out and create beautiful audio bliss.

Of course I can't talk about the V2 without mentioning it's absolutely amazing Soundstage and Imaging ability. This thing is pure magic, I was actually overwhelmed in my first listens because sounds are not linear at all. The space is filled in multiple spots. Where the 1990s would be center, half panned and all the way panned. On the v2 I'm hearing images placed center, 5% panned, 15%, 30%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%. There are those sounds that fill the entirety of the space with everything else placed inside. It's all separated and placed into this field with precision and images with such detail. I hear droning synth notes and strings stretching up above my head along with splashes of Cymbals. Orchestral voices are floating below my ear line along with the the bass kick drum and snares in the middle.

It's truly incredible. I see myself grabbing an HE1000 v2 later on in the year which will eventually lead to me grabbing a Susvara somewhere down the road when I decide to also upgrade the entire rig. I've always loved Hifiman's sound and the Arya are easily my favorite headphone I've listened to so far.

 

[cirodts]

Are perforated leather pads good for increasing the bass a bit?

 

[cirodts]

I'm absolutely loving the Arya V2. I've probably worn them for a good 8 to 9 hours since I got them 23 hours ago now lol. They're clampy out of the box and stretching has helped tremendously, I find them nicer to wear than my 1990s. My ears sit right in the cups which I can feel around my head, my jaw is unbothered. The headband itself just doesn't exist on top of my head, and spreads the weight out well.

The V2 can be so sibilant for sure, but I got used to it fairly quickly and I find it less harsh than the 1990s. I'm upscaling my audio in roon to 192khz with a precise linear phase filter. I've been enjoying it over my smooth filter and none upsampled sound. It provides a bit more bight to the sound while on the 1990s I actually preferred the smooth filter.

Overall I had to get used to the sound. The 1990s are more semi open and isolate sound much better while the Arya are barely anything between my ears and the outside world. I had to get used to how the open back even sounds, and I'm reminded why I love the Aryas. Sounds just kind of come out of thin air and effortlessly float around you. With the 1990s there's an obvious feeling of I'm wearing headphones shooting sound in my ears and here it's like this ethereal production of noise around me.

At first I thought it wasn't as detailed as the 1990 and that's simply not the case. It's actually a lot easier to listen to and I can see why some would call this headphone laid back. It's every bit as detailed as the 1990, but even more so. I'm noticing more detail in singers especially and how they accentuate their vocals. I'm hearing the clacking of drum sticks in-between drum hits. Everything is effortless with these. Both the 1990s and Aryas are perfect for the sound I enjoy. Bass is more than plentiful, tons of detail and good energy. I know some people want more slam but I think it fits in perfectly. With the 1990s, some slam can be too much as it comes off sounding sharp. The more laid back sound of the Arya presents a softer thud, and while some may not enjoy that I still get the visceral feeling of the bass without the sharpness that makes my ears bleed.

The Lyr+/Bifrost 2/64 is perfection to my ears and the Psvane tube I'm using is as well. I was looking at more tubes to buy but I'm enjoying the Psvane so much that I don't really feel the need to. All music is energetic, detailed, but musical with just enough warmth to fill everything out and create beautiful audio bliss.

Of course I can't talk about the V2 without mentioning it's absolutely amazing Soundstage and Imaging ability. This thing is pure magic, I was actually overwhelmed in my first listens because sounds are not linear at all. The space is filled in multiple spots. Where the 1990s would be center, half panned and all the way panned. On the v2 I'm hearing images placed center, 5% panned, 15%, 30%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%. There are those sounds that fill the entirety of the space with everything else placed inside. It's all separated and placed into this field with precision and images with such detail. I hear droning synth notes and strings stretching up above my head along with splashes of Cymbals. Orchestral voices are floating below my ear line along with the the bass kick drum and snares in the middle.

It's truly incredible. I see myself grabbing an HE1000 v2 later on in the year which will eventually lead to me grabbing a Susvara somewhere down the road when I decide to also upgrade the entire rig. I've always loved Hifiman's sound and the Arya are easily my favorite headphone I've listened to so far.

I too am in love with my v2, sometimes I make comparisons with the clear mg and in my opinion there is no difference.
The v2 is simply more natural, more detailed, has more soundstage, cleaner and above all a much more refined sound than the clear, the only flaw could be the arya.... the sound lacks a bit of body but with the right cable it works a little better.
The other night I listened to amber rubarth binaural with arya v2, an absolute spectacle!!

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I'm absolutely loving the Arya V2. I've probably worn them for a good 8 to 9 hours since I got them 23 hours ago now lol. They're clampy out of the box and stretching has helped tremendously, I find them nicer to wear than my 1990s. My ears sit right in the cups which I can feel around my head, my jaw is unbothered. The headband itself just doesn't exist on top of my head, and spreads the weight out well.

The V2 can be so sibilant for sure, but I got used to it fairly quickly and I find it less harsh than the 1990s. I'm upscaling my audio in roon to 192khz with a precise linear phase filter. I've been enjoying it over my smooth filter and none upsampled sound. It provides a bit more bight to the sound while on the 1990s I actually preferred the smooth filter.

Overall I had to get used to the sound. The 1990s are more semi open and isolate sound much better while the Arya are barely anything between my ears and the outside world. I had to get used to how the open back even sounds, and I'm reminded why I love the Aryas. Sounds just kind of come out of thin air and effortlessly float around you. With the 1990s there's an obvious feeling of I'm wearing headphones shooting sound in my ears and here it's like this ethereal production of noise around me.

At first I thought it wasn't as detailed as the 1990 and that's simply not the case. It's actually a lot easier to listen to and I can see why some would call this headphone laid back. It's every bit as detailed as the 1990, but even more so. I'm noticing more detail in singers especially and how they accentuate their vocals. I'm hearing the clacking of drum sticks in-between drum hits. Everything is effortless with these. Both the 1990s and Aryas are perfect for the sound I enjoy. Bass is more than plentiful, tons of detail and good energy. I know some people want more slam but I think it fits in perfectly. With the 1990s, some slam can be too much as it comes off sounding sharp. The more laid back sound of the Arya presents a softer thud, and while some may not enjoy that I still get the visceral feeling of the bass without the sharpness that makes my ears bleed.

The Lyr+/Bifrost 2/64 is perfection to my ears and the Psvane tube I'm using is as well. I was looking at more tubes to buy but I'm enjoying the Psvane so much that I don't really feel the need to. All music is energetic, detailed, but musical with just enough warmth to fill everything out and create beautiful audio bliss.

Of course I can't talk about the V2 without mentioning it's absolutely amazing Soundstage and Imaging ability. This thing is pure magic, I was actually overwhelmed in my first listens because sounds are not linear at all. The space is filled in multiple spots. Where the 1990s would be center, half panned and all the way panned. On the v2 I'm hearing images placed center, 5% panned, 15%, 30%, 50%, 75%, 90%, 100%. There are those sounds that fill the entirety of the space with everything else placed inside. It's all separated and placed into this field with precision and images with such detail. I hear droning synth notes and strings stretching up above my head along with splashes of Cymbals. Orchestral voices are floating below my ear line along with the the bass kick drum and snares in the middle.

It's truly incredible. I see myself grabbing an HE1000 v2 later on in the year which will eventually lead to me grabbing a Susvara somewhere down the road when I decide to also upgrade the entire rig. I've always loved Hifiman's sound and the Arya are easily my favorite headphone I've listened to so far.

Glad you are loving them. From the moment I sold my Arya Stealth about a month ago I've regretted it. I have done this way too many times with too many headphones, but I'm really considering buying them again.

I see that Hifiman store does have a V2 non-stealth refurb available. I'm really sensitive to treble though, I even found the Stealth too bright sometimes, so I'm not sure I could handle it.

Have you heard both by any chance?

 

[idairyou]

Glad you are loving them. From the moment I sold my Arya Stealth about a month ago I've regretted it. I have done this way too many times with too many headphones, but I'm really considering buying them again.

I see that Hifiman store does have a V2 non-stealth refurb available. I'm really sensitive to treble though, I even found the Stealth too bright sometimes, so I'm not sure I could handle it.

Have you heard both by any chance?

I think the V2 is slightly brighter than the Stealth.

I am going to be listing my Stealth up on the classifieds later today after I get off of work as I don't really use them anymore and I don't need 2 Aryas around the house. Keeping the V2 for nostalgia sake.

 

[cirodts]

I have v2 and I had v3, I don't find v2 brighter, perhaps the opposite, and I liked v2 more overall.

 

[RayMets1]

Just received the Vioeletric V202 Amp yesterday to replace my Lake People G111 Mk2, that I used for my Organics. I can say that the V202 does have a much fuller all around sound end with a nice rumble in the bass. I also have noticed the the Amp eliminates any high end issues in the treble that the Organics may have.
This is a great Amp, I have it currently paired with the Geshelli Labs J2S Dac.