HIFIMAN Arya - Arya Stealth - Arya Organic :: Impressions Thread

[Blindranger]

Series 6 Senns all have rather intimate stage, you might have confused it with HS800S.

The Arya stealths are my most open-sounding headphones, by a wide margin.

 

[LordImperious]

Are the Arya stealth similar in any way to the sennheisers hd660s2?

I've have the Arya SE and I've owned the HD660s2. The Arya is technically leagues better than the hd660s2, better details, better, tonality, better speed, better soundstage, better sub bass, and similar dynamics. The HD660s2 is darker and warmer and the mids are a bit more lush. The Arya SE is a superior headphone overall but I feel like they'd compliment each other well. The HD660S2 is definitely better for poorly recorded metal but the Arya is better in every other way.

 

[MightyDha]

Greetings! I think I have just stumbled upon the best HE1000 Stealth review thus far. I trust this reviewer's judgement based off his reference gear (Gold Note DS-10 Plus) which is same manufacturer/dac as my reference gear (Gold Note HP-10 Deluxe).

The takeaway I got from this is that the Arya Stealth is more cohesive and coherent in its delivery, and that the HE1000 Stealth has the better extension (highs/lows) and is more resolving. When it comes to detail retrieval the HE1000 Stealth has more of a pinpointed and micro dynamic presentation while the Arya Stealth retains more of a unified yet detailed sound reproduction. It is safe to say that both can be used for different use cases and are essentially just side grades to each other. He also does a comparison with the Arya Organic in another video.

 

[headmasterfunkercookie]

I just ordered the arya stealth magnet from Amazon. Hope they don’t send me a crappy one. I cannot wait to listen to physical graffiti on them.

 

[SchwizzelKick66]

I've have the Arya SE and I've owned the HD660s2. The Arya is technically leagues better than the hd660s2, better details, better, tonality, better speed, better soundstage, better sub bass, and similar dynamics. The HD660s2 is darker and warmer and the mids are a bit more lush. The Arya SE is a superior headphone overall but I feel like they'd compliment each other well. The HD660S2 is definitely better for poorly recorded metal but the Arya is better in every other way.

I own both and will throw my thoughts in.

Agree that the Arya Stealth have better technical ability. They have a wider soundstage by a large margin, and are overall bright and smooth.

The hd660s2 are comparably darker and warmer as you said, with a more intimate soundstage. Much more upper mid forward (the Arya have an upper mid dip like all egg Hifimans), less treble emphasis, more mid bass emphasis. They sound more full and warm overall than the Arya by quite a bit. The s2 driver is extremely detailed and really excels at showing detail in the mids, where the Arya derived it's extreme detail more from treble and brightness. The S2 also has the best imaging I've ever heard on a headphone.

I personally vastly prefer the HD660s2. They're very different headphones so it will really depend on preferences in terms of which a person likes better. I agree that they would make a really nice combo.

 

[LordImperious]

I own both and will throw my thoughts in.

Agree that the Arya Stealth have better technical ability. They have a wider soundstage by a large margin, and are overall bright and smooth.

The hd660s2 are comparably darker and warmer as you said, with a more intimate soundstage. Much more upper mid forward (the Arya have an upper mid dip like all egg Hifimans), less treble emphasis, more mid bass emphasis. They sound more full and warm overall than the Arya by quite a bit. The s2 driver is extremely detailed and really excels at showing detail in the mids, where the Arya derived it's extreme detail more from treble and brightness. The S2 also has the best imaging I've ever heard on a headphone.

I personally vastly prefer the HD660s2. They're very different headphones so it will really depend on preferences in terms of which a person likes better. I agree that they would make a really nice combo.

Hmmmm. Maybe I didn't give the HD660S2 enough of a chance before returning them. My Fiio K7 I had at the time might not have helped.

 

[jsk ksj]

Hmmmm. Maybe I didn't give the HD660S2 enough of a chance before returning them. My Fiio K7 I had at the time might not have helped.

Don't beat yourself up. The 660s ( which I owned & sold on) & the 660s2 were not well received nor well reviewed. Certainly the 660s did not compare well to the good ol' 600 or 650 imho.

I am happy that, for me, the Arya stealth is a good few steps up the audiophile ladder.

 

[headmasterfunkercookie]

Will the Arya stealth sound as massive as my lcd-x? The lcd-x make me feel like I’m in the room with the musicians as they record the song , kind of like behind the console and actually I can tell if they recorded on a nueve console sometimes because of how they sound it’s crazy. I can’t go back to my sennheisers s2 because they don’t sound like speakers in a room even tho they are great for some chill listening. So I’m wondering if the aryas are gonna sound big with instruments sounding big

 

[LordImperious]

Will the Arya stealth sound as massive as my lcd-x? The lcd-x make me feel like I’m in the room with the musicians as they record the song , kind of like behind the console and actually I can tell if they recorded on a nueve console sometimes because of how they sound it’s crazy. I can’t go back to my sennheisers s2 because they don’t sound like speakers in a room even tho they are great for some chill listening. So I’m wondering if the aryas are gonna sound big with instruments sounding big

From what I've read the Arya is much bigger sounding than the LCD X but loses out on bass punch and intensity. I've never heard the LCD X though.

 

[headmasterfunkercookie]

From what I've read the Arya is much bigger sounding than the LCD X but loses out on bass punch and intensity. I've never heard the LCD X though.

Then I’m glad I ordered them because I got the lcd for the rest, I want something that sounds huge but where I can pick out instruments better than the lcd-x and hopefully has better tone and timbre.

 

[jsk ksj]

Will the Arya stealth sound as massive as my lcd-x? The lcd-x make me feel like I’m in the room with the musicians as they record the song , kind of like behind the console and actually I can tell if they recorded on a nueve console sometimes because of how they sound it’s crazy. I can’t go back to my sennheisers s2 because they don’t sound like speakers in a room even tho they are great for some chill listening. So I’m wondering if the aryas are gonna sound big with instruments sounding big

The lcd-x are a beast, with particular genres of music. Rock, EDM, rap for example. If there's an electric bass to be heard, to they are badass

The Arya are more a jack of all trades. No specific strengths or weaknesses. You can happily throw any sort of music their way & it will sound great. But.....I don't think that they have any special sauce, in the way the lcd-x has.

If I had to own just one headphone, however, then I might choose the Arya over the lcd-x. Luckily I get to own both.

 

[headmasterfunkercookie]

The lcd-x are a beast, with particular genres of music. Rock, EDM, rap for example. If there's an electric bass to be heard, to they are badass

The Arya are more a jack of all trades. No specific strengths or weaknesses. You can happily throw any sort of music their way & it will sound great. But.....I don't think that they have any special sauce, in the way the lcd-x has.

If I had to own just one headphone, however, then I might choose the Arya over the lcd-x. Luckily I get to own both.

How does the Arya compare to the lcd-x in terms of soundstage and that room feeling? Do the Arya sound more open and airy?

 

[jsk ksj]

How does the Arya compare to the lcd-x in terms of soundstage and that room feeling? Do the Arya sound more open and airy?

Yes, both more open & airy. Which is great when that's what you are listening for. But sometimes I want something claustrophobic, threatening & oppressive in my music....cue the lcd-x up.

Ps if open & airy & soundstage is your thing, hd800s are for you. You can maybe pick up a decent used set for the price of a new Arya, if you are patient.

 

[RIGATIO]

Received Organics a couple days ago and i preferred them over my Stealth version... at least for a couple hours.

But after an extensive comparison of the Arya SE vs the Organic, my mind has changed.

The first impression of the Organic was very possitive as they are more energetic and slightly warmer, with more bass punch, so the first hours were a pure joy. The SE version sounded more neutral and bit more "boring". But..

The Organic are just too colored to sound natural. Even tho they sounded slightly more "organic", they started to cause fatigue after an hour or so. The SE sound more controlled, focused and tight. The Organics are like a more mainstream version of Aria lineup where the SE sounds more balanced, cleaner, tighter and "serious".
Also the trebles on the SE version are bit calmer, just better tuned out of the box. Ive also found that even after EQ to the same target, the Organic still kept most of their more exaggerated characteristics.

Also the soundstage which is a more controversial and personal area of sound perception doesnt differ as much. The Organic sound bit more spread out but the SE version has bit more air and space in their presentation. Also the layering is bit more complex and natural on the SE where on the Organics everything, from leading instruments and vocals to background sounds has similar presence and volume.

But there is something more to it which i find way more serious - THE DISTORTIONS on the Organic. Im not sure why the reviewers dont mention this but the Organics DISTORT with higher volumes, especially in the bass and higher mid regions. There is something wrong with the way they sound, like some specific sandyness across the board. They just doesnt sound right and they definitely dont like to be listened on higher volumes.

The SE version DOESNT DISTORT AT ALL. They sound cleaner, more controlled and correct. The bass is cleaner, doesnt distort and sound more realistic.

IMHO the Arya Stealth is a better headphone which shocks me to be honest. Ive tried very hard to convince myself to keep the Organic but they just sound worse and less "audiophile". I could live with that but the distortions on higher volumes are too annoying, i just cant stand them.
Honestly? For this price this is unacceptable.

Hah and whats funny, after all that, when i already packed the Organics ready to ship, i found this on Headphonia: "Overall, I still think the SE is the better headphone, with better coherency, linearity, and layering. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll like it more than the Organic. The newer version is easily more enjoyable, but when I go back and forth and back and forth between these two, I’d say the SE has better technical performance overall."
Feels like i could write exact same words.

 

[amigastar]

Received Organics a couple days ago and i preferred them over my Stealth version... at least for a couple hours.

But after an extensive comparison of the Arya SE vs the Organic, my mind has changed.

The first impression of the Organic was very possitive as they are more energetic and slightly warmer, with more bass punch, so the first hours were a pure joy. The SE version sounded more neutral and bit more "boring". But..

The Organic are just too colored to sound natural. Even tho they sounded slightly more "organic", they started to cause fatigue after an hour or so. The SE sound more controlled, focused and tight. The Organics are like a more mainstream version of Aria lineup where the SE sounds more balanced, cleaner, tighter and "serious".
Also the trebles on the SE version are bit calmer, just better tuned out of the box. Ive also found that even after EQ to the same target, the Organic still kept most of their more exaggerated characteristics.

Also the soundstage which is a more controversial and personal area of sound perception doesnt differ as much. The Organic sound bit more spread out but the SE version has bit more air and space in their presentation. Also the layering is bit more complex and natural on the SE where on the Organics everything, from leading instruments and vocals to background sounds has similar presence and volume.

But there is something more to it which i find way more serious - THE DISTORTIONS on the Organic. Im not sure why the reviewers dont mention this but the Organics DISTORT with higher volumes, especially in the bass and higher mid regions. There is something wrong with the way they sound, like some specific sandyness across the board. They just doesnt sound right and they definitely dont like to be listened on higher volumes.

The SE version DOESNT DISTORT AT ALL. They sound cleaner, more controlled and correct. The bass is cleaner, doesnt distort and sound more realistic.

IMHO the Arya Stealth is a better headphone which shocks me to be honest. Ive tried very hard to convince myself to keep the Organic but they just sound worse and less "audiophile". I could live with that but the distortions on higher volumes are too annoying, i just cant stand them.
Honestly? For this price this is unacceptable.

Hah and whats funny, after all that, when i already packed the Organics ready to ship, i found this on Headphonia: "Overall, I still think the SE is the better headphone, with better coherency, linearity, and layering. However, that doesn’t mean that you’ll like it more than the Organic. The newer version is easily more enjoyable, but when I go back and forth and back and forth between these two, I’d say the SE has better technical performance overall."
Feels like i could write exact same words.

Interesting, thanks for this comparison.