[Serge Bernamej]

For classical music i agree that the HD800 is superior in its ability to 'separate and disect' large orchestral arrangements using a wider and taller canvas (soundstage) but not because it has more clarity and transparency.
The HD800 is my favorite headphone for classical music.
Vocal tracks? T1.
Acoustic strings? T1.

Agreed
I actually prefer the HD800S for clarity to the Arya, but Arya is more smooth and musical.

 

[MidFiMoney]

+1 I'm just curious how far apart they are.

 

[MidFiMoney]

What I thought too, pending arrival of my Verite...



But then this happened

That will be the best comparison we could hope for here. However, I would love to see the Arya duke it out with the Verite as well. It was on my short list for a while. I'm also very interested in that stand. Very nice!

 

[devilboy]

What I thought too, pending arrival of my Verite...



But then this happened

My God that SE is beautiful. Aesthetically, it's probably the most gorgeous headphones on the market, IMO.
Can't wait to find out comparisons vs the Arya.
Yeah what stand is that? The Arya is a bit tight on my Omega style stand and I don't want the pads pushed in too much. I looked on Amazon but didn't find anything I liked.

 

[Wheel Hoss]

Have a question and really not trolling:

Why do the more expensive Arya use the old yoke design and old less reliable adjustment design while the cheaper Ananda’s get the newer Sundara style headband that looks better and doesn’t have the same issues?

Seems kind of like they repurposed old Edition X’s while Ananda gets the new design

 

[chimney189]

I think that the design of the Arya is made the way it is in order to maintain the original look of the HEK.

 

[bagwell359]

Have a question and really not trolling:

Why do the more expensive Arya use the old yoke design and old less reliable adjustment design while the cheaper Ananda’s get the newer Sundara style headband that looks better and doesn’t have the same issues?

Seems kind of like they repurposed old Edition X’s while Ananda gets the new design

Must be the cost angle, 1000 v(1|2) at just above HEX V2 prices.

Look at the MD XX, it'll probably come packaged in butcher paper with that stupid old style HFM headband - to save $, and possible to drive sales of headbands from the HFM store.

 

[Wheel Hoss]

^^^^^

Makes total sense. Better sound but slightly worse packaging...

Also lol @ butcher paper

 

[hemtmaker]

Have a question and really not trolling:

Why do the more expensive Arya use the old yoke design and old less reliable adjustment design while the cheaper Ananda’s get the newer Sundara style headband that looks better and doesn’t have the same issues?

Seems kind of like they repurposed old Edition X’s while Ananda gets the new design

I personally like the old design better plus, you can swivel the cups a bit to find better fit. I tried the new headband on the sundara and find that it barely fits my big head.

 

[UsoppNoKami]

@devilboy @ls13coco @kid vic @MidFiMoney

My thoughts on the HE1000SE, HE1KV2 and Arya are summed up here :

https://www.head-fi.org/posts/14765513/

The headphone stand for those asking, is from Room's Audio Line, available on the Thomann webshop. There are non height adjustable wooden ones in various finishes, and black/silver metal adjustable stands. Excellent quality, I've bought 4 so far lol.

 

[UsoppNoKami]

Have a question and really not trolling:

Why do the more expensive Arya use the old yoke design and old less reliable adjustment design while the cheaper Ananda’s get the newer Sundara style headband that looks better and doesn’t have the same issues?

Seems kind of like they repurposed old Edition X’s while Ananda gets the new design

As noted by others in reply, the Arya headband is based on the HE1K series, just made of cheaper materials. It's not the same as the classic HE400-560 yokes that were a reliability nightmare.

I have owned the HE-560V3 which has the sundara headband, and I also tried the HE-6SE a friend brought over for comparison with my headphones, and IMHO the Sundara style headband is much less comfortable unless you have a pretty small head size/diameter.

https://www.head-fi.org/posts/14768406/
HE1000SE & HE-6SE

 

[Wheel Hoss]

As noted by others in reply, the Arya headband is based on the HE1K series, just made of cheaper materials. It's not the same as the classic HE400-560 yokes that were a reliability nightmare.

I have owned the HE-560V3 which has the sundara headband, and I also tried the HE-6SE a friend brought over for comparison with my headphones, and IMHO the Sundara style headband is much less comfortable unless you have a pretty small head size/diameter.

https://www.head-fi.org/posts/14768406/
HE1000SE & HE-6SE

Makes sense. I have a small head so the Sundara fits just fine!

 

[mixman]

I am just about ready to get one of these and the Clear or the Utopia. Hopefully at CanJam I get a better feel for all three of them. Just a little afraid at the HEK comments that it can be a little too laid back, which may mean the Arya is too laid back too. I hope not. Was also thinking about maybe getting some used HEKV2's, later adding $1K ad see if Hifiman will bite and upgrade me to the HEKse.

 

[franz12]

I am just about ready to get one of these and the Clear or the Utopia. Hopefully at CanJam I get a better feel for all three of them. Just a little afraid at the HEK comments that it can be a little too laid back, which may mean the Arya is too laid back too. I hope not. Was also thinking about maybe getting some used HEKV2's, later adding $1K ad see if Hifiman will bite and upgrade me to the HEKse.

I would rather wait until hekse drops to 1.8k. It will come.
I don't know what is the current street price for Susvara, but you can get a used one around 3.5k.
Personally, I decided not to spend over 2k on any headphone. That money will be saved for my speaker system.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

I am just about ready to get one of these and the Clear or the Utopia. Hopefully at CanJam I get a better feel for all three of them. Just a little afraid at the HEK comments that it can be a little too laid back, which may mean the Arya is too laid back too. I hope not. Was also thinking about maybe getting some used HEKV2's, later adding $1K ad see if Hifiman will bite and upgrade me to the HEKse.

My very first impressions of the Arya were that it was indeed too laid back. But that’s comparatively to SOME other cans. I ended up loving the musicality of the Arya; it’s headphone that sings.