[Wifiman]

Lol. I actually only posted on the Arya thread since for now it's my first choice.

My original question being g are the cups, yoke, and headband strap metal or plastic

The cup is black plastic and the rest are metal but the finish is not as good as hek though. Mine headband makes noise every time.

 

[Bonddam]

Was looking for hekse board was wondering if they produce more bass then hekv2? I’d consider upgrading if sq is even better.

 

[Bonddam]

No, the 3 do not all sound the same...

How much better is the bass on the hekse?

 

[imran27]

Super clean & clear, very well textured over the entire range.

Treble is very well extended. Of all the extended treble I have heard, this is the most non-fatiguing to me.

Bass is quite linear and unemphasized but still maintains have impact when desired. Typical fast and short lived planar bass. Doesn't have the roll & rumble you'd get in a dynamic driver.

Layering on the mid range and vocals is superb.
Zero effort required to pick out various vocalist singing over each other.

The dynamic range on the Arya is amazing.

DT 1990 and Arya are so different in terms of presentation. Arya is a bit more intimate but much more layered.
And details are cleaner and clearer on the Arya than DT 1990.

Coming from 1990, Arya seems to have an equally or even more extended treble but you instantly feel how non-fatiguing the extension of the treble is on the Arya.

Do note, the Arya is power hungry, hell lot power hungry.

Use a low output impedance high power output amp stage for this headphone. It is necessary for this headphone.

Also, every note I heard on the Arya had quite an authority, unlike the comparatively nimbler authority of the DT 1990

Lastly, it is quite neutral and I love that about Arya.

Comparison was unfair with DT 1990, they are leagues apart from Arya but that was the only thing I had at my hand.

I had to crank up Play to about 35 ~ 45 depending on the tracks to get reasonable SPL (Play has an OI of 8ohms so only 80% loading)

From memory: Arya is more authoritative than HEK. HEK had better soundstage. Arya has a very controlled soundsatge unike HEK/HEXV2 that are huge in terms of staging.

 

[TeamHiFiMAN]

Yes you did, and I think you were the only one that pointed out that the Arya sounded closer to a V1 than a V2, but I think most here, including myself, had the general assumption that the Arya was closer to a V2.

Do keep in mind that the v1 and v2 are not worlds apart themselves and not many have them both to try alongside an Arya.

 

[DrpsDrpr]

DT 1990 and Arya are so different in terms of presentation. Arya is a bit more intimate but much more layered.
And details are cleaner and clearer on the Arya than DT 1990.

I honestly felt like the Arya was the opposite of intimate. The combination of the spaciousness of the soundstage, the clarity and separation of the instruments/vocals, the pitch black air of the background, and the neutral and balanced frequency range gave me the impression of a very backed off and polite sound, but remarkably comprehensive at pinpointedly presenting detail and having everything be perceivable without being overwhelming- it made the DT1990 sound positively warm and intimate by comparison, which is not something I thought I’d ever say.

 

[chimney189]

The DT-1990 sounded pretty cold to me when I tried it. Wonderful build by the way!

I'm glad people are enjoying the Arya. I think that it's at a far more realistic price-point compared to the MSRP of $3,000 for the HEKv2. There's no wonder when people sell the v2 at about half the price of $3,000.

 

[UsoppNoKami]

How much better is the bass on the hekse?

The SE has great bass extension, also it is fast and has great texture. Great slam on tracks like Muse - Algorithm.

 

[imran27]

I honestly felt like the Arya was the opposite of intimate. The combination of the spaciousness of the soundstage, the clarity and separation of the instruments/vocals, the pitch black air of the background, and the neutral and balanced frequency range gave me the impression of a very backed off and polite sound, but remarkably comprehensive at pinpointedly presenting detail and having everything be perceivable without being overwhelming- it made the DT1990 sound positively warm and intimate by comparison, which is not something I thought I’d ever say.

Which earpads are you referring to?

I use Analytical pads on the DT 1990, almost exclusively.

OnArya the imaging indeed is amazingly precise and separation is quite good, lot of air. I am referring to the distance/size of the soundstage. It is less on Arya compared to HEXV2 especially. I prefer Arya's presentation, HEK/HEXV2 are so wide they're distracting, same with HD800, too wide to comprehend. Arya remains comprehensive, engaging yet accurate.

 

[DrpsDrpr]

Which earpads are you referring to?

I use Analytical pads on the DT 1990, almost exclusively.

OnArya the imaging indeed is amazingly precise and separation is quite good, lot of air. I am referring to the distance/size of the soundstage. It is less on Arya compared to HEXV2 especially. I prefer Arya's presentation, HEK/HEXV2 are so wide they're distracting, same with HD800, too wide to comprehend. Arya remains comprehensive, engaging yet accurate.

Analytical pads.

HEX V2 has an even wider soundstage than the Arya? Wow. The Arya sounded rather wide already.

 

[Tekunda]

Those Hifiman's headphones with the metal strap headband must be some of the poorest designed headphones ever.
I admit I like the sound of the He1000 se and I even consider buying them, but I shudder every time I have to look at this contraption.
Right now I own the Clear and if I look at those or even better the Focal Stellia, I see that there have been top designers at work.
With Hifiman I see Asian laborers, working in a sweat shop.
Isn't strange that a direct neighbor, the Japanese, are so suberb when it comes to design, but the Chinese on the other hand are really struggling with modern design?
I wonder why Hifiman has been so cheap as not to employ the help of a good designer. It almost angers me, as poor design, like poor architecture, can be torture if you have to look at it every day.

 

[UsoppNoKami]

Those Hifiman's headphones with the metal strap headband must be some of the poorest designed headphones ever.
I admit I like the sound of the He1000 se and I even consider buying them, but I shudder every time I have to look at this contraption.
Right now I own the Clear and if I look at those or even better the Focal Stellia, I see that there have been top designers at work.
With Hifiman I see Asian laborers, working in a sweat shop.
Isn't strange that a direct neighbor, the Japanese, are so suberb when it comes to design, but the Chinese on the other hand are really struggling with modern design?
I wonder why Hifiman has been so cheap as not to employ the help of a good designer. It almost angers me, as poor design, like poor architecture, can be torture if you have to look at it every day.

Don't talk out of your backside mate. The HE1000SE has better build quality than any of the Focals, and that includes the headband.

 

[Tekunda]

Don't talk out of your backside mate. The HE1000SE has better build quality than any of the Focals, and that includes the headband.

You seem to have no clue. I am not talking about build quality here but about design.
I guess for you the Abyss phi must be the finest in headphone design the world has ever known, because it is build like a torture device.

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Those Hifiman's headphones with the metal strap headband must be some of the poorest designed headphones ever.
I admit I like the sound of the He1000 se and I even consider buying them, but I shudder every time I have to look at this contraption.
Right now I own the Clear and if I look at those or even better the Focal Stellia, I see that there have been top designers at work.
With Hifiman I see Asian laborers, working in a sweat shop.
Isn't strange that a direct neighbor, the Japanese, are so suberb when it comes to design, but the Chinese on the other hand are really struggling with modern design?
I wonder why Hifiman has been so cheap as not to employ the help of a good designer. It almost angers me, as poor design, like poor architecture, can be torture if you have to look at it every day.

I agree they don’t look the best. But they’re definitely some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn though. The Focal line may look better, but they’re not more comfortable. I’m glad Hifiman is at least using a suspension headband and has easily removable and replaceable earpads. I can’t say that about Audeze or Mr. Speakers.

 

[devilboy]

I agree they don’t look the best. But they’re definitely some of the most comfortable headphones I’ve ever worn though. The Focal line may look better, but they’re not more comfortable. I’m glad Hifiman is at least using a suspension headband and has easily removable and replaceable earpads. I can’t say that about Audeze or Mr. Speakers.

+1 on that, bud.

I owned the Clears for 9 months and I thought they were very comfortable. Then I bought the Arya and found out what true comfort is.