[Tsukuyomi]

I don't know his name or the name of his channel but one reviewer on YouTube had some sort of electric shock on his head while using the Jade 2.
Considering how many people don't like Hifiman's build quality, there could be other options for you.
Or, it could have just been a freak thing.

It was actually his own fault, he took them outside to demo them which... i think hes not quite smart.
Hifiman then released a video debunking his claim that he got any kind of shock by proving that the unit he returned was tested with tools to see if that could of happened.
also they went in great detail to show how it was built and theres no way it would be possible for that to happen unless someone has tampered with the drivers or build OR they shoved more power into the headphones than the provided amp can ever do.

 

[devilboy]

Oh, I see.
Didn't know that.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Just wanted to give my impressions with the Arya, I have had them for around 5 days now and have listened to them roughly around 15 hours to 20 hours. I am only giving my impressions as of right now because due to work I have yet to really sit down and go through the works of albums, genres, and just overall music to test and review these on. I am also currently waiting for a balanced cable(which I believe for 1600 dollars they should of included a balanced cable in the package as well since they did so with the HE-560 for god sakes. lol, but that is a nitpick that I dealt with on my own) to arrive that I ordered from ebay. I have used this headphone as of this moment with a few genres, watching my blueray quality anime, and finally gaming. For those looking into this headphone or wanting short opinions then I will say this: If you want something from hifiman that falls in the Hi-Fi/end game scale of headphone and also sounds like it then yes the Hifiman Arya is worth it. If you want a lesser bright Hifiman headphone with a very balanced, easily listenable as well as enjoyable signature, the yes the Arya is worth it. If you want something that sounds good with many and if not all (that I have listened to) genres of music, moves and anime, and finally games( with both good bass extension and adequate punch as well as treble extension with resolution) then the Arya is worth it. This is just for those that are on the fence and want some one's opinion if the Arya is a good endgame and all rounder headphone.

Up until last week I had been testing, reviewing, and enjoying the Ananda but due to my own jaw width and lack of swivel of the Ananda I decided to upgrade to the Arya and pay the difference. Which was relatively harmless, and for those that have or have tried the Ananda and felt that the upper midrange/lower treble was a little too much at times then I urge you to please find and try the Arya. It keeps many things that I thought was great about the Anada, such as: midrange from stringed instruments to vocals it sounds beautiful, great instrumental spacing and definition, resolution that is a step up from the other models of headphone I have heard in the 500-800 dollar range. Also, the Arya improves on things like more balanced treble without losing detail or resolution it is able to smooth the sound in the upper midrange to treble to where those that are sibilant sensitive will have much less of a problem with the Arya than they did with the Ananda. The low end is great, decent weight where it is not too thin or light in the note presentation and overall tonality seems very natural to the mids and highs that feel lovely and detailed without being to bright to my ears.

Overall the comfort is going to vary form shape of ear to size of head, but I feel that the Arya was instantly more comfortable to me. The yokes are metal so less likely there will be the build issues of the HE-560 models, the pressure underneath and behind my ear is less than it was with the Anada for me which was the hardest thing for me to deal with when using the Ananda. It is lightweight as far as planar headphones go and the strap doesn't feel overly hot or cause any pressure spots. I will be writing out more findings the longer I have it, with a final review as well, and when the new cable comes in and can try it with more power.

 

[chimney189]

Does the Arya sound 'soft'? That's one of the things that made me sell my HEKv2 -- there was no edginess or bite to the instruments. Everything seemed to have rounded corners if you get what I mean. It was a VERY pleasant listening experience, but not a very engaging one for me.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Does the Arya sound 'soft'? That's one of the things that made me sell my HEKv2 -- there was no edginess or bite to the instruments. Everything seemed to have rounded corners if you get what I mean. It was a VERY pleasant listening experience, but not a very engaging one for me.

Not really, Arya is natural I'd say

Jade II is considerably softer, especially compared to Arya side by side.

Arya doesn't have edges as hard as a typical mastering / mixing headphone, but it is pretty engaging and not overly smooth

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Hm, I listening to this now trying to decide on soft or not. It is more or less laid back. I dont feel like it is soft as in not hearing details or feeling prat and punch in the lower end. I think it is smooth but detailed, has good punch and great speed as well as resolution. It is a very easy listening headphone without being too warm and smooth. I currently was trying out some different genres to better answer your question was listening to Studio Ghibli Emotional Melody : Cello Collection with Calcifer, Peter Gundry(who is a beautiful composer that I found on Bandcamp), Amaranthe(a metal band from Europe which my boss likes a lot which I added in to try something different from my norm), Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop OST(one of the best OST's I have heard), and Malukah - The Dragonborn Comes(remastered).

Now a lot of this is instrumental but that was just to hear if I felt like the definition and weight of the notes(from strings, keys, drums, and brass) felt lacking or soft. Now if that is not what you meant by soft than I am sorry for the mishap. It is a laid back and easily enjoyable headphone to me, but I do not feel like it is overly soft just a bit smooth but still natural sounding.

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Not really, Arya is natural I'd say

Jade II is considerably softer, especially compared to Arya side by side.

Arya doesn't have edges as hard as a typical mastering / mixing headphone, but it is pretty engaging and not overly smooth

Sorry I just saw the follow through of that comment explaining what he was referring to with the term 'soft' and the reply I feel that this is laid back I am still engaged and love trying new and old music with this, but I feel it definitely isnt so rounded or smooth as to be bland or disinteresting.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

I remember the Arya from the audio show i attended recently, it was very good. that price though is steep for me in my city lol, its about 2,200$ CND where as the Ananda is about 1,300$..
to be honest i'd rather wait and slowly pile up my cash from work and get the Arya than the Ananda because of the slight improvements in build quality as stated above.

 

[chimney189]

Thanks for all of the replies.. looks like the Arya is a promising headphone.

EDIT: How would someone compare it to the HEKv2?

 

[WhiskeyJacks]

Thanks for all of the replies.. looks like the Arya is a promising headphone.

No problem, also for example I am listening to flac of Carry on Wayward Son which I have not listened to in a good long while, but though nothing gets too hot up top. There is definitely energy in the guitar and synth solos as well as the rhythm as well as texture/prat from bass and drums that make you tap your toes. Hope that helps.

 

[Serge Bernamej]

I love the Arya but preferred tje HD800S for classical music as the Arya did not reproduce the sound of violins correctly.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Thanks for all of the replies.. looks like the Arya is a promising headphone.

EDIT: How would someone compare it to the HEKv2?

Better imo. Looks nicer, felt lighter, sounded better. It had better low end detail and a smoother mids. The highs felt exact same to me, i couldnt really tell.

My test for all headphones is the "best of bond, soundtrack collection" it has every james bond films intro and theme song. Fantastic to test with, obviously in 16/44.1 i tried to find a 24bit version but no luck. but i do have other albums from various artists in 24bit.

 

[Dexon]

Hmm thats interesting. I'm listening almost exclusively to classical music and coming from HD800 perhaps best gain in SQ is timbre. Tried many headphones in seven years, HD800 beat it all. Acquired Arya recently and at beginning didn't liked them that much but soon realized the more power I give them better they sound. I was swapping among four amps, 3 dedicated headphones amp and one integrated but with powerful H output. The most powerful one gave best results even though lack of synergy was evident. So I decided to try them out of speakers taps (Nad C375Bee) and boy, that was pleasant surprise. It was that good that I've started looking for new integrated amp with as low output impedance as possible yet with sound characteristics I thought suits best to Arya and my speakers. After some research I've ended up with Yamaha AS1100 and ArtHT between. That was it. I can't listen to HD800 anymore.

With HD800 I was leaning more towards chamber music, small orchestra concertos etc... Steinway always sounded comical to my ears with them so I knew for a long time they are not truly natural but I was always entertained with their speed, transparency and soundstage. Arya doesn't hit you with that but rather with balance, timbre, weight in midrange and bass even though they are totally up with HD800 in that regard as well. Now I listen to solo grand piano music more then ever I think. Steinway has most believable timbre I've ever heard on any headphones. Large orchestras heave depth and sounds gorgeous, especially in lower registers (cellos, bases, timpanies..). When you give them really enough power soundstage remains solid and coherent making cresendos coming with bigger intensity and greater impact. Opera is really hard to comprehend and even best produced records can get out of control with sopranos reaching high in pitch making me pushing the volume down with HD800 and almost never with Arya. I must say as well that vocals sounds spooky real with Arya. Only thing that I miss form HD800 is that 'in your face' upper midrange microdynamics and energy. Perhaps HD800 keeps track just a tiny bit better with complex mulitiple insturments involved in higher registers but still Arya sounds more true in timber and beats them any other aspect. Arya is indeed a bit laidback but if anything, I can, for the first time ever, listen to whole opera piece at once without ever reaching for volume pot and just enjoy the music for hours without any discomfort anywise.

It seems to me that I'm stuck with them for many years to come

 

[Serge Bernamej]

You need a better amp with the HD800. Arya is great but noway near as natural sounding.

 

[Dexon]

You need a better amp with the HD800. Arya is great but noway near as natural sounding.

Might be you need better for Arya.