[TeamHiFiMAN]

I love the back design of Hifiman's planar headphones, however, will that be dusty after several months?

Dust should not be an issue, if they are kept in a dusty area however then gently blowing on the drivers should remove any. If you're worried about the issue then we would suggest when not in use store them in the box they came in. That way you can keep them immaculate.

Mark

 

[Dobrescu George]

I love the back design of Hifiman's planar headphones, however, will that be dusty after several months?

Okay, so I had Arya in my Dust disaster room for I think two weeks now. My room is literally filled to the neck in dust, and I've no idea why, I clean it and leave a window open almost at all times, but man, I do get dust easily.

Anyways, I can't notice any dust on Arya itself, and and none on the driver, while something like my Speaker Amplifier does gather dust like a magnet. So Arya doesn't seem to mind my environment. I haven't put it away while not in usage, nor treated it especially, and I even took Arya on a walk today. Not one issue for me!

Also, time for first impressions!

- Okay, so the package for Arya is really nice. It doesn't come with much, but it has a nice box, and it sits really cozy in it.
- The cable is nice, Full Copper, so it provides a nice warm touch to their midrange, I love the way they paint both male and female voices
- The comfort!!! This is more comfortable than even the Empyrean, and even more comfy than HD800 for me! HD800 was a touch too loose, Arya is simply put, just right! I am in love with having them on my head
- Although HIFIMAN quotes a weight of 400 grams for them, they feel like a feather on my head, can barely tell that I'm wearing them. Really nice job on the weight mencahsim.
- The build quality is, as youy can see in the photo, pretty much flawless. This looks and feels like a flagship. It is as much of a technological wonder as it is a design one. I feel HIFIMAN doesn't emphasize at all how awesome this looks and feels in person
- Sound is light, pretty bright, yet quite punchy, dynamic, and huge. Like, HD800 levels of huge, but with a better instrument definition, and in fact, it ain't just huge, it is fully open. Arya provides almost no passive noise isolation, the membrane inside is extremely thin, and that means that Arya will not isolate almost at all from the outside noise. This also makes their sound magically detailed, clear and wide. So much width and depth to the soundstage, it is insane.
- I am using Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ to drive Arya, and the only thing I can say is that I'm speechless at the level of detail and refinement they have. It ain't just the way they portray detail, it is the natural way they go about it. There's nothing out of place, instruments sound natural, most headphones have a kind of sound that indicates it is a headphone, but Arya simply doesn't, you hear things as you'd in an open space. This is the best way to describe them, they simply feel like you're not wearing them, the way they are designed, being so open, they are a bit like a mini Jade II, really open, but with more bass.
- Oh yes, the bass can go low and punch deep. They aren't the most punchy out there, but they are incredibly dynamic and musical, even something that I don't usually enjoy like country sounds like the sweetest music of heavens to my ears. Arya is also one of the best headphones for gaming ever created, Soundtracks, or playing some shooters, even some Starcraft II, or some visual Novels, I'm in heaven, both because they are so darn comfortable, and also because they are so natural, airy and open. I'm simply in love with the overall feeling.
- Arya sounds best at all volumes, sounds nice at really low volumes late at night, sounds nice at mid volumes, but can also unleash some fury if you blast them at loud volumes.
- If I had any complaints about them, I think those would be about the stock cable, it is thick and not very flexible, I'd have prefered them to come with either Sundara cables, or HE6SE cables, but that may be a personal preference.
- Another really minor compaint is that they are advertised as being hard to drive, but they really aren't, they are easier to drive than LCD-2C, Kennerton Thror, just a bit harder than Sundara.
- The sound of Arya, is really what you would want if you were coming from high-end flagship speakers. Arya sounds like speakers that cost over 10.000 USD, actually tested by me... So yep, there you have it.
- For a really comfortable headphone, with a light sound, Arya does better than HD800S at being comfortable, open and airy, has better instrument separation, has better instrument definition, HD800S can be a bit vague, also Arya doesn't have any peaks or dips, it is one of the most natural and linear headphones I've heard. In fact, it makes both HE6SE, and Jade II sound a bit colored by direct comparison, HE6SE feels a bit more emotional, and also a bit more thick and punchy, although muuuuuch harder to drive, while Jade II feels a bit more midrange-forward when placing all of them side-by-side.
- Arya sounds a bit similar to Crosszone CZ-1, but it is not as soft, nor as gentle, it is more natural overall.
- The treble also reminds me what an "expensive" treble sounds like. The detail, the fine extensions, and all of those without being harsh nor sibilant, nor bothersome, man this is nice.
- Overall, this is a great headphone, Very few complaints. Made for "natural" sound, not for bassheads necessarily, not for treble heads in particular, just for a natural, airy, open and clean sound.

 

[Mkoll]

The soundstage and openness of these headphones is incredible. Might be the most open headphones I've ever heard.

 

[webmi]

One might have to take a look at room acoustics first, before buying the Arya, thats how open they are

Post #773

 

[Jodet]

Lots of definition and dynamics in the treble. In the world of near field mastering monitors (circa early 80's), tweeters that really hit you in the face were favored. I'd say there is a similarity there. I remember these Yamaha's (forget model) that could peel paint at 20 paces, of course nuance which the 6's have were somewhat missing in the Yamaha's. I brought a set of Cizek 1's to this guy's studio, Very clean and articulate - something like the HD600, using a peerless tweeter, and he said hey these are good let me just turn them up 6 db in the treble... woooooh.. bad.

Cizek's were insanely great back in the day. What were they, $300 for the One's and $400 for the Two's? Just awesome speakers.

 

[Jodet]

Just ordered a pair of Arya's. So what's the consensus on tube vs solid state amps for these? I have one of each, a Quad tube amp and a Violectric V280.

 

[Xinlisupreme]

@Jodet is this one?
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/quad-pa-one-headphone-amplifier-and-preamplifier-sneak-peek

I’m driving Ananda with Trafomatic Head Amp that provide 2w to 50ohm, I think Quad is a little bit short with 0,5W to 32ohm...
My Headamp2 can drive also HE-1000 V2 easily

 

[Jodet]

@Jodet is this one?
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/quad-pa-one-headphone-amplifier-and-preamplifier-sneak-peek

I’m driving Ananda with Trafomatic Head Amp that provide 2w to 50ohm, I think Quad is a little bit short with 0,5W to 32ohm...
My Headamp2 can drive also HE-1000 V2 easily

Nope, this one:

http://quad-hifi.co.uk/product-detail.php?pid=41

 

[Dobrescu George]

The soundstage and openness of these headphones is incredible. Might be the most open headphones I've ever heard.

Absolutely, I like the soundstage better than both Empy and HD800S, more large than Empy, and more precise and separated than HD800S, pretty much the dream soundstage

One might have to take a look at room acoustics first, before buying the Arya, thats how open they are

Post #773

Oh yes, happily I think my room works well lol

Just ordered a pair of Arya's. So what's the consensus on tube vs solid state amps for these? I have one of each, a Quad tube amp and a Violectric V280.

I preferred them off Solid Stage, really clear and crisp, although something that's really clean and clear in tubes should also compliment them well

 

[dan3952]

@dan3952 i’m listening Ananda, and i think it’s the brighter Hifiman listened.
Anyway I found Ananda warm in mid and mid-low area and sometimes hits hard in mid-high Sonic spectrum.
Should I test Focal Clear?

Focal Clears aren't warm, as you might expect from any headphone that has a metal driver. They have a lively upper midrange that had made me turn them down a lot to avoid singers shouting at me. Clears certainly don't have a dark signature. They have lots of detail, and probably more than the Anandas. There's texture in pianos and strings that I can't hear with any headphone that costs less than what the Clears cost. Bass extension is average, not super. All Audezes and probably the E2 are better at this. Clears have an average soundstage at best. My closed back Shure SRH1540's that are a third of the cost, have a wider sound stage, especially with the Dekoni sheepskin ear pads. That one is the only headphone I have right now, I had just sold the Clears.

 

[bagwell359]

Cizek's were insanely great back in the day. What were they, $300 for the One's and $400 for the Two's? Just awesome speakers.

The Ones were the first and bigger ones. I used to get them at 20% over cost which was like $239. I was responsible for several very unofficial modded versions. The best ones used SEAS tweeters in place of the stock peerless, and had better caps. Some of the bad ones I won't take credit for! There was nothing wrong with the woofs, cabinets, or bracing.

Never messed with the 2's, mids were not clear enough, bass too shy.

A friend of mine just finished a rebuild of his One's I got him in '78. Vifa tweeter, all new xover, the woofer in great shape (the usual issue with old ones). The tweeter is faster than the woof, so we build an iron stand that gets them off the floor (which they always hate) and get them pretty much time aligned. He's got a $100k sailboat from all the money he saved keeping the Cizek's, and not fussing around with audio....

Maybe the LS35A's ;(78 or '79 debut), and first ProAc Tablettes ('81) had better mids, but before 1980, no two way Advent, KLH, AR, etc. could touch the Cizek's. In '77-'78 it was Cizek all the way. Go down to Best Buy, and try and find natural sound - even the cheapest ML's have a massive annoying treble boost. Cizek's were way ahead of their time.

 

[webmi]

Just ordered a pair of Arya's. So what's the consensus on tube vs solid state amps for these? I have one of each, a Quad tube amp and a Violectric V280.

For me, with the Arya, i can listen to tubes much more easily, then with the LCD-X. The Arya therefore, for me, pairs very well with tubes, i guess.

 

[nightdance]

I understand the Arya uses the 3.5 mm connectors, but are all the aftermarket cables with 3.5 mm connectors compatible with the Arya? I.E. can I use cables made for Z1R/Focal Clear etc. with the Arya? Thanks

 

[Dobrescu George]

I understand the Arya uses the 3.5 mm connectors, but are all the aftermarket cables with 3.5 mm connectors compatible with the Arya? I.E. can I use cables made for Z1R/Focal Clear etc. with the Arya? Thanks

Yes, you should be able to AFAIK

 

[Serge Bernamej]

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

By the way, you’re right, the HD800 will always have a moment of fatigue element to it or peakiness. I’m going back to the Aryas. But your comment is great for all classical music lovers.