HIFIMAN Arya - Arya Stealth - Arya Organic :: Impressions Thread
- Thread starter XERO1
- Start date
How do these sound for rock/metal? Seriously considering. I've had the ananda before but wanted something higher end.
They are very good with rock/metal but be careful with bad recording becouse they can be little harsh.
Maximiliano Campo
100+ Head-Fier
Question about hanging the Arya up on a headphone stand, is it okay to hang them up from the metal bar alone to avoid stretching or damaging the headband long term, or is fine to hang them with the headband?
Cotnijoe
Sponsor: iFi AudioFormerly with Unique Melody
Did you recently watch Tristan's video? Maybe it'll increase the lifespan of the headband, but honestly I feel like it would make such a minute difference that it probably won't be significant in the long run.
The reason I don't hang my headphones by the metal band is because my headphone stand is metal, and I'm about to find out which metal scratches the other lol.
Cotnijoe
Sponsor: iFi AudioFormerly with Unique Melody
Docharsha89
100+ Head-Fier
Hello friends
I have just received my pair of Arya today. I'll try to sum up my overall impressions as best as I can :-
> Lets start with the packaging.
° It comes in a relatively large box containing the Headphones, 6.3mm braided Single Crystal Copper braided cable of 1.5 m length
° The headphones themselves rest on a soft satin cloth covered mould with a center portion enclosing the cable.
° An Owner's manual is provided giving details about the build of the headphones and various technologies implemented and also safety precautions during usage.
General aspects of the headphone :
° I have read quite a few reviewers and owners commenting of the build quality of these headphones. Many point out a creaky and relatively "economic" quality of the structure. But my experience says otherwise.
° There is NO CREAK at all. NIL. ZILCH. Seems like Hifiman has improved their QC of late.
° The yoke portion seems to be reinforced somehow, it feels stronger and less plasticky.
° Though the ear pads are made of Pleather, they are soft and squishy. The inner rim which comes in contact with your skin is covered in Polyester.
° I had read from a review that Hifiman had made the interior portion of the yoke metal and covered it with plastic, So it seems to be true, as it feels a bit hefty as compared to handling a fully plastic part.
° The headphones are very airy. When you wear them without any music playing, you can hear every little sound around you, its as if, your ears are not covered.
° Coming to power requirements for driving the headphone, I use a Chord Hugo 2 to power it. In the Hugo 2, for my listening preference, which is sound at a medium-high level about 65% ( Where 100% is too loud), the Hugo 2 goes to about 45% of its total volume (Light Blue volume orb), So all in all, I regard the Arya to be moderately hard to drive.
° I would place it at around the same realm as a Senn HD650 as far as power requirement is concerned.
> Keeping in mind that my headphone is only 2 hours old, here are my listening impressions :-
° The headphones as I've said before, are very airy. They sound completely open. The music just appears from thin air.
° Bass impact is very good and diffuse, If that's the correct word. Like dynamic headphones, the bass does not come from a particular direction or with a strong thump. Its more diffuse, spread around your ear, for which the source cannot be pin pointed.
° Midrange is delicately placed in a very mildly forward manner where it isnt too far nor ia it too close. Just right.
° I need more time to comment on the Midrange quality and its nuances.
° The treble is very well extended and a little bit sharp. I guess since it's new, I need to give it time. Its not harsh per se, But its extension does because a tiny bit piercing in some treble happy songs. For well recorded movies, the issue is almost non existent. Again, I need more time to comment further.
° Image seperation and distinction at this non burned-in state, is in itself, simply exemplary. Sound Images pop out of nowhere and each Sound has a particular shape and size to acknowledge. Stellar !!!
° Coming to the sound stage, I wouldn't say it extends wide, but its very airy. The sound itself doesn't project from outside the skull, but there is definitely depth to the sound. Like everything else, Sound stage improves tremendously as the drivers burn in more, So I'll wait for my final opinion.
Other random thoughts :-
° The headphones are very comfortable. Nearly on par with my Nighthawks, But those were about 1 year old, So I'm used to them.
° I don't know what some reviewers are talking about this headphone built cheaply..I don't find them cheap at all. IMHO, they are built very well, in fact they do feel premium to hold and use.
° My headphones were mfd on the 45th week of 2018, and yet they have a mesh outside the driver. I'm not sure as to when this v2 revision took place.
° I need more time to get comfortable to this headphone's sound profile due to 2 facts :
1) My previous Nighthawk headphones had a very flat and neutral Sound signature with a very mild and non-offensive treble. So it takes time for your ears to experience a change in sound profile.
2) My primary listening source over the past couple of months due to COVID-19 lockdown has been my KEF LSX Speakers. They are one hell of a pair, and again, far field listening and close listening are two different things, which plays tricks on your brain.
3) Sound interaction with the Pinnae is the chief contributor for headphone sound depth and dimensional perception, So i need to give my ears time to adapt back into headphone listening.
That will be my initial write up. Thanks for reading friends. Good day.
I have just received my pair of Arya today. I'll try to sum up my overall impressions as best as I can :-
> Lets start with the packaging.
° It comes in a relatively large box containing the Headphones, 6.3mm braided Single Crystal Copper braided cable of 1.5 m length
° The headphones themselves rest on a soft satin cloth covered mould with a center portion enclosing the cable.
° An Owner's manual is provided giving details about the build of the headphones and various technologies implemented and also safety precautions during usage.
General aspects of the headphone :
° I have read quite a few reviewers and owners commenting of the build quality of these headphones. Many point out a creaky and relatively "economic" quality of the structure. But my experience says otherwise.
° There is NO CREAK at all. NIL. ZILCH. Seems like Hifiman has improved their QC of late.
° The yoke portion seems to be reinforced somehow, it feels stronger and less plasticky.
° Though the ear pads are made of Pleather, they are soft and squishy. The inner rim which comes in contact with your skin is covered in Polyester.
° I had read from a review that Hifiman had made the interior portion of the yoke metal and covered it with plastic, So it seems to be true, as it feels a bit hefty as compared to handling a fully plastic part.
° The headphones are very airy. When you wear them without any music playing, you can hear every little sound around you, its as if, your ears are not covered.
° Coming to power requirements for driving the headphone, I use a Chord Hugo 2 to power it. In the Hugo 2, for my listening preference, which is sound at a medium-high level about 65% ( Where 100% is too loud), the Hugo 2 goes to about 45% of its total volume (Light Blue volume orb), So all in all, I regard the Arya to be moderately hard to drive.
° I would place it at around the same realm as a Senn HD650 as far as power requirement is concerned.
> Keeping in mind that my headphone is only 2 hours old, here are my listening impressions :-
° The headphones as I've said before, are very airy. They sound completely open. The music just appears from thin air.
° Bass impact is very good and diffuse, If that's the correct word. Like dynamic headphones, the bass does not come from a particular direction or with a strong thump. Its more diffuse, spread around your ear, for which the source cannot be pin pointed.
° Midrange is delicately placed in a very mildly forward manner where it isnt too far nor ia it too close. Just right.
° I need more time to comment on the Midrange quality and its nuances.
° The treble is very well extended and a little bit sharp. I guess since it's new, I need to give it time. Its not harsh per se, But its extension does because a tiny bit piercing in some treble happy songs. For well recorded movies, the issue is almost non existent. Again, I need more time to comment further.
° Image seperation and distinction at this non burned-in state, is in itself, simply exemplary. Sound Images pop out of nowhere and each Sound has a particular shape and size to acknowledge. Stellar !!!
° Coming to the sound stage, I wouldn't say it extends wide, but its very airy. The sound itself doesn't project from outside the skull, but there is definitely depth to the sound. Like everything else, Sound stage improves tremendously as the drivers burn in more, So I'll wait for my final opinion.
Other random thoughts :-
° The headphones are very comfortable. Nearly on par with my Nighthawks, But those were about 1 year old, So I'm used to them.
° I don't know what some reviewers are talking about this headphone built cheaply..I don't find them cheap at all. IMHO, they are built very well, in fact they do feel premium to hold and use.
° My headphones were mfd on the 45th week of 2018, and yet they have a mesh outside the driver. I'm not sure as to when this v2 revision took place.
° I need more time to get comfortable to this headphone's sound profile due to 2 facts :
1) My previous Nighthawk headphones had a very flat and neutral Sound signature with a very mild and non-offensive treble. So it takes time for your ears to experience a change in sound profile.
2) My primary listening source over the past couple of months due to COVID-19 lockdown has been my KEF LSX Speakers. They are one hell of a pair, and again, far field listening and close listening are two different things, which plays tricks on your brain.
3) Sound interaction with the Pinnae is the chief contributor for headphone sound depth and dimensional perception, So i need to give my ears time to adapt back into headphone listening.
That will be my initial write up. Thanks for reading friends. Good day.
You should like lcd 3 more. I was in the same situation. While Arya being really amazing cans. Upper midrange and treble was just to shouty and peaky. Cannot listen them for more than hour or so.
And I decided to go with LCD 3. They are not as airy as arya or don't have this huge magical soundstage. But for me lcd 3 is the winner. Sweeter midrange,darker than arya but not muddy or dark at all.
Docharsha89
100+ Head-Fier
Yeah I'm sorry, I meant to say Fabric. Wherein, you can't see the magnets when tilted at an angle.
Docharsha89
100+ Head-Fier
I was initially planning for an LCD X, but was put off due to the weight. Also, I wanted a different sound signature with an extended treble after spending more than a year with the Nighthawks.
TheMiddleSky
Headphoneus Supremus
He just need to be a little careful with sudden additional weight on head + neck when switch to LCD-3.
Arya is confusing for me. I really like HE500, HE1000v1, HE1000SE, and Susvara. But always fail to enjoy the Arya sound.
Bass seems great, airy feel that I really like, but the midrange has problem in presentation, could be too thin, "compressed", recessed, and sharp at times. Of course these conclusion came from my set-up and my type of songs.
Docharsha89
100+ Head-Fier
Usually, One of the most common cause for a compressed sound is inadequate power supplied to the device. For me, the Midrange is perfectly placed in the mix, right in the middle of the low and upper end, sounding full and smooth.
It can also be improved with some EQ such as upping 2kHz and lowering 8.5kHz
