[Thetaburn]

My V2 was sold today.
Therefore, I will unfortunately not be able to make a direct comparison.

What if the stealth magnets makes it worst?

I had the Arya v2 and hopped on the Arya v3 hype train on the first day of release.....I preferred the v2

 

[BowWazoo]

I had both. I liked the Arya V3 much better. I'm confident that the He-1000 V2 Stealth will be an upgrade.

 

[Dixter]

I have a question about the magnets and structure of the layout... this is for all manufacturers of Planar magnetic headphones... seems like they are using less expensive magnets of different make up and properties and having less of them.. even to the point where some are going to single sided as this too allows less cost for the magnets... could it be that when Hifiman started to implement the less is better approach to magnets thats when his designers said " Look at the new design with less magnets, we will call this " stealth " as you can't see them there anymore because we took them away "

 

[haasaaroni]

I have a question about the magnets and structure of the layout... this is for all manufacturers of Planar magnetic headphones... seems like they are using less expensive magnets of different make up and properties and having less of them.. even to the point where some are going to single sided as this too allows less cost for the magnets... could it be that when Hifiman started to implement the less is better approach to magnets thats when his designers said " Look at the new design with less magnets, we will call this " stealth " as you can't see them there anymore because we took them away "

This is kind of intriguing to be honest. I'm curious if anyone else has any thoughts.

My initial reaction to Hifiman making all their headphones with Stealth magnet arrays is that it's just cheaper to produce one kind of magnet design than two. The fact that even the HE400se has stealth magnets says about as much as I would need to know that there's no extra cost going into these magnet structures.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

What if the stealth magnets makes it worst?

I had the Arya v2 and hopped on the Arya v3 hype train on the first day of release.....I preferred the v2

At least they can be our guinea pigs.

 

[BowWazoo]

I had that thought too.
Ultimately, I think in the other direction:
the topic of stealth started in the flagship.
I believe Hifiman that the stealth magnets have acoustic advantages.
Production may also be cheaper.
In any case, the development continues. Presumably the supplier no longer produces conventional (i.e. non-stealth) magnets.

 

[srkbear]

Thanks, weird release, only available in Germany and not a single official peep from Hifiman, even in their official Sponsor SubForum.

I know, what the hell? It is showing up on their website’s product page, but it’s listed under the HE1000, not the V2–and it’s the only item missing an icon. Plus the price is incorrect. There’s no sign of it at all on their online storefront, although many sites are showing the original out of stock now.

And despite it being available for sale at a smattering of stores in Deutschland, there isn’t a single press release to be found online anywhere (I even checked on a TOR browser! Has someone verified whether they have carbon monoxide monitors installed over there in their corporate offices?

 

[mtoc]

he1000 v2 stealth first impression from my friend, please remember he's very biased, long time hifiman user, so just take some salt:

"better speed, more snappy, but can't say an upgrade compared to the original he1000 v2"

"he1000 v2 stealth sounds damn like Arya stealth"

 

[srkbear]

What if the stealth magnets makes it worst?

I had the Arya v2 and hopped on the Arya v3 hype train on the first day of release.....I preferred the v2

Really? That wasn’t my experience at all with the Arya SE. I’ve checked the FRC comparisons between the Arya V2 vs Stealth and the Ananda original vs Stealth, and they look pretty identical to my eyes.

From everything I’ve heard, these Stealth upgrades are literally the exact same headphone other than the magnet upgrade—which is allegedly to improve laminar air flow from the diaphragm to the window shade grilles, with less obstruction by the magnet.

The available specs between the original HEKV2 and Stealth versions are identical, with the exact same impedance and sensitivity. I would think the stealth version should sound identical to the original’s signature other than improved detail retrieval…

 

[mtoc]

available specs between the original HEKV2 and Stealth versions are identical, with the exact same impedance and sensitivity

you need to recheck...

 

[srkbear]

he1000 v2 stealth first impression from my friend, please remember he's very biased, long time hifiman user, so just take some salt:

"better speed, more snappy, but can't say an upgrade compared to the original he1000 v2"

"he1000 v2 stealth sounds damn like Arya stealth"

I’m going with your salt hypothesis. Given the minimal changes between the two versions I can’t put together any hypothesis that would explain why it would alter the sound signature to that degree—certainly not to make it worse! It’s just the magnet, and it’s the same size magnet as well, just with different perforations—that shouldn’t have much impact on the sound signature.

Tell him to shaddup, I wanna hear it myself!

 

[srkbear]

you need to recheck...

I just did! Are you seeing something different? The published spec sheets I see both show 35/90…

 

[Thetaburn]

Really? That wasn’t my experience at all with the Arya SE. I’ve checked the FRC comparisons between the Arya V2 vs Stealth and the Ananda original vs Stealth, and they look pretty identical to my eyes.

From everything I’ve heard, these Stealth upgrades are literally the exact same headphone other than the magnet upgrade—which is allegedly to improve laminar air flow from the diaphragm to the window shade grilles, with less obstruction by the magnet.

The available specs between the original HEKV2 and Stealth versions are identical, with the exact same impedance and sensitivity. I would think the stealth version should sound identical to the original’s signature other than improved detail retrieval…

I remember there was a 'wow' factor when I got the Arya v2 - huge soundstage and separation.
It wasn't perfect by any means but it had a defining and memorable trait.

Hoped on the Arya SE hype train and when I first heard them, no 'wow'.
No amount of burn-in expand the soundstage.
From memory, sounded like a less dynamic Focal Clear.
To my ears, the soundstage was reduced and with noticeably less sound separation.
The soundstage was like a narrow hallway compared to the Arya v2.

Hekv2's soundstage is noticeably bigger than Arya SE, and I am content.
If the reviews are very positive on the Hekv2 Stealth, I might be tempted to get them.

 

[BowWazoo]

I am convinced that there will also be disagreement in the case of the V2 Stealth.

What kind of things have I heard:
"HE-1000 V1 sounds better than V2", upgrading from Arya V2/V3 to HE-1000 is not worthwhile", "Anada Stealth and HE-1000 V2 sound 99% identical" etc ...
Probably also in the case of the he-1000 V2 there will be people who will say that the non-stealth sounds better.
I paid less than 200€ for the change.
I think that's reasonable. Even if it is will be a small upgrade.

 

[BowWazoo]

I remember there was a 'wow' factor when I got the Arya v2 - huge soundstage and separation.
It wasn't perfect by any means but it had a defining and memorable trait.
Hoped on the Arya SE hype train and when I first heard them, no 'wow'.

My experience:
Arya V2 no wow.
Arya V3 hughe WOW