[SmartCheetah]

Well, I had XS and I am not sure if they can be called neutral-dark even in comparison to rest of Hifiman family. They are a bit V sound and quite bright.

They sound darker, a little veiled/muffled in the mids in direct comparison with the Nano. They can be piercing in the treble, but it's another thing. It's just the Nano, while not being overly bright, is much more resolving and transparent. The difference is bigger than expected.

Also, I forgot to mention the Meze 109.
I didn't like them too much. They have a huge dip in the mids that sounded like from a well to me. At the same time the higher frequencies felt shouty sometimes. It's not that they are bad, they're easy to drive, warm in the mids, probably great to chill with listening from a DAP. But I think they're overpriced. Not even close in technicalities comparing to the Nano or the Edition XS. They look and feel great though.

If you are treble sensitive maybe you should look also at some Audeze or Meze models.

I'm sensitive to treble spikes, but overall I prefer a neutral to bright presentation, transparent and resolving.

 

[UrAvgPlay3R]

I'm sensitive to treble spikes, but overall I prefer a neutral to bright presentation, transparent and resolving.

If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit, maybe a second hand HD800/800s on a setup that can reduce its treble a bit would be what you're looking for.

 

[Dan821]

Also, I forgot to mention the Meze 109.
I didn't like them too much. They have a huge dip in the mids that sounded like from a well to me. At the same time the higher frequencies felt shouty sometimes. It's not that they are bad, they're easy to drive, warm in the mids, probably great to chill with listening from a DAP. But I think they're overpriced. Not even close in technicalities comparing to the Nano or the Edition XS. They look and feel great though.

Mentioning Meze I thought about planar representatives Empy or Elite.

 

[bagwell359]

They sound darker, a little veiled/muffled in the mids in direct comparison with the Nano. They can be piercing in the treble, but it's another thing. It's just the Nano, while not being overly bright, is much more resolving and transparent. The difference is bigger than expected.

Also, I forgot to mention the Meze 109.
I didn't like them too much. They have a huge dip in the mids that sounded like from a well to me. At the same time the higher frequencies felt shouty sometimes. It's not that they are bad, they're easy to drive, warm in the mids, probably great to chill with listening from a DAP. But I think they're overpriced. Not even close in technicalities comparing to the Nano or the Edition XS. They look and feel great though.


I'm sensitive to treble spikes, but overall I prefer a neutral to bright presentation, transparent and resolving.

OK. Our tastes are closer than I though. I don't like the 109 at all. I like the HFM clarity/transparancy routine myself, with a little PEQ to bring up the bass under 70, raise the 1.8k dip, and tame the 2-3 treble spots - but all done with a light hand.

I think that the HEK Stealth or v2 if you heard either one would be your target over any Arya version. But if the cost is too much of a barrier than the Arya Stealth would be what I'd expect you'd like - but I don't know the Organic - and its expensive, and the FR curve in the treble looks like a potential issue (as in too much).

 

[SmartCheetah]

I really appreciate your input, guys.

I like the HFM clarity/transparancy routine myself, with a little PEQ to bring up the bass under 70, raise the 1.8k dip, and tame the 2-3 treble spots - but all done with a light hand.

You just described my Edition XS EQ here. I "reworked" the bas, fine tuned the mids a little and added a negative high shelf at 10k Hz.
On the Nano, I just did the bass and lowered the treble. I love it more or less stock.

As for the HEK, I don't want to go for it now, but many thanks for the pointer, I'll keep an eye on them as a potential next upgrade.

If you're willing to stretch your budget a bit, maybe a second hand HD800/800s on a setup that can reduce its treble a bit would be what you're looking for.

I've been curious about the HD800s for a long time as a "soundstage lover". But I have a feeling they might not be too versatile. They're on my shortlist of headphones I want to try though.

I'm quite excited about the Arya Stealth to arrive, but at the same time I'm a little anxious I won't like them more than the Nano (which I like more than the Edition XS). We'll find out soon enough. One thing is certain, the Hifiman planars or planars in general take EQ like a boss. So if technicalities are good, then you can compensate and fine tune.

Tuning wise, all three are very alike. Yet, the Nanos sound quite much different than the Edition XS, especially in the mids, so graphs aren't everything apparently.

 

[UrAvgPlay3R]

I've been curious about the HD800s for a long time as a "soundstage lover". But I have a feeling they might not be too versatile. They're on my shortlist of headphones I want to try though.

If you can find a local shop to try it out, definitely do so! I am quite interested about the 800/800s series as well for a long time (because of the great reviews online), but that feeling quickly died off after I heard one at a shop in Japan: it just wasn't for me (it might not be the headphone's fault though, since they're playing it off from Ferrum stack, which I don't think is a combo that works with the 800/800s)

With regard to the versatility issue, I think you shouldn't run into any weird behavior frequency response wise, but you might find that the big soundstage of the headphone making some music seems off in terms how they should feel (ex. playing jazz in a big concert hall...)

 

[SmartCheetah]

If you can find a local shop to try it out, definitely do so! I am quite interested about the 800/800s series as well for a long time (because of the great reviews online), but that feeling quickly died off after I heard one at a shop in Japan:

I do have a huge music store a few kilometers from my place. I actually thought about testing the Aryas and comparing them with the Nanos before making a purchase. But the deal on them at the HFM store was very good, and I decided to trust my research and the guidance from people who helped me before with audio equipment. So, I went for it.

I wouldn't buy the HD800s like that though. I'm too afraid that it turns out to be a one trick pony, that I'd love their staging as one of the best if not the best on the market, but not the overall timbre and tuning.

 

[bagwell359]

I do have a huge music store a few kilometers from my place. I actually thought about testing the Aryas and comparing them with the Nanos before making a purchase. But the deal on them at the HFM store was very good, and I decided to trust my research and the guidance from people who helped me before with audio equipment. So, I went for it.

I wouldn't buy the HD800s like that though. I'm too afraid that it turns out to be a one trick pony, that I'd love their staging as one of the best if not the best on the market, but not the overall timbre and tuning.

The 800S's seems to me at it's best with an OTL amp (denser body and much more apparent rich and correct overtones) and PEQ (timbre without is less than the HD-600, and a bit more bass).

 

[zenboy2000]

Some have called the Arya's a Planar version of the HD800/s. The Arya has so far done well with every genre I've thrown at them. They're quite versatile with amplification, they've worked well on the Mojo 2, THX 789 and Burson Soloist 3 XP. Pairing the Mojo 2, Burson and Arya creates a fantastically large soundstage. The Arya Stealth was a great upgrade from the OG Ananda for me. My next headphone will probably also be a Hifiman, probably the H1000SE or what ever succeeds it when they're on sale about a year from now.

 

[itiivch00]

I've had the almost the whole Hifiman lineup. From the XS the Ananda stealth will be halfway improvement to the Arya Stealth and isn't a bad upgrade. If I were doing it I'd go with the Arya Stealth open box or refurb from them and if you like them on Facebook they extend the warranty to 18 months. It's going to be noticeable then, extra detail you'll really enjoy. Also the Arya just feel more durable, I wish all their models had that fit and finish. It's the ski style headband which is so much more comfortable than any models with the rock hard bar style foam band too.

How is the bass slam XS vs Arya stealth?

 

[SmartCheetah]

How is the bass slam XS vs Arya stealth?

The Arya has a bit less bass quantity compared to the Edition XS, but it offers tighter control and better texture. Unfortunately, I can't A/B them right now since I loaned the Edition XS to a friend, but this is the general impression.

However, being a HiFiMan planar, the Arya responds very well to EQ. This means you can turn them into bass monsters (almost) if that's your preference, assuming you use EQ.

I drafted a comparison between the Nanos, the Arya Stealth and the Edition XS in another thread. Let me copy it over:

I'm using the same balanced cable for all three, and I'm compensating for any volume differences with APO EQ to make the test as fair as possible. The Nanos are by far the loudest (easiest to drive), followed by the Arya, with the Edition XS being slightly more demanding.

My current source setup is the Aune S17 Pro feeding the Hifiman EF400 in DAC mode. Later, I'll test them with the Earmen ST-AMP and the EF400 solo.

First of all, this is how they measure, they're very much alike in their tuning. But does it mean they sound the same? Hell no!

The Edition XS is the warmest of the bunch, a little muddy in the mids compared to the other two. The Nanos are razor sharp, sterile and the brightest. The Aryas fall in between, as I expected after reading through countless of reviews and opinions. However - and this is interesting - even though the Aryas are more transparent and resolving than the Edition XS, they're actually less fatiguing. Example:

I suggest to play it lossless on Tidal or so.


This track from 2:30 - when I ramp up the volume to the levels I don't normally listen with, the Aryas sound cleaner and more transparent than the Edition XS, but at the same time easier on my ears. I have to turn down the volume because it's too loud, not because it's piercing or harsh. This is quite impressive and means that the Aryas are technically superior.

The Nano as mentioned are the brightest. It really works in some music, i.e. acoustic rock. But they also can be too sterile and shouty in certain tracks, on the verge of being unpleasant. I've been testing them for a week now, and there have been evenings when i was tired I found myself grabbing the Edition XS instead, even though the Nanos outperform them. And this is with the Aune S17 Pro, which is rather warm and creates a great synergy with the Nanos or neutral-bright headphones in general. It's not that Nano are particularly spiky in higher frequencies, in fact all 3 require EQ in the ~10k hz range. It's more about the overall presentation. The Nanos are much less forgiving for shoutier, more aggressive or badly recorded music.

The bass. The graph above doesn't confirm it, but the Aryas Stealth has the least of it. Both the Edition XS and the Nanos are more bassy, which is much more to my liking, though I'm not a basshead. Especially the Nanos are great with in the lows. But the Aryas, being Hifiman planars with great technicalities, respond to EQ like a boss. I fine tuned them to my liking, they can produce absolutely spectacular low frequencies.

Soundstage - I thought that the Edition XS was hard to beat for a mid-fi. Well, I was wrong The Nanos are similar in the width but better in depth. The Aryas are significant wider than both and more "3d" in depth. But it's not like they present everything from afar. If the recording is supposed to be close and intimate, they will deliver it easily.

My Aryas Stealth just arrived. I'm comparing them to the Ananda Nano and Edition XS. Will add my 2 cents, but I already know the winner
The winner is the Arya Stealth to me. They are the best headphones of the three. Better than the Nano, with better overall timbre, better imaging and with the widest, immersive soundstage. It is a higher level headphone at it shows (sounds). They're also better at technical nuances - dynamics, sound decay, binaural/spatial audio. They are the most musical of them all. Less dark, more transparent than the Edition XS, but even less fatiguing. But unlike the Nanos, more forgiving towards sources and music, less sterile and clinical, but as resolving and transparent. Nearly perfect allrounders, there's no thing they can't do very good at least.

Lastly, they're the most comfortable. Lack of swivel in the Nanos is disturbing me more than I expected, I have this irritating feeling that they don't seal around my ears and jaw at all. The Edition XS don't have this problem, but they create a hot spot on top of my head after a while instead. The Aryas just disappear.

Overall: Arya Stealth <- Ananda Nano <- Edition XS <- Meze 109 Pro (I tested them recently too, borrowed from a friend of mine)

The last thing I forgot to mention is detail retrieval. The Arya Stealth, despite its much more spacious soundstage (especially compared to the relatively "in your face" presentation of the Nanos), reveals a surprising amount of detail. This is interesting because I would have expected a large and spacious presentation to come at the expense of detail retrieval. Well, not necessarily.

 

[itiivch00]

The Arya has a bit less bass quantity compared to the Edition XS, but it offers tighter control and better texture. Unfortunately, I can't A/B them right now since I loaned the Edition XS to a friend, but this is the general impression.

However, being a HiFiMan planar, the Arya responds very well to EQ. This means you can turn them into bass monsters (almost) if that's your preference, assuming you use EQ.

I drafted a comparison between the Nanos, the Arya Stealth and the Edition XS in another thread. Let me copy it over:

The last thing I forgot to mention is detail retrieval. The Arya Stealth, despite its much more spacious soundstage (especially compared to the relatively "in your face" presentation of the Nanos), reveals a surprising amount of detail. This is interesting because I would have expected a large and spacious presentation to come at the expense of detail retrieval. Well, not necessarily.

Thx i rly like XS but i think its time for me for step up and im EDM fan so i consider lxd-x and Arya as my next adventure.